February 17, 2009 by johngoetsch
It was August of 1973, and I was sitting on the back of my car in the driveway of 637 Atwood Avenue in Rockford, Illinois. Next to me was a young lady that I had been dating for three years. Her dad was putting the barbeque grill away in the backyard after a cook-out. We were talking about a variety of things when out of the clear blue came a question I was definitely unprepared to answer. “John, do you love me?”she asked inquisitively.
While we had been dating for three years, the “love” word had not yet been spoken. Did I love her? I was not sure. I knew I loved football. I was going back to college the next day for the start of two-a-day practices for my senior season. Oh, I loved football alright, but did I love her? I had no idea! After hesitating at the question, which is never a good sign, I gulped and said, “I don’t know.” While that was not the answer she was looking for, at least I was honest.
We often say that we love God. We use the word in our prayers, and we sing songs like “My Jesus I Love Thee” or “Oh, How I Love Jesus.” But what does it mean to love God? The Apostle Peter was very confident that he loved the Lord. In John chapter twenty-one, when asked if he loved Jesus, Peter vehemently stated, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” Knowing Peter’s heart, the Lord was not satisfied with his routine answer. Apparently there was something missing in the apostle’s love. A careful look at the passage reveals that there are four qualities to the love that God is looking for from us. Read more »
Tags: Love, Peter, Valuable
Categories: Christian Walk •
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August 4, 2008 by johngoetsch
Have you ever realized while driving down the freeway that you were going the wrong way? That five miles to the next exit seems like thirty as your mind begins to calculate the time you are wasting. That little gravel path in the median that is reserved for “official use only” looks pretty inviting, doesn’t it? Sure, it’s illegal but your time is valuable too, right?
Recently, I was driving north for a Thursday night service in Chico, California. I had tried to squeeze in a little too much work before leaving and was running a bit late but traffic was light, the weather was great, and I was keeping the cruise control on the speed limit as I made my way up Interstate 5. Around Stockton, I was needing to get fuel. Since I had driven this route countless times before, I decided to stop at a Flying J truck stop. Unfortunately for me, they had reconfigured the exit ramp since my last visit to this establishment, and so I found myself on a different road than I expected. But, praise the Lord, there happened to be a “Pilot” truck stop right there, so I pulled in and refueled both the car and my stash of snacks.
As I exited, I was a little confused as to how to get back to the freeway. As I approached a stop sign, I did not see any signs pointing me back to I-5, but I did spot the Flying J in the distance. I decided to turn in that direction to the right thinking that if I could get to that familiar spot I would be able to make my way back to the interstate. As I drove by the Flying J, I realized that in order to get back on the highway, I needed to be going the other direction. So, at the next stop sign, I simply made a u-turn. A few seconds later, as I approached the entrance ramp—you guessed it! Those blue and red lights were flashing as my criminal act had been witnessed by two of our finest CHP’s. After a twenty-minute delay I was handed a ticket with a fine of $142! I haven’t made a u-turn since! Read more »
Tags: Driving, God's will, Looking back, U-Turn
Categories: Christian Walk •
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February 1, 2008 by johngoetsch
Over the two million miles I have driven preaching revivals, I could count on one hand the number of times I have had a flat tire—that is, until recently. Over a period of six weeks I was able to practice my tire-changing skills three times! Culprit number one was a nice sharp screw that had embedded itself in the tread of one of Goodyear’s finest. Changing a tire is not really all that difficult, but when you discover the problem at the Los Angeles International Airport after an all-night flight, it can be a bit challenging.
The second and third flats were identical in the source of the problem. These tires “separated” on the inside. When they became hot, they leaked air very quickly. The first came at the end of an 800 mile day in the mountains of Colorado and the second on a desolate stretch of freeway in Arizona after 2,000 miles in thirty-five hours. As it was explained to me, there was a defect in these tires and when they became hot from continuous use, the problem was exposed.
I can tell you this: It does not matter how good every other part of your car is—if you have a flat tire, you are not going anywhere! Air is a plenteous substance and for fifty cents or so, you can use a machine at a local gas station and fill up your tires to the suggested amount. However, if there is a problem with the tire, the air escapes and you are grounded until the tire is fixed.
As Christians, we are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit is readily available to all who ask. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13) But while the Holy Spirit gladly empowers us for the road of life, problems from both within and without cause that power to seep out very quickly. Read more »
Tags: Filling, Holy Spirit, Sin
Categories: Christian Walk •
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May 7, 2007 by johngoetsch
I am glad there is still a Sunday in May on our calendars designated as Mother’s Day. The Bible sadly announces in Proverbs 30:11, “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.” While no mother is sinless or perfect, every single person ought to be thankful for the one who went through the travail of death to give us life! How shameful that we live in a day when many dishonor and disrespect their mothers.
