NOTE: This article was originally published by Calvary Chapel Magazine – December 1, 2023
Equipped with a Spanish vocabulary of just three words—burrito, baño, and taco—Mike Vincent arrived on Mexico’s Baja California coast to plant a Calvary Chapel in Rosarito, just south of the U.S. border. Sent out in 2002 with his wife, Sarah, and two young children, Senior Pastor Mike laughingly warned, “I do not recommend you plant a church with two babies under 2 years old!”
During a Sunday morning service at Calvary Chapel Rosarito, Mexico, congregants join in corporate prayer over newly baptized believers in the faith. In 2002, Pastor Mike Vincent started Calvary Rosarito as an in-home Bible study. It quickly outgrew three buildings prior to this current facility, which seats over 800 people.
For quite awhile I’ve been telling an encouraging story about Laura Fasig. When telling this story recently, I realized that it is so encouraging to some that I should write and publish the story.
One Important Aspect
To be accurate, this story should be entitled “Who Is Laura Fasig … To Me?” The story I’m telling here only addresses one facet of “Who Is Laura Fasig?” No doubt, Laura Fasig’s life was richly multi-faceted. So, I hope and pray that those who knew her far better than I did (especially her family) won’t be offended by my focusing on this one aspect of her life.
Important To Me
Before going on, it’s important for me to tell a little bit about how the most important part of my life led me to become acquainted with Laura Fasig. That is my becoming a Christian.
When people ask me about how I became a Christian, I tell them that the process began the first Sunday after I was brought home from being born at Terre Haute’s Saint Anthony’s Hospital, when my Mother and my Grandma Ray took me to the Second Avenue EUB Church.
Of course, I don’t actually remember that but I confirmed it with my Mom in the latter stages of her life. Actually, when I asked her about it she said, “Yes; me, your Grandma Ray and your Dad.” Since my Dad had left my Mom to marry another woman when I was three years old, I found additional comfort in knowing that he was there too. I’d forgotten that my Mom and Dad had first become acquainted in the Youth Group at Second Avenue.
The picture on the right captures a moment from my Mom and Dad being together in Southern California on R&R during WWII.
Becoming A Christian
Although my going to church started pretty immediately after my birth, of course, that didn’t make me a Christian. I always thought a good way to illustrate that truth was with the metaphor, “Just because you spend a lot of time in a garage, that doesn’t make you a Buick.” John 3:1-21 tells the story of a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, coming at night to inquire of Jesus, who answered him by saying, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” There are, basically, two steps required to be born again … (1) Repenting from a life of sin and (2) Believing in Jesus as your Savior. I did that at Second Avenue EUB when I was twelve years old.
Nicodemus comes at night to inquire of Jesus
The role that Laura Fasig played in my becoming a Christian was that she was my Kindergarten Sunday School Teacher. Although the other kids in Mrs. Fasig’s class were kids from our neighborhood, I only really remember one of them … Jackie Schofield. We actually went to a High School Prom together, we were in school together through college and we’re still connected via Facebook. I, also, remember that our Sunday School Class met in the basement of Second Avenue EUB while “the grownups” Sunday School Service was going on in the sanctuary upstairs. After Sunday School, we would join our families to be together for the main church service. When I think of Mrs. Fasig’s Kindergarten Sunday School Class, one lesson stands out in my mind. It was the story of Zacchaeus, as told in Luke 19:1-10. Mrs. Fasig used a felt story board to teach us that story. I’d never seen anything like it and it fascinated me, Since I clearly recall this teaching seventy years later, obviously, it had a lasting impact,
Zacheus Felt Bible Story Board
Long-term Importance
The kids shown to the left are my Sister, Nancy, my Brother, Dick and the Kindergarten-age me in the early 1950s.
To Kinders, all adults are old. They don’t necessarily recognize different stages of adulthood. In my five-year-old mind, there was little difference in the age of Mrs. Fasig and the age of my Mother. As an adult, I learned that Mrs. Fasig was actually closer to the age of my Grandma Ray. In fact, I learned that when my Mother was a child, on a regular basis, Mrs. Fasig was known to go throughout the neighborhood to gather up kids, taking them to her home to teach them lessons from the Bible. It was knowing this that led me to consider the impact that Laura Fasig had on the lives of others.
Since I hadn’t been in touch with Mrs. Fasig for a very long time, I decided to do some research to find out what had become of her. Of course, today, you can learn a lot about almost anyone via Google. Sadly, I was unable to find any good photo of Laura Fasig but I did find her obituary. That revealed that she had lived to be 99 years old. She had been married to Arnold Fasig and they left behind a Son and Daughter-in-law, a Granddaughter and two Great-granddaughters. And, it confirmed what I said earlier about her life being richly multi-faceted. She was a member of Terre Haute Memorial United Methodist Church, Terre Haute Elks Ladies Golf League 18 Hole Group and she was a charter member of Terre Haute’s Badoura Temple 23 Daughters of the Nile. Her burial is in Terre Haute’s Roselawn Memorial Park; where my Mother, Father and Grandma Ray are buried.
My focus in considering the impact that Laura Fasig had on the lives of others was the number of years the Lord blessed her with. She lived to be 99. In thinking about what my Mother had told me about Mrs. Fasig gathering up neighborhood kids to teach them lessons from the Bible, I realized that took place about 100 years ago. Although my Mother’s family didn’t move into that neighborhood until she was nine-years-old, she would have been Kindergarten-age in 1924. Assuming that Mrs. Fasig continued touching the lives of neighborhood kids until she went home to be with the Lord in 1994, that means she did that for 70 years. One can only imagine the number of lives she impacted during that time.
