Your Sense of Humor Might Change Your Life

by Ken Turner | Faith

Your ability to laugh says something about your emotional and spiritual well being. Persecuted Chinese Pastors who spent years in prison for their faith learned to maintain a sense of humor and a spirit of joy.

Are you a happy person? When a friend describes your personality to another person does that include the part that says, “He or she has a great sense of humor.”

Do you laugh often… or did your light-heartedness get stolen away from you because of the stresses of life? If it did, you need to re-think some things.

Nik Ripkin in his book, “The Insanity of God” shares some intense stories of personal interviews with Christians who served and suffered great persecution while spreading the gospel around the world. Following is an excerpt from the book about three Chinese pastors who spent three years in prison together for spreading the gospel.

They were extremely grateful that they were arrested at the same time and placed in the same prison for three years together. They knew that being together in prison would be much easier than enduring persecution alone.

Nik Ripkin was able to be in China and interview these three Chinese pastors just days after their release from prison. Nik shares the interview in his book, “The Insanity of God.” They met in a hotel room in secret. The three pastors were excited to share their stories and insisted that rather than be interviewed individually, they wanted to tell the stories together.

Surprisingly, the pastors chose to act out several of their experiences of persecution “like a skit.” While acting out the stories they would often correct each other about forgotten details or the accuracy of certain elements of their persecution. They would laugh and even poke fun at one another while rehearsing some of the most horrific circumstances.

One story the pastors told… and this is a tough story to hear… was what they referred to as “Color or Black and White TV.” They acted out the story as a skit. The prison guard would come into the cell and grab them by the arms from behind. He would continue to twist the arms like a pretzel causing excruciating pain. The arms would be twisted up and into the air as if to be a TV antenna. Then the guard would begin to push the prisoner toward the toilet which was sunken into the floor. While moving closer to the toilet the guard would refer to the arms as a TV antenna and ask what kind of reception are we going to have today? Lifting the arms higher and forcing the face down closer to the toilet, he would look inside and shove the face into the toilet. If there was human waste he would say, “We have color TV today.” And if not it was a black and white TV day.

These persecuted Chinese pastors acted out the story and laughed as they recounted those difficult days of persecution.

This is what Nik Ripkin says about what he observed from these men…

The fact that they were laughing about it now— especially since they had only been out of prison a short time— was actually reassuring. It may seem odd to be talking about humor in the midst of this kind of horror. But humor is a powerful indicator of psychological health. One of the clearest warning signs of undue psychological stress that we watched for among our relief staff in Somalia was the loss of an appropriate sense of humor. When our workers found it impossible to see and respond to humor, it was clear that they were in serious need of emotional relief and healing.

How do we move forward in life and maintain a spirit of joy? Two ways:

John 15:11 says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” To be full of joy means to be crammed full as in a net crammed full of fish… with no room for more.

1. Active Dependence – John 15:4-8
There are four benefits of dependence.
A. Dependence produces fruit. Verse 4-5
B. Dependence produces usefulness. Verse 6
C. Dependence produces answered prayer. Verse 7
D. Dependence glorifies God. Verse 8

2. Loving Obedience – John 15:9-10
When we understand the love of God, we will respond to Him with loving obedience. There are three reasons to obey God:
A. Dread – I obey because I fear what may happen if I choose not to.
B. Duty – I obey out of my duty or obligation to God.
C. Desire – I obey out of a loving heart, desiring to know and please Him.

How are you doing today in your journey? Can you see God’s hand in your current circumstances and lovingly depend upon Him and obey Him knowing He is going to pull you through with a new purpose and plan that will be amazing?

Leave a comment: How has maintaining a sense of humor and finding joy in difficult times helped you?

How the Decision to “Not Think” Helped Me

by Ken Turner | Faith

Meditation is not a new idea. God told us a long time ago that our mind needs to be rested.

Last Friday I had an opportunity  to spend several hours completely alone in the Canadian forest. I made a decision to use a portion of that time refusing to think. Sound crazy? Here’s why.

First, let me explain how I ended up in Canada. A year ago I was invited to go on what my friend Tom Vietti calls a “Men’s Extreme Wilderness Trip” to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Tom is the youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in York, PA and a long time friend. I went on this trip in September 2014 so I was excited to repeat the trip again last week with five other men. The park is a forest that consists of 2400 lakes and covers 3000 square miles. We entered the forest with canoes and backpacks on Sunday and came out of the woods the following Saturday.

