Let's take a look around

 

We tend to get back what we give out

This is not a hard and fast principle that will hold true in every encounter but as a general rule of thumb it will tend to be correct in most situations: We will typically receive back to us the type of attitude, demeanor and behavior we present to others.

So, if we want to receive more kindness, courtesy, respect, graciousness and friendliness, we need to go first. We need to be the initiators of kindness, courtesy, respect, graciousness and friendliness.

Do you find that you frequently get a bad attitude from others?

It might be helpful to consider the attitude you are regularly presenting.

There’s a well-known phrase in the Bible—it is something Jesus said—which does not perfectly illustrate the point I am making but the practice of this phrase gets at the same basic idea: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12

Come on a Christmas Day trip with us!

 

We do not have to participate in the insanity

 

It’s possible that you already know what to do

 

Merry Christmas in Iraq?

 

Willing to deal with hassle because of love?

 

Jesus rips the experts

 

Are we using our influence wisely?

 

Bad choices and second chances

 

The Second Coming of Jesus. Are you ready?

 

Who are you? A co-heir with Jesus, a child of God.

 

We will be outsiders in our own culture

 

We cannot learn much if we already think we know everything

 

The truth is stubborn

 

Lucy's modern dance routine

 

We cannot fool God

 

Seeing transformation happen

 

What about freedom?

 

Be ready to tell your story

 

A Rare and Incredible Talent. I Miss Him.

I was just watching some video clips of Robin Williams. What a stunning comic force of nature he was. His wit; his ability to go from one character and voice to another in seconds; his lightning fast speed with improvisational humor; it was extraordinary.

 

As someone who has tried to stand in front of a group of people and generate laughs (and not being successful at it, on more than a few occasions) I marvel at Robin’s talent. It is almost as if he is from another planet. His comic talent not only makes me laugh but it makes my mouth drop open in awe.

 

To say that Robin was in a category all by himself is a tremendous understatement.

 

It seems like so many great comedians die too soon. It makes me sad because I miss the person. But it also makes me sad because we need all the laughter we can get.

Is God the originator of evil?

 

Finley does not like Lucy's fashion choices

 

Forgiveness helps deliver us from unhealthy bitterness and resentment

 

What we do might be the tangible answer to someone’s prayer

 

We can’t grow if we think God is against us

 

Let's put up the Christmas tree

 

Is Satan Real?

 

Fear is used to shape, influence and mold us

 

Are old guys allowed to ride electric scooters?

 

Let's open our eyes to the blessings

 

Do you have some people who still love you? Be grateful.

 

Can a person really have a relationship with Jesus?

 

Trying to joke around during my haircut

 

Steve came over to check out the drone

 

Just another day at the office for a ninja pastor

 

5 days and I still haven’t lost or broken the drone! Whoo hooo!

 

Can the little guy ever beat the big guy?

 

When hypocritical political leaders do not follow their own rules

 

You can get away with a lot of mischief when you're really cute!

 

Pastor's Report for 2020 - First Church of God, Oak Lawn, IL

 

Tight security being implemented

 

Do you think of yourself as an ambassador?

 

Will I lose another drone? We shall see...

 

It's time to admit that I have a problem

 

The unifying identity factor

 

Lucy only got about 20 hours of sleep today. She needs some rest.

 

Being humble does not mean we hate ourselves

 

Fine dining and cheeseburgers

 If you go to a very fancy restaurant and order a cheeseburger people sadly shake their heads and say, “Oh my goodness! What a crude, tacky and uncivilized fellow he is! Mercy, I’m close to getting the vapors!”

 But I know that secretly, everyone in the place is jealous when the cheeseburger is served. I see them looking at it, longingly.

 …And by the way, they want some of my fries, as well, but now it might just be too late.

 Excerpt from my upcoming book: “Rules for Fine Dining with Dan.”

When young is old and old is young

 

Who Jesus is

 

What does God say about money?

 

Look at these terrific drone shots in and around the church

 

An Election Day Prayer

 

He would have been 100 years old today

My brother sent me a text which reminded me that my dad would have been 100 years old today if he was still alive. I hadn’t done the math.

It seems hard to believe. But one of the strange realities of the passing of time—for me, at least—is that it is so reliable and constant and, yet, for some odd reason continues to be almost sneaky in the way it surprises me.

My dad was a very regular guy in many ways but he was and will always be a hero to me. He overcame obstacles and disadvantages that would have defeated many others…and that is, honestly, not an exaggeration.