To me, the way that Laura Fasig impacted lives was more important than the number of lives she touched. I would argue that there is no teaching more important than Biblical instruction, leading to eternal salvation. But how do you measure something like that? I think that my vivid memory of her use of that Zacheus Felt Bible Story Board is a good indicator. That lesson was taught by Mrs. Fasig over 70 years ago and I’m still talking about it. Obviously, that is an indicator of how Mrs, Fasig’s teaching made a positive difference in my life. But, the impact of that teaching didn’t stop with me. You can rest assured that I’ve passed along the Biblical instruction I was given to many others; including our Daughters, our Grandchildren and our Great-grandchildren.
Treasure In Heaven
My regret, in telling this story, is that I never had the opportunity to tell Laura Fasig what a positive impact she had on my life and to thank her for it. I’m confident that she got something far better when she arrived in Heaven. That is hearing our Lord tell her, “Well done good and faithful servant.” If you’re a Teacher striving to make a positive difference in young lives, I hope you’ll keep this in mind. It’s likely that many of your Students won’t recognize the gift you’re giving them in a timely manner. Please don’t let that discourage you. Bear in mind that, like what Laura Fasig did, what you’re doing is making a lifetime difference for your students, as well as in the lives of others whose lives they touch.
The video shown below is the devotional from March 9, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Ruth Wiram
WELCOME
Hello, my name is Ruth and I would like to welcome you to Today’s Good News, Ladies Edition.
INTRODUCTION
I would like to share a verse with a promise today. Matthew 28:20.
” teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. surely I am with you always, to the end of the very age.”
At this time, Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer had just been resurrected from the tomb. He was speaking to His beloved disciples who must have been full of all kinds of emotions. From fear and disappointment to hope and joy. And now at the end of this chapter Jesus was sending them out into the world.
LONELINESS
Have you ever been or are you right now, lonely? This reminds me of a story. A woman saw a lonely penguin wandering in the streets of Rosarito. She immediately took her to the nearest police station to ask for advice. “Officer, I found this penguin, what should I do?” The Officer recommended that the lady take the penguin to the Zoo. The woman said ok and left the police station. A couple of hours later, the police officer was looking through the window and saw the woman and the penguin, holding hands and walking down the street. He ran outside and asked the woman, “Didn’t I tell you to take that penguin to the Zoo? The woman replied, “I did take her to the Zoo. And now we are going to the movies!”
Seriously, we all experience loneliness at times in our lives. And the promise that Jesus gave His disciples that He would be with them always, even to the end of the age is also true for us today.
Do you remember the story of Hagar in the Old Testament? She was the Egyptian slave who had a child with Abraham. Abraham’s wife despised her and caused her so much trouble that Hagar ran away into the dessert. She was lonely and desperate with no one to take care of her. The Angel of the Lord came and spoke to her reassuring her that she would have a son and that God would multiply her descendants exceedingly. She named him Ishmael, meaning the Lord has heard my affliction. Then Hagar called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-are-the-one-who-sees.
NEVER ALONE
Ladies, our Loving Heavenly Father sees all that we are going through. He sees our loneliness in sickness. He sees our loneliness in our struggles with difficult relationships. He sees our loneliness in all of the trials we face.
There is one supreme moment of loneliness in History, so dark and deep that only Jesus has ever experienced. It was on the cross the moment He became sin for us. In that horrible, lonely moment, He felt forsaken by His Father and all those He loved. He was ravaged physically and spiritually. No one has experienced or understands the depths of loneliness like Jesus. But He can and does understand our loneliness. He can sympathize with our weakness more than we know. Jesus doesn’t merely understand our loneliness; He destroyed it. Because He bore the sin that alienates us from God and died on our behalf, we are no longer strangers or aliens, but we are fellow citizens with all the saints and members of God’s family. He is with us always. He never leaves our sides, not even for a moment. He has a purpose for all that happens in our lives. He can use our troubles to teach us powerful lessons to strengthen our faith. In the darkness, where nothing but the light of Jesus shines, He is teaching us to trust Him completely. When He tests us through the troubles of life, we need to trust in His promises.
STRENGTH TOGETHER
These times of doubt are when our faith is grown. We all want out, a quick escape. There are two things we can do. We can try to get rid of our troubles or we can recognize that our trials are challenges that will bring about blessings in our lives. So, when we are tempted to give up, we must remember that we are more than conquerors through God’s Son who loves us and will never leave us.
Deuteronomy 21:6 says,
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
The video shown below is the devotional from February 23rd, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
WELCOME
Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News!
INTRODUCTION
Currently, we’re studying the Promises of Jesus. Today, we get to look at the promise contained in Matthew 28:20. It’s a promise that provides Jesus’ Disciples the ability to carry out the final instructions He gave them. Before diving into that, I want to take a quick poll that I think will shed some light on the importance of following instructions.
How many of you have purchased an item that required assembly and it came with assembly instructions? Most of you, I thought so.
How many of you have attempted to assemble an item like this without reading the instructions? Yes, I knew I wasn’t alone in this.
And, how many of you have had to disassemble such an item and start all over after reading the instructions which you failed to do in the first place? Isn’t it crazy how we ignore the instructions, the one thing that can enable us to do the assembly correctly, until we’ve proven that we can’t do it on our own? Keep this in mind as we take a look at today’s Scripture verse, Matthew 28:20.
