I'M THANKFUL FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH

        With Thanksgiving coming soon, it’s good to consider what we’re thankful for. I’m thankful this year that I’ve lived in two distinct periods of history, today with all our amazing inventions and learning, and six decades ago when people had less knowledge but were generally more gentle with each other. 

        A true story comes to mind. A young farm wife was left alone to cook a meal for a several farm workers harvesting their crop. She made meat, potatoes and vegetables and topped it off with apple pie. The meal went well until dessert. One of the men put a piece of her fresh pie on his plate, ate a bite and then reached for the sugar bowl. Sprinkling a spoonful inside the crust he said, “I always appreciate it when I’m allowed to sweeten the pie just the way I like it.” She had forgotten to put sugar in her pie! But instead of embarrassing her, the man gently complimented her. As they left, the men all thanked her for the meal, especially the pie.

        That young wife was Laura Ingalls Wilder, who later authored many award-winning and beloved children’s books. Who of us has not read her enjoyable and memorable works? Yet today a movement is underway to purge library shelves of her works because of her perceived racist attitude toward Native Americans.

Having been taught by an elementary school teacher who knew Mrs. Wilder personally, I have a fairly strong opinion of those who would expunge her works from library shelves. Amazingly, some of Mark Twain’s classics are getting the same treatment!

        But I’m also thankful for the Bill of Rights which allows people to speak differing opinions. The First Amendment begins with these words, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…” We are allowed to express differing opinions, but should take care how we do so.

        1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” There are all kinds of ways to express differing opinions. How we do so can push us apart or perhaps bring us together. If we can be gentle and respectful no matter what we say, everyone will be better for it. 

Freedom of Speech is more important than our feelings.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR!

        Have you ever been categorized or identified by what you wore? I don’t mean wearing a uniform with an ID badge that would give you away, but how about the common clothing you have on each day? Would it tell people where you came from or what you did?

        Last weekend Carol and I attended a funeral in Phoenix and on the way home stopped at Costco to pick up a few items and have my hearing aids checked. Dropping the aids off with the hearing assistant took only a few seconds, so off we went to join the other thousand or more shoppers in that monstrous store. A half hour later as we were leaving the congested checkout area, that same hearing aid assistant stopped me, said she was leaving, but if I stopped by her desk, another worker would give me my set back. How nice of her to tell us!

        But how did she find us in that wall-to-wall mass of people? How did she recognize us? As we left the store, the reason came to me - it was our clothing. We were probably the only older couple there in black suit and tie and fine dress. We stood out from the masses by what we wore. 

        Today people dress in just about anything any time, especially on a Saturday in a crowded Costco. But in Jesus’ day, the clothing people wore identified them. It gave away their nationality or race, their wealth or poverty, and it identified them as temple priest or farmer, slave or carpenter, male or female. Not so today! People wear anything anywhere, including to funerals.

        It made me wonder how others might tell if we are Christian or not. We don’t wear signs around our necks saying we are believers, nor do we dress much different than others around us. Our faith in Jesus would not show itself what we wear, but hopefully in what we say or in how we treat others. 

        Apostle Peter urges us, “Always be prepared to give evidence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) Peter wants our faith to show itself. He wants us to give evidence to our hope, but with gentleness and respect. Oh, that we could have more respect shown in our neighborhoods, government, workplace, school and even our church. 

        It costs us nothing to be respectful or gentle. Jesus rarely showed anything but kindness as He dealt with people of every station and situation in life. The hope we have in Jesus can help us show concern and gratitude in our relationships. The Holy Spirit can help us “turn the other cheek”. 

May what we do and say today show others we trust Jesus.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

GOD KNOWS OUR EVERY MOVE

        On Veterans Day we remember with gratitude those who have served in our Armed Forces to protect and help us preserve our way of life. But what we see today is not always what is real. Despite living with uncertainty, whether we have painful struggles, broken dreams or failure, the future may show it all to be totally different. 

        On April 18, 1942, sixteen bombers were launched from an aircraft carrier in a raid planned and commanded by Lt. Col. James Doolittle. After it was over, all the aircraft were lost, yet all but three crewmen survived. The raid caused little damage, but it helped raise American morale and cast doubt our enemy.

        After the raid Doolittle had his doubts. He wrote, “My crew chief Paul Leonard and I went to the crash site to see what we could salvage. I sat down beside a wing and looked around at the thousands of pieces of shattered metal that had once been a beautiful airplane and felt lower than a frog’s posterior. This was my first combat mission and I was sure it was my last. As far as I was concerned, it was a failure. 

