tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136941402024-03-13T13:55:48.591-07:00The Livonia PreacherI began my association with the Livonia Church of Christ in Livonia, MI in 1976. I was supported as a missionary by the church for 23 years and began working as their preaching minister in June 2000. Diane and I have been married since May 7, 1972 and have three children, Laura married to Rusty Campbell and their son Alex, Julie married to Josh Marcum and their daughters Michaela, Eliana and Jana and Matthew, a student at Abilene Christian University.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-86612855959107627702008-10-29T14:33:00.000-07:002008-10-29T14:41:18.550-07:00Lesson #1: The Christian and PoliticsWho’s in charge here?<br />Rom 13:1-2; Dan 4:17<br /><br />These next several weeks in my sermons I will be dealing with a sensitive and dangerous topic, politics. It is dangerous because people’s emotions and feelings run high during times like this. We are told this is a monumental election but then we are told that every four years. The hype, the excitement, the anxiety have been building for months and essentially each party, each candidate tries to make you believe that voting them will change the world and their opponent winning will bring the apocalypse. This series will not be about me telling you how to vote in the up coming elections but we will be looking at a Christian perspective on this process. We will be discussing how we should act toward our government and others who disagree with us.<br /><br />I. God’s Purpose<br />As we look at the concept of governments we see something of God’s purposes. Scripture tells us, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) We see this in creation with its order and predictability. There are basic laws that govern nature and our ability to learn those laws have improved our lives.<br /><br />The same is true in how we organize ourselves as human beings. As we study scripture we see increasing complexity in government. We see tribal cultures and rule by kings. That is very different than how we organize governments today. Nation states control every part of the world. Some are democratic republics, some have monarchies, and some are theocracies. But the basic tasks of government are the same, to provide a safe environment for their people to live their lives with a measure of security and safety.<br /><br />While there are many examples of this let’s use one that impacts everyone here, traffic laws. People complain about the speed limit, long traffic lights and on and on. And we are free to complain as long as we obey and for good reason, the laws are there to make the roads safe for all. Have a close call at a stoplight as someone disobeys the law and you will be shouting for stricter enforcement. Those laws and the process of enforcement are part of the role of government and a good role it is. Without the law, without the police and courts our streets would become chaos. I’ve lived in places like that and it is no fun. The stress of driving becomes unbelievable.<br /><br />This is just an illustration of the God ordained role of government in our lives. Government is the way God works to bring order to the world. God wants us to have good government but we also live in a world afflicted by sin and so bad government is also present. At times we see corruption, greed and arrogance among those who rule. So how does this impact our relationship to government?<br /><br />II. God’s Hand<br />Daniel lived under a completely totalitarian government. King Nebuchadnezzar had total power over his kingdom and millions of people. As free Americans we bridle at the thought of living under such conditions and yet Daniel and thousands of other Jews discovered ways to live out their faith. In the process Daniel helped King Nebuchadnezzar to come to know a little bit about Yahweh who made the heavens and the earth. The king wrote concerning a vision he received, “The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17) The picture here is one common through much of history as a king grants position and territory to those under him. No matter what King Nebuchadnezzar thought, God had given him his kingdom and God was going to take it away from him for a time to teach him a lesson and then give it back to him again. God does this within his will and purpose.<br /><br />Paul wrote during his day, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1) Pagan leaders led Rome, some who demanded to be worshipped as gods yet Paul wrote these words to Christians. I don’t think Paul was indifferent to those leaders but he recognized that they were fulfilling God given responsibilities even though they did not know God.<br /><br />Who chooses our president? The media will tells us this group or that group was key in helping the president win. But as a Christian I believe God is sovereign and “gives them to anyone he wishes.”<br /><br />III. How Do We Live?<br />This brings us to a real dilemma; does God put evil leaders in place? Here we come up against a problem that may make us angry with God. Why does a Hitler, or a Stalin or some other dictator come on our world scene to produce such evil? Were they worse than Nebuchadnezzar whom Daniel faithfully served for decades? Paul called on Christians to submit to a Roman authority that put Jesus to death and would eventually put Paul and many other Christians to death.<br /><br />This stuff gives me a headache and it will you too if you try to figure it out. One of the wisest people who every lived wrote these words, “No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.” (Ecclesiastes 8:17) I hate to admit it but this beyond me, beyond people a lot smarter than me too, even it they won’t admit it.<br /><br />So do we become apathetic fatalists in the face of God’s sovereignty? I don’t think so. God has given us the responsibility of living and choosing in the area of politics. We live in a country and society where we do have a voice, one that was not available to people of earlier ages. So we vote, we make choices that I hope are honest and informed. We should be doing that right now and I don’t mean through the junk emails that unfortunately get forwarded to us. I’m not even sure how helpful TV news is. I suggest you read what the candidates are saying about what they hope to do with the understanding that it rarely gets done as they state they want. Don’t allow their opponents to tell you what the other person is saying or believes.<br /><br />But we also need to calm ourselves. God is in control of our election. The world will not end if your candidate loses and the world is not necessarily going to change for the better if your candidate wins. While we try to elect good people to rule us our trust and security is not in the president or congress or the courts or the military, it is in God, the maker of heaven and earth who is sovereign over the nations.<br /><br />Let us pray for our nation and this election.<br /><br />Livonia Church of Christ September 14, 2008Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-27424986160104137272008-10-29T14:23:00.000-07:002008-10-29T14:33:24.275-07:00Lesson #2: The Christian and PoliticsHow Would Jesus Vote?<br />Matt 4:8-11; Jn 18:33-37; 19:7-16<br /><br />A few weeks ago I was reading an editorial in one of the papers. This person was making the argument that if Martin Luther King Jr. were living today he wouldn’t vote for Barak Obama. I thought the whole thing was rather strange, to think that you could know the mind of a person dead for forty years. Of course they are not around to contradict you either.<br /><br />I. Jesus and Politics<br />How would Jesus vote? The question is of course ridiculous. The modern concept of elections and voting, while based in ancient Greece was extremely limited even in Greece. But besides that point is the fact that Jesus had a particular view of worldly powers.<br />Jesus first experience with political powers took place around his birth. A group of philosopher-mystics called magi came looking for Jesus as a result of their study of the heavens and possibly Jewish prophecy. Their search so upset a paranoid King Herod that he murdered dozens of innocent baby boys in an attempt to kill Jesus.<br /><br />While Jesus would not have remembered the incident his parents surely did and he probably was told the story as he grew older. How would it make you feel to know a powerful king tried to assassinate you and that only intervention of angels saved your life? That was an early lesson in how politics works. People in power will often do almost anything to protect that power. The death of innocents is often the price paid for power.<br /><br />The second incident where we see Jesus dealing with the political system is before his ministry begins with the temptation in the wilderness. We read, “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4:8-9) It is interesting that Jesus doesn’t dispute the devil’s power to do this. This really does mix things up when we consider what we studied a couple of weeks ago that God raises up rulers and casts them down as he pleases. This whole thing about government is more complicated than we realize.<br />But what is Jesus being offered? It is a way that didn’t include a cross for one thing. What would you choose? Power, wealth, glory, a name in the history books or a horrible tortured death on a cross? Jesus was also being offered authority to rule. No need to persuade people, no rejection because if you have the power people can’t reject you. No need for people to love you, they just have to respect and obey you.<br /><br />I could think of a lot of reasons to say yes to this offer but it required disobedience to one, just one command, to worship only God. I wonder how this temptation worked? Was it visions about what existed or what could be if Jesus said, “Yes”? Did Jesus see what awaited him if he chose the cross? I don’t know but I do know Jesus rejected the offer and so set his feet on the path to the cross. Jesus knew how tempting the path of power was but he also knew where that path ended and it was not with the Father.<br /><br />Not too long into Jesus’ ministry he received another lesson, his cousin John the Baptist was arrested and later killed on the whim of the King. There is every indication that Jesus was upset by this murder. I don’t think it was just the death of John but the senseless killing of a man of God. The reality is that when you live and speak for God in opposition to the world and its powers you will face persecution.<br /><br />Jesus later faced a political question when asked, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17) The question was trap to destroy his credibility with the people or paint him as a rebel against Rome. His answer, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's,” (Matthew 22:21) was totally unexpected as Jesus recognized the authority of Rome but also our obligation to God.<br /><br />Jesus last interaction with the political structures of the day took place on the day of his trial. Jesus stood before Pilate to be judged and either live or die. I don’t believe Pilate was necessarily a bad person but whatever his personal feelings he followed the road of political expediency. Pilate asked Jesus a number of questions, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “What is it you have done?” “What is truth?” “Where do you come from?” “Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus knows how this dialog is going to turn out. He even shows some sympathy for Pilate by telling him his sin in this matter is not as bad as those who handed him over. Eventually, in spite of Pilate’s maneuvering Jesus is condemned and crucified.