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Author: Stan Stieben

FACING IT!

FACING IT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This life experience from my life began September 24, 1976. That evening I sat in a Dave Wilkerson crusade listening to Nicky Cruz. I was overcome with the presence of the Holy Spirit, which I didn’t understand, and went forward to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. This began a new chapter in my life and started me on a life journey I have embraced since. My journey has resulted in an ever growing and deepening relationship with God. Now soon to celebrate my 82nd birthday, I am so thankful I took a step of Faith in 1976. You may be wondering where does “Facing It” fit in and what is it all about?

Approximately two months ago I began experiencing chest pressure and some pain when exerting myself. As it became clear the symptoms were not going away I contacted my primary care physician. This began a process of testing including a referral for a nuclear stress test. The test revealed blockage and the hope was I would be a candidate for stents to resolve the issue, a much less invasive solution than open heart surgery. Unfortunately my condition could not be corrected by stents, leaving me with options of open heart surgery or doing nothing. Doing nothing was not really an option as my symptoms were becoming more serious, seemingly with each passing day. On Sunday June 23rd I was in discomfort and had my wife take me to the ER, where they admitted me to the hospital. Now I’m sure you begin to understand what “Facing It” is about. We go about our lives giving little thought to our mortality. Most of us don’t want to talk or even think about it. What happens when we die? I can assure you when you are facing open heart surgery you do think about it! The reality is every one of us is going to die. We don’t know when or how but we will die. A life surrendered to Jesus Christ assures us of Eternal Life with a Heavenly Father who loves us. The Bible clearly declares there is a Heaven and a Hell as well as God and Satan are both real.  The words of Jesus in John 10:10 “The thief (Satan) comes to steal, kill and destroy. I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Satan will lie to you and deceive you into believing God doesn’t love you or that you have done too many bad things for God to accept you. Every thought against God Satan brings to your mind is a lie! Satan does not want us to accept the free gift of Salvation God offers each of us through Jesus Christ and he works tirelessly to that end.

As I faced the surgery and while going through the surgery and recovery, I have experienced the Peace the Bible calls Peace beyond human understanding.

There is more to tell that perhaps will be the subject of future posts. For now I encourage you to think about and face your mortality. God loves you and wants a relationship with you. He will never turn away one who comes to him with a sincere heart and desire to be His child.

 

A BEANIE BABY STORY

A BEANIE BABY STORY

As a follower of Jesus Christ I have been fortunate to experience situations I will describe as instances of hearing from God. No I did not hear a loud booming voice from Heaven or see a bush on fire, not being consumed by the flames, as Moses did. It’s generally much more subtle. The expression “God’s still small voice” is common when expressing having heard from God. For me it generally begins as an impression that continues to come to mind over and over, growing stronger as it does. When this happens it may be the Holy Spirit connecting with my spirit to tell or show me something God wants me to know or see. There are other times when something occurs in which it is very apparent and undeniable God is involved. Such is the case with this story.

