​Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
 
This past week, the Sample family popped up our pop-up camper. The endeavor always includes a bunch of dust, bugs, and squeals. The kids are ecstatic, and we are about to pull our hair out.
 
But, the small amount of stress and kid-wrangling does not overpower the joy that the camper brings:  the great outdoors.
 
If any of you are avid campers, I apologize for what I am about to say.
 
I like glamping. Glamping is when you camp in style. Our pop-up might not be a fifth-wheel camper, but it has all the amenities we need. And, since we have the amenities, we can enjoy nature without being drowned in worries or discomfort.
 
Again, if you are an avid camper, I apologize for my weak spine. Hopefully, you will agree with what I will say next.
 
Enjoying nature is essential. I yearn to leave the confines of town and bury myself in the fresh air, surrounded by open spaces. Amid nature, I find God.
 
Now, I am not saying that God is in nature. He is not contained in a tree or a flower or a cloud.
 
I am saying that God has revealed Himself in nature. He created everything that we see. Not only did He create all things, but He designed all things to show who He is. No one can spend an hour in a forest without realizing that someone created those trees. Someone designed the intricate patterns of moss. Someone programed the instincts of birds and other animals. Everything screams the realization of a creator.
 
These plants and animals also show God’s character. He is the one who clothes them and feeds them. He cares when a sparrow falls to the ground. He brings life to barren land. When tragedy comes, he shapes it to benefit those under his care.
 
My faith expands when I leave the man-made streets and buildings and am surrounded by the creative result of God’s will. Not only is my body refreshed by fresh air, but my soul is refreshed by reflecting on who God consistently is.
 
This summer, I hope that you can immerse yourself in nature and spend time reflecting on our God.

Leviticus 26:4 “I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.”
 
Praise the Lord! We have rain! As the drops fall, the ground almost seems to be sighing with relief. The leaves of the trees are unfolding with joy. Flowers are blooming. Spring is here. 
 
While my allergies are complaining, I enjoy the smell of spring. The green grass, the new leaves, the colorful flowers, and the other signs of spring bring about a sense of hope. While we have been surrounded by death through fall and winter, that death is not the end. New life sprouts out of the decay of the dead.
 
Spring reminds us of the hope that Jesus offers. The Apostle Paul writes that everyone is dead in their sins, like plants during winter. This deadness dooms us to destruction like I remove dead branches from trees, or like you might till up dead weeds from your garden. While we experience destruction through death, sin, and suffering, we will ultimately experience destruction in an eternity separated from the life-giving God.
 
However, God sent rain. Jesus, His Son, came to earth to live among our deadness. He ultimately died for us, spilling his blood like rain. Anyone who comes under the blood of Jesus is reborn. New life sprouts from the decay of the dead.
 
We can experience this life now in a personal relationship with God, a relationship that brings the blessing of love, hope, and peace. We will ultimately experience this new life in eternity with God on this earth, basking in perfection with no more death, sin, or suffering.
 
Just as grass cannot do anything to earn rain, so we cannot do anything to earn the new life Jesus offers. All we can do is admit that we are sinners and that nothing we do will save us. Then, we ask Jesus to save us. As the Apostle Paul says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The moment we do that, the blood of Jesus Christ is showered on us. We are saved for eternity and can have a personal relationship with God.
 
I am so grateful for spring and the promise of new life.
 
 

​Mark 11:9–10 “Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’”
 
If you come by our house in the evenings, you might step right in the middle of a dinosaur attack. You see, my son, David, is obsessed with dinosaurs. He must borrow as many dinosaur books from the library as he can. While he can identify by name a tyrannosaurus rex, a diplodocus, a triceratops, and a velociraptor, he is quickly adding more identities to his mental map.
 
As I said, if you come to our house in the evening, you might enter a dinosaur attack. David and Grace might be chasing me around the house as dinosaurs, seeking their prey. Thankfully, they do not catch me very often, or I might not be around to write this article.
 
