Monthly Archives: February 2021

H.E.L.P. part 2

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Hey there! If you are joining me for the first time, you have stepped right into the middle of a series! Don’t worry, you don’t need to clean your shoes.

The first part was last week’s post, H.E.L.P. Click here to catch up.

Alrighty! Jumping in where we left off…

The word HELP is an acronym.

H – Holy Spirit

E –

L –

P –

So now, we come to the E. I hope you like different languages because we are about to head to Greece!

The New Testament was written in Greek. It was a common language at the time of Jesus. I do not claim to be any type of scholar but I have learned some things. Let me share one thing I have learned.

The Church is a great help when it comes to living for God.

This entry is from biblehub.com. Biblehub.com is an excellent resource when digging into God’s Word. I copied it from this web page.

“1577 ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, “out from and to” and 2564 /kaléō, “to call”) – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.”

The definition you just read comes from the word “church” used in Matthew 16:18.

Jesus said to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build my church (ekklesia)”

H – Holy Spirit

E – Ekklesia

L –

P –

The second form of divine help is the church.

With that statement, there can be a myriad of ideas as to what the church is or should be.

Let’s go back to that definition. We are “people called out from the world and to God.”

When we get together for church, we celebrate this idea that God has called us out! He has purpose for us. And by worshiping Him with other believers, we can keep moving forward in our pursuit of Him!

As to which specific church building should a person attend? That is highly subjective because of so many differing reasons.

Here is my simple formula for deciding:

  1. Is the church bible-based with its teaching and doctrine?
  2. Do you feel challenged and encouraged when learning about God and His Word?
  3. Is there music that is within your range of liking?
  4. Is there a place within the church that you can help and share your talents?

If you can answer yes to these questions, then you may have just found your church home!

The reason I write about a local church is that I think that it is supremely important to be connected to a body of believers.

Through COVID and 2020, my family and I have not been to church but for a few weeks. It has been terrible.

It is really difficult to live for God as a lone ranger. The Kingdom of heaven is not for mavericks!

The Holy Spirit resides in each believer. That form of help cannot be taken away.

The church, ekklesia, is also available for anyone. Make use of that help today.

H – Holy Spirit

E – Ekklesia

L –

P –

God will help you everyday. He might just choose to a church.

Two forms of help explained. Two more to go. See you next week.

H.E.L.P.

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Do you remember this movie?

Image result for walle

It was a Pixar movie that came out in 2008. Here is a link to Pixar’s website about the movie.

I put this one in my top 5 animated movies of all time.

But it was not until I had watched it several times that I realized the name, Wall-E, was an acrostic.

A quote from Pixar’s website proclaims, “WALL•E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is the last robot left on Earth, programmed to clean up the planet, one trash cube at a time. However, after 700 years, he’s developed one little glitch…”

I want to share another acrostic with you. H.E.L.P.

As in, God has help available for you and I but it comes in various forms. I took the liberty to use the word HELP and made an acrostic.

Last week’s post, Consider the Source, will give more context as to why I am writing about help.

I would recommend reading that one so what follows will make more sense. Click here.

When God helps us, He does not always use the same methods. If you read the Old Testament, God was super-creative in how He would spare the children of Israel.

For us, that same supernatural creativity has not been exhausted.

The first Help He gives is the Holy Spirit.

Here is verse 7 from John 16: “7But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” NIV

Let’s focus on that word, Advocate. If we look a little deeper, we can get a grasp on its meaning.

In a broad sense, think helper, aide, or assistant. The Holy Spirit would replace Jesus. It was his role to lead the apostles (and us-by extension) into a deeper knowledge of God and His truth, and also to provide divine strength when undergoing temptations or persecution.

Trials and tribulations were never meant to be removed but endured. God would not allow us to go up against something alone. He knew we are only frail humans.

But with His help, the Holy Spirit, we can be over-comers! Romans 8 gives us that title.

Volumes upon volumes have been written about the Holy Spirit. Various doctrines center around the third person of the Trinity.