Our dear friends Steve and Holly Taft are Missionaries in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. In Mexico there is a national holiday celebration known as Three Kings Day. It occurs in January each year. The church Steve and Holly founded there holds a community outreach for the area each year on Three Kings Day. Part of that celebration includes preparing gift bags to give each child. Several years ago they began putting a Beanie Baby in the bags. We have participated by purchasing some Beanie Babies to send down for the outreach. It became interesting and exciting for me to search for and purchase these little creatures. When it became time to begin the search each year, interestingly, I would find an ad usually on Craigslist and be able to purchase what we needed at a reasonable price. A kind and generous lady who travels back and forth from Playa and Bend has been transporting the cargo on her trips. We secured the needed amount for the January 2024 outreach, which left us needing to begin our search for next year. Sometime in October I was looking on Craigslist and the thought came to me to check “Collectibles” to see if perhaps there were some for sale. When the site opened, I could not believe what I was seeing! There was an ad for a large collection, in the same city where we live, at a very reasonable price! When I say a large collection, it was a three year supply of what we needed to purchase! I contacted the seller and made arrangements to purchase the collection. I asked the seller what was the best price they were willing to accept, having explained what we intended to do with them. Some collectors perhaps would have ideas of how they would like the collection to be used. The response was a price $100. lower than on the ad. It would be about a week until the seller would be available for us to pick them up. During this time I began to be impressed I needed to give the seller $50. more than they said they would accept. I determined that was what I would do. When it came time to meet for the exchange, at the end of my conversation, I told the seller I was going to give them $50. more. There was silence for a few moments and then I heard, “You won’t believe this”. He went on to tell me the collection belonged to his mother and he was selling it for her. When he told her there was a buyer she told him not to accept less than a specific amount. The amount she told him was the exact amount I was impressed to give them! He had been planning to make up the difference out of his own pocket. The ad had been running for over a month. They had started at a higher price, then lowered the price, and lowered it again to the price I saw when I saw the ad. No one else had responded! God speaks to us and cares about every detail, even the smallest, of our lives. Many children will receive a Beanie Baby in their gift bag because of this collection we were able to purchase. My prayer is the lady who owned the collection, along with her son and grandson, will be blessed knowing the collection will touch and enhance the lives of over 600 children!  The children will hear God loves them and they will have a tangible expression of that in their gift bag to take home!

 

IT IS WELL!

IT IS WELL!

When I last posted I anticipated I would soon be writing the next post with an exciting update of our adventure. I expected to write about how God had led us to an awesome home we were hoping to purchase in the development we were sensing was our perfect location. In reality we were unable to find a suitable home, in our price range, in the development where we hoped to locate. Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” NLT, best describes how our adventure unfolded. Time was getting short, however we were confident we would find the right home at the right price. A home became available in the area we preferred, but it was priced above what we were expecting to pay. We loved the home and decided to make an offer. If this was the home God was leading us to we trusted our offer would gain acceptance. Disappointment became our reality when we learned the owners had accepted a better offer. Time was critical now. We had been looking at homes in other neighborhoods and a home which met most of our criteria was available. We were paying cash which would enable us to close quickly. There was a very real urgency to make a decision because the sixty day rent back period for the home we sold would soon expire. We did not want to rent and move twice. The home was vacant and we decided to make an offer. We knew we had a window of opportunity to walk away if a more suitable choice became available within three days. We were holding onto a shred of hope for a home in the other neighborhood. Personally I was not completely sold on the home we were purchasing. I wanted a three car garage which would give me space for a workshop. The home did not have a three car garage or space to build a shop. We were still hoping, but to no avail, as the eleventh hour came and we purchased the home. In the passing months since, I have come to terms with my disappointment. We are happy with our home and neighborhood. We are just ten minutes from our daughter and her family. The fenced back yard is perfect for our now two year seven month old granddaughter. On Christmas day 2022 we were Blessed with a new grandson. The grandchildren living nearby and away have a wonderful backyard in which to run and play when they come to our home.

God directed us where He knew we needed to be. There is purpose in everything we encounter in our lives, even when we do not see it in the moment. We are content knowing this truth. The disappointment I experienced is tempered by knowing God directed our steps. Looking back we can see His hand leading us to the home we purchased. Until now I have been unable to find words to write to explain how our adventure unfolded. Thankfully, in His Grace, I have found them. I can truthfully say it is well!

AN ADVENTURE IN PROGRESS

AN ADVENTURE IN PROGRESS

Almost everyone loves an adventure! An adventure has a way of bringing excitement and anticipation into our lives. There was an element of adventure when I started writing posts for this project. From the onset my hope has been that by sharing actual life experiences from my life and faith journey I could offer some measure of hope and encouragement to a person reading what I had written. Recently it occured to me perhaps writing about an in progress experience from our lives could serve my original desire for the blog. With that thought in mind I want to tell you all about our adventure in progress.