David tries to convince his sister that he is the tyrannosaurus rex and that she is the velociraptor. But she doesn’t buy it. They both must be T-Rex’s.
 
The tyrannosaurus rex is known as the “king of the dinosaurs.” While we do not know much about this dinosaur, we know what a king is.
 
To label something a king, we say that they are better or more important than all the others. The others follow the king or run away to a different jurisdiction. That’s my role in the dinosaur hierocracy: I run away and hope I am not eaten.
 
Two thousand years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem as king. We celebrate this occasion on Palm Sunday. Some churches have a procession of kids waving palm branches. Some churches have plays or special readings. Some churches do nothing.
 
Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week. Jesus enters Jerusalem as king at the beginning. At the end of the week, Jesus walks out of the tomb alive, proving that he is truly king.
 
If he is king, what is our response? We either follow him, or we run away from him. There is no middle ground. Too often, we say that we are his followers, but in reality, we are running away from him with our lives, words, and actions. If we followed him, we would reflect on him with our lives, words, and actions. 
 
Which is it?
 
Jesus is king!

Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ.”
 
St. Patrick’s Day is here! O’Neill has revitalized their green clover in the middle of the intersection. They have planned many activities. People will be wearing green, while others might sport some orange. Bars will be packed. Dances will be held. And many people who will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day will not even know who St. Patrick is.
 
First, he is not a saint. The Roman Catholic Church has never officially canonized him.
 
Second, he was not Irish. He was born a Roman in modern-day Scotland.
 
Third, he called himself “a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers.”
 
After Irish pirates captured him when he was 16, his apathetic faith became strong. His belief in Jesus Christ carried him through some long, dark days. When he was 22, he escaped slavery and traveled back to Britain, committing to live out his faith. He joined the ministry and returned to Ireland as a missionary to those who kidnapped him.
 
He was forced to carry a dagger for safety because of the threats on his life. The local tribes did not appreciate his telling of Jesus Christ. After many years of service, the king of Ireland converted to Christianity, and much of the nation followed.
 
The Irish left the pirating lifestyle through Patrick's influence, changing their culture completely. They tried to live according to Jesus’ ethics rather than whom they used to be. Their change was so drastic that the nations around took notice.
 
Patrick’s passion and teaching were focused on Jesus Christ. As you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, consider the following prayer that has been attributed to him and try to live it practically:
 
"Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, 
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

​Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
 
We celebrated Valentine’s Day several weeks ago. Whether married or not, many couples endeavored to show love to their significant other. Some people gave flowers. Others splurged on a romantic dinner. Maybe you bought a card. Someone, somewhere, might have written a song to their love.
 
Perhaps, you did not do anything because Valentine’s Day is a commercialized holiday centered around making money for Hallmark.
 
Whatever you did (or did not do), why did you show love the way you did?
 
We all have ways that we like to be loved. However, sometimes our lover does not feel love in the ways that we do. To show love sincerely, we must step outside our box and into his or her box.
 
Gary Chapman wrote The Five Love Languages about this concept, detailing several ways to show love.
 
1) Words of Affirmation. These people want to hear praise and encouragement. If someone speaks critically, they will feel the criticism deeply. Many people feel awkward about verbally expressing love. However, those needing Words of Affirmation need those sentiments voiced.
 
2) Acts of Service. We love these by helping around the house or providing a hot cup of coffee. While this form of love can be straightforward to meet, those with busy lives tend to push acts of service to the side because they do not have the time.
 
3) Gifts. The gift does not have to be expensive, but it cannot be bought on a whim. The gift must have thought behind it: a reason that it was given. Some might consider the one needing gifts as high maintenance. However, a little gift can go a long way.
 
4) Quality Time. Love is when someone takes the time to stop their busy life and engage in meaningful conversation. They want the television turned off, and the cell phone put away.
 
5) Physical Touch. Research shows that physical touch is necessary for anyone’s health and well-being. These people want to hold hands, hug, or have a simple pat on the shoulder when talked to.
 
Each love language is valid. If we genuinely want to love someone sincerely, we should seek to love them in the way they need, for the glory of God and the good of our relationship.

