HOPE'S CHILD

In the darkness of a quiet night,  

Hope found a place on earth.

From eternity to measured time 

arrived through virgin birth.

In a new born child Messiah dwelt

Though no one really knew,

The day would come when called upon

To see this mission through.

His mother watched her child grow strong,

and too soon become a man.

In sorrow knowing deep within

He would complete God's plan.

He healed the sick, and raised the dead,

still few would dare believe,

This man was who He said He was

We just could not conceive.

Then one dark day the time arrived 

His mission was complete.

I watched as He was beaten, 

nails in His hands and feet.

Compassion still shown through His eyes

Like none I'd ever known.

He closed His eyes and hung His head 

To His Father He had flown.

The next two days had stumbled on 

The future held the same.

The third day broke the darkened sky

And once again Hope came.

Oh death where is your victory,

Oh grave where is your sting.

This child born into darkness wins 

and with Him HOPE He brings.

Larry Houghton 12-09-2019
 © 2019 All Rights Reserved
Used With Permission from the Author 

Stuck in an Elevator Between the 7th and 8th Floor

I was thinking about elevators the other day just before going with Cathy to watch the Minnesota Wild play the Ottawa Senators. I’m not sure why.

I was pondering how some people really struggle with a fear of elevators.

For some it is “claustrophobia”, which is the fear of enclosed spaces. Because an elevator is a small and confined box, it is easy to see how it could cause a claustrophobic reaction. 

For others it is “agoraphobia”, which is the fear of being trapped in a situation in which escape would be difficult or impossible should a panic attack occur.

For others it is the fear of being stuck between floors in an elevator; which has no name.

Trapped, stuck with (seemingly) no way of ever getting out….

As my mind pondered this, I found myself taking stairs at the Excel Energy Center instead of taking the elevators. Cathy probably thought that I was just being healthy by using the stairs.

And yet, did you know that elevators are safer than cars? They really are.

And still many people struggle with this fear.

As I pondered this, I realized how this was an allegory for how people can actually get stuck in real life between a problem and a solution.

Specifically, I was pondering how many people, when struggling with area of sin in their life, will head to Romans chapter seven in the Bible.

In this section of scripture, the Apostle Paul deals with the very real struggle of sinning and not sinning. Paul wrote:

 “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” (7:15) “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (7:19)

Then Paul ends in this great theological question:

 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:24)

That is where many people stop reading, concluding that they are prone to sin and are not able to get unstuck. It is as though fear has gripped their hearts and minds and they see no way out of their struggle.

 

And this is where way too many people live; stuck between chapter seven and chapter eight.

But Paul has more to say; in fact, he answers his own question in the very next verse:

“I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25)

But that is only part way where we need to go. Metaphorically, it is like we are “stuck in an elevator between the seventh and eighth floor”.

Chapter eight is filled with great promises of HOPE that our battle with sin isn’t supposed to be fought on our own. WE have a team which is ready and able to help us.

We read in chapter eight that there is no condemnation when we “do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (8:1)

We read that “what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” (8:3)

We read that he has put the Spirit of His Son in us by which we cry out “Daddy!” to Him (8:15)

We read that we don’t do it alone; “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (8:26-27)

We read that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (8:28)

Paul continues:

 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 8:31-35)

Paul goes on to hammer the point home and get us unstuck between chapter seven and eight by writing:

 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:37-38)

In fact, you should probably read seven and eight in one sitting; I’ve only hit a few of the verses.

So, the next time you are struggling and make your way to Romans chapter seven, don’t stop and get stuck, keep reading on to chapter eight.

This way you don’t have to try to live life “stuck in an elevator between the seventh and eighth floor”.

All Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

How We Got the House At 840

I thought that since our house is now paid off, I should write about how we got the house.

On the night before Thanksgiving 1984, my dad had a dream. Mentally, I was in a rough spot. He told me on Thanksgiving Day at church about the dream; he said that he believed that it was from the Lord. He heard the Lord say that we were going to get a house for $59,000.

We were a family of five; two adults, a boy, and two girls. We were renting a little two-story house that had two bedrooms; one just off the dining room on the first floor and one upstairs. It served our needs and only had a few things wrong with it such as mice, short ceilings in the basement, and its address was “666”.

The house was owned by a friend of a friend of ours. His brother had purchased the house because it was very close in location to his house. His mother was dying in another state and his brother had purchased the house so that when his mother died, his father would be closer to his brother.