When we moved into our new home in early 2017 my wife Patty and I both assured the other we were here to stay. An old folks home, assisted living or the promised land would be the next stop for us. Normally in our over forty one years together, whenever a move occurred, I have been the one initiating the discussion. To our surprise about a year ago Patty began initiating the discussion that perhaps we should consider selling our home and making a move. Several realities came into focus as reasons for selling the home we love. We are getting older each birthday rather than younger, we are caring for our 18 month old granddaughter one and one half days per week and driving to pick her up and return her home when we do so, and we began attending a different church and wanted to be closer to allow us to be more involved. There are other pertinent reasons as well which are part of our consideration leading up to considering the decision. We made some inquiries in two different communities in the area when we first began discussing the possibility. By that time it was Fall and based on our own assessment and professional advice we received, we put the idea on pause with the intent of deciding whether to move forward in the Spring. During the months from Fall to Spring much discussion and prayer went into the possibility of actually making a move.  During these months we now realize God was at work changing Patty’s heart into alignment with His plan for us, as well as myself, and giving us both an inner assurance we were moving into His best plan for our lives. The inner peace we both were experiencing gave us confidence to move forward.

We began making preparation to place our home on the market about mid April. As we prepared, an unexpected plan to stage the home for selling emerged. If you are not familiar with what happens when a home is staged for market, well lets just say almost everything in the home is removed and more contemporary furniture and decorating items replace your stuff. It’s ok but it’s difficult if you plan to live in the home while it is being sold. There were two and a half weeks of hectic packing and moving out items we had not planned for. Our home went on the market May 12th and everyone anticipated a quick sale. Average days on the market for our area was four. It did not sell during the first week.  Interest rates were rising. The market was changing rapidly. Price reductions were showing up on some listings and after about ten days we, on advice of our realtor, made a reduction to the price. That proved to be a wise decision as we received two offers within the next four days. Our closing is scheduled for June 30th.

What I have not mentioned is we do not have a home to move into. Part of our marketing plan was to ask for a rent back provision for up to sixty days to give us time to purchase a home and move. God cares about every detail of our lives. The offer we accepted has the provision we needed to give us the time we asked for. We knew this would be an adventure as well as an exercise of our Faith. It is proving to be just that. We are excited to see and experience what God has in store for us. In an upcoming post I will write about what happens next!

 

TRUST – WHAT OR WHO

TRUST – WHAT OR WHO

Dominika Roseclay at Pexels

Much has taken place in the months since I wrote and published my last post. In some ways it’s like I have been marching in place going nowhere but reality tells a different story. I feel numb and wonder if I am experiencing a nightmare. All the while I am hoping, if it is a nightmare, it will eventually end. I cannot explain or make sense of what I have experienced the past two years. It seems that nothing is being done to restore order or sanity. Lawlessness and lies have pushed aside, at least for the time being, the rule of law and truthfulness. Those committing these atrocities seem to have no regard for right and wrong or the destruction they are causing our country and citizens. I have come to the conclusion that part of the reason I feel as I do is because much of what I believed about my government has changed, and not for the better. The America I love and served in the military to protect has changed dramatically. My freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution and Bill of Rights have been stripped from me, leaving me reeling in disbelief. Those charged with the responsibility of leading our nation blatantly disregard and refuse to obey our laws. It has lead to nothing short of anarchy and distrust of our government. Friends and family members have become enemies, tearing apart families and friendships once cherished. Seeds of division are being sown and the very fabric of America is under attack. Trust is being destroyed. Broken trust is difficult and sometimes impossible to regain. I am asking, and perhaps many of you find yourself asking, what or who can I trust? Is there anything or anyone left that is trustworthy?

All of this has resulted in a deepening of my relationship with Jesus Christ. My prayers are more focused and more frequent. He is my unshakable rock and I am learning to trust him more completely. He has seen me through these months of questions and disappointments! He is always with me and only a whisper is needed to draw Him into my sometimes anxious and seemingly impossible life situations. Trust is built one life crisis at a time! Mine has been a relationship which has grown deeper and deeper over forty five years. The Lord has never broken trust nor given reason not to trust him. There is peace in my life in spite of the chaos going on around me. I trust the One who is trustworthy. I can testify He can be trusted because of His faithfulness to me! He loves each of us, you and me, with a kind of love only He can give. It completes us. It fills the empty longing we all experience which only He can fill.