        “Paul tried to cheer me up. He asked, ‘What do you think will happen when you go home, Colonel?’ I answered, ‘They’ll court-martial me and send me to prison at Fort Leavenworth.’ Paul said, ‘No, Sir. They’re going to make you a general, and they’re going to give you the Medal of Honor.’ I smiled and he made a final effort. ‘Colonel, I know they’re going to give you another airplane and when they do, I’d like to fly with you as your crew chief.’ Tears came to my eyes because that was the supreme compliment a mechanic could give a pilot.”

        Leonard’s predictions proved right. Doolittle’s crew all received medals, Doolittle was promoted to General, and he later received the Medal of Honor. Sgt. Leonard was killed in Africa a year later, but Doolittle lived to be 97 years old. 

        What we see today is not always what is real. Doolittle’s raid seemed a failure but it wasn’t. He was sure he’d be punished, but he became a hero. He wasn’t sure he’d survive the war, yet he lived a long life.

        The Bible says, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1-4)

        God knows our every move. He sees in advance what will happen and how it will impact others around us. This is why He allows such a variety of events in our lives, even those things we wish would not happen. God knows how they will bless others in ways we can only imagine.

Would you thank a Veteran today?

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

CONNECTING TO THE RIGHT THING

        This morning Carol’s “dead-last-night” cell phone was still dead. She’d had it plugged in all night with a cord that looked like the correct one, but it was the wrong one. It looked like the right one so she thought it should work right. But it had the wrong connections, and so, plugged in or not, it could not transmit the power that was needed to charge her phone.

       Another lesson for life! Every day we see lots of things in life that look good, correct, fun, helpful or even valuable, but they will not give us what we need. They only look like they will. If you and I are not plugged into the right life source — and plugged into that source the right way — we will not get what we need.

        In Matthew 24, Jesus was with His disciples in Jerusalem. Most of them had not been there before, so when they saw the magnificent buildings, they marveled at the wonderful constructions and pointed them out to each other. Jesus, however, threw cold water on the whole notion when He said the whole place would be torn down. “Not one stone will be left upon another,” He said firmly. 

        His disciples were shaken by His comment, so they asked what they should watch for at the end of the age. He said simply, “Take care that no one leads you astray.” It is simple to plug into the wrong person, to try finding power in the wrong thing or wrong idea. It is simple to follow the crowd, getting the latest gadget, wearing the nicest style or following the coolest idea. But the crowds can be wrong. 

        We must take care not to sacrifice what is right for what is trendy. Faith in Jesus, God’s Son, will last us a lifetime. Plugging into His power will give life for eternity, not just for awhile. When He said, “Take care that no one leads you astray,” He is giving us direction that will carry us past the grave and into His eternal presence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. That power will carry us forever.

Thank You, Jesus, for letting us plug into Your power for life.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com.

MISSIONARIES TO NEW GUINEA

        Ever since Paul and the Apostles first shared the Gospel of Jesus, there have been Christian men and women willing to travel to new lands with Jesus’ message of hope and forgiveness. Few of us will understand those who became missionaries, and fewer still will get an inside look at the life they endured. Yet, it is because of their efforts that 2.5 billion people in the world today know of their Lord and Savior Jesus.

        Several decades ago I became friends with Rev. Merlyn Wagner of Murray, Utah, and first learned he and his wife Jan had spent 8 years (1962-1970) as missionaries among a primitive tribe in Papua New Guinea, an area that now has many thousands of Christians worshipping Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

        About 3-4 years ago Merlyn asked if I might help him publish his writings about the years he and Jan spent among the people of the Maramuni Valley. Jan was an integral part of his work and had recently developed a medical condition that required Merlyn to serve as her care giver. These last years, they wrote their missionary memoirs. The Lord mercifully called Jan to her heavenly home this past spring. 

        Rev. Wagner has now published his interesting book, New Guinea Experiences: Living Among People Untouched By Time. It is now available on Amazon Books at: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=merlyn+d.+wagner&crid=38WXZSD2JHX06. It’s neither long (100 pages) nor expensive ($5.50), but I think you will find its message and photos to be enlightening as you better understand the challenges and struggles they endured to bring the Gospel to a tribe of people hungering for the hope only Jesus can give.

        The book states on its cover, “A young Lutheran pastor and his wife, just out of seminary training, were sent to live and witness of Jesus Christ among the stone age people in the Maramuni Valley in Papua New Guinea during 1962-1970. This enlightening and entertaining book gives a brief overview of their experiences. As they state in their last chapter, ‘We went to change them, but they changed us’.” I urge you to purchase this interesting paperback.

