Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

Since the summer before we became parents, until today, Keith and I have traveled to many amazing and enthralling places, but the ribbon of highway often takes us to battle fields where Americans who came before us died, because they stood for the conviction that all men should be free. Here are a few of the stories we heard and experienced, that forever changed us.

Among the rolling hills and along the Tennessee River and the Mississippi/Tennessee state line, stands Shiloh National Military Park. We visited there the summer we were expecting our first born child. White grave markers extend as far as the eye can see. Swords, bullets and cannon wounded or killed 23,746 men in two days. It is said that during rainy weather you can still smell the stench of bodies that lay in the heat on those late spring days, waiting to be buried. My feet touched where their blood spilled. I cried and begged God to stop the hatred and war. He said, “Let it begin with you, don’t hate.”

Years later, on July 4th, 2001 (just weeks before 9/11) we took our daughters to York Town National Historical Park to watch fireworks over the James River.  As we carried our blankets and picnic down a small ditch and up a short climb, then down and up again and again, we realized we were hiking the trenches men had dug to safeguard themselves against enemy fire. My heart stilled. This hallowed place was both a Revolutionary and Civil War battle field.  As earth’s eternal spin hid the sun’s rays, and the stars began to shine on a perfect evening, a military choir serenaded us with many wonderful, patriotic choruses, but when they began God Bless America, I couldn’t breath.  I held the hands of my children knowing the cost someone else paid for my privilege. I asked God to protect them from the storm clouds of dissension that could bring about another war and rob them of the blessings they enjoyed.  God said, “Let it begin with you, teach them to love.” 

In the same summer we traveled a small distance to Gettysburg, PA, a quaint town that has preserved our Civil War history beautifully. We viewed gunshot holes in bed posts and stepped into cellars were civilians hid. We journeyed across the battlefield, and made our way to the National Cemetery.  It was my mistake to believe that only casualties of the war between the states were enshrined there.  Keith quietly asked me to look down.  I didn’t understand until he said, “Read the date.” I did, “December 7, 1941.” (Pearl Harbor) Then he said, “Do the math.”  I did. The soldier was only 16 years old when he drew his last breath for me and mine. He lied about his age and joined the navy hoping his life would mean something more.  It does, it means everything! I asked God to make life mean something better. He said, “Let it begin with you, be brave.”

Finally, I have been to Arlington. There are no words. Even as we gave our respect to those who were entombed there, new graves were preparing to receive those who deserve this honor and much more. I asked God to make me worthy. He said, “You are worthy, be honorable and noble.”

The ears I speak to will never hear my humble gratitude, but I say it anyway. “Thank you!”  To those that gave their life so that I could bask in a freedom like no other on the face of the earth, “Thank you.”

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Gretchen

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. Mark 7:8  (Matthew 14:14-15:20, Mark 6:34-7:23, Luke 9:11-17, John 6:1-7:1)

The second year of Jesus’ ministry was a peak year of popularity. He continued to heal the sick, and began feeding the multitudes. Following an especially long day, Jesus sent his disciples ahead, across the Sea of Galilea, while He found a quiet place to pray. Later, during the night He walked on water to join His friends. They believed Him to be a ghost, so Jesus spoke to them and Peter asked to join Him as an affirmation of who He was. Peter became the first to understand that Jesus was the Son of God, God incarnate.

The masses were ready to make Jesus king. He fed them for free, provided medical and mental health care, understood their plight and righted the wrongs they were suffering, but they misunderstood the nature of God’s Kingdom. They wanted the perks, but not the pain. Jesus explained the cost of following and many declined.

During this time, things began to heat up between Jesus and the Pharisees. He pointed out the dangers of their legalism and the pitfalls of traditional, doctrinal rules that were not at all connected to any part of the Law. His condemnation of their behavior, coupled with His threat to their authority, ignited furious hostility. Opposition in Judea became so life threatening Jesus remained in Galilea.

Many times Jesus made a clear distinction between evolved tradition and true Law. The Jewish authority’s creation of inappropriate authority to oppress and abuse was very offensive to Jesus. It was hypocrisy at its finest. Worship God for who HE IS! Then serve others because of who HE IS! This is obedience to His Law.

Love,

Gretchen

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed the helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Matthew 9:36-37 (Matthew 9:35-10:42, 11:1, 14:1-13, Mark 6:6-33, Luke 9:1-11)

Jesus had been rejected a second time by His own community and close family, but crowds in surrounding places aggressively sought Him. Keenly aware of their need for spiritual guidance, Jesus called all who were willing to work for the Kingdom of Heaven. He gave them power to heal the sick, cast out demons and restore life to the dead. ALL who believed were called, only a few went.

