Author: Shay Reyner

 

Dear Grandkids,

I just recently learned a lesson that I wish I had learned many years ago. Evidently drinking water and staying hydrated is really important to staying healthy. You would think that this is something I should have known. I’ve been told that I needed to drink more than I do – but it always came across as a suggestion rather as a mandate. I mean after all, I have always been fairly healthy.

At least that’s what I thought. And then I did an inventory of all the medications I take every day:

• a pill to lower my LDL cholesterol
• a pill to lower my blood pressure
• 4 pills (2 in the AM and 2 in the PM) to help prevent kidney stone production
• 2 pills (1 in the AM and 1 in the PM) to control headaches
• Vitamin D because my D level is too low

Maybe I am not as healthy as I thought I was.

As you know I have been battling kidney stones since February. This past week I had my 5th surgical procedure since April to try to get rid of those pesky “thorns in the flesh.” I have been told that I am now at “ground zero” and have been cleaned out. And now I have come to find out that kidney stones are preventable. Say what? Maybe I have been told this all along but just wasn’t listening. Here are two recent conversations with doctors – see if you note a difference…

My urologist – ” You need to drink more – you need to be drinking 3 liters of fluids each day.”

My nephrologist ( saw him for the first time last month) – ” If you will drink 3 liters of fluids each day kidney stones do not have a chance to form in your kidneys because the crystals are getting flushed out.”

Being told to drink 3 liters each day from my nephrologist all of a sudden took on a whole new meaning. NO MORE KIDNEY STONES! So guess what I have started doing religiously every. single. day?

Communication tip: Information is good. But information with specific application is better. To say it another way: knowing the “why” behind the “what” can be motivational and transformational.

Here is another example of the importance of “knowing your why”: As a believer in Jesus we are told to read our Bible. We are often told WHAT to do without being told WHY.

The What Without the Why goes like this – “If you are a Christian, you need to be reading your Bible every day.”

How much better to include the why behind the what – “If you will spend time reading Scripture each day you can expect at least these 5 things: 1) that you will get to know God better and sense His nearness, 2) that you will begin to discern His will and purpose for your life, 3) that you will be better equipped to fight the evil one who seeks to destroy your soul, 4) that you will experience peace and contentment in a way that you have not done before, 5) and eternal things will begin to be prioritized over earthly things and you will develop a joy-fueled hope in this life as you anticipate the life to come.

Knowing the WHY we should read our Bible encourages me to want to read it. Not knowing the why encourages me toward legalism.

So I hope you will remember this – staying hydrated is supremely important. Physically, for the health of your body. And spiritually, for the health of your soul. As you drink the thirst quenching water of the Word you WILL be refreshed and energized and invigorated.

So when you finish reading this epistle, go grab a bottle of water AND your Bible and… drink – for your heart’s content!

And never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Keller and Happy Birthday!

Your namesake, Tim Keller, died just a little more than a year ago. At 8 years old you probably don’t know much about him. But hopefully in the years to come you will get to know about him and read some of the books he wrote. As a short introduction, here are 12 of his quotes that will hopefully whet your appetite to read more about this man who was a pastor, church planter, theologian, apologist and disciple-maker to many of my generation. I did not know him and never met him but fun fact: we went to the same seminary – he graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary outside of Boston about 8 years before I did. I would encourage you to ponder these thoughts of his and talk them over with others who are either exploring the faith or are already pursuing God.

• “All death can now do to Christians is to make their lives infinitely better.”
• “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said. If he didn’t, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether you like his teaching, but whether he rose from the dead.”
• “Only if your god can outrage and challenge you will you know that you worship the real God and not a figment of your imagination. . . . If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself.”
• “The gospel says you are simultaneously more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, yet more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope.”
• “Tolerance isn’t about not having beliefs. It’s about how your beliefs lead you to treat people who disagree with you.”
• “Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts… It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them.”
• “It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.”
• “Religious people find God useful. Growing Christians find God beautiful.”
• “The Bible says that our real problem is that every one of us is building our identity on something besides Jesus.”
• “In many areas of life, freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones, the liberating restrictions.”
• “What marriage is for: It is a way for two spiritual friends to help each other on their journey to become the persons God designed them to be.”
• “Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.”

Tim Keller lived courageously and died courageously.  It would benefit your soul to get to know him. May your life also be marked by courage as you learn to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Judah and Happy Birthday!

Let me tell you a story about another young man named Judah.

