A little text I received

I’m doing something very different this week. I am really sharing what’s on my heart right now. I took time to think about it but this isn’t a big pastorry word, an exegetical sermon. It’s just what’s up.

About a year ago, I got a group text that said something like come home after school we need to talk. At that exact moment I also got a message from God,

everything changes now.

For years, I have known and been grateful for how wonderful and blessed my family life is. I live in a house with a lot of people, I call my family. They are amazing, loving, hard working. While I’ve helped many of you see God in the midst of problems, dealt with many problems at work, my family has not had many crises. I’m not bragging, I’m testifying of God’s grace and blessing.

But God promised to never leave us nor walk away from us, He didn’t promise a life without loss or hardship.

When I received that text last year, God told me at the exact same time, that my time of hardship in my family had come. He said,“Everything changes now.”

Last year my mom learned she had leukemia. She was told that if there was no treatment she would have weeks to live. She chose treatment, because it would be experimental and allow a wonderful doctor and his team at UC Davis to perhaps increase the life of many who will come in the future.

Many did that for my mom in decades past. They sacrificed there lives to come up with better treatments for breast cancer and she fought breast cancer twice! And won, but this leukemia came about most likely because of the treatment for breast cancer that gave my mom an extra 30 years of life!

I want you all to know, what my mom wants you to know. She has the attitude of Christ Jesus about death, which we can find in the Bible.

Philippians 1:20–24 NLT

20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

Seriously, this is an acknowledgement that when the focus of our life is to do what God wants we are blessed with being part of God’s work. We are a blessing to others. We also face hardships that when we are with Jesus we no longer will face.

Thankfully we have had a great year as we walked through many hardships. God is with us even in the crisis. My mom and I have had some incredible conversations. I can tell you though, as many of you know, Leukemia has not slowed her down in praying for you, in being a vital person giving wisdom out, encouragement and mostly praying for you when you didn’t know it.

Yet if it’s not one thing, it’s another. And

This week was a hard week

And God is still in the another. The week prior my mom was diagnose with an infection. Her condition going down and fast. She rebounded last weekend. She was here on Sunday and was thrilled to welcome my brother and his family to our home this past Monday and Tuesday. I think Monday was the happiest I have seen mom in a long time with her two boys families under in the same house.

But when your over one thing, then there is another, and God is still in the another.

Friends, Tuesday was horrible and amazing. I began the day with a school meeting at 7:30 am and ended the day with an incredible time as we welcomed hundreds of people here. We worked hard with the Hmong Church to bless our community.

Today I have prayer requests that were gathered that night.

I typed them up and I ask you to take one. People reached out to God through us. Some left phone numbers, if you would be willing to call or text those people come see me and I will give you the numbers. God gave us a calling here and if what I just said inspires you, come see me and I will give those numbers and some advice.

It was incredible. We had people of all colors from all many walks of life. Wonderful.

I couldn’t be with my brother or mother because I had responsibilities to be here, responsibilities to the Lord. Besides this is where my mother and brother wanted me to be.

Yet when I got home I learned that my mother was taken by ambulance because of a returned fever.

On Wednesday we began having another discussion of this may be the opportunity of her death. This is why I sent the text to all of you.

The beauty of cancer for me, with all it’s horribleness is, it isn’t usually sudden.

Not like a car accident or stroke. There is precious time, but the end time is known only to God.

As many of you know, cancers can cause things in the body to shut down suddenly.

The valley of the shadow of death, is still a place where God is at.

Many of you have reached out to my mom. I know she has sent back texts when she is strong enough to do so.

This week didn’t stop for me. There were very important meetings and a Christmas display to build. Plus, as this disease goes, as I speak to you today, the infection is coming under control. She is still receiving treatment. Honestly, I do not know the time, I just know that I’m grateful to Christ for her life now, and it isn’t time for me to pause yet.

I promise you church. I will pause when it becomes clear that God desires me to pause and gather my family. I will pull back from doing church, from doing school work, from the important for the even more important.

So Where is God?

I told Phil this Saturday as we worked. I could focus on the saddness. I have cried a lot this week. Yet, in all of this, honestly, I am healthy. I am blessed. In my hurt, God is holding me together.

It has me reflecting a lot on the situation of the person who wrote the verses that we say every week before our sermon. The verses about how we are to live. The same guy who wrote the verses about living is Christ and dying is gain.

That guy is Paul. He wrote these verses all these verses while under arrest for following Jesus. He thought he would like be murdered by the government because He loved Jesus. And he wrote,

Philippians 4:4–8 NLT

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

That guy above all other guys could say following Jesus sucks, it got me in jail. It got me about to be killed. Instead he says rejoice! Another word for rejoice is celebrate. In the midst of the pain, he says rejoice.

He even says to be kind to everyone. Considerate. That is the opposite of attacking others trying to make them feel the crap that you feel.

Is he not in touch with his feelings?

He is in jail, and about to be executed.

Is he high?

No, he isn’t. He also isn’t worried. He isn’t relying on himself. He gives direction. He says I take all my requests, all my needs to God.

But instead he talks about joy, peace, praise. There is no talk of anxiety for him because His hope comes from the Lord.