Living in the woods for seven days has a lot of benefits. Unplugging from the cell phone, computer and the normal routine is certainly a plus. Hiking and canoeing everyday is great exercise and sleeping under the stars is amazing… especially this far north where the stars are brighter than anything you can imagine.

Friday was day six and what we called “solo day.” It’s a day we pre-scheduled to separate from each other and spend several hours alone with God.

Part of “solo day” would be spent reviewing all the lessons we had discussed from studying Philemon during the week and writing a recap of those lessons in our journals.

We spent day six on an island on Happy Isle Lake. I took a hike to the other side of the island to be alone with my Bible and journal. I found a bench made from a log with the top cut flat. I sat on the log bench and started to read and write in my journal… but I felt compelled to STOP.

So I laid down on the bench and began to realize something. I can spend the next couple of hours reading, writing, thinking and processing all kinds of information that is flooding through my mind from the week. I can work hard to compartmentalize all the experiences from the week… the view of the stars at night, the lessons learned from physical exertion, and the friendships I had developed. But what I really needed was not going to come by doing this. What I really needed was not a couple more hours spent in the process of THINKING but I needed to spend time NOT THINKING. So I prayed a simple prayer. “Dear Lord, help me to experience Psalm 46:10. Help me to experience nothing more than an hour of being still and knowing you are God.” A lot has been covered recently in the news on the benefits of meditation. It’s not a new idea… God told us a long time ago we needed to rest our mind.

Here’s a picture of my view from the bench…

So for the next hour (yes, I timed it) I intentionally laid on my back on a log in the forest in Canada and thought about nothing. The experience was amazing. I didn’t meditate on anything, process anything or ponder. I just let my mind rest. After a full hour ended I sat up and it was as if I had rested a tired muscle. There was clarity and peace and it wasn’t the result of me “figuring things out.” It was a result of spending an hour “being still.”

I spent the next hour reading and writing in my journal with clarity. God actually helped me understand three things He wanted me to know and take back home with me from the week in the woods. They were simple yet very profound…

1. Go and love Jesus Christ with all my heart.
2. Go and love my brothers and sisters in Christ with all my heart.
3. Go and make it my priority to spread the gospel.

“Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Decide right now… when will you schedule some time to be alone with God and not think?

How To Live In Spiritual Victory: Elevate

by Ken Turner | Faith

When I was in high school our youth group spent a week at youth camp every summer. We took hikes, swam in streams, saw waterfalls, went tubing in the rapids in the creeks, and so much more. We were a bunch of roughneck country boys from the foothills of South Carolina so we kind of showed up at camp with an attitude that we would try anything.

This is part of a four part series on Psalm 43
Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4

One summer we saw some teens using the inner tubes normally used for tubing the creeks in a whole new way. They were climbing inside the tubes and rolling from the top of the hill at the main lodge all the way down to the bottom! Now that looked like fun… so we grabbed some tubes and ran to the top of the hill. Off we went, rolling about 120 mph down the hill. It was a blast. We ended up with all kinds of scrapes and bruises and my brother even crashed into the snack trailer once at the bottom of the hill and rocked it so hard the college kids working inside ran out the back door scared to death.

In the years ahead, after I became a youth pastor, I can’t even count how many times I’ve spent a day playing like this. Sledding, giant slip and slides, skiing, ice skating, bowling and the list goes on.

But recently I had a thought about the way we play. If you are like me, you kind of forget that on that day you went sledding, or tubing or skiing and had the time of your life, you actually spent a lot of time climbing back up the hill. Every time we rolled down the hill in our tubes, we ran back up the hill. Every time we slid down hill in the snow, we climbed back to the top. But it was so much fun!

Do you know that God really wants us to experience this kind of happiness in our journey with Him? It’s not only fun sledding down the hill but there is joy throughout the entire journey!

Here are a few thoughts from Psalm 43 about how this looks in real life.

Psalm 43:4, “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy, yea upon the harp will I praise thee, O my God.”

1. The Decision To Go – Psalm 43:4 “Then Will I Go.”

It’s time to make a decision that you are not going to keep standing on the spiritual sidelines. It doesn’t matter how many times you see a bunch of teens running up the hill to slide back down laughing so hard their side hurts… there will always be a few who are just standing by watching. Life is full of reasons to be apprehensive but God wants us to let go of that apprehension and feel the joy and happiness He gives. The phrase “then will I go” in Psalm 43:4 really is a challenge to let go of your spiritual apprehension and go to the next place God is calling you to go in your spiritual growth.