THE GREAT COMMISSION
To begin understanding this verse, it’s necessary to look at it in context. It is the last verse in the last section of Matthew’s gospel. That section, Matthew 28:16-20, is widely known as The Great Commission. It says:
“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;’ and He ends with today’s verse, ‘lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
GREATLY IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS
In preparing for this teaching, I was reminded of the crucial importance of Chapter 28. Though it ends with what we’re looking at today, The Great Commission, it begins with The Resurrection.
Nothing could be more important to Christians. As we’re told in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19,
… if Christ is not risen … we are of all men the most pitiable.
But Christ is risen.
With that and its importance understood, it seems pretty obvious that the final instructions he gave His Disciples are greatly important too. So let’s take a closer look at His Great Commission and the Promise it contains.
First of all, the disciples were sent to a specific place, at an appointed time, for a specific purpose, to meet with the resurrected Jesus. This was not just a fluke meeting. Obviously, the Lord did this intentionally, to give His disciples their final marching orders.
“But”, we’re told, “some doubted.” Scripture doesn’t tell us what they doubted, going into this meeting. However, it becomes understandable why they might have doubts about their ability to carry out the instructions Jesus gave them in the meeting. They were told:
Go … make disciples of all nations. Not be prepared when they come to you.
Not just let them know about, make disciples.
Baptizing. An open and public action, not private.
In the name of … The Trinity, requiring deep understanding, not just scratching the surface.
Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you … Walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
HUMAN DOUBT
The disciples probably doubted if doing all this was humanly possible. Since they had witnessed Jesus’ resurrection and He had told them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” they probably had little doubt that Jesus could do this divinely. But they were human, not divine. He had the authority, not them. Just the same, this wasn’t man-made liturgy, it was commanded by the Lord. So what were they to do?
DIVINE PROMISE
Well, that is where Jesus’ final promise to them comes in, “… lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” And, if He would be with them, His authority would be with them too. He assured them that they wouldn’t have to try to “Go” on their own. He, the resurrected Jesus, would be with them, not just at the beginning, not occasionally, but “always”, now and “even to the end of the age.”
It’s important for us to recognize that this precious promise reaches down the centuries, touching each of us, His children. Jesus said He would never leave us nor forsake us, no matter what situation we find ourselves in – no matter what difficult life-circumstances we face. All authority has been placed under His control, and He says to us with that authority – “Lo, I am with You, always.”
Jeep – The Middle – Super Bowl LV Ad – Bruce Springsteen
Here are three questions I want you to consider, as we dive into this topic:
Have you ever been in (or can you imagine being in) circumstances where you were so lost that your only desperate desire was for someone to come along who could show you the way out?
Is there someone, when you think of them, who causes you to have an involuntary visceral reaction of loathing?
Now, if you found yourself in the desperate circumstances of Question #1 and the object of your loathing in Question #2 came along with fully reliable directions of how to get out, would you follow those directions and get out or would you spitefully remain in your misery?
Of course, I recognize that not everyone will answer these questions the same … especially in identifying the object/s of their loathing. Otherwise, though, I expect that the vast majority of you will answer similarly … particularly with Question #3. Incredibly, though, in recent days, I’ve seen many across the U.S. exhibiting the foolish opposite response of rejecting a message, containing much needed reliable directions, due to their lack of confidence in the messenger.
DESPERATE NEED
The polarization in the U.S. seems to have reached critical mass. As pointed out in the recent article Such A Time As This In America, without intervention, it may well result in civil war. Clearly, the U.S. is in desperate need of “reliable directions” in order to get out of these circumstances. Opinions on this topic have not been hard to come by but clear-cut solutions have not been as evident. Surprisingly to me, I saw the absolute best solution put forth in a Super Bowl LV TV Commercial. It told us this:
“There’s a chapel in Kansas, standing on the exact center of the lower 48 (U.S. States). It never closes. All are more than welcome to come meet here, in the middle. It’s no secret, the middle has been a hard place to get to lately, between Red and Blue, between serving and citizens, between our freedom and our fear. Now our fear has never been the best of who we are. And as for freedom it’s not the property of just the fortunate few, it belongs to us all. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, it’s what connects us and we need that connection. We need the middle. We just have to remember, the very soil we stand on is common ground. So, we can get there, we can make it to the mountaintop, through the desert and we will cross this divide. Our light has always found its way through the darkness. And there’s hope on the road up ahead.”
… To the Re-United States of America.
BOLD FULFILLMENT
The first in a series of recent articles entitled Beauty For Ashes, pointed out that American families, resting on the firm foundation of our communities, was once the strength of our social fabric. The second edition of Beauty For Ashes targeted the importance of restoring the stability of that firm foundation … the faith found in our houses of worship. The “chapel in the center (middle)”, as depicted in the recent Super Bowl commercial, represents that firm foundation. It recognizes that everything good in the world has faith in God as its foundation. The bad in the world, that many view as increasing at an ever accelerating pace, does not share that foundation.
REJECT THE MESSENGER
Sadly, many have foolishly rejected this message containing our desperately needed reliable directions due to their skepticism towards the messenger. The primary object of this skepticism has been Bruce Springsteen, who served as the actor in the Super Bowl LV Commercial. Initial skepticism here came from the view that, in reality, Springsteen isn’t the sort of person that he depicted in the commercial. That has been summed up in saying, “He appeared to be a Conservative, cowboy hat wearing, guy from the heartland. But he’s really a Liberal, earring wearing, guy from New Jersey.” Additionally, since the airing of the commercial, it came to light that Springsteen had recently been arrested and charged with a DWI during a visit to New Jersey’s Gateway National Recreation Area. As a result, the commercial’s sponsor, Jeep, had the commercial removed from YouTube. Although the level of skepticism towards Jeep has not been nearly as intense as the skepticism towards Springsteen, the fact that this was a commercial that Jeep paid for has also detracted from the message being taken seriously.
