Three Minutes Retirement Speech

Dennis Ginoza
Retirement Speech
June 19, 2009 Annual Conference
University of Redlands, California

(Dr. Bill Klements, professor at Claremont School of Theology, chose not
to speak, he just greeted Bishop Swenson, received his pin and sat down.
From the audience there was applause and laughter. The MC, Derek Nakano
said, “Dennis, don’t think you have extra time.” Laughter. When Dennis Ginoza
Took his turn, he began by thanking Dr. Klements for his extra time. It was
humorous moment.)

God is good! Audience responded: “All the time!” Dennis: “All the time!”
Audience responded: “God is good!” Dennis, “Hey, you’re good!”

Bishop Swenson, members of Annual Conference, my
good friends and all who wonder who this character is, and all
good Methodists: This is my 40th consecutive Annual Conference.
Do I hear an Amen? Audience: “Amen!”

One thing I will miss in retirement is greeting the
people every Sunday with Good Morning in different languages.
Help me out folks! Good morning! Buenos Dias! Bon Jour!
Bon journo! Malolele! Chau An! Guten morgen! Kalymera! Salam
Alikim! Ohio goizamas! And Aloha!

38 years. In 38 years I have received insight and guidance from
what people have said. Dwayne Zimmerman said, “One thing you
don’t do your first year in the church: Don’t fire the choir director.”
Lyle Schaller says, “Every new idea is rejected three times.” He
was right! Don Locher said to me, when I was appointed to Reseda,
“Dennis, just love them.” Elton Trueblood: “Be tough with ideas,
but be kind with people.” Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over till it’s over!”
My Old Testament professor at Earlham said there are three things
We must read: the Bible—the good book, the newspaper, and
Shakespeare. Once a Baptist minister said, “The main thing is to
keep the main thing, the main thing.”

A few years ago, someone said, we all have to learn three
Languages: English, Spanish, and computer.” May we have the
video, “sil vou plait.” Please!

Video: images of 38 years: Calexico, Santee, Reseda, Chula
Vista, and Fallbrook. Fallbrook 15 years.

I have here a yo yo. A yo yo is a fundamental teaching tool.
One of the things I will miss is the children’s message. Once
There was a man who got lost in New York City. He stopped his
car to ask for directions. “How do I get to Carnegie Hall.” The
stranger said, ‘Practice, practice, practice!” If you want to get good
at anything, practice, practice, practice.” This is the same with our
faith. In the game of baseball, I learned, you have warm up.
otherwise you’ll mess up your arm. It’s the same with people.

And...every day we must walk with God. (Dennis walks with yo yo).
John Wesley said, “The world is my parish.” Dennis goes around
the world with the yo yo.)

Jesus said: “Go ye into the world and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them.” (Dennis
goes around the world with the yo yo).

This is my wife Sylvia, of 30 years, or was it 37? It
will be 37 years on September 2. Without her, all this
would not be possible. (Applause)

Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream.” I have a
Dream. I have a dream that I will see the glory of God, the
glory promised to us. (Dennis releases his butterfly
Balloon. The Fallbrook members present release ten
balloons in the audience.) Dennis says: I am free at last,
I am free at last!” And all God’s people will say: Amen!
The Fallbrook people echoed, “Aloha!”

(Dennis was selected to pass the legacy of ministry
from the retirees to the new class being ordained in
full connection.”)

As I Was Saying

Meditation: “As I Was Saying….”
Psalm 29
June 7, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

God does exist! Are there any questions?
Woody Allen says: “If God does exist, why doesn’t he
give me some sign—like depositing a million
dollars in my name in a Swiss bank?”

Once there were two men on a cruise ship. The first man
fell overboard. The second man saw all this so he
jumped in the water to save the first man’s life; which
he did. When both men were pulled out of the water
and back on the ship, the second man said, “I want to
know, who pushed me?”
God does exist! Are there any questions?

A few years ago, there was a woman who started to come
to our church. Her name was Mayne New. She was
a retired school teacher. Often, she would say, “I just
love this church.” One day she was driving on Reche
road and she was hit by another car. She had a neck
fracture and eventually we lost her. She had a daughter
in Seattle and a son in Germany. After her memorial
service, he son said to me, “In all the years, I have never
heard my mother talk about a church as she did this
church.” He went on to say, “My family and I would
like to make a substantial gift to this church.” (I thought,
probably maybe $2,000, that would be a substantial gift,
but I wasn’t sure.” He said, “It will about $20,000.”
I’d say: God does exist, wouldn’t you? …And that gift
helped us to purchase and install our video system.
The attributes of God are:
Gratitude, Generosity and Grace.

Today, this is my penultimate sermon. Penultimate means, next
to the last. I can’t believe that my time with you is
coming to an end. But remember, Yogi Berra said,
“It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over.”
I have cried with you, I have laughed with you,
I have struggled with you, and I have walked side by side with you.

In Psalm 29, verse 4, the psalmist says: “The voice of the
Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of God is a quiet voice, The voice of God is a blasting voice,
It will swirl, it will shake, it will thunder, and it will whisper.
The psalmist says, 2
The voice of the Lord flashes forth
flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes
the wilderness;
the lord shakes the wilderness
of Kadesh.

In all of us, there are three ego states: a child, a parent,
and an adult. In us we also have a human nature
and a divine nature. We are here to develop all of these.
When I was working in Honolulu, I saw
a part of me that was political. I was appointed to
the governor’s task force representing Palolo Valley.
I would go the meetings at the state capitol, and I found,
There was in me, another force. As I worked in the
church, I could see that the fundamental principle of
change is not political. But, I might say—the United
States Constitution is a light upon this planet. I have
come to believe, ultimate change takes place in spiritual nature.
This is the Course Jesus has set for the twelve disciples, the
early church, and for us today. This is where many
miss the mark. If there are two people in our history
that exemplify this—they are Albert Schweitzer and
Mother Theresa. The other two I would name are St. Francis
of Assisi and Mahatma Ghandi.

All of you know by now that I use athletic metaphors, life stories,
and then I bring it down the heart. My preaching professor
used to say, “Truth comes through personality.” When I
use life stories, I call them windows. Sermons need windows
otherwise they can be boring. Alan Loy McGinnis
writes about getting the best out of people. Pat Venditte
played for Creighton University. Venditte, a right hand
pitcher struck out the batter. . When the next batter came up,
Venditte switched his glove to the other hand, he had a
Special kind of glove. Now he pitched with his left hand.
He is the only pitcher in NCAA baseball that is ambidexterous..
When Venditte was three years old, his father noticed he could
Pick up the ball with either hand. There is a lesson here:
God is an amazing God. With God, all things are possible..
As I was saying, God does exist! Any questions?