​Psalm 139:13-16 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
 
I call it “Celebration Season.” From the end of December to February, we celebrate five birthdays, including Jesus’ birthday. Thankfully, we like celebrating. We try to make a big deal, with special food requests and a fun cake. We might even throw in a trip to the Zoo.
 
Some might ask: “What’s the big deal? Why do you make such a big deal over a day?”
 
Great question! I will give two reasons.
 
First, we want the birthday person to know that they are unique and loved. To do that, we hit all the love languages at once during that day. If you do not know the love languages, look for a future article.
 
Second, we believe life should be celebrated. Birthdays should be celebrated because that day marks when a life has entered the world.
 
January is Right to Life Month. Many churches have hosted Right to Life Sundays. Some have traveled to Lincoln or Washington D.C. for Right to Life Marches. Calvary Bible Church collected a special offering to send to Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center in O’Neill to help young mothers keep their babies and provide healing for those who have chosen abortion.
 
We believe that God is the one who gives life. Every life that he provides is unique and should be fiercely defended. We believe that abortion is a violent ending of that God-given life and should be illegal. We believe that followers of Jesus Christ, having true life from Him, should be vocal about celebrating life.
 
One way of being vocal is Right to Life Month. Another way is finding normal avenues to celebrate, like birthdays, anniversaries, or simple, daily statements: “I love you and am grateful that you are in my life.”

​Ephesians 5:18 (NIV):  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
 
Don’t worry: I am not going to talk about alcohol. I am not even going to talk about drunkenness. This verse speaks to a much deeper issue.
 
We are all addicted to something. When we are addicted, we have given control of ourselves to something. We cannot function unless we have this thing.
 
We can be addicted to many things. Some people are addicted to alcohol. Others are addicted to smoking or vaping. Still others go for drugs, from marijuana to meth. Pornography is an addiction. Social media is an addiction. Fame and money can be an addiction.
 
Everyone is addicted to something.
 
Unfortunately, not only do we place ourselves under the control of our addiction, we are worshiping that addiction. We are saying that this thing that we are addicted to will provide everything for us.
 
Unfortunately, that addiction lies.
 
Nothing that we are addicted to will provide what we need. It will not provide rest, or escape, or strength, or love, or whatever it promises us. Addiction will always disappoint.
 
Take this from someone who knows.
 
Sometimes one who is addicted will try to break that addiction, but they will merely replace that addiction. Many people will turn from smoking to vaping. Drinking to caffeine. These are still addictions. We are still giving control of ourselves to something else.
 
Instead of replacing addiction with addiction, Scripture tells us to turn from our addiction to Jesus Christ. He fills the emptiness that we are trying to fill with our addiction. He gives true rest, purpose, strength, love, and everything else we seek.
 
Be filled with him. Not your thing.
 
This turning from addiction to Jesus cannot happen alone. If you are struggling with an addiction, reach out to someone who can help, someone who will point you to true freedom in Jesus. Together you can find freedom from addiction and an escape from all the lies that have been told.
 
I pray that we all find freedom in Jesus.

Ephesians 5:18 (NIV):  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
 
Don’t worry: I am not going to talk about alcohol. I am not even going to talk about drunkenness. This verse speaks to a much deeper issue.
 
We are all addicted to something. When we are addicted, we have given control of ourselves to something. We cannot function unless we have this thing.
 
We can be addicted to many things. Some people are addicted to alcohol. Others are addicted to smoking or vaping. Still others go for drugs, from marijuana to meth. Pornography is an addiction. Social media is an addiction. Fame and money can be an addiction.
 
Everyone is addicted to something.
 
Unfortunately, not only do we place ourselves under the control of our addiction, we are worshiping that addiction. We are saying that this thing that we are addicted to will provide everything for us.
 
Unfortunately, that addiction lies.
 
Nothing that we are addicted to will provide what we need. It will not provide rest, or escape, or strength, or love, or whatever it promises us. Addiction will always disappoint.
 
