Shoulder To Shoulder #1236 -- 4/26/2 ---- "No Place Like Home and its Treasures -- But Where? And What?"
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics
selected to motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ.
It is a personal letter of encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil,
but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day,
which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity
which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice, which
costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica,
for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the
Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
Shoulder To Shoulder #1236 -- 4/26/21
Title: "No Place Like Home and its Treasures -- But Where? And What?"
My Dear Friend and Fellow Soldier in the Trenches:
Greetings for one of the last times from the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri. Our prospective buyer has become our official buyer, and unless something drastic happens, we will end our 24-year abode in the wonderful state of Missouri that has been more like our birth state than the real ones of Illinois and Arizona. If all goes as planned, I will write to you from our "little cabin in the woods" only three more times before the movers come to whisk us away to our new base of ministry in Yuma, AZ. More about that later.
as I began writing, it was a cloudy, soupy, Saturday morning in the Ozarks, and we had benefited from a series of short but refreshing rain showers off and on over the previous couple of days. The Redbuds have passed their prime and the pink hues are fading into oblivion as fresh leaves begin to pop open. Our lone Dogwood, now over 20 feet tall, is still showing its blaze of snow white blossoms while the lower branches are turning them into green leaves. It's truly a wonderful time of year; Springtime in the Ozarks is every big as beautiful as Fall in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Today, as I finish writing, it is Tuesday, and another beautiful and sunny day in the Ozarks. But, rain is on the way.
Three things have been very heavy on my mind the past several weeks ---- the state of our nation, our place we have called "home", and all the "possessions" we have accumulated the past 62 years of marriage. I have actually been sorting through boxes, stored in the garage for a "get-around-to-it" moment, that have not been opened since we left Iowa in 1984. Most of it is worthless, but there is always something "worth saving" in just about each box ---- so maybe I should go through them.
You may not think the odd way I sometimes I think, but in my aging mind at this moment in my life, these three topics seem to converge. The old adage, "Home is where the Heart is" is very true. And so is the scripture, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Mt 6:21). The point is, where is "home"? Wherever "home" is, that is where you are likely to place your "treasure". If your "home" is this world system, then your treasure will consist primarily of material things -- economy, education, politics, possessions, etc.
So, this is what I want to discuss -- just as soon as you consider . . .
THIS 'N' THAT:
+ We Lost A Friend: My heart is filled with "sweet sorrow" today as I learn of the homegoing of longtime friend, Jack Taylor, who died early this morning in Melbourne, FL. We first met Jack in 1973 in the wake of the great revival that swept through Castle Hills FBC in San Antonio, TX. He was one of a dozen or so great leaders with whom we traveled the journey of revival and spiritual awakening. More than once Jack prayed for us as we faced various ministry decisions during the past 45+ years. His numerous books are some of my prized possessions, but the memories are prized all the more. We grieve over his death, but rejoice over his homegoing after many decades of faithful and courageous service. Tens of thousands of lives have not been the same because of Jack's kingdom service. For details, go to https://www.charismanews.com/culture/85221-kingdom-leader-jack-r-papa-jack-taylor-dies-at-87?utm_source=Charisma%20News%20Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=subscriber_id:5198635&utm_campaign=CNO%20daily%20-%202021-04-26
+ Another Romans 1:16 Person: -- Professional golfer Steward Cink is another follower of Christ who is unashamed to openly talk about his faith in Jesus. Where most Christians inexplicably remain silent about their professed relationship, Cink is unapologetic. Go to https://www.faithpot.com/stewart-cink-faith/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=21/04/2021 .
+ An Opportunity to Be Generous: Whatever else COVID has done in America, it has caused people to become more aware of suffering and hardship. While most areas of the economy suffered significantly, houses of worship and benevolent organizations often saw an increase in generosity. I am a strong believer in prison ministries. Two of them are Prison Fellowship started decades ago by former White House staffer Chuck Colson, and Behind the Walls also started long ago by NFL great, Bill Glass. Here is a special need and opportunity you might consider -- providing Bibles to inmates through Prison Fellowship: Go to https://secure.prisonfellowship.org/donate/bibles?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MW_PFM_990-41674_mkg-pf-bi-salemweboptinacq-0421-pf_20210426_1_PGNEAAG211024001&utm_content=bibles_match_nil_nil&ms=PGNEAAG211024001&mwsc=PFM-990-PGNEAAG211024001 .