The Bible says, Enoch walked with God, and he was no more.
Genesis 5:21-24
He did his work and he was raised.
Elijah parted the waters of the Jordan, went to the 3
other side and he chariots raised him up.
He did his work and he was raised.
Jesus suffered and died. He was resurrected
and he ascended.
He did his work and he was raised up.
And Jesus said, “Learn from me.”

Saint Frances de Sales says:
You learn to speak by speaking,
To study by studying, To run by running,
To work by working; and just so,
You learn to love by loving. All those who think
To learn in any other way deceive themselves.

In a book entitled, Miracles of Healing written by Brad and
Sherry Steiger, they write about a school of thought
in Hawaii called Huna. Huna is a healing process.
Huna teaches that we have three parts to our soul:
uhane, the weak spirit; unihipili the spirit that hides;
Aumakua, the old spirit, the mature spirit. Even before
Freud and Jung, the Polynesians had identified the three
parts of the mind, the conscious mind, the sub-conscious
mind, and the superconscious mind. Our bodies and minds
are fed by mana, the vital force. Peter calls it The Holy
Spirit. The old, mature spirit in us is the divine part of God
in us. The Aumakua is that which Paul calls the Mind of
Christ. Put on the Mind of Christ, it will bring you well-being.
It will transform this World.

So let me close with these thoughts. In all the years I have lived, I never
thought the day would come when I would be a part
of a mass evacuation. Remember the fires of 2007,
but we survived. God does exist! I want to say:.
thank you for my fifteen years of ministry with you.
I say to you: strive to be best in everything—
God is watching you..
When strangers come to this church, reach out
to them with the spirit of Aloha. Jesus said,
“Love one another as I have loved you.
When your new pastor comes—Brad and PJ Resare—teach
them what Aloha means.

O Ye Doubters

SERMON: “O Ye Doubters”
John 20:19-31
April 17, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

The first thing I want to say to you this
morning is:
Trust everybody, ….but cut the cards.

Once there was a man who went to the Grand Canyon.
He was enjoying the view, then went too close to the
edge; and he slipped and fell. As he was
falling, he grabbed hold of a bush and he hung on.
He looked up to heaven and he yelled out, “Is there
anyone up there?” A voice said, “Yes, there is.”
The man called out, “Can you help me?”
That voice said, “Yes, I probably can. What’s your problem?”
The man said, “I fell over the cliff and I’m hanging on to this bush.”
The voice said, “Do you believe?”
“Yes, yes I believe.”
The voice said, “Do you have faith?”
“Yes, yes, I have faith.”
The calm voice said, “Well, if you believe, let go of the bush
and everything will be all right.”
And the man called out, “Is there anyone else up there?”
So I ask you: Do you believe? Do you have faith?

This morning I have entitled my sermon,
“O Ye Doubters.”
Webster defines the word doubt as distrust,
lack of confidence, inclination not to believe.

In 1930 a Communist leader by the name of Bukharin went
from Moscow to Kiev to give a speech at a huge
assembly. His subject was “Atheism.” For a full
hour he discredited Christianity and how ridiculous
it is. After he finished, he asked, “Are there any
questions?’ A man got up and asked for permission
to speak. He went up to the platform, he looked at
at the crowd, to the left and then to the right. Then he
gave the Orthodox greet, “Christ is risen!” And the whole
assembly shouted, “HE IS RISEN INDEED!”
Today the Soviet Union is gone….
The Easter lilies are still blooming.



2

In his book, Sing With the Wind, Winston Abbott writes:

Faith
does not come in one great flash
as lightning of a summer night
but
from a thousand tiny lamps
that
pierce the darkness with their light.

If you believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
a door will open for you.
It’s a door to your heart.
You will feel things that you never felt before.
The word peace will have a totally different meaning.
It will lift your soul and you’ll say,
Wow! My burdens are gone. (I know because it
happened to me.)
When Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many
mansions, you will know what it means.
When Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,”
you will also have a new understanding.
When Jesus said, “Be ye perfect as your Father in
heaven is perfect.” That will also make a lot more sense.

O Ye Doubters!
Thomas said, “Unless I put my finger in his hands
and in his side, I will not believe.”

When the disciples were gathered in the Upper Room, this
time, Thomas was there.
Imagine the scene.
Jesus looks at Thomas and says, “Thomas, put your
finger here and see my side.” And Thomas says, “My
God and my Lord!” …And he believed!

Thomas was also known as Didymus, meaning twin, and he no longer
had any doubts. Tradition says that Thomas took the
gospel to India. He formed seven and a half churches
--Korungallur, Kollam, Niranam, Nilackal (or Chayal),
Kottakayal, Palayoor, and Thiruvithamcode which was
the half church. Thomas was killed by a lance and he
is buried in Edessa (Urhai is the ancient name of Edessa)
in India.


3


For Thomas and all the other disciples, they learned the
importance of building their lives on the life
and teachings of Jesus. The book of Acts says,
they were of “one heart and one soul.” They worshipped, they
prayed, they broke bread together, and they proclaimed
to the world that Jesus is the Messiah, the resurrected Christ.

Studies have shown that our faith is the life line to good
health.

In a study of 21,000 people from 1987 to 1995, they
found that people who attend religious services every
week live seven years longer than those who never
attend at all. Faith brings longer life.

Jeff Levin, an epidemiologist, author of God, Faith, and
Health, found that people who considered themselves
Religious had fewer health problems and functioned better
than those who were non-religious. Faith helps increase
your overall well-being.

In 1995, in the Dartmouth Medical School study showed those
with faith had three times the chance of being alive six
months after an open heart-surgery than those who
had no faith. Faith helps your medical recovery.

In 1997, in a study of Hindus in India, those who prayed
regularly, they had 70 times less of chance of having
coronary heart disease. Faith gives you tougher tickers.

In 1989, in Evans County, Georgia, in a study of 400
Caucasion men, Duke University researchers found that
those who consider religion important and attended
church regularly developed a significant protection against
high blood pressure. Faith helps lower your blood pressure.

In 1999, in a study of 400 older adults, Duke University
found that attendance in worship helps lower the rate of
depression and anxiety. Faith gives you good mental health.



