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Perseverance in Faith

2 Timothy 2:11-12 (NIV): “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him. 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him, If we disown him, he will also disown us;

In this short powerful verse, Paul offers us a profound truth that serves as a cornerstone of our faith: our spiritual death and resurrection in Christ.

As believers, we are called to die to ourselves, to our desires, and to our sinful nature. This spiritual death is not merely symbolic but a profound transformation of our entire being. Just as Christ died and rose again, we too are called to die to our old selves and be reborn in Him.

Each day, surrender your will to God. Die to your desires, ambitions, and fears, and allow God to lead your life. Understand that following Christ involves sacrifice. Whether it’s sacrificing time, comfort, or desires, be willing to lay them down for the sake of Christ. Just as Christ’s resurrection brought hope and new life, trust in the promise of eternal life with Him. Let this hope sustain you through trials and tribulations.

Let’s embrace this truth, living each day in the reality of our death and resurrection in Christ. Through daily surrender, sacrifice, and hope, may we persevere in our faith journey, knowing that we will live with Him for eternity.

Tim S

  ’81 / ’99  Madisonville  LA


Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

A Chin Held High

(The following was published in bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – September 23rd, 2018,  St Charles MN)

Pride:  The disease that is fatal to the soul.

“The iniquity found in “the angel that covers” was pride.  Pride walks with a chin held high.  It refuses to acknowledge a power greater than itself.  It seeks glory that belongs only to God.  Pride lives as if there is nothing for which he will be held accountable. 

Pride leads to calamity. “Pride goes before destruction,” says Solomon, “and a haughty spirit before a fall (Prov. 16:18). The fall of the proud is often ascribed in the Bible to divine judgment. The proud Persian courtier Haman was hung from the very gallows he had built for the execution of Mordecai—a man who had infuriated Haman by refusing to do obeisance. Nebuchadnezzar exulted in his own glory and was rewarded with madness. He did not return to his throne until he “learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals and gives it to whom He will” (Dan. 4:30-33).  King Sennacherib boasted of his might and defied God—and shortly thereafter was murdered by his sons.  Herod was lauded as a god, but he was struck down by an angel “because he had not given glory to God” (Acts 12:21-23).

The psalmist declared that God had placed the proud on slippery ground: even at the height of their prosperity and earthly security, they are never far from ruin (Psalm 73:4-20). Obadiah declared to Edom, Your proud heart has deceived you, you that live in the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is in the heights. You say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the LORD.” (Obadiah 1:3-5).

A day is coming,” said Isaiah, when “the haughty eyes of people shall be brought low, and the pride of everyone will be humbled.” (Isa. 2:11).  C.S. Lewis asserts that pride “is the complete anti-God state of mind.”

Pride will one day stand in front of the Great White Throne.  “The sinner, in his blindness looks, but he sees no throne, and therefore he cries, ‘I will live as I please, for there is none to call me to account, …’” (Spurgeon).  

But the Judge of all the earth will be swift in His verdict.  God’s presence on the throne of judgment is so overwhelmingly powerful that “earth and sky fled away.”  All the bravado, the bluster, and egotistical arrogance will melt like wax.  There will be no one to intercede for him.  The Anti-Christ and the beast will make room for Pride—in their eternal torment—the verdict of God’s righteous wrath.  

Pastor Jim B

 ’47 / ’56 St Charles MN


Attribute of Grace

Tim Keller says, “God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But by His grace, He does not leave us as we are.” Paul shares the same sentiments about grace in Titus 2:11-14 by saying grace has found us, and grace will finish its work until Jesus’s coming. So, say “NO” to ungodli­ness and worldly passions. Not out of duty but delight in the Lord’s grace. If you allow it, grace can touch your heart and transform your thoughts, words, and actions to be more like Jesus.

Paul W

  ’86 / ’03 Oxford PA

Suffering on our Birthday?

(The following was published in bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – February 11th, 2018,  St Charles MN)

     We have a mission that we support called “Voice of the Martyrs.”  It seems to me that a mission agency like this one should have been around during the first century, when so many Christians were martyred for their faith.  Then I read some of the latest reports on the number of Christians today who are being martyred for their faith.  According to “Voice of the Martyrs” more men and women are being persecuted today for Jesus than at any other time in human history.  Literally millions of Christians face intense persecution and risk their lives for the sake of the Gospel.  I am guessing they take some satisfaction in reading Jesus’ letter to the church of Smyrna. 

