IT WAS THERE ALL THE TIME

I’m putting a jigsaw puzzle together and there’s one piece I can’t find. I look and look and it seems to be missing. I walk away and come back the next day, and I still cannot find it. It’s the same for several days until suddenly it’s right there in plain sight. From where did it come? It was actually there all the time. I thought I had searched thoroughly, but obviously I missed it. But I could not have found it at all had I not continued my searching.

This reminds me of the parables of Jesus about searching. In one a lady lost a gold coin in her house and she turned her home inside out looking for it until she found it. It was there all the time.

In another a shepherd had lost one of his hundred sheep so he left the ninety-nine until he recovered the lost sheep. It was there all the time, but he needed to put forth the effort to seek it, or he would have never found it.

The results of these successful searches: great relief and joy and happiness. There was celebration and they called their friends and neighbors to share their good fortune. Who of us is not very glad when a friend or family member finds that for which they have hunting. Some have been seeking many times for years and years, if not days and weeks.

Are you seeking and searching for anything? Are you searching for money? Are you searching for a lost dog? Are you searching for the solution to a puzzle? Or are you searching for the most important thing in life? Are you seeking and searching for GOD HIMSELF? Several Bible verses will assist you in this ultimate search.

Deuteronomy 4:29 (NKJV) But from there you will seek the LORD your GOD, and you will find HIM if you seek HIM with all your heart and with all your soul.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon ME and go and pray to ME, and I will listen to you. And you will seek ME and find ME, when you search for ME with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NKJV) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Acts 17:26-27 (NKJV) And HE has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the LORD, in the hope that they might grope for HIM and find HIM, though HE is not far from each one of us.

In other words, HE has been there all the time and HE is still there waiting for you.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Some folks do, and some don’t, make New Year’s resolutions. And some make the same ones every year. That’s why they’re called resolutions: re-solutions. It’s an attempt to find solutions for the same issues year after year.

There’s nothing wrong with persevering each year for problems that need solutions. It’s much better than giving up and not trying at all. Perhaps this is the year that some items can be resolved, either completely or even partially.

Success is in the continued battle. The fight itself is an indication of forward progress. To not try is to give up and say, “There’s nothing I can do to improve.” When in reality we can improve in many ways and resolutions help us, even if incrementally. Perhaps it’s better to concentrate on what we are instead of what we do.

This writer confesses that he is not an expert on resolutions, or solutions. So let’s see what Google AI has to say about it. Looks like there’s nothing to it – it’s simple, right?

“New Year's resolutions are personal commitments to self-improvement at the start of a new year, focusing on positive changes like health (exercise, healthy eating), personal growth (learning skills, reading more), finances (saving money), or relationships (spending time with family). To make them stick, experts suggest being specific, realistic, starting small, and focusing on direction and experiences rather than fixed, overwhelming outcomes, allowing for flexibility and adaptation when facing setbacks.”

Perhaps is best to seek God’s help for our resolutions, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:

“Did you ever ask yourself why you found it so hard to keep the resolutions you used to make? One reason may have been that they weren’t realistic, or you had no clear plan for reaching them. Many New Year’s resolutions, I’m afraid, are little more than a “wish list”–a series of things we’d like to change about our lives, but little more. They also may be very self-centered, with little thought about whether or not they are God’s will.”

“Another reason, however, why we fail to keep our resolutions is because we seek to reach them in our own strength instead of with God’s help. But we are spiritually and morally weak, and we will never be the people God wants us to be unless we turn to Him for the help we need. The psalmist wrote, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).”

In summary, the best resolutions are found in I Timothy 6:11: “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” Pursuing these resolutions provide some of the many solutions that are needed.

COPYRIGHT 2026 BY CARL E GUSTAFSON

CHRISTMAS PEACE

This year Reader’s Digest reprinted a letter from Captain Jake Armes to his wife describing what he called the “extraordinary” events of Christmas Eve, 1914. Someone shouted, “No shooting.” The Captain met with his German counterpart and they agreed to have two days of quiet. Men from both sides met between the trenches and talked and laughed, exchanged smokes and photos and sang songs and played soccer. It was a time of peace. But it only lasted two days. Then the war started again.