I suggest two portions of Scripture which speak to His faithfulness and confirm what I have personally experienced; Jeremiah 31:37 and Psalms 36.

May the Lord Bless you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you and give you Peace!

TIMELESS

TIMELESS

Months have passed since my last post. I am keenly aware of the importance of regular posts, in part, to maintain the interest of those following the blog. I chose at the onset to write what I believe The Holy Spirit is impressing me to write, and I have stayed true to that decision. The absence of posts is because I had not sensed the leading of The Holy Spirit with direction for a post. I am thankful now to be writing and sharing this one. To say the months since July have been challenging and sometimes difficult would be an understatement. In early July my sister Sandra, my only sibling, passed away after a months long battle with cancer. She lived in Texas, and due to shutdowns and travel restrictions related to COVID, we could not be with her prior to her passing or attend the memorial service, which has been difficult. Realizing you are the last one alive of your parents and siblings can be a stark reality. However, there have been some good things occuring with us even in these most difficult times. Our youngest daughter is pregnant and later this month will bless our family with a precious granddaughter. Another arrow added to our quiver of grandchildren and great grandchildren, soon to number twenty three.

I have come to understand with more clarity during these months, the timelessness of God’s Word and of my relationship with Him. Timeless is defined as having no beginning or end. Not restricted to a particular time or date. not affected by time. I believe I am gaining a better understanding that the Bible’s relevance never diminishes and how it can speak so clearly to us today, just as it did to believers hundreds of years ago. His Word is timeless just as God himself is timeless. His love for mankind and for each of us individually is timeless as well. Believers have testified, back to very early historical accounts, how He intersected their lives and spoke to them through His Word, resulting in countless testimonies being voiced and written.

Nothing impacts us quite like a personal experience. In 1983 I was a relatively young Christian. On September 23rd at around 11:30 PM I was awakened and experienced an impression from The Holy Spirit, a message I wrote down and later shared with the church family we were part of at the time. This was in the latter portion of what has been called the Charismatic Movement. I came to faith in 1976 during the height of the outpouring of The Holy Spirit. On occasion over the years, I have experienced impressions I believe have come out of my relationship with God and striving after Him. The message I received that night was one of those occasions. Through the years and several moves, we lost track of the copy I had written. Recently my wife found it among some papers. In reading it again, we were amazed how relevant the message still is today, just as it was in 1983. Rediscovering the copy and reading it anew has enabled me to experience personally what I am saying here and have come to better understand during these past months, that being the timelessness of God and His Word.

His love for each of us is timeless and He speaks to us through His timeless Word and the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. Certainly not the only ways but important and common ways we hear from Him. May God Richly Bless you and your family as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

 

 

 

THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER WRITTEN

THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER WRITTEN

The greatest love story ever written is not Romeo and Juliet or Gone With The Wind. Nor is it any of the thousands of other love stories which have been written. Some definitely are great love stories which touch our hearts and grip our emotions. Many of our lives, if written down on paper, would read like a love story. We are born with a desire to love and be loved. A desire which can overshadow common sense and good judgement if left unchecked. The pathway of my life bears evidence to this fact. My wife of thirty nine years and I are acutely aware and grateful of the blessing of our love story. We both experienced previous marriages which did not, well………..read like a love story. Many of the stories you might pick up to read describe a love which sacrifices for the good or benefit of the other person or persons in the story. Sometimes the sacrifice which unfolds as we read, is so real or so painful, we think we may be the person being described or written about. When the story is so real and impactful, we have discovered a literary gem.

