Bad choices, broken hearts, shattered dreams and irrevocable failures are all part of this thing we call life. Satan can use these things to paralyze us with guilt, but God can use these things to draw us closer to Him. He is willing to forgive our failures and to offer us a mulligan, a do-over or a second chance. Too often, people feel destitute after making one bad choice or experiencing a failure in life. I am so glad that God does not define us by our failures and is even willing to offer second chances. The Bible provides many examples of good people who were restored after making bad choices.

Moses is one of the great heroes of the Bible, but did you know that Moses failed in several areas? He was a murderer (Ex 2:11-12), he threw a righteous temper tantrum (Ex 32:19) and he directly disobeyed God (Num 20:8:12). In spite of Moses’ sin, God still used him to lead His chosen people to the edge of the Promised Land and to author several books of the Bible. God gave Moses a second chance and several more.

King David had an affair (2 Sam 11:4) and murdered the woman’s husband (2 Sam 11:15-17); but God still used David to lead the nation, to write many of the Psalms, to prepare for the building of the Temple, and to be in the bloodline of the Messiah. David’s broken and contrite spirit is recorded in Psalm 51 and God calls him a man after His own heart in Acts 13:22-23. God gave David a second chance and chose not to define him by his failures.

Scripture also records the story of a woman caught in adultery (John 8). According to Jewish Law, this sin was punishable by stoning; but Jesus stopped the religious hypocrites that were pointing out her sin and called attention to their own. The accusers left, Jesus forgave the woman and instructed her to go and sin no more. Again, we see a sinner, her repentance and God’s grace that extended to her a second chance.

Remember the story (I Cor 5:1,11) of the man having an illicit relationship with his stepmother? Paul instructed the church to break fellowship with him until he repented; but, following his repentance, Paul told them to receive him back into the church family and restore him (2 Cor 2:6-11). This man was given a second chance.

Finally, for now, we find the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-25). The boy spent his inheritance on parties and prostitutes. When he hit rock bottom, he repented and returned to his father. The father welcomed his son and celebrated his return. The father lovingly gave his son a second chance.

The chorus to one of my favorite songs reads as follows: “I don’t know what a sinner you are, but I know what a Savior He is. I don’t know where your feet have taken you, but His climbed up Calvary’s hill. I don’t know what kind of words you’ve spoken, but His words were Father forgive. I don’t know what a sinner you are, but I know what a Savior He is.” That song reminds me that God is still offering mulligans, do-overs and second chances. According to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Lead Pastor at Grace Church located at 501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach. For more information, call 954-421-0190 or pastor@gbcfl.org.

⁶ “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6-7

You never forget the first time you move away from home for an extended period of time. In my case, I lived in California for a year leaving my home state (Minnesota) behind. Obviously, this wasn’t the last time I left home for an extended period of time, hence I am writing from sunny Florida, my home for the last 22 years.

When you move away from home, you gravitate toward people who serve as surrogate family members. One particular woman was my adopted Grandma and, like my grandmas back home, she was a person of deep and profound faith. Her name was Margaret.

When I went to Margaret’s small apartment, I noticed a few things that left an impression with me. The first thing I noticed was a map of the world with push pins denoting the location of missionaries. Every day, Margaret would pray for each missionary, send and receive correspondence, and share their stories. She was elderly and dependent upon others for transportation but she felt that she was playing an important role in mission. Indeed, she was.

But it was the prayer journal that I remember the best. She followed the advice of a friend and wrote down her prayer requests, prayers of supplication. And, then, in another part of her journal, she wrote the answers for the purpose of giving thanks.

When Margaret began her journey of prayer with her prayer journal, her prayers of supplication outnumbered her prayers of thanksgiving. That soon changed.

As she kept journaling, she found it easier to have two separate journals, one for supplication and one for thanksgiving. There simply was not enough room for one journal.

Pretty soon, she discovered that she was spending more time praying prayers of thanksgiving as opposed to prayers of supplication. She told me: “Sometimes, I just spend hours giving thanks.”

When I consider the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians: “supplication with thanksgiving,”
I am reminded of the importance of paying attention to the answers. God answers prayers before we even have a chance to ask. We must be alert, aware and grateful.