4


Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School, states that
people with psychological stress experienced raised blood
pressure, higher heart and breathing rates, and lower immunity
in their systems. However, Dr. Benson cites that repeating a
prayer, word, sound and phrase movement help disregard other
thoughts. He also cites, meditation, prayer, tai chi, and yoga
provoke healthful state. Faith helps reduce your stress.

Reader’s Digest May 200

The upshot is:
Those who worship, those who pray, those who live their faith,
they live longer and they are healthier.


Many years ago, a young boy was given a very precious gift:
the gold watch of his grandfather.
One day he was playing with his watch in his
father’s ice plant and he lost it in the saw dust.
He searched for it, he scratched, he scraped and he
still couldn’t find it. He got a bit panicky.
Then he realized what he had to do. He stopped
Scurrying and he listened. He heard the watched
ticking.

God gave all of us a priceless gift. The precious gift
is the gift of life. So let us stop in the madness of
this world and listen, listen to the voice of God,
and the movement of the Spirit.
Jesus said, “Lo, I will be with you always,
till the end of the age.”

Hidden Messages

SERMON: “Hidden Messages”
John 2:13-32
March 15, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

When our son Aaron was eight years old, we were
moving to a new church in San Fernando Valley.
The movers were unloading the truck and it was hectic
time. Aaron said, to me, “Dad, can we set up my bed?”
I said, “Aaron, we don’t need to, because we’re not
sleeping here tonight.” He said to me gain, “Dad, will you
put up my bed?.” I said, “We don’t need to.” So we didn’t.

Today, as I look back, I realize that I missed a hidden
message from our son Aaron. He was saying to me,
“My bed up is important to me, because it’s my security.”
What I learned that day is, I need to listen to the hidden
messages from our children. I really felt bad ‘cause I missed
the moment.

In the game of baseball we have hidden messages. On our
little league team our coach taught us that we need to stay
one step ahead of the other team. So we had a system of
signals. For hit and run, it means on the next pitch the
runner goes and the batter swings at the ball to hit it.
When the coach brushes his hand across the chest,
that means hit and run. But.. the play isn’t on until the
coach touches first the tip of his cap then runs his hand
across the chest. If he touches his chest,
or touches his ear first, then runs his hand across the chest,
the signal is not on. Only when he touches the tip of his
cap first, then runs his hand again his chest, then it’s on. The
other signal we had was for a squeeze play. A squeeze
play means, on the next pitch the runner from third breaks
for home and the batter has to bunt. The runner scores
and you win the game! All you need is one run ahead
of the other team to win. This coach made our team a
championship team.

In everything that we see and experience, there is a hidden
message. Some messages are really obvious and some
you have to dig for.

In John chapter 2, beginning with verse 13, Jesus went up to
the temple and he saw that they were selling cattle,
sheep, and doves. The money changers were at the tables.
In his anger, Jesus got a whip and drove them away. He said
2

to them, “Stop making my Father’s house a den of thieves.”
The message here was obvious. The temple is a place of
worship, it is not a place for profit, it is not a market place.

Then the Jews asked him, “What sign can you show us for doing
this?” Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days,
I will raise it up.” Now, this didn’t make sense. They said,
we’ve been building this temple for 46 years, no way
can anyone build this temple in three days.

But in this story, there was a hidden message. There were people
who didn’t know who Jesus was. This man is not just a man.
He is the one sent from God. When Jesus was at the river
Jordan and Jesus came to be baptized, John the Baptist recognized
him right away and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” This is the man
--he is the Messiah! Jesus was put to death and on the third he
rose again.

God for many of us is still a puzzle.
Yes, we say, we believe in God, but then we can’t see him.
So then, we eventually forget about God..
We turn our attention elsewhere, to ourselves.
So now we ask, what is in for me?
We become self occupied.
Whenever we live only for self,
we get caught in a life of doubt, and a life
without meaning.

I have here two horseshoes connected by two chains. Around
these chains are two rings. When I first saw this
puzzle and was told, “Can you get this ring off?” I
looked at it and said, “Impossible.” “No way!” Then
I started to play with it. Walla! I got it!

Several years ago, I was appointed to a church that was having
trouble. Like in most churches, problems are people
problems. It’s people not getting along. It’s pastor
and people bagging heads. It’s a faith and practice
problem. It’s a value problem, finance and stewardship
problem, not healing the hurts, theological differences,
one ego versus another ego, and it goes on and on. There
was one thing the superintendent told me. “Dennis,” he
said, “just love them.”


3

Remember Peter. He was strong headed guy and he probably
was the oldest of the disciples. But, at times Peter didn’t
get it. –Just like some of us—
He denied Jesus three times. But when he got it, when
he saw the resurrected Christ, he finally understood that
everything Jesus said was true. In Christ everything
is made new.

After Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit filled the disciples
with power, Peter and John were going to the temple. It
was three o’clock in the afternoon. They met a man who
was lame and he was begging for alms. Peter looked at
him and said, “I have no silver and gold to give you, but
what I have I give; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
stand up and walk.” Peter reached out with his hand and
immediately, the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.

When I first began my ministry, I didn’t have a secretary or a
computer. We had a manual Gestetner machine. Then I got
a part-time secretary. In the next church, we didn’t have
a sanctuary. We met in the social hall. The third Sunday
I was there we had a ground breaking for the new sanctuary.
When I went to the next church, I found out that they were
not paying their apportionments. I asked the finance committee,
why aren’t you paying the apportionments. They said, they
were angry at the bishop and the conference, because they
had a bad pastorate. In the next church that I was appointed
to, there was a major building program and half the church
was in favor of it, the other half was not. Over 100 people
had left the church. Then I was appointed to Fallbrook—
and you know the rest of the story. In that church and in
every church I have served, it is the same problem. It is a
people problem. We cannot solve our problems alone. We
must rely on the invisible hand of God. We need to learn
to see the hidden messages.
Without God, we will be stuck in traffic. Without God we
become like cars at the intersection where there is no traffic
light and that’s a problem.

In all these years, I have learned that God does provide. the most
important thing is: We are here to build our inner
character. Our link to God is a spiritual link, soul to
soul and mind to mind. “Do you not know,” says Paul,
4

“you are a temple of God?” Jesus teaches us that the
ruling principle of every thought, every idea, every
action, is love. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God.
Life does not stop on earth. Spiritual life is a continual
stream. It’s like a tapestry that goes on and on and on to
Infinity. In time and space and spirit, there is no barrier.

Let me explain. If you’ll just close your eyes for one moment,
your thoughts have no time barrier—remember when you
were 4, remember when you were 12, remember when
you were 18, remember when you were thirty,
remember when you were 50, remember when you were
70, remember when you were 90. One day someone will
say to you, remember when you were 120. Wouldn’t that
be neat?