+ Archaeological Discovery of Harriett Tubman's Childhood Home: Archaeologists in Maryland have discovered the home of Harriet Tubman's father. It was at this home as a child and later as a key leader of the Underground Railroad leading slaves to freedom that Tubman would have gained much knowledge and skill training that led her to become one of the most significant people in helping slaves escape to freedom. Go to https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/2021/april/archaeologists-find-site-of-harriet-tubmans-fathers-home-where-this-moses-of-the-underground-railroad-got-her-start .
LOUD ISN'T SMARTER, ANGRY ISN'T BETTER:
Loud and Angry Doesn't Mean Smarter and Better: To hear the media assert and the minority shout, one would think that those of us with traditional family values are in the minority. They are often angry and always "loud", and they in their own little isolated bubbles of life think their world is the world of the majority. One way to listen to a person to learn if he is secular or religious, liberal or conservative, ignorant or smart, is to listen to them "talk".
It has been my observation of many years that the louder and angrier one talks, the more unrealistic and radical are his views. They think they are smarter, and certainly think they are better, but neither is the case. Generally, the louder one has to "talk" the less substantive and verifiable are his views. The angrier one is, exposes the fact that their assertions and/or beliefs cannot be substantiated.
This is why most Socialists, Communists, and other far-left liberals are always shouting and striking out at others. This is why their causes usually end up being demonstrations that are characterized by violence, vandalism, and looting. They have nothing by which to prove their positions, so they resort to extreme measures. Then they wonder why the rest of us . . . that is, the majority of Americans . . . take issue with their rhetoric, their actions, and their beliefs. It's because we know that, no matter how enthusiastic, committed, or sincere they may be, they are also wrong -- very wrong.
My mother once told me that the reason someone swears and uses foul language is because they aren't intelligent enough to express themselves in rational and logical terms. I've concluded that it's the same way with the far-left.
No wonder it's gotten so noisy the past few years!
But, the tide is turning. We have recognized their distortions, deception, misrepresentations, and lies. We know better. We know the truth about democracy; we know the truth about family values. We know the truth about the consequences of such beliefs and distortions. We know the truth about racialism and genderism. We know the truth about good government. We know the truth about freedom. Jesus said that when we know the truth, we are set free. It's true.
The only thing left for us to do is start speaking up ourselves -- start taking action. Start running for office. Start supporting those in government who think like we think. Start standing firm and standing strong when attacked by the Socialists, Secularists, and other liberals. Just as our founding fathers searched the scriptures and other legal documents based on those scriptures, we must also make our stand. We have to do more than just vote on election days. They are too far apart. We must take pro-active action in between.
It is far past time to stop giving ground every time some celebrity spouts off and exposes their stupidity. It is past time to idolize athletes who love money and headlining more than character and integrity. It is time to stop supporting corporations that prefer China's money more than they do America's democratic republic. After all, our nation is worth saving, and we are in no mood to let a minuscule minority with megaphones, clubs, signs, and Molotov cocktails destroy our nation. we must not allow that. That is not our America. That is not our culture. That is not our future.
Step up and be counted with the courageous majority!
WHAT MAKES HOME "HOME"?
As I sit and gaze out my study window into the woods 50 feet away, I am visited again by that old familiar nostalgic feeling . . . knowing that we are in the process of saying farewell to twenty wooded acres we have called home for the past 24 years. I am reminded by the Spirit that, as much as we have loved and enjoyed this place, it has been "home" to us only because our ministry has placed us here. It had nothing to do with family ties, job, or attractions. There was no other reason for us to move here in the Spring of 1997, ---- and there is no other reason for us to leave here in the Spring of 2021.