But I also consider this saintly woman of faith who really didn’t have a lot of possessions. She didn’t have transportation. She was dependent upon church members to get to worship. What she had was faith and what she could do was pray.

Missionaries benefited from her prayers all around the world. Church members were blessed by her pleasant demeanor and her genuine kindness. I was blessed by her profound wisdom and the strength of her faith, not to mention that I felt I had a Grandma nearby when I needed it. I think Margaret gave more than she ever realized, but I know one thing for sure — Margaret would want to remind my readers that God gave her even more than she ever asked.

Pastor Gross is a pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, located at 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-421-3146 or visit www.zion-lutheran.org.

Our prayers go out to those who experienced the devastation of Hurricane Michael. In the aftermath, we pray for the restoration of the communities in the Panhandle. We continue to pray for our community as well through this season. When one part of our state is hurting, we all share the pain together.

I know that the phrase “act of God” is one used by insurance companies and will continue to be used regardless of my commentary. As a person who advocates God for a living, I do feel that I can weigh in on this phrase and its usage as well as challenge the people who use this phrase to broaden their perspective.

When a tornado devastates a town we call it an “act of God.” When a river floods acres of farmland, we call it an “act of God.” When an earthquake hits a poor nation killing tens of thousands of people, we call it an “act of God.” It seems that we avoid the word “God” in public lest we offend anybody, yet atheists, agnostics and believers alike use the phrase “act of God” when a tornado, flood, earthquake or a hurricane devastates their community.

Let us talk about times when you do not hear the phrase “act of God,” and you probably should. When my family rented kayaks and explored the mangroves on the gulf coast. I was so overwhelmed by God’s creation evident with the wildlife that I called it an “act of God.” When I went hiking with my Boy Scout troop through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and saw the majesty of snow top mountains in the heat of the summer, I couldn’t help but call it an “act of God.” When snorkeling in Key West with my church’s Youth Group near a natural reef with schools of colorful fish surrounding me I could not help but call it an “act of God.” We reserve the phrase “act of God” when we talk about the devastation of nature but what about nature’s splendor?

I know, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, neighbors are going to pull together and help each other and form a lifelong bond. I call this an “act of God.” I know that families will mourn the loss of their home but come to a profound realization that they are blessed with their family who are safe and sound. When the gratitude of family eclipses the loss of material items, this is what I call an “act of God.” I know that people from all over the state and country will come from churches, synagogues and mosques lending a hand, praying and setting aside their divisions for the purpose of doing “acts of God.”

God created nature and nature seems to have a mind of its own. Hurricanes, tornados, floods and earthquakes have been our constant companions and when we experience “acts of nature” we respond with “acts of God.”

I grew up in a state where blizzards happen in the winter and tornados happen in the summer. I went to college in a community with a river that flooded almost every spring after the thaw of snow and ice. I did my pastoral internship literally on the San Andreas Fault and experienced an earthquake. And, for the last 20 plus years, I have lived in Florida and can recall several hurricanes.

I am pretty sure blizzards and tornados occurred in Minnesota long before my family settled there. I know that the Red River of the north flooded Fargo, North Dakota long before there was a place called Fargo. The San Andreas Fault went through the San Bernardino Mountains long before San Andreas and San Bernardino were even born. And you can bet Florida always had hurricanes even before we started naming them.

The only thing more constant than “acts of Nature” is God. Like “acts of Nature,” God has always been our constant companion. In the wake of natural disaster, it is my prayer that good things will happen. And when that does, then I will know what to call it. It is an “act of God.”

Pastor Gross is a pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, located at 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-421-3146 or visit www.zion-lutheran.org.

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

(1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV)

There is a story about a church in the city of Berlin that suffered damage from World War II. Among the items damaged was a statue of Jesus. While the statue was, for the most part, intact, the hands of Jesus were missing. The congregation responded: “Let us replace the hands of Jesus.” The pastor of the congregation replied: “No, let this be a reminder to us all. We are the hands of Jesus.”

We are the hands of Jesus. We who are called to serve on God’s behalf are, in fact, the hands of God. And with our hands, we do God’s work.