He was incredibly hard working and responsible. He was strong physically and emotionally. He provided for others from the time he was about 14 years old until the very end of his life. He was not highly educated (one of the many disadvantages) and yet he was smart and wise. When it came to mechanical aptitude I think he may have been close to genius. (I could tell stories about this incredible aptitude but the really good ones are embarrassing to me.)

He loved to laugh and tell stories and then laugh some more. One of the great joys of my life was making him laugh, which occasionally happened when I was trying to be serious.

Although I referred to him as a regular guy, he lived an extraordinarily full and interesting life dodging many bullets, literally and figuratively, along the way.

One of the ways God can bless a person has to do with the people He arranges to be a part of our lives. One of God’s greatest blessings to me was my father.

I’m glad I will be able to see him again. In fact, in the sneaky way that time works, it will be fairly soon.

 

LUTHER J. MARLER, Nov. 2, 1920 – March 7, 2010

You want your surgeon to believe in the existence of objective truth, right?

 

It will be interesting to see what happens with this post -- Originally posted on Facebook

 

Powerful people don't feel the need to brag about their power

 

Trash in the parking lot. It's not very nice.

 

There is a restorer on your side

 

What gets a guy like me excited?

 

Don't talk about this: Politics and Religion - Full Message

 

Submitting to governing authorities and recognizing the highest authority

 

We're not responsible for the results when it comes to God's calling

 

It isn't helpful to coddle people all the time

 

Lessons from the school of hard knocks

 

Be careful…you might get what you want

 

Speaking the truth isn't always easy

 

Are you making it up…or is Jesus Lord?

 

What does one do during quarantine?

 

Every tear you have ever cried is seen by God

 

Helping others because it’s the right thing to do

 

Do you want encouragement? Then be an encourager!

 

Hmm... just wondering

 

A couple of days ago someone asked me if I cut my own hair.

Should I go ahead and assume that was not a compliment?

Challenges

 

Only God's kingdom will last forever

 

Do yourself a favor and learn to connect the dots

 

Be careful with your words. They can be more powerful than you realize.

 

Guarantees? There are no guarantees

 

Quickly reviewing the trip home

 

Going where the road takes me. A very brief adventure.

 

Can you be grateful for the life you have right now?

 

Look for the kindness

I was blessed to witness a very nice act of kindness today. It was simple but it was also meaningful to the people who were involved. It wasn’t the type of action that anyone would have expected. The kindness did not have to happen.

But fortunately, it did.

When I saw it, I smiled. And this thought came to my mind regarding the person who extended the kindness: “Well done.”

I wanted to tell the young man, “God saw what you did.”

But I let it remain between the parties.

I’m posting about the matter here because I want to remind you and I want to remind me that this is part of the crazy world we live in, too. It’s not all negative, ugly, mean-spirited, and disheartening selfishness. There are people who are joyfully, intentionally, regularly making it their business to be helpful, kind, gracious, faithful and thoughtful.

Look for the kindness. Perhaps it’s not as prevalent as we wish, but it’s there.

You're doing something right

 

Everything else is sinking sand

 

What does it mean to wait upon the Lord?

 

Time for me to reboot

 

On the side of truth

 

Praying for revival?

 

Is it unhealthy to eat...?

 

An allegiance to Jesus and the truth

 

Sometimes the lessons we learn...

 

Say nothing...?

 

Misunderstanding is the problem

 

Something to ponder...

 

The challenge: Continue to be kind, patient, loving and gracious

 

Intentionally stirring up trouble for others

 

A walk at Lake Katherine with Finley

Finley went with me for a little walk today at Lake Katherine—a nature center with walking trails not far from our home.

Finley has lots of energy, is inclined toward mischief and sometimes seems to think of herself as a big tough dog even though she is a little dog. So when I noticed an adult goose on the pathway up ahead, as we were walking, I thought, “Oh, this should be good.”

I was curious to see how Finley would respond.

We were fairly close to the goose before Finley even noticed it. But when she did, she stopped and took a long moment to think it over. She then proceeded taking a wide berth on the other side of the path, avoiding the goose.

By the way, the goose was staring at Finley and I, as we walked past, with a look that seemed to say, “Go ahead. Bring it. I would love to throw down with you punks!”

[Little known fact: Geese often refer to humans and dogs as “punks.” Source: Wikipedia]

On the ride home, Finley looked at me and, as she is inclined to do, she once again quoted Shakespeare saying, with her eyes, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”

With my eyes, I told her, “Alas, thou art growing in wisdom fair maiden.”

Ginsburg and Scalia – Enjoy the debate and still be friends

 “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

Proverbs 27:17 [NLT]

Being the influence of Jesus in people’s lives

 

Computer voice generated invitation

 

I apologize. I did not do this correctly.