I close with the words of Joseph Bayly who wrote
Psalms for My Life:

Lord of the compost heap
you take garbage
and turn it into good soil
for seeds to root
and grow
with wildest increase
flowers to bloom
with brilliant beauty.
Take all the garbage of
my life,
Lord of the compost heap,
turn it into good soil
and then plant seeds
to bring forth
fruit and beauty
in profusion.

Oh, Those Temptations

MEDITATION: “Oh, Those Temptations”
First Sunday of Lent Matthew 4:1-11
March 1, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

Oh, those temptations.
There are temptations everywhere. It starts from
the word go. It’s that first piece of candy;
it’s that third cookie. One order of fries
please. Then it gets bigger—stealing that test paper;
…but nobody will know. Taxes, what about
about taxes? Everybody cheats on their taxes.
Steroids! I did not use steroids—false! “Well, I’m
sorry, I was just young and ignorant.“ And did you
hear? Just last Thursday, at about 6:00 p.m. we had a
bank robbery in Fallbrook. The robber got away
with $1500. There are temptations everywhere.

Temptations and habits are like two of the same. If you
get away with something once, it means you’ll
do it again. If one piece of chocolate is good, then
ten pieces should be better. If three kids decide to
beat up on another kid, what’s the big deal?
It’s a group thing.
Looks like we forgot a few things: Conscience,
what happened to conscience? Morality, what happened
to morality? And virtue, what happened to virtue.
And divine principle, what happened to Divine Principle?

Rev. Don Holesapple, a Baptist minister, tells this story. One
day a woman came to him, because she was upset at
the death of her cat. She wanted the minister to conduct
a funeral service for her cat Homer. Rev. Holesapple told
her this was a little out of his line so her referred her to
his friend, the Presbyterian pastor. That pastor referred
her to the Methodist pastor who referred her to someone
else. Finally, she called Rev. Holesapple again and told
him she was at wit’s end, because she couldn’t find a
preacher to do Homer’s service. She explained that she
had planned to give a $1,000 to the church of the minister
who performed the funeral for Homer. Rev. Holesapple
told her, “Well, why didn’t you tell me Homer was a
Baptist cat in the first place?!” Temptation is a long line
with a hook on it.



2

After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, Matthew says, immediately
the Spirit led him into the wilderness. In preparation for
his ministry, Jesus was tempted by Satan. Jesus fasted for
40 days and 40 nights. Then Satan said to him, “If you are
the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of
bread.” Jesus said, “One does not live by bread alone.”

Then Satan led Jesus up to the pinnacle of the temple and
Said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” For
it is said, he will command his angels to come to your aid.
Jesus said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Then Satan took Jesus to the high mountain and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world. Satan said to Jesus, “Bow down
and worship me and all these will be yours.” Jesus said,
“Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.”

Jesus comes to us as the Messiah, tested, molded in the Spirit
God. He shows us that there is in all of us a character
of God.. It is like a small seed waiting to develop.
If we water it, nurture it, it will be strong and healthy.
But the character in us is delicate. If you handle it
with care it will be strong and right.
If you break it, it will seek a different way;
a troubling way.

In a small village, an altar boy was helping a priest serve the
Holy Eucharist. That Sunday, the boy accidently dropped
the vessel holding the wine. The priest out of anger struck
the boy on the cheek and shouted, “Leave the altar and
don’t come back!” That boy became Tito, the Communist
leader of Yugoslavia. In a large city another altar boy was
assisting the priest. That young boy too dropped the vessel
holding the wine. That priest with kindness in his eyes
whispered to the boy and said, “Someday you’re going to
be a priest. That boy became Bishop Fulton Sheen of New
York City. In all of us there is a character of God waiting
to develop.

Bob Moawad says, “The best day of your life is the one on which you
Decide your life is your own. No apologies, no excuses. No
one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours—it is an
amazing journey—and you alone are responsible for the
quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.
3

When our son Jeremy was a baby, we decided that we weren’t
going to give him any ice cream until he was one year old.
It didn’t hurt him one bit. When Jeremy was in the first
grade we got our first computer with a keyboard. I said
to him, “I’m going to teach you to use the keyboard the
right way.” He started to do his first grade spelling on the
keyboard. When he was a freshman, he received the
computer award.. Aaron, on the other hand, was his
own person. When he was little, he was curious about
how cars worked so he would take them apart to see how
they worked.. When he was a sophomore, he studied
electricity, he learned to build a simple readio, and he
got his ham radio license. Today he works
for NPR in Washington, D.C. We never know how our
children will become their own.

What we wanted our children
to learn is that in everything, there are choices. There are
good choices and bad choices. In everything you do,
there are consequences. There are good consequences and
bad consequences. In every learning situation, how
you begin will determine where you end up. In logic if your
premise is sound, your conclusion will be sound. If you live
your life believing in God, then your life will be guided
and directed. The life of Jesus is not a historical accident.
It is the center of our sacred journey.

When Jesus was tempted by Satan, all along he knew where he
was going. He was preparing the way to the kingdom of
God. When I was 17 years old, I was traveling on the Greyhound
Bus and I knew where I was headed. I was going to college
in Oskaloosa, Iowa.. And when we stopped at Reno for a dinner
break, I met a man on the street. He said to, “How are you doing,
young fella? You have some money don’t you?” He pulled out a
roll of bills, probably a thousand dollars. He said, “Let’s
have some fun!” I said, “I didn’t have much money. Sir, I gotta go!”
What I learned that day is, when we hold our sights high, we will
withstand any temptation. I remind you today, the kingdom of God
is at hand. It is closer than you think. One night, when I was
a young boy, the Lord Jesus came to me in a dream ….and
here I am.

High Mountains

Sermon: “High Mountains”
Mark 9:2-9
February 22, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

I have here a quarter.
A quarter is a quarter no matter how you
look at it. What matters is what you do
with it.
I have here a coffee mug.
A mug is a mug no matter how you look
at it. What matters is what you put in it.
I have here a watch that tells time.
Time is time is time no matter how you
look at it. What matters is what you do
with it.
I have here a Bible.
The Bible is a story. A story is a story
no matter how you look at. What matters
is how you live this story.
…And This is the Greatest Story
ever told.

Religion is a funny thing.
It is about truth, about the highest Truth
that can exist in this world. But it is also about the greatest
mixed blessing that someone can leave at our door.
Religion is a good thing. Religion is a bad thing. It
is like having good doctors and bad doctors; it is like
having good mechanics and bad mechanics; it is like
having a house on a rock versus a house on sand.
It depends on where you tie your rope.