<br /><br />Jesus says several things in this dialog but two are important concerning government and politics. First, Jesus is a king but his kingdom is not of this world, meaning the physical world. Pilate seems comfortable with this statement and is ready to release Jesus. Jesus presented no direct threat to Roman power. Jesus’ kingdom was not a political kingdom. <br />Second, Jesus recognized that Pilate’s power and authority was given from above, that is from God. I don’t think this is an endorsement of Pilate himself as it is of the position of authority that Pilate occupied.<br /><br />So how interested was Jesus in the political dealings of his own people and Rome? He was aware of his world and what was going on but Jesus was focused on other things, things that had eternal importance.<br /><br />II. How Would Jesus Vote?<br />How would Jesus vote? I don’t know and I suggest we need to be cautious of anyone who says that they know. Would Jesus vote? I don’t know, I suppose he might but then again he might not. His attention was on a kingdom that is not of this world. Would he be any more interested in our political shenanigans that he was in his own day?<br /><br />Jesus walked lightly through this world. He didn’t own any property. He never had much money. He didn’t hold any office religious, political or otherwise. He never married or had children. In terms of what the world finds important Jesus should be a forgotten man except for one thing, he changed the world like no other person has ever done.<br /><br />What does all of this say to us? We live and work in a physical world and so we own homes, have jobs and families, we might even hold political office or work for or be those in authority. But Jesus tells us to hold these things lightly because they will all pass away. We love the United States but some day, if Jesus does not return, the United States will be no more. People will study about us like we study about the Romans. We cannot imagine such a day but people of Jesus’ day could not imagine a world without Rome.<br /><br />Paul wrote this to a church that probably had a number of Roman citizens in it, “Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:19-20) So live, work, have families, vote, participate in our communities and our nation but remember what is really important, what is eternal.<br /><br />Livonia Church of Christ September 21, 2008Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-86233555383417234042008-10-29T14:14:00.000-07:002008-10-29T14:23:13.592-07:00Lesson #3: The Christian and PoliticsHow Do We Decide?<br />Rom 13:8-10<br /><br />We are about a month away from our election. There will be more and more media vying for our attention trying to influence our vote. There are a lot of things I don’t like about this time of year, the incessant phone calls, and the attack ads by both sides, and every attempt to influence how I will vote. But this raises an important question, how do we decide? It is not just who to vote for but what to vote for. Every election has issues that call for us to vote.<br /><br />I. Influences<br />This past week I read about a number of church leaders who are coming out very publicly for a particular candidate. Those church leaders are trying to influence how people in their communities vote. One pastor even said that to vote for the opposing candidate is to question whether you are a Christian or not. I am not going to tell you whom to vote for so you can quit asking. I do want us to think about how we will decide how to vote.<br /><br />Where you stand in the world has a lot to do with how you view an election like this, what influences you to vote in a particular way. So what will influence you? For some it will be the race of the candidates. Some will vote for Barak Obama because he is African-America and others will refuse to vote for him for the same reason. It is amazing that in a country that has in its declaration of independence that “all men are created equal” (and women too) that race is such a large issue to many. If you don’t think it is a factor then ask the person who had his Obama signs spray-painted with swastikas. Hopefully this is not a factor for Christians but I confess it probably is for some.<br /><br />Another big influence that raised its head this past week is the economy. Dire predictions of doom and gloom filled the airways this past week. People have always considered economic factors in whom they vote for. Will this person raise or lower my taxes? Will they help or hurt my business, my job? Those are important questions but we need to remember what people say and what people do are often not the same. But still people vote for those who promise to help them economically.<br /><br />In this election the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is big for many of us. What should the nation do? Should we try and disengage from these conflicts or continue to pursue them? No matter who is elected the issues raised by this conflict will continue for a long time.<br /><br />There are also social issues that for some are the controlling factor. Where do the candidates stand on the pro-life or pro-choice issue? That is a big one and yet I have observed there doesn’t seem to be much difference in what happens whatever the party. Then there are issues such as poverty and hunger around the world or the devastating AIDS epidemic in Africa that are the focus of some voters. What about the environment?<br /><br />The media is always trying to influence our votes it seems. In this I include not just news programs but also comedy programs and the like. We could also include the Internet and political blogs, Youtube, and political emails.<br />All these different appeals are made to our prejudices, our pocketbooks, our emotions, our faith, and in the end our self-interest. What is in it for me? What is good for me?<br /><br />II. Another Perspective<br />It is tough deciding how you will vote, no doubt about it. But I would like to add one more voice for our consideration. In Romans 13 Paul wrote about the Christian’s relationship to government. But before and after this passage Paul writes about how we should live in the world. “Love. . . Honor one another above yourselves . . . Bless those who persecute you. . . Don’t take revenge. . . Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:9-21) Then after the government passage he wrote, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9)<br />I want to suggest that maybe this needs to have a place in our decision-making. Maybe we need to consider voting with our neighbor in view rather than ourselves. Of course this give rise to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”<br /><br />That question is answer directly by Jesus with one of the most well known parables, The Good Samaritan or as one person said the Parable of the Good Neighbor. The parable is familiar to us. A person is in terrible trouble, beaten, impoverished, totally unable to help himself. Two religious type people see him and ignore him but finally a third person, an unexpected person stops and helps him. In fact he does more than help, he puts his life at risk, he uses his provisions, and he pays for the man’s upkeep until he is able to go on. Jesus asked, “Who was the good neighbor?” It was an interesting way to answer the question. You will notice Jesus really didn’t answer the man’s question instead he asked him and us, are you a good neighbor?<br />What would it mean to vote hearing this voice? I’m not sure exactly but I think it would begin by asking who is lying wounded by the road? It might be the poor and dispossessed in our society. Would our vote help or hurt our neighbors in Detroit? What about our neighbors who are unemployed or working minimum wage jobs? Are we going to elect people who will pay attention to their needs? As much as we are hurting from all this economic mess it really is a lot worse for those who are poor. What about people who can’t afford health insurance and are forced into bankruptcy? Are those who are suffering in Africa or Asia our neighbors? What do we do about environmental issues because those affect our neighbors also?<br /><br />You might have been thinking I was going to make it easier for you to decide how to vote today; instead I have made it more difficult. I don’t think there are any easy answers or and perfect candidates. All of us will cast our votes and then pray for whoever wins to be guided by wisdom and justice. But I do want us to think, to consider that maybe God wants us, even in our voting, to consider our neighbor.<br /><br />Ultimately being a good neighbor comes down to how we treat those around us, those we see in need because that is how we would like to be treated if we are ever wounded and helpless. It is easy to walk through the world oblivious to those around us. But God has called us to be his children and that means looking at the world through God’s eyes, God’s concerns, and God’s love.<br /><br />Livonia Church of Christ October 5, 2008Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-19431826299025697152008-10-29T14:03:00.000-07:002008-10-29T14:14:38.760-07:00Lesson #4: Being Christian in a Political WorldBeing Respectful in a Disrespectful World<br />Romans 13:6-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3<br /><br />We only have a few days to go before our election and I know we all want it to end as soon as possible. You have probably already decided whom you will vote for and I am not going to try and influence your vote one way or the other. Instead I want to focus on our actions and attitudes as Christians. We are Christians aren’t we? And that means acting that way even in elections as difficult as this one.<br /><br />I. Disrespect<br />Our text today is about showing respect, honoring people who are in the political system. It is important to realize whom Paul is writing about. They were pagan people, unbelievers who ruled with the authority of the Roman empire. Let’s jump ahead to today and ask, “If McCain and Obama were pagans how should we as Christians talk about them and relate to them?” What if they were both Muslims? What do you thing Paul would say to us about how to treat our public officials? <br /><br />Whom do you respect? We could all name several people whom we have respect for. We respect people for many reasons. Sometimes it is the life that person has lived. It may be how successful that person has been in business. We may respect a person for their education and knowledge about a particular area.<br /><br />For most of us respect is a mixed bag. We may be respected for certain things and not others. We may admire and respect an athlete for skill and ability to win but have little respect for how they conduct their personal lives. I have known people I loved and respected but I wouldn’t loan them my car because they seemed very accident-prone.<br /><br />Then there are people we show respect to even though we may know nothing about them. A police officer is one example. I may know nothing of his or her personal life, what kind of father or mother or husband or wife the officer is but I will show him respect because of his position and the authority of government he represents.<br /><br />This is what Paul is writing about in Romans. It doesn’t matter if the person is a pagan who lives a morally reprehensible life; we show that person respect for their authority.<br />Of course in our society where free speech is protected by law people don’t have to show respect and in fact there are probably more reasons not to respect a person than to respect that person. A person may have lied and been caught in a lie. Or maybe an official has not been faithful to their spouse. The list is endless. People can disrespect others for the length of their hair or the clothes they wear.