Several Saturdays ago I agreed to feed and check the cattle for the person who owns the feedlot where I used to work. As I approached the railroad tracks in Sheldon which run parallel with old highway sixty, I noticed a sign to the right of the roadway that said DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS. And although I’m sure I passed that sign hundreds of time before, this time the sign struck me as kind of strange. Why would the state have to put up a sign that warned people to not stop on the tracks? I mean, surely anyone who is smart enough to get a driver’s license is smart enough not to stop on the tracks, right. Wouldn’t it be obvious that, if you stopped your vehicle on the tracks, a train could destroy your life?

As I was reflecting on the necessity of warning drivers not to stop on the tracks, the Holy Spirit asked me this question. Mike, you might be wise enough not to stop on the railroad tracks, but what are some thought patterns or actions in your life that have the potential to bring about your physical or spiritual destruction. The question stopped me dead in my tracks. The Holy Spirit was right, after giving it some thought, the Holy Spirit reminded me of some thought patterns and actions I had to confess and repent of before they destroyed me.

And how about you, you too might be smart enough never to stop on the railroad tracks, but could there be some attitudes and actions in your life that have the potential to destroy you? Or at least have the potential to disable you?

I was thinking of some foolish ways we “stand on the tracks” as though it would never hurt us. Things like refusing to accept what God has defined as sinful. Thinking I’ll get more serious about my relationship with God later. Doing just enough to get into heaven. Trying to live independent of God. Comparing our trouble-filled lives to those who seem to have no trouble. Feeling sorry for ourselves. Holding on to offenses, and I’m sure you could think of many more.

Jesus often addressed the danger of “standing on the tracks.” To the woman caught in adultery he said, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” To the Pharisee he said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” To the invalid lying by the Pool of Bethesda he said, “Do you want to get well?” Later he said to him, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” To his disciples he said, “Why are you still afraid? Do you still have no faith?” To the crowd he said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” To the one who thought he was saved, “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.” And I’m sure you can think of others.

May it not be so with you and me that we would live an unexamined life, standing on the tracks, unaware that the roaring lion is about to destroy us. But rather, may we heed the warning of the Holy Spirit, DO NOT STAND ON THE TRACKS that leads to destruction, but rather may we stay on the narrow road that leads to life!

Just saying,

Mike Altena

I would like to begin my article by making a judgment that many people in the church misinterpret what the Bible says about judging. Over the past few weeks I have been in conversations where someone has said, “I know I’m not perfect and I know we’re not supposed to judge, but…” or “We have to be careful not to judge…” or “I’m struggling with the concept of judging others.” So, should we or should we not judge?

The answer is yes, we must judge in the sense that we must be discerning. God expects us to make judgments. How can a person distinguish right from wrong unless they make a judgment? In Hebrews 5 the writer implies that the word of God is useful in making judgments between good and evil.

In Mark 12:38, Jesus warned the disciples to watch out for the teachers of the law because of the way they abused their power and exploited the poor. He expected them to make a sound judgment. Proverbs 31:9 commands us to, “Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Failure to judge is not only irresponsible, it is also uncaring. In I Corinthians 5 Paul chastises the church because they passively sat by knowing that a man was having sex with his mother. Actually it says they were proud of it. Paul instructs them to make the judgment of expelling the sexually immoral brother to be handed over to Satan.

I can remember when our boys where young, we wouldn’t allow them to play with one of the neighbors because he was bad influence. Was it wrong for us to judge that other young man?

And the answer is also no, we must not judge. Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” So is Jesus contradicting himself? No, what Jesus is implying here when he says we must not judge is that we must not judge critically or hypocritically. May it not be so with us in making judgments that tear people down in order to build ourselves up, but rather we must be charitable in our judgements.

In Matthew 7:3 Jesus gave an example of hypocritical judgment. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye.” In other words, it’s foolish for me to be concerned with some tiny issue in another person’s life when I have some major sin issues in my own life. For example, can we criticize the government for wasteful spending, when we waste so much ourselves?

If we are going to judge someone else’s sin clearly we must first be clear about our own sin. The point of making judgements must always be for the purpose of helping, and I can’t be effective in helping someone with their speck until I resolve my log issue.

