Author: TechCommittee

October 9, 2022                                  Text:  2 Timothy 2:1-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

    Have you ever been invited to a prison?  In this profession you get to go to a lot of places you never imagined.  I have been to a county jail, a juvenile detention center, and a minimum-security prison.  As they say, “it is not a good feeling when those doors clank behind you.”  It helps to understand the freedom taken away. 

    Paul invites Timothy to Rome, but this is no vacation.  There will be no visiting of interesting sites or a day excursion to the Mediterranean.  Paul is in prison.  Why invite Timothy?  All he could do was minister to a weakened, doomed old man.  He was also risking guilt by association which could mean his own imprisonment or execution.  Yet, Paul makes a compelling argument.

    In our text this morning Paul issues us the same invitation.  How eager will be to join him?  

“HOW CAN WE ANSWER THE CALL TO SUFFER FOR THE GOSPEL?”

    The first thing Timothy needs, and you and I need is strengthening.  “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (v. 1)  Paul uses three analogies to help Timothy understand his pastoral task:  the Christian is like a combat soldier, a competing athlete, and a hardworking farmer.

    Can you relate to any or all three?  I believe most of us can.  A soldier follows commands, despite the suffering involved.  We follow God’s Word even though it could involve mental, physical, or emotional pain.  As an athlete we have had to work for the win, we had to compete to be crowned the victor.  When I ran suicides on the gym floor I wasn’t celebrating inside, I was sucking air.  But that burning sensation in my lungs put me in shape for the fourth quarter.  No sucking air just stamina to win the game.  As a Christian the only way to receive the crown is to be in the arena competing.  Sitting on the sidelines is not an option.  Believe me I try, and the Lord just keeps pulling me in.  He could use my witness.  He can use your witness.  For the farmer, his hard work would give him a first claim on the best crops.  The Lord gives us the best as the seed is planted in our heart.  The word of faith grows and prospers and allows us to share the best crop with others.

    I love what Paul does here for Timothy, he tells him to remember.  “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.  But the word of God is not bound.  Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (vs. 8-10)

    Paul is not just under house arrest, he is in a dark, dank, smelly dungeon.  But it is a good comparison that the living and active Word cannot be imprisoned or chained – it accomplishes God’s desires.  He is enduring for the elect, that is the Christians.  We all need each other so that we can answer the call to suffer for the gospel.

    Is any of this a picture of what motivates you to stand up for Jesus and His Word?  All of it should.  I know this is what happens in my brain when confronted with those who want to bash the name of Jesus or His teachings.  I am strengthened by Him.  My athletic training helps me endure.  I remember Jesus and what his Word can accomplish and then I do it for the other Christians in my life.  I want the boys to see what Christian involvement looks like.  I want to strengthen our marriage as Toni and I stand together.  I want the Lord to use my situations to encourage the situations of you brothers and sisters in the pews.  You do the same for me.  I am strengthened by your witness.

    Paul was in chains not for what he believed but for what he preached.  The world will not slight you or hate you for what you believe – as long as you keep it to yourself.  We pray for the strength to share this wonderful message with the world.

    Contrary to legal understanding, God’s justice is not fairness or giving one what he deserves.  We deserve condemnation for those times we don’t open our mouths, or we allow the Word of God to be defamed.  A fair God would give us what we deserve.  Punishment and imprisonment forever.  Thank the Lord that His justice justifies us sinners.  He deems us righteous, on account of the person and work of Christ.  

    The temptation is to lose heart in these last days and believe the maxim, “justice delayed is justice denied.”  In God’s case, this is a lie.  Though the appearance of God’s Kingdom and his justice may seem delayed, “he will give justice.”  Indeed, He already has.  His justice, His righteousness, has already been passed on to you through your Baptism.  His Kingdom comes to you this morning as you participate in the feast of His Kingdom.  Do not lose heart, dear saints.  It is not fun in the sun every day here.  Let us endure suffering for the Gospel because it is God’s way of bringing others to glory.  Remember Jesus.  He is true to His promises.

                                            Amen.             

October 2, 2022 – LWML Sunday                            Text:  Romans 8:31-39

Dear Friends in the Christ,

    Think of the powerful images being conveyed by someone holding another’s hand.  The long-married couple clutching hands as one lies in a hospital bed.  The parents holding the hand of a newborn son or daughter.  The young couple on a first date nervous about touching each other’s hand.  Fast forward to that same couple grasping tightly those same hands in front of God’s altar as they make a lifelong commitment to each other.  

    Earlier this summer when we went hiking in the Colorado Rockies there were opportunities to grasp each other hands.  There were a few treacherous turns and loose rocks where a helping hand was wanted.  A good grip was needed.