<br /><br />Jesus faced this kind of thing. He was disrespected because of the people he associated with, people who could easily been called traitors to the Jewish people or collaborators at best. He was criticized and disrespected because he didn’t follow the social customs of the day such as how to wash his hands. He said things that offended people. How do you think Jesus would do in our electoral process?<br /><br />It is possible to criticize a person without being disrespectful. Diane has at times had to point out some things I needed to change in my life. As difficult as that is to accept I appreciate it because I know she loves me. Disrespect or dishonor of a person is aimed at destroying the person and that is at the heart of this lesson. As Christians we are called to something different. We treat people, saint and sinner, Democrat or Republican, male or female, black or white, Muslim or Jew, we treat them with respect.<br /><br />II. Respect<br />Why do we show a person respect? Why should we show respect to the person who bags our groceries? Why should we show respect to a homeless person or someone who has made a lot of bad choices in life? To answer those questions we need to go back to the beginning.<br />The respect we show any person is the fact that they are created in the image of God, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27) At heart this is why murder is such a terrible crime; it destroys a person made in God’s image. It is also why verbal slander and lies about a person are an abomination to God (Proverbs 6:16-19).<br /><br />Every person we meet is made in God’s image no matter how terribly deformed that image may be. And because of God’s grace the potential is there, no matter how remote, for that person to be changed and transformed into a glorious child of God.<br /><br />So how should we show respect? The first area is in our speech. We need to guard how we talk about public leaders. Is our speech respectful of who they are as human beings as well as the office they occupy? We can be critical of positions they hold or even things they have done but we should never devalue them as human beings. The former mayor of Detroit is a good example. Was it wrong for him to lie under oath? Yes. Was it wrong for him to be unfaithful to his wife? Yes. Does God love him less than you? Have you ever lied to protect yourself? Have ever broken a promise, been unfaithful to a friend? Are his sins worse than yours? We need to guard our language so that we don’t put less value on a person than God places.<br /><br />Another area is our actions. Is it ever right to be rude? Unkind? Do our actions show contempt rather than respect? Sometimes we allow our emotions to direct how we act toward others rather than the spirit of God. Jesus words to us are applicable here also, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)<br /><br />What do we believe about others? Someone forwards an email or a link to some web page and if it is about a politician we don’t like we accept it as truth. Why is that? The thing about so much of this even when it is partially true is that it always skewed to the worst about a person.<br />The devil speaks a language. Jesus told us in John 8:44 that the devil’s language is lies. When we believe a lie we listen to the devil and when we spread a lie, even if we think it is true, we speak with the devil’s voice. This is why we need to be discerning in what we believe and what we say.<br /><br />We live in a world that constantly pulls in directions away from God and his will. We are called to be a different people, to talk different, to live different, to act different, and to be different. Let us do our best to be God’s people this week.<br /> <br />Livonia Church of Christ October 19, 2008Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-82123811211525315312008-10-29T13:13:00.000-07:002008-10-29T14:42:50.544-07:00Yes, we survived BoliviaI've had several people ask whether we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">survived</span> the second week in Bolivia since I haven't posted since the first week. Yes, we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">survived</span> and had a great time. Since then we have been busy with church stuff as well as having Josh, Julie and the girls in our home for about a month during the summer while they were on furlough. We had a week of vacation with the whole family at a rented cottage up on Lake Huron and that was great. It was a great summer and has been a busy fall.<br /><br /><br />My reason for posting now is that I want to post a series of sermons I just completed that have to do with the Christian and politics. When I started the series several people asked if I knew what I was doing. When I finished many commented that it was very helpful. Part of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">impetus for the series was how unchristian ways so many people act during this political season. The series is nonpartisan so if want to know how I voted you will be disappointed. However, I have tried to deal with how we as Christians should act in a time like this. I hope you find the sermons helpful.</span>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-44268769092377581552008-02-06T02:30:00.000-08:002008-02-06T04:46:37.143-08:00Our First Week in Bolivia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1o_112Rfjh5Inldgxt7MeCHK3DxD1xuYqAfQhcXdyUcrMjyvmn2M-lP-bjDaSJlh6zw03mmRfQ1ijDGFkvRt1l0yb0nSwmVvKJ7bFpbOImHHbYkLuke3l83hQmiIlP-yB-GJx/s1600-h/Bolivia+2008+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1o_112Rfjh5Inldgxt7MeCHK3DxD1xuYqAfQhcXdyUcrMjyvmn2M-lP-bjDaSJlh6zw03mmRfQ1ijDGFkvRt1l0yb0nSwmVvKJ7bFpbOImHHbYkLuke3l83hQmiIlP-yB-GJx/s200/Bolivia+2008+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163845348758322834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4QBKyc4TtlFn_InMX0vw1-FQbawvgKgeN5RVYwbngTZ-_KmKi-P1zeoVNP0WMB20gisvHDQ0atawFi4b-FotIG-aJ09ZmB1PpA4qI37f4y2AwEhz6n8XcyS2tv86BJnCsPqi/s1600-h/Bolivia+2008+106.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4QBKyc4TtlFn_InMX0vw1-FQbawvgKgeN5RVYwbngTZ-_KmKi-P1zeoVNP0WMB20gisvHDQ0atawFi4b-FotIG-aJ09ZmB1PpA4qI37f4y2AwEhz6n8XcyS2tv86BJnCsPqi/s200/Bolivia+2008+106.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163832107374149234" border="0" /></a><br />We had an eventful week in Cochabamba that ended with our newest granddaughter coming home from the hospital.<br /><br />We arrived in Cochabamba on January 30th about 2 PM, right on time. On our trip last year both Diane and I experienced altitude sickness in La Paz which is over 13,000 ft elevation just sitting on the plane. This time we didn't get sick so that was a plus. Last year they were also having riots in Cochabamba and three people were killed the day before we arrived. This time everything was peaceful. So a good start to our trip.<br /><br />Diane and I were tired after traveling for about 24 hours but we unpacked all the gifts and goodies that we had brought. We loved being with Michaela and Eliana and seeing how they have grown and changed over the past year. Of course we were all anticipating the birth of Jana and we thought she would already be here before we arrived but we had a week to wait.<br /><br />The next day we went out to lunch at very nice restaurant. However, I ate some local salsa and that night was sick and laid up the next day, Thursday. On Friday we went to town to buy some postcards and stamps and Diane had her wallet stolen out of her purse. She didn't have a lot of money in it, just her debit card and drivers license. Her biggest regret was losing the pictures she carries. Because she lost her money I got to go to the post office and buy stamps. For those of you who gripe about our postal system in the US, get over it! We have the best, most efficient postal system in the world and if you think otherwise come to Cochabamba and buy stamps. There is a certain entertainment value in the experience if you have the time and the patience. The next day Diane accidentally plugged her curling iron into a 220v outlet and melted the curling iron. Oh, well.<br /><br />This is also the season of Carnival, the celebration coming up to Lent, and so there is a lot of activity including lots of firecrackers and the like. The custom here is to soak each other with water balloons or buckets of water. People stand on the side of the road with water balloons, buckets, and super soaker water guns. The favorite places to wait are the speed bumps, of which there are many in Cochabamba, and toss water balloons into the car. Women are especially targets of choice for some reason but no one is safe from getting wet. Monday, on the way to the hospital to visit Julie and Jana, our car was hit several times with water balloons and one bucket of water. Josh drives with the windows up and the AC on so we didn't get wet. This is not just kids who do this either. I saw mature women and men down to little children all getting in on the fun.<br /><br />Sunday I preached and that was enjoyable. It was great to see how the church had grown and matured in the last year. Sunday night we watched the Super Bowl. The commentary was in Spanish but the game was the same one you saw. We had to get on-line to see the commercials but that was okay. We have even been following the election coverage since the US election has grabbed the attention of the world. And I thought we were going to escape that for a while.<br /><br />You might think that after these minor disasters we are not enjoying our trip and that would be wrong. We love being with our children and grandchildren. They are gracious hosts and we feel very much at home. It is also beautiful here. This is the rainy season so things are very green. It has been cooler than normal. The temperature on Sunday only got to 59f. Both Diane and I wish we had brought warmer clothes. The last couple of days the weather has been perfect so things even out. We are having a great trip. The little disasters just make it interesting.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-210366092731847492008-02-04T17:42:00.001-08:002008-02-04T17:57:57.359-08:00Good News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlWkbz_nN9_OBrr6Iw5i0VmWgoMTceb1uSCnzapdDJo2SdAyVSt3lBJXF41ylRi51YNYinHg6Vmzf-FNLPxvxtXvdZ1z0WrepPFqiTHfe08DPdsEQR-CMmjQltGCTvtcmxKSC/s1600-h/Bolivia+2008+186.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlWkbz_nN9_OBrr6Iw5i0VmWgoMTceb1uSCnzapdDJo2SdAyVSt3lBJXF41ylRi51YNYinHg6Vmzf-FNLPxvxtXvdZ1z0WrepPFqiTHfe08DPdsEQR-CMmjQltGCTvtcmxKSC/s200/Bolivia+2008+186.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163308314637565506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5TKYDKMYFpDrl1r1HxyJRSB1gd98HfLvdSGsyw5rbIwFQuqUkZZa9gVy6urc2xAdv8Oeiw9eXLE-GSQIISgHgDf8Q2iQJTrwJ05XiK7aHsYL-XjKU9gUy_GJqnByT4qE0BCk/s1600-h/Bolivia+2008+201.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5TKYDKMYFpDrl1r1HxyJRSB1gd98HfLvdSGsyw5rbIwFQuqUkZZa9gVy6urc2xAdv8Oeiw9eXLE-GSQIISgHgDf8Q2iQJTrwJ05XiK7aHsYL-XjKU9gUy_GJqnByT4qE0BCk/s200/Bolivia+2008+201.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163308318932532818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtM4Cy2zUrFXX9ghKKdTloP3kyx4vEfD5I8TvyD1Gx0vV0k-w2WhY5fFGnw7TCU6PgPHCCqRSzli6U5jKY_00HZLr-MwtwlnkvzO0NB2dVZqFfSP_ODJFZP_Q9GqcQq_A1OJh/s1600-h/Bolivia+2008+181.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtM4Cy2zUrFXX9ghKKdTloP3kyx4vEfD5I8TvyD1Gx0vV0k-w2WhY5fFGnw7TCU6PgPHCCqRSzli6U5jKY_00HZLr-MwtwlnkvzO0NB2dVZqFfSP_ODJFZP_Q9GqcQq_A1OJh/s200/Bolivia+2008+181.