RECEIVE THE MESSAGE
From my perspective, none of the skepticism outlined above has merit. Springsteen didn’t write the commercial. He was just the featured actor. I’d add that it’s unlikely he took the role because he needed the money or that he wanted more fame. Maybe he just thought it was a great message and he wanted to endorse it. Likewise with Jeep. Yes, it was a commercial that they paid for and no doubt, they hoped it would reflect well on them as a company. But, the only Jeep models featured in the commercial were models from the past, not current models. Maybe they, too, just thought the commercial contained a great message they wanted to endorse. Regardless, in order to get out of our present circumstances, the U.S. is in desperate need of the “reliable directions” contained in the message of this commercial. Even if this message had been delivered by the sort of objects of loathing that I described earlier, we would be absolute fools to reject the message as a result.
The video shown below is the devotional from January 26th, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Ruth Wiram
WELCOME
Hello! My name is Ruth and I would like to share with you Today’s Good News, Ladies Edition!
INTRODUCTION
I want to read to you a poem entitled Judge Not
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp–
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade..
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, ‘What’s the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.
‘And why’s everyone so quiet,
So somber – give me a clue.’
‘Hush, child,’ He said, ‘they’re all in shock.
No one thought they’d be seeing you.’
PROMISE
The Bible promise we are studying today is found at the end of the verse in 1 Samuel 16:7.
The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
We tend to judge the character and worth of others by looking at outward appearances. If a person is tall, good-looking, and nicely dressed, then he or she possesses physical qualities that we generally admire and respect.
But God has the unique ability to see inside a person.
God knows our true character because He “looks at the heart.” Moral and spiritual qualities are far more important to God than outward appearance.
The heart in Scripture is a person’s inner moral and spiritual life. The heart is the core, the inner essence of who we are. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart. And the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
My hope and prayer is that when God looks into our hearts, He sees hearts that are seeking Him.
GOD’S HEART
But, how do we seek God With our Whole Hearts?
This is a work of the Holy Spirit. And I definitely don’t have it all “figured out”! So, if you feel me; like you’re lost in a sea of worldly distractions, and you don’t know how to seek God wholeheartedly, rest assured you are not alone.
There are three things we can do to seek God whole-heartedly.
OUR ATTITUDE
One is to approach God with an attitude of fear, reverence, awe and worship.
Do you ever stop and think about how amazing it is that God created you? That He knew you even before you were born? God created us for a relationship with Him, and He desires our full devotion and adoration.
The second thing we can do to seek God whole-heartedly is to cultivate a humble and repentant heart.
Since we know God is worthy of all praise and glory, we should seek Him with humble hearts. We have all sinned and fallen short of His glory, and yet He gave His only Son Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins. So, if we’re to seek God honestly and openly, we need to confess our sins regularly, repent, and make a sincere effort to turn away from them.
This brings us to our last point; which is to lean on God’s grace.
As we’re seeking God, it can be tempting to try and accomplish things in our own strength, like trying to love difficultpeople, or being more generous with our resources. But at the end of the day, we find ourselves still falling short.
I can’t tell you how many days I’ve tried to pray continually, or love my neighbors, or stay focused on Jesus, but felt I was failing miserably. What I realized is that I was TRYING to do all those things, without seeking God. It’s only when I make a point to come to God first thing in the morning and throughout the day, that I can do these things. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And I can also rest in His Grace and not feel guilty for the areas where I fall short.
If our aim is to genuinely seek Him, we WILL find Him.
Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
The video shown below is the devotional from January 18th, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
WELCOME
Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News.
INTRODUCTION
Presently, Today’s Good News is doing a series on Old Testament Promises. The focus of today’s lesson is 1 Samuel 16:7 which involves the subject of outward appearance. Before looking closely at that verse, I want to share a non-Biblical story to help us get the right perspective on this topic.
One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church wearing clothes that were ragged and worn, though they were spotlessly clean. The church was in a wealthy area and the attire of the congregation reflected that. No one welcomed the old cowboy or even sat near him. As he was leaving, the preacher approached him and said, “Before you come back, please ask God what He thinks would be appropriate attire for you to worship here.” The old cowboy said he would do that. The next Sunday, he showed up wearing the same ragged clothes. Once again, the congregation completely shunned him. This time, when the preacher approached the old cowboy, he said, “I thought you promised to ask God what He thinks would be appropriate attire for you to worship here. “I did,” replied the old cowboy. “What did He tell you?” asked the preacher. The old cowboy answered, “Well, sir, God told me that He didn’t have a clue what I should wear. He said He’d never been in this church.”
Have you ever been to a church like that? I have and I’m very thankful that Calvary Chapel Rosarito is very much the opposite. I hope and pray that it always will be. But, the story does give us a very clear illustration of how judging by outward appearance can be so wrong.
Now, let’s take a look at today’s Scripture to see what it has to say about outward appearance and to see what we can learn from the promise that Scripture holds.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
GIVE US A KING!
These are instructions God gave Samuel as He sent him to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s Sons to replace Saul as King. Before Saul, when Israel was straying from God, He would send nations to conquer them, to get their attention, then He would send a Judge to save them. When Samuel was getting old, he intended to set up his Sons as Judges, though they did not walk in his ways. But the Elders of Israel rejected that, insisting that they have a King, like other nations. That displeased Samuel but, in 1 Samuel 8:7, God told Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” And, in verse 9, He went on to say, “However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” When Samuel gave that forewarning to the people, he gave them a long list of negatives that they could expect from having a King rule over them instead of God. At first, Saul’s reign went well for the people, as he sought to obey God’s will. Eventually, though, he ruled according to his own will and God’s forewarnings came to pass.