Paul gives instruction on how to make charitable judgements to the Galatians in chapter six, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” When helping someone caught in sin we must do so without condemnation, but rather with gentleness, humility, compassion and grace.

To judge or not to judge; that is the question. And the answer is yes. May it be said of ARC that our judgments are designed to protect, transform, and strengthen others. Like Jesus may our judgments always be filled with truth and grace.

Grace to you, and peace, Mike Altena

Last week I shared some thoughts on Bruce Jenner’s confusion over his gender identity. When watching the interview I kept wondering, how could a person be confused about their gender when the defining characteristics seem so clear?

As I was reflecting on the interview I sensed the Spirit asking me, “Mike, although you may be certain of your gender identity, in what ways do you find yourself confused about your spiritual identity? In what ways do you deny who God created you to be in order to impress or fulfill the expectations of others?” In short, in what ways are you living a lie?

I felt convicted; the Spirit was right. I also find myself feeling confused over my spiritual identity. See, although Jenner’s struggle is that he is trying to become someone who he is not, my struggle is becoming someone who I am. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

So according to this verse, even though it sometimes feels like it, I am no longer bound to my sin nature; I am now a saint who can choose to walk in the Spirit. Because I am secure in Christ, I need not live in fear. Because I am accepted in Christ, I need not strive to win the approval of others. And because I am significant in that I have been created in Christ Jesus to do the good works which he prepared in advance for me to do, I need not try to enhance my value to society through performance or productivity.

Before we look down on Jenner, we must admit that the ways in which we live a deceptive life or fail to live as a new creation are many. We often consider our occasional or besetting sins less offensive to God than the sins other people commit.

For example, having sex before or outside of marriage is much more acceptable than homosexuality or being transgender, yet we consider it a much worse sin than self righteousness or gossip. Or working at the grocery store on Sunday is more acceptable for a student than it would be for a farmer to harvest his crops. Sometimes we pretend that we are pretty good people, yet John reminds us, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Another way we live in spiritual confusion is the refusal to accept our talents, our personality and our giftedness. Rather than enjoying how God hard wired us in these unique areas, we try to be like someone else. We often wish we had someone else’s gifts. By comparing ourselves to others, we often reduce ourselves to being “just average” disciples in God’s kingdom.

Again, if I am honest with myself, the list of ways in which I live a lie are many. The truth is, apart from appropriating my new life in Christ, I am often not the person you think I am. And being aware of my own deceptive ways, I also realize that often times you’re not the person you’re pretending to be. May it not be so with you and me.

So hear the good news about our identity! By faith in Christ God loves you and me and is pleased with us and God will complete the good work of transforming us into the sons and daughters he saved us to be. And may we not forget or be confused, “You and I have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us” (Galatians 2:20).

From a blood bought, Spirit empowered, adopted son of God,

Mike Altena

I was watching the news recently when a segment of Diane Sawyer’s interview with Bruce Jenner was played. In that interview, Jenner, the 1976 Olympic gold medal winner of the Decathlon, shared that since he was a little boy, “I have always been confused about my gender identity. I have always been living a lie about who I am.”

When Sawyer asked Jenner if he was a woman, Bruce went on to share how, even though he has all male body parts, for all intensive purposes he is a woman. His “heart and soul and everything he does identifies with being female.” Jenner said he feels like a small boy stuck in the middle of being a man and a woman. He repeated, “Bruce lives a lie, she is not a lie. I can’t do it anymore”

So at the risk of hurting all of his fans, friends, and family, by sharing with a watching world that inside of his male body he feels like a woman, Jenner hopes to “change the world”. “I really firmly believe that we’re going to make a difference with what we’re doing” (The “we’re” being the other 700,000 transgender Americans).

In her commentary, Sawyer then explained how, with the help of a therapist, Jenner made the decision to stop running from his feelings and began transitioning into a woman. Jenner found a doctor who prescribed “female hormones—estrogen… he had surgery on his nose…and began treatments to remove his chest hair.

After reflecting on this particular eight minute portion of the interview I realized Jenner was right, he is indeed helping change the ethos of America. Being applauded and affirmed by millions for his courage of exposing “the lie” he was living, Jenner sadly continues to add to the confusion over reality in our nation.

Jenner’s inner struggle clearly reveals that the heart is deceitful above all things. Seems to me that simple logic would say if I have male body parts, I look like a male, and sound like a male, then regardless of any feminine type thoughts, feelings or actions, I am still male.