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163308327522467426" border="0" /></a><br />Diane and I arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia on January 30th to see our newest grandchild. We had thought she might arrived before we got there but Julie was still very pregnant when we arrived. Today, Feb. 4th, Jana Faith Marcum made her arrival. She weighted seven pounds and has reddish blond hair like her sisters. Diane and I stayed home with Michaela and Eliana while Josh and Julie went to the hospital in the morning about 8:30. Jana arrived at about 12:30 and everything went very well. We are so very pleased that we could be here for Jana's birth. Here are a some picturesLarry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-54344408332179746012008-01-10T10:56:00.000-08:002008-01-10T10:59:49.916-08:00The Situation in KenyaMany people are aware of all the problems going on in Kenya at this time. It is a complex issue and one that is difficult for Americans to understand. The report that follows is from Shawn Tyler, a form coworker in Kenya and a good friend. Shawn is a missionary in Uganda and I thought his analysis was quite good. I hope you find it enlightening.<br /><br /><br />A Comprehensive Report on Kenya<br /><br />Letter 357 from Uganda – 10 January 2008<br /><br />The following pieces of information have been pulled together from Internet News Sources and mixed with a little personal insight.<br /><br />One news agency reports that the decision to return Kenya's 76-year-old incumbent president, Mwai Kibaki, to office was not made by the Kenyan people but by a small group of hard line leaders from Mr. Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe even before the result was announced, perhaps even before the opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, had opened up a lead in early returns from the December 27th election. The news agency called it “a civil coup”.<br />The planning was meticulous. All that was needed were the extra votes to squeak past Mr. Odinga in what had been among the most closely contested elections Africa had ever seen. That was why returns from Central Province, Mr. Kibaki's fiercely loyal Kikuyu heartland, were inexplicably held back. It was why, in some constituencies, a large number of voters seemed mysteriously to vote only in the presidential race and ignore the parliamentary ballot—despite waiting hours in the blazing sun. But the real damage was done in Nairobi, by simply crossing out the number of votes as announced in the constituency and scribbling in a higher number. Election monitors were turned away while the tallying went on. Monitors from the European Union saw tens of thousands of votes created in this way.<br />Mr. Odinga's supporters were not innocent either. There were irregularities in his home province of Nyanza. Still, it was the meddling in Central Province that was decisive. Officially, Mr. Kibaki won 4.58 million votes to Mr. Odinga's 4.35 million. A third candidate, Kalonzo Musyoka, won 880,000 votes. Unofficially, Mr. Odinga may have won, albeit by a similarly narrow margin.<br />The tragedy for Kenya, and what threatens to rip the nation apart, is that no one will know for sure. The EU's preliminary report on the election was scathing. Although the parliamentary election had gone off well, the European observers said the presidential one had fallen short of “international standards”.<br />The role of the electoral commission was particularly dodgy. On the afternoon of December 30th its head, Samuel Kivuitu, was announcing the results of several constituencies, when he was interrupted by representatives from the Molo area. They argued that his numbers were not correct claiming more than 30,000 votes had been added for Mr. Kibaki than the official report gave. They produced the official report along with the chairman overseeing the tallying. Mr. Kivuitu became so angry that he left the room without commenting on the accusations. Less than a half later, he declared Mr. Kibaki president. The news went out only on KBC, the state broadcaster. Other camera crews were led out of the building. The security forces sealed off the city center against the angry poor, most of whom had voted for Mr. Odinga. A few minutes later, in the twilight, Mr. Kibaki was sworn in as president at the State House. In contrast to Mr. Kibaki's first term, when the inauguration took place in a stadium heaving with jubilant supporters, there were no dignitaries or diplomats, just a few dozen loyalists and civil servants. Some questioned whether in fact the whole event had been staged earlier and pre-recorded.<br />The reaction to Mr. Kibaki’s swearing-in was immediate. Nairobi's slums exploded in rage. The poor killed each other. Across the country came a swelling up of tribal violence, sometimes Kikuyu against Mr. Odinga's Luo tribe, more often Luo and Kalenjin tribes against Kikuyu. The official figure given is that more than 700 have been killed so far in clashes through out the country and 500,000 have been displaced. Unofficial estimates place the number killed as much higher. Gang rapes and mutilations have been reported in numerous places. Police had orders to shoot to kill. There has been looting in Kisumu, riots in Mombasa and pitched battles in Eldoret. Kikuyu hiding in a church near Eldoret were burned alive by a mob.<br />Taken together, this amounts to a pulling apart of Kenya's rich national fabric. Some 97% of Kikuyu voted for Mr. Kibaki. Everywhere else he was soundly defeated. Muslims, for instance, voted against Mr. Kibaki by 70% or more. The Kikuyu highlands encircling the glaciers of Mount Kenya increasingly feel like a state within a state. The division is even more troubling when the parliamentary vote is taken into account. Mr. Kibaki lost half his cabinet, including his vice-president Mr. Moody Awouri, as well as a large number of seemingly unassailable members of parliament including Nicholas Biwott, Moi’s three sons, the finance minister, foreign affairs minister, agricultural minister, etc. This government may find it impossible to pass a budget. In fact there is the possibility that the first act of the opposition in Parliament is to seek a vote of no confidence in the President. Since the opposition party holds 101 of the 210 total parliamentary seats but way more than Mr. Kibaki’s party which holds only 35, Mr. Kibaki will have a hard time fighting it off.<br />The hardliners' instincts will be to use the security services to reverse the freedoms of Mr. Kibaki's first term—anything to avoid power slipping into Mr. Odinga's hands. One example of this has been the government’s takeover of the radio and television stations. Heavy censorship, no criticism of the government and no live broadcasts of demonstrations were allowed. Kenyans may not stand for this. The government pressured the country's mobile-phone operators to suspend text messages for “security reasons”, without success. The army's strong apolitical tradition, with staff officers drawn from several tribes, looks to be holding though some claim plain clothes military men used machine guns in the streets of Eldoret to repel street gangs.<br />Mr. Odinga has demanded Mr. Kibaki's resignation ever since he was secretly sworn in as president. Mr. Odinga is calling for a campaign of civil action, peaceable, but determined. On January 3rd, thousands of opposition supporters tried to converge on the center of Nairobi for a protest rally but were dispersed by the police. Attorney General Amos Wako called for an independent probe into the election. Later the same day Mr. Kibaki said, for the first time, that he was willing to talk to the opposition “once the nation is calm”.<br />The EU had at first been reluctant to send observers, arguing that resources for Africa were slim and Kenya was “too stable”. During the orderly voting, the mission did indeed look like an extravagance. A week later the country was teetering on the brink of civil war. A chastened Mr. Kivuitu now says he is not sure Mr. Kibaki won the election. The Americans and the British have been twisting arms, as has the African Union's head, John Kufuor. Well-connected Kikuyu business leaders are trying to persuade Mr. Kibaki to give in and form a government of national unity. In the meantime, Kenya burns.<br />Just this past week, the chairman of the Kenyan Electoral Commission (ECK), Samuel Kivuitu, has said he announced the presidential election results under pressure.<br />When asked if indeed President Mwai Kibaki won the elections, Kivuitu told journalists at his Nairobi residence on Tuesday night: "I do not know whether Kibaki won the election".<br />Kivuitu continued with his stunning revelations when he said he took the presidential election winner's certificate to State House, Nairobi, after "some people threatened to collect it while I'm the one mandated by law to do so. I had thought of resigning, but thought against it because I don't want people to say I'm a coward," he said. The embattled chairman made the revelations shortly after meeting with 22 ECK commissioners. "We are culprits as a commission. We have to leave it to an independent group to investigate what actually went wrong," the chairman said.<br />The 2007 general elections have fallen short of key international and regional standards for democratic elections. Most significantly, they were marred by a lack of transparency in the processing and tallying of presidential results, which raises concerns about the accuracy of the final result of this election.<br />In a large number, almost a third, of polling stations visited, party agents were not given a copy of the result sheets. Furthermore, in more than a third of polling stations visited, the results were not posted at the polling station level, fundamentally undermining transparency measures in the process.<br />In Central Province (Mr. Kibaki’s home area), the majority of EU observer teams experienced difficulties in obtaining the results for each polling station from returning officers during the tally process.<br />In several constituencies, including Mathioya, Koleleni, Mvita, Kisauni, Changamwe, Likoni and Central/North Imenti, the returning officers refused to provide constituency results to the EU observers before these results were confirmed in Nairobi. The constituency results form in Kangema showed to EU observers was only signed by a party agent of PNU (Mr. Kibaki’s party).<br />Serious inconsistencies and anomalies were identified in the results announced by the ECK. For example, in Molo and Kieni, there were significant differences between presidential election results reported by EU observers at the constituency level and results announced by the ECK at national level.<br />Additionally, at the ECK headquarters, the EU Chief Observer was shown forms on which the election results for constituencies 205 (Lari) and 96 (Kandara) had been changed. Furthermore, for Kerugoya, EU observers reported a discrepancy of more than 10,000 votes in the official turnout given for presidential and legislative elections.<br />While the result of the elections were announced, the official figures for all the constituencies are still not available and adequate measures have not been taken at all levels to ensure the results can be correlated in the public domain.<br />Mr. Mwai Kibaki on January 8th, appointed half his cabinet minutes before an African Union mediator landed in Nairobi, enraging the opposition and ending hopes of a swift end to the country's political and social crisis. Kenyan law demands that ministers of parliament be sworn in first before they can be appointed to cabinet post. Mr. Kibaki named cabinet members even before parliament has opened. This raises serious questions about the legality of his cabinet and his own actions.<br />Protests broke out immediately in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu and in Nairobi's slums, where hundreds of people have already been killed over election rigging charges. Western diplomats, who on Monday had persuaded the opposition leader Raila Odinga to call off his campaign of mass action, were angered by Kibaki's decision to fill all the key ministries as peace talks were about to begin.