WHO'S LISTENING TO YOU?

        Last week my wife and I attended our annual retired pastor’s gathering, this year a picnic on a sunny warm day. A dozen and a half longtime friends enjoyed backyard fellowship and fine food.
       At one point each of us was asked to share a little of what we have done this summer. One pastor’s wife with several married children said they’d had a family reunion, and at some point the conversation turned to football. One of the grandchildren grew tired of the topic and in a loud voice declared, “Jesus and Broncos! Jesus and Broncos! That’s all we ever hear about at our house - Jesus and Broncos!”
       While we laughed at the cute comment, the boy had said something I thought was great. The little fellow was listening and what he heard from the grownups was good. His was a Christian family where Jesus truly was present. It reminded me of a plaque I saw on a wall:
             “Christ is the unseen Guest at every meal,
              The silent Listener to every conversation.”
       There is certainly no shortage of bad news today, much of it fueled by the Media who live by slogans like, “If It Bleeds, It Leads” or “Good News Is No News.” The political news is pathetic. Our children hear more than we think, and if they are hearing our anger, fear or constant criticism at home, the little critics will absorb our anger and fear.
       I saw a short video at a church service whose central point to the adults was, “Stop all the arguing - You’re scaring the kids!” Good point!
       But if our children hear us speak of Christ’s love and joy in living, it helps them better handle their normal struggles of growing up and facing life. Anything we can do to foster God’s peace and love in our kids is better than dumping our fears all over them. “Love one another, as I have loved you,” said Jesus in John 15:12.

A little sports fun helps, too. Go Broncos!

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com  

MOLDED BY THE WORLD OR BY JESUS?

      In the early 1960’s, Toronto Professor Marshall McLuhan said, “The medium is the message.” He meant our inventions will shape us. He even wrote of a Global Village and predicted the Worldwide Web decades ahead of time. A devout Roman Catholic, he saw the effects popular culture was having on people, long before PCs, cell phones and satellites. He saw people being shaped by technology, and he said the effects may not be good.
      Today we see these effects all around us. The constant barrage of instant information shapes our thoughts and chips away at our ability to choose what’s important. So long as we have a laptop and Google, we think we have all we need. The young especially are finding it hard to exist without their iPhone, and they are becoming more and more dependent on questionable technology.
      Can we even imagine life without our gadgets? With them we inform, entertain and communicate. We don’t look at things, we “iPhoto them” and perhaps look at them later. People take “selfies” no matter how appropriate the time or place. We can’t even go to the grocery store without our cell phone. And when our batteries go dead, we’re nearly helpless.
      This is not good for us, and the Apostle Paul said so 2,000 years ago. In Romans 12:1-2, he wrote, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good.” (J.B.Phillips)
      We may not be able to stem the tide of excessive technology, but we can keep it from holding us hostage. Every day we can ask God to help us focus on what is really important - His Word and prayer which will help us follow Him and love our neighbor. Every day we should remind ourselves this will soon be replaced something else. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ will remain.

Don’t be shaped by the world. Ask Jesus to shape you His way.

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com

AGAINST ALL ODDS

        The 2016 Rio Olympic games are under way and have produced at least one story worth remembering. It's not about how many gold medals one athlete racks up, but a story of performing against the odds. Such is the story of Derrick Redmonds who tore his hamstring in the 200 meter race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He crossed the finish line, but only with the help of his father who had come out of the stands to hold him up and walk together.
        Or "Eddie the Eagle" Edwards who represented Great Britain as a ski jumper in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, despite being clumsy, nearsighted, and having jumped barely a year. Or the Jamaican Bobsled team which finished last each of the five years it competed. These all are remembered for their effort rather than for winning.
        On August 14, 2016, 24 year-old Wayde van Niekerk became part of that group, winning the Gold Medal in the 400 meter men's race. Why should he be included in a group of losers? Because he should never have been there, let alone won. Niekirk, a biracial sprinter from South Africa would not have been allowed to participate a few decades ago under Apartheid laws. He had been trained with less money and under conditions considered primitive to elite runners. And Niekirk won his race from the 8th lane. Runners never win Gold Medals in the 8th lane, let alone set a world record!
        But none of this would have been possible without his coach, Ans Botha, a white-haired 74 year-old great grandmother! "Tannie Ans", 50 years his senior, guided young Niekirk to Olympic glory, as he smashed Michael Johnson's 17 year-old World Record.
        Tannie Ans, who began coaching in the 1960's, has no plans to retire, and is still sought out by rising stars. "I have such a big responsibility to get an athlete to develop to his full potential," she says.
        Our Heavenly Father does this and far more. He makes winners out of losers every day. Because of His Son Jesus, He picks us up when we fall and brings us across the Finish Line to eternal glory with the angels. We might look like losers on earth, but when we trust in Jesus, we are all winners. As St. Paul said,

"We are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

Rev. Bob Tasler, www.bobtasler.com

CORRIE TEN BOOM SPEAKS!

      The words of some people remain with us. Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who, together with her family members, helped many Jews escape the Holocaust during World War Two. She was arrested and endured the horrors of Ravensbruck women’s camp, losing her beloved sister Betsie who told Corrie just before she died, “There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still.”
      After the War, Corrie established a rehabilitation center for refugees. She is most remembered for her book, The Hiding Place, as well as her memorable quotes made during her hundreds of speeches about Jesus given in 60 nations until her death at 91.
      Corrie has given us so many thoughts to help us in our faith walk through life. One such verse speaks a needed message to all:
            “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark,
                    you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off.
                            You sit still and trust the engineer.”
       Despite our world’s amazing advances, we are entering a dark tunnel. Honor for God and respect for each other are disappearing. The shrill sounds of terror, lies and hatred are trying to drown out the Good News of Jesus. People without a compass are running in fear, tossing what is good and babbling nonsense. Now is not the time to run and jump, but to sit still and trust the Engineer.
       “Be still and know that I am God,” He says in Psalm 46, the same Psalm that begins with, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
       When it feels as if the train of our life has run off the tracks, just sit still, hold fast to your ticket and trust in God. Your ticket through the tunnel is faith in Jesus, the loving Engineer who will see that we get through the darkness to His Light on the other side.