Let me explain. One day a man was working on his roof.
The roof had a sharp peak so to be safe, he tied a rope
around his waist and he had to tie the other end of the rope
to something secure on the earth. He threw the other end
of the rope and told his son to tie it on a tree. The young son
thought, “The tree is a bit small so he tied on the big bumper
of the car.” Now mom was busy in the house doing her
chores. She discovered that she needed to run to the store
to make a purchase. She got into the car, put it in reverse
and her husband came oft the roof in fast order. Here is
the lesson for today: When it comes to religion, be sure
that you tie your rope on something solid. Like Truth.


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All of us here claim to be Christians, otherwise we would
not be here. It so happens that we all are here at the corner
of Winterhaven and Green Canyon which happens to be
a United Methodist Church. The basic question we
want to ask then is, “What is it that we believe and how
best can we live the Christian life?”

As Christians who worship in the United Methodist Church,
we have certain core beliefs.
We believe in Christ as Lord.
He is the Christ who fed 5,000 with five loaves and two
fish; who healed the blind; who raised Lazarus from the
dead. He is the Christ who suffered on the cross, died
and rose from the dead.
We believe in one God who made us all. God is the
God of Moses and Elijah, and Peter. No question.
We believe that the core of our faith is forgiveness,
love, and mercy.
We believe in two sacraments—baptism and the Lord’s
Supper because these two have been instituted by Christ.
You find that in the Bible.
We believe in salvation by faith. When you truly believe
in Christ as Lord, when you hold him in your heart, the
door to salvation is opened to you. But once saved doesn’t
mean always saved. John Wesley says, “Yes, you can fall
from grace.”
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and
it has been given to us through different languages.
We believe in the fellowship of believers so we serve coffee,
cake and donuts; we hold potlucks, great potluck! We celebrate
birthdays and anniversaries. And we say, children, welcome.
We say to the youth, glad you’re here.
We believe in eternal life and that, in Christ, there is a final
Victory.

One day Jesus took Peter and James and John to the mountain top.
Jesus was in the presence of God and his face was
Transfigured, it was full of light. Even his clothes became
radiant and white. First Moses appeared then Elijah. William
Barclay says, that this was a double approval of Jesus and
his ministry. Moses was the giver of the law, Elijah was the
greatest prophet in Israel. The transfiguration of Jesus



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affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah and is the
Messiah. With Moses there and Elijah, Jesus was
the continuity of God in this world.

When Peter witnessed all this, he said to Jesus, “Let’s just stay
here. It’s nice up here.” Then he said, “Let’s build
three booths, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one
for Jesus.” Peter wanted to stay up there, but their
work was just beginning. The transfiguration
story is a preparation for what was to come. Jesus was going
to suffer, he would face death, but he will see the glory
of God. He would rise from death.

What Jesus teaches us today is there in this life, there will
be storms, there will be difficulty, and there will
be suffering. But God’s will is for us to withstand any
storm and we will reach the higher ground.

When I was serving in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, I was
assigned to work with a development association. One
day, the executive director, a home economist and two
4-H’ers and I were going to a meeting. It was a rainy day
and we got caught in a storm. We were traveling in a jeep
and as we we were crossing the river, water was rising
higher and higher. The water got to the floor board and
higher. The engine began to sputtered and it finally died.
We were stuck right in the middle of the river. The water
Now was up to our waist. The executive director, George,
and I, each carried a girl, pushed our way in the stormy water
and got to the other side. We made it! Thank God we made it!

I told George, stay here and I’ll go to town and get Omar Salazar.
He was the 4-H agent and he had a winch on his
Jeep. As I was heading to town, I saw a ten speed
bike leaning against a house. I said to the young man,
“Prestame su bicycleta.” Let me borrow you bike,
we’re stuck in the river and we need help. I’ll be
back. I didn’t wait for an answer, I just took the bike,
found Omar. We got the jeep out. There’s a little more to
this story, but this story had a good ending. What I learned
that day was, when you have an emergency, you have to
act fast. I also learned that God is with us wherever
we are. He gave us an incredible capacity to survive. And
it is true: “With God, all things are possible.”
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Also, this is true, when we climb a high mountain, God
is there.

Some years ago, a farmer owned a piece of land along
the Atlantic seacoast. The farmer was always looking
for hired hands, because most people didn’t want
work along the coast because of the terrible storms.
The farmer advertised, but he had trouble finding
anyone to work for him.

Finally one day, a short, thin man came to work. He was
well past middle age. The farmer asked him, “Are
you a good farm hand?” The man said, “Well, I
can sleep when wind blows.” The farmer was
puzzled by that answer, but he needed someone so
he hired the little man. The little man worked hard,
from dawn to dusk. The farmer was pleased.

Then one night, the wind began to howl from the seacoast.
It was a bad wind. The farmer jumped out of bed,
grabbed his lantern and rushed to awaken his
hired hand. The farmer shook the little man and
yelled, “Get up!” A storm is coming! Tie down
the things before they blow away!” The little man
turned over and said, “No, sir. I told you, I can
sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged, the farmer tempted to fire him. Instead he ran
outside to prepare for the storm. He was amazed.
All the hay stacks were covered and tied down.
The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in
the coops, and all the doors were barred. Nothing
could blow away. The farmer understood now
when the little man said, “I can sleep when the
wind blows.”

There is a wind blowing. There is a storm coming. Are
you tied down well? Is your faith tied down to
something solid, something strong? Jesus said,
“I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Jesus said, “Peace I leave you; my peace I give
to you.” (John 14:27)

I Will Preach Till They Get It

SERMON: “I Will Preach Till They Get It”
Psalm 147:1-11, 20
February 8, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought
like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I
grew up, I put away childish ways. Well sort of.

How many of you still remember your childhood?
Wasn’t it fun?
When I was young, we used to play with old tires.
I had a sister who could curl inside a fire and roll
down the hill. She was a tomboy and that’s another story.

I came across a list of great truths that children have
learned; let me share these with you.
*No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize a cat.
*If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always
catch the second person.
*Never ask your 3 year old brother to hold your tomato.
*You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
*You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

Let us remember to always welcome our children in worship.
The only way our children will learn about worship
is when they worship. James Dobson says,
“Values are not taught, they are caught.”