This is typical of political peace. It is short-lived. After WW1, in 1918, a treaty was signed and peace prevailed until 21 years later when, in 1939, Germany invaded Poland and started WW2.

Even now we have “peace” and cease fires in many places, but not all. Nor will there ever be complete peace. That is, "political peace."

Because more important than world peace, which only God will bring about in His time, when the Prince of Peace will reign forever and ever, Alleluia!  Much more important is our personal peace, which is available today and every day, through faith in Christ. The following Bible verses explain the promise of personal peace that we can have.

Psalm 4:8 (NKJV) I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Proverbs 16:7 (NKJV) When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:14 (NKJV) "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

John 14:27 (NKJV) Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.

Romans 5:1 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

May you find PEACE this Christmas season, and all year!

A THANKSGVING CHALLENGE by PASTOR RICK SAMS (2025)

My favorite experiment during the year is to challenge myself and others to write down 3 things every day during November for which you’re thankful. Don’t just say or think it. Actually put your pen to the paper. This may get you into that much sought and ever elusive Christmas spirit better than toys, tinsel, cookies or carols. Here’s some ways to keep that daily discipline more interesting and fun.

1. Try thanking God for something you’ve never thanked Him for before.

2. Thank God for something you still have, instead of what has been taken away.

3. Thank God for something you’ve often seen as a curse; something hard. A serious illustration would be the dear folks who I know personally who told me they thanked God for their cancer. The disease focused them and forced them to prioritize the truly important and eternal over the trivial and temporary.

4. Thank God for something He’s given or done for OTHERS.

5. Thank God for something you believe He’s GOING to do because He’s promised it in His Word.

6. Thank God for someone you’ve never thanked Him for. Then thank them directly.

7. Thank God for a characteristic of His you haven’t thanked Him for in a long while.

8. Thank God for the joy of your salvation and for Jesus and His sacrifice that made this possible

9. Thank God for His Word, the Bible. Now show your gratitude by reading it regularly.

10. Thank God for His faithful, indwelling, empowering Holy Spirit. He will help you be thankful every month of the year.

Have a Happy and God blessed Thanksgiving!

I'M A CLOSENOUGHALIST

I’m the opposite of a perfectionist; I’m a closenoughalist. If things aren’t perfect, so what, it could be worse. I can look at a picture on the wall and if it’s not straight I can walk right on by without fixing it. I have better things to do with my time.

I drive the perfectionists crazy with my laissez-faire attitude, but I can’t help it. I have my temperament and they have theirs. They may accomplish much more than I in life, but I believe I enjoy it more. I can sit back and relax and let them do all the work.

Not that I’m lazy. It’s not a lazy-fair attitude I have. I’ve worked steadily over the years and earned enough to retire. I helped at church and in the community in many ways when I was younger and healthier. When I was in college and was employed at the Chevy plant in Flint during the summer, I worked 16 hour shifts loading 70 pound crankshafts into a lathe. I actually enjoyed hard work.

Then I heard the phrase, “Work smarter, not harder” and it stuck with me. So I became an industrial salesman. My non salesman coworkers always claimed that salesmen never work; they just drive around and talk to customers and prospects. That’s partially true, but it’s a lot harder than it looks. Like I said before, it’s a matter of temperament.

But notably, I don’t relax math or money or chemistry numbers. There are absolutes, even in the life of a closenoughalist.

God created mankind with a vast variety of temperaments and personalities, and it’s important to recognize one’s own life-type gift from God. Remember after Jesus’ friend Lazarus died? Jesus went to comfort the sisters of Lazarus, and Martha was working in the kitchen to prepare a meal, but Mary was visiting with Jesus. Martha was definitely more of a perfectionist, and I believe that Mary was more of a closenoughalist.

Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave soon after this. I don’t think Christ is anything but perfect.