2. The Degree of Dedication – Psalm 43:4 “Unto The Altar.”

To go “unto the altar” illustrates the willingness to be “all in” with God. The altar is a place of holiness, a place where we give offerings and a place where intimate worship takes place. It’s time to stop keeping Him at “arms length” and go “all in” with your spiritual walk.

3. The Source of Our Joy – Psalm 43:4 “Unto God My Exceeding Joy.”

This phrase “exceeding joy” means “like a revolving joy.” Picture a person living in a circle of joy, a revolving joy, like the teenager running up the hill, sledding down the hill, running up the hill, sledding down the hill… over and over… forever and ever without ever losing their enthusiasm! God has the ability to produce that kind of joy.

4. The Instrument of Praise – Psalm 43:4 “Upon The Harp Will I Praise Thee.”

The Psalmist had a harp to praise God with. How about you? What if you chose to take every instrument God has given you and continually offer praise to God with it? Your talents, your smile, your enthusiasm, your abilities and every instrument He has blessed you with… all of them in unison being used to praise God.

It’s time you started living victoriously! Now go and get to it and experience that revolving joy God talks about in Psalm 43!

Unloading Spiritual and Emotional Baggage: Rejuvenate

by Ken Turner | Faith

Psalm 43:5, “Why art thy cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance and my God.”

This is part of a four part series on Psalm 43
Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4

Last year I took a trip to Canada and spent a week in the Algonquin Provincial Park. This was a new experience for me but I was with three other “experienced” men so I was in good hands. The trip lasted seven days and we went in to the forest with 45-pound backpacks and 45-pound canoes to travel across miles and miles of lakes and trails. I learned quickly the value of carrying the weight correctly. On one long hike between two large lakes my backpack was extremely uncomfortable. As I was making the trek to the next lake my back began to hurt, my arms became numb and I didn’t have much feeling in my hands. Now, I’m no expert but I was thinking this might not be a good sign. At the end of the trail I told Tom how I was feeling and he immediately saw the problem and made a ton of adjustments to the straps and that made all the difference. Besides, this trip was challenging but it was supposed to be fun too, right?

Every day has the potential to add more weight to the load you are carrying through life. Dealing with stress at work, family problems and even a health issue can add tremendous weight to the burdens you carry. But here’s the deal… God wants to help you with that. Are you carrying so much of the burden that it’s becoming more than you can bear? Or are you in the habit of unloading the backpack of life along the way so you don’t become what Psalm 43 calls “cast down?”

Here Are The Ways A Heavy Backpack of Life Will Affect You.

1. You’ll Become Spiritually Cast Down – Psalm 43:5.

You will know you are “spiritually cast down” when your spiritual life feels “heavy.” You feel more sad than happy. It’s a feeling of spiritual weakness, feeling whipped. Are you struggling to believe God will actually do what He has promised you He would do? That’s what it is to be spiritually cast down.

2. You’ll Become Emotionally Drained – Psalm 43:5

The question “Why are you cast down O my soul?” is not a question you should ignore. Being cast down affects your spirit, the source of your emotional strength and joy. There are certain emotional connections you should feel with God including times of great joy over His presence, laughter that comes from the happiness He brings and even sadness when you are convicted about your sin. Do you have a healthy emotional connection with God or are you just moving along in a routine with no passion?

3. You’ll Be Struggling With People – Psalm 43:5

Here’s an interesting question, “Why art thou disquieted?” To be disquieted means to growl, to murmur, to roar and to be in a turbulent. It’s the opposite of being full of peace and tranquility. Because the burdens of your life, the heaviness of your backpack, has so affected you that you are now in turbulent relationships with others. It seems that everything is bothering you and your relationships are suffering as a result.

Here’s How To Unload A Heavy Backpack of Life.

1. Hope In God – Psalm 43:5 (How You Think)

Remember that God wants you to live life with patience, waiting for Him to do His work in His timing. Live with great expectations and trust in Him to take the problems and burdens of your life.

2. Give Praise To God – Psalm 43:5 (How You Talk)

The phrase “to give praise” literally means to throw it at Him. Develop the habit of consistently acknowledging that God is in control and you have many things to be thankful for.

3. Rely on God – Psalm 43:5 (How You Trust)

Remember that He is your strength and your deliverer; He is the source of your hope, prosperity and victory. The phrase “who is the health” of my countenance tells us that we can trust Him for everything.