One summer when we were coming home from our
vacation, we were traveling on Sunday. I said to my
wife and two boys, Jeremy and Aaron, we’re going to
find a place to stop and worship. We got off the highway
in Arroyo Grande. I said, “Here’s a nice place.” My
wife said, “You’re kidding?” I said, “No, I’m not.” It
was a cemetery; and it was nice and green. My wife couldn’t
believe it. We parked our van under a tree and we had a
family worship. One of the boys read a scripture, we had a
prayer, and we shared some thoughts. It wasn’t so bad.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up your children in the way they
should go and they will not depart from it.

Worship is like breathing. It gives you life, it gives you
health, and it binds you to the remarkable grace of God.
Brother Lawrence says, even when he is washing dishes,
he praises God.

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Psalm 147 says: Praise God!
God heals the broken hearted.
He binds their wounds.
God decides on the number of stars and h
gives them names.
When you’re down, God will lift you up.
God prepares the rain for the earth; thank your
God for rain.
When the young ravens cry, he gives them food.

The trouble with most of us is, we think we don’t need God.
We think we can do this life ourselves.
When we have money, who needs God.
When our legs are strong, who needs God.
When we’re good in sports, who needs God.
When we can win 8 gold medals, who needs God.
(Michael Phelps, he was caught smoking marijuana.
Not smart and he lost some endorsements. )
Did you hear about Matt Bush? He was the Padres top
draft pick several years ago. He got caught in drunkenness
for the third time and he was just dropped from the team.
I thought he had a great future ahead of him. Some of
dream making the majors.

When the hour is up,
when the sun is going down,
when our bodies get weary,
when the bells tolls, we will finally learn,
we cannot walk this life alone; without God.

A few years ago, George Hallett gave me a prayer. Let me
share it with you.

Lord, help me to live from day to day
In such a self forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayers shall be for others.
Help me in all the work I do to ever be
sincere and true.
And know that all I do for you must
need be done for others.
Others, Lord, yes others.
Let this motto be, help me to live for others
that I may live like thee.
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George wrote this note to me:
Dennis—this is the poem I spoke to you about
last week. I found it in a magazine 40-50
years ago and kept it visible under a piece of plate
glass on my office desk, during which time I was
manager of Personnel, Labor, and Public Relations
in several companies. It was a great help.
--George G Hallett, Jr.

I said it and let me say it again,
you cannot walk this life alone.
It’s like a child who says, “I can’t stand it
anymore. I’m leaving home.” Dad says,
“What if you get hungry?” He says, “Then I’ll
come home.” “What if you run out of money?”
“Then I’ll come home.” “What if you get lost?”
….”I’ll call, Mommy! She’ll come.”

I said it and let me say it again.
Without love you’re nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant
Or rude. Love does not insist on its own
Way. Love is not irritable or resentful.
Love bears all thing, believes all things,
Hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never end.

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it
Will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the gazelle or it will
Starve to death.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.
--African Proverb

All of us are like a gazelle and a lion.
When we get up in the morning, we
realize we are part of existence. But today,
we wonder, will I have a job? Can I keep my
house? Will I send my kids to college? Will
I have enough for my retirement? When I get
old, will my kids take care of me? (They’d better!)
And let me say it again, “You can’t live this life alone.”

4

Is there anyone here who is worrying about tomorrow?
Don’t worry about tomorrow, it won’t do you
any good anyway. If you’re worried about tomorrow,
I suggest that you read Matthew chapter 6
beginning with verse 25. God always provides. But
here is the catch. You have to trust God with everything
you do.

Jesus keeps on telling us over and over again,
Seek first the kingdom of God.
You and I are here only for a time.
I had a high school friend who died at age
27. I had an aunt who died at age 49 and she had
five children. I had a college friend who died at age 52.
My dad’s sister lived until she was 98. My mother
just celebrated her 94th birthday in October. Remember
Alice Eifert. She lived until she was 107. Up until
three months before she died, she was still able go
to the bathroom with her walker.
I have concluded that we only live on their earth
for a short time.

Jesus said the kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom
will break open any moment; so stay awake!
In I Peter 4:7-10, Peter reminds us.

The end of things is near; so be serious and
discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers.
Love one another.
Be hospitable with one another and don’t complain.
Serve one another with the talents that you have.

You can’t life this life alone.
Without love, you’re nothing.
Get ready and stay awake!
Jesus is Lord!

Many Voices, One Voice

MEDITATION: “Many Voices, One Voice”

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

February 1, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

When I was a little boy, I learned quickly that honesty is the

best policy. Thanks to my Mom!

I am looking for an honest person.

Let me ask you, if you found a billfold filled

with money, what would you do?

How many of you would return it?

How many of you would just think about?

Reader’s Digest conducted a test on honesty and

this is what they found.

Big Cities

Seattle: nine returned it, one kept it.

St. Louis: seven returned it, three kept it.

Atlanta: five returned it, five kept it.

Suburbs

Los Angeles: six returned it, four kept it.

Houston: five returned it, five kept it.

Boston: seven returned it, three kept it.

Medium Cities

Greensboro, North Carolina: seven returned, three kept it.

Las Vegas: five returned it, five kept it.

Dayton, Ohio: five returned it, five kept it.

Small towns

Meadville, Pennsylvania: eight returned it, two kept it.

Concord, New Hampshire: eight returned it, two kept it.

Cheyenne, Wyoming: eight returned it, two kept it.

So here’s the conclusion: the most honest people live in

Seattle and in small towns.

Webster defines honesty as “fairness and straightforwardness

of conduct.” Also it says, “sincerity.”

Once a man was at a lawn and garden store and he pulled

out his driver’s license for identification. The owner

of the store said, “Don’t need it.” “In all the years

I’ve been in business, nobody ever wrote me a bad

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check when they were buying something to

work with.”

In Psalm 46:10, the psalmist writes,

“Be still and know that I am God.”

There are two kinds of world that we live in.

One world is noisy, busy, full of distractions.

It is the noise of metal, concrete, and machines.

It is the world of crowds screaming and yelling.

The other world is silent where forces move

planets, a vast system of galaxies. That

world is the inner world that gives breath, blood

and life.

In Psalm 51:10, the psalmist calls for what we all need.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And put a new right spirit within me.

What the psalmist is telling us is that we all have gone

out of bounds. We have missed the mark. In

Greek the word sin means, missing the mark. When

I was in college, in my first quarter, I had a rude

awakening. I was getting an A in English, but I

got a D- in Introduction in Education. I was missing

the mark. Olay! Olay! By the time the semester

ended, I got it up to a B.