Zion Lutheran Church, my congregation, is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Our national church designated Sunday, Sept. 9 as the national day of service. This day is appropriately called: “God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday.” Zion participated by collecting, organizing and packing shoeboxes with items that benefit mariners who come in and out of the Port of Everglades. We supported the inter-denominational ministry of the Seafarer’s House. And, through our efforts, 82 boxes were put together and distributed as a way to say to these men who spend months and months away from their family at sea: “Zion loves you, and we want to give you this gift.” Considering the fact that most of these mariners are from other nations, this project was both local and global.

The reason I share this with you is because of the nature of God’s blessings. We know that we are using our hands to do God’s work. At the end of the day, we hope to be a part of God’s blessing to the Seafarer’s House ministry. In truth, this was every bit as much of a blessing to Zion. In fact, the joy of this experience is still warming my heart.

We gathered in our fellowship hall after our worship service. All ages from elementary through senior citizen were represented organizing, stuffing boxes, wrapping boxes, writing cards, you name it. There was a lot of work going on, but there was just as much laughter and joy. We, of course, had food, music, and many opportunities for our members to visit with each other. And, when it was over, we were blessed to have 82 boxes stuffed and wrapped.

The Seafarer’s House was grateful for our work. I said to them “Thank YOU. You gave us an opportunity to serve, to bond, and to build the body of Christ. Thank YOU for YOUR gift to Zion.”

It is easy for a faith community to get into a rut. Sometimes, I think the word “rut” comes from “routine.” We get fixed into patterns and every once in a while we need to be challenged to get out of our routine, our patterned behaviors, our “ruts.” Serving people is the easiest way to make this happen. And there are as many ways to serve as there are people willing to serve. Our imaginations can run wild thinking of ways people could benefit from our communities of faith.

Imagine if an effort was made that was more than a denominational effort, as was “God’s Work, Our Hands.” Imagine what would happen if every faith community designated a day of service. I can only imagine how many people would be blessed.

But I remind you, among the number of blessed would be the ones being a blessing. As a pastor of a congregation that values serving the community, I am extremely blessed. And when our community of faith puts our heads, hearts and hands together, I was blessed again. And there is one other thing that I almost forgot to mention, “It was fun!”

I know that if I asked the average faith community: “Do you want to be blessed?” The answer would be “Of course.” The good news is that you already are. You have within your community people of all ages with many gifts. You can put those gifts to work and be blessed again, and again, and again, if you put those gifts to the work of community service. We are God’s hands.let us do God’s work.

Pastor Gross is a pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, located at 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-421-3146 or visit www.zion-lutheran.org.

Who knows why we experience what we do, meet who we do, or read something when we do. Some say the what, who, and when of our lives are elements in a divine plan, and some say they are nothing more than pure serendipity. Whatever the case, they are the parts that make up our lives and formulate our view of the world. I recently had a what, who and when experience that put a more hopeful spin, at least for me, on our troubled world.

The what part of the experience were words attributed to Plato which acknowledge that love, in all its glorious manifestations, is what each of us seek in our lives. The who part of the experience, was David Christian, from San Diego State University, and his explanation of DNA, from which our search for love logically proceeds. The when part of the experience was re-reading The First Epistle of John, and specifically the words “God is love,” which for me, tied the whole experience together.

Now before going any further, we need to acknowledge that most theologians identify four different kinds of love: empathy, friendship, erotic and unconditional. The love at the core of our being is not apportioned by these distinctions; it is just there, as necessary to our well-being as is the air we breathe.

First, Plato’s words are as true today as they were when he wrote them in the 4th century BC: “Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back.” Yes, God created us as unique individuals but our creation is defined and completed by our relationships with God, with our fellow men and with those we love. We have probably all considered the question: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” This question also applies to human beings: “If we wander through the days of our lives without any meaningful relationships, do we even exist?” The answer is an affirmative. Yes, a tree does make a sound, and yes, we do exist. Plato reminds us of this truth about ourselves with his words: “Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

Second, each of us has some measure of control over our relationships and whether or not we lift up our voices in song. However, the makeup of our DNA is another question. The essential components of our DNA are beyond our control.

David Christian described DNA as two chains each containing clusters of atoms. These two chains bond together when the atoms of one chain exactly match the sequence of the atoms of the other chain. Mea culpa if my understanding of Professor Christian’s description of DNA goes down the wrong track, but if it helps to remind us that our hearts are only complete “when another heart whispers back,” then I think we are on the right track to understanding that we are created for meaningful relationships; it’s in our DNA.

