Facebook Friends

To all my friends on Facebook: Thank You for blessing my life!

I’m conservative about who I allow as a friend on Facebook; I only “friend” people I know in real-life. Because of this I am continually blessed by all my wonderful Facebook friends. They encompass a wide spectrum of humanity… singles, couples, working, retired, professionals, family, spiritual mentors, and many brothers and sisters in Christ. The following is by no means an exhaustive list… of some of the people I know on Facebook… and of some of the ways they bless me:

To all my friends who are singles… thank you for sharing your mercurial ups and downs, selfies that you will probably regret one day, bar adventures, ball games, concert pictures, Vegas weekends, and latest crushes. I may not agree with all of your life choices, but I love your enthusiasm and love of life.

To all my friends who are couples… thank you for the never-ending stream of kid pictures. Keep them coming, as I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen every possible shot of kids at Disneyland, water parks, or the beach. Actually, it’s pretty amazing to watch your kids grow up… with so many facets of their lives covered by social media.

To all my friends who are working… thank you for full coverage of seminars, retreats, and business conferences. Finding you in conference pictures brings back fond memories of “Where’s Waldo.” It’s great to see you in happy poses with co-workers, but trust me when I say that dissing the boss or the company you work for on a public forum WILL come to a bad end.

To all my friends who are retired… thank you for the constant flow of grandchild pictures, snowbird travels, and strange bucket list doings. I suppose I’ll be right there with you if I ever get to retire. Since I swore I’d never go back to the refrigerator box under the overpass, I’ll probably be working well into my nineties!

To all my friends who are professionals… thank you for not wasting my precious Facebook time with constantly asking me to LIKE your business, professional organization, or inappropriate website. Actually, I know that you are far too busy recommending skills for each other on LinkedIn to update your Facebook much anymore.

To all my friends who are family… thank you for constantly inviting me to share your Farmville or Candy Crush addiction. Thanks for posting disturbing pictures of me at raucous family gatherings! Happily, since virtually all of these cell phone portraits are blurry, I can easily disavow any association, and clearly claim mistaken identity. Exceptions include the stunning pictures my daughters post of themselves, their husbands, and my amazing grandsons; photographic genius! Like, like, like, like!!!

To all my friends who are my spiritual mentors… thank you for planting seeds in my life. I love you for never giving up, for getting a message to me, for faithing on, and for calling me to harvests. You bless me in ways you may never know. Thank you!

To all my friends who are brothers and sisters in Christ… and know that you cover the entire spectrum of people I call “friends”… thank you for your encouragement, your edification, your love, and your prayers. More often than you know, you are a light in the darkness for me.

So, wherever you fit in my list, thank you for being in my life. Thanks for the good and the not-so-good, the amazing and the mundane, and thank you for adding light, color, and interesting texture to my life.

With much love and many blessings,

YBIC,

Dave

Sticks and Stones… (Part 2)

More on how words can label us…

Satan is always whispering in our ear how we aren’t good enough, how we have failed, and how we should expect to be rejected. Watch, and listen to, this powerful video by Matthew West, called:

“Hello, My Name Is…”



Next time Satan tries to slap a negative label you, look at the name tag God has given you and remember that you are a…

Child of the One True King!

YBIC,

Dave Hoag

Sticks and Stones…

Our words have power to encourage, to heal, to crush, or to wound. God warns and instructs us of the power of words; time and time again. Are we paying attention, or do we just let words fly from our mouths? Check out this song from Hawk Nelson about words. I’ve included the lyrics (below) just in case you can’t play the video for some reason, or… if you like to ponder over the poetry like I do.



Let my words be life.
Let my words be truth.
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You.

YBIC,

Dave Hoag


Words
By Hawk Nelson

They've made me feel like a prisoner
They've made me feel set free
They've made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a king
They've lifted my heart to places I've never been
They've dragged me down back to where I began

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart
Or put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

You can heal the heartache
Speak over the fear
God, your voice is the only thing
We need to hear

Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our hearts
Or put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
Let the words I say
Be the sound of Your grace
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

I want to speak Your love
Not just another noise
I want to be Your life
I want to be Your voice

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You
Back to You
Let the words I say
Be the sound of Your grace
I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

Words can build us up
Words can break us down
Start a fire in our hearts
Or put it out

I don't want to say a word
Unless it points the world back to You

Status Update

I read so many posts about friends, relatives, relatives of friends, and friends of relatives who have been told the end of the world is coming. Well... they've been told the end of THEIR world is coming. Doctors diagnose cancer and then give them the number of days, weeks, or months before the end of THEIR world. How devastating this is for all concerned: patient, family, and friends. Everybody is suddenly living with a countdown calendar of death to the end of the world. It turns out that the doctors are often wrong, especially for people of faith.