I have entitled my sermon today, “Many Voices, One Voice.”

The world is full of voices. It’s okay if you cheat

as long as you don’t get caught. One little lie won’t

hurt you. God doesn’t exist, if he did, he wouldn’t

have allowed you to suffer. It happened again. In

Sarasota, a group of doctors lost all their investments

because of a sham. One couple lost $400,000 and that

was everything they have saved.

In book of Deuteronomy, chapter 18:15-20, Moses says “The Lord

will raise up for you a prophet like me from among

your own people, you shall heed such a prophet.” Moses

was right, there came a line of prophets – Elijah, Elisha,

Nathan, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Micah, Jesus. Jesus is the

One Voice – He is Lord!

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How many of us are like the man who was said, “If I can’t

my money to heaven, then, I ain’t going.”

Moses was right. A prophet will rise among you. Listen to

what Jesus teaches. What have you gained if you gain

the whole world but you lose your life. Do not store up for

yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust

consume. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there is

your heart also.”

Many Voices, One Voice … some say there is no God. I say,

there is a God holds everything together with mercy,

with love, and purpose. When there is disorder, it is just

a part of a system of laws and consequences. If you drop

a glass on the concrete floor, the glass will shatter: that’s

how gravity works. If you travel 80 miles per hour and

you hit the telephone pole, the law of physics says the

inertia of the pole will stop the inertia of the car which is

moving. When this happens you really don’t want to be

in the car. That quiet voice probably told you to slow down,

but you didn’t listen.

If we all stopped for a moment and looked at this universe, it

is a wonder, it’s a marvelous creation, and all the natural

forces are here to give life.

Johnny Cash is one of the great country music singers in this

America. Like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, he

got his start with Sun Records. What he did find is that

success and fame also bring a mountain of problems.

He was rising with gold records, but he was also popping

pep pills to keep going. He got addicted. In 1965 he was

arrested. He got caught holding a thousand pills. He

dropped from 200 pounds to 140 pounds. He got into a

really bad car accident with several broken bones and a

concussion. On May 9, 1971, Johnny Cash went to a

small church and sat in the pew. When the pastor finished

his sermon, he called on the people to come forward to

set their lives straight. Johnny Cash got up, walked up

to the wooden altar and he gave his life to Christ.

Jesus keeps on calling us and when we give our life to him,

we’ll never be the same again. Listen! Johnny Cash

sings A Thing Called Love.

Building A New World

Sermon: Building A New World

John 1:43-51

January 18, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

Last Sunday, how many of you watched

the Chargers’ Steeler’s game? …It was good wasn’t it?

It was really good the first three minutes—

Chargers 7, Steelers 0 (nothing).

Last week I got a letter from a friend in Philadelphia

and he said, “Sorry about the Chargers.” Then he

said, “We folks in Philly are really pumped up!”

…The Eagles are in the play-offs.

So think about these things:

On the Chargers, wait till next year.

Football is just a game.

Life is just a game.

There are winners and there are losers.

One moment we’re up, the next moment we’re down.

When you drop the ball, pick it up and keep running.

When I was playing baseball and we made an error in

the field, our coach would say, “Just shake it off!”

Life is just a game. Everybody wants to play,

everybody want to win, so --- play hard and play fair!

When Jesus began calling his disciples Galilee, he saw Nathaniel

and he said, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is not deceit.”

Nathaniel was a good man, he was honest and clean. Sometimes

we say, “He had no dirt on him.” When Nathaniel met Jesus,

he said to him, “You are the Son of God! You are

the king of Israel!” Nathaniel was probably thinking like all

the other disciples, that Jesus was going to be the messiah

who was going to fight the Romans, but Jesus said to him,

“You will see greater things than these. …You will see

heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and

descending on the Son of Man!”

Life for all of us is paradoxical. In one moment we want the best

gadgets in the world. In the next moment, we wonder, is

life really worth living. Millions are saying, “If I only

have a job.” In the next breath, we say, “Don’t worry,

God will provide.” Did you hear about the teenager who

did 14,000 text messages in one month. That was over

400 per day. Her parents were appalled! Wasn’t the bill

over $2,000. Just two days ago, when the US Airways

jet was leaving New York City, it hit a flock of geese and the two

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Engines shut down. In an amazing fashion the pilot landed

the airbus into the Hudson River and all 155 passengers

Got out safely. Today we see it as a miracle.

Jesus comes into our world today to teach us that we are here

to build a world without deceit. He talked about power,

but it wasn’t political power or economic power. If

you have the faith of a mustard seed, and you say to

the mountain, move! It will move. Jesus was hard to

understand because he spoke in a different language.

He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He said,

“I am the living bread.” He wasn’t talking about bread

on the table. He was talking about soul bread: spiritual

bread.

In the time of Jesus, all around him was the grandeur of Rome.

But Rome was empty inside. This is what St. Ambrose

said about Rome:

Our whole Roman world had gone dead in its

heart because it feared tragedy, took flight from

suffering, and abhorred failure. In fear of

tragedy, we worshipped power. In fear of

suffering, we worshipped security. During

the rising splendor of our thousand years, we

had grown cruel, practical, and sterile. We did

win the whole world, but in the process, we

lost our souls.

When Thomas Jefferson was helping build our nations, he lived

by ten rules.

1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.

3. Never spend your money before you have it.

4. Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap;

It will be dear to you.

5. Pride cost more than hunger, thirst and cold.

6. Never repent of having eaten too little.

7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.

8. Don’t let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.

9. Always take things by their smooth handle.

10. When angry, count to ten before you speak. If very angry,

Count to one hundred.

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How can we build a world when we are caught in a web of

bad habits. The philosopher Plato said that passion

is like a wild horse, and it has to be tamed. The crisis

with Israel and Gaza is not just a continual bombardment

of bombs and missiles, it is a bombardment of suffering,

hate, and vengeance. When I read the book “Oh, Jerusalem,”

I began to see the problem. Israel is a land with the

shedding of blood for centuries. Until violence stops,

there can be no reason, no understanding. Until there is

civility, there can be no peace. ….So the war continues.

If we want to change the world, to make it a better place, we

just have to stop and look at ourselves. The problem is usually

us and the answer is in us. Ann Landers says, “One out of four

Americans is unbalanced. Think of your three closest friends,

if they seem okay, you’re the one.” Think about it this way:

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell

your parrot to the town gossip.” --Will Rogers.