Not everyone enjoys the luxury of knowing the deep spiritual truth of the old adage, "Home is where the heart is.". Jo Ann and I, have known and experienced it for over 62 years together. The question is not, "where is your home?". Rather, it is, "Where is your heart?". By the grace of God, and because our hearts are turned toward our Heavenly Father, our hearts are subsequently in ministry. Therefore, for us, "home" is wherever the Lord takes us in ministry.
We've lived in dormitories, trailer parks, apartment buildings, retreat centers, hotels and motels, and houses. Our stays have ranged from a few days to many years in one structure or another. But, with few exceptions, we've always been "home". "Home" has found us in over thirty countries and forty-one states these past 62+ years. In a few weeks we'll go "home" to a 21-year-old King of the Road 5th wheel in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. Then in November we'll go "home" to the dry Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona.
We will dearly miss our quiet place in the Ozarks. It is where we have stashed our earthly possessions since the Spring of 1997. Even during those years we were actually "Home" in countless other countries and places.
A few days ago, as I visited with my doctor over my annual wellness exam, he expressed a measure of awe that at age 83 we still are engaged in active ministry. We may be "retired" according to the Social Security Office, but never according to God's call on our lives . . . at least not yet. I shared with him that we have always felt like we were "home", wherever we lived -- and it was because "ministry" was always where we were "home". We have been "home" in Copenhagen, in Giessen, in Medellin, in Havana, in Crikvenica, in Kyiv, in Karlovac, . . . the places are countless, but in every situation we were "home", and because we were, we were also happy and contented.
I shared with the doctor my annual prayer to the Lord that He would . . .
1. Extend our days.
2. Increase our endurance.
3. Meet our needs.
4. Open doors.
I prayed it again last week -- just to remind the Lord of my heart's desire.
This prayer has become more frequent as I have gotten older and have begun to deal with various aggravating health issues. I find myself reminding God of that prayer almost every day. As I wrote three or four years ago in one of my letters, we are, "Ready to Go, But Not Ready To Leave". My Canadian friend, Wayne, wrote a song for me by that title.
The COVID pandemic and the political/economic/moral fiasco saturating life these days creates an even greater urgency in our hearts. So, while we anticipate our probable departure from the Ozarks by the end of next month, we are super excited about continuing our ministry in Arizona.
In an entirely unplanned and unexpected way -- just like God -- a couple from Minneapolis has expressed very serious interest in our house, and this has thrust us into a far more aggressive and intentional time of preparing for such a move. They already came down several weeks ago to see the place, and came down again this past week-end to see it again and talk about the situation. After their visit Friday evening, I went to my study to check e-mail before taking a shower and going to bed. The first e-mail I saw was a ministry note from Jonathan Bernis, with Jewish Voice Ministries International, that began with this passage of scripture:
"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him; to the one who seeks him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” -- Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV)
We slept well Friday night.
Yesterday, the couple went with us to the local land and title company, and signed a purchase agreement to BUY our "home". A wonderful Christian couple who are friends with one of our daughters because of their all being "adoptive parents", they attended church with us Sunday. It was hard to talk business because we enjoyed such sweet fellowship with them. As we said our good-bye's on the sidewalk outside the land and title company Monday, some of her last words were, "I don't want to leave!"
We can identify with that ---- and yet, our hearts are already being strangely drawn now toward "home" -- in Yuma. It's just taking a huge amount of work! 😂 😂 😂
ABOUT THE MINISTRY:
While this may not be the way others are impacted by God's call on their lives, Jo Ann and I have always ---- and I mean always ---- made important decisions based on the ministry God had given us, and not on house size, city conveniences, size of church, or quality of school systems. A case in point is when we resigned a church of 700+ members in St. Louis to accept the pastorate of a small congregation in Iowa where on our first Sunday there 22 of us, and that included our family of six.
Even in this move, there is no logical reason for us to sell our place in Missouri. The problem is, we have little to no ministry here in the Ozarks. Yes, we have friends, we have possessions, -- and we have an overwhelming abundance of memories filling this house. But we have no ministry.
However, since the Summer of 2016 we have had ministry in Arizona, Jo Ann's home state. It's where we met in 1957 when we moved to Tucson so Dad could be the very first pastor of one of the thirteen churches Jo Ann's family helped plant. So, after 57 years of following me around the world, Jo Ann has been "back home".
