A life well lived #RTTBROS #Nightlight #legacy #Ministry #Discipleship

A life well lived #RTTBROS #Nightlight #legacy #Ministry #Discipleship 

90 Years Young and Still Building 

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." - Galatians 6:9 (KJV)

Well folks, here we are celebrating a man who's turning 90, and I'm pretty sure he's already planning his next church plant. You know Jesse retirement isn't in his vocabulary, and honestly, I don't think the word "quit" is either.

I've been trying to figure out how to sum up Jesse Dunn's life, and I keep coming back to this: he's a builder. Not the kind that works with hammer and nails, though knowing Jesse, he probably could, but the kind that builds people's lives and builds God's kingdom.

When I think about Jesse going to California Christian College in his thirties with three little girls in tow, working full time and going to school... well, that tells you everything you need to know about his character. Most of us think we're busy when we have to work and watch Netflix on the same day. Jesse was building a future while raising a family and chasing after God's calling.

And can we talk about his church-planting record? This man has started more churches than some denominations have. Boise in the early '70s, Salem in the late '70s, then back to Boise to rebuild what he'd already built once. It's like he looked at the Great Commission and thought, "You know what? I'm going to take this personally."

I've been thinking about what I learned watching Jesse over the years, and I realized he gave us a master class in ministry without ever charging tuition. The man went to Bible college in his thirties, but the real education happened in the trenches, building churches, raising daughters, and somehow keeping his sense of humor through it all.

But here's what gets me about Jesse, and what I learned from watching him all these years: he doesn't just build churches, he builds people. He took a bunch of rough-around-the-edges teenagers in Salem and somehow convinced us we could be useful to God. I'm still not sure how he pulled that off.

Let me tell you what Jesse's classroom looked like: it was his living room where he'd counsel hurting people, his kitchen table where he'd study sermons while Joyce cooked dinner, and that old church bus where he'd pick up anybody and everybody who needed a ride to church. His curriculum was simple: love people, preach the Word, and trust God with the results.

The thing about Jesse is he never seemed to think anything was impossible. Church needs rebuilding? "Well, let's get to work." Three little girls need raising while daddy goes to college? "We'll figure it out." New town needs a church? "Pack the car, Joyce."

Watching Jesse taught me something that changed my life: "You can't make people love God, but you can sure show them what God's love looks like." And boy, did he show us. This man could find potential in a pile of scrap metal, and often did, if you count some of us teenagers he worked with.

Jesse, you taught me that discipleship isn't a program in a book, it's life on life investment. You opened your home, shared your table, and showed us what it looked like to follow Jesus even when it wasn't easy or convenient.

And can we talk about his longevity? Ninety years old and still preaching weekly. Most people his age are content to watch TV and complain about their arthritis. Jesse's still standing in pulpits, opening God's Word, and believing that the next sermon might be the one that changes someone's life forever.

You know what I think God is going to say when Jesse finally gets to heaven? "Well done, good and faithful servant... but what took you so long? I've been hearing about you from all the people you sent ahead."

Jesse, you've been a father figure to more people than you'll ever know, a mentor to countless ministers, and a friend to everyone you've ever met. At 90, you're still showing us what it looks like to love God and love people with everything you've got.

Happy 90th birthday, Jesse. Thanks for showing us that age is just a number when you're walking with the Almighty.

Purse Candy #RTTBROS #Nightlight #Temptation #Sin #Livingwater

Pocket Candy Christianity #RTTBROS #Nightlight

"For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." - Jeremiah 2:13, KJV

My poor mom had to raise four boys as a single mother, and there were times we'd be out in public getting a little rowdy when she needed to settle us down. She'd dig through her massive Samsonite sized purse to find some old candy or gum that had settled to the bottom what we called "purse candy." And let me tell you, it tasted quite honestly a lot like... well, purse.

But when you're hungry and that's all that's available, you'll take it. The problem was, that stale pocket candy would ruin our appetite for the good meal waiting at home.

God warns His people about this very thing in Jeremiah. He calls it drinking from broken cisterns instead of coming to the fountain of living water. The danger for believers today is that we'll satiate ourselves with the substandard, stale "purse candy" of this world and miss the spiritual feast God has been inviting us to all along.

We settle for the temporary satisfaction of worldly entertainment, shallow relationships, or material pursuits, things that taste okay in the moment but leave us spiritually malnourished. Meanwhile, God has prepared a banquet table for us. He's offering living water that truly satisfies, bread that actually nourishes our souls.

The broken cisterns of our culture promise refreshment but can't deliver. They're cracked, leaking, leaving us thirstier than when we started. But Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37).

Don't fill up on purse candy when the King has invited you to His table.