All of us are walking along the edge of time. We are here just

for a time. 60, 70, 80, 90 years. Maybe 100. In the vast

universe of time, life on earth as we see it is short, isn’t

it. The book of Ecclesiastes teaches, For everything there

is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. A

time to be born and a time to die. Although we live on this

earth for just a short time, everything that we do is to prepare

for a better day; Jesus teaches us, for eternity.

Over thirty years ago, Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day

live in a nation where there will not be judged by the color

of their skin but by the content of their character.”

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted,

every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough

places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be

made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together.”

This Tuesday, our nation will see for the first time a black man,

an African American take on the presidency. He’s not

only African American, he comes from a white heritage,

born in Hawaii, and schooled at Harvard. Today we hope

for new bridges to be built and we hope we will make

new strides in the American character.

When Jesus saw Nathaniel, he saw the true character of a man

without deceit. This is a lesson for all of us. We need to

learn to see the uniqueness of God’s creation. A wise

teacher once gave her class an assignment. She told her

students to go out and find a small, unnoticed flower

somewhere. She told them to study that flower for a long

time. She told them to take a magnifying glass and study

the delicate veins in the leaves, and notice the nuances and

the shades of color. Turn the leaves over slowly and see

their symmetry. She said, people are like that. Each

person is different, carefully crafted, and uniquely endowed.

Take time to notice this. Many people go unnoticed and

Unappreciated, because no one has taken the time to admire

their uniqueness.

John Powell, Illustrations Unlimited

James Hewett, Editor, 1988

So today,

Let us dream dreams.

Let pursue, as Paul says,

Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

Yes, life is so short,

But just when we think it’s over,

Another bigger door will open.

Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God.”

Where It All Started 1/11/09

SERMON: “Where It All Started”

Genesis 1:1-5, John 1:1-9

January 11, 2009 Dr. Dennis Ginoza

Can you just imagine with me for a moment:

a time when there was nothing—

No sun, no moon, no stars;

No water, no land,

No cars, no television, and no shoes, and no pizzas.

There was nothing.

This is the great mystery. Out of nothing God

created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis says:

Then God said, “Let there be light and there

and there was light and God saw that it was good.

Then God created the land and the seas,

vegetation, and every living creature and God

saw that it was good.

Then God created us—you and me,

Male and female and God blessed us, all of us

and God saw everything and it was very good.

The Interpreter’s Bible says that Genesis is not a

scientific book and it is not a historical book.

It is a religious book. It is a story of faith.

When Henry Morton Stanley was crossing the

continent of Africa, he carried with him 73 books

weighing 180 pounds. As he traveled the load

got heavier and heavier so he started to carry less

and less until he had one book left. It was the

Bible. He read the Bible through three times.

The Bible is a book of faith,

it is a book of inspiration,

it is a book of truth.

George Washington said: “It is impossible to rightly

govern the world without God and the Bible.”

President Woodrow Wilson said, “I ask every man and woman

in this audience that from this day on they will

realize that part of the destiny of America

lies in their daily perusal of this great work.”

2

Will someone tell me how many hours and how many

minutes it takes to read through the Bible from

Genesis to Revelaiton at pulpit rate? Will anyone guess?

Answer: 70 hours and 40 minutes.

The book of Genesis teaches us that everything begins with

God and everything ends with God. It also tells us

that this life has been interrupted. That interruption

was a moral one. We call this the Fall, the sin of Adam.

In the year 2009 this is what I see.

The universe is made up of laws, physical

and spiritual laws, and these laws operate to bring

order, balance, and life to everything. The world of

physics, biology, and chemistry teach

us that the universe is dynamic. It is alive. Philosophy,

psychology and theology teach us that where logic and

science cannot reach, we must take a leap of faith. In

that leap of faith, we land in the hands of God. And

that’s where it all began.

Jesus helps us to see this universe in a different bent. He says

that for us to understand this world and this life, we

must become like children. Children see things as

they really are, simple, true, and fascinating.

The heart of a child takes us to the heart of God.

Listen to these letters from children.

--Dear God, instead of letting people die and having to

new ones, why don’t you keep the ones you have? --Jane

--Dear God, Maybe Abel and Cain would not kill each

other if they had their own rooms. It works with my

brother. –Larry

--Dear God, I read the Bible. What does begat mean? Nobody

will tell me. Love, Alison

--Dear God, Are you really invisible or is this a trick? --Lucy

--Dear God, I would like to live nine hundred years like

the guy in the Bible. –Love, Chris

--Dear God, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw

the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool. --Eugene

In the year 2009 this is what I see.

As little children, we all are here to discover that this

world is God’s world. That is the original blessing. But

3 this is a disrupted world. Whatever the context we find

ourselves, this universe is a moral universe; it is a universe

of virtues.. Faith, honesty, truth, love, beauty, joy,

benevolence, purity—these are all attributes of God.

This world as we know is at war with itself. Suffering

and pain are our teachers and they are lighthouses that

help guide us to the kingdom of God. In the kingdom

there will be no more tears. Jesus is the light along the

journey. When Jesus died and was resurrected, he showed

us that in Him we break our attachment to this world—the

bond of sin and death. In Him we unite with the true

Essence of God.

We are here to set our hearts right with God. Henry G. Bosch

once wrote in Our Daily Bread about how as a little boy

he went to work with his father. Each morning he would get

up early and he and his dad would stop at a store and his dad

would buy the morning paper which he read during his coffee

break. One day his father took two newspapers by mistake.

Right away he went back to the store and paid for the second

paper. The store owner was not a Christian and Mr. Bosch didn’t

want the owner thinking he was dishonest.

During the next week, some expensive items were stolen from

that store. The police calculated that when the items were

stolen, there two men who were at the store, Mr.Bosch

and another man. The store owner told the police, “I know

Mr. Bosch is an honest man.” He told them how a week ago

he returned a newspaper he had taken by mistake. The other

man was questioned and he was arrested. We are here to set

our hearts right with God.

In the year 2009 this is what I see.

Our world today is a stockpile of material goods. It is a world

abundance. Where there is abundance there is great waste.

This is also a world of want, unfulfilled dreams, great suffering.

This is a world full of conflict, children of war, powerful men

and women caught in dishonesty, greed and power. The

economic power of Babel is falling. But our world is never

without hope. Hope is always with us. In the last eight years

we had three major fires in San Diego – 2001 2003 and 2007.

In 2001 I was sorting through the ashes with a family and

a mother quail came walking along the edge with about five of

her little quails. Hope will rise from the ashes.Paul said: ‘Hope

will not disappoint you.” Jesus said, “Lo, I will be with you

always to to end of the age.”