“Therefore we will not fear!” (Psalm 46:2)

Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com

WHY KILL A PASTOR?

Dear friends,

         On Tuesday, July 26, 2016, Father Jacques Hamel, age 84 and priest for 58 years, was murdered with a knife by ISIS agents at St. Etienne Church, Rouen, France. Why would ISIS agents do this? Why target an old man and a small group when larger crowds were nearby?

         Father Hamel was murdered because he was doing his job as a pastor, to preach the Gospel and forgive sin. Many contemporary pastors think their task is to tell people to be a nice to each other, or to sing the praises of victorious living, or to tear down the walls of injustice.

         Christ said in John 20:23, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” A pastor shows us our sins, and tells us how Jesus has earned our forgiveness on the cross. Whether parishioners call him pastor, father, reverend or Fred, announcing God’s forgiveness is what Christ has called the pastor to do. That’s why Father Hamel was killed by ISIS agents.

         The god of ISIS demands absolute obedience. ISIS sees Hamelas handing out gifts that can only be earned by unquestioning obedience to their god. The True God sent Father Hamel to forgive sins, but ISIS agents sent themselves to kill in their god’s name.

         In early days Christians regularly faced threats of death, but they clung to the Gospel treasure all the more. Church father Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church,” and with it the Church grew. The Church eventually was protected from persecution, but Christians forgot what it meant to be persecuted in His name. Most Christians today see persecution as an outdated problem, but Middle Eastern Christians know it is not.

         The world will do to Christians what it did to Christ. Pastors err when they preach only morality, prosperity, or social justice. Neglecting Law and Gospel, they leave their members unequipped to understand why ISIS would target them. Christ sends pastors to show God’s love and mercy, but the devil sends his agents to kill an old priest to spread fear.

         A faithful shepherd will prepare his sheep to stand firm in the face of persecution. When a pastor baptizes, administers Holy Communion or speaks God's forgiveness, he is giving us the treasures of the Gospel that cannot be taken from us, even by death.

         As the terrorists stormed his sanctuary, Father Hamel’s last words to his flock well might have been, “Don’t be afraid. These men have come to take our lives, but they’re too late. Our lives already belong to Christ.”

Rev. Bob Tasler (www.bobtasler.com)

LAUGHING AT YOUR ENEMY'S MISFORTUNE

     Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Hidden away in it is a vital question that should interest us: "How would you respond when your enemy has misfortune?" I recall a youth Bible study many years ago titled, "Would you laugh if a brick fell on your enemy's head?" I recall thinking I probably would. After all, it's human nature to feel glad when someone who has caused you much trouble gets stopped cold. Trouble is, "human nature" is a result of sin.

       The prophet Obadiah spoke the Word of God during a time when Jerusalem was under attack by the armies of Babylon. They were getting beaten badly, and to make matters worse, their closest neighbors, the Edomites, were cheering on the enemy armies as they destroyed and killed the Israelites. 

       The ironic twist of this story is that the Edomites were blood relatives of the Israelites. They were descendants of Esau, twin brother of Jacob, who was the father of the Israelites. When the Edomites cheered for the Babylonians, they were cheering against their relatives. Obadiah condemned them for gloating, saying, "Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the children of Judah in the day of their ruin." (Obadiah 12) 

       If someone has been hurtful to us, or if they represent what we believe to be wrong, it is easy to be vindictive and find pleasure when they experience misfortune. But the Holy Bible admonishes us, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, nor let your heart be glad when he stumbles." (Proverbs 24:17) 

       God the Father and His Son Jesus urge us to have an attitude of compassion and forgiveness at all times and for all people, even our enemies. Jesus said in Matthew 5:43, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." As Christians we trust God to bring justice and retribution in His own time and way. 

Jesus prayed forgiveness for His enemies from the cross. We sinners are among them.

Rev. Bob Tasler

www.bobtasler.com

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Dear friends,
      On May 19, 1780, The state legislature was meeting in Hartford, Connecticut. Late in the afternoon storm clouds darkened the skies so densely that it became hard to see inside the meeting room. Suddenly one of those present, shouted, “We must adjourn and leave here, for the end is at hand.” But the Speaker of the Connecticut House, rather than call for adjournment, rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Bring in some candles. We’re not done here yet."
      Storm clouds are darkening the skies of our nation right now. In the midst of selecting our highest leadership, people on the streets are being urged to shoot those devoted to protecting us. Anger and hatred are driving people to commit senseless, needless crimes, and people in high places are calling for action in all sorts of ways, some foolish, others fanning the flames.
       The worst thing we can do right now is to give up praying to God. We must ask for His peace and the ability to love, not hate, our neighbor. This is what we must be doing - pray and pray some more. Pray that we can learn to love and to forgive our neighbors, even our enemies - all of them.
       The end is not coming! We have heard these shouts before, and we have survived darker clouds. Rather than cringing at a fearful future, let us be faithful and trusting of God, and forgiving of each other, until Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, let us bring in candles, do our godly works and become lights for others.
   
“Bring in some candles. We’re not done here yet."
   
Rev. Bob Tasler
www.bobtasler.com