4. Express Your Faith – Psalm 43:5 (How You Look)

He is the health “of my countenance.” Literally, He affects my face, my personality, my physical presence and it’s impact on those around me. By choosing to call Him into the equation of how my personality and countenance is reflected in front of others, I am acknowledging that God can fill me with joy and happiness and others will see it and be blessed.

So if you are carrying a load today that feels way too heavy, why not trust God enough to unload that “backpack of life” today and let Him carry it for you?

How To Find and Follow God’s Plan: Navigate

by Ken Turner | Faith

Navigate: “Let them lead me…” That morning in the fall of 2007, when I pulled over and parked on the town square I ended up having one of the most meaningful conversations with God I’ve ever had. To be in a place in life where I had absolutely no idea what to do next was really confusing. At the end of that conversation with God, I eventually turned on the vehicle and pulled away. I still had no idea what the future would hold but I did have one thing… a sense of God’s presence.

This is part of a four part series on Psalm 43
Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4

If you take a deep look into Psalm 43 you will notice the phrase “let them lead me” referring to God’s light and God’s truth in Psalm 43:3. Here’s a promise that you can hold on to… God’s light, or His presence in your life and God’s truth, or the accuracy of His word (the Bible) will lead you… if you will allow it.

When you are in a dark moment of life, it’s easy to begin thinking all the wrong thoughts. Thoughts like, “Has God forgotten me? Has He given up on me? Is there something wrong with me that He’s taken away His blessing on my life? Am I no longer of any value to Him? Does He just not care about me any more?” But guess what? None of those things are true if you have a personal relationship with God.

Here’s proof in Psalm 139:12, “…the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” It doesn’t matter how dark the darkness may be… the darkness and the light are both alike to God because He is the light and light always dispels darkness!

So, let me step back into the personal journey I was on in the fall of 2007. (You can read how it started here). There were two things that became my lifeline and these two things clearly became my navigation system and led me when life was making absolutely no sense at all.

Those two things were:

1. God’s Presence. I accepted the truth with 100% of my heart that God WAS with me. I talked openly and honestly with Him daily, believing He was with me and He was trustworthy.
2. God’s Word. I embraced the Bible as my main source of strength, truth and wisdom to direct my path. I spent 18 months in the book of Psalms, sometimes only reading 3-5 verses in a day and absorbing those truths with all my heart. I often looked specifically for the “truth” and “lies” from scripture. I would read a passage and think, “This is the real, absolute truth, therefore this other perspective is a lie.”

In a time of life when things seem dark, know this… you are NOT ALONE. You have access to God’s presence and the truth of His word and through these two resources you will not wander and be lost along the way. He will navigate your journey so be ready to embrace Him as your navigator.

While I was waiting on God, one morning He so clearly spoke to me about the next phase of my journey that it opened a door I never even considered. And in the next twenty-four months I saw more spiritual fruit than I had experienced in my first twenty years of ministry combined. I’ve shared it here in an audio interview.

Also, I’ve created a FREE RESOURCE titled, “10 Truths To Remember When Life’s Path Grows Dark” and you can get it here.

Have You Lost Your Joy?

by Ken Turner | Faith

Think of one of the happiest moments of your life. What happened? Was it a childhood moment? Did it occur during adulthood? What brought so much joy? Was it an experience like visiting a special place? Was it a reunion with a loved one who had been absent? Was it a gift you received that filled you up? Was it an accomplishment, a big win on the field, or maybe it was a financial win. Okay… do you have that moment locked into your mind? Next question. Did it last? If so… for how long? Stay with me here… I’m not trying to turn gladness into sadness. Wouldn’t it be incredible to experience happiness and joy on a regular basis?One thing we know for sure, material things, winning a game, and making money can be fun but that fun doesn’t really produce real joy that carries us throughout life. We’ve all met people who “have it all” but still aren’t happy. There’s a reason for that.

When I was a church youth pastor I took teens on mission trips. On one of my first trips into Mexico we were traveling to a small village to do children’s ministry and passed by a park. We decided to stop and play with kids in the park for a few minutes. The kids were full of laughter and joy! They were running up and down the playground playing soccer with an old ragged ball and the field was mostly dirt and rocks. There were some kids flying kites. I went over to hang out with the kids with kites. Those kites were flying high but looked really unusual. One of them reeled in his kite and I got a closer look. The kite was made of sticks he had broken off trees at the park and a Walmart bag. I couldn’t believe how high these things were flying. These kids were having just as much fun as any kid who’s ever flown a kite. They didn’t need expensive stuff to have fun and find joy at the park on a summer day.