 

Being wise consumers of information

 

No need to apologize or be ashamed

 

Are all sins the same?

 

A little bit early on the fire pit

 Last night I got momentarily confused and started to think it was fall. So I made a nice fire in our handy fire pit.

 As we sat in the warm summer evening next to the fire I wiped the sweat from my brow and said to Nadia, “It’s not really very cold outside.”

 She said, “No, it’s not.”

 Sometimes I jump the gun and attempt to move a little too quickly into the next season. I’m learning that I just need to enjoy the present!

 By the way, later today I think I might finish up my Christmas shopping.

Condemnation of others?

 

Skeptics will be believers

 

Stealing Nadia's hair

 

Not my most loved message

 

Bad things can happen. But good things can happen, too!

 

It is actually very easy to forget

 

We need the free exchange of ideas

 

Going where we don't want to go?

 

There is a way out

 

The One who knows you the best loves you the most

 

What about toxic people?

 

Let's not become envious

 

Healing our nation and revival

 

Summer antics

 

Only when it's convenient

 

A brief bluegrass interlude

 

A matter of right and wrong

 

If social media existed back then...I'd be cancelled!

 

Is your happiness the main thing?

 

Give it a try?

I didn’t always feel this way but now, I must admit, I like it when people “give it a try.”

That’s the message I want you to receive: Go ahead and give it a try!

Maybe what you attempt won’t wind up being the greatest, but give it a try, anyhow.

Maybe people will laugh and make fun of you, and throw small wadded up pieces of paper at you from the other side of the room, but give it a try, anyhow.

Maybe someone will make a video recording of you while you are unsuccessfully attempting your achievement and post the video online and you will cry for several hours and be humiliated, but give it a try, anyhow.

Maybe future generations will hear about your failed efforts and put up a large sign near the expressway with your picture on it which says, “Here’s the guy who completely messed up. Not only was he a total failure, but he was an embarrassment to his family, too!”  …But give it a try, anyhow.

Maybe you will waste a shameful amount of time, money and energy, and be asked by members of the community to pack up and leave town…

Um…

Hey... you know what? I just went back and re-read what I’ve written so far and I realize it’s not exactly the exciting, motivational piece I intended it to be. I was hoping it would have a different feel. You know, an inspirational feel! Perhaps even a touch of encouragement and zest! To be honest, I feel badly about it. It’s not what I hoped for.

Oh well…

At least I gave it a try!

Take a stroll around Lake Katherine with us

 

E-Flash From Dan, 8/21/20

 Dear E-Flash Friends;

We will be having our service in the sanctuary this Sunday, August 23^rd, at 11 a.m. We will be continuing with our series: What Would Jesus NOT Do? You are invited to join us! And if you are planning to come it would be helpful if you would let us know.

You are probably aware of this already, but we will mention it again, anyhow: If you are not feeling well or are running a fever please do not attend the services in person. And for the safety of others please plan to wear a mask while in the building.

We will Live stream the service on Facebook for those who are not able to be physically present with us.

I am trusting and believing the service will be a blessing, whether you can make it in person or online!

These penetrating words of Jesus have been on my mind this morning:

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

Mark 8:36-37

I pray you are feeding and nourishing your soul daily with God’s truth, as you walk faithfully with Him. Nothing we pursue in this world, according to Jesus, is of more value.

I look forward to interacting with you on Sunday, my beloved friends!

 

Dan Marler

 

First Church of God

4600 W. 111^th Street

Oak Lawn, IL 60453

Ranting...? Oh never mind

 

The battle belongs to the Lord

 

Say it anyhow...even if it's awkward

 

Greater troubles than you and I deal with?

 

A Minor if Conditions Are Right

 

God is relevant in every area of life

 

Creating a well-known movie title

 Imaginary conversation from long ago in the Groovy 70s…

 [We hear the sound effects that happen when going back in time. Heavy on the guitar wah wah. A somewhat blurry scene comes into focus.]

 …I said to him, “Bruce, if you take the same basic principles you’ve been using in the 3-inch punch and transfer them to a ONE-inch punch, I think you’ll have something pretty darned special…and pretty powerful, too!”

 He thought for a moment, looking out into the distance and absent-mindedly broke a large brick with his pinky finger. Then nodded his head with a radiant smile saying, “Oh yeah…”

 And we both busted out laughing.

 But then he turned to me and I could tell something was bothering him. He became very serious and, with a look of disappointment, said, “Dan, I feel like this whole martial arts thing just isn’t working out for me. I can’t get it to break in a big way.”