<br /><a name="article_continue"></a>Jendayi Frazer, the top US diplomat for Africa, who is in Nairobi trying to encourage a power-sharing deal between Kibaki and Odinga, immediately sought an audience with the president at his State House residence to register her disapproval. "This is a complete reversal of what the government had led us to believe would happen," one western diplomat said in Nairobi last night. "The level of tension is going to be ratcheted up instantly." <br />Kibaki appointed 15 ministers, including finance, defense, internal security and justice, from within his own party. Kalonzo Musyoka, leader of a third, smaller opposition party, ODM-Kenya, was named vice-president and minister for home affairs, while his fellow party member Samuel Poghisio was made minister of information. Mr. Kalonzo came in third in the national elections as president, but his agreement to become vice president has angered many of his own supporters.<br />Mr. Kibaki signaled his intention to ignore attempts for outside help earlier when a government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, told the Standard newspaper that there was "nothing to be mediated".<br />Salim Lone, Odinga's spokesman, said last night: "This is simply another attempt to undermine the mission of John Kufuor (the African Union Mediator and president of Ghana). It's not only a blow to the peace process; it shows that Kibaki has no intention of even starting the process."<br />On January 9th, Mr. Kibaki flew by helicopter to camps of Kikuyu in Molo, Burnt Forest, Eldoret, and Cherengani. Instead of speaking words of conciliation, Mr. Kibaki promised protection to his fellow Kikuyu while he sought punishment on those who had initiated the violence. He also promised that the government would restore their land and rebuild their houses. Such defiance and bold promises angered even more the opposition because Mr. Kibaki is putting all the blame on them for the country’s current situation. <br /><br /><br />Rumors<br /> Several rumors are floating around Kenya that give rise to speculation and may reflect national turmoil. The first suggests two of Mr. Kivuitu’s sons have been killed in mob violence. The second rumor suggests former president and close friend of Mr. Kibaki, Mr. Daniel Arap Moi, is said to have left the country and is currently in either America or Australia.<br /><br />My Analysis<br />While political parties were mostly formed along tribal lines, the protests, burnings, and violence has been more politically targeted than tribally targeted. It is too simplistic to say that this is tribal violence only. Prominent Kikuyu leaders are in Odinga’s party and some of the violence reported was against fellow tribesmen who were PNU supporters especially in south Rift Valley Province. Additionally, Kikuyu critics such as Professor Wangare Mathai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2002, said Mr. Kibaki had lost the elections and he should accept them as she had accepted her own loss of a parliamentary seat.<br /><br />My Projections (best guesses)<br /> I am not an expert on Kenya, but based upon the advice and insights of Kenyan friends and my own personal experience, I give the following projections:<br />1. Mr. Kibaki is not going to step down easily.<br />2. Mr. Odinga is not going to accept Kibaki’s presidency.<br />3. Neither will accept a power sharing plan for government.<br />4. Kikuyu (Mr. Kibaki’s supporters) in areas outside their home land will continue to move into camps for protection in numbers. <br />5. Economic difficulties will continue if not increase. Remember that Kikuyu hold a large portion (perhaps up to half) the business interests in Kenya including many of the taxis, trucking, vegetable supplies for Nairobi, small businesses, and many government held positions of authority. Continued violence targeting Kikuyu will undermine all these sectors.<br />6. A power sharing government will be almost an impossible option. The opposition party has too large of a voice to remain inactive and feel they have been robbed of the presidency. They will work to undermine the president and his supporters.<br />7. Kikuyu leaders may ask Mr. Kibaki to step down in order to diffuse hostility toward them. If this happens, Mr. Kibaki’s power base will crumble.<br />8. If Mr. Kibaki continues to push hard against the will of the people, Kikuyu in camps may be targeted for killing as well as other PNU supporters.<br />9. Prolonged tension may create food, fuel, and basic commodities shortages throughout Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan, and parts of Tanzania.<br />10. There is a possibility that parliament will refuse to convene until the issue of the presidency has been decided.<br />Shawn Tyler<br /><br />Mbale Mission TeamNew Testament Churches of ChristPO Box 1790Mbale, Uganda E. Africa<br /><br />int+256-772-441504 Shawn cellint+256-772-537533 Linda cell<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mbalemissionteam.org/" target="_blank">www.mbalemissionteam.org</a>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-43242523360334827132007-12-24T16:46:00.001-08:002007-12-24T17:04:27.520-08:00More than Friends<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXUcdDxkRuW_NoAzFj84xvwooPXaBMpKujAMU50Y1Xu3STh_NFQDKN5Jz0fQjuLAOWxRCkFoCDAnYiS3BU2rBKqPOET66IK0EGJpOLB74PQjt-3SYCVbiZaD-kU7aJ5WNs8i6/s1600-h/Christmas+2007+016.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5147705855260736850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXUcdDxkRuW_NoAzFj84xvwooPXaBMpKujAMU50Y1Xu3STh_NFQDKN5Jz0fQjuLAOWxRCkFoCDAnYiS3BU2rBKqPOET66IK0EGJpOLB74PQjt-3SYCVbiZaD-kU7aJ5WNs8i6/s200/Christmas+2007+016.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Curtis, Sandra and Hayward Burton</div><div> </div><div></div><div>One of the great things about the Christmas season is getting together with old friends and that is what we did last Sunday just before Christmas. We invited the Burtons over to share a traditional (for our family) pre-Christmas dinner of lamb. Hayward is an elder at the Livonia church and has been for over thirty years. He was also the elder over missions most of the time I was in Kenya and he and Sandra visited us several times over the years. They have a big house and everytime we came back on furlough we stayed at the Burtons. Our kids looked at the Burton's house as our home in America and still have many fond memories of our staying there.</div><div></div><div>Hayward and Sandra were more than friends to Diane and me, they were often sources of wisdom and advice when we faced various challenges in Kenya. They were our advocates at the Livonia church and were staunch supporters of missions. One summer while we were on furlough they came and took a course at the ACU Summer Seminar in Missions with us. It is hard to describe how much they mean to Diane and me and our life and ministry with and in the Livonia church but we are very thankful to the Father for their love, support and influence in our lives. Every missionary ought to have someone like them here in the States and yet so many that I knew didn't and their lives were harder as a result. It is great to have friends, it is even better to have friends in the Lord like the Burtons.</div>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-71501981729605595252007-12-13T10:38:00.000-08:002007-12-16T18:02:02.895-08:00What to Preach<div>One of the challenges that preaching presents is the continuing question of what to preach. I've been at Livonia for seven and a half years and that means over 300 sermons preached during that time. There are always several issues to deal with. One issue is balance. It is fairly easy to neglect parts of scripture such as the prophets in the Old Testament. The narrative parts are usually easier to prepare lessons from but I have also done series from the Psalms and Proverbs. I have been looking at Zacharia and asking, "How would I preach from that book?" I still don't have an answer so I probably am not doing anything from there any time soon. But I'd like to. For me the prophets present maybe the biggest challenge for preaching. I will preach at least one series from the Old Testament this next year but I'm not sure what it will be or when.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>The second challenge is preaching to the needs of the congregation. There are always various problems certain people face. Some issues are simply life issues that we all face such as sickness or why bad things happen to us. Some needs are things I see that the congregation does not see. Certain idols that we construct that we are not even aware of present one of the biggest challenges to preaching. For example in this country security has become an idol both individually and nationally. The desire to be secure causes us to avoid the very areas where we should be ministering and serving. Nationally our leaders make decisions that put security above justice and basic human rights. This is just one example of an area where preachers need to speak but often people don't want the listen.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>There is also an even more important question, what does God want to say to the church? I am constantly aware that when I preach I don't speak for myself but I am God's spokesperson. What a privilage and responsibility that is. As I prepare a series of lessons this is the one question I pray the most about. So I read and study and pray that God will give me a message for his people at Livonia. I love what I do but the challenge is always before me.</div>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-5771157896612131542007-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:002007-12-13T10:38:07.514-08:00Memphis Trip<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsFM73OeGBM3S1f00iPX4QFF7A7bBAF0QgUKlovkKVXdGGbC3rY91YGd2i9su2S5FCD1Q0EehjkibGbE-bdEOcTFa1xplTPaKdpQ6P08nfbVLFgX8dEnp-6IbqeUXLNbmrRIG/s1600-h/December+2007+004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143528116107328194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsFM73OeGBM3S1f00iPX4QFF7A7bBAF0QgUKlovkKVXdGGbC3rY91YGd2i9su2S5FCD1Q0EehjkibGbE-bdEOcTFa1xplTPaKdpQ6P08nfbVLFgX8dEnp-6IbqeUXLNbmrRIG/s200/December+2007+004.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI279MS_qrX5ArYEGYvoe22GvM7f2gf9WlU7DFj8M2M_CFSWNnNULbZbm9EG8DtzMXQ-c4v_GJBT7USZSVcZrv_Z4Ago2E0EioOGmIPWi87F7C-BQiGhMUJm-rQexHZr_ncbLw/s1600-h/December+2007+044.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143526960761125554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI279MS_qrX5ArYEGYvoe22GvM7f2gf9WlU7DFj8M2M_CFSWNnNULbZbm9EG8DtzMXQ-c4v_GJBT7USZSVcZrv_Z4Ago2E0EioOGmIPWi87F7C-BQiGhMUJm-rQexHZr_ncbLw/s200/December+2007+044.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>This past week Diane and I traveled to Memphis for me to work in the library at Harding University Graduate School of Religion (HUGSR) and also to spend time with Laura, Rusty and Alex. We had a great time and actually stayed with Evertt and Ilene Huffard. The Huffards are long time friends from our first stay at HUGSR from 1972-75. Diane and Ilene are friends from our Lubbock Christian days. Evertt is now dean at the school and has been a friend and mentor to my two sons-in-law as they have prepared and entered into ministry. I always come away from time with Evertt encouraged.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>We spent as much time as possible with the Campbells. Alex broke his arm a few weeks ago but it didn't slow him down. Grandkids are a blast! Rusty and Laura have a two bedroom apartment on the HUGSR campus. Diane stayed with Alex while Laura and Rusty worked and I was in the library. We had a lot of fun.