We were renting the house under the agreement that when the mother died, we would have two months to vacate the property. This agreement worked well and we lived at this house for several years.

In June of 1985, we received notice that the homeowner’s mother had died and we were given notice that we need to vacate the house by the August 31, 1985. We spent the next two months looking for a house to purchase with no success; sometimes looking at five houses each day.

Then we came to the point where we had only two weeks left before we had to leave.

Although we had been looking to purchase a house, we had nowhere to go. And, to make matters worse, because I wasn’t employed (other than odd jobs) we had no credit rating and no money in the bank. We were not the candidate that realtors want for prospective buyers.

I was in a bad spot. I said to my father-in-law; “God has finally let us down. In two weeks we will have nowhere to go. No job, no money, no house and no prospects!”

My father-in-law lovingly responded that he knew that God would come through. He said; “One thing I know is that your and Cathy’s life has always shown the provision of the Lord; He has always been faithful to you. In two weeks, you will have a great testimony of how God came through”.

My response was cynical and I said something to the effect of; “Why don’t you go through this and then I will read the book that you write as to how He came through!” My father-in-law said; “You need to go through this; it is something that you need to walk through and in two weeks you will have a great testimony of how He came through”.

Meanwhile when I was with my father-in-law, Cathy was with one of her sisters looking at houses. Cathy found a home that she liked on Ohio Street. The flyer said that it was a “Charming, two-story four-bedroom house with an Upper 3rd Floor located in a convenient area close to shopping areas, bus service, parks and schools. Because of the large corner lot, its South exposure fills the home with passive solar during the winter months and keeps it bright and cheery!” It was listed for the asking price of $59,900 as a “Contract for Deed…Like renting”

Later that Night Cathy, my parents, and I went through the house and it was agreed that we should try to get the house. The realtor (who was also the homeowner) told us several things about the house not listed in the flyer.

The house actually had a “contract for deed on a contract for deed” In other words the realtor was still making payments to someone else for the house. Also, another person had already signed a “Purchase Agreement”. My mom suggested that none of this mattered (if Cathy really wanted the house) and said she would call people and ask them to pray.

This began a week filled with one road block after another. Each time one road was cleared (like the original person requesting to back out of the purchase agreement) another road block would come up.

And each time my mom would call friends and ask them to pray. And each time one road was cleared another road block would come up. And each time my mom would call friends and ask them to pray. This took us to Sunday night, one week after we first looked at the house.

One week Later…On August 18, 1985, Cathy, my parents, and I met at the reality office (again who is also the owner of the house) to sign a “Purchase Agreement and give a check for two thousand dollars earnest money given towards the purchase of the house.

She said to me; “You two are the worst possible scenarios for selling a house. Why am I doing this sale?” I sheepishly muttered to her “Because they prayed”, referring to my mom and Cathy.

When asked what I mumbled, I spoke up and said that my mom and Cathy had prayed that this sale would go through. The realtor smiled, shook my hand again expressing what a risk it was and proceeded to congratulate Cathy.

As I stood in the office I noticed that this realtor had been “Realtor of the Month” for ten of the past twelve months!

When she gave a hug to my mom, my mom noticed that the realtor was tearing up. When asked what was going on, she explained; “Two weeks ago I was talking about this house with my husband. He said that we would have no problem selling in the next two weeks before going on a trip overseas. I told him how long it took to close on the sale of a house. He told me that the sale would happen; after all they were going to have an audience with the Pope. I told him that if the sale went through in the next two weeks, it would have to be God.

When you told me that you prayer, I wondered if God had indeed heard your prayers and that is why we were doing this”

After a brief discussion, the sellers agreed to rent the house to us for the month of September, 1985 for the amount of $375 so that we could move in immediately; and, so that they could head to Europe to see the Pope.

The official signing was scheduled for October, 1985 when they returned from Europe. Keys were given to us; one week after we first set foot in the house and one week before we needed to get out of the house we were currently renting. We had beaten the “two-week deadline” as God came through with one week to spare!

My understanding is that we would owe a payment of sixty five hundred when we signed the official paperwork in October. I tried doing everything that I could to get the money and nothing worked. I had been doing construction on people’s homes; no one seemed to have money to pay me. I even tried selling antiques and was offered well below market value.

