Hello.  Remember me?  Some people call me Old Glory, others call me the Star-Spangled Banner, but whatever they call me, I am your Flag, the flag of the United States of America.  Something has been bothering me, so I thought I might talk it over with you—because it is about you and me.

I remember some time ago, people would line up on both sides of the street to watch the parade, and naturally I was leading everyone, proudly waving in the breeze.  When your daddy saw me coming, he immediately removed his hat and placed it against his left shoulder so that the hand was directly over his heart—remember?  And you, I remember, were standing there, straight as a soldier. You didn't have a hat, but you were giving the right salute.  Remember your little sister?  Not to be outdone, she was saluting the same as you, with her right hand over her heart—remember?

What happened?  I’m still the same old flag.  Oh, I've added a few more stars since you were a boy, and a lot more blood has been shed since those parades of long ago.  But now, somehow I don't feel as proud as I used to feel. When I come down your street, you just stand there with your hands in your pockets.  You may give me a small glance, and then you look away.  I see children running around you shouting, they don't seem to know who I am.

I saw one man take his hat off, then he looked around, and when he didn't see anybody else take off his hat, he quickly put his on again.

Is it a sin to be patriotic today?  Have you forgotten what I stand for, and where I have been?  Anzio, Guadalcanal, Korea and Vietnam?

Take a look at the memorial honor rolls, and see the names of those patriotic Americans who gave their lives to keep this republic free. When you salute me, you are actually saluting them.

Well, it won't be long until I’ll be coming down your street again. So when you see me, stand straight and place your hand over your heart, and I’ll know that you remembered. I’ll salute you by waving back!

- Author Unknown

Lest we forget!  13-May-10

For several weeks now, while reading the Word, I have been noticing various accounts of what takes place when the “Wind” blows or becomes active. Obviously, living in Kansas we are well acquainted with wind.  

My spiritual dad and his wife (Rev. Irvin L Rattan and Bertha Mae Leeds-Haven Rattan - “Mom” Rattan always enjoyed giving her full name when introducing herself).  She and “Dad” Rattan were traveling across Kansas on one of their many trips.  Stopping to get gas at a station in western Kansas and while the attendant was servicing their car, which included checking the oil, washing the windshield, checking the air in the tires, Dad Rattan was holding his hat on with one hand and trying to pay the attendant, Dad asked him “…Does the wind blow like this way all the time in Kansas?”  The attendant replied “…No, it blows the other way some of the time.”   Well, this just the way it is in Kansas!

As a kid I remember forming kites out of sticks tied together - making a cross, then stretching string around the sticks then cutting newspaper and pasting it with flour and water paste, tying pieces of cloth to make a tail and setting out to fly them.  Most of the time, we would succeed only IF the wind was blowing.  Those were post-depression days and not much in the way of money, so we would be creative in what we played with. 

Jesus talked about the wind when He was with Nic, saying something like:

“Hey dude,” "Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.’ "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" (John 3:7-9, NASB)

 Common reasoning was not really taking place here.   Being born again is very much like that since “it” is an experience a person KNOWS happens but difficult to explain.  Over 65 years ago I made that decision and  just knew the Lord had forgiven me of my sins and made me a new creation.  How? I don’t know, but He did.   

Our weather forecasters can tell us the wind may be changing direction but they cannot tell us how it happens.  So, think about things that affected by the wind.  In the “olden” days the windmill pumped water into tanks for the livestock; now we have turbine machines popping up all over the country generating electrical power;  and we have seen the effects the wind via tornadoes; hurricanes; blizzards in many parts of our country.

            Spiritually speaking, we believe the “winds” of the Holy Spirit are blowing.  Hopefully in our personal lives, in our homes, our churches and we certainly must have the Holy Spirit blowing over our political system.  We are reaping what we have NOT sown in our schools.   Politicians deeming it “unlawful” to read God’s Word in the classroom, or our students who want to include God or Jesus in their speeches, or children describing Biblical stories for class work are not being allowed to… So we are seeing the effects of the unholy winds blowing.  When will we say “enough is enough?”

BLOW, HOLY SPIRIT, UPON ME, ON OUR FAMILIES, SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, AND GOVERNMENT TODAY!

13.Mar.10

Knock, Knock, Who’s There?

Occasionally you will still hear someone make a “knock, knock” joke.  Remember “Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Little ol’ lady.”  “Who?”  Reply, “I didn’t know you could yodel!” 

Recently in my Bible reading time, I found myself visualizing the scene in the Book of Acts where Peter had come to himself, realizing the Lord had sent an angel and delivered him. It was not a dream!  So he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where a prayer meeting was taking place.  It was during this time of prayer that a knock came at the door of the gate.  Rhoda must have been the closest to the door since she was the one who answered it.  I can imagine a voice came behind her, “…Rhoda would you answer the door?” Maybe a question like “Who is at the door?”  So looking through the “peep” hole, she sees Peter standing there and in amazement she probably said something like “…you won’t believe it is Peter!”   However her reaction was one of gladness and in her excitement she did not even open it, but ran and told them who was knocking on the door.