 I said, “Bruce, what you need to do is re-title this new film you’ve been working on.” At that moment, I reached up without looking and caught, in mid-air, a sharp arrow someone at the school shot at us from a hiding place.

 He said, “But all the execs at the movie company think ‘Enter the Muscular Guy with No Shirt’ is a phenomenal title. It seems to score well with focus groups and many of the folks at my dentist’s office.”

 I held up my hand and with a wry grin suggested, “Go with this instead, my friend: ‘Enter The Dragon.’”

 “Dragon?!? …Really?” There was a long pause. “Dragon?”

 “Yes, Dragon!”

 I could see there was some skepticism but he said, “Alright, I don’t know about this…but I’ll give it a try. Hmm, Enter the Dragon!”

 As we got up and walked out the door, the students at the dojo saw our silhouettes, in the setting sun, become smaller and smaller until they vanished out of sight.

And this concludes another fun “Behind the Scenes” story about creating well-known movie titles.

Christianity is supposed to be the truth of how we live

 

Watching a Hallmark Movie

  

I was watching a movie on the Hallmark Channel, late this afternoon. In the movie a man and woman fall in love with each other but it looks like they are not going to get together. Frankly, it would be very impractical for them to be together. Reasonable, sober-minded thinking would lead them to the conclusion that they should not get together!

But then, right at the end of the movie, it’s very surprising, they do wind up getting together, after all. It’s very touching, in a warm Toll House cookie sort of way. And incredibly unpredictable. The whole thing really threw me!

Just before the final credits, the man and woman confess their true love and kiss. At that point, I want to make it clear, I do not have tears in my eyes and I’m sick and tired of people suggesting that I do.

I know…I need to develop an appreciation for more substantive cinematic quality but I can’t help myself. I keep watching these Hallmark movies.

The unplanned moments

We need to be trustworthy, reliable purveyors of truth

Horseplay and Rabble-Rousing with Lucy and Finley!

Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless

No need to compare ourselves to others

What About Near-Death Experiences?

A number of years ago I developed an interest in a phenomenon known as Near Death Experiences or NDEs. Here is an explanation of NDEs from a book titled “Evidence of the Afterlife” by scientist and medical doctor, Jeffrey Long along with writer, Paul Perry:

“Near-death experiences (NDEs) are events that take place as a person is dying or, indeed, is already clinically dead. People who have NDEs are called near-death experiencers (NDErs)…. I considered individuals to be ‘near death’ if they were so physically compromised that they would die if their condition did not improve. The NDErs studied were generally unconscious and often apparently clinically dead, with absence of heartbeat and breathing. The ‘experience’ had to occur at the time they were near death. Also, the experience had to be lucid, to exclude descriptions of only fragmentary and disorganized memories.”

I read a number of accounts of NDEs. You have probably heard of this type of occurrence. There have been, I suspect, at least a half dozen best-selling books telling the accounts of near death experiences in the past 10 years, or so. A couple of these stories were even made into movies. (I saw a couple of the movies and they weren’t very good, but the movie theater popcorn was still outstanding!)

Dr. Long is a radiation oncologist and scientist. His book with writer Paul Perry details the findings of his research. He has interviewed and surveyed thousands of people who have had near death experiences. I found his book to be a particularly interesting treatment of the subject because it is not based on one person’s experience, it has to do with over a thousand experiences. He writes of his book that it “presents the remarkable results of the largest scientific NDE study ever reported using this methodology.”

Some Christian theologians seem to think the accounts we get from people who have had NDEs are valid and other Christian theologians appear to be more skeptical. The fact that so many academic studies have been done on the subject (not just by Dr. Long but many other researchers, as well); thousands of reliable known cases exist; and the tremendous similarities in the experiences that are reported by NDEers leads me to think there is validity to them.

Yes it’s true that I am biased, but I’ll tell you a secret: So is everyone else on planet earth.

Dr. Long provides details of many “converging lines of evidence” regarding NDEs in his book and states that he has come, as a scientist, to the conclusion that: “There is life after death.”

I am not writing this to suggest that a Christian needs this type of scientific evidence to validate the truth of life after physical death here on earth. I believe the Bible to be truthful, accurate and authoritative regarding the reality of life after death. However, as I have read, studied and learned through the course of my life, I find it interesting and satisfying when what is discovered in science validates the Word of God.

Dan Marler

Oak Lawn, IL

God can make a way where there seemed to be no way

I really like liberty. I hope we can keep it.