Finally, there is Saint John’s declaration that “God is love.” This is where the what-who-when experience gets complicated. If “God is love,” and if the first chapter of Genesis tells us that “God created man in His own image,” then how do we explain evil and hatred in the world? The answer, of course, involves God’s “gift” of free will. This gift enables us to act either in love or in hatred. Why were we given such a gift? We were given free will because, without it, our expressions of love or hatred would be meaningless; they would only be mindless reactions to the people and events around us. Our reactions are only meaningful if they emanate from our free will.

God’s gift of free will to mankind assures us that there is hope in the world. It enables us to respond to people and events by finding a song to sing based on the love God sang to the world, from the moment of creation; a melody He placed in each of our hearts.

Rev. M. Tracy Smith, SSA, Rector is from the Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, 1416 SE 2 Terr., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-695-0336. Wednesday: Holy Communion at 10 a.m., Sunday: Holy Communion at 10 a.m.

Before rising to fame on NBC’s hit show The Voice, or opening for country super-star Toby Keith, or even headlining the Folds of Honor concert series, Corey Kent White, 21, sought a reasonable plan B.

I met Corey in 2011, following a presentation I made to his school about leadership and career exploration. After my talk, Corey found his way back to tap me on my shoulder. He had enjoyed my aviator stories and was eager to ask aviation-related questions. The airline pilot in me was happy to oblige.

That evening we connected via Facebook, where he shared his concern as a 16-year-old searching for direction:

“Pretty much, I am all over the place. I have a few connections in the music biz (and that’s my first love), but I also realize that it’s very difficult to make a living through music and a lot of it has to do with luck. So I am searching for a reasonable plan B.”

Instantly, I knew there was something special about this young man; while most teens are pushing the boundaries of adolescence, Corey was searching for a reasonable plan B.

I invited Corey to meet. We talked about God and what it would look like to scratch plan B and wholeheartedly seek God’s call. He was on board. Still hanging on my refrigerator is the list he wrote of his priorities, with God in the No. 1 spot.

Flash forward: Today, Corey has more than just a “few” connections in the “music biz.” He is making a living pursuing his love of music. He didn’t need luck, and attributes all his success to God. The millions who have bought his music are surely glad he didn’t pursue a “reasonable” plan B.

While it would be easy for him to drop God from the No. 1 spot, as he rides the momentum of his success, it’s Romans 12:1-21 that encapsulates his heart. He understands and applies what it means to give of his body to “be a living and holy sacrifice,” which Romans asserts is the true “way to worship [God].” Corey seeks accountability to keep himself from “[copying] the behavior and customs of this world,” by allowing “God [to] transform [him] into a new person by changing the way [he thinks].” It is this that allows him to confidently know God’s will for him, “which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Corey is humble, honest in his evaluation of self so as to give credit to God over taking it for himself, recognizing that “we are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other” for the glory of God. He knows he’s been given a “special function” (as we all have), and by God’s grace “[He] has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.”

With this understanding, Corey uses his gifts to share the Gospel. He uses his platform to boldly profess the love of Christ to millions. His fruits reveal the passionate pursuit (ironically) not of music, but his call.

How does one with such a fandom and seemingly crowded schedule enthusiastically serve the Lord? Corey begins each day growing closer to God by trading in plan B for a reading plan—Scripture reading. This has allowed his prayer life to evolve from a formal “Dear God of the universe” prayer intro to “Good morning, Father.” Intimately knowing His Father allows him to pray without ceasing during the day, keeping him on track in pursuit of holiness as he seeks to align his life with the Truth found in the Word of God.

In the business of music, much is at stake; but, for Corey, and for each of us in our own right, growing closer to God and knowing who He has called us to become will ensure that we don’t need a reasonable plan B. We can rest in the assurance that the God of the universe is not some far off cosmic ruler, and, as Chris Tomlin sings, “God is a good, good father” and you can trust Him with your future. Just ask Corey Kent White.

C.J. Wetzler is the NextGen pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach. Before transitioning into full-time ministry, CJ was a commercial airline captain and high school leadership and science teacher. For questions or comments he can be reached at cj@deerfieldfirst.com.