I’m posting the following from Greg Laurie’s weekly column in a Spirit-led effort to encourage those who are living a countdown calendar of death to switch to looking for the return of Christ instead. Read Greg Laurie’s entire column to discover how this change in perspective can lead to a happy, joyful, and purposeful way to live.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave Hoag

Status Update

By Greg Laurie

According to the Mayan calendar, 2012 was supposed to be the year the world would end. I was amazed at how some people actually were concerned about this, though they disregarded the one reliable book that predicts the future – not once, not twice, but hundreds of times with absolutely accuracy. They will completely blow off the Bible and instead pay attention to the Mayan calendar.

There were also a lot of articles and blogs written last year about what to do if the end of the world is coming. Here were a few ideas:

1.  

End your diet immediately.

2.   Park wherever and however you want.
3.   Resolve to hit the gym tomorrow.
4.   Listen to “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” by REM.
5.   Throw out that bucket list.
6.   Make a lot of noise in the library.
7.   Touch everything that has a “Do Not Touch” sign in the museum.
8.   Order 4,500 pizzas and give one to every stranger you meet. (I liked this one.)
9.   Leave the toilet seat up.
10. Go to the store and buy 2013 calendars. They are probably on sale.
11. Find a Twinkie.

I went out on a limb and dared to say that the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar was not going to occur. But the Bible does have a lot to say about the last days and about the imminent return of Jesus. There are 260 chapters in the New Testament, and Christ’s return is mentioned no less than 318 times in those chapters. Statistically, one in every 25 verses mentions the return of Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself spoke of this often. He said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38 NKJV). He also said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2–3).

When I became a Christian in 1970, the Jesus Movement, as it was called, was in full swing. A lot of young people were coming to Christ. There was a lot of talk about the soon return of Jesus. It was very common to see bumper stickers on cars with slogans such as, “In case of Rapture, this car will be unmanned.” There were many stickers that said, “Jesus is coming!”

I don’t know how many of those I have gone through since then, but quite a few. Still he hasn’t come. Some people would say, “You are all wrong. Maybe he is never coming.”

But here is what the Bible says in response to that: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

Peter continues on and says, “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise. … Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live” (verse 10

Peter was emphasizing that if you really believe Jesus is coming back, then it should impact the way you live. And if it doesn’t impact the way you live, then you are completely missing the point. So how should we be living?

We should be watching for him. Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV). As we look at what is happening in our world today, we can have our Bible in one hand and our tablet or newspaper in the other and see how Bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes.

The Middle East is a powder keg. It could blow up at any time. There is an outbreak of excessive acts of violence in our culture like we have never seen before.

We should be ready to go. When I go on a trip, I always pack my bags the night before, especially if it is an early morning flight. I will always have everything ready to go. I want to be to the flight on time. So I prepare ahead of time. In the same way, we want to be ready to go when Jesus returns.

And to be ready for the return of Jesus is to be engaged in activities you would not be ashamed of if Jesus were to come. It is a good thing to ask yourself periodically, “This place that I am about to go, this thing that I am about to do, would I be embarrassed or ashamed of it if Jesus were to come back?” If the answer is yes, then don’t do it. We should be working.

The Bible says that faith without works is dead (see James 2:20). If watching is the evidence of faith, then working is the evidence of faith in action. Watching for the return of Christ will help us prepare our own lives, but working will ensure that we bring others with us. Jesus was saying there is a blessedness in living this way: “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Luke 12:37). Another way to translate the word “blessed” is “happy.” Happy are those servants. …

C.H. Spurgeon wrote,

“It is a very blessed thing to be on the watch for Christ, it is a blessing for us now. How it detaches you from the world! You can be poor without murmuring; you can be rich without worldliness; you can be sick without sorrowing; you can be healthy without presumption. If you are always waiting for Christ’s coming, untold blessings are wrapped up in that glorious hope.”

Looking for the return of Christ is not a miserable or repressive or confining way to live. It is a happy, joyful, and purposeful way to live.

Reposted from Facebook; taken from Greg Laurie’s weekly column at Worldnetdaily.com

Presence

I’m not a member of Newport Church, but their video is awesome.

PRESENCE from newport church on Vimeo.

