December

Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12

On a recent jaunt through our neighborhood friendly Wal-Mart, I happened to take notice of all the varieties of Christmas lights on display that one has to choose from, in order to bring brilliance to one’s home. While exploring just the first aisle, I counted no less than twelve different types of lights, which according to your personal choice, assures you of a unique twist on outdoor home decorating. If my memory serves me right, there were colored rope lights, crystallized rope lights, cracked ice rope lights, crystal teardrop lights, LED lights, chasing lights, mini-multi lights, twinkling ribbon lights, swag-style lights, soft glow lights, bubble lights, icicle lights, and just the plain “old-school” colored lights. Wow—that’s a lot of illumination power! I always look forward to the day we tackle decorating our home for the Christmas holiday, which is usually the day after Thanksgiving. String after string of lights are stretched out upon the garage floor, plugged in, and scrutinized for any “dead” bulbs that have lost their power, while being tucked away since last season. It’s easy to get carried away by adding “just a few more lights.” One year we actually thought the glow of our home would confuse the pilots on their approach to Orange County airport!

As we decorate and adorn our homes for the Christmas season, let us remember that Jesus came as the “light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Him will no longer remain in the darkness.” Aren’t you glad that the light of the Savior will not shatter, nor will it grow dim and eventually extinguish? Yes, the light of the Lord can be represented through the glow of a simple candle flame, held in the hand of one who has accepted His simple gift of salvation, and invited Him to reside inside his/her heart. Make JESUS the reason for your Christmas season!

Have the Merriest Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich

NOVEMBER

“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh the joy of those who trust in Him!”

Psalm 34:8

Looking out my kitchen window one morning, while eating my oatmeal (topped with dried cranberries and brown sugar), I noticed a petite brown bird perched on the edge of the deck. He sat motionless, staring longingly at the pool, when suddenly he left his lofty perch and daringly SWOOPED down upon the water, barely skimming its’ surface, then promptly returning to his resting place. He tirelessly repeated this dance, and I continued to view his performance until my oatmeal was done, or he flew away, whichever came first. But I remember clearly with each swoop, he would as if on command, stop short of total submersion; instead would hardly generate a ripple on the waters’ surface, barely moistening his feet.

Amazingly, the Lord whispered a lesson to me through the antics of a little brown bird. I discovered that although I profess to “trust the Lord”, my actions mirror that of the bird, just b-a-r-e-l-y getting my feet wet, time and time again, until I tire of the whole ritual and go off in my own direction, only to return and begin the same pattern all over again. Proverbs 3:5-6 admonishes us to “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in ALL you do, and He will direct your paths.” I want that scripture to be more than just a favorite verse posted on my refrigerator—I want it to become a reality practiced daily in my life!

 

Trusting God Is More Than Just Getting Our Feet Wet,

 

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich

October

“Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

Remember the “hula hoop”?  It was that tubular piece of plastic whose fad “swept the nation” in the early 60’s, and I was part of the craze.  I happened to be one of the first on my block to become the proud owner of this innovative device. Along with my neighborhood buddies, I found myself quickly mastering this new novelty. I learned to swoop it around my neck, waist, knees, and could adeptly roll it away from me and have it return almost as if on command. I had now mastered the intricacies of the hula-hoop. Life is good!

Let’ fast-forward a few years and I once again encountered the hula-hoop. However, this was not an ordinary hula-hoop. It was thick and substantial in my grasp, as well as having four pounds of weights tucked inside! The attached tag stated “if used for 10 minutes twice a day for a month, you could lose two inches off your waistline.”  I gingerly picked it up, placed it at my waist, and giving it a great “heave-ho” set it in motion, where it wobbily circled my body and slowly inched its’ way to the floor! My goodness, those invisible weights made it so much more difficult to keep going—I was exhausted after three minutes!