If anxiety is deep in your life, I want you to find these verses and write them on your wall, look at them everyday, Tattoo them to your soul.

He tells us the answer is God’s peace. It is beyond understanding. It is a miracle.

Do you want a miracle in your life? Do you want peace? Philippians 4:4-8

My hope came from the Lord this week. God used you to send that hope.

I asked for prayer. I got back prayer and love.

I got so much support. Thank you, many hit home with just a heart or a prayer hands.

Even A good friend sent a text with a bible story.

He told me to remember the Men who held up Moses’s arms. If you don’t know this story, it is from the Bible. One of the great first leaders of God’s people was Moses. Moses was leading the people in a war against a family of a man named Amalek

Exodus 17:8–13 CSB

8 At Rephidim, Amalek came and fought against Israel. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.” 10 Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 While Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 When Moses’s hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army with the sword.

Moses was a leader who got tired. God structured the day so that the only way the army would win is if Moses held his hands in the air. This wasn’t a my football team only scores if I sit on the couch backwards thing, this was a direction from God. Why?

It appears for the purpose of showing God’s people that it wasn’t all on Moses. It was on them Moses needs support. He can’t do what God has called him to do on his own.

When I got that text from my friend, He told me, I and my friends, will be the men who hold up your arms at this time. We will be there for you to lead God’s people.

I was overwhelmed and all I could say is,

I promise to wear deodorant.

Sorry needed to say that line there. Many of you reached out and said let us know what you need. We are praying for you and others of help.

Many of you have been in this position yourselves. You know that this question also comes with work.

What does it mean to lift my arms?

I am so grateful for people asking how can I help. I know that some people offer because they know it is the right thing to do. It’s a nice thing to say, like how are you doing? Or “praying for you” or other nice things but hoping that no request is coming.

Yet I know my friends that there are a couple of different types of ways people behave at this time. There are people’s who won’t do anything for themselves. Tell sob stories to everyone and use others. Always asking for help or telling better stories to get help, because they don’t want to do the hard things for themselves. Honestly these people are rare, unless your in a caring job like me, than you see them a lot. But most people are not this way.

A lot of people never want to ask for help. Help requires payback in their mind or weakness. Honestly that is true. The only reason a responsible person needs help is they can’t get it done themselves. All of us have things we can’t do ourselves.

Moses couldn’t keep his arms by himself. He was weak. But the army couldn’t win without Moses.

One of the greatest pleasures of walking with Christ is helping those who need help. Whether they be incredibly wealthy or incredibly poor; lots of friends or loaners. It is amazing to give when a person is in need and give in such a way that the only person I am giving to is Jesus. I might be helping out Jane, but I’m doing to take on the attitude of Jesus, I am giving to Jane as if I am giving to God.

I will not rob you church of this opportunity. I will ask you for help. My family will ask for help.

so what do I need.

My dream- The church to be the church

That’s it. Read or listen to your Bible, the book of Acts or the book of Philippians and ask God to help you live this way.

Pursue how can you, who you are, how you are, the way that you can talk or can’t talk, the way you can go out or the way that you got time, who you, what does God desire for you to do to serve him.

One of our greatest servants here in the church is a person who sends birthday cards. Only needs addresses and birthdates.

Many of you do things here without title or even being asked. I need you to seek these times of callings out.

Seek out showing love to God by showing love to others. Go after it.

And at times you will actually show a lot of love and not even realize it’s impact. Not even see it. Love God and Love others.

I need something else.

I need you to sign up for stuff.

Don’t wait to be asked. That takes a lot of work on my part to recruit. In fact, it’s most of my work. Just go for it. You want to help your pastor, sign up for stuff on the app. Contact the person who your supposed to contact. Go out of your way and see this as the great act of holding your pastor’s arms up. Your saving countless hours of trying to figure out how to get enough people to help. Do it quickly, do it with a great heart.

I need something else, right now. I need this.

I need you to forgive the past, serve in the now and pray for the future.

I have heard from many reminiscing of life before Covid. Or life 10 years ago. Or how much more active you used to be.

Your not done yet.

Philippians 3:13–14 CSB

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

My friends forgive yourself, your church, me for what didn’t happen in the past. Allow the fact that Jesus died for our sins the things we did and the good we didn’t do, to sink into your heart. Allow the forgiveness of God to help you realize that is over now, Jesus still loves you. But now is now.

If we don’t serve now, then tomorrow, whenever tomorrow comes we will be saying the same problems of today.

You might not be able to do the same today as you could yesterday. Your service then wasn’t then because God needed you, He allowed you to serve because He made what you did even better. That is still true today. If you can only lie in bed and answer phone calls, you might be the greatest and most important person to the spiritual health of the church at this moment. Because right now, that is my mother. She is currently holding my arms doing just that.

You might be able to spend the majority of your Saturday pounding in poles and digging ditches like Phil did yesterday.

You might be able to sit in a chair and tell people about Jesus like Karen, Kenny, and Frances did.

You might serve in so many ways like Helen is doing.

You might be able to let people know your brother needs to be visited like Rochelle did.

My friends this is church, be the church, be the church without being asked.

If you ask me, how can I help you pastor,

Do this ...

Philippians 2:2–5 HCSB

2 fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,