With the specialized skills given to those who answered God’s voice, there was great potential for wealth. Who wouldn’t give all they owned to paralyze the threat of pain or death? However, Jesus cautioned, travel light, expect hardship and resistance, trust God’s unfailing care, keep your eyes on the eternal goal. You will find food and shelter among those who share in your mission, but take no money! God’s Love is NOT to be used for profit!

 Matthew 14:1-13 tells the story of John the Baptist’s murder. To summarize this event would do an injustice, so I encourage you to read it, but keep in mind, guilt and superstition made Herod Antipas add sin upon sin. Herod had divorced his own wife to marry Herodius, wife of his half-half-brother Philip. John had denounced this as incest and was imprisoned for his truth. Herodius held a grudge and wanted to silence John’s voice permanently. When the opportunity emerged, she took it and John was martyred. Jesus and His disciples attempted to quietly grieve and comfort each other, but the world needed them more, and so they continued on, with Love, Grace and Mercy.

If you know Jesus as Messiah, you are called to spread the message. Compassion for the lost motivated those who went. Are you moved? It WILL cost you, but you won’t pay more than you gain, eternal life in a place that exceeds far beyond man’s comprehension. 

Love,

Gretchen

Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:21-22 (Matthew 8:18-34, 9:19-34, 13:53-58, Mark 4:35-41, 5:1-43, 6:1-6 and Luke 9:57-62, 8:22-56)

A vital combination in Jesus’ ministry was the teaching of Truth and demonstrating His authority to claim this Truth.  Jesus’ marvels confirm this message of a Kingdom of God and His connection to it. His miracles revealed power over nature, the spirit world, death and disease. A storm tossed sea immediately stilled at Jesus’ command, He raised Jarius’ daughter from the dead, healed a woman who touched His hem, returned sight to the blind and gave words to the speechless.

When Jesus and His friends came upon a demon possessed man, so violent he had been changed and left among the tombs, far away from civilized society, the evil spirits dwelling within him recognized Jesus and begged Him not to cast them out of the area. A herd of pigs seemed an appropriate destination for such vile beings, but when they entered the swine a stampede ensued and the entire herd ran off a cliff and died, bringing the outrage of the town’s population. These people chose personal economics over quality of life for others.

The story of man who heard a call to go and share the good news, but asked to first bury his father is not a narrative about a good son nursing an invalid parent. His father was not in failing health, the man was saying, “The time’s not right. When all the circumstances are convenient, I’ll follow.” God’s works and character clearly show, Christians are obligated to take care of their earthly families and obligations, but God’s work is important and He will make a way! There will never be a perfect moment except to hear and obey. Say, “Yes!” Prayer will be answered and blessings will rain down.

Love,

Gretchen

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 (Matthew 13:1-52, Mark 4:1-34, Luke 8:4-18, 13:18-19)

Jesus used many methods to effectively teach the multitudes and especially His disciples the Truth and nature of God’s Kingdom. Hyperbole, warnings, laments and denunciations as well as proverbs and the beatitudes are examples. The most interesting though, are His parables. They teach moral truth and principle using simple comparisons well suited to common man. After Jesus taught in public, He would explain in detail what He meant to His intimate circle.

Parables sorted out those who came to see miracles and be entertained, from those who seriously followed Jesus and wanted to fully understand who He was and why He had come. This is explained in the story of the sower and the cycle of seeds that wither beside those that produce fruit.

The parable of the weeds explained that evil will exist along side good till the end of this age when there will be a time of harvest and separation.  The tiny mustard seed, a very small beginning, will grow beyond comprehension, providing shelter for the carefree birds of the air, just as the Kingdom of Heaven began as a small helpless, yet Holy child. And finally,  in the parables of hidden treasure and pearl of great price, Jesus emphasized His purpose, an eternal life worth giving up everything, even this life, to make sure you obtain it.

Jesus was present at the beginning of time. Actually, He existed long before the void was brought into order. He knows all and wants us to understand. The more we seek, the more He will reveal. It’s up to you. What an honor to be given an invitation from the one who Created it all for one purpose, Love.