Jesus put it this way, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11

We know for sure that Jesus wants us to experience fullness of joy. He can actually bring that joy into our life. I realize that my “personal happiness” is not my key focus in life and I’m not about to start living out my days thinking “I deserve to be happy at all costs.” That kind of thinking can lead to a pretty self-centered life. But there is joy, an inner peace that Jesus can provide and I can have that joy in the midst of any circumstance life throws my way.

There are three truths from John 15 the lead to a life full of joy.

1. Active Dependence

Have you figured out yet that you can’t fix everything that goes wrong in your life? The more I learn that He is my strength, my shield and my provider, the more joy I experience. Face each day with the zeal and work ethic to give your best and in doing so you will glorify Him. Then rest in the knowledge that He will take our frail efforts and do more with it than we could ever do. Learn to depend on Him and abide in Him as the source of strength. He promises four benefits of abiding in Him.

1. We Are Fruitful – (Verses 4,5)

2. We Are Useful – (Verse 6)

3. Our Prayers Are Answered – (Verse 7)

4. We Glorify God – (Verse 8)

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

2. Loving Obedience

When we begin to understand the love of God we will respond with loving obedience. I’ve noticed there are three motives for obeying God. They are DREAD, DUTY and DESIRE. We can choose to obey Him because we DREAD what might happen if we don’t. We can obey God out of DUTY because, after all, He’s done so much for us it is our duty to obey Him. We can obey God out of DESIRE from an outflow of overwhelming love for Him based on our understanding of His love for us. Either of these motives work… but obeying Him from an overflowing heart of love and gratitude is certainly the key to real joy.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

3. Fullness of Joy

Jesus said we can be full of joy. The word “full” means to cram full as a net full of fish with room for no more! And He said our net would be full of “joy” which is a spirit of delight and peace with Him.

So remember that “happiest moment of your life” you thought about a few minutes ago? It didn’t last forever did it? But Jesus has something to offer you right now that really will last. He can restore the joy into your heart and cram you full of it. Don’t be afraid to take a few minutes today to talk to Him about it and find what He calls “Fullness of Joy.”

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:11

9 Benefits Of Reading The Bible

by Ken Turner | Faith

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said this in his book, “Life Is Tremendous.”

(If you would like a FREE printable PDF of this article, click on the image to download)

If Charlie is right, then what are the most important books we should read and who are the most important people we should meet and learn from?

I wasn’t much of a reader earlier in life. To be honest, I just didn’t see the value in reading books. Maybe it was partly because I grew up in a small, rural community where most people worked manual labor jobs to earn a living. Even though I decided to go to college to study for youth ministry I still didn’t see great value in reading. Of course, I would read my Bible and I would read for classes but looking back I can see that most of my choices to read were directly connected to an “obligation” to read… not a desire to really grow.

One day I came face to face with a deficiency in my life and for some reason it shook me to the core. It happened while I was a college student. I had signed up to sell books and Bibles door to door for The Varsity Company which at the time was a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers in Nashville, Tennessee. I was in “sales school” for five days in Nashville with hundreds of other students from all over America.

All the students gathered in the big conference hall and found our seats to prepare to listen as Joe Martin, our sales and marketing trainer opened up the morning session. He started by asking, “How many of you read the assignment I gave last night?” If the silence from these college students was a sign of the guilty, then we were guilty enough to fill up every jail in Tennessee that morning! I don’t remember everything Joe Martin said for the next several minutes but I do remember how I felt by the time he was finished. The message I did get… and I got it loud and clear… is that I was never going to change, I was never going to grow, I was never going to even come close to the potential God intended for my life if I did not take seriously the life-changing impact of reading.

I determined by the time Joe was finished with his “Come To Jesus” sermon about our slothfulness that if he ever asked again… I would be prepared to say yes, I am reading. We were supposed to be reading “Life Is Tremendous,” by Charlie Jones and I went back to my room and read the entire book that same day. It was on that day that Charlie taught me this, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

So, if reading can change a person so dramatically… imagine how much more enriched our life would be if we read the Bible… the most powerful book ever written?

So here’s my challenge to you… begin to read with a desire to grow! This is different than reading out of obligation to complete an assignment. And make reading the Bible the top priority. 

