The War is Over

Hiroo Onoda, who died on January 16, 2014 at the age of 91, was the last Japanese soldier to leave the Philippines after World War II was over.  Lt. Onoda held his post on the remote island of Lubang until 1974 - 29 years after the official end of the war. During this time he and his comrades killed over thirty Filipinos still believing them to be the enemy.

Lt. Onoda refused to believe the war was over even though leaflets declaring this (he believed they were enemy propaganda) were dropped on his island. It was not until his former commander made the trip from Japan to Lubang island did he understand that he had been fighting a war that had ended years before. After his commander officially relieved him from duty, Lt. Onoda met President Marcos in Manila, presented his sword and surrendered. President Marcos returned his sword and issued a pardon for the men he had killed after the war had ended.

Hiroo Onoda received a hero's welcome when he returned to Japan. When interviewed about those 29 years and asked what was on his mind during that time, he said, "Nothing but accomplishing my duty."

It is possible to admire Hiroo Onoda for his commitment to duty for his country but it is also a reminder that his purpose during and after the war - up until the time he understood the war was over - was to kill his enemy.

Satan and his demons have been waging war against God and His soldiers for thousands of years. There is no honor in their fight - only evil. They continue to fight a war that has officially been won by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Bible tells us that the war is over, but they refuse to quit or surrender, continuing to bring death and destruction until they can do no more harm. Unlike Lt. Onoda, there will be no pardon.

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool (Hebrews 10:12-13). Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war...He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses (Revelation 19:11, 13). "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matthew 25:41).

New Life for Broken Things

 Nash Statesman Super 2-Door Sedan, ca. 1950 | date 2011-06-29 | author Nbastian210 - outside Iowa store 

Reality television series featuring "pickers" who travel through their country looking to buy antiques and collectibles have become popular in several countries: Canadian Pickers in Canada, Aussie Pickers in Australia, Salvage Hunters in Great Britain and American Pickers in the United States.

As an antique lover, recycler and thrift conscious person, I enjoy watching American Pickers. It is very interesting to see what Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz discover as they go through people's old barns, homes, out buildings, storage sheds and property. They will climb through unstable attics and go under collapsed buildings in order to pull out a treasure or two for their Antique Archaeology stores.

Mike and Frank introduce themselves at the beginning of each show, saying, "We travel the back roads of America looking to buy rusty gold. We're looking for amazing things buried in people's garages and barns. What most people see as junk, we see as dollar signs. We'll buy "anything" we think we can make a buck on. Each item we pick has a history all its own and the people we meet? Well, they're a breed all their own. We make a living telling the history of America...one piece at a time."

Everything they uncover had value at one time. Believing it would be useful or decorative, someone bought or made the item. Some of the people they "pick" have their collections displayed and continue to enjoy them. Others have items buried so deeply the guys have to dig through a lot of other stuff to find them.

Uncovering these old things and using them in new or even original ways restores these items to usefulness. As Frank said in one episode, "Broken does not mean useless." He knows someone somewhere can see beyond the broken parts and either make it whole again or use it just the way it is.

So much is disposable today. Our landfills are full of disposable containers and items people no longer use. In an ever increasing throw away society, it is refreshing to know some people are working to salvage or restore items rather than get rid of them.

God is the ultimate restorer - our Redeemer. Vance Havner (1901-1986), a well known preacher and Christian author, once said, “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”

God knows the potential of usefulness in each of us. Sin and circumstance can break us down, but when God recreates us through His Son Jesus Christ, we are better than before.

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Read about Vance Havner and download his free book, Reflections on Prophecy, on vancehavner.com

Dead Ends

When driving or riding with someone else in a car, I have noticed several "dead end" situations.

The road I am on may intersect with another in which we are able to turn right or left onto a new road. The end of one road leads to another one. Those roads are not dead ends, but simply a place where a choice needs to be made.

Sometimes the end of the road is a dead end. There is no way to go beyond it. The difficulty may also be magnified by the fact that it was a one-way road. You cannot turn around.

These roads are marked in various ways in different countries. Terms used on highways might include dead end, no exit, no through road, not a through street, or no outlet. In some cases the signs are just drawings indicating a dead end.

Where residential areas have been built with limited through traffic (sometimes a circular design) the term used is cul-de-sac. The no through traffic design results in more privacy in the neighborhood and potentially a safer environment for children.

Some dead-end roads are adjacent to a highway. They are very short roads built for the large construction equipment to park while the road is being built. These are of short term use and have no function after the road is built. They truly are dead end roads going nowhere.

Unless one pays attention to the signs leading up to the dead end roads, you can inadvertently wind up on the end of the road with nowhere to go - a real dead end.

During life, people come to many roads where important choices need to be made. Until death, there is an opportunity to make the right choice - to turn to God through Jesus Christ or to continue going in the wrong direction heading toward hell - the ultimate "dead end". Putting off that choice is a choice in itself. Death often comes as a surprise with no time to rethink the decisions of the past.

There is only one way to heaven and that is through trusting Jesus Christ. Through His sinless life, sacrificial death and resurrection, He paved the road for all believers to join Him for all eternity. Any other path literally leads to a spiritual dead end. There is no way out.

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

The Necessary Ingredient for Washing Dishes

Many homeowners in America have an automatic dishwasher in their kitchen. I don't. I have had one in the past but I don't miss it. Many of my dishes don't fit in a dishwasher and my pots and pans are supposed to be washed by hand anyway. 

I do have one good looking dishwasher I really appreciate - my husband!