The Bible says in Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” The Bible gives no indication that God created “transgender.” In fact in Deuteronomy 22:5 we find that God detests it when a woman dresses like a man and a man dresses like a woman.

The truth is, Jenner is not helping our society by claiming to be female when we all know he is a male; he/she is still living a lie. And it doesn’t help in our day of political correctness for Christians to passively allow this foolishness to deceive and destroy our society under the biblical misinterpretation that we are not to judge other people. Silence and passive acceptance only adds to the confusion and one day we are all going to wake up and realize it is too late.

And let me close by adding, as Christians we add to the confusion when we express contempt for those who are clearly deceived for we all live a lie in one form or another. May it not be so with us to condemn those who are caught in sin, but rather may we walk in the grace and truth that Jesus walked. If you and I are going to change the world then we must speak the truth in love for we know that it’s the truth that sets us free.

Grace to you, and peace,

Mike Altena

Last Thursday I was telling Vicki about a situation when I felt I was treated unfairly (sorry, I can’t tell you). Just so happens Vicki had the same thing happen to her, she also had been treated unfairly. Sunday, one of our sons argued that we treated him unfairly. This past Monday night I was talking to a young man who is being treated unfairly; he is being bullied. Tuesday night our Journey group met and we were reflecting on our past, some shared experiences of things in their past that were unfair. And wouldn’t you know it, Wednesday night I learned about another man who had been treated unfairly. And as I was thinking about people who have been treated unfairly, the Spirit brought to mind some of the times when I treated people unfairly.

Much of our journey through life is filled with circumstances that were, or are, unfair. But probably none more unfair than a situation I’ve benefited greatly from. The story is told in Isaiah 53; from The Message paraphrase, it goes like this:

¹Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?

^2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him [How is that fair?].

^7-9 He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off—and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, even though he’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true.

¹⁰ Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him. ^11-12 Out of that terrible travail of soul, he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—the best of everything, the highest honors—Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep [How unfair!].

May God’s grace be sufficient for you when treated unfairly, and please forgive me if I have treated you unfairly. In the mean time, may we meditate in quiet wonder this week of what the Father considered fair treatment for our sins.

Forgiven and healed,

Mike Altena

This past week I went to the Sanford Surgical Towers to pray with one of our members before her surgery. I was a bit early so I found a nice comfortable chair in the lobby to sit down and rest in. Although there was seating room for about twenty people, I was the only one sitting. After a few minutes a hospital employee who was walking past stopped and politely asked, “Are you finding your way?” I quickly assured her that I indeed was in the process of finding my way.

After she left, I began to reflect more deeply on her question. I wondered, are the people who sit in the section of chairs I was sitting in notoriously known for being lost? Did I appear to look like someone who wasn’t finding their way? Was she trained to ask that question? If there were ten people sitting with me, would she have asked everyone the same question? Is it okay to stop and rest along the way? Obviously by her question, it was clear that people who sit in those chairs haven’t reached their intended destination.

The Spirit prompted me to think more deeply about the question, now as if Father himself were politely asking me, “Mike, are you finding your way?” I began to reflect on my present journey, could I respond as quickly and confidently as I did with the hospital employee; “Yes, Father, I am indeed finding my way.” I wondered, am I confident of the current path I am on, or could there be a better way?

I began to think about Jeremiah 6:16a, “This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” This verse reminds me that there are two ways; a good way and a not so good way. Proverbs 14:12 supports this truth, “There is a way that seems right to man or woman, but in the end it leads to death.” (May it not be so with you and me 🙂

Jesus also had much to say about finding our way. In Matthew 7:13-14 we hear Jesus saying, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The road that leads to destruction is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

Here Jesus teaches us that finding the “good way” is not so much about reaching a destination, but rather it’s about discovering a relationship. Remember Jesus words from John 14, “I am the way the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through me.”

So when thinking about finding “your way,” “the good way,” or the “narrow gateway,” I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit has revealed to me that finding my way is to be in relationship with Father through Jesus.

May it be said of us who gather to stop and rest each Sunday at ARC that we are indeed finding our Way, and in doing so, also find rest for our souls.