Here Are 9 Benefits of Reading The Bible

From Psalm 119

1. Victory Over Sin In Your Life

* Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Verse 11

* Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. Verse 29

* I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. Verse 101

2. Cleansing From Sin

* Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Verse 9

3. More Joy

*I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. Verse 14

*I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Verse 16

4. Wisdom and Direction

*Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors. Verse 24

*Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Verse 34

*I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. Verse 99

5. You Will Be Revived… Rejuvenated

*Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness. Verse 159

*I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. Verse 107

6. Renewed Strength

*Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. Verse 117

*My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. Verse 28

7. You Will Experience Liberty and Freedom

*And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. Verse 45

8. Less Shame and Embarrassment

*I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. Verse 46

*Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed. Verse 80

*Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Verse 116

9. Comfort in Affliction

*This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. Verse 50

*I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself. Verse 52

*Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law. Verse 153

I was impressed the first time I read David’s plea in Psalm 51:10. It tells me that he sometimes came face to face with his own inadequacies and his own lack of desire to really change and grow. If you have lost the desire… the real hunger and thirst to know God more… why not pause right now and ask Him to renew a spirit of hunger and thirst for Him?

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

5 Obstacles That Keep You From Reading The Bible

by Ken Turner | Faith

At age eleven I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was told that if I wanted to really grow in my new relationship with Him I should begin spending time reading the Bible. And that sounded great to me.

Even though I was still a young kid, I saw what life without God looked like and what life with God looked like in our home. Before I accepted the Lord, I felt so lost… empty and worried about a lot of things. I knew there was a void in my heart and I knew that someday I wanted to be with God in heaven. Sound familiar? If you are a Christian, I’m sure you can relate to my experience.

The idea of opening my Bible and reading this powerful “message from God” sounded so appealing. I had heard that the Bible was a real, true, life-changing book and I wanted the change it could bring.

So I opened it and started to read it. It felt good to know I was being obedient to God by reading the Bible because I knew He wanted me to. But just like a lot of people, I ran into obstacles that slowed me down. To be honest there were obstacles that I allowed to not only slow me down… they stopped me in my tracks! They are probably the same obstacles you have faced. Over the years, I’ve learned more about these obstacles and how to work toward overcoming them.

1. Finding Time To Read The Bible: There are always things going on in my life that are competing for my time and attention. It feels like I’m so busy and even though I want to read the Bible, I don’t always feel I have the time. But let’s be honest… I have time to do what I choose to do and so do you. I’m more of a morning person than I was in my younger days.

Now I read my Bible in the mornings but years ago I found it almost impossible to read in the mornings so I read at night just before bed. For me, the key is to choose a time to read and be consistent. Find a quiet place and set aside the cell phone, TV and other distractions and commit to spend some time in His word.

2. Struggling To Keep Up With A Bible Reading Plan: I tried to read the Bible through in a year by following a reading plan. It’s great to read the entire Bible in a year if you can keep up the pace but the idea of reading several chapters a day was a struggle for me. I would get behind and eventually give up on the goal.

Several years ago I adopted a different mindset. My goal is not so much how many verses or chapters I read each day, but the goal is this… fellowship with God. I can honestly say that there are days now when I read as few as three verses and I am so moved by the power of those verses that I just stop there. I re-read the verses and really let it soak in to my mind and heart. I pray about the message and talk to God about the fact that I’m seeing ways I need to change and grow.

I look for “action steps” within those verses and try to determine what I will do that day to put these things into practice. Some days I might read ten to fifteen verses or even a few chapters. My goal is ultimately to read the Bible until I am truly moved by the truth and power of His word and know that I have fellowshipped with God.

3. Becoming Distracted and Struggling To Focus: Don’t be surprised if you struggle with distractions while reading the Bible. The Devil doesn’t want you to spend a lot of time alone with God.

The best thing I’ve found to help me stay focused is keeping a journal. I call it my spiritual journal. After reading the scripture, I often write in my journal as if I’m writing a letter to God. My journal entry is an opportunity to record on paper what I just learned from my Bible reading and put on paper my thoughts as God is leading me.

I can write about the specific things God is doing in my life right now including things I’m excited about and things I’m concerned about. I basically put it on paper and leave it in God’s hands for the day! I’ve found this to be very freeing and it gives me so much more focus.

These journals are encouraging to go back to. I have journals from 25-30 years ago and they are a treasure to me now as I recall how God has been so faithful in my life. Did you know that Christians who keep a spiritual journal tend to read the Bible at least 4 days each week on a consistent basis while only 20-25% of Christians in general ever read the Bible at all?