    Today is LWML Sunday.  The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League is an auxiliary organization of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  Their mites, small offerings that when combined throughout Synod make millions of dollars every few years for mission projects around the world.  For decades this organization has given a strong witness to how God’s love holds each of us.

    Our text is from Romans 8.  God is . . .

“FOR US AND WITH US”

    The main subject in our text is God.  The danger for us is that at times we may think our success depends upon our grip, our hold, our work.  The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, gives a different perspective.  It is quite clear that God’s everlasting love holds us.

    Because Jesus is for us and with us, we have no fear of condemnation.  Paul writes, “What 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 gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things.” (vs. 31-32).  What things?  Paul has just acknowledged that God has done everything for our salvation.  Therefore, how should we respond?  Paul continues:

    “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn?  Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (vs. 33-34)

    Why did Jesus die?  You know, to pay for our sins.  Why was He raised?  Because the Father accepted this payment.  The check has cleared.  He died so that we might live.

    Now Jesus is interceding for us.  He is in the battle for us.  Corrie Ten Boom said, “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”  Think about your life?  How did things go this week, for you?  Did you speak to a loved one in a tone you would like to take back?  Did you push away someone trying to assist you?  Did you refuse a helping hand?  We all fall short of the glory of God.  The pit can be quite deep at times…but God’s love is deeper still.  His arm is long and able to rescue us.  Those arms and legs were spread on a cross to rescue us.  Those limbs were made alive again as Jesus was raised from the dead.  Jesus is with us and for us.

    Because Jesus is for us and with us, we have no fear of separation.  God will not let go of your hand.  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (vs. 35-39)

    Notice what Paul does not say in the text.  He does not say that our lives will be free of challenges or suffering or heartache.  He doesn’t say that danger will not happen.  Paul had his struggles.  We have ours too.  What weighs on your mind this morning?  What permeates your thoughts?  What would you include?  Who would you include?  No matter what you are facing, God declares you righteous and loved in Jesus.  Our assurance comes from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Lutheran Women in Mission have served each other for many years.  They have been there for their fellow sisters when lives seemed out of control.  They remind each other that God is in control.  They hold a hand and our reminded of God’s love in Christ.

    Because Jesus is for us and with us, we have certain victory.  Our baptism is the guarantee.  St. Paul writes in Romans 6:4:  “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  Baptism is victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil.  We are more than conquerors.

    Our victory is not secure because of our hold on Christ, but by His hold on us.  We can live confidently each day trusting in Jesus.  Remain in his Word and grace and the Lord holds on to you – forever.

    We thank the Lord for the hearts and hands of the LWML.  They encourage our service with their service.  May God continue to hold us in his love, the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.                    Amen.        

September 25, 2022                                            Text:  1 Timothy 3:1-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

    In any profession it is always interesting to talk with someone about how they got their job.  It is no different for a Pastor.  Except the question is usually phrased, “What made you decide to go into the ministry?”  From my days at seminary there are 100 different answers.  The common thread is how God worked to call these men to the ministry.  Some came willingly.  For some it took years.  The story begins and ends with Jesus.

    I’ve never preached on this text but today is a great opportunity for learning.  In our congregation we have Pastor’s kids.  We have members who have relatives that are Pastors.  Some of you have been good friends with your Pastor.  Then there is a segment sitting here today that don’t know that much about the ministry.  How does it work in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and what does the future hold.  This sermon may even get one of you men thinking about this profession.  Because, after all it is . . .

“A NOBLE TASK”

    The Apostle Paul writes this letter to young Timothy.  The saying in verse 1 was a well-known adage in the Early Church.  Having a Pastor lead a congregation helps with the Order of the Church.  Those who are served prayerfully benefit greatly.  The task, or the work, requires energy and devotion.  The Pastor is on call 24/7.

    Paul then goes on to list the qualifications of a Pastor.  They reflect what the Lord needs from this man to lead His Church.  These are all reasonable expectations.  If you can’t handle yourself or your family, then overseeing a congregation is never going to work.  Here’s the danger.  Some congregations might read through this list and do a mental evaluation of their Pastor and decide whether he should be in or out.  If things get tough, a congregation could turn to 1 Timothy 3 and begin to make an argument for or against the Pastor.  

    God cares for His Church by having instituted the Office of the Ministry.  Within this office the Pastor is supported by deacons or as most Lutheran Church’s call them elders.  These men also have certain qualifications for their task as listed in our text.

