Tag: Peace

Jun112018 by Dale Heinold1 Comment

Jesus Says Be Reconciled

Conflicts and wounded relationships are never fun. They gnaw at us and eat away our peace. These conflicts are like eating a super-hot pepper which taints all the good that follows. These wounds can even affect our praise and worship of God. Jesus says, “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (Matthew 5:23–24, NASB95) Welcome to our Jesus Says series. A fourteen-week look at twenty-eight commands of Jesus found in the Gospels. Previous entries of this series are on our website. Today’s Jesus Says is be reconciled. There are two “twists” in Jesus command. The first is the s

Jun212017 by Dale Heinold2 Comments

reThinking48 – A Beginning

Encouragment

Someone once reported after having cataract surgery that the world was suddenly brighter and more colorful. The dull film that clouded their vision was gone, and they could see the world around them as it really was. That same eye-opening, mind altering, joy-inducing experience is the goal of our next Lambchow Series. Philippians 4:8 is a well know verse to many that follow Jesus and will be our focus for this series. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8, NASB95) The contextual wrapper around this verse is peace. Context In the previous verses Paul provides some quick phras

Jun142017 by Dale Heinold1 Comment

Walking Through 1st Peter: Peace to All in Christ

Encouragment

Twenty-four weeks ago we began a journey. We opened Peter’s first letter to the persecuted believers of Asia Minor and chose to walk through it instead of rushing through it. Along the way, we noticed familiar verses and discovered new vistas. We watched as Peter returned several times to his main themes of suffering, triumph, and encouragement. Even in these last few closing verses, those same themes reverberate. Peter closed his letter in this way. “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that

Sep72016 by Dale Heinold2 Comments

Walking Through Philippians: Final Words

Encouragment

Four or five times in the past week we’ve received an unwanted phone call. You know how this works. Usually, around dinner time the phone rings. The person on the other end mispronounces your name and begins a scripted dialog designed to part you from your money. Sometimes their pitch is about the good that a group of folks has done like the police or veterans. Sometimes it’s a guilt-trip to help an organization fight cancer or some other disease. To be honest, I hang up on them as soon as I figure out what they are up to. It’s not that I’m stingy or unwilling to give, but I don’t trust or know the folks on the other end of the line. In a way, Paul’s letter to the Philippians is a response to their generous gift. A thank you for their donation that is unlike anything we see today. Welco

Aug312016 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

Walking Through Philippians: Peace

Encouragment

There seems to be a shift of focus as Paul closes his letter to the Philippians. It feels as if Paul has pushed his readers to the top of a hill so they can coast down the other side. It doesn’t mean the ride is over, in a way it’s just begun. The long walk of stepping through unity and humility is complete. The summit has been joyfully reached, and a completely different vista is now in view as they race down the other side. As we consider Paul’s closing words in Philippians 4:5-23 a new thought takes the forefront. There seems to be five topics, gentleness, peace in our hearts, peace in our minds, contentment, and fellowship. Because of the breadth of Paul’s closing topics, we’re going to divide them into two lessons. This article will cover Philippians 4:5-9 while next week will close t

Jun242016 by Dale Heinold1 Comment

The Umpire’s Call

Encouragment

The pitcher puts his foot on the rubber and leans forward, his eyes intent on the catcher crouched sixty feet and six inches away. The count is full as the catcher flashes through the signs. The batter sets his stance and raises his bat in anticipation. The pitcher pulls back, winds up, and delivers a smoking 2-seam fastball to the outside corner. The batter sees the ball but chooses not to swing thinking that the ball will tail outside the strike zone. The ball smacks the catcher’s mitt. A heartbeat later the umpire makes his call. Ball or strike? Does the batter walk or is he out? It’s all in the hands of the umpire. Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians, “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And