4. Finding It Difficult To Understand: God’s word is alive. It is His message to us and it has the power to change lives. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that the natural man cannot understand the things of God. It’s important to know that if you do not have a personal relationship with God, you are going to find it very difficult to make sense of the Bible.

As a Christian, I enter into Bible reading with a prayerful heart, asking God to reveal to me His truth and make it understandable. Don’t get too bogged down if there are parts of the Bible that you don’t understand, but focus on the parts you do understand and allow it to change your life.

5. Truly Believing It Will Change My Life: For some reason, early in my Christian life, if I were honest about it, I’d have to say I don’t think I truly believed that being faithful in my Bible reading would be that life-changing. I realized that a lot of my Christian friends didn’t read the Bible and they seemed to be doing okay. So in my heart I reasoned that I could “get by just fine” as a Christian without making time to be in the Word.

It’s sad… but it is a reality of the Christian life that most Christians don’t actually read the Bible. But I can tell you that nothing has changed my life more than a regular and ongoing infusion of God’s word into my life. If you read Psalm 119 (it’s a long chapter) you will see all the ways the word of God will deeply change your life. And I want that change! I want forgiveness of sin, victory over sin, peace in my heart, wisdom and guidance and God’s blessing. These are just a few of the promises that come to those who read the Word.

So why not commit to God today? Tell Him you will make it a major priority to take time and fellowship with Him by spending time in the Word.

For more information about growing as a Christian or keeping a spiritual journal visit https://kenturnerministries.org/keeping-a-spiritual-journal/

Ken Turner

My Brother’s Story – by Steve Sederstrom (Guest Post)

by Ken Turner | Faith

HAWARDEN, Iowa (2010) — I admit, when I look back on my life I still can’t believe the journey that GOD had me travel. I am here today as proof that GOD can and will use anyone for His glory; even the most vile and sinful person. 

That was me, Steve Sederstrom, until age 26 when I asked Jesus to be my personal Savior. As happens to some new Christians, I was saved but never disci-pled; I had a foundation but was not instructed in God’s Word and did not know how to conduct my-self. It wasn’t until God allowed a tragedy in my life that I can now look back at my journey and realize that it was all part of God’s plan.

In June of 2010 I was asked to plan and speak at the funeral service for my brother, Chuck, who was 17 months older than me. We grew up together, and as you can see in the photo, my big brother was a bull riding cowboy. I felt it appropriate to honor him with a cowboy funeral.

I donned a cowboy hat, black jeans, and boots that day to deliver the eulogy for my older brother, Chuck Sederstrom. He died June 5, 2010 ending a 20+ year existence lying in a comatose state. His condition was the result of injuries suffered January 13, 1990. While driving drunk, he fell asleep at the wheel and wrecked his car.

Chuck was 29 years old at the time, running Swede’s Bar in Hawarden, Iowa and living in life’s fast lane. When he wasn’t scaling steel beams or serving Jim Beam, he was bar-room brawling, breaking horses, and riding bulls. He thought he was indestructible. 

Chuck and I were the sons of Eugene William (Swede) and Aida Sederstrom. Our parents owned and operated the V.I.P. Lounge, the largest strip club in South Dakota in the late 60’s and 70’s. It was a poor environment to raise kids; in fact I was tending bar by age 11.

By age 13 Chuck was 5-feet 6-inches tall. He was all muscle and attitude, and he was known as the school bully. He rebelled against our parents, spent

time in reform schools, and was in the State Peni-tentiary for 6 months by age 17. He often lifted the screen from our bedroom window to sneak out and run to a nearby ranch, a place that gave him the chance to work with horses. Chuck earned his G.E.D. and headed to Oklahoma and Texas to live in horse country. He would hang red iron by day and ride bulls – mechanical or real – by night. Chuck was married and had three children. How-ever, he never settled down. He partied. He abused alcohol and drugs.

His wild ways came to a tragic end that January night in 1990. Chuck, being intoxicated, left Sioux City, Iowa and disabled the seat belt in his car. He set the cruise at 80 and took off in the snow. He dozed at the wheel, ended up in a ditch, and was thrown from his vehicle at impact. Res-cue personnel found him snoring, face down, in the ditch. His brain swelled after the accident, and doctors had to drill holes into his skull to relieve the pressure. Sadly, permanent damage had al-ready been done. A year later a doctor told us that his brain had shrunken to a small mass and was heavily scarred. He basically said there was no hope.