Saving the little bunny rabbit

I saw our dog, Lucy, bolt toward our fence. She was incredibly quick and I immediately noticed Lucy was pursuing something. In a time span of less than 2 seconds I could hear a little critter making the pathetic sound of an animal that realizes it is in mortal danger.

Running toward Lucy I shouted, “Let it go! Lucy, let it go!”

She did.

The critter was a very young, very small baby rabbit.

At that point, instead of running less than a foot to slip in between the slats on our fence and right out of the yard—away from the dogs—the little bunny stayed in our yard and ran under a bush.

Lucy and now Finley, too, looked and sniffed vigorously under the bush. But while Lucy and Finley were on one side of the bush, the little rabbit ran out from the other side of the bush, across our patio and under some other bushes.

Lucy and Finley figured it out, ran to the other bushes and in a few seconds Lucy had the little rabbit again.

This resulted in more pathetic cries from the little rabbit and more yelling from me. “Let it go! Lucy! Lucy, let it go!”

…Come to think of it my cries were sounding more and more pathetic, too.

We were able to shoo Lucy and Finley into the house and I found the little bunny huddled in the corner of our outside basement door stairwell.

I picked up the cute baby rabbit and carried it over to the church. I thought, “Let me get Nadia’s advice on what to do with this little one.” I did not want to leave it in our yard which, as you now know, is patrolled by rabbit-sniffing dogs. Nadia loves animals and is very good with this type of challenge.

Nadia looked at the poor little creature, listened to my story and said, “Hmm, I don’t know what to do.”

I really thought I would get more wisdom than that. But, in all fairness, I didn’t have any wisdom up my sleeve, either.

We decided, after pondering the matter with great deliberation, to let the little one go under some bushes in the front yard. This is an area where our dogs never go. And it was not very far, hopefully, from the bunny’s mama.

The little bunny was grateful. I know this is true because about a half an hour later it sent me a very kind and lovely text message. Rabbits, in the wild, are not very smart about staying away from dogs but they are getting tremendously sophisticated when it comes to technology.

Dan Marler

Oak Lawn, IL

What about virtue signaling?

Choose to be grateful now

Apologize and be willing to extend forgiveness, too

The primary identity of Christians

Defeating yourself in an argument

Jesus is our ultimate hope

Impromptu road trip to LaSalle County

Do not depend on U.S. broadcasting orgs for spiritual truth which affects your eternal destiny

Friday Report from Dan and Rachel - July 10, 2020

My hypocrisy was showing

I love this faithful church

I like when it pops!

For Christians, hatred is not justified

WHY DO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT DEFENDING THE FAITH?

I was recently asked what it means to defend the gospel and is it really necessary for Christians to defend the gospel?

My hope is that this will be a helpful response—and who knows? Maybe even an interesting response—for my friends who are believers:

There is a sense in which it could certainly be argued that Jesus doesn’t need anyone to defend Him. And the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ will endure forever, whether any Christians ever stand up for it, or not.

God never stands in need of people. It’s one of the benefits of being God.

However, there is a verse in the Bible from which knowledgeable people who speak of defending the gospel are typically deriving the idea. The verse is found in 1 Peter 3:15. It says…

“…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence…”  (NASB)

The word “defense” in this passage is the Greek word “apologia” which gives us our English word “apologetics.”

Apologia has to do with defense. In the biblical Greek usage it can mean a verbal defense in a court of law. The field of Christian apologetics is a very deep, thoughtful, intellectually sophisticated category of theology which involves a reasoned explanation and defense of the Christian faith drawing from theology, philosophy, logic, history, archaeology, and science.

Some of you may be familiar with Ravi Zacharias, who passed away recently. Ravi was, among other things, a brilliant apologist for the Christian faith.

There are people who want to know if the Christian faith can be defended or justified from the standpoint of intellect and reason or is it just a religious belief system that must be accepted with no basis in careful thinking or reason. I can testify from personal experience that I came to a point in my early adult life in which, even though I was already a Christian, I needed to know that Christianity was not just a blind leap of faith. The fact that Christianity could stand up to hard questions and penetrating scrutiny was an important discovery for me.

An aspect of Christianity that sets it apart from other religions is that Christianity welcomes questions and investigation. Christianity makes claims that certain events happened in human history and these events can be investigated. We can know with a reasonable degree of certainty whether they are true, or not.

Whether a person knows the word “apologetics”, or not, if a person is providing sound answers to the fair questions of people who are seeking and wondering about the truth of the Christian faith that person is engaging in apologetics, a reasoned defense of the faith.

Followers of Jesus are called, in Scripture (1 Peter 3:15), to be prepared to give a defense of the faith.

Dan Marler

Oak Lawn, IL