October 4, 1985, we signed for the house. My parents came with in case we needed to borrow money for the down payment; which we did. There was also a bill for $65 dollars which covered some filing fees and back taxes. We were able to write a check because we had that amount of money in the bank. The entire closing took only fifteen minutes! The monthly house payment was around $540.

I came home from the signing and was not filled with hope but rather fear as I wondered how we would pay for the house. I asked Cathy; “Yes, God had gotten us into the house, but how would we pay for it?” She left me alone in my thoughts and headed to the store still rejoicing for how God had provided for us. The mail came and along with it was a local newspaper (the kind normally left to die in the front bushes). I opened it and saw the name of a company.

This was an ad stating what the company offers as a service and products. The ad was not saying that they were looking to hire, but something about the company stood out to me so I picked up the phone.

I need to digress and state that this was a bit out of the ordinary for me and it followed a year of application and interviews with no success and only left me more discouraged.

The owner of the company answered the phone and I asked him if they were hiring. He said to me; “Can you start tomorrow?” and asked me what I would like to make as an hourly wage; to which I gave him a number. He said that he would pay slightly less, but after two days he paid me more than I originally asked. I worked for this company for about eight years.

August 21, 1995. Ten years after we purchased the house we were to make a balloon payment of approximately eight thousand dollars. Once again I looked to myself to come up with the funds necessary to cover the debt that was owed.

Once again my efforts were met with no success at all. After months of trying, we didn’t have the money for the balloon payment. Once again I wandered and couldn’t see how we were going to come up with the money.

We asked the people who met in our home Bible study to pray for us and the situation; asking for favor from God for the money.

On the night before the papers were to be signed and the check would be due, I got a phone call from the realtor who owned the house; the one to whom we would be writing the check to buy out her portion of the contract for deed. The realtor had a strange request. She said to me; “I know that tomorrow you are coming with a check for eight thousand dollars; and I want you to know that contractually we have to take the money. I am asking if we might talk”.  I didn’t tell her that we didn’t have the money.

One phone call extended the balloon payment to September 1, 2000. After that we transferred to a mortgage company; to which we made monthly payments until we were paid up.

All of the years that we have been in the house, we NEVER missed a house payment; and we were ALWAYS able to replace furnishings including furniture, appliances, remodel rooms, replace the roof, soffits, and facia. 

Praise be the Name of the Lord for His faithfulness!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:33-34 NKJV)

KNEEding Rest

If you know me at all, you know that I like hockey. I love both watching and playing. When I am at a rink, if I am unable to be on the ice playing, then I want to sit (literally) on the edge of my seat with my nose against the glass.

OK; Truth be told: I LOVE hockey!

And, because I am a ‘rub-dirt-on-it’ kind of person, I don’t like to let injuries keep me out of the game. One year I broke the pinky on my left hand and a cast was put on me that went up to my elbow. Instead of sitting out the game, I had a teammate lace up my skates so that I could be a referee because they were one short.

So, the idea of not playing when I have the time and have a game available isn’t something I am going to do; even if I am injured. This is especially true when it is the end of January and the outdoor ice here in Minnesota starts to melt in mid-February; which is only two weeks away…that adds up to only a few more games outdoors!

And yet, this past Saturday morning that was exactly what I knew that I needed to do.

For the past month or so, my right knee has been giving me some trouble. It doesn’t affect me DURING the game partially because my compression garments, shin pads, and hockey socks wrap around in a way that seems to stabilize my legs and knees.

But AFTER the game, a few hours later, my right knee begins to ache and swells up. The pain and swelling usually lasts from Saturday night through Friday morning; with pain levels going from a “10” (out of ten) on Saturday night to a “3 or 4” by Friday morning. 

This cycle of pain through the week affects me a lot when I am even doing simple things like walking up and down stairs and when I drive; which usually brings pain levels back to “10”! My favorite part is the popping or cracking noises, and frequently locks up.

It also stops me from crawling on the living room floor to give horsey rides to my grandchildren. “Not today; grandpa is hurt…”

My remedy for the pain has been a combination of Ibuprofen, Lidocaine, Biofreeze, and ice…applying and repeating throughout the week. 

By Friday evening I have some idea whether I am going to play or not. But, I wait until Saturday morning to make my final decision. And, for the past month, my love for hockey has trumped my body’s need for healing.

My knee felt good by this Friday and my pain level was better than last Saturday, so I was cleared for takeoff. A fresh sheet and teammates awaited my arrival. And yet I didn’t go.

This Saturday my body won.