I believe The Bible to be the greatest love story ever written. It describes pursuit, action, sacrifice and a love so great and deep, it is beyond our ability to completely understand. The Bible tells of God’s love for the universe, nature, animals and mankind, each a part of His creation. It details His desire to have relationship with every person and His plan for us to love and care for each other. The Bible declares God is love! (1 John 4:8 and 4:16). His love, which is described throughout Scripture, is like a thread in a fine woven tapestry. You see it over and over, intricately part of a beautiful picture. God’s love described to us in The Bible is unconditional and undeserved. If you question God’s love or that He loves you, I suggest you read John, Romans, 1 Corinthians and 1 John in The New Testament.

The Bible, God’s love story, is an open invitation to every person for a relationship with Him through His son Jesus Christ. In my humble opinion the greatest love story ever written!

 

THE TRUE PROBLEM

THE TRUE PROBLEM

It is unfortunate a legitimate peaceful protest of the unjustified death of George Floyd has been allowed, in many cities, to be used by some to spread and impart more injustice upon innocent citizens. Their agenda is to spread hate and create division. What they are doing is wrong and only hampers needed change. Instead of giving platform to those breaking the law, we need to consider their victims and the results of their insurrection. Innocent citizens had their business destroyed which they had spent years or in some cases a lifetime building. There is likely no justice for the loss they sustained. Many harmed are also people of color.  What happened to George Floyd is wrong irrespective of his color. Those responsible will be punished to the full extent of the law. The media would lead us to believe unarmed black citizens are routinely killed by police, and that most police are racist. The truth is twice as many unarmed white citizens were killed by police than were blacks. One would need to study the details of each incident to know the justification of the use of deadly force. If any were the result of unauthorized use of force or racism, a crime was committed, and those responsible need to be held accountable. To riot and attack innocent citizens and destroy property for the cause of events which happened 400, 300, 200, 100 or 50 years ago serves no legitimate purpose. It hinders the cause for those seeking to heal the wounds of the past and move forward with unity. We know racial prejudice exists and there is work which must be done to eliminate the injustice. We know as well the overwhelming majority of police professionals do not display or practice mistreatment of the public they serve. Change can happen only with the present and the future. The agenda of those who riot, loot and destroy property is not to bring the change those who demonstrate peacefully seek.

I believe it important to look at why what we see happening is happening. There is not just one cause. There are many facets to what has brought us to this place. Unless we identify and accept the truth, nothing will change. While there are many facets involved, the main point I wish to make as absolute truth is, we have a spiritual and moral problem in America. I am convinced it is at the root of the hate and destruction we are seeing. We have been desensitized regarding the value of human life. There is blatant disregard for the welfare of others. When harm occurs to another person because of our actions, for many, there is little or no concern. I do not condone abuse or harm to any person or animal. Today if I harm an animal I am subject to a fine and imprisonment. We place more value on animals than we do on human life. God’s view is every person has equal value and is to be equally valued and respected. I hold to that truth.  Every person is equal in God’s sight and loved by Him. We have turned from God’s values and established values of our own which are contrary to His plan and purpose. We have a spiritual and moral problem which is affecting the health of our nation and each of us. There is help for our condition. God does not change! His Word gives us clarity as to how we are to treat one another. His plan is for harmony and unity between each person and a healthy environment for mankind.

 

 

 

 

A SHAKING NOT SEEN IN OUR LIFETIME

A SHAKING NOT SEEN IN OUR LIFETIME

When we experience a shaking in our lives, a disruption to how we have grown accustomed to living, it is uncomfortable to say the least! It is unsettling and scary! Suddenly we are facing the uncertainty of what will happen next. Our life can seem to be spiraling completely out of control. This is the all too real description of what millions around the globe have been and continue to experience daily during recent weeks. Job loss or that possibility, loss of retirement funds, inability to meet obligations, or worse no way to feed themselves or family. This has become daily life for many! Fortunately for most, unemployment benefits, stimulus funds, food banks and other resources are available to lessen the uncertainty and meet basic needs. For some that is not the reality, and even when it is, our lives have literally been turned upside down! It is very easy to allow panic to take over. If we do we cannot think clearly or make rational and wise decisions. It is vitally important to determine to live today, facing whatever challenges this day holds, and to face tomorrow’s challenges tomorrow.