     I know our problems seem overwhelming at times.  We are overwhelmed with a houseful of sick kids; or we just can’t seem to balance our budget; or one of our adult children is walking away from the Lord; or we are bravely facing another round of chemo, panic attacks or back pain.  We wonder if we will be able to hang on.  But most of us have never struggled to the point of “the shedding of blood.”  Still, the comfort and promise of Jesus to the suffering church at Smyrna seems like a good reminder to whatever we might be facing.  First, He reminds us that He has conquered life and death; second, we will never find freedom from suffering and sorrow in this life, but this life is only a precursor for the next.  As awful as it is for us to face death for any reason, it is not the “first death” that we should be afraid of—His promise to those who die “in the Lord” is that they will not be hurt at all by the second death. 

We have been introducing our theme for the new year, “Set your hearts on things above.”  It all seems very appropriate since that message is precisely what Jesus says to the suffering church.  “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”   He isn’t promising “life” here on earth, which will end when we die; He is talking about life after we die—eternal life.  And that promise was to comfort those who were facing death. 

Tim Keller writes: “While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.”  I remember the Apostle Paul calling that anticipation “our blessed hope.”  (I Thes. 4).  In fact, when it’s time to say our final “Goodbyes” to our loved ones, in the same chapter, Paul encourages us not “to grieve as those who have no hope.”  

In this life, we do not know what it will mean for those who choose to follow Christ.  If we are called to suffer, it will surely be worth it all.                                       

Pastor Jim B

 ’47 / ’56 ST Charles MN


Doris Jean High

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

He Did What?

“He tasted death for every man…” Hebrews 2:9

(The following was published in bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – April 16th, 2017,  St Charles MN)

    I am often asked what I preach about in a worship service at Assisted Living, or to the elderly and infirm at Golden Living. We only keep them for a half hour, so I try to blend in three hymns (they love to sing), and a central thought for the day. Last week, of course, I tried to remind them of their “blessed hope”—the resurrection. I told them, “The Bible says, 100 per cent of people on this earth will die, and 100 per cent of people will rise. The question is not, ‘Will you come back from the dead?’ It is, ‘Where will you spend eternity?’”

Mankind has sought an answer to THIS question since the FIRST funeral. In fact, the oldest book of the Bible records that Job asked it long ago when he said, “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14) Because Jesus is the RESURRECTION… we know that the answer is “Yes!” It is possible for us to experience life after death… Two days ago, we remembered the final words of Jesus, “It is finished!”He DIED on the cross for our sins. Jesus EXPERIENCED DEATH…and then came back to life…

Now, some doubt this. They say that Jesus never really died on that first Good Friday. A woman once wrote Dr. J. Vernon McGee and said, our preacher said that on Easter, Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health. “What do you think?” McGee replied, “Dear sister, beat your preacher with a leather ‘cat-of-nine-tails’ with 39 heavy strokes. Nail him to a cross. Hang him in the sun for six hours. Run a spear through his heart. Embalm him. Put him in an airless tomb for three days and see what happens!”

     This foolish preacher was wrong. Jesus DID actually die and, because He did and then rose again conquering death, the Bible teaches that we will as well. In Romans 6, Paul said, “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.”And, as Jesus promised Martha in verse 25, “He who believes in Me will live even though he dies.”

Jesus “tasted death”. He ‘sampled”’ its poison. He says to His disciples: “The prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over Me.” (John 14:9). There is no better proof of His sinless life than His certain resurrection.

Pastor Jim B

’47 / ’56 St Charles MN


1 Peter – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…”

“Holy,” at its core, means “set apart and pure.” We are to be different from the world around us. A “holy nation.” When you think about another nation, there is a certain strangeness to it. A different language or money or custom or architecture that feels “foreign.” That is how our lives ought to look in comparison to those who don’t know Christ. We will have different values, customs, and priorities. This is not to say that Christians ought to be “weird.” We are in the world even though we are not citizens here. Rather, we ought to not fully belong because we are following God’s call to “be holy.”

Addison R

  ’89 / ’13  Willow Street PA

Incredible Power of Prayer

(The following was published in the bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – April 17th, 2016,   St Charles MN)

Well, we certainly enjoyed our InFaith National Conference in Lake Williamson, IL. with other missionaries and the home office staff. It’s great to see how God is raising up new missionaries. InFaith is gaining a greater percentage of missionaries who have a burden for the inner city. We did spend some time in prayer for all of you. It certainly felt like we were away more than five days!