Following our years of overseas mission work including six years pastoring in Ukraine, God brought us back to the States in 2008. Then, after two years as interim pastor of a nearby loving church, two years in the inner city of northeast Kansas City, and then almost a year of the same in Detroit, God led us to our current seasonal ministry in Greer, AZ, situated at 8,500 feet altitude in the White Mountains. The following year we were asked to do the same thing during winter months in the Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona in Yuma. We cannot adequately describe the joy we find in serving "mostly retired" seniors, of whom we are two.
Each ministry lasts about five months ---- June through September in Greer, and November through March in Yuma. The congregation in Greer is about 20 family units with attendance usually in the 50's and 60's -- but wonderful, attentive, loving, people. The chapel in Yuma is made up of folks mostly from the northern "cold" tier of states and Canada with attendance often nearing 200 during peak season. But both thrill us more than words can describe.
We have the distinguished honor of loving on these folks and opening God's Word in hopefully practical ways that strengthen them and help them cope with the important issues that seniors increasingly face ---- loneliness, fear, family alienation, economic struggles, diminishing health, ---- and their future (What does it hold? When will I die? Where will I go then?).
We wouldn't trade places with anyone. Even though we deeply, deeply miss those years we had in Ukraine, we know this is our ministry for now. We wouldn't change it for the world. It is "home" to us.
So, in that our ministry is what determines our "home", we are leaving this "home" and moving to that "home".
Exhausted, but super excited. No more long trips back and forth ---- at least not as often.
ABOUT THE TREASURE:
You have no idea just how much "treasure" we have in this place! We don't even have any idea, it seems. We have already been working feverishly for two weeks, even with close friends helping us, and we've hardly made a dent. More than once I've found myself explaining to others what my Dad used to say -- "My 'git up and go' has got up and went!" Fortunately our daughter, Cheri, and husband, Bob, arrive tomorrow afternoon to help out a few days and then take some of our "stuff". Saturday our youngest daughter, Deanna, comes to do the same. That will be good ---- really good.
We have learned that with aging comes less importance and interest in physical and material things, so we find ourselves ready to give away, throw away, and burn away much of what we had held so dear in earlier days. And we are actually doing it. We are leaving all of our music (boxes and boxes of it in the garage) for the new owners because she is a music teacher and sings beautifully. We are giving most family heirlooms and keepsakes to our daughters so they can store them themselves (we thought about keeping everything and leave it up to them to sort it all out, but decided we were too loving for that!).
I am giving away almost all of my 3,000 ministry library. In years past I was privileged to receive many of my father's ministry library (and scattered volumes from others), and it has been a valued blessing and prized possession over the years. But, I've always wondered what to do with it now that I have gained a bit more knowledge and insight in God's Word. I've really struggled with that for more than twenty years, thinking at one time I would give it to one of the colleges I attended in Missouri ---- that is until I learned that a vast library given to that school by a longtime friend was locked up in an unused back classroom where nobody ever used it. Most people didn't even know it existed. It's a far cry from the famed Spurgeon Library at William Jewel College in Liberty, MO.
So, I am giving a small portion of it to a young and diligent young pastor in a nearby church where I had once served as interim pastor. The rest I am giving to the pastor of another church where I also served as interim. He has agreed to take responsibility to distribute them among pastors in his area, especially the younger guys who don't yet have the knowledge and wisdom they would like to have.
The interesting this is that, just as scripture says, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Mt 6:21). Have you ever noticed that your favorite bank is the one where you have your account? It's because your treasure is there. Other banks are not important to you, but the one where you deposit your money is very special. So it is in ministry. Where do you invest your own "treasure"? Is it in accumulating "things" for your own comfort and pleasure? Often one can discern the spiritual and moral state of someone by simply looking at what they possess ---- and how much of it they possess.
In days ahead we'll take great interest in knowing how these "young pups" deepen in their walk with God and grow in their effectiveness of ministry.
THEN THERE'S OUR REAL HOME:
These days ---- with all the chaos, pandemic, political absurdities, and fears ---- it's not hard to be reminded that, . . .