    Think of all the Pastors that God has put into your life.  Prayerfully they have been faithful.  What have they done for you?  They have preached the Law.  They have told you that you are a sinner.  Maybe they called you a filthy rag.  They preached on a topic that made you squirm in your pew.  They called you out on attitude that had no place in God’s Church.  Did the Pastor do this to hurt you?  No.  It was done to call you to repentance.  It was for the purpose of turning from your wicked ways.  How would you know the sweet taste of the Gospel without the bitter nectar of the Law?

    The Pastor directs the affairs of the church.  Shepherds the flock.  Guards it from error.  Administers the Sacraments.  Preaches Good News of your justification.  You are a filthy rag but you are made clean in the blood of Jesus Christ.  The cross is the never-ending symbol of your spiritual freedom.  Your Pastor has the privilege of touching you personally right here, right now.  He loves to share Jesus with you.  And not just from the pulpit.  By the hospital bed.  In the jail.  Confined at a nursing home.  In a counseling session.  On the phone, in a text, standing in the narthex.  It is a ministry of presence, and the best clergy are those who are in the game fighting the devil alongside you.  It is a noble task.

    Some seem to think the ministry is all about the coffee and doughnuts, oh the time wasted on that subject in the past.  To me one of the greatest advantages of this profession is that I have always had my own bathroom . . . and the soft toilet paper to go with it.  Didn’t aspire to this, just one of the nice perks.  What are the protocols for ministry in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod?

    Before going to the seminary, you need a four-year degree.  Study whatever you want.  It will all be helpful.  Then we have two seminaries you can attend.  St. Louis MO and Ft. Wayne IN.  It will be four more years of school.  Two years of study, a third year of vicarage.  You are assigned to a church for a year under a Pastoral supervisor, I went to Quincy IL.  You learn a lot and then you return to seminary for a fourth year.  You talk a lot about the vicarage experience and get ready for your first call.  In the LCMS the first call is assigned.  Which means you go – no questions asked.  They try to send you to a church that lines up with your traits.  My first call – Littlefield TX.  From this point on in your ministry, any of the 6,000 churches of the LCMS can call you.  If a call is received, the called Pastor has a choice.  He’s prays about it and either stays at his call or accepts a new call.  I have done both.  The Lord through the Holy Spirit has always led me to the right decision.

    The ministry is about the faithfulness of our Lord.  That is where the focus needs to be.  I have been blessed in this noble task for 31 years.  Three wonderful congregations where my family and I have been loved and taken care of.  Has it got you thinking about the ministry?  If so, come talk to me.  

    God entered into a saving human relationship with us.  He began this good work in the Church and continues to work through human relationships.  He leads not only though words but also through life.  God offers a list of qualities for Pastors so that He can work through them to form congregations that work for the good of others.

                                Amen.         

September 18, 2022                                        Text:  Psalm 113

Dear Friends in Christ,

    What did the seven dwarfs do for a living?  They worked in a mine, where they mined rubies and diamonds.  They seemed to enjoy their work so much they sang on the way home.  “Heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s home from work we go.”  All my life I thought they sang, “off to work we go” but a lyrical check shows they indeed sang, “it’s home from work we go.”

    Maybe you feel like singing when you go home from work.  Work songs have been a part of life for centuries.  Building railroads, the singing kept the workers in rhythm.  Farm hands and textile workers and other vocations had work songs.  The singing united everyone and kept everyone engaged in their tasks at hand.

    Today we are going to look at Psalm 113 – known as the “praise Psalm.”  It was sung at the beginning of the Passover celebration.  While not exactly a work song, it does convey something important . . .

“GOD’S GRACIOUS WORK”

    “Heigh ho, heigh ho, we look to this work and go.”  God’s gracious work.  The great thing about the work song is how it can tie together an enjoyable thing to do – singing – with something not as fun – a difficult task.  

    Our text also brings two separate things together.  In the opening of the psalm, we start to see attributes that make God – God.  The Lord is enthroned in eternity.  The leaders of nations, kings and queens come and go but the rule of God never ends.  It just always is.  His rule extends everywhere.  East, west, north, south, the Lord is in control.  

    But the Psalm also points out how near God is.  He cares for the poor and needy.  Those who get dinner from a garbage can are those the Lord Almighty notices.  The people who seem insignificant in the world are the ones He marks and claims as His own.

    We are instructed to praise the Lord.  Is this easy for you to do?  Do you have a song in your heart when you look to your Creator?  God the Father Almighty gives you so many things in which to sing His praise.  He sent Jesus, as a man, to pay for your sin and my sin.  He brings joy to the world with his gift of salvation.  He comforts us in suffering and carries our painful burdens.  He chose you.  He chose me.  We are all significant people in the eyes of the Lord.  Sometimes it might seem to us that the good things of the world are overwhelmed by the bad.  But the Lord is not overwhelmed.  He is exalted on high, and He reaches down low with His salvation.