Apr202016 by Dale Heinold2 Comments

Real Fruit: Peace

Encouragment

What would a moment of peace look like for you? Mine involves a cool starlit evening, some dark woods, and a glowing campfire. But maybe yours is completely different, like when the toddler takes a nap and you can curl up with a good book. Or a business meeting where everyone is on the same page. Or a family gathering that is steeped with joy instead of petty words. Peace seems to be very elusive at times, hard won and easily lost. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23, NASB95) If you are just joining us, this is the seventh article in a series on the Fruit of the Spirit. And yes, we’re working backward. For this series we are going to be looking

Apr202016 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

The Life Preserver – Peace

Short Stories

The Life Preserver Dale Heinold - 2004 Edited for Lambchow - 2016 The Mary Ann is a sailboat with a white bottom with blue trim. She is large enough to live in and has a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. The interior of her cabin is paneled in teak and walnut, and although she is over seven years old, her owner has made only minor changes to the cabin decor. When she is not on Big River, she is moored at the Monroe Yacht Club or MYC. The MYC is like a country club for yacht owners and is situated on the west side of Big River. MYC’s main building is a brick, Victorian affair with a gigantic chandelier in the lobby. Due to an impending flood, the Mary Ann’s skipper had to move her down to the public dock on the east side of Big River. There she would be more protected from the tre

Mar22016 by Dale Heinold1 Comment

Real Fruit: Introduction

Encouragment

Betty has been bugging me for some time to publish nine short stories based on the nine fruit of the Spirit. Those stories were the first fruits of what God was growing in me and what has become Lambchow. They were written in December 2003 and early 2004. I’ve been putting it off mostly because I see how rough around the edges they are. Each story portrays one of the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 and how they can be given away. As we enter this series on the fruit of the Spirit, it is time to revisit them again. Writing and teaching about the Fruit of the Spirit is like preaching on John 3:16. It's a familiar set of verses that most everyone has encountered or been taught about at some point in time, probably more than once. There are innumerable books and Bible studie

Jan152016 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

Taste and See

Encouragment

One day a friend decides to celebrate the recent promotion of another in her circle. She works for weeks in preparation. Choosing the right invitations, spending hours personalizing each one before they are sent. She scours the markets to find the best ingredients for the meal she has painstakingly planned. In the days leading up to the big night she labors over each course with impeccable style, technique, and timing. Soon the guests arrive and are seated around her table. With flair she presents each perfectly plated dish. Her guests are overjoyed and heap praise on each course. All, that is, except the guest of honor. He picks at the food, moves it around a bit, but he never takes one bite. He even snubs the cheesecake dessert which she knows he loves. Finally, the exasperated host

Oct92015 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

A Piece on Peace

Encouragment

My daughter Rebekah, a six-grade English teacher, would remind us that what we are about to talk about is a homophone. A homophone is two words that sound the same but have different meanings. You do remember everything that you learned in sixth grade English, right? Well, I don’t either. Before I began this paragraph I had to look up what to call two words that sound the same but have different meanings. I could have sworn that it was a homonym, but that’s two words with the same spelling that have different meanings. Before we get lost in an English quagmire, perhaps I should introduce you to our homophone – piece and peace. Now, we all know what piece means. It is a part of something larger like a piece of pie – I’ll take one piece of pie, make that two pieces, make that all of

May72015 by Dale HeinoldNo Comments

They Shall Be Called Sons of God

Beatitudes, Series

Peacemaking is a costly business. While peacekeeping is the art of appeasement; giving in to simply calm the waters, or the art of the bully; forcing peace through strength. Peacemaking requires honest dialog, patience, self-sacrifice, and self-control. The events of the past few weeks and months has revealed that our world needs more peacemakers. The riots in Ferguson Missouri and Baltimore Maryland reveal the failures of peace through appeasement, welfare, and force. The regional conflicts in the Middle-east and Africa threaten to spread. The culture war in the USA has divided the Christian community in a battle between appeasement and moral absolutes. In the midst of all of these conflicts, division, hatred, and strife Jesus declares, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be