Where is your presence important? Where are you moved, inspired, and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit? What community of Christ calls to you, and… will you answer with your presence?

YBIC, Dave

Ebenezer

Today, I was listening to the David Crowder Band song “Come Thou Font”, and I was reminded again of a word that I have never understood in the lyrics of that song. The lyrics are:

Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise mine Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I'm come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
   seal it for Thy courts above

Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
   seal it for Thy courts above
O Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
   seal it for Thy courts above


The word I was having trouble with was “Ebenezer”. In context, the line is:

“Here I raise mine Ebenezer”.

Now, just about everyone is familiar with Ebenezer Scrooge, but I was pretty certain that fictional character of Dickens was not what was being referred to in the song, so… it was off to the internet for some research. In a quick synopsis of 1 Samuel 7, here’s what I found:

Samuel and the Israelites were under attack by the Philistines. Fearing for their lives, the Israelites pleaded with Samuel to pray for them. Samuel offered a sacrifice to God and prayed for God's protection. God listened to Samuel's prayers causing the Philistines to lose the battle and retreat. After the victory Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen and called the stone Ebenezer proclaiming, "Thus far the Lord has helped us". Ebenezer means "Stone of Hope".

A stone… Samuel lifted up a stone to remind us that it is not by our strength, but by God’s grace and mercy that we are rescued from danger.

How often do the attacks of this world and the sins of others harden our hearts to stone? Now, every time I hear this beautiful song, I will lift my stony heart in HOPE to God in the firm assurance that He will bring me to victory over the Philistines in my life.

It is only by God’s mercy and grace that I am… your brother in Christ.

Dave

2012 Christmas Card (Part 2)

For a very long time, I have sent Christmas cards to good friends every year. Ever since I started making my personal Christmas card creations, I have included a card in a card. Silly, I know. This year conspired against that tradition in so many ways that it inspired change… and the following poem. So now there’s just a card, and… well, the following as an explanatory enclosure:

‘Twas the week after Christmas
 
by David Alan Hoag  --  December 26, 2012

‘Twas the week after Christmas; the month had been hard
And to my dismay, I’d mailed nary a card.
Insane overtime; all while singing “Rudolf”
Then (can you believe it?!?) my boss makes me golf!

Hang all of the house lights; no down-time for me,
Fetch stuff from the rafters then assemble the tree.
Untangle the tree lights that mess with my head
For once one bulb is fixed, the next one is dead!

The shopping, the baking; but then I needn’t boast
Except for a small bit, my dear wife does the most.
Now… boxing and wrapping… not something I do;
A small point of fact: My wife does all that, too!

Then grandkids arrive and things really get busy
With pick-ups and drop-offs, it makes one quite dizzy.
I’d describe every detail, but that would take years
And suffice it to say, you’d be quite bored to tears.

And Christmas IS NOT all the stuff that’s on sale,
Or staying on schedule with cards in the mail.
It’s sharing God’s message of LOVE, PEACE, and JOY
And God’s GIFT to the world… in a small baby boy.

You might think that I’m late with my message this year,
But, I say that I’m early with Holiday cheer.
When I say this is early, well here’s what I mean:
Merry Christmas to you… in two thousand  thirteen!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

2012 Christmas Card (Part 1)

Christmas is come and gone.

Since 1997, I’ve handed out my Christmas card creations to everybody that I can connect with. If you missed getting a card from me this Christmas at Messiah, it’s because I’m no longer partnered in ministry there. I still extend my Christmas message to everyone I see during this season… at the market, pumping gas, at work, at the post office… everywhere. This blog allows me to connect with a few other people, too. If you simply MUST have this year’s card in physical form, just email me, and I will send you a pdf file that you can print out, fold, and then hold in your hot little hand. For everyone else, here is this year’s Christmas card from me:

Front:

Seasons Rememberings...

 

Inside:

Seasons Rememberings

by David Alan Hoag  –  October 17, 2012

It’s hard to remember
This time of the year
Precisely why
We’re all wishing “Good Cheer!”

It’s hard to remember;
Is this the Season?
The Kwanzaa time,
For sharing and reason?

It’s hard to remember;
Is Hanukkah here?
Dreidels and food
And Menorahs appear.

It’s hard to remember;
Has Ashura passed?
I must recall
Did I mourn with a fast?

It’s hard to remember;
With reindeer and sleigh
Flooding the stores
Since before Labor Day!

It’s hard to remember;
Dozens of choices.
How can you choose
With so many voices?

Your heart can remember;
A star up above.
With a small babe…
God redeemed us, with love.

-------------

Merry Christmas to You!

Remember the peace, love, joy, and healing
that was embodied in the birth of a baby so long ago.

If we open our hearts, that spirit can fill us, too.

The real Christmas present
is the one many of us forget to unwrap,
and even if we do, we often neglect to try it on.

It’s guaranteed to fill any sized heart.

May Christmas bring you…
love, peace, and uncontainable joy
to fill your heart, and your New Year, too!

Dave Hoag

Transition

Transitions can be quite jarring when they are abrupt. One minute you are sailing along and everything is just fine, and in an instant everything can be turned upside down! Transitions are a part of life, and while we’d all like to be in control of our life transitions, we usually are not.

Last Sunday I left the ministry I had partnered with for close to 20 years. It’s strange and sad that I’m no longer a part of ministries and lives at Messiah, but God’s Holy Spirit has led me away. It is unclear to me, as yet, where God’s Spirit is leading me, but I will move forward in faith; embracing every opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus.

To all my friends at Messiah: I love you all and I’m already missing you all!

Not to worry, though, this blog will go on as before. I just won't have a link through Messiah's web site, and I won't be promoting events and fellowship opportunities as much. So bookmark this blog in your favorites as an easy way to find your way back in.

I’ll post more information on how this transition was thrust upon me in my next post in a few days. It'll be an interesting read, so subscribe now so you don't miss any updates.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

A Light in the World

My friend, Kathy Godshalk, died last week. I’ve known Kathy and her husband Ron since when we all worked together at Hughes Aircraft in the early eighties. On September 30^th, 2012, she succumbed to her 17-month battle with cancer. Kathy was an amazing woman who generously shared her talents, her love, and the light of her faith with everyone in the world around her. I feel a profound sense of loss with the news of her passing.  I will miss her smile, her hugs, her laugh, and the depth of her love; a love she shared with everyone… a love you were richer to have experienced.

Pastor Bob Mooney, a man of great faith, and even greater sensitivity, was with Kathy and her family at her last moments here on Earth. He has graciously permitted me to publish his thoughts of those few moments here:

“Yesterday afternoon the family and friends gathered around the bedside of Kathy Godshalk in ICU. Kathy is in her early 50's, married to Ron for 29 years, two great kids and a wonderful daughter in law. Kathy is a college math teacher and perhaps the sweetest kindest person I have ever met. My daughter described her this way, "Dad there is Mother Teresa, and just above her there is Kathy." We listened to the doctor compassionately tell us it was time to take her off the ventilator, stop the dialysis, and prepare to say our final goodbyes. He said he did not know how long she would continue to breathe on her own after that. We joined our hands and through the tears thanked God for Kathy's life, we prayed for her family, and that she would peacefully step into the loving embrace of her Lord, waiting on the other side to make her whole again, waiting to greet her with the words "well done, my good and faithful servant!”  Just As we ended the prayer and said amen, before anything had been disconnected, Kathy peacefully took her last breath and gently slipped into the loving embrace of her Lord. A beautiful life by our understanding taken from us way to soon. A woman of faith whose life we celebrate. In Africa they love to say, "God is good all time, all the time God is good". So today through our pain and sadness, through all the things we don't understand, through our anger and disappointment of a life taken to soon, we lean on and trust in a God of faithfulness, a God bigger than our questions, bigger than our anger, bigger than death, a God who walked with Kathy through all of her joys and sorrows in this life and who is embracing Kathy now in heaven, the God who has made her whole, and who promises to walk through this "valley of the shadow of death" with her husband Ron, her children Ryan and Kara, her parents , her brother, and all her family and her friends. Please continue to hold Ron, Ryan, Kara, and their family in your prayers.”

You can read more of Kathy’s background, and what her colleagues at Cypress College had to say about her at:

http://news.cypresscollege.edu/blog/201210.htm#KathyGodshalk

CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR KATHY GODSHALK

 

Saturday, October 13^th, 2012
Messiah Lutheran Church, 4861 Liverpool St, Yorba Linda, CA

 

Viewing: 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Memorial Service: 11:00 am
Reception: Following the service
Interment: 4:00 pm (family and close friends only, please) Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Covina Hills

 

Kathy is gone, and the world has lost a single light. But Kathy’s light shone so brightly, and with such love, that it has sparked innumerable new lights as she quietly changed the world, the people, and the hearts around her. My sister in Christ has left the world a more caring, a more loving, and a much brighter place. I celebrate your life, Kathy!

Your Brother In Christ,

Dave