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-63920518115841274192007-11-17T11:00:00.000-08:002007-11-17T11:12:22.471-08:00Couples Retreat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakslwyroIhWnGLfkm9dceDjnAQusSbnPWFsddqi13Ykwh1Fu1HpButnEgJfE1hOrrIQPtLPP5lekKi9aICMEaKE_SASDoW6JL900lsJLunMRoNiaOU7M9wb97opz8LTY-p2cz/s1600-h/Dean+045.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133889207593926530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakslwyroIhWnGLfkm9dceDjnAQusSbnPWFsddqi13Ykwh1Fu1HpButnEgJfE1hOrrIQPtLPP5lekKi9aICMEaKE_SASDoW6JL900lsJLunMRoNiaOU7M9wb97opz8LTY-p2cz/s320/Dean+045.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We had Dean's funeral on Tuesday and then Friday Diane and I led a couples retreat for the Livonia church. When we started planning the retreat we hoped to get eight couples, we ended up with sixteen so we were very pleased with the response. We met at a retreat center just a few miles from the Livonia building. Since it was a Catholic retreat center the rooms had no TVs which was a shock for several who came. I mean, a couples retreat and no TV so what do you do? I think most figured it out. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Even though we were tired the reteat was a real blessing for us as it helped to take our minds off the sad events of the previous weeks. We had a great time laughing and talking about how to understand our mates better. This was the third time we have led this particular retreat. The first time was for the team in Cochabamba, Bolivia and then again for the church in Windsor, Ontario Canada.</div>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-43557598976585176102007-11-17T10:49:00.000-08:002007-11-17T10:59:55.649-08:00Alex<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZasDT5ktCs68SCLgKVwN_q5QVtJDyGUdUPO7rBdCs-fzWDFFva4ILfNPIX4iJ4fnKpFHsmmW_Y18ePulqz8f7M1dneBiKCGYLUDEAIs5cx_XYB9ZsQPatSSlFbO6eiAFQR9v/s1600-h/Dean+027.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133884822432317298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZasDT5ktCs68SCLgKVwN_q5QVtJDyGUdUPO7rBdCs-fzWDFFva4ILfNPIX4iJ4fnKpFHsmmW_Y18ePulqz8f7M1dneBiKCGYLUDEAIs5cx_XYB9ZsQPatSSlFbO6eiAFQR9v/s320/Dean+027.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjL-NBV9Ue-CUs-Rvxtd3cc11EH82XtqNbffuSc0YTlAKjeOoRxUTNtz_74OKcJ9TgbPU06Y6i7Od-Q9I51V7zP_3ee6JOGhjq8qskeoRSX98kp-kO_kLtnLAJTsSMJUZ5WCN/s1600-h/Dean+033.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133884315626176354" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjL-NBV9Ue-CUs-Rvxtd3cc11EH82XtqNbffuSc0YTlAKjeOoRxUTNtz_74OKcJ9TgbPU06Y6i7Od-Q9I51V7zP_3ee6JOGhjq8qskeoRSX98kp-kO_kLtnLAJTsSMJUZ5WCN/s320/Dean+033.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>While the funeral was stressful one blessing was the chance to see Rusty, Laura and Alex. They came up for the funeral and then stayed a couple of days with us before driving back to Memphis. We really appreciated their presence and support and of course the chance to spend some time with Alex is always special. Here are a few pictures.<br /></div><div>Here is Alex with his cousin Ashley and in his Halloween costume dressed as a lion .</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-92192597746719511752007-11-17T10:44:00.000-08:002007-11-17T10:48:58.626-08:00Pictures from the Funeral<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwftBWSBhWTp1isfzOktM1wMSlPlmExARDny0Dd5A23owacBT9LY5zeUGeu-OUWGiEROUX8OAdjTw9W5GO_-FyRvO5ydTsjCyEu1R4OdwJXIfZULWeo9tzuHnBhgVBzXSq7pkt/s1600-h/Dean+020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133883164574941010" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwftBWSBhWTp1isfzOktM1wMSlPlmExARDny0Dd5A23owacBT9LY5zeUGeu-OUWGiEROUX8OAdjTw9W5GO_-FyRvO5ydTsjCyEu1R4OdwJXIfZULWeo9tzuHnBhgVBzXSq7pkt/s320/Dean+020.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcVrFrw2SmNsVVSRa6TZbrqxNicl2M_H2MAS0uwEkYRfmYlyaO_WYszBPcbZsn8J0jTXW9jj4RGKsgoAb3lbLzHMBEfk9_w4I1deDqRX7gtaKhdD0elZIclHGNhWx1j0vqwbu/s1600-h/Dean+019.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133882898286968642" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcVrFrw2SmNsVVSRa6TZbrqxNicl2M_H2MAS0uwEkYRfmYlyaO_WYszBPcbZsn8J0jTXW9jj4RGKsgoAb3lbLzHMBEfk9_w4I1deDqRX7gtaKhdD0elZIclHGNhWx1j0vqwbu/s320/Dean+019.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Here a few pictures from Dean's funeral on November 6th. These were taken a Custer National Cemetary where Dean was laid to rest.</div></div>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-75476093718501047842007-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:002007-11-07T12:57:05.550-08:00Dean's FuneralYesterday was Dean's funeral. It was an emotional time for all of us as we said good bye to a wonderful father and friend. Visitation took place Sunday and Monday with people coming from fairly long distances. It was a real encouragement to the family and I was introduced to some of Diane's relatives for the first time. Despite the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sadness</span> of the occasion it was a time of renewal of friendships and relationships.<br /><br />I did the eulogy and centered my thoughts around Luke's comment about Barnabas, "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord." (Acts 11:24 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NIV</span>) I really think this is a good summation of Dean's life. It would be great if all of us could have this said about us.<br /><br />Since Dean was a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">veteran</span> of WWII he was buried at Custer National Cemetery near Battle Creek, MI about an hour's drive from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Coldwater</span>. It was my first time to do a funeral with military honors and that was interesting. We came home yesterday evening and are quite exhausted. There is much before us in helping Diane's mother, Ruth, as she adjusts to life alone. She faces some limitations since her eyesight is very poor. Still, I believe she will do okay though I know it will be difficult.<br /><br />To those of you who have been praying for us, thank you. I know it has helped us through a difficult time. We are thankful that Dean is with the Father and our prayer is that we will join him as we too live out faithful lives to our God.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-23664854259155616432007-11-02T17:36:00.000-07:002007-11-02T17:45:05.554-07:00Matthew Remembers Granddaddy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wQLZ2c1suw6CFyVQfH-DH1BS2c7TyK6C7jzf6RaCVszytdij2AmJ6E-Pnt1rvpMBCMB326D2O6Gh-xDXfx0AvOH7WXqgdeumfNDuQrjUpoeAYYGDAq133TLfzqDv5FLoWhXC/s1600-h/Christmas+2007+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wQLZ2c1suw6CFyVQfH-DH1BS2c7TyK6C7jzf6RaCVszytdij2AmJ6E-Pnt1rvpMBCMB326D2O6Gh-xDXfx0AvOH7WXqgdeumfNDuQrjUpoeAYYGDAq133TLfzqDv5FLoWhXC/s320/Christmas+2007+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128408140011702866" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matt doesn't blog so he wanted me to post his comments. The picture is of last Christmas. Matt is standing directly behind Granddaddy.<br /><br />My Grandfather,<br /><br />One of the disadvantages of growing up in Kenya was the fact that I never got to know my grandparents very well. Despite this fact when I think of my Grandfather there is so much that I love and admire about him. I remember the first time that I met him and mom warned me that he liked to tease people. When I met him I remember looking up into his warm smiling face and the first thing he said was "There's a bug on your nose!" I remember watching him laugh as I finally caught on to the joke.<br /><br />I remember going fishing with Granddaddy every time we came back on furlough. On the way back into shore he would let me drive the boat. I remember the shelves he made for me and my sisters. Mine are still hanging in my room in Michigan and I will take those with me wherever I go when I graduate from college. I remember learning to play pool in his basement. I remember his blue eyes as they sparkled with joy and laughter in everything they did.<br /><br />There were so many wonderful things about him. The thing that I am the most appreciative of, however, is his faith. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without that. He was a devoted Christian in everything that he did. He raised my mother to be a Godly woman. She married my father and helped pass on that same faith to me and my two sisters. His devoted preaching and working for the Kingdom of God for over 60 years was and is an inspiration to me. His life as a humble servant of God is an example to me everyday in what I do. It is humbling, inspiring, and a bit intimidating for me to look back upon the life that my Grandfather lived.<br /><br />I am so thankful for my Grandfather. I am even more thankful for the promise we have in God of eternal salvation and the fact that I will see him again someday. I know that he is with Christ in Heaven right now and has been received with a "Well done good and faithful servant." The hope we have in Christ is incredibly powerful. "So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable, it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power, it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 I love you Granddaddy.<br /><br />Matthew Stephens</span>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-57564661911339490442007-10-31T17:06:00.001-07:002007-10-31T17:29:51.927-07:00Goodbye to Dean<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtVfcg_dte9K35_AOU5Vnnn4oK2zwv-Fa_Xn2xNtwIS6LmvjDZMtoZmdTiK_OPGlBAuiAgc8hn6iMXwkHWml080b6_nRE4x0uJXqSDqSsoTwrND4jTbxWGMMi5oc8oNNsZj67/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5127656928756795970" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtVfcg_dte9K35_AOU5Vnnn4oK2zwv-Fa_Xn2xNtwIS6LmvjDZMtoZmdTiK_OPGlBAuiAgc8hn6iMXwkHWml080b6_nRE4x0uJXqSDqSsoTwrND4jTbxWGMMi5oc8oNNsZj67/s320/004.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>This picture is of Dean and Ruth, Diane's parents, taken last summer at Lake Erie. Dean returned to his Creator Monday evening 7:12 PM. Diane and I were there along with Ruth, Cindy, Diane's sister and her daughter Rochelle and Cindy's husband Gary. It was sad to see Dean go but we are thankful for his life and his over 60 years of service to the Kingdom. The funeral is November 6th.</p><p>Besides Ruth and his family Dean loved two things, preaching and fishing. He was active in both right up until this illness put him in the hospital. Ruth thought the more he fished the better he preached so he was improving right up to the end. I've never known someone who took fishing as seriously as Dean. The result was it was rare when he didn't make his limit. He loved fishing for Walleye though he would fish for anything that could be eaten. No catch and release for Dean. We could be certain of a constant supply of Walleye just about year round.</p><p>As much as Dean was a fisherman he was even more a fisher of men. He loved ministry and touch countless people for the Lord. He was involved in prison ministry in Coldwater as well as his church work. I've started going through his library and I believe he has copies of every sermon or lesson he ever taught, over 60 years worth. It is overwhelmning. I have been truely blessed by his example of faithful service and his encouragement in my ministry.</p><p>We really don't know a lot about what heaven will be like but I have to believe that we will serving and working. I believe that this life is preparation for greater responsibilites there though I have no idea what those will be. I do know that Dean has prepared himself for whatever the Lord wants him to do. Dean, we will miss you.