Joyfully following the Way,

Mike Altena

I hope you have enjoyed the Advent season and all of your Christmas and New Year’s Day celebrations as much as I did. Christmas is such a special time as we celebrate that God so loved the world that he gave us the most precious gift of all, the gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus.

Following the example of the wise men, we also celebrate Christmas by giving gifts to our loved ones in honor of the new born King. There is always so much excitement in the room as those gifts are unwrapped, especially among the children.

One exciting gift that Vicki and I received for Christmas was a significant cash gift from my dad; he is so generous. But now, what do I do with a gift like that? Invest it in some stock and hope it grows? Invest it in a ministry? Go on a nice vacation? Maybe just pass it along to our sons? Buy Vicki her own Harley? Save it for retirement? So many options to choose from.

What has surprised me is how much time I’ve spent thinking about what to do with this gift. We do that, don’t we? We spend a lot of time thinking about investing our time, talents and financial resources in things that might not have any eternal value. In comparison to the gift that God gave us at Christmas, a large cash gift isn’t really that important.

Instead I began to wonder, how much time do I spend thinking about how I’m going to invest the spiritual gifts that God has give me. What have I been doing with my free gift of salvation? Have I been keeping it to myself, or have I been sharing my gifts with others?

In 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul reminds Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you….” Below are some possible ways you and I can fan into flame the gifts that God has given us in this New Year. And don’t let the list overwhelm you, just choose one.

• Plan for a time of daily worship in song followed by the reading and study of God’s word.
• Memorize one new Bible verse each week.
• Increase your investment into the Kingdom by one percent.
• Set aside a day for a prayer retreat or a weekend to attend a spiritual renewal weekend or to develop leadership skills. (Promise Keepers, Women of Faith, Cursillo, Dunamis, etc.)
• Consider a short-term mission project.
• Identify a neighbor, friend, or family member to encourage throughout the year.
• Find a ministry in American Reformed Church that you can invest in.

How have you been investing God’s generous gifts of grace to you? Let me encourage you to join with me in this New year in giving careful thought as to how we will invest the greatest gift that we could ever be given; the gift of God’s Son and the spiritual gifts he gives each one of us that empowers us to live and love like him.

Seeking first the Kingdom of God, Mike Altena

Several weeks ago I was reading some thoughts from Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God Day by Day and I was struck by his opening sentence. He writes, “The Christian life is not difficult.” At first I thought, not difficult, then Henry you must not know anything about the Christian life because sometimes I find it very difficult. But the more I listened to his reasoning and the more I thought about it, I realized he was right. He writes, “The same Christ who lived a perfect, obedient, and sinless life stands prepared to live it again through you.”

Often times we make the Christian life too difficult as we wrestle with knowing the will of God. Sometimes we agonize over what we should do in a particular situation. God’s will is not difficult; he has revealed his will to us in the Scriptures. You and I make living the Christian life difficult when we are unwilling to do what he tells us.

Do you wish to live according to God’s will? Here are three simple commands from Paul we can begin with. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” I Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Before you and I can be joyful always, we must know where our source of joy is found. The source of my joy comes from knowing I am at peace with God through a relationship with Christ for the rest of eternity. I have continuous joy knowing “I am not my own, but belong body and soul to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ” (Q&A 1 Heidelberg Catechism). Regardless of what happens from day to day, regardless if I feel happy and satisfied or if I’m experiencing the pain of living in a fallen world, I can be joyful knowing that all things will work together for my salvation.

We must pray continually. First of all, prayer has a tremendous calming effect on us. Satan knows that too, that’s why he keeps distracting us from prayer. Prayer is an act of surrender. When we pray we are admitting our need for divine help. We are acknowledging God is in control. The sad part is, too often we use prayer as an emergency call to God. We first try doing things our way, and then after we have dug ourselves a big hole, we ask God to bail us out. I don’t know about you, but I have become weary of making prayer a last resort so I have been trying to practice continual prayer as my first response.

Finally, give thanks in all circumstances. God has richly blessed me in that some tasks of ministry come easy. However, the other day I was feeling frustrated with the Vista Cohort project I’m working on; pulling all the pieces together has been a challenge. Then it was like the Holy Spirit said to me, “Mike, I’ll bet there is someone out there who wishes they could be doing what you are.” He was right (of course the Spirit is always right) and so I spent a moment thanking God, and counting it pure joy, for giving me the opportunity to do the task, even if it was a struggle.