Our mom and dad held out for a miracle. They kept Chuck stable, feeding him through a tube and attempting to communicate with him. For the last 15 years of his life, Chuck resided at Auburn Manor, a nursing home located in Chaska, Minne-sota. My dad would order medication for Chuck when he got sick. I knew he didn’t want to see his son die.

Standing at a podium in Grace Hill Cemetery for Chuck’s funeral, I spoke of my own time as a Sioux Falls miscreant. I upped the pace in the fast lane after Chuck’s accident. I would often take my older brother’s truck into the timberland around Hawarden, Iowa. I would fill a cooler with beer and drink myself to the point I could barely walk, and then cry and curse God for allowing this horrible thing to happen to my brother.

At this point, my life’s journey began a downward spiral. I had gotten married, but my wife took our baby girl, left me, and went to live with her par-ents. I can’t blame her. I was not safe to be around and was set on self-destruction. I couldn’t deal with my brother lying in a bed helpless, not being even close to what he was before his accident.

I reached my lowest point some weeks later when I spent a cold Friday night drinking in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and then climbed into a car to sleep. I was arrested and spent the weekend in a 6-foot by 9-foot jail cell.

On Sunday I got on my knees in this tiny jail cell, and told the Lord that if he got me out of this, I would change my ways. Just minutes after I prayed I heard the key in the door. I was being released! Both the jailer and lawyer claimed that it was rare to be released on a Sunday evening. I took this as a sign from God! Since that day over 19 years ago I have not had one drop of alcohol to drink.

I went to church for the first time and God has per-formed nothing short of a miracle ever since. I was reunited with my wife and God blessed us with three more children. With a 9th grade education and a GED, I am now an engineer. God has burdened me with a desire to work with our church youth group teaching children Biblical character traits. I’ve also had opportunities to share my testimony with teens and others about the perils of alcohol and drug abuse.

I still miss my older brother Chuck. I don’t think the pain will ever go away. I don’t believe Chuck’s accident was in vain. Would I change things if I could? Yes I Would! But I realize there was good that came out of all this. Even though Chuck had been in a coma for over 20 years, I still cried for several hours the day he died. I grabbed a photo album and pored over shots of my big muscular brother, the bull rider, the construction worker. I started laughing when thinking about the memories while planning his funeral. As I ended my remarks at Chuck’s funeral, I came to this realization and stated to those in attendance, “There is no burden too heavy, no sin too great that God can’t carry or forgive.”

Following the eulogy, my other siblings, Bob, Gene, and Marie, together lowered Chuck’s urn into the ground. I grabbed a rose and dropped it into his grave. “See you later brother,” I said. But God was not done yet, for He had even bigger plans with my brother’s story.

I was contacted by reporter Tim Gallagher from the Sioux City Journal about my brother’s story. He claimed that this was an interesting life story, and that his editor sent him to check it out. Tim came to the funeral and heard my testimony. Afterwards Tim (not being a Christian) claimed that he would write this up but was not sure if it would get printed. Well to the amazement of us all, including the reporter, the story made the front page of the paper. Tens of thousands of people across the Midwest read this powerful story about how God can save and change lives.

During the past years I was blessed with the oppor-tunity to lead both my mother, Aida Sederstrom, and also my Dad, “Swede” Sederstrom, to the Lord. I pray that Chuck understood when I read to him from the Bible, and showed him how to get saved. He responded with eye blinks as I asked questions and attempted to lead him to salvation. For the first few years after the accident I prayed for a miracle and that Chuck would awake. But later I asked God to take him home for my heart was broken.

I now understand what God had planned all along. I pray that my brother’s story will help make others change their ways, and start making God a part of their lives. Remember: There is no burden too heavy, and no sin too great that God cannot forgive.

Are you prepared for tragedy or death like in “My Brothers Story?” 

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” 

The Bible says: YOU ARE A SINNER! Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of GOD.” 

Christ Died for Your Sins: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 

You must receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” 

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 

So what must you do to be saved? 

Acts 16:30-31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” 

Won’t you take the time now to make your deci-sion? Where will you be if you put this off ? 

Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” 

Don’t wait. Stop right now and ask Jesus to come into your life, to forgive you of your sins! There may never be a tomorrow like in my brother Chuck’s case. 

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not con-demned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” 

Written By Steve Sederstrom 
Special Thanks to:
Calvary Baptist Church, York, PA & Tim Gallagher and the Sioux City Journal for allowing the use of some of this material.