THE KING’S APPEARANCE
When Samuel anointed Saul as King, it was obvious that his outward appearance played a part in Saul being accepted as King. No doubt, warning against making that mistake again is a goal of 1 Samuel 16:7. But, greater than God’s warning to “not look at … appearance or … physical stature” is the promise included in the reminder that, instead of that, “the Lord looks at the heart.”
THE KING’S HEART
In following the instructions of 1 Samuel 16:7, Samuel anointed David as King. What are the first things you think of when you think of King David? Goliath? Bathsheba? Absalom? For me, first and foremost I think of him as “A man after God’s own heart”. But what does that mean?
We know that it doesn’t mean that David was morally better than everyone else. Bathsheba, who we just mentioned, is a great example of that. The meaning that can easily be missed from man’s point of view is that David had a heart that was willing to be compliant with what was on God’s heart. That included choosing David as the first ruler to sit on the throne of God’s everlasting kingdom, foreshadowing Jesus in many ways. His life pointed forward to the Messiah, the Son of David, who would come to be our Savior and King. That is the great promise included in the reminder that, “the Lord looks at the heart.”
GOD’S HEART
And, that promise holds a great lesson for us about how we can be men and women after God’s own heart. It doesn’t mean that we are sinless but that we are seeking after God, that our hearts are open and submissive to God, and that when we do sin, like David, we confess and repent. Our hearts really matter to God. And, if we truly become men and women after God’s own heart, He can and will use us, as He did David.
In writing this, I intend to speak to those who I believe still represent the vast majority of Americans. That is those who love America more than having their views on every political issue being fully adopted … more than their hatred for those whose views differ from theirs … more than their desire to get their “pound of flesh” from those who have opposed them, especially those who have done so in an unscrupulous way.
To help our perspective on this, I’m going to start with a Biblical illustration. I think you’ll agree with me that it’s fitting. It’s from the 3rd and 4th chapters of The Book of Esther. This Scriptural story takes place when most of the Jewish people remained in Babylon under the rule of King Ahasuerus, though they had been given permission to return to Jerusalem. The King had made an evil man, named Haman, his second in command. Haman hated the Jews and he convinced the King to issue a decree to annihilate all the Jews. At that time, neither the King nor Haman knew that the King’s beautiful and much beloved Queen, Esther, was Jewish. Esther was unaware that this decree would apply to her too and if she had any thoughts of how she might save the Jews from annihilation, it wasn’t apparent. Knowing this, Esther’s Uncle, Mordecai, who had raised her as his own Daughter, confronted her with this message:
“Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:13(b)-14
The polarization in the U.S. seems to have reached critical mass. Without intervention, it may well result in civil war. It strikes me that, most Americans, who love their country, may be finding themselves in a similar mindset about this as Esther did about the decree of King Ahasuerus to annihilate all the Jews. With that being the case, the logical question then is, “How do we constructively apply Mordecai’s admonition to Esther, to result in the urgently needed intervention with America’s acute polarization?”
American Civil War Cemetery
ESCAPE?
Part One of Mordecai’s message was the admonition, “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.” There is also truth in that for all Americans today. Perhaps due to our rich history of meeting and overcoming monumental challenges, it’s not uncommon for Americans to think of themselves as invincible. From our beginning, in our Revolutionary War, we took on and defeated Great Britain, then the world’s greatest superpower. And, arguably, America’s greatest victory was in WWII, emerging victorious over the Axis, a coalition of nations bent on world dominance who were, initially, vastly superior in their military preparedness. Somehow, with this invincible mentality, we tend to ignore the military engagement in which the most American lives were lost … the American Civil War. A war in which, since it pitted American against fellow-American, it was impossible for America to emerge victorious. In this conflict, 618, 000 American lives were lost. It nearly fulfilled a proclamation that had been made a quarter-century earlier by the man who was U.S President during that war, Abraham Lincoln. A paraphrase of this proclamation says,
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we lose our freedoms it will be because we have destroyed ourselves from within.”
Paraphrased from Abraham Lincoln’s 1838 speech at the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois.
In large part, thanks to Lincoln’s great leadership, though it came incredibly close, America managed to avoid destroying itself from within via civil war. But, it should serve as proof positive to all Americans that it’s very unlikely for us to survive a second American Civil War in the 21st century. So, like Queen Esther, we need to understand that this would have a dreadful effect on us all and we all should be deadly serious about it.
PERISH?
Part Two of Mordecai’s message, another admonition, was, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.” Here, too, there is similar truth in that for all Americans. In fact, without even trying to listen too closely, you can hear it in the news right now. For quite some time China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and others have been watching events in the U.S. like a hawk, just waiting for opportunities to pounce. That’s been especially true since the tragedy of the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021. The “relief and deliverance” that would come from any of these sources for the American people would mean the utter end of “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave”.
HOPE?
Part Three of Mordecai’s message was an admonition containing a note of hope, saying, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” My greatest aspiration in writing this is to motivate the vast majority of Americans, who I defined earlier, to take it to heart that we are in a time that could easily lead to the demise of the land we love and to recognize that, “For such a time as this”, we must commit to individually doing our level best to avert this impending disaster.