So t is with our Christian walk. We want to keep our momentum going strong serving the Lord with all of our heart, yet the weight of those bulky sins we keep dragging around with us hold us captive and we struggle just to put one foot in front of the other. Those pesky bothersome sins, like jealousy, anger, gossip, lying, act as cumbersome weights, and hinder our progress as we walk with the Lord. Yet if we focus our eyes on Jesus, He will enable us to gradually shake off those weights, and move forward in this faith walk set before us called life.

Shakin’ Off Those Weights,

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich

September

Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship I marvelous—and how well I know it.”  vs. 14

Oh, how I love the beach! The reasons why I embrace this affection are difficult to pinpoint and define with mere words, but yet I shall try, and begin with my most recent visit to the shores of Carlsbad, Ca. Firstly, the complete and utter vastness of its’ magnitude instantly seizes my attention. My senses are immediately drawn to the booming repetition of frothy, Cool-Whip-like waves, racing each other for the shoreline, where they exhaust themselves, only to recede and begin the race once again. This “video” replays over and over, yet each “race” is unique, and my eyes do not tire from viewing this awesome wonder.

The misty air and squabbling seagulls invite us for an early morning barefoot walk upon the beach stretching outside our doorstep. A maze of footprints indicates that other explorers have trekked this sand before us, and, for fun, I proceed to walk their steps. However, this was not and easy task to master. The various strides were either too long, or too short and most were just the wrong size. I mentioned to my husband to consider how unique and complex the Lord made us. Just as the ocean’s waves and grains of sand are not identical, neither are we, His creation. I thought again of the assortment of people these footprints represented, each bearing the weight of life’s joys and sorrows. I most likely will never meet their acquaintance, nor would I know their condition, but God does.

The Lord so wondrously handcrafts each one of our lives and charts the path ahead of us, knowing where we are each step of the way. We would do well to hearken to His Word and follow His footsteps that will lead us…”along the path to everlasting life.”( Vs. 24)

Following His Footsteps,

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich

August

“Two men will be working in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.”

Matt. 24:40-42

The announcement was unexpected. An unidentified voice on the public address system relayed the dreaded news. Our flight from Philadelphia to Orange County was inexplicably delayed for 2 hours. Therefore, it was our responsibility to amuse ourselves in whatever manner we chose, until the time for our eventual departure was at hand.

As if on command, many of us clutching cell phones, herded ourselves from the boarding area and hastened to the nearest food establishments, those being Burger King, Hot Dog on a Stick, and Chinatown Express. After enjoying some chow mein and orange chicken, I settled myself into a modular chrome and black plastic chair and began my favorite pastime of “people watching.” I observed a myriad of activities, some amusing, some perplexing, and some just plain “normal”, A tour group was clustered together bemoaning and voicing their displeasure at the delay. A harried young mother was frantically bouncing her agitated and cranky baby on her lap, while workaholics feverishly punched at computer keyboards. Others leisurely snoozed, and some were listening to their favorite beats through earphones. Paperback books and magazines once selfishly reserved for the flight came out of hiding. I looked around and wondered, out of all these people, passing the time together, how many know Jesus and are awaiting His return?

As a Girl Scout, I was taught to “be prepared,” but most importantly, the scripture warns us to “be prepared, because we do not know what day our Lord is coming. “  My Girl Scout days are long behind me, but I daily carry the promise of our Lord’s return in my heart and watch for His soon coming.

Always Looking Up,

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich

June 2009

“There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you, so you can live where I live.”     John 14:2-3 

Since June is the month we honor our fathers, I would like to make this article a tribute to my Dad who passed away on May 10, 2009. After my Mom passed away in 2007, and my Dad’s health continued to deteriorate, my brother and I found it necessary to uproot him from the place he called home for 60 years, and relocate him to an assisted-living facility. This was the home he constructed with his own hands, and maintained it in picture perfect condition. It was the only home my brother and I knew, and even though it was quickly sold, and ownership had changed on paper, my Dad STILL referred to it as his home, simply because he had put so much of himself into it, not only with the physical part of construction with lumber and nails, but also his heart was there just as much as the supporting beams. HE LOVED HIS HOME!