For myself, the Bible gives me comfort and direction. Even more so this is true during unforseen or uncertain seasons in life. Scripture is God’s truth and roadmap for living my life. An example is found in Matthew 6:25-34. Jesus is teaching in this portion of scripture and reminds us our Heavenly Father knows our needs and will provide for us. He tells us in verse 34, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it’s own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

I believe God is allowing the shaking we are experiencing for a purpose. If you know anything about God and His Word, the Bible, you know in America we have turned from God and the way He instructs us to live the life He gives us. Because God loves us He warns us of impending danger and provides opportunity to turn to Him. The opportunity is for us individually and as a nation to turn back to Him. As the fire and brimstone preacher would say “REPENT”! Turn from the way we have been living and seek Him and His righteousness. If we do, He will heal our lives and our land. He is with those who believe in Him through whatever we face in life! Jesus has overcome and will help us overcome if we turn to Him and allow Him to lead us through the difficulties we face. He has been faithful to me in my life more than forty three years.

During this season of social distancing, let’s imagine we are walking with friends across a railroad trestle. We have come about halfway. We can see the light of the locomotive! We can hear the whistle blow! We hear the rumble of the engine as the trestle shakes beneath our feet! If we stay stubbornly where we are on the trestle, what might we imagine will be the outcome! I pray we allow the shaking to wake us up individually and as a nation to the MESSAGE GOD IS SENDING! Is there an idol in my life that needs to go? Is there sin or anything else keeping me from the fulness of what God has planned for my life? God will not accept half-hearted commitment or the leftovers we may choose to give Him. He requires first place, and asks us to give him our best. Why, because it confirms our trust in Him! After all, He has already given his best for us!

 

 

 

WHAT’S THE MESSAGE?

WHAT’S THE MESSAGE?

The past month has been a busy few weeks for us. Early March we traveled by car to Tacoma to attend son John’s retirement party. He recently retired after 26 years of service from Federal Way Police Department. We planned to make the trip there in two legs. First leg from Bend to Longview/Kelso, spending the night with son Scott, wife Joy and twin granddaughters. The girls became ill and we did not want to risk catching their illness, as we planned to leave March 12th for Mexico to spend time with friends who are Missionaries there. Patty’s sister Nancy and husband Jerry were gracious to let us spend the night. We had a good visit with them and another sister Becky and her husband Brian. On Friday morning we met with son Jason and Shelly for breakfast, and had a short visit with son Scott before heading North. While we had to change our plans, we were thankful to spend time with family. Living a four hour drive apart, it is rare that we get to do so. It was the beginning of a wonderful weekend. We arrived in Tacoma Friday afternoon. Daughter Melissa and husband Jeff traveled from New Jersey to attend John’s party. Melissa arranged for us to share a townhome with them. It was really good to be together. Friday evening there was a pre-party gathering at John and Kathy’s home for some friends who could not attend the party on Saturday. Kathy, John’s wife, is a gifted planner and it gave us opportunity to meet some of her family along with the friends. The party Saturday evening saw around 120 of John’s family, friends and co-workers come out to honor him and celebrate with him. It became clear during the evening, John is loved and respected. People traveled from across the country to attend, in spite of the Covid 19 threat. As you may imagine, it was a proud moment for Patty and myself.  What’s the message? Relationships matter! Family relationships really matter! Our busy lives make it difficult to give the attention and care needed to develop and maintain relationships. Those who prioritize relationships reap a great reward!

We traveled to Mexico as planned, returning March 19th. The trip provided a special visit with friends Holly and Steve, and an opportunity to meet new friends as well as view first hand some of the fruits of the ministry there. We are very grateful for their hospitality.

So, what’s the message? There is a relationship that is more important, one that matters more than any we may have with friends or family. We can have a personal, deep, relationship with our Heavenly Father who created us and loves us. The opportunity is through Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, to purchase that opportunity for us. He meets us and accepts us right where we are, warts and all. That is the message!