I know that sometimes you need to rub some dirt in and keep moving, and for that part that is in my fiber I am grateful; it has kept me employed and kept me in the game (both hockey and in life).

Moms understand this and know that they need to respond to a baby’s cry even if they have had no sleep (and if their man has slept right through the crying). They are always on call no matter how they feel.

I say that my body won, but the truth is that it was a scripture that came to me that gave me wisdom to sit out this week’s game even though I could have pressed through and played.

The LORD speaking through the Prophet Isaiah said:

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
But you would not” (Isaiah 30:15 NKJV)

I realize that my knee isn’t what the LORD was talking about in that passage, nevertheless, the LORD communicated to me that I needed to rest to find my strength; there was something else beyond this game.

I immediately thought of the fact that even though my outdoor season would be ending in a few weeks, my spring season will be starting in five weeks. I needed to see the bigger picture that if I would simply sit out one game, then I could get stronger to play my ten games (March thru May).

My combination of Ibuprofen, Lidocaine, Biofreeze, and ice…applying and repeating throughout the week, was a temporary fix for what my body really needed; REST!

In fact, my attempts to get healed were undermining what God was trying to do. Pressing through was making things worse in the long run. The swelling and the pain were trying to prevent further damage to my knee and were trying to communicate that I need to stop trying to be strong; I needed REST!

I needed to rest my knee for other reasons as well, like being available to help carry things for others or being on the floor with my grandchildren.

Do you realize that sometimes our short-sighted goals or efforts prevent us from getting what we really need? In fact, we can undermine what God is trying to do for us by trying to take shortcuts.

I love how Eugene Peterson translated Isaiah 30:15 (MSG):

“Your salvation requires you to turn back to Me

and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on Me—

The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do.”

If you find yourself today in a similar state of mind (or body) and you are trying to push through in your own strength, my exhortation to you is to STOP…and REST!

Jesus longs for you to call out to Him today.

He is waiting for you to respond to His mercy and grace that has already been extended to you through Jesus Christ. And you can; today. And it can make all the difference in the world as you look for hope in your present world. Let Him bring you REST.

Need further help? Someone is waiting to talk with you. Call either: 1-888-NEED HIM or 1-877-2GRAHAM (1-877-247-2426).

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Scripture taken from The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

squander

To waste, spend, or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or in a reckless and foolish manner…To allow (an opportunity) to pass or be lost.

It started out as a normal Saturday morning (without hockey)…I took time to generate a list of items or tasks that needed to be accomplished…The final cup of coffee was drunk and then it was off to the races to complete the items on the piece of paper. 

In time; I’m not sure how long, but distractions (and a mild case of ADD) took my mind and time in a different direction than what was on my “to-do” list and the next thing I realized it was dinner time and although most of list was checked off, I also observed that portions of my day were spent on amusement that was far away from the intended goals for the day.


While I do believe that recreation and amusement can really be a source of re-creating our minds, wills, and emotions; it can also be an excuse to squander what little time we have. In fact, have you noticed how we often look at misuse of time, money, or opportunities in hindsight?

After almost every defeat in a sporting event, someone will make a statement along the lines of; "The team squandered several good scoring chances…" as an explanation as to what their team should have done differently.

Simply put, they are saying that if the team had used every opportunity that they had in the correct way, then they wouldn’t have lost the game.


What about other areas of our own lives? If I hadn’t squandered my time on Saturday (or Sunday or Monday…) THEN…I could have accomplished so much more than I did.


If I had gone to that lecture or sermon instead of staying home, then my life would’ve been so much better. If I had saved instead of squandering my money….and so on and so on.


When properly analyzed, this kind of thinking can be used to make changes. Teams make adjustments and games are won. Savings accounts are started and finances get in order. Time is examined and priorities are once again established.

However, too much second guessing only leads to mental anguish and torment because of the regret and self-loathing.

So why am I writing this? We don’t know how much time, money, or how many opportunities we have until we look in the rear view mirror of life.

My hope is that this will cause you to at least look deep into your day; right now…STOP, and PONDER and ask yourself;

• How did I spend the last five hours?
• How did I spend the last five dollars?
• How did I spend the last five opportunities?

Your answers may surprise you; perhaps even become the impetuous to make some changes for what happens next.

The Bible tells us that we have only so much time to live our lives:

“The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10 NKJV)

Why wait until the only time, money, and opportunities you have are all gone and it’s time….?