CHARLIE KIRK AND ST. STEPHEN

The comparison of these two martyrs is the purpose of this post. Both were devout Christians, both were ready to discuss their beliefs with others, both were serving God in their called vocations, both were taken to Glory much too soon.

We can readily read and view what Charlie had to say. He was gracious in his speaking, but also blunt when it came to discussing erroneous concepts raised by others. His intellect and knowledge were exceptional; his attitude was loving and patient.

Charlie was very much like Stephen, as recorded in the Book of Acts in the New Testament. The early Church was a sharing body. Food was distributed to the needy, but when the task became too time consuming for the apostles, it took away from their duties to pray, teach and evangelize. So they found a solution.

Acts 6:2-4 (NKJV) Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables; therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

Acts 6:5 (NKJV) And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. This description certainly applies to Charlie Kirk.

Then critics of Stephen arose and accused him of wrongdoing, with many lies and false rumors. They went to the authorities and demanded that he be silenced. Stephen’s reply to his judges was an historical account of the Old Testament history from Abraham to the current events of his day, namely, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Their response to Stephen was vitriolic. Acts 7:54 (NKJV) When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

But the final straw was when Stephen was given a vision of Heaven. Acts 7:55-56 (NKJV)  But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

Not waiting for a verdict from the authorities, Acts 7:57-58 (NKJV) Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.

Whether death from and angry mob or death by a deranged shooter, a saint, at his or her time of passing, will be able to look into Heaven and see their Savior!

CREATION ACCORDING TO GOOGLE AI

 The Bible says in Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)”In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This was done in six days, a little over 6,000 years ago.

 However, Google AI has a different, and fictional, account.

AI: While religious texts describe a divine act of creation, secular science presents the theory of the Big Bang, which explains the origin of the universe through natural processes over billions of years. These scientific and faith-based accounts offer different perspectives on the origin of the universe.

 Genesis 1:9 (NKJV) Then God said "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"

AI: The Big Bang created the universe's initial abundance of hydrogen and helium, and subsequent stellar processes, known as nucleosynthesis, combined these light elements to form all the other elements found on Earth and in the cosmos. 

Genesis 1:11 (NKJV) Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.

AI: The earliest undisputed fossil evidence of land plants dates to the Middle Ordovician period, around 470 million years ago. These fossils are in the form of microscopic spores that have decay-resistant walls.

Genesis 1:16 (NKJV) Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

AI: The Sun and the Moon were created at different times but from the same early solar system process, the solar nebula. The Sun formed first from the gravitational collapse of the nebula's center, eventually igniting nuclear fusion. The Moon formed much later when a Mars-sized object, Theia, collided with the proto-Earth, ejecting debris that coalesced into the Moon.  

Genesis 1:25 (NKJV) And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind.

 AI: Life on Earth formed when simple organic molecules combined into more complex ones, leading to self-replicating structures, likely in warm, mineral-rich environments like deep-sea hydrothermal vents or shallow ponds billions of years ago. 

 Genesis 1:27 (NKJV) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

 Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

 AI: The emergence of humans was a gradual process, not a sudden event. Species changed and evolved slowly from ancestral species over time. 

AI: Male and female evolved from a single type of hermaphroditic ancestor through the diversification of reproductive cells into two distinct sizes, a process called anisogamy.

Genesis 1:31 (NKJV) Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

JIGSAW PUZZLES - FUN AND HEALTHFUL

My wife and have a jigsaw puzzle constantly in the works. We bought a special table large enough for 1,000 piece puzzles, and each week we start a new one. We have about fifty of them and assemble them over and over. When we buy a new one, we get rid of an older one, but some are too enjoyable to give away.

Are jigsaw puzzles good for the brain? “Yes, jigsaw puzzles are generally considered good for your brain. They provide a workout for both sides of the brain, improving cognitive functions like memory, problem-solving, and visual-spatial reasoning. Additionally, they can be a relaxing and stress-relieving activity, promoting mental well-being.” This is according to Google AI, and is repeated on many online sites.