Take this from someone who knows.
 
Sometimes one who is addicted will try to break that addiction, but they will merely replace that addiction. Many people will turn from smoking to vaping. Drinking to caffeine. These are still addictions. We are still giving control of ourselves to something else.
 
Instead of replacing addiction with addiction, Scripture tells us to turn from our addiction to Jesus Christ. He fills the emptiness that we are trying to fill with our addiction. He gives true rest, purpose, strength, love, and everything else we seek.
 
Be filled with him. Not your thing.
 
This turning from addiction to Jesus cannot happen alone. If you are struggling with an addiction, reach out to someone who can help, someone who will point you to true freedom in Jesus. Together you can find freedom from addiction and an escape from all the lies that have been told.
 
I pray that we all find freedom in Jesus.

​Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
 
The last time I wrote for this column, I talked about dirty diapers. I hope that I did not gross anyone out. If I did, I am sorry, and I hope that I don’t gross you out again. Maybe my mind always goes back to diapers because I am in that stage. Perhaps the subject is continually in my mind because I never grew up. Who knows?
 
Have you ever changed a diaper, and what was supposed to stay in the diaper jumped out and got over everything else? Brown smears all over the place.
 
That’s bad. But what I think is worse is when I am trying to clean up a substantial dirty diaper, and the poop gets on my hands—a big glop of disgusting sitting on my thumb.
 
Sometimes when we try to clean up something, we get the dirt on ourselves. The same is true when we try to help someone change.
 
Paul says: “Watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
 
We all have the propensity to sin or get addicted. We all have the temptation to cope with difficulty negatively. When we help someone else, we can get triggered to dive into our sinful patterns again.
 
So, what do we do to make sure that we do not get the disgusting scraped against our hands?
 
First, we wear gloves. I know very few people wear gloves when changing diapers. But, when we are helping someone else with their struggles, we need to have protection. Protection looks like knowing our boundaries, coping positively, and talking with someone else about the experience.
 
Second, we ask for help. Sometimes, two people need to change a diaper. In the same way, some situations need multiple people to help. God designed the church for this reason. The whole church comes together to lift people out of sin.
 
Third, we step away. There are some diapers that I cannot change because I am sick and will vomit. In the same way, there are some sin issues that we cannot help with because we will be triggered to jump into our addictions.

​Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
 
I hope no one reading this experiences a gag reflex through stories because I am writing about something that some might consider disgusting. Vile. Putrid. You get the picture. 
 
I’m going to talk about poop. We all know where poop comes from. My two-year-old knows where poop comes from. He tried to explain to me why he shouldn’t finish the food on his plate. “If I eat it, it will go into my stomach and out into my diaper.” I commend him on his understanding of biology and anatomy. He still had to finish what was on his plate.  
 
Unfortunately, he probably shouldn’t have finished it because he got sick. Really sick. In both directions. 
 
And, guess who had to clean up the diapers. Yours truly. I can still smell the odor. Talk about gag reflex.
 
That poor boy. I would go into diaper rash issues and blowouts, but I will spare you the details. 
 
As I clean up excrement with clothespins on my nose, I think about our lives. Our lives are filled with filth greater than these bulging stink bombs, which eat up our lives faster than acidic dung on a baby’s bottom.
 
We all need our spiritual diapers changed. We need people to come up to us and say: “You stink. For the sake of your life and those around you, let’s change your diaper.” 
 
Those conversations are not pleasant. They might hurt. But once we clean the filth out of our lives, we feel so much better. 
 
Jesus did this for us when he died on the cross, taking care of our sins for eternity. We get to do this for each other, cleaning up our sins temporarily. 
 
Some spiritual diapers are quick to clean up. Some take a long time and need some diaper cream. Sometimes the diapers need to be cleaned multiple times because the sin is so entranced in our lives. Sometimes the sin is so huge, and we do not want to help change the diaper because it is disgusting.
 
But, out of love for each other, looking to Jesus’ example, let’s grab the clothespins and diaper cream and get to work.