"This word is not my home!
I'm just a-passin' through.
My treasures are laid up
somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me
from heaven's open door,
and I don't feel at home
in this world anymore!"
One of the biggest traps the enemy sets for those of us who follow Christ is to erroneously assume that this is our long-term residence and heaven is a mere holiday we have earned. We become far too comfortable in this world ---- so much so that we adopt for ourselves the values and lifestyles of the world around us. We even convince ourselves that such thinking is the norm, and because it is the norm, it is perfectly acceptable.
Such thinking, my friend, is neither the norm, nor is it even remotely acceptable for the follower of Christ. Virtually everything about following Christ is about simplicity ---- about humility ---- about generosity ---- about serving ---- about giving ---- about sharing. I tell you from experience that when you find it impossible to give away something in order to better someone else because you cherish it too much, . . . you simply cherish it too much ---- way too much.
You are not an "owner" of anything. You are a "steward" ---- a "house distributor" of what someone else owns. You may possess much, but you own nothing.
The reason for this is because you are of another world. You don't belong here. You may think you do, but you do not. That is a total contradiction to scripture. Time and time again we are described as "strangers", as "sojourners", as "aliens". We live here, but we don't belong here.
So, you dare not become entangled (that's unintentionally, coincidentally, and carelessly) or ensnared (that's deliberately, intentionally, ---- and carelessly) by this world. How blind can we be to that fact!!! John made it so clear to us:
"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."
I've harped on this many times in the past, but maybe we need to be reminded ---- the lust of the flesh is the craving desire to DO something apart from God; the lust o the eyes is the craving desire to HAVE something apart from God; and the boastful pride of life is the craving desire to BE Somebody apart from God.
My friend, the world system is a trap that is under the domination of "the prince of this world" It is absolutely true that, "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (I JN 5:19).
FINALLY:
So, here's my question ---- "Where's your home?" How did you end up there? Was it because of job ---- or family ---- or education? Or was it for ministry??? How is God using you to touch, love, and minister to others right where you are now?
Then, "What about your treasure?" Do you own it? ---- or does it own you? Do you make your decisions based on preserving your treasure, or do you make them based on sharing it? Which kind of servant are you ---- like the one who kept the resources he had been given and "save it for a rainy day", or like the one who invested it in the work of his master?
You see, where we call home, what we do in ministry, and what we do with our treasure says a lot about our true spiritual state.
It's my prayer that you will rejoice with Jo Ann and me as we take the next step into the next chapter of our journey. It has been awesome for me for 65 years and for the two of us for 62 years. And, like the Happy Goodman's used to sing, . . .
"Well, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Gotta make it to Heaven somehow
Though the devil tempt me and he tried to turn me around
He's offered everything that's got a name
All the wealth I want and worldly fame
If I could still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now."
No wonder they were "HAPPY" Goodman's!!! The song continues, . . .
"Well, I started out travellin' for the Lord many years ago
I've had a lot of heartache and I met a lot of grief and woe
But when I would stumble then I would humble down
And there I'd say, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Gotta make it to Heaven somehow
Though the devil tempt me and he tried to turn me around
He's offered everything that's got a name
All the wealth I want and worldly fame
If I could still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Oh, there's nothin' in this world that'll ever take the place of God's love
All the silver and gold wouldn't buy a touch from above
When the soul needs healin' and I begin to feelin' His power
Then I can say, thank the Lord, I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now
Oh, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Gotta make it to Heaven somehow
Though the devil tempts me and he tried to turn me around
He's offered everything that's got a name
All the wealth I want and worldly fame
If I could still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
No, no, no . . . . Oh, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
I've gotta make it to Heaven somehow
Though the devil tempt me and he tried to turn me around
You know he's offered everything that's got a name
All the wealth I want and worldly fame
If I could still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
If I could still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now
Yes, the lyrics may be a little "iffy" in their theology, but it does reflect the excitement Jo Ann and I feel as we make this move to our "home base" of ministry in Yuma in a few weeks.
But we're still tired and exhausted! 😂 😂😂
In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
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Copyright April, 2021
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
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