Love,

Gretchen

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Matthew 11:2 (Matthew 8:1-13, 11:2-19, 12:22-50, Mark 3:20-30, Luke 7:1-50, 11:14-36)

John the Baptist has been arrested and senses his death is near. He, like others, believed God would send a political advocate and conquerer. This man who was born to prepare hearts for Jesus, asks, “Are you the One?”

After decades of empty ritualism, the multitudes were ready to receive the perceptive and authoritative teaching of Jesus. Imagine, when Jesus was standing in the synagogue reading from the Scrolls, the prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, Nehemiah….. He was The One who gave those visions. He knew exactly what they meant and all the implications of their message. Sensing Jesus’ extraordinary power, the Pharisees ordered Jesus to perform miracles of their choosing to validate His divine nature. When He refused they accused Him of sorcery rather than Heaven’s Son, sent to love. Jesus gave them a scathing rebuke for their unbelief and hypocrisy.

A Roman soldier sent an envoy to ask Jesus to heal a servant that was highly regarded. Jesus commended him for his faith and the man’s health was restored.  He brought a widow’s only son back from the grave. When a woman of great sin followed Jesus into a banquet, fell to her knees, bathed His feet with her tears and anointed Him, the Pharisees questioned Jesus’ authenticity because He did not send the untouchable away. Jesus offered an illustration of debts owed to teach how grace and gratitude work. And….during this time, Jesus had some minor conflicts with His own earthly family. Rather than scorn, He pointed all to the Kingdom of Heaven and the bond of the Family of God.

When John, in his sorrow and great stress, questioned his own life’s allegiances, Jesus did not condemn, but answered in great victory, by miracles in great numbers, far greater than He had to this point. When Jesus asked you to give Him every part of yourself, that means EVERY PART, including the mind that simply can’t wrap itself around the complex issues of pain, hatred, injustice and despair. Don’t be shamed or defeated. Keep your face turned toward the Son, look Him straight in the eye, pour out your honest heart, then trust and obey His answer, because you are in the good company of those such as John the Baptist.

Love,

Gretchen

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (Matthew 5-7)

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is His most instructive sermon presented. He speaks of the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, faith, repentance, worship, prayer and humility and considered anything that increases your longing for Heaven a blessing. He takes time to emphasize the importance of appropriate familial relationships, the effect of possessions on peace of mind and He deals harshly with those who are spiritually rebellious.  It is an important part of scripture and should be read often, each believer for himself.

Followers of Jesus are to be completely transformed. A goodness with no bounds turned common ideas about happiness upside down. It is not the rich who find joy and prevail, but the righteous, the forgiver, the peacemaker. This is a completely new standard, a different outlook to the standards behind the Law. Motives and intentions are the important life changing issues in the heart of man, not the grandiose actions performed for all to see. Make and keep your heart pure.

Make sure you are on the right road to eternal life. Beware of misleading representations of Jesus’ mission and guard your heart.  His perfect model for prayer is within this passage. “On earth as it is in Heaven” is not an unattainable ideology, but a state of mind and soul. Live and love as thought you already reside there.

Love,

Gretchen

This is a repost of a story I wrote last year.  I want to report, the bridge that was once, constantly soiled with spray paint and profanity has been kept clean.  I’m not sure who is making sure that little eyes don’t have to witness man’s depravity in our beautiful countryside, but thank you!

A Little White Paint

Sometimes I feel incredibly alone in the world. Solitude is not a physical reality. It’s mental. I look around and think, “Am I the ONLY person that hears the world crying? Am I the ONLY one trying to make the world a better place?  Do the cynics have it right? Is all in vain?  My thought pattern of detachment is ridiculously centrifugal. Yet, the struggle is real and some days are very dark and discouraging.

It is my opinion that loneliness is the deadliest disease on the planet. How many bad choices are made, with the best intentions, to remedy this state? We settle for a temporary ‘less than the best’ quick fix and lose hope of ever finding a place of deep contentment and belonging.  When hope is depleted, life’s energy soon follows and the ultimate decision puts finality to the internal, secret pain.

A river runs through the country side of North Faulkner County, Arkansas.  The Cadron Creek holds my heart.  My husband grew up along its banks exploring, fishing, swimming, becoming a man.  One late summer day in 1981, standing on the bluffs above, with only the whispering breeze and gurgling brook’s music, Keith first spoke words of love to me.  Our own children splashed in the shallow pools and years later our oldest spoke her marriage vows at the water’s edge.