Being retired and less active than in my younger years, I am forced to spend more time in my house. I have many choices of what I can do, such as enjoy my computer, watch good television, take naps, have meals with my wife, sit on our porch, relax and recline, which is one of my favorites. But the most rewarding one to me is working on a jigsaw puzzle.

Now some may call this cheating, but it’s simple a way to help us get a repeat puzzle started more quickly. When the puzzle is done I put the edge pieces in a sandwich bag so I don’t need to separate them out each time. Then I glue the 4x4 corner pieces with white school glue on the back, and I may glue other pieces that are either harder to put together or not cut through at the factory. Why not make life more simple and easy?

The most amazing evidence of the mental value of jigsaw puzzling is when I’m searching and searching for a piece, and suddenly it appears. That is evidence that my brain is working on the puzzle and helping me assemble it. God created us with such a marvelous brain that it can assist us in every activity – not just puzzling.

THANK GOD FOR MODERN MEDICINE

The enormous advancements in medicine over the past century are miraculous. From surgeries to pharmaceuticals to therapies to diet to psychology; it would take more space than I have to list them all. Here are ten (there are many more) of the most important advances:

Antibiotics     Vaccines       Anesthesia

X-rays and imaging    Germ Theory 

Organ transplantation         Genetic engineering

Heart Surgery           Antiseptics    Insulin

However, my favorite medical procedure is dialysis, for which I am preparing as I write this. In 1943, Willem Kolff, a Dutch Doctor, invented the dialyzer using sausage casing and a wooden drum and a washing machine motor. He brought two of his machines to Boston in 1947, where they were further perfected and called the Kolff-Brigham Artificial Kidney. In 1955 he became the founder and director of Cleveland Clinic’s first hospital based kidney dialysis program.

Originally the patient was poked for dialysis wherever a good vein could be found, resulting in many scars in the arms and legs. Then in 1960, Belding Scribner invented the “Scribner Shunt” whereby a Teflon tube was attached to an artery and to a vein and directed to a plate on the arm. This allowed for easy vascular access. Soon after, the tubing was used without the external plate, and connected inside the arm as the access point.

The current and most effective access method is the AV Fistula, perfected in 1966. An artery in the arm is connected to a nearby vein near the inner elbow, and after three months the vein has enlarged enough to be used for dialysis. This allows for less infection and can be effective for many years.

Concerning all medical advances in the past century and all centuries, they have come to fruition because God created man with the brainpower to see a need and to devise a way to come up with the solution. God created man to heal.

Sources: Wikipedia, Fresenius Medical Care, DaVita Kidney Care

THE OLDEST SEGMENT OF SOCIETY

 

The previous generation is all gone – no parents or aunts or uncles are still alive. I’m part of the oldest living segment of society – a rather sobering thought. In addition to losing family members in both my generation and the prior generation, also a son and a step-son, I’ve lost 20 friends over the years. Some I knew were sick and dying, but others were a complete surprise. Those are the saddest losses.

It doesn’t seem to me that I’m all that old; I’m not even 80 yet. I had an aunt that lived to be 96 or 97, and my Mother’s dad died at 86. So there must be a few long-term genes in the family. Interestingly, my Grandfather was on dialysis when he passed, which looks to be my own future.

Of course the number of years here on earth is miniscule compared to the eternal, endless life after death. God has given us a lifetime, no matter how long or short, to prepare for the afterlife. He has offered an invitation to everyone to receive His free gift of Eternal Life. Romans 6:23 says, “The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

This is a gift, it can’t be bought or earned or bartered or stolen or inherited – it can only be accepted by each one of us – separately and individually. If someone hasn’t received the invitation yet, they can search for it and seek it and hunt for it – until it is found.

Where to look? The first place to look is in God’s Word, the Holy Bible. Then find a church that preaches and teaches the Bible. Then read Christian writers who help with understanding the Bible. Then listen to Christian music that praises and worships our Savior. Then meet with other believers for encouragement and fellowship.

Once you have received this wonderful, eternal Gift, tell others about it. Tell other family members, tell your children, and tell your friends before you lose them.

COPYRIGHT 2025 BY CARL E GUSTAFSON