“When Peter was come to himself, he said, now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, 'Thou art mad.' But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, 'It is his angel.' But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, ‘Go show these things unto James, and to the brethren.'’ And he departed, and went into another place."  (Acts 12:11-17) KJV

Remember this is a prayer meeting taking place and quite probably on their prayer list was the name of Peter.  Pray for his protection, pray for his deliverance, pray that he’ll be a witness, even praying for his release.  Praying with faith for the Heavenly Father to answer, yet not really believing in their hearts that it might actually take place.  It was a “prayer meeting surprise.”

I know of many times of praying for things that IF it happened, we would be much like Rhoda, responding with unbelief that the answer came so quickly.  Oh, I know we often give a glib response of “if our faith was just strong enough … or… it is not serious enough for God to answer… or… maybe we knock just once and leave without continuing to knock. 

It was Jesus who said “…ask, seek and knock.”  (Matthew 7:7)  What a promise!  We found this to be true when we made ourselves available to the Lord, after our “retirements.”  Little did we know that when we asked the Lord to use us that it would be in a number of different villages in Alaska, and eventually becoming pastor of the church in Klawock, Alaska.  We sincerely wanted the Lord to use us and He did beyond measure!  Living with the Natives of the “far north,” from the southeastern tip to the tundra of western Alaska!  Southeast is very beautiful while the western portion has its beauty in a different form.  Flat as Kansas with very few trees, mostly tundra scrubs. 

The Lord provided our needs every step (maybe I should say mile) of the way.  We will never know the impact we had on the southeast Indians and the Eskimos in the remote villages on the Yukon River. 

Pray, pray without ceasing for the troubled area of Haiti, and your neighbors next door.  We never know when someone will come “knocking” on our door.  Let’s be ready to open, without surprise, and help in any way possible. 

Peter had to shake himself to reality, thinking he was in a dream.  Let’s each stay in an attitude of prayer, whether in our prayer closet, on bended knee at church, in our Sunday school classroom, or even behind the wheel of our cars. Let’s each pray with expectation!

BELIEVING PRAYER IS THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS TO DOOR OF HEAVEN!

January 22, 2010

15-Oct-09  Summer is over. Fall is upon us.  In many areas of the world "...the harvest is past" and people have prepared the soil for the next crop, whatever it is, and have settled in for a long winter. Here in Kansas the corn and milo have been harvested, and the pheasants have taken shelter, as hunters invade their habitat. Me?  I‘m not a hunter or a fisherman or a golfer; probably best describe me as a "retired" couch potato!

At our home church we’re busy with our annual "Missions Festival" and there will be a number of missionaries from around the world coming to share their burdens and experiences of their field of labor.

Of course you know that my mind immediately goes to the great northern mission field of Alaska. Recently we received wonderful news from our missionary friends, Terry & Danean Hull (www.voicetothevillage.net) and Austin &Jennifer Jones, who are resident missionaries in Emmonak. Late in August Pastor Jones invited an evangelist to come and minister, using the city auditorium for the services. During the 4 days and nights of revival, many good things happened. Pastor "AJ" reported that a third of the village attended and there were 83 people who came forward for salvation!  PTL!  And... Wow! Wow!  Wow!

Emmonak is primarily a Catholic community where many locals are fearful of even going into the Assembly of God Church. The walls are coming down, and God is doing what no man has been able to do. Our hearts rejoice with Pastor Jones, his family, and the church family there.

Daniel vs the Lions

I’ve been reading in the Chronological Study Bible about the man called Daniel and the den of lions. The king had his helpers who plotted against Daniel to find fault in him. But finding none they proceeded to devise a plan in which they would "trap" him. During these events Daniel did what he was accustomed to doing, praying daily. He knew that King Darius had signed the decree. He went home, opened his windows in his upper room, knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed, giving thanks before His God ...remember... as was his custom.

In reading through these verses, one particular verse stood out to me. “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.” Daniel 6:10-11 (NASB) The King James tells us “...they found him praying.”  In our day and age I wonder what they would have found us doing?

Our pastor encouraged people in our church to be in prayer during the week prior to the beginning of the Missions Festival. His goal was to have people praying throughout each 24-hour period by signing up. I didn’t sign up but find myself in an attitude of prayer through the day, during the early morning hours and prior to going to bed.

Now back to Daniel and the den of lions. You know the story. King Darius couldn’t sleep after having Daniel placed with the lions. He went out early the next morning and called out to Daniel and, hoping above all hope, telling Daniel that “...Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you. Yet the King wanted Daniel to answer him when he called. Daniel responded to his call by declaring “...My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths.”

For you and me, let’s simply declare our trust in God, knowing that come what may, He will send His angels to open or close doors on our behalf and “close the mouths of lions,” as it were, to provide for us.

Marge and I both graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons, Kansas. Our school mascot was of course a “lion.” Our nearest challengers were the Sterling “bears.” It didn’t matter what the sport, football, basketball, track, tennis, band, the Lyons Lions were always the greatest, at least this is what we thought!

For best results, team efforts are always better than individual effort, but it takes the individual efforts to produce team results! 

Click here to watch a video of Ray Boltz singing "Thank You" to Billy & Ruth Graham on YouTube.com.

Some of Pastor Howard's favorites.