Prayer: Father, forgive us for settling for the broken cisterns of this world when You've offered us living water. Help us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to find our satisfaction in You alone. Draw us away from the stale substitutes and to Your abundant feast. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Where Are You? #Lonliness #connection #Nightlight #RTTBROS #Relationships

Where Are You? God's Search for Connection #RTTBROS #Nightlightht

"And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" - Genesis 3:9 (KJV)

When my wife and I go to the store, I'll sometimes peel off and become like a bird dog, hunting down something she's looking for. But when I need to reconnect with her, I'll usually text or call and ask, "Where are you?" so I can find her again.

Now, I'm asking that question because I genuinely don't know where she is. But in Genesis, when God calls out to Adam, "Where art thou?" He's not asking for information. God knew exactly where Adam was hiding among the trees. This wasn't a question born out of ignorance. It was a question born out of love.

God was asking to reconnect. He was using the question the way Socrates used to teach his students back in ancient Greece, not to get an answer He didn't already know, but to help the student discover something about themselves. God knew where Adam was physically, but Adam didn't know where he was spiritually.

Adam had just experienced the first taste of shame, the first moment of wanting to hide from his Creator. He was lost, not geographically, but relationally. And God's question wasn't an accusation. It was an invitation to come back home.

This simple question points to one of humanity's biggest problems: loneliness. From the very beginning, God's heart has been to connect with His creation in a personal and profound way. Even after the rebellion, God came looking. He didn't wait for Adam to find his way back. He went searching.

Here's what gets me about this whole scene: God still does this today. When we're hiding behind our shame, our mistakes, our fears, we hear that same gentle call: "Where are you?" Not because He's lost us, but because He wants us to realize we don't have to stay lost.

Maybe you're hiding today. Maybe you've been avoiding that conversation with God because you know you've messed up. Let me tell you something: He already knows where you are. The question isn't for His benefit. It's for yours. He's giving you the chance to come home.

Prayer: Father, thank You for never giving up on us. Thank You for coming to find us even when we're hiding. Help us to hear Your voice calling us back home, and give us the courage to answer honestly. Draw us close to Your heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Glance at Your Problems, Gaze at God #RTTBROS #Nightlight

Glance at Your Problems, Gaze at God #RTTBROS #Nightlight

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)

Adrian Rogers once said, "Glance at your problems but gaze at God." Those words have been rolling around in my mind lately, especially during these busy days when problems seem to multiply faster than I can count them.

I've been thinking about the difference between a glance and a gaze. A glance is quick, momentary like checking your watch or looking both ways before crossing the street. But a gaze? That's sustained attention. That's what you do when you're captivated by something beautiful, or when you're studying something important, or when you're looking into the eyes of someone you love.

Here's what I've learned in my years of ministry and life: whatever we gaze at grows in our perspective. If I spend my days staring at my problems (and Heaven knows I've got plenty to look at) they begin to loom larger and larger until they block out everything else. The bills start looking like mountains. The health concerns become tsunamis. The family struggles turn into Category 5 hurricanes.

But when I shift my gaze to God? Something profound happens. Not that my problems disappear (they're still there, still real, still needing attention). But they shrink down to their proper size when measured against the vastness of God's power, the depth of His love, and the certainty of His promises.

I think about Peter walking on the water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was doing the impossible. But the moment he shifted his gaze to the storm around him, down he went. The waves didn't get bigger; Peter just stopped looking at the One who was bigger than the waves.

David understood this principle. In Psalm 121:1-2, he declares, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." David deliberately lifted his gaze above his circumstances to focus on the source of his strength.

So yes, glance at your problems. Acknowledge them. Be realistic about what you're facing. But don't set up camp there. Don't build a house in that place of worry and fear. Instead, turn your gaze to the God who spoke galaxies into existence, who holds your tomorrow in His hands, and who promises never to leave you nor forsake you.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the times I've gotten so focused on my problems that I've forgotten to look at You. Help me today to practice the discipline of glancing at my troubles but gazing at Your goodness. When anxiety threatens to overwhelm me, remind me to lift my eyes to You. You are bigger than any storm I'll face. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Apple of the Eye #RTTBROS #Nightlight

Apple of the Eye

Deuteronomy 32:10 - "He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye."

Back in medieval England, people had some interesting ideas about how the human body worked. They thought the pupil of the eye was actually a solid, apple-shaped object sitting right there in the center of your eye. They called it the "apple" because, well, it looked like a tiny apple to them. Now, they may have been wrong about the science, but they got something exactly right about its importance.

You see, that little "apple" in your eye is the most delicate, most crucial part of your vision. Without it, you can't see a thing. It has to be protected at all costs. So when medieval folks wanted to describe something or someone that was absolutely precious to them, something they would guard with their very life, they called it "the apple of their eye." Even King Alfred the Great used this phrase when he was talking about the things he treasured most.

Now here's what gets me about this old expression. When Moses was writing about God's love for His people in Deuteronomy, he reached for this same picture. He said God kept Israel "as the apple of his eye." Think about that for a moment. Of all the ways God could describe how He feels about us, He chose this image of the most delicate, most protected, most essential part of our vision.