Living the Christian life isn’t that difficult. God has clearly revealed his will to you and me. Now it’s a just matter of giving Jesus permission to live out his life through us.

Thanking God for all of you in all circumstances,

Mike Altena

Last week I wrote about the spiritual blind spots we are all born with and at the end of the article I urged you all to join me in prayer, asking the Father to open our eyes to see more clearly.

Well, this week I’m reporting that God answered my prayer to help me see one of my blind spots. Often times the way God helps me see more clearly is through the revelation of the Bible, but on this occasion he spoke to me through Vicki. See, I had begun to explore the possibilities of making a decision that may have not been in my, or our, best interest or in the interest of advancing the kingdom of God. And when I shared the choice I was considering with her, she kindly helped me see some consequences I hadn’t been thinking about.

A few days later, I read this verse from Proverbs 18:22, “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.” As I reflected on this verse, I began to assess how well I have been treasuring “my treasure” and if I have expressed my thanks to God for the favor he has placed over me. I wondered if Vicki knows how deeply I love and value her. I had to stop and thank God for blessing me with such a great friend and helper.

To the husbands who are reading this (or whose wives are reading this to you right now) my prayer is that you consider the treasure God has given you. How well have you been caring for your treasure? How do you respond to her when God uses her to reveal a spiritual blind spot in your life?

To the husband who is intentional about treasuring your wife, know that God is blessed by how you are caring for the gift he gave you. For those husbands who may feel some conviction over how you feel, or have been treating your wife, let me encourage you that today is a new day.

Ask God to help you love your wife, just as Christ loved the church (his bride) and gave himself up for her—remember your wife is God’s adopted daughter that he has given you to care for.

Ask God to help you see your wife as he sees her as the treasure she is. And may you be blessed in the covenant you made to treasure her.

Grateful for His favor, Mike

I thought my vision was just fine, until one night 10 years ago, when we started playing a board game with some friends and I couldn’t read the fine print on the cards. At first I was a bit concerned and shared with the group that I couldn’t read the cards because the words appeared to be blurry. A couple of them laughed and said, welcome to being forty, and then informed me it was time to get a pair of reading glasses.

Since then my eye glass prescription hasn’t really changed; however, following an eye exam last year, my optometrist informed me I have the beginning stages of glaucoma. Apparently, after taking the eye test where you’re supposed to push the button when you see the little image flicker, the results showed I have a growing blind spot in my field of vision.

If it weren’t for the machine that examined my eye, I would have never known I have this growing blind spot. At this point it hasn’t advanced to where I even notice it. Although I will say, I had a little scare a few weeks ago. One night I was going to turn off of one black top road onto another and after driving several hundred feet, I realized I had turned into a field driveway and I was actually driving through someone’s soybean field. K

Well, I was curious to know what glaucoma is like as it progresses so I googled “how glaucoma affects vision,” and sure enough, there is a website that shows what it looks like. Basically, untreated, my field of vision would shrink until the “lights go out.” I know, sounds scary, but at this point, one eye drop a day is keeping the disease from growing worse. Oh, and by the way, I was just kidding about driving through the bean field. J

As I was reflecting on my current diagnosis of this growing blind spot, I thought of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:22-23, “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness.   And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

I believe when Jesus shared these insights, he was warning against the danger of “spiritual glaucoma.” Now, unlike physical glaucoma which most often affects a person later on in life, each one of us is born with spiritual blind spots. Paul writes in II Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” In II Corinthians 3 Paul likens this spiritual glaucoma condition to a veil that covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth.

The truth is, whether we can see it or not, we all have spiritual glaucoma. The question I’ve been thinking about is what are my spiritual blind spots? What is the light I think I have, but the truth is, it’s really darkness? How are my blind spots affecting my perception of God, my perception of others, and how I view my purpose in life? And do I have the humility and courage to admit and address my spiritual blind spots?

Now what is the treatment for spiritual glaucoma? It’s prayer! As Paul writes in Ephesians 1:17-18, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…”

Will you take a few minutes and pray with me that Father would open our eyes and deliver us from our spiritual blind spots so that we, with unveiled eyes might more clearly see and reflect the glory of the Lord.

Grace and peace, Mike