Obviously, with all this said, the outstanding question each of must have is, “What can I do, as an individual, to positively impact our staggeringly overwhelming circumstances?” Well, I don’t have all the answers but I do think it’s helpful to start with the attitude expressed by answering the question, “How do you eat an elephant?” That answer is, “One bite at a time”. But, even with that mindset in place, the initial question remains and as stated above, I don’t have all the answers. However, I believe those answers can come to us through some serious introspection. To give an example of what I’m suggesting, below, I’m offering an approach, both for the Right and for the Left, that could help in healing our land.
FROM THE RIGHT
Consider that you may have developed tunnel vision about “Stop The Steal”. Certainly, there were irregularities in the November 3rd 2020 election. They all need to be investigated and fixed. But continuing to insist that it’s what cost President Trump reelection is not realistic and doing so is counterproductive. The key factor contributing to President Trump’s 2020 Election loss was President Trump himself … more specifically, it was his egotistical behavior in response to all the hatred aimed at him. I, first recognized this following the first Presidential debate. At that time, voting had not begun and there was a legitimate set of undecided voters. Most of them were considering whether they should vote for a guy whose administration had accomplished many good things while he sometimes showed that he could behave like a jackass or vote for a guy who seemed well past his prime and represented old-school politics. Disappointingly, in that debate, President Trump provided a stunningly clear reminder about his tendency to behave like a jackass and most of those undecided voters moved away from the President. From that point forward, that erroneous direction of the President’s ego just picked up steam, rolling like a juggernaut. It culminated in the Capitol Riot of January 6, 2021. I don’t know what was in President Trump’s heart leading up to this event. I don’t believe he meant to incite a riot. But, I do believe he should accept responsibility for, following the November 3rd 2020 election, allowing his ego to set his followers on a volatile course, with very destructive potential. Whether you fully agree with me or not, continuing to beat the “Stop The Steal” drum and denying the President’s role in the demise of his own presidency is counterproductive. It’s time to accept this, to be as supportive of the new president as possible and to work toward more productive ways of effecting Conservative views.
FROM THE LEFT
Consider that you may have developed tunnel vision about President Trump and his supporters. As a case in point, consider that you don’t know what was in President Trump’s heart leading up to the Capitol Riot of January 6, 2021. Certainly, you can hold the view that he should accept responsibility for the ego-driven failed leadership of his supporters following the 2020 Election. But, impeachment is not justified. It only demonstrates the hateful desire for revenge and it’s unlikely to succeed. Continuing to pursue it is counterproductive. Concurrent with this event was the meeting of the Electoral College. At that meeting, a number of Republican legislators posed challenges to the legitimacy of the election results in several states. As a result, there has been a movement to take punitive actions towards these individuals. But what these lawmakers did was fully constitutional and in fact, similar challenges were posed by Democrats in several 21st century meetings of the Electoral College. Furthermore, while it may not have made a difference in the outcome of the 2020 Election, there were voting irregularities across the nation. The constructive approach here would be to call for a halt to the vindictive efforts against the Republican legislators mentioned and to call for investigating all voting irregularities and fixing their sources. It’s time to accept these realities and to look for the most productive ways of working with the half of the nation who don’t share your Liberal views, who are your fellow-Americans.
Post-Destruction America?
E PLURIBUS UNUM
Last May, in an article entitled Wounded Giant, in the early stages of the COVID crisis, I outlined how, in facing this crisis, Americans working together with one accord seemed to be creating an ideal environment for the healing of its great wound brought on by deep divisiveness on social issues. Obviously, we missed that chance. Over 12 years ago, in an article entitled The President Bush/Senator Daschle Hug – 7 Years Later, I pointed out how we had missed one of our greatest opportunities for that on 9/11, nearly 20 years ago. My prayer is that we all will take time for the introspection I recommend, on each and every issue. That we won’t miss this, perhaps our last, opportunity to heal our land. That we won’t make the scene depicted above, from the movie planet of the Apes, an inevitable reality.
OUR HEALING ATTITUDE
In order to assure that America avoided destroying itself from within, at the conclusion of the American Civil War, President Lincoln proclaimed the right attitude for our nation’s healing, in saying:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.“
President Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address (1865)
This is the same healing attitude we must adopt today, if we are to avoid allowing America destroying itself from within.
It’s not uncommon to hear people designate 2020 as the worst year in their life. I tend to feel that way myself. Realistically, when I look back over my 73 years, I recognize that there were other miserable times I wouldn’t want to revisit … times of family strife and loss, career disappointments, financial duress, etc. However, with that said, I am happy to see 2020 come to an end.
Of course, our so readily welcoming 2020’s departure presumes that 2021 will be a better year. But how certain is that? To gain a better perspective on that, I think it could be helpful to consider how 2020 was looking to us at this time a year ago and to assess how clear our crystal ball was.
2020 – LOOKING FORWARD
Team Oaxaca
At this time a year ago, we were pretty optimistic about what the year ahead held for us. Here are some of the highlights of our expectations:
Ruth had just received her Sentri/Global Entry Pass and since we had applied together in May of 2019, I expected I’d be getting mine soon. If you don’t know, this pass is very important to people like us who cross the U.S. border frequently. Without out it crossing can take hours … I think our worst has been 5 1/4 hours. With it, crossing usually takes less than 15 minutes.
We had made an offer on a condo in the resort community where we had been leasing a villa and we expected that, once the purchase of the condo was complete and our remodeling had progressed sufficiently, we would get into a regular routine of hosting friends and family in our new home
Likewise, we expected that we would regularly be visiting friends and family in the U.S., including a few special trips, e.g.:
A July getaway for Ruth’s birthday
A late September/early October getaway for Gary’s birthday/our anniversary
A Thanksgiving getaway
A Christmas/New Year’s getaway
We were excited about our plans to join in a nine day missions trip to Calvary Chapel Oaxaca.