Emerson once said, “Men are what their mothers make them.” Abraham Lincoln stated, “No one is poor who had a godly mother.” Evangelist Billy Sunday preached, “I don’t think there are enough devils in Hell to take a young person from the arms of a godly mother.” What a difference the right kind of a mother can make in a home, in a church, and in our nation! God seems to indicate that the last deterrent before a nation slips into total depravity is the righteousness of women. “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature” (Romans 1:26).
Personally, I can echo the words of the psalmist who said in Psalm 16:6, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” How thankful I am for a mom who never wavered in her faith, her convictions, her prayers, or her love for the Lord or for me. There were many times when I was not worthy of the time spent before God on my behalf, but I am thankful that while others gave up—she never did! There is no doubt in my mind that much of what is accomplished through my ministry can be attributed to the prayers of my faithful mother. Sometimes I hesitate to share my schedule with her because if she knows that I am preaching or driving, she will spend the whole night in prayer on my behalf. Read more »
Tags: Fruit, Holiday
Categories: Christian Walk, Holiday •
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January 15, 2007 by johngoetsch
Have you ever found yourself thinking: “I wish I had more time?” When flying back home from the East Coast, I have had the ridiculous notion—“This is going to be an awesome day! I gain three hours flying home. I have twenty-seven hours today to get everything done.” By the end of those days, I am glad the Lord, in His wisdom, only gave us twenty-four!
The story is told of an old Norwegian who kept very careful notes of his life in a series of notebooks. On his eightieth birthday he pulled all of those notebooks off the shelf and began to compute his life. He was surprised to find that he had spent five of his eighty years waiting for people. He has spent six months tying neckties, three months scolding children, and eight days telling dogs to lie down and be quiet!
Each week of our life brings us 168 hours. When someone complained to Ralph Waldo Emerson that they did not have enough time, Emerson responded with: “Well, I suppose you have all the time there is.” According to reports, the average person spends fifty-six hours a week for rest and recuperation. We spend approximately twenty-eight hours for eating and personal duties. We use forty to fifty hours each week earning a living. That leaves us with thirty to forty hours every week to use as we please.
May I challenge you in this New Year to set some goals with respect to your time for God. One wise man has said: “God has not bowed to our nervous haste nor embraced the methods of our machine age. The man who would know God must give time to Him.” Read more »
Tags: Investing, Time, To-do-list
Categories: Christian Walk, Investing •
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June 1, 2006 by johngoetsch
Most of you can remember what life was like in America before what has simply come to be called 9/11. And while we have become accustomed to living under a constant threat of terrorism, our lives are different since that infamous day. Nowhere is this more evident than at an airport. Long lines at security check points have become common place. After spending hours packing our suitcase, we now spend another hour unpacking it for intolerant people in TSA uniforms. “Take your lap top out of your bag…remove your shoes and jacket…take everything out of your pockets…have you boarding pass in your hand…etc.” You do meet a lot of new and exciting people as you put yourself back together on the other side of the conveyer belt!
Recently in Los Angeles, as I was approaching my opportunity to place all of my dangerous possessions into a plastic container, a lady in front of me called one of the security people over to where she was standing. As the TSA official approached this lady in her twenties, she reached into her purse and pulled out a metal contraption that had every kind of gadget you could imagine. It was something only a woman would think to have with her! It had a knife, a finger nail file, scissors, a screw driver,and a cork screw. I was thinking, “If our soldiers had had these things in Vietnam, history might have been different!”
The lady handed the “gadget” to the agent willingly and said, “Here, I know this won’t be allowed on the plane, please dispose of it for me.” The man looked at her rather quizzically realizing that this item was probably quite valuable. He kindly asked if she wouldn’t like to “check” it with her luggage. She said, “No, I shouldn’t have brought it —I knew better—just take it, it’s okay.” Read more »
Tags: Flying, Sin
Categories: Christian Walk, Sin •
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February 17, 2006 by johngoetsch
Our first President, George Washington, had a motto for his life that he endeavored to live: “Deeds not words.” Reading this, I thought about how simplistic and yet how important that our lives as Christians be characterized by that motto. James 1:22–24, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
Hospitals are important and wonderful places—when you’re sick! I am grateful for people in the medical professions who have dedicated themselves to helping people in difficult physical conditions. In many ways, it is much like ministry, in that it is people work, and those people have crucial and time-sensitive needs. I marvel at the dedicated professionals in this field who can walk into work; forget about their own problems; and focus on the needs of others for sometimes ten to twelve hours at a time.
Two days before Thanksgiving, my wife, Diane complained of some pain in her abdomen. She normally has a high tolerance of pain, has never really had health issues, and rarely takes so much as an aspirin! I could see from the grimace on her face that she was seriously hurting so at five in the morning we made our way to the emergency room at the hospital. The main door was closed due to carpet cleaning so we had to pry open a side door to get in. Once inside and completing the paper work, we were ushered back to a bed in the hallway. After a few hours and some preliminary examination, it was determined that she needed to have a cat scan to determine the problem. She drank the dye at 10:15 and was promised the exam by 11:00 am. Read more »
Tags: Holiday, Hospital
Categories: Christian Walk, Holiday •
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