I am not writing on behalf of a specific church or denomination.

I am trying to interpret God’s Word accurately.

And if I am correct, which, by the way, I am confident that I am, the Holy Spirit is right beside me every step along this journey of life.

He is also right by your side.

Let’s continue to walk in stride with Him.

H – Holy Spirit

E –

L –

P –

Call on Him today and enjoy this first Help of God. Good night!

Consider the Source

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So go out there and be a Christ Clone today!

Next week, come back to read more about the “help” that God gives us.

Those were the last two lines from my post last week. Click here to read it in its entirety.

All week long I have been pondering the “help” to which I was referring.

I came up with a few types of help that God is able to give us.

But before those are explained, I want to consider the source. So if you are really wanting to know more about getting help from God, hang on. It will have to wait until next week.

Have you ever been to Lake Itasca?

Image result for where in the world

Having lived in Minnesota for 18 years, I know where it is. In fact, I have been there.

Maybe this picture will help.

Image result for lake itasca minnesota

Just a couple hours northwest of the Twin Cities, Lake Itasca is one of the normal 10,000+ lakes in Minnesota.

But what is note-worthy is what it contains.

The Mississippi River starts out of Lake Itasca.

Image result for Lake itasca

This unremarkable waterway begins the journey of thousands of miles. The Mississippi eventually drains into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Such a powerful force has an average start.

I have walked across those rocks. It really doesn’t feel that special. But it is.

And it starts in an unassuming manner.

God desires to help us. If you are unsure of this, check out Psalm 23 and 121.

Again, how that help actually arrives to meet us is for another post.

Consider the source. Consider where the help actually starts.

Read John 3:16 with this author’s emphasis and edits:

For God – the greatest Person

so loved – the greatest Action

the world – the greatest Audience

that He gave – the greatest Verb

his only son – the greatest Sacrifice

and whoever – the greatest Opportunity

believes – the greatest Choice

in Him – the greatest Focus

shall not perish – the greatest Promise

but have eternal life. – the greatest Gift

God is an unending, unselfish, and overly generous source of help. Tap into Him today.

If (or when) you feel like a trickling stream that is going nowhere, consider the source.

God might just be pouring into you the makings of a raging river.

Next week, please come back to read about the first type of help God makes available for us.

Thank you.

Clone?

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Happy Wednesday! Hope this midweek day is great. (That felt like a weird sentence to type.)

As for posting every Tuesday, well, I forgot yesterday. No worries.

Before I get into the post, thank you for the recent followers. It is nice to get feedback in the forms of “liked” and “…is now following your blog.”

Now to the the best two minutes of your day.

I am reading a book entitled In His Image. This is book one of three called The Christ Clone Trilogy. Here is a link to the books. The artwork is newer than the copy I have but it is still the same book.

This is the version I own.

It is a fiction story. The author puts a note at the beginning describing how he is writing the story.

I am not going into the theology of cloning Christ (if that is even possible?). Nor do I want to spoil a good book.

Synopsis: A person is cloned from living cells that were found on the Shroud of Turin during a scientific research event. That is all I will say about the book.

Image result for clones of jesus

What the book has done for me is that it has planted a thought in my brain.

That thought is the basis for this post. So here you go…

Isn’t the goal of following Jesus to become more like Jesus?

I teach biology. The amount of DNA in our cells is staggering. All the variety is part of God’s plan. So my thought is not becoming like Jesus in a physical way.

I am talking about the unseen things of life.

  • The way I respond to crisis.
  • My reaction to my wife or kids when I am stressed.
  • How well (or not well) did I treat my coworkers.
  • My driving.
  • My work ethic.
  • When I am alone, what am I doing.

These, and many more that you could list, are the things that make me like Jesus.

And the good part is that He will help us!

Being like Jesus is the goal. And God has graciously given us everything we need to accomplish this goal. It is up to us if we decide to use the assistance.

For me, I fall short everyday. But with God, all things are possible!

So go out there and be a Christ Clone today!

Next week, come back to read more about the “help” that God gives us.