</p>Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-63993315147762351192007-10-18T07:08:00.000-07:002007-10-18T07:28:52.683-07:00There are timesIt is funny how different things strike you. Diane was speaking to one of our members here at Livonia just inquiring if they were okay since they weren't at worship on Sunday. She was told they had been very tired from things on Saturday and had decided to sleep in on Sunday. I guess I just didn't expect that of this particular person. The result was I told Diane I was ready to go back to Africa. It is just discouraging to see how low a priority so many Christians in the United States place worship and Bible study. If that person had said they were sick, or their children were sick I wouldn't have thought about it. Maybe I shouldn't judge fatigue as an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">illegitimate</span> excuse but it did hit me wrong.<br /><br />I don't know that I'm ready to run away to Africa over this. There were plenty of problems there, Christians who were not very committed, but I also saw a lot of enthusiasm for God and for his word. Just as people are hungry physically in Africa there is a spiritual hunger that makes them want to study God's work, want to know what God wants in their lives. It seems that people in the US are bloated not just with fast food but everything that fills up their lives and leaves little space for God.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-61614102230355534322007-10-18T06:51:00.000-07:002007-10-18T07:05:16.806-07:00Dean's SurgeryYesterday was another busy day. Diane called me at 5:30 AM to tell me that Dean's surgery had been moved from noon to 6:30 AM. Since she and Ruth were staying in Kalamazoo they were able to go over and see him before they took him to begin the prep for the surgery. I drove over (it is about a two hour drive from Livonia) and got there about 9:30. The surgery ended at 12:30 and he came through in good shape. The doctor did three bypasses because there were some complication including an enlarged heart and hardening of the aorta. For those reasons they were unable to stop the heart as they typically do in this type of surgery so they did the work on a beating heart, amazing. Dean was still unconscious when I returned to Livonia that afternoon but his color was good and the doctor was very pleased with the surgery. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for his recovery.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-32308476041249479232007-10-15T13:54:00.000-07:002007-10-18T06:50:59.598-07:00A Busy WeekendThis past Thursday (Oct. 11) we received a call that Diane's father, Dean Clutter, had been taken to the hospital with heart problems. Dean is an active 82 years old, still preaching at the church in Coldwater, MI and is a walleye's worst nightmare. The doctors discovered four blockages and so Dean is to have by-pass surgery. We have made several quick trips to Kalamazoo where the hospital is. The surgery has been postponed once due to some lung issues and so we still do not have a definite date for the surgery. We ask your prayers on his behalf and for his wife of 60+ years, Ruth. It promises to be a stressful time but Dean is in the Lord's hands, as we all are. Whatever the physcial outcome the spiritual outcome is already decided and in that we take comfort.<br /><br />We also just found out that we will have another granddaughter sometime in January or early February next year. Julie and Josh will have three girls less than three years (thanks to Josh and Julie who caught my typo 'months') apart. We are excited for them and rejoice in our fourth grandchild in less than three years. Diane and I will be traveling to Bolivia in late January to visit the family. You can visit their blog blog to see the first picture of Baby Marcum #3.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-3619677370587818882007-10-07T06:36:00.000-07:002007-10-07T06:51:01.844-07:00I RepentDear Friends,<br />This past week I was reminded twice that I have a blog and than I haven't posted anything in a year. Shame on me and apologies to you who occasionally check to see if I have added anything. Life is good and it is not because anything bad has happened that I have failed to post anything, just procrastination. Since my last posting we took a three week trip to Bolivia to visit Julie, Josh, and our two granddaughters Michaela and Eliana. Diane and I went on a five day spiritual retreat to a retreat center in the Amish country of Ohio. It was free for full time ministers so if there are any reading this contact me and I will provide the information. I have continued to preach at the Livonia congregation and have started my eighth year in that role. Julie is expecting and we will have our fourth grandchild sometime in late January. Diane and I are planning another trip to Bolivia around the time the new baby is due. So all in all life is good.<br /><br />I am currently preaching a series from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 using material from Tim Woodruff's book, "Walk this Way". I really like the material that Tim puts out and highly recommend him as a writer and thinker.<br /><br />Thank you to those who reminded me of my blog and asking why I never post any more. God's blessings on all you.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-1163947418241939822006-11-19T06:35:00.000-08:002006-11-19T06:43:38.253-08:00We Love You Elianna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2793/1214/1600/September%20064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2793/1214/320/September%20064.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2793/1214/1600/October%20003.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2793/1214/320/October%20003.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />We have a new grandchild, Elianna Joy Marcum, born October 24th in Cochabamba, Bolivia. You can read the Marcum blog to get more details about the birth and how the family is doing. We will be visiting the Marcum in January and are looking forward to meeting Elianna and seeing the rest of the family. This is a picture of Elianna and her family. May God bless your life and may you grow to become God's servant. We love you.Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-1161706403527706752006-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:002006-10-24T09:13:23.533-07:00Why We Give: LoveWhy We Give:<br />Love<br />2 Corinthians: 8:8-9, 24; 1 John 3:17-18<br /><br />Sweetest Day is coming up this next Saturday. You may or may not be aware of Sweetest Day as if we needed another day to buy candy but it evidently is popular in the Detroit area. It has become sort of fall Valentine’s Day.<br /><br />Giving gifts to people we love has a long history and most of us enjoy the gift giving if not necessarily the gift shopping (I am speaking as a guy). In a sense it is a test of our love for another. Extravagance and expense say one thing but most of the time it is thought and concern behind the gift that speak the loudest.<br /><br />I. Testing Love<br />The passage from Paul is rather blunt. The Corinthian gift that they agreed to is a test of their sincerity of love. We talked a few weeks ago about giving as a test of our faith, that is what we believe about God and his promises concerning giving. It is probably easier to think about testing our faith. Usually we think that trials are the test of our faith. How will we respond in a crisis? What will I say if someone attacks what I believe? There are many different ways that our faith is tested.<br /><br />But I believe testing love is different. For sure love is tested in crisis. Can I forgive when a loved one betrays me? Can I continue to love someone who isn’t very lovable? Those are tests. But I believe love is tested in a more positive way by our desire to do or to give to the object of our love and affection. We smile at the rather sometimes silly and extravagant ways people demonstrate love when they are building a relationship. Giving gifts is part of this. It is not necessarily the cost of the gift but the thought and sentiment behind it that is important.<br />Love is also tested in our giving of time and attention to the one we love. This is probably one area where couples that have been together for many years slip. It is easy to slip into patterns of only giving partial attention when we really should give total attention to the one we love. I learned, long ago, that I needed to put down the book, turn off the TV, pause the game and really listen to Diane. Multi-tasking may work at work or in some areas of life but it doesn’t work in relationships.<br /><br />Love is also tested in character. Who and what we love changes us. This is something that people often overlook as they consider friends and even marriage. It is true about hobbies and passions that we love and enjoy. All these things change us for good and bad. If you are around cynical people you will become cynical. This is part of the reason I rarely watch things like the “Daily Show”. If you are around angry and abusive people you will probably become angry and abusive. In the same way if you are around friendly people, loving people, or devoted people that association will change you.<br /><br />II. Whom Do We Love?<br />Paul describes giving as a test of love but the question is love of whom? I believe there are two answers. First, it is love of others. For the Corinthians it was love for Christians living in Jerusalem, in other words Jewish Christians. How do you love someone you have never met? After all, in Paul’s day there were no pictures to show of needy Jews. The pictures of suffering weren’t on the TV to be caught as you channel surf.<br /><br />It sometimes takes people a while to understand what becoming a Christian does to us. We often focus on salvation, forgiveness of sins, and a new relationship to God but becoming a Christian connects us to a body and every other member in that body. How many Christians do you know? We might know a few hundred Christians if we have traveled or lived in other parts of the country. Many of those Christians are probably a lot like you in terms of ethnicity and background. But Christ connects us to millions of Christians of every color and culture imaginable. Of course it is humanly impossible to do this but we are no longer simply human, we are children of God. The result is that we give. John makes this point when he writes, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18) The test of our love is our generosity towards people around us and people we will never see. Most of you will never meet people who are reached by the team in Cochabamba, Bolivia. You have never met people you provided food for in Kenya during floods and famine. Generosity was a test of love for the Corinthians; it is a test of love for us too.<br /><br />There is another aspect of this test. Our giving is a reflection of our character. There is a story about a man who came to his minister with a problem. “When I was young and only making $20,000 a year I committed to giving a tithe which was $2000. But now I’m making $500,000 and my tithe is $50,000. I just can’t afford to give that much.” So the minister prayed, “Lord, help this man make less so he can afford to give his tithe.” Over and over it has been shown that the more people make, the less they give in terms of percentage of their income. As Jesus said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23) This, of course, is possible with God. There are many who are rich and extremely generous but it is because the Spirit of God is working to change their hearts.<br /><br />We are called to reflect God’s character and God is generous. The psalmist writes, “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” (Psalms 145:9) If you want to grow spiritually then you must learn to be generous like God. We grow this way when we walk with God. It is easy to trust him when you have tested God and found him faithful.