   This little story caught my attention as a reminder that, when God answers prayers, He doesn’t always answer the way we expect Him to.

Dwight Nelson told a true (?) story about the pastor of his church. He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc.  The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. He did all this, checking his progress in the car frequently, then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten.  But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went “boing!” and the kitten instantly sailed through the air—out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten.  No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So, he prayed, “Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,” and went on about his business. A few days later he was at the grocery store and met one of his neighbors–a church member. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater, and everyone knew it.  So, he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?” She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing.

Then a few days later, the child had begged again, so the mom finally told her little girl, “Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.”

She told the pastor, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the clear blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.”

Never underestimate the power of prayer…..

Pastor Jim B

  ’47 / ’56 St Charles MN


Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

Our Position is Temporary

Birthdays are a great time to evaluate.  Some folks consider where they are in achieving certain goals.  For example, those getting close to retirement check to see if what they have saved and what they expect to receive in retirement is enough to last the rest of their lives. Others may think about where they are in their career and what will it take to get the next promotion.

Have you ever considered being promoted in eternity? For those who believe in the Lord Jesus, we know we will get a new body that will last forever. That will certainly be an upgrade to the bodies we have now. But how will we get a promotion in eternity? 

   Hebrews 2:7 says we are made a little lower than the angels.  You may have heard that referred to now and again.  But what caught me is what the verse actually says:

“You have made him for a little while lower than angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor;”

    Did you catch the promotion?  It says we were made “a little while” lower than the angels. Besides a new body, besides a life that lasts forever, we get a new position!  Eternity just keeps getting better and better!

    If you are not ready for this promotion, what do you need to do?  The Bible is clear, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”. (Acts 4:12, 16:31) That’s all you need to do.  It’s a lot easier than getting that next promotion at work.  

Bret A.

’63 /’79 Stewartville MN


Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

Walking Dead

God has raised us! What a statement to rejoice in. This verse speaks of endless delights. It recalls to us the notion that we have been given new life, one that is joined to Christ in His heavenly realm. It’s a verse that tells of God’s great salvation to us! And it is here, hearing of our current blessings, that we too should reflect on where we once were. Those moments before we were raised and seated. Our days before the unbelievable intervention of Jesus.

     Many people will reference being simply “lost” before Christ’s salvation, however, this a word that pales before the reality of our condition. Having been raised we must recognize that we were once dead. In our sin, we were utterly lifeless. The road before us was not a wandering path without a map, but instead one desolate and determined for destruction. We had already drowned, sank, and lay without life in the depths. But praise God! He dove in and saw us motionless, and He sacrificed that we may live. It was there by the death and resurrection of Jesus our outcome was changed. In Him we could breathe again, in Him we were no longer dead, in Him we were raised up!

I pray today that you find great joy in the love of Jesus and know Him as your Savior. To have once been a corpse and to now have new life on this Earth, and beyond, is a miracle worth meditating on.

Benjamin C

  ‘94 / ’14  Sioux Falls SD


Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

1 God – 1 Mediator

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     Happy Birthday. May today be a special blessing for you and your family. Sometimes though, families can argue, sometimes families can even fight. My brothers and I had some “knock em out drag em out” battles when we were younger. At times, we actually needed a referee or someone to negotiate peace. Our verse today describes that person.

    You see, there is a war that was waged and continues to be fought.  God created
mankind. He also created angels. One angel (Lucifer) decided to rebel against
God and took 1/3 of all angels with him. He then deceived man (Adam & Eve)
which brought sin & death into the world for the first time. God had already
created a plan for redemption (Gen 3:14-20). A few thousand years later, at the
perfect time, God sent His Son to earth to live a holy, sinless life so he could
be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He bore our sins on the cross and became
a ransom for many. He died on that cross for us. If there was any other way, he
would not have chosen to die. If we could get to heaven any other way, He would
not have needed to sacrifice Himself.

  Since the first bite of the fruit in the garden of Eden, the battle has always been
this – Lucifer is trying to take as many people as possible to hell with him. God
has provided a way to avoid that eternal destination through His Son. Lucifer
tried to kill Jesus as a baby, he tempted Him and tried to get Jesus to bow
down and when Jesus would not, Lucifer had Him killed on a cross. THEN, the
greatest event in human history took place – Jesus Rose from the grave! He conquered
death and sin! We do not have to spend eternity apart from God – He provided a
solution – a Savior. The battles we fight with others and the internal battles
we fight with ourselves have already been negotiated peacefully. Jesus is the 1
person who can mediate that fight. He is the One who paid the price, and he is
the One who intercedes for us before the Father. (Romans 8:30-28) According to
Paul in today’s verse, we do not need anyone else to intercede for us. We can
go directly to Jesus. We do not need another human as a go between. Jesus already
won the war. We just need to declare victory by joining His team.