And we were even more excited about our plans to join in Calvary Chapel Rosarito‘s semi-annual trip to Israel in November,
We planned to enroll in a two-week Spanish emersion course in Ensenada.
During MLB’s initial Spring Training, I secured four tickets for a mid-July Angels/Dodgers Freeway Series game at Anaheim Stadium. I planned to go with a CCR Intern, our Pastor and his Dad.
We expected that activities we enjoyed so much through our church (Calvary Chapel Rosarito – CCR) would continue and even expand. These included:
Helping with various church service needs as Missionaries on Staff.
Joining in Weekly Staff Meeting and Prayer.
Helping with a Mercy Ministry in Tijuana.
Leading CCR’s Seniors Group, Legends.
Joining in a biweekly Life Group.
Joining in a weekly Men’s Bible Study.
Leading a weekly Women’s Bible study.
Serving in the Connections Ministry during Midweek and Weekend Church Services.
Serving in the Prayer Corners during Midweek and Weekend Church Services.
Enjoying the Worship, Bible Study and Fellowship associated with Midweek and Weekend Church Services.
2020 – LOOKING BACK
Car Church Greeter – Gary Wiram
As they say, hindsight is 20/20. With 2020 now in the rearview mirror, we now know how it turned out. And we understand what circumstances led to the reality of the year and its significant difference from our expectations going in. Here is an overview of those differences for us:
Although Ruth got her Sentri/Global Pass at the very beginning of the year, my application remained Pending Review until May. Of course, by the time it was Conditionally Approved, the interview required to complete the process were significantly delayed. I, finally, had my interview on December 23rd and I should be getting my pass within the next couple of weeks.
We did complete the purchase of our condo but 2020-related delays meant that we didn’t take possession until July. And, we did manage for remodeling to progress sufficiently but getting into a regular routine of hosting friends and family in our new home remains in the future.
Visiting friends and family in the U.S. was pretty limited but we did get in a couple of special trips.
In July, we got away for eight days in Indio to celebrate Ruth’s birthday, sharing an AirBnB with Daughter Jill, her guy Chris and Grandsons Jake and Riley.
In late October we got away for a week to celebrate our anniversary with a visit to the Grand Canyon and surrounding area.
We chose to cancel our travel plans for Thanksgiving and we limited our Christmas getaway to a three day stay with friends in Huntington Beach.
We were able to join in the nine day missions trip to Calvary Chapel Oaxaca. It was the second week in February, prior to 2020’s craziness really kicking in.
Both the Israel trip and our enrollment in the Spanish emersion course in Ensenada were canceled.
Most significantly, activities we enjoyed so much through CCR were radically different. The ones we were able to maintain included:
Joining in Weekly Staff Meeting and Prayer.
Though we tried to restart CCR’s Seniors Group (Legends) when some things started to reopen, we put it on hold until some time in early 2021.
The weekly Men’s Bible Study was successful in restarting when some things started to reopen.
The weekly Women’s Bible Study converted to meeting online.
Worship, Bible Study and Fellowship associated with Midweek and Weekend Church Services was done online only at first. Then, that was supplemented with Car Church. Presently, we’re having in-person services but health-safety measures limit Fellowship along with ancillary programs and activities.
THE UNFORSEEN
Today’s Good News Devotional – Ruth Wiram
So far, somewhat presumptuously, we haven’t addressed the elephant in the room – i.e. What in the world caused the reality of 2020 to turn out so very different from what we expected?! The obvious answer is COVID-19 but that is really an oversimplification. No doubt that was the overriding issue but, at least for U.S. citizens, COVID-19 became intertwined with cultural matters, particularly politics and religion, to further impact society.
But, as my old high school football coach taught us, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And that resulted in some unplanned positive results. This included:
We were able to share our condo with a key contributor to the remodeling. He is a deportee and he was able to have his family come down from the U.S. to stay with him in the condo.
And, we have been able to make our home available to friends from Huntington Beach to use as their base as they lead a major construction project for the Calvary Chapel Church Plant in Otay Mesa.
Although the Mercy Ministry in Tijuana was on hold, we found that we were able to help those who are closer to us who couldn’t get out for groceries, etc.
As part of our effort to keep Legends connected, we formed Messenger and email groups who receive a Legends Daily Blessing … Daily Scripture with a related Worship song.
Helping with new service roles necessitated by Online Church and Car Church.
Contributing to a new program of five-minute daily YouTube devotionals called Today’s Good News.
Reconnecting with numerous friends and family via social media.
2021’s GAME PLAN
So, having considered how 2020 was looking to us at this time a year ago and having assessed the clarity of that crystal ball, how should that impact our expectations for 2021? Now that vaccines for COVID-19 are being distributed, I’d like to believe that it won’t be long until things return to “normal”. But, I recognize that may not be realistic. In fact, I’ve recognized that, for those born during and after this year, they may never know a time when people freely join in crowds attending various events. With that in mind, I’ve determined my resolution for 2021 to be optimistic in my hope for things to return to “normal” while anticipating the likelihood of a “new normal”.
So, what does that mean? To begin with, for me, that means striving to be more intentional about plans for the things that are most important to me. If you look at the Gary Wiram – Editor page on this blog, you’ll clearly see that my life’s priorities are: Faith, Family and Community. Here’s how I see this year’s intentionality applying in each of those categories:
FAITH – Considering 2020’s expectations for this category, the primary goals were:
Supporting CCR in ministering to its flock and sharing the Gospel with the community.