Friend, that's how God sees you. You're not just another face in the crowd to Him. You're not just a name on a list somewhere in heaven. You are the apple of His eye, the most precious thing in His sight. He watches over you with the same careful attention you'd give to protecting your own eyesight.

When life gets hard and you start wondering if anybody really cares, when you feel forgotten or overlooked, remember this old medieval phrase. Remember that the God of the universe keeps you as the apple of His eye. He's not looking past you to find someone more important, He's not distracted by others who seem more worthy. His loving gaze is fixed on you with tender, protective care.

That ought to change how you walk through your day, knowing you're that treasured, that watched over, that loved.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for loving me as the apple of Your eye. Help me remember that I'm precious to You, especially when I feel forgotten by others. Amen.

By Hook or By Crook #RTTBROS #nightlight

 By Hook or By Crook #RTTBROS #nightlight 

Philippians 3:14 - "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Medieval peasants had a hard life, and one of their constant struggles was finding enough fuel to heat their homes and cook their food. The forests belonged to the lords and nobles, but there was an old law that allowed common folks to gather firewood under very specific conditions. They could only take dead wood, and they could only cut what they could reach with their tools, either a reaper's bill-hook or a shepherd's crook. No axes, no saws, no climbing trees, just what they could snag with those two tools.

So these determined peasants would head into the forest with their hooks and crooks, and they'd work at it until they had gathered enough fuel for their families. It didn't matter if a branch was stuck high in a tree or tangled in thorny bushes, they'd figure out a way to get it down. "By hook or by crook," they'd say, "we're going to get what we need to survive."

That phrase stuck around because it captured something deep in the human spirit, this determination to achieve a goal no matter what obstacles get in the way. And you know what? I think that's exactly the kind of determination Paul was talking about when he wrote to the Philippians about pressing toward the mark.

Paul said he was going to pursue the prize of his high calling in Christ Jesus, and nothing was going to stop him. Not shipwrecks, not beatings, not prison, not persecution. By hook or by crook, he was going to finish the race God had set before him. He'd use whatever tools he had, work around whatever obstacles appeared, and keep moving toward that eternal prize.

Friend, that same holy determination needs to mark our walk with God. There are going to be days when following Jesus feels easy and natural, but there are also going to be days when everything seems to be working against your faith. That's when you need that medieval peasant spirit, that "by hook or by crook" attitude.

Maybe your hook is prayer and your crook is God's Word. Maybe you use the hook of Christian fellowship and the crook of worship music. Whatever tools God has given you, use them with determination. Don't let obstacles keep you from the fuel your soul needs to keep burning bright for Him.

Prayer: Lord, give me holy determination to pursue You by hook or by crook, using whatever tools You provide to overcome the obstacles in my path. Amen.

The Postman's Lantern #Nightlight #RTTBROS

The Postman's Lantern #Nightlight 

#RTTBROS 

The Postman's Lantern

Isaiah 52:7 - "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"

Back in the 1800s, before we had email and cell phones and all the ways we stay connected today, mail carriers were the lifeline between isolated mountain communities and the rest of the world. These brave men would load up their horses with leather saddlebags full of letters, newspapers, and packages, then set out on treacherous journeys through narrow mountain passes that could take days to complete.

When winter storms hit and the paths became dangerous, when snow covered the familiar landmarks and darkness fell early, those postmen would light their lanterns and press on. They knew that in those remote cabins scattered across the mountainsides, families were waiting. A mother hadn't heard from her son who'd gone to find work in the city. A young wife was expecting news about whether her husband had survived the war. Children were hoping for a letter from grandparents they hadn't seen in years.

That flickering lantern light meant everything to those isolated folks. When they saw it bobbing along the mountain trail in the distance, hope stirred in their hearts. Someone was coming with news from the outside world. Connection was on its way. They weren't forgotten after all.

You know, friend, we live in a world that's more connected than ever before, but people are still isolated in ways that matter most. They're waiting for someone to bring them good news, real news, news that can change everything.

That's where you and I come in. We're like those postmen with their lanterns, carrying the greatest news ever delivered. We carry the good tidings that God loves them, that Jesus died for them, that they don't have to walk through life's dark valleys alone.

The beautiful thing about Isaiah's words is that God calls our feet beautiful. Not because we're perfect, but because we're willing to go with His message of hope.

Your lantern might be a kind word to a discouraged coworker or simply living with such peace that people wonder what makes you different. You might not think it's much, but to someone sitting in darkness, your little light looks like the most beautiful thing they've ever seen.

So keep that light burning bright. People are watching for your lantern in the distance, and the message we carry isn't just news, it's the Good News. And that's worth every difficult step up the mountain.

Prayer: Lord, help me remember that You've entrusted me with the greatest message ever delivered. Give me courage to carry Your light into the dark places where people are waiting for hope. Make my feet beautiful as I go with Your good tidings. Amen.

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