        Just before returning to heaven, Jesus urged His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples and of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) Pastor Merlyn and Jan Wagner did just that, and their labors in God’s kingdom were blessed. 

Thank You, Jesus, for such dedicated workers in Your kingdom.

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

EARTH-RISE

Dear friends,

(Today’s Message is by President Dale Meyer, Concordia Seminary, St Louis, MO)

            “You and I are blessed to live in amazing times. This past July 20 we celebrated the liftoff that put man on the moon, the mission of Apollo 11 fifty years ago in 1969. There was another fiftieth anniversary, probably less noticed, that happened about six months before on December 24, 2018. The mission of Apollo 8 was to circle the Moon, not land, but just circle the Moon.

            “As Apollo 8 circled the Moon that Christmas Eve, the astronauts were awed to see planet Earth rising above the Moon. Earth rose above the Moon, much as we who are on Earth see the Sun rise over the Earth’s horizon. Earth rose above the Moon, a beautiful blue, green and white globe in the vastness of dark, cold space.

            “Astronaut William Anders moved as quickly as he could to take pictures. The result is the spectacular photo called, “Earthrise.” I know you have seen that photo and maybe now have it in your mind. Earth rising over the moon! With that photo in mind, consider this: mankind had never before seen from space the wondrous place that the Lord of Creation made for us and put us on to live. Everything else in the photo is gray and dark, foreboding, but not the beautiful home God made for us.

            “And now let’s think about the love of our Creator. When we sinned, we transgressed His ways of life because we thought we knew better how to order our lives than He who made us. As we creatures still sin and continue to fall short of the glory of our Creator, our Maker did not look at sinful planet Earth and decide to destroy it. Instead He sent His Son to die and bear our sins, and to rise from the dead, ascend into heaven, pour out His Spirit on us and give us new, re-created lives.

            “Keep the image of “Earthrise” in mind and hear His Word: “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:66).

            “This Lord Jesus shines in our hearts through faith, and one day we will see our ascended Lord return visibly to Earth. He comes to judge all people and take all His followers, His “not-normal” people, into eternity with Him. And so we rejoice, because, “In Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)”

            Well said, Dr. Meyer! “Earthrise” is a special, one-of-a-kind photo image that Astronaut Anders has given us, and yet one that God and His elect see every day. May we all rejoice in the presence of Jesus as He shines His glorious light eternally forever in the Universe He has made.

Shine, Jesus, shine, that all people may see You!

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

HOW CAN WE FORGIVE THEM?

        When evil or tragedy occur, how can we forgive? This past week Dallas policewoman, Tammy Guyger, was given a 10-year sentence for mistakenly killing her neighbor, a man she mistakenly thought was an intruder in her own apartment. It was a tragic misjudgment made by an exhausted Peace Officer whose actions caused a tragic death. No matter what the circumstances, she had caused an innocent man to die, and the law handed her its verdict.

        Surprisingly, a younger brother of the victim asked if he could embrace the tearful Guyger, to forgive her and tell her of God’s love. His request was not only granted, presiding judge Tammy Kemp even joined in embracing the tearful Officer and gave her a Bible to read. Both the District Attorney and the Dallas Mayor commended the brother and the Judge for their mercy in forgiving the Officer.

        But the emotional moment didn’t last long. That same day the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint with the Texas State Judicial Conduct Commission stating the judge overstepped her authority. The group’s letter stated the actions “…violated a vital constitutional principle for a sitting judge to promote personal religious beliefs while acting in her official capacity.”

        As author Oscar Wilde reportedly wrote, “No good deed goes unpunished”. Yet what happened in that courtroom was a miracle. A guilty person was forgiven, and a tragedy became a lesson in the value of forgiveness. Regardless of the reactions of others, that precious gift of forgiveness  that was give will always remain.

        Jesus told His disciples, “If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) A part of God’s granting us forgiveness depends on whether we are willing to grant forgiveness to others. 

        In 2006, five Pennsylvania Amish schoolgirls were gunned down by a deranged man, and the Amish community chose to forgive him and show mercy to his family rather than curse and hold grudges that would only cause more harm. The Amish even attended the shooter’s funeral and set up a charitable fund for his widow and family. They, too, opted for mercy rather than curses.

        There is a time for Law and a time for Gospel, “A time to love and a time to hate.” (Ecclesiastes 3:8), a time to accept sin’s consequences and a time to forgive them. Jesus gave His life on the cross that we might all be forgiven, even those who kill His children and those who curse and deny His love.  

“Father forgive them, for the know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Rev. Robert L. Tasler, www.bobtasler.com