Supporting CCR’s Church Plants.
Continuing to build ourselves up in the faith.
Intentionality with the goals of our faith seem pretty straightforward here. That is, look for opportunities to safely do these things hands-on but expect that we may may need to continue to do them virtually and in some cases, to find new ways to do them virtually.
FAMILY and FRIENDS– Our primary goals here have been to share our time, our love and our blessings with our loved ones.
Intentionality with these goals seems straightforward too, with one key difference. While looking for opportunities to safely do these things hands-on and expecting that we may need to do them virtually, bear in mind how COVID-19 became intertwined with cultural matters and be proactive in not allowing that to happen.
COMMUNITY – Our key goals here have been to become more and more a part of the community and in doing so, positively impact the community.
This may be the category where intentionality may be the most difficult. But, while it may not be as straightforward, it will be important to continue to look for alternative ways to accomplish what “normally” could be accomplished hands-on. The one thing that is a bit more straightforward, however, is working to remove a roadblock to our becoming more and more a part of the community … removing our language barrier would be huge. So, while our plans for enrolling in a Spanish emersion course in Ensenada may not return as a realistic opportunity, we need to embrace other ways to become conversant in Spanish.
2021 – THE CLEAR VIEW
Proverbs 16:9 tells us “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” And, Isaiah 46:9(b)-10 tells us, “I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.”
During 2020, I realized, perhaps more so than any other time in my life, the importance of daily looking to God for His guidance. I’m determined to hold even more firmly to that wisdom, going into 2021. I recommend that to you all.
During the 2020 Christmas Season, Calvary Chapel Rosarito provided devotionals every weekday under the heading of Today’s Good News – Christmas Edition. The video shown below is the devotional from Wednesday, December 9th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
WELCOME
Merry Christmas! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Glad Tidings.
INTRODUCTION
Glad Tidings. Now there’s a phrase you don’t hear much. It’s an Old English phrase that was common in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although you will find it used in the King James Version of the Bible, in my lifetime, I’ve mostly heard it used in connection with Christmas. Since its meaning fits right into today’s lesson, we will be taking a closer look at that. First, let me tell you a story about missing the mark with the meaning of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, a man went out to buy his wife a gift for the next day. Being short of money, he was unsure about what to buy. He decided to try the cosmetics area in a department store. He asked the salesgirl there, ‘How about some perfume?’ She showed him a bottle costing $150. ‘Too expensive,’ he complained. So, she returned with a smaller bottle for $100. ‘Still far too much’, he growled. Then, becoming annoyed at the man’s attitude, she offered him a tiny $20 bottle. He became really agitated. ‘What I mean’, he snarled, ‘is I’d like to see something really cheap.’ So the sales girl handed him a mirror.
GOOD NEWS
The meaning of the phrase “Glad Tidings” is “Good News”. Although the story of this cheap man is amusing, it’s actually pretty sad when you consider how lost that message has become in the way many celebrate Christmas.
Our Scripture for today is Matthew 1:22-23. Please open your Bibles to these verses. Let’s read them and consider them together. – “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’”
This Scripture References Isaiah 7:14, that says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” And this Scripture concludes by telling us that “Immanuel” translated is “God with us.”
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?
But wait a minute, don’t we see God being with people throughout the Old Testament after the fall of man? He spoke to Noah about the ark. He spoke to Moses from the burning bush. When Israel was wandering in the wilderness, God went before them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Why is this “God with us” such a big deal?
To help understand this, let me share a personal story with you. In my favorite job ever, my mentor was a VP based on the East Coast. I benefited from lessons he would share with the company through various media. I gained more from him through phone meetings that we both joined in. But it was most meaningful for me when he visited the West Coast. His spending time with me in my office, with my clients and prospects, riding together, dining together, etc, was, by far, the most helpful and the most rewarding for me.
My gaining from my mentor through knowing that he was there for me and even hearing from him, wasn’t enough for me. I needed to connect with him person-to person. In the Old Testament, we hear man crying out for that level of relationship with God time and time again. One of the best examples is found in Job 9:32-33 when Job laments the impossibility of his being able to commune directly with God. He says, “For (God) is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together.Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.”
God’s response to this, our lonely cry, was to reach down to earth, in the flesh of Christ, to be with us, to assure us that we are not alone. Whether we’re suffering through: unemployment, a death, divorce, bankruptcy, poverty, illness, etc, “Immanuel” means that God is with us in such situations; understanding our pain, our anger, our fear, etc. “Immanuel” means that understanding these things, God surrounds us with His love, His presence, and His Spirit.
That answers the question, “Why is this ‘God with us’ such a big deal?” And, it gets us back to the story of the man who was missing the mark with the meaning of Christmas in shopping for some cheap perfume for his Wife. If I were asked to sum up the rich meaning of Christmas in one word, it would be “Immanuel.” It captures the mystery and the miracle that is Christmas. The Almighty God, who crafted the galaxies with His bare hands, the Eternal Word, Who always was and always will be, came to Earth in the form of a helpless baby. For God, it was not enough for Him to remain in Heaven and love us from a distance. No, He sent His Son to walk with us, talk with us, teach us about Himself, and show us His great love in a personal and intimate way.
HIS GRACIOUS GIFT
Immanuel. God with us. What an incredible gift?! What a marvelous Christmas gift?! That is the meaning to have in mind when we say “Merry Christmas”!
So, let me say to you all, Merry Christmas. And for us all, that is Today’s Glad Tidings!