Over the years of washing dishes by hand, I have learned the value of soaking dishes. I run a sink full of water while I am cooking and try to keep the dishes washed up but it is not always possible to finish them. Sometimes it is necessary to leave them until a later time. Maybe we have company and we just want to sit and visit. Maybe we eat dinner and then sit down to watch a good movie. 

If I do need to wait to wash dishes, I make things a lot easier for myself if I leave them soaking in water. When I neglect to soak them, food hardens and becomes difficult to remove. It takes more elbow grease, time, detergent, cleansing powder and/or scouring pads and sometimes frustration to clean dishes that have not been soaked. I learned that lesson the hard way. Although I don't mind washing dishes, I do mind spending more effort, time and money than necessary.

Volunteer washing dishes at Our Father's House soup kitchen

Whatever method you use to wash dishes - automatic dishwasher or hand washing - it takes water to get them clean. Advertisers claim their best automatic dishwashers remove caked on food from the dishes, usually with better or more water jets than other models. If you wash dishes by hand, soaking them accomplishes the same thing.

Like dirty dishes, we are caked with the grime and dirt of the world. Occasionally, I have heard someone say they were reluctant to come to God because of some evil they had done. Embarrassed, they wanted to get cleaned up first. 

We don't come to God because we are clean. We come to God because we need cleansing. Only God can remove the sin in our lives. Through Jesus Christ, the Living Water, He did so. Those of us who trust Him as Savior and Lord get the cleansing we need. 

Without Him, we remain filthy. In Him we become clean and pure.

But we are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV). Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."... "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"..."If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (John 4:10, 7:38, 1 John 1:9)... just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27 NASB).

The Best Free Gift Ever

There is sometimes a little letdown when Christmas is over. Family members go home and the house feels somewhat empty. The decorations need to be put away (not nearly as fun as putting them up). There is a possibility that some of the gifts need to be returned - either because they don't work, you can't use them, you already have one just like it or it doesn't fit.

The opposite might also be true. If you have received a gift card or money for a Christmas present, now is the time to be able to choose something you really want or need for free. Redeeming the gift card or spending the money after Christmas often stretches your money because there are many after Christmas sales which are deeply discounted.

Everyone likes something free. The gifts you received didn't cost you anything. You may have gotten something you have been wishing for and because it is something you would not have purchased for yourself, it is a true luxury. Some of my favorite belongings remind me of Christmases past and the thoughtfulness of a loved one.

Regardless of what you received this Christmas or past Christmases there will be a point where you will no longer use it. It will either wear out or you will leave it behind when you die.

The best free gift ever offered and received will never wear out or be left behind when you die. It was the most costly gift ever because it required the Son of God to die on the cross for your sin. Our free gift cost Him everything. His sacrifice enables you to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. 

Just like the gifts you got for Christmas, the only thing you have to do is receive this gift. As He offers it to you and you receive it by faith, you are able to have fellowship now with Him on earth and forever with Him in Heaven. If you have not received this most precious gift, why don't you do so today? "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).*

This post is duplicated on my other blog, http://stretchmoney.wordpress.com as well. After the publication of my book, Money: How to Be Rich Without It and How to Stretch It Using Ten Hints from the Past and the Technology of Today, I started that blog to share hints on how to stretch your money. As I try hard to give advice on how to obtain what you need for free, this post was also appropriate for that blog. Jesus Christ offers the best free gift ever!

Modern Devices and the Loss of Eye to Eye Contact

According to a 2011 New York Times article, there is an interesting trend among young people. If forced to make a choice teenagers would rather have the internet than a car. Staying connected to friends via a smart phone is a priority. "The iPhone is the Ford Mustang of today," according to Thilo Koslowski, an automotive analyst. "Mobile devices, gadgets and the Internet are becoming must-have lifestyle products that convey status."

What this study reveals confirms what I see on the streets. Everywhere I look someone either has their cell phone to their ear or is looking down at it. With their gaze fixed on their IPhone, they are checking social networks or looking for the nearest restaurant.

Recently a news report showed a man who nearly ran into a bear who had wandered into his neighborhood. The man did not see him until he nearly bumped into the bear. He had been texting on his cellphone.

Teenagers have even been caught texting in church - sitting next to each other!

Parents used to say, "Look at me when I am talking to you." With texting, Facebook and smart phone usage so common, this is even harder than it has ever been.

Before smart phones and the internet, people frequently stayed connected through personal visits - made possible by trips in those automobiles which are now rating second place among young people.

Technology has brought incredible advantages that do make our lives easier. I make use of many of them. There is nothing wrong with email, texting or smart phones. I travel a great deal and keep up with family and friends through those means - especially SKYPE which gives me an opportunity to see as well as talk to my grandchildren. However, the trend away from eye to eye contact and face to face conversation makes me uncomfortable.

Certainly there are many ways to communicate. Not all means of communication have to be face to face to be productive. God has used many methods to get His message across to His people - angels, prophets, a burning bush and even a donkey.

There is nothing like eye to eye contact and a personal encounter, however. God chose to meet us face to face through His Son, Jesus Christ. His eye contact was penetrating. So penetrating that people would rather avoid His gaze than be confronted with their own sinful nature. That's what happened to Adam and Eve after they sinned. They hid.

Standing face to face with Jesus not only causes us to confront our own sin, but to realize that His deliberate personal participation in an imperfect world was to redeem those who would believe in Him. Those who have seen Him are never the same.


He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised and we did not esteem Him (Isaiah 53:3). But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." And immediately while he was still speaking, a cock crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter (Luke 22:60-61).