A dusty, country road and old wooden trestle once connected farms and people separated by the Cadron’s expanse.  It has been replaced with a modern concrete structure well above the threat of flooding, and the dirt lane is now a paved thoroughfare. Yet still, it is a road less traveled making our bridge easy prey for those who feel compelled to leave marks of hatred, racism and immorality displayed. Many times a week I must cross through this profane pollution on a school bus filled with eyes that should not see such ugliness. It hurts.

God does not leave His children comfortless.  On a recent afternoon I came down the steep hill approaching the creek crossing and saw someone standing on the bridge.  It was a dad, with a bucket of white paint.  I slowed the bus and he paused in his labor to turn, smile and wave at the students as we passed.  Conversation quickly turned to the man making their world a better place. A short time later two young sons got off the bus and asked their mother to take them to join their father in giving the gift of goodness and community.     

This bucket of white paint did so much more than cover graffiti. It healed a heart and gave hope.

There are two antidotes to the toxic venom of obsessive despondency. Do good, alone if you must, and deliberately acknowledge the endeavors of others to overcome sin’s path of destruction. YOUR HAPPINESS MUST NOT DEPEND ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WILLING TO HELP OR APPLAUD YOU. You will end up back where you began, discouraged and overwhelmed.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His Holy dwelling, God sets the lonely in families, He leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in the sun-scorched land. Psalms 68:6.

At the age of twelve I decided to follow Jesus.  At age eighteen I learned that even if no one joins me, still I must follow.  (I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, abbreviated.)  Be like Jesus. Someone is watching and you are making a far reaching difference.

With All My Love,

Gretchen

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:12-13

My earthly father is a pastor as am I. Although our roles look much different in living color, we enjoy to talking shop, his sermons, my blog, and the sheep we shepherd. He often responds to my thoughts, expanding my understanding and giving me new and deeper insights. Today he made an inspiring point regarding my comments on the twelve disciples, specifically, Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. I am going to share a portion of the text I received, edited for flow.

Imagining the diversity of the twelve is a great lesson for the church. Our LORD was risking everything by allowing Matthew (willing to work with Rome) and Simon (despised Rome’s presence in Palestine) in the same room.  Outside of grace, had Matthew met Simon in a dark alley on a dark night, one or the other might have felt a dagger slide between his ribs. Jesus understood the broad spectrum of sin’s predicament and fashioned the church to address the mess. He still does.                                                                                                                                                Rev. J. Bryan Jones.

Love one another no matter what. Laying down a life is not just a physical act, it is every bit emotional, spiritual, and idealogical. We must take on the countenance of Jesus, the sacrifice. Opinions don’t have a place when you’re called to love. When love unifies, it changes the world!

LOVE,

Gretchen

He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.  Mark 3:14-15 ( Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:7-19, Luke 6:12-16)

The word apostle means messenger. After a long night in prayer, Jesus chose twelve men from His many followers, to be His inner circle. They were the founding members of the New Kingdom, and their training was a vital part of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Spreading the Good News that Jesus is the Messiah and your sins can be forgiven was their task. Representative of the twelve tribes of Israel, no single one was from a religious establishment. They were everyday men, with everyday jobs and individual personalities, but they came together with one heart, one mind, one mission, God’s plan. Jesus warned them to expect hardship and frosty receptions, but to fear none for God will take care!

Peter and Andrew were brothers and owned a fishing partnership with James and John. This quartet was specially close to Jesus. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, but very quickly Peter, so named by Jesus, became the group’s leader. James and John were known as the Sons of Thunders. They had stormy personalities and were passionate about the mission and Love of Jesus. James was the first of the twelve to be martyred. Matthew was a tax collector, a Jew who worked for Rome and was hated by his fellow countrymen. Following his call, Jesus sat down to a meal with him and his many outcast friends.

Simon, a zealot, felt strongly that Palestine should free itself from Rome and had a nationalist, guerrilla warfare mentality. His ideology changed. The first to do the math when Jesus told His disciples to get enough food to feed 5,000 people was Philip. Ever practical, He had to learn finance was not a problem with God. Nathaniel and Thomas were both known for their skepticism. Grace was certainly a game changer as they found and followed a man they did not understand but trusted anyway.  Finally, Judas, Jesus’ treasurer stole regularly from the poor, but Jesus knew His role in prophecy and sacrifice and stayed the course.

These were not the honor graduates of Jerusalem Seminary. Jesus gave them credentials because of an eagerness to become what God demanded they be, and a willingness to take up His cross, go forward into the unknown and see it through with nothing but an invincible hope and steadfast faith. Spoiler alert! It was enough!

Love,

Gretchen