    “Heigh ho, heigh ho, we look to our work and go.”  This psalm guides our work.  Work songs strengthened the bonds of the workers.  This psalm of praise brough together the Jews at Passover.  This psalm invites us to be a part of the community of faith.  

    What events in Scripture would make your top ten list?  The salvation story of Jesus, creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, the father/son drama of Abraham and Isaac, Moses and the Israelites, David and Goliath, maybe add in Samson, Joseph and his brothers, King David’s life and Paul’s conversion.  Most of us would not include Hannah and the gift of her son Samuel.

    Hannah was barren and in distress.  She went to the temple to pray and was accused by as priest of being drunk.  What she was doing was pouring out her heart to God.  Although her husband did not hear her, though the priest did not understand her, God could hear her and He understood what was happening in her life.  He answered her prayer.  The joy of this child, Samuel, being born brought forth a song of praise to God.  We have a line from that song in our psalm, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.” (v. 7-8)

    A minor character from the Bible, through the gracious work of the Lord, binds Israel together.  They saw how He works in the smallest ways to extend His gracious care to His people.  

    “Heigh ho, heigh ho, it is off to work we go.”  Martin Luther knew nothing about the seven dwarfs, but he knew the value of songs as God’s people work.  In our Small Catechism, as Luther teaches people to pray in the morning, he encourages them, after finishing their prayers, to “go joyfully to your work, singing a hymn, like that of the Ten Commandments, or whatever your devotion may suggest.”

    God gracious work – heigh ho, heigh ho.  He rules over all things.  He graciously loves and cares for us.  We sing God’s praise, and He leads us into service for His Kingdom.  “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!” (v. 3)

                                            Amen.  

September 11, 2022 – Christian Education Sunday                Text:  Deuteronomy 6:4-15

Dear Friends in Christ,

    Who’s your teacher?  When you are in grade school that is a question that comes your way.  Within the past month our young people were finding out who their teacher was going to be for the coming school year.

    On this Christian Education Sunday that is a good question for all of us – “Who’s your teacher?”  Who do we imitate?  Who are our role models?  Who do I like to sound like or dress like or act like?  

    There are many people competing to be our teachers.  They want to instruct you and your family.  They want you to follow their example.  So . . . 

“WHO’S YOUR TEACHER?”

    God has always desired to be the teacher of his people.  He gives this command in the opening verses of our text, “Hear, O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (vs. 4-5).  God is not making a suggestion.  God knows that what we hear influences what we think and do and believe.  God wants to be your teacher and your children’s teacher.  God wants our ears open and attentive as He speaks His Word to us.  “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” (v. 6)

    Now we get to a portion of Scripture that has always had an important place for us as parents and grandparents.  “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  That is a huge responsibility, is it not?

    God gives the primary teaching job to the parent.  Sitting at home – family devotions.  Walking – look around at God’s creation.  Lying down – a Bible story and prayers before bed.  When you rise – prayers for the day, a word of advice.  Bind them on your hand – you live what God’s Word says because “they shall be as frontlets for your eyes.”  Our children are always watching.  Are we living what we are saying?  Do we back up our words with actions?  Who’s our teacher in the eyes of our children and grandchildren?  Write them on the doorposts of our house?  Does your home reflect your Christianity by what is hanging on walls, or on your bookshelf or the words we speak to one another?  

    We stray from this command when we are not proactive.  The world is happy to teach your children and grandchildren.  And they have quite an influence, haven’t they?  If our commitment to Christ and His Church is an hour or two a week, well, there is a lot of time left to fill.  Are we hearing, marking, learning, and inwardly digesting the Word of God?  Is it a prime source of nutrition in your home?  

    God desires that his Word be constantly in front of us.  He desires that the Word fill our homes and our hearts.  Here at Good Shepherd, both young and old hear that Word, which is then meditated upon throughout the week – whether we are sitting or walking or standing or lying down or rising.  It is that Word of God that should be in front of us on a consistent basis.

    In this Word of God, you are receiving great gifts and blessings.  Your mind is being enlightened by the Gospel.  In the Word, the Holy Spirit is working mightily to forgive sins, delivering the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection to you.  In the Word, the Holy Spirit is strengthening your faith.  When you read or hear that Jesus died for your sins, you are not only learning that truth, but in and through these words, Christ’s forgiveness is being given to you.