<br /><br />We began this series several weeks ago as we talked about the budget problems facing the church. As a leader in this congregation I want to see our church do more, not less. But I think it is more critical than just doing more. It is about becoming like our Father in heaven. It is about loving others more than I love the convenience and ease that my prosperity can give me. This is the challenge we all face as God tries to form us into a people who reflect his glory.<br /><br />Livonia Church of Christ: October 15, 2006Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-1161706251174947602006-10-24T09:08:00.000-07:002006-10-24T09:10:51.180-07:00Why We Give: HopeWhy We Give: Hope<br />2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Luke 6:38<br /><br />I know a lot of people who love the fall season; it is one of my favorite times of year. One of the reasons is it is a time of harvest. Here in Michigan it is a time for fresh apples, cider, and pumpkins. We enjoy the fruit of our world’s bounty. It is one of the basics of the creation, planting, cultivation, and harvest. The bounty of the harvest depends on the first two.<br /><br />I. Jesus and the Harvest<br />Jesus had a lot to say about life in our world and our relationship to it. He makes some rather extravagant promises to those who follow him. He tells his disciples, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) Jesus brought spiritual blessing to those who believe in him but also promises physical blessing. Another statement is, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29) The last statement is made in the context of the road to Jerusalem and the cross.<br /><br />This principle is related the concept of ‘shalom’, which is often, translated ‘peace’. No one word in English captures the sense of the word. It means peace or the absence of conflict but it also means prosperity, fruitfulness, and joyful contentment. While we tend to emphasize the spiritual blessing we sometimes forget that God created a good earth for his children to enjoy and prosper in.<br /><br />Jesus teaching reflects something that is common in the Old Testament; God blesses his people with physical blessings. This is a general truth, one that probably plays out over generations rather than years. It has often been observed in missions but is true of our own experience here in the United States. Three or four generations ago most members of the Church of Christ were “other-side-of-the-tracks” people. There are many in our church today who were the first in their families to earn a college degree. In missions this is called “lift”; the almost inevitable improvement of people who become faithful Christians. Of course the downside is that as people become more prosperous they often forget the Lord. It is one of the sad things about doing funerals for some of our elderly members where few of their descendents are Christians of any church. They are reaping the benefits of their ancestor’s faithfulness but the same road that goes up can also go down.<br /><br />II. Joyful Planting<br />The principle that Paul articulates in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously,” is one that is true in many areas of life. Paul applies it to financial giving but it is true in every important arena of life. God blesses the life that is given to him. As a parent this does not mean investing everything in your children. It means giving our children to God and serving our children in God’s name. As a marriage partner it means giving your marriage to God and loving each other, as God desires. Marriage and children are vitally important relationships that God blesses us with, but when God is forgotten then they can never become what God intended, a blessing to the world.<br /><br />While we enjoy the harvest there is tremendous joy and satisfaction in planting and cultivation. God created us for work in his world, to join him in his purposes, his mission. I have great joy in the harvest God is bringing in Africa but those years of work, hardship, and discouragement are precious experiences that I treasure.<br /><br />Imbedded in this principle is the concept that there is waiting between planting and harvest. Some things we do will not directly benefit us because there is always a wait between planting and harvest. Our society is caught up in the urgent and immediate, the need for instant results. It is like the instructions for microwaving pop tarts because we are too much in a hurry to wait for the toaster. We want what we want and we want it now. Not only is such an attitude infantile, it is of the devil.<br /><br />III. Abundant Harvest<br />We give because we hope to see a reward. Of course for many that is only seen in material possessions and physical blessings. Our world measures success in such terms and many Christians do also. If we don’t have the physical blessings then God must not love us as much as the guy with the new car and the bigger house.<br /><br />The promise of Jesus is to give ‘abundant life’ (John 10:10). The New Testament has two different words for life. One is “bios”, a word we see in our language as in biology, the study of life. It refers to the physical life that every living creature has. But the other word that is used here is ‘zoe’ refers to something beyond the biological life. A drug addict can have ‘bios’ but very little ‘zoe’. A person can be rich in material things and have little ‘zoe’ as Jesus said, “a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) God does care for and bless his people physically but that can mean different things in different contexts.<br />So if life is not about possessions and wealth what is the harvest that we can expect from God as we give not only our money but also our lives in his service? First and foremost is what Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) Eternal life begins when you become a Christian. How much we experience in this life depends on how much we pursue God and knowledge of him.<br />But that is only part of it. We gain a wealth of relationships. Jesus promised his followers, “I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30) This is true wealth, the love and relationships we experience as we live for Christ.<br /><br />The question is what are we giving? What do we hope for as we give? As a church we depend on each member’s fiscal faithfulness. We also depend on your willingness to give time and effort to reach out to our community. But as you faithful give know that God is a generous God who blesses far more than we can think or imagine, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)<br /><br />Livonia Church of Christ: October 1, 2006Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13694140.post-1161706074941015912006-10-24T09:03:00.000-07:002006-10-24T09:07:54.966-07:00Why We Give: FaithWhy Do We Give? Faith<br />Hebrews 11:6,17-19; Malachi 3:8-10<br /><br />Introduction: There are things people don’t like to talk about and most of them need discussion. We tend to avoid topics like sexuality as embarrassing or too personal. Things associated with death like funeral arrangements or wills are another area. And finally money and finances are often off limits for openness and discussion. As a preacher I have hesitated to preach on money for the simple reason people accuses churches of only being interested in money. If you have been here any length of time you know that is not the case. If you are a visitor or an occasional attendee you may draw that conclusion but again it is a wrong conclusion. Jesus never apologized for talking about money or finances. He knew how we view and spend our money is a reflection of our spiritual heart.<br /><br />I. The Importance of Faith<br />We all know about faith. We all have to have some faith to become a Christian. There are several different understandings of what faith is. Most people understand faith to have something to do with what a person believes to be true. Of course we believe many different things, some of them true, some of them not true. But the main test of any belief or faith is what one does with that belief. If I believe it is more dangerous to fly than it is to drive then I won’t fly, even though it has been shown over and over that flying is one of the safest forms of travel.<br />So what do we believe about God? The Hebrew writer gives us some basics, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) First God is looking for faith. Do you think God could provide irrefutable proof of his existence if he so desired? He could without a doubt. So why doesn’t he? Because God desires to be with people who seek him and people who have faith. Faith is always based on evidence but must inevitably go beyond the evidence. That is why true faith is hard to come by. It is rare or at least Jesus found it rare in his day and time. I don’t imagine he would find it that different today.<br /><br />II. The Test<br />I believe that this is why we have tests. A lot of people have jitters about tests. We often see them as obstacles to overcome or barriers that keep us from what we want to do. The pressure from tests like the ACT or SAT are high stress events in our children’s lives. It can be devastating to fail a test.<br /><br />But another purpose of tests is to help us see where we are, how well we are doing. Of course we may fail more often than we pass but we often learn more in our failures. I believe this is why Paul had such a unique philosophy, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10)<br /><br />There are many kinds of tests. Many of those tests are found in marriage or other close relationships with people. We are tested when things don’t go our way or when we have power over people and then how we treat them. In a sense almost every thing is a test.<br />But one of the big tests for us as Christians is our money. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot or a little, but how we relate to money and how we use it. (This type of test is not always about money, some things are more valuable like a child.) That is what the Hebrew writer brings to mind as he writes about faith. He mentions Abraham and the test of offering Isaac as a sacrifice to God. God was testing Abraham’s faith in him and he passed the test.<br /><br />The Israelites in Malachi’s day were also being tested and they weren’t doing well. The law clearly stated what offering should be made and they were not fulfilling their covenant promise to God. Why? They didn’t trust God to provide for them, to fulfill his covenant promises to them.<br /><br />We face the same test when it comes to our finances. We do not find in the New Testament a percentage as we see in the Old Testament. The tithe was a tenth of what they received though many have concluded it was higher. The question is how is our faith?<br /><br />The New Testament takes giving out of the realm of law and puts it in the realm of grace; that it is a gift of free will that comes from the heart of gratitude. It would be so much easier if we had a percentage to say, “Do this and you are okay.” But this is a faith test and part of the test is how you decide to give as well as how much. It is time for us to take this test with some seriousness. We develop our faith by exercising that faith therefore I would encourage you to do several things.<br />1. Look at your finances.<br />2. Decide how much you want to give.<br />3. Make giving to God a priority.<br />4. Be faithful.<br />Will God take care of you? God responds to faith, he rewards those who seek him. Our finances are one area where we need to seek God.<br /><br />Livonia Church of Christ: September 24, 2006Larry Stephenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06423776086762240167noreply@blogger.com0