I was able to be with my Dad during those final fleeting hours before his death, and knowing how he loved his home, I began to share with him of How Jesus had a mansion waiting for him, not on a busy congested street, but on a street paved with gold. He wouldn’t have to paint it, cut the grass, or take out the garbage—that it was a beautiful mansion that Jesus had prepared for him all because of a decision he made several years ago, inviting Jesus into his heart to become his Lord and Savior. Just as my Dad brought me as a baby to the home he had constructed, I was able to hold my Dad as he stepped from his earthly home into his new heavenly residence, where he now stands on 2 strong legs, free from suffering and pain. I will indeed miss him and his legendary stories he loved to tell, but I rejoice knowing he is dwelling in peace, in his mansion above.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad

    Love, Bonnie

April 2009

“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9

On a recent cross-country flight, I was following the specific procedures while going through the security line. I placed my purse, carry-on tote, cell phone and jacket in a generic gray tub, and proceeded to walk through the screening device. As I walked through, a dreaded “beep” filled the airwaves and I was promptly whisked to another checkpoint to be screened by another agent, waving a wand resembling something from Star Wars. After it was determined that I was “non-threatening”, I was escorted back to the conveyor to retrieve my “stuff”. The agent, trying to be of assistance handed me a pair of shoes, except instead of my size 5 brown clogs, I was handed a pair of men’s size 11 slip-on loafers! “These aren’t mine”, I laughed, and promptly grabbed my comfy shoes.

Life can certainly fling some strange situations our way, and we can find ourselves saying, “But Lord, this trial can’t be mine”! Just as Jesus hung on a cross over 2000 years ago, the disciples must have thought surely this must be some mistake. But the truth in His sacrifice is still the same—it was what they needed and we still need today! Remember, God can produce eternal good through a trial, no matter how awful it may seem at the moment. He sees the BIGGER picture and always knows what’s best for us.

Thankful For His Sacrifice,

Carl and Bonnie Friedrich

March 2009

“That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens and strangers…having no hope, and without God in the world. But now you belong to Jesus. Though once you were faraway from God, now you have been brought near to Him because of the blood of Christ.”

Ephesians 2:12-13

 

Recently, while attending my exercise class, we had a visitor from another state join our workout regimen. She proceeded to talk non-stop from the instant her Nike’s hit the floor, till the moment they graciously whisked her out the door! Regardless of the topic of conversation, whether it was health, cosmetics, restaurants, movies, vacations, she’s had it. used it, ate there, saw it, and been there! It was absolutely amazing! This visitor, an alien being, a stranger, who was just passing through, knew it all, or so she led us to believe.

 

Remember my fellow “aliens and strangers”; we too are just passing through this world. That stranger in my class could be likened to an unwelcome speck of dust in your eye. They both are irritants.  We, as Christians, are also irritants to the things of this world.  Hebrews 11:13 reminds us that we are “strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”  Others should feel our presence, not by any display of obnoxious behavior, but by our faithful stand and commitment to what is righteous, true, and good.

 

Just Passing Through,

 

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich

February 2009

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1

The calendar page has turned to February, and in the retail market sense, “lost is in the air.” Recently, for some unknown reason, the familiar tune of an old Beatles song was rolling around in my brain. Maybe you remember it too…”All you need is love, (wah, wah, wah, wah, wah) All you need is love, (wah, wah, wah, wah, wah) All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.”  Short on words, but they speak volumes, don’t they? This melody is certainly lyrically challenged, but I seriously doubt the Beatles realized at the time they harmonized these simple words to screaming, adoring fans, the compelling truth they were proclaiming.

As Psalm 107:1 states above, we never need to doubt the love of Christ.  His love for you overflows all reason, all expectations, all your hopes and dreams.  1 John 4:10-12 declares, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sins.” Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God.  But if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”

So thankful He loves us,

Carl & Bonnie Friedrich