(The video below is one of my all-time favorite songs. It clearly tells the story of an epic battle for the souls of all mankind. It is a longer song, but well worth it! Enjoy)

Dave R

  ’69 /’83  Quarryville PA


Carman – The Champion

The Power of Humility

C.S. Lewis said, “pride is the mother hen under which all other sin is hatched.”

     I once asked myself,” how do I remain humble and in a constant state of humility?” Months later I answered that question, “Exalt Jesus to His proper place, which is on the right hand of the Father and the Throne. Christ is seated not because he is weary of the work on the cross but because He is confident in the work of the cross and its completeness and Jesus is waiting on the word form Abba Father to go and get that which He redeemed.

     The main idea is Jesus’ example of humility, and it challenges Christians to live a life of unselfishness and unity. We see Paul’s appeal to the readers to “make my joy complete” in a practical way with the following outlook towards one another: being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. These appeals are viewed by Paul as being normal for Christians. Being united in Christ, believers work together for the same purposes rather than seeking areas of disagreement and division. Paul gave us a way to apply this idea towards others in a positive light. Unity in love means selfish ambitions and vain conceit have no place in the Christian life. These characteristics come from pride, not from love. Humility is to characterize the Christian. We are not to exalt ourselves above others. You might think this is one of those easier said than done verses from Jesus in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” Biblical love is selfless, the opposite is selfishness. Humility does not mean putting ourselves down but rather lifting others up. Looking out for our own interest comes naturally, we need and receive no instruction for that. However, we are instructed to look out for the interest of others. We need to keep an eye out to discover ways we can help others.

Mike R

  ’67 / ’83  Jacksonville FL



Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

Groundhog Day – Change Happens, or Does It?

Change.  Change happens. “Change is the only constant in life” Heraclitus – Greek philosopher.

   Some regions of the world experience 4 seasons – others only 1 or 2 seasons. Some regions can experience a daily temperature change of 40+ degrees while others don’t experience that much the whole year. The northern climates in the USA experience once a year (today) a slight glimmer of hope from a 4-legged fury creature that their season may be changing sooner rather than later. When you live in sub-freezing temps for months, you consider listening to a groundhog’s weather forecast. No matter where we live, some of us like change and some do not, but we all realize at some point that change is inevitable. Our protagonist from today’s verse did NOT like change.

     Jonah was living his ordinary life when God spoke and asked him to make a big change. Leave behind what you are currently doing and go preach to the wicked city Ninevah. Jonah’s thoughts – Nope. Not gonna do it. Not now, not ever. I’ll just go in the opposite direction. Well, God had a different thought. Ultimately, God was able to get Jonah’s attention via “a great fish”. (Jonah 1:17)

    Jonah’s 8 verse prayer in Chapter 2 is a prototype prayer for every lost soul. He cries out to God from the belly of the fish – in utter despair and “from the depths of the grave (Sheol)”.  We may never get swallowed by a large fish to change us but many of us (including myself) have experienced a moment where utter despair and hopelessness seemed ordinary. No way out. No way to live. No hope. YET, there was hope. Jonah pleaded with Yahweh and thanked him for his “salvation” (vs 9) prior to being released. Imagine spending 3 days in darkness surrounded by seaweed and then you see daylight and then you are on the shore. Wow. What joy would fill our hearts. That’s change we can believe in.

    1 John 2:1-2 is a great parallel verse to Jonah. We all have sinned and will all sin again. Just like Jonah, at some point in our life, we will tell God NO. BUT – “If anyone sins, we have a Counselor (Advocate)  with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.  We have a choice. We could accept change. We can continue in our sin and despair and refuse to change, or we can go to our Counselor and Advocate and get forgiveness. He became the sacrifice for our sins. You see, Jesus Christ spent 3 days in (Sheol) the grave, so we don’t have to. If you have already asked Jesus to forgive your sins, praise God. If you have not, please, please don’t wait until you are in the belly of a fish. Humble yourself now. Please don’t celebrate another birthday without Christ – or it may become just another Groundhog Day.

Dave R

  ’69 / ’83  Quarryville PA  


Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA