God Has Given Us the Ministry of Reconciliation
                                                         by Linda Hokit​

“Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
(2 Corinthians 5:18 HCSB)

     I wore red, white and blue to church the Sunday of the Memorial Day Weekend, but I am not sure my intent was noticed or realized. It is a special and important time of celebration for me, first as the child of veterans and second as a missionary. I did not were a flag pin or a poppy until Monday, because I wanted to acknowledge that even with the sacrifices made, there are still people in countries unable to worship Christ safely and freely.  

     In respect to those who served in the military in my family, I will share that my father served in the Air Force and my mother in the Army. My father served in Germany with Occupation Forces. I have uncles who served in the Air Force and Marines in battle zones. A great-uncle served in the Army and died in the line of duty. So, when they sing the “Armed Forces Meledy” I standing a lot! So, we celebrated Memorial Day as Decoration Day. 

     Growing up around those who served in the military was a nature experience. We lived in places near bases and in places where people were influenced by that culture. Yet, I have no doubt that I learned things that influenced my work as a missionary.  The first profession, I considered as a high schooler was Military Chaplain. It did not work out at the time, but it would influence my future. Let me share a few examples about how that happened. 

     I learned early to be polite and respectful, for example by saying “Yes Sir” and “Yes Ma’am”.  That served me well when I moved to the South! It was comfortable for me to show courtesy in a way that was not only culturally appropriate but often expected. Because my father worked on a military instillation, we also learned to follow rules and protocols, because what my brother and I did reflected on him. So, no speeding on the base! My first job was a youth agency administrator. On my first assignment, I organized groups on two military-bases. 

Being a rule keeper is a good quality to show as a missionary as well. It helps us show consistency in our behavior as Christians living out God’s expectations and purposes. It was helpful for me when I went to a new place for missionary service as well. I was strides ahead of other missionaries who had never experienced different cultural practices or boundaries. It helped me merge into life in both the church and community quickly!

     Along those lines, we moved a great deal. Before I left home I had lived in California, Alabama, Mississippi, Alaska and Colorado and moved 25 times. After I left home I lived in Georgia (twice), Alaska (four times), New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Vermont. So, when I became a missionary, I was the person that was asked to go and quickly set up ministry for large special events. It was called Resort Ministry, which I explain by sharing that it is ministry to PEOPLE: Persistent, Evangelistic, Outreach to People on Leisure everywhere God leads of to meet them in His name.

     It also helped that in each place we went there were churches, sports program and Girl Scouting. So, when I was asked to serve as the director of the Winter Games Ministries during the Calgary Olympics or the director of the World University Games in New York, I was able to quickly learn the church and community culture. I would often find a church and then quickly start joining in clubs and community activities. Often, I would meet key people before I understand the value they would be to the ministry!

     Another thing that helped me was learning about the various cultures in each location. For example, in California I grew up around Mexican-Americans. To this day, Spanish is a language that is music to my ears! I don’t usually know exactly what a Spanish-speaker is saying but I am able to follow them enough to offer help. In Vancouver there are a number of people groups, but I was taken in by Chinatown. I became very comfortable worshipping in churches where I could not understand the language spoken.  
Likewise, during seminary, I went to classes with pastor from Korea and the Philippines. In these experiences, I learned to ask people to share their story.  Which of course, also opened the door for me to share as well.  When I was assigned the responsibility of supporting English as a Second Schools in Alaska as a ministry director, I already loved the people and had some sense for how to guide churches in helping them learn about American and God! 


     Finally, as a child I learned about respect. Respect for those serving in and with the military, whether that was in America or someplace else. I also learned to show respect to the flag and have been thrilled to teach children what to do when the flag comes by in a parade. One of my joys was looking up at a flag barrier in a parade who saw the children and smiled! Sometimes the smallest actions mean the most!


     In closing, remember we all have been prepared to share the story of spiritual reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). As the old hymn goes, “We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right. A story of truth and mercy. A story of peace and light. For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright. And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth. The kingdom of love and light.” (Hymn by Henry Ernest Nichol).

                              A Missionary being appointed to serve in a location with Unreached People (2022)




 

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By Joyce Pelletier
 
     I wanted to look at what God says about making plans. I like to plan and organize things. Always have and if I listen to God, He will give the sign to start planning and seek what He has to say.
 
      Proverbs 19:21 ‘Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.’ 
 
     Our granddaughter became engaged in the middle of May this year. What a delight when we heard the news. Aha! Time to start planning, but God says, just wait and I’ll tell you when.
 
     I am so guilty or jumping in when inspired. But when I realize God has nudged me to wait and see when other things are in place before I jump in for my take on things. She lives in Virginia and it is a daunting task to just pack a bag and go. 
 
     Details drag us back to our demands to get it all together. I am so excited for her to be planning her wedding. It’s a blessing for her to be allowed to enjoy every moment. Our only need is to wait for a few details to be organized in our life to change things, so it is possible to be part of this festivity When our kids were married, we had our turn to help them plan. Now is the time for the next generation to do this. 
 
     However, a few days ago, in the process we made our plans, so we are free to travel over 650 miles to be part of this exciting time. In the light of this, we have things planned with Physical Therapy, medical tests, and then there is Ollie to be taken care of. Ollie is our Toy Poodle who could not make this trip. He’s old and not physically well. 
 
     Then we considered the trip by plane or train. The plane won  hands down Either way it is difficult in our mid-80s. It was a bit challenging to process these plans. Now, the tickets are purchased, the plans are coming together, the  train got pushed aside and on the plane we will go. God will be with  us, and that is all we need. We talked about the plans but then realized we have not asked God for his input. We decided on the plane and thus it will be. Time is passing quickly and all I need to do is enjoy each moment as we go.

     Plans are made and now we wait, Not my best gift, but as I sit here, writing this, we're going to make it and it will all be good. God is in control. the plan for Ollie has not been revealed, and I want to ask God why, I hear a whisper of 'just be patient, it will all happen.' Timing is key. Does not my word say in Proverbs that we "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.' I can only live in this moment that God has given me. So, the planning stays idle until the right time comes. And it will come. Joyce must learn the best thing I can do is wait for God’s next direction. It will be there where I need it at just the right time.  I never realized how impatient I am, but as sure as God's presence is with me, He remains silent. When t he time is right the plans will take full tilt to the way it will go. 
 
     We knew that this exciting event was coming, and now that it is here, 
What does is say in Proverbs 16:9 ‘In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.’  
 
     As I finish up this blog, The Lord's will is being done and we will be at peace, as we remember, Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on the wings of eagles. They will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. Teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait. 

There’s only one thing that we need
By Kadeen Edwards

“And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.””
Luke 10:41-42

Martha, while having good intentions, was busy preparing food for Jesus. Mary sat at his feet. It wasn’t that what Martha was doing wasn’t good; it was… However, Mary chose what was best, and that was sitting at the feet of Jesus. Sometimes it’s better to choose what’s best instead of what’s good. Although serving Jesus and those that he called us to serve is good, sitting at his feet is best. There’s only one thing that we need, and that brings complete satisfaction and that is Jesus. Through him all things move live and have their being. Because of him all things exist, and without him, all things would cease to exist.  It says seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. Seek first the kingdom of God"means making God and His will the priority in every area of one's life, above all worldly concerns and personal ambitions. It is a call to align one's values, decisions, and actions with God's sovereign rule and moral standards. What I’ve learned is nothing in this world satisfies and I believe a lot of people find that out when they become extremely wealthy. Wealth is like dirt never satisfied Proverbs 30:16 the grave, the barren womb, the Earth and fire is never satisfied. The grave: It continuously takes the dead and is never full. The barren womb: It is always yearning for a child. The earth: This is the "dirt" or land that is not satisfied with water and is always thirsty for more. Fire: It consumes its fuel and never says, "Enough". Matthew 6 says““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

By Peggie Potter-Balaun
Matthew 19:14  Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to Me,
for of such is the Kingdom of God .
Matthew 18:6 But whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe
in me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be
hanged about his neck and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.

   Here in the Land of the Free and a declared Christian nation some evil "laws" were enacted during the 1960's that were not only unconstitutional, but downright satanic. Marxists, the ACLU, and Madalyn Murray O'Hair have Bible reading and prayer
removed from the public school systems of our Christian nation; a nation that
chose covenant with God and was founded upon the Bible and Christianity. We have been
in moral, financial, social, and governmental free-fall ever since. We have sown to the wind and reaped the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). Instead of teaching the children that they are Father God's special and unique and very much beloved special creation, they are taught they are "accidents" of evolution and that there are too many of them and that their existence is meaningless. Father God has a plan and purpose for each of their lives from the moment of conception (Psalm 139 13-18). The wicked powers that be want to drastically reduce our numbers. Father God ordered that "we increase and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it" Gen 1:28.
  Children have been shamefully lied to!  They are told that belief in God somehow makes them intellectually inferior: tell THAT to Einstein, Pasteur, and to Sir Isaac Newton-
all of whom believed very much in God ! They are told our founding fathers were evil
self-seeking robber barons. Revisionist history is one of the biggest and most destructive
lies being force -fed to our young people and has led to tragedies such as tearing down
monuments and staging violent protests that have no foundation in truth. Many parents
today who were force-fed these lies not only profess unbelief, they actively forbid their own children from learning about Jesus and His great Love for them. Children are even being lied to about their own genders-the very foundation of their identities !
   We must teach the children about Jesus , the Word of God , and His great Love for
them . It's a matter of life or death, for now and for eternity !!! 

By Kadeen Edwards

“And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,”‭‭ Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭46‬-‭48‬ ‭

Mary praised the Lord, even when she couldn’t see what the future would look like. She worshiped the Lord amid the chaos that surrounded her. Her betrothed Joseph was considering separating from her because she was pregnant. She was young and pregnant, and I’m sure many judged her. 

Yet Mary worshiped the Lord. Like Mary in those circumstances, we are called to respond with praise. It’s easy to worship when he blesses us with good things and things that we want, but there are some blessings that come from things we don’t want. The truth is God uses the good and bad. Hard times will shape us. It says in Romans 5:3 that  we  glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

 It’s hard to see the blessings in the trials while they’re happening; however, we can hold onto the fact that God is good, and something good will come from it. So even though we can’t see the goodness, we can praise him for his goodness and rejoice in knowing that all things work together for the good of those who love God and they’re called according to his purpose.

God came into this world in the most unexpected way. His ministry was one that was not expected by those who knew the Torah. They expected for him to come into the world with a great and grandeur entry. Instead he showed up helpless and vulnerable. Not in a great household or kingdom but in a dirty dinghy place where animals were kept. He showed up not to the high priest or Pharisees or Sadducees but to the unlikely the last the least, the lost and the lowest. 

Seek God in unlikely places.

By Dale Cawthon
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” John 15:1
This context of John 15 follows the Last Supper, in private preparation of what was to come – so they would not desert and stop believing. We can only imagine the possible discourse Jesus had with his disciples walking past the Herodian temple from the upper room to the Mount of Olives with its display of the vine as the Judaic golden national emblem. Around the end of the first century, John wrote his gospel to uniquely present Jesus, as God, His Father, and the Spirit. John’s gospel offers an apology for second and third generation believers in the formation of Christian theology facing both on-going Judaic tensions and competing Greek epistemological frameworks. The growing community of believers would be strengthened in remembering the true source of life is found in the continued progress in believing and remaining in Jesus Christ.

In a vineyard, there are two kinds of branches on the same vine.

Some were always there—grown from it, shaped by it, carrying its life from the beginning.
Others were brought in—cut from elsewhere, foreign to the root, grafted into a life they did not come from.
If you walk in the rows, you may not notice the difference. Both are attached. Both draw from the same source. Both can bear fruit. But their stories are not the same.
And yet, their future depends on the same thing.
Jesus says, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).
Not just a source of life, but the standard of it. Everything that grows in Him—whether original or grafted—derives its identity, nourishment, and fruit from that single reality.
The vine defines the branch.
Not the other way around.
For the original branch, abiding is natural—but not effortless.
It has always known this connection. But familiarity can dull dependence. What has always been available can begin to feel assumed. And assumption is a quiet threat…quiet contempt.
Because abiding is not sustained by history, but by continuing reliance.
For the grafted branch, abiding is everything. There is no history to lean on—only a decisive act of the vinedresser, placing what did not belong into what alone gives life.
The graft does not become part by effort, but by remaining where it has been joined.
Here is the word to both branches:
“Abide in Me” (John 15:4).
Abiding is not a feeling or a moment of clarity. It is a sustained posture of staying—refusing to disconnect from the source of life, even when other options feel more immediate or controllable.
The pressure to withdraw is real.
For the original branch, it is subtle:
to rely on what has always worked,
to draw from memory instead of present dependence,
to assume connection rather than maintain it.
For the grafted branch, it is sharper:
to return to old identities,
to reach for former sources,
to pull back from what still feels foreign.
Different pressures. Same threat: self-preservation.
But in the vineyard, self-preservation leads to separation.
Because life is not in the branch.
It is in the vine.
Jesus says, “My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).
The connection is not random or self-determined.
The vinedresser governs where the branch is placed, how it is sustained, and what is cut away.
He prunes.
Not to harm, but to deepen participation in the life of the vine.
This is where abiding becomes costly.
Pruning feels like loss. It exposes where you have relied on something other than the vine—your own understanding, control, or strength.
And when those are cut, the instinct is immediate: withdraw.
But withdrawal breaks the very connection that gives life.
Remaining—though it feels like vulnerability—is the only place fruit can form.
“Whoever abides in me… bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).
Not surface change, but transformation.
The branch does not strive to produce fruit.
It yields to the life already flowing into it.
Over time, something shifts.
The original branch deepens in dependence.
The grafted branch loses its sense of foreignness.


And the fruit begins to appear.
Not because the branch mastered the process--
but because it remained.

So, the question is this:
Whether you were always there or brought in later.

Are you remaining?
When pressure builds—are you staying?
When pruning cuts—are you trusting?
When the instinct to withdraw rises—are you resisting it?
Because everything in you moves toward self-preservation.
But life in the vineyard is not preserved that way.
It is received.
Sustained.
And expressed—only through connection.
Remain.
Because there is no other source of life
Readings: Psalm 80: 8-19; Isaiah 5:1-7; John 15:1-11; Galatians 5:1-26 (v.22); Romans 11:1-12:1.