    I cannot guarantee that if you do all these things that your children will not leave the reservation.  Many of you in the pews this morning are hurting because of this truth.  The world and its ways can be quite the seductress.  You pray for the Holy Spirit’s work.  Then remember this:  you never stop teaching.  With God as your teacher you continue.  Verse 7 says as parents we are to “teach them diligently.”  The Hebrew word is shaman, which is the verb that’s used to describe sharpening a blade by continually running it over a stone.  Through the Word we are sharpened, and we need this sharpening continually.  Sharpened by the Word we can discern truth from error, withstand the attacks of the evil one, and wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Be strengthened by God’s Word this morning.  Forgiven, loved, able to withstand trial and temptation, He empowers you and I in good works to glorify God and serve our neighbor and family members in love.

    Who’s your teacher?  I pray you know.  God desires to be your teacher and your children’s teacher.

            Amen.       

September 4, 2022                                    Text: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Dear Friends in Christ,

    A few months back when Roe v Wade was overturned, I was privileged to be part of a webinar that featured brief talks from pro-life leaders throughout our nation.  Over 50 speakers were lined up in just a few days.  They each were given 2-3 minutes, though some went a little longer.  I remember that Tuesday night sitting at the laptop for 2 ½ hours.  

    Two main themes came from almost every speaker.  1).  We thank God for the decision.  2).  There is still more work to do.  Right on both accounts.  The patience of God put in place men and women who understood this was bad law.  As has been proven these last few months those who want a culture of death, led by the devil who is working even harder, will do some evil things to keep their power.

    We are people of the Word of God.  It is easy to get into the political debate and lose the focus.  We have been chosen by God.  We have had breath breathed into us from God the Creator.  Our text is not about abortion, it is about who we are as God’s people.  We do what we do because . . .

“GOD HAS CHOSEN US”

    It is interesting isn’t it how both sides of this issue used v. 19.  One side just takes two simple words, “Choose Life,” and makes it a rallying cry.  The other side can’t print “choose death” on bumper stickers because that isn’t inspiring or wise.  So, they use a form of the word choose and they want to be positive, so it becomes – “pro-choice.”  Clever, right?  Who doesn’t want a choice?  And since 1973 the semantics of those words have been effective.

    In our text the same people God is addressing he once called “stiff-necked.”  But he also said of these people, “The Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your faithers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”  (Deut. 7:7-8). They were not chosen because they were special; they were special because they were chosen.

    Peter tells us in the New Testament Church that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” (1 Pet. 2:9)  Let’s go one step further.  Each of you were chosen by God before the foundation of the world.  In baptism, made a child of God.  Each of you is special because you were chosen.

    We’ve got some choices in our text.  Life/death, good/evil.  Fundamentally the choice is this:  trust God or turn away to other gods.  That was a constant problem with Israel.  “If your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them.” (v. 17). This is when the evil and curses will come. 

    We have had a lot of curses on our land as we have continued to de-value life both in utero and with our aging population.  In the last fifty years these are all up:  child abuse, suicides, mass killings.  As we erode the value of life, these are the consequences.

    Has death ever led to life?  Watch your answer.  Jesus chose suffering and death to pay the price we owed God because of our sin and destroyed death once and for all through His resurrection from the dead.  Jesus chose death to rescue us.  Jesus chose you, and you have been baptized into His death and resurrection.

    You have the assurance.  You can trust God because He promises that nothing can separate you from His love.  You can trust God because He promises to work in every aspect of your life.  You can trust God because He loved you so much that he gave His only Son as a payment for your bad choices.  You can trust God because He sets His love upon you every time you receive His Holy Meal. 

    When life is chosen, then generations will live as our text states, “you and your offspring will live.” (v. 19).  Your faith will grow as you obey the voice of the Lord.  Holding fast and clinging to the Lord you dwell in His promises.  Your voice, along with millions of others has made a difference.  You walked for Life, or you spoke out for Life, or you did a vigil in front of a clinic.  You maybe even gave life to a child that was unexpected.  We need to continue to be there for those in life situations.  The issue will always be with us.

    Most of you are aware of my personal story.  One of my Godchildren became pregnant as a teenager before marriage.  She wrote me a very personal letter at the time.  I cried.  Two weeks ago, Toni and I had dinner with this extended family – 12 of us in all.  The child that was born sat right across from me.  She is now a sophomore in high school.  I was privileged to catch up on her life.  She is a tiny person who went out for football last year.  Courage.  You think about these things when you know the backstory.

    Her mother is married with another child and works to help others through her work with the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services.  I am blessed as are others by what the Lord is doing in her life.  

    The prayer is you see the same thing.  You are chosen by God.  Chosen for life.  Chosen to make a difference.  Loved by Creator God for a purpose.  Live knowing that you are His.

                                                Amen.