But first a quick history lesson. Ever since the reign of King Solomon the nation of Israel had been a nation in turmoil. This was mostly because God’s people chose to turn their backs on the one true God and chose instead to follow after gods of their own making. Instead of worshiping Yahweh who had chosen them to be His very own people, they went whoring after anything that made them feel good about themselves – the gods of money, sex, and success were just as prevalent way back then as they are today. Yes, I did indeed use the word “whoring” because it best describes what God’s people did… and still do – and because it is a word that the Bible often uses.

Because of God’s unrelenting love for His people, He allowed foreign nations to invade Israel – hoping His people would turn back to Him in repentance and find their joy in Him alone. First it was the Assyrians. Then the Babylonians. Then the Persians. Then the Greeks under a man named Alexander the Great. Alexander died in the year 323 BC and his kingdom was divided up among his generals. These kingdoms then fought each other to try to determine top dog and by the year 198 BC Israel found itself under the rule of the Seleucids and the emperor Antiochus III. But it was under the reign of this man’s son – Antiochus Epiphanes – that our story really begins.

Antiochus took the name Epiphanes because it means “illustrious one” or “God manifest.” He thought of himself as a god and hated the Jewish people – whose temple in Jerusalem was the focal point of their worship of Yahweh. As emperor he tried to eradicate the culture of the Jewish people and started by raiding the temple, stealing its treasures, setting up an altar to Zeus, and sacrificing swine on the altar.

Now even though many of the Jewish people were willing to let Antiochus have his way, there was still a remnant of steadfast followers of Yahweh who saw his actions as blasphemous. One of these was a priest named Mattathias. he and his 5 sons rallied the Jewish population to fight. When Mattathias died in 166 BC, he left his son Judah in charge.

Judah. Aka Judas. Aka the Maccabee. Aka “The Hammer”.

Under The Hammer’s leadership, this Jewish remnant of guerrilla fighters , though greatly outnumbered, defeated Antiochus. In December of 164 BC they rededicated the temple to God – celebrating their victory and the temple’s rededication for eight days  – a celebration that is commemorated to this day  – at a holiday that is now known as… Hanukkah.

The Hammer was a man who was consecrated to God. He dedicated himself to fighting against the evil incarnated by Antiochus Epiphanes and fighting for the honor and glory of God. He was also a man who lived and led by his convictions. Convictions really do not mean much unless you are willing to live them out when life gets hard and when your lifestyle as a follower of Christ is being challenged. That takes courage – and The Hammer was indeed a man of courage. While many of his fellow Jews were willing to conform to the ever expanding Greek culture, Judah and his band of brothers stayed true to what they believed. It has been said that “the opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.” I like that!

I realize it may be several years before you read this. But my prayer even now is that you will live a consecrated life, living out your convictions with the kind of courage that inspires others to do the same.

Never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Asher and Happy Birthday!

May your tribe increase!

One of my favorite Bible teachers when I was a younger man was a professor from Dallas Theological Seminary named Howard Hendricks (1924 – 2013). One of the things that he often said when he heard about someone who was having a significant influence for the kingdom of God was “May their tribe increase.”

You are 7 years old today. But one day, by God’s grace, you will have a tribe of your own and you will be setting the spiritual pace for your kids and grandkids and great grandkids. Let me tell you about an example worth following…

We read about Anna in Luke 2:36-38. Three verses. That’s all. But these 3 verses cement her legacy as a hero of the faith and as an example of a woman of God. Why??

Anna was a prophetess (v.36) – She knew the Word of God. She loved the Word of God. She treasured the Word of God. May God’s Word also be a treasure to you and provide nourishment for your soul as you grow up. It will sustain and comfort you in the darkest of days.

Anna was a worshiper (v.37) –  She was astounded by God and expressed her astonishment often through worship. I can tell by the look on your face in this picture that you love to be astounded.  Gaze often upon the beauty and majesty of the Lord and you will find yourself being constantly amazed.

Anna lived with gratitude (v.38) – Anna no doubt had much that she could have complained to God about. No doubt her life did not turn out as she dreamed when she was a young bride. But she chose to live gratefully instead of acrimoniously.

Anna pointed people to Jesus (v.38) – She “spoke of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel.” Anna was quick to tell others that Jesus was the One that gave meaning to her life and that He was the long awaited Messiah – the Savior of the world.

So I hope that you will take the time to ponder these three short verses and learn a few things from this humble woman of God. And as you do I will say once again… may your tribe increase.

And oh, by the way, Anna was coincidentally from the tribe of… Asher.

Never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Miller,

A very happy birthday to you!! Oh to be 7 years old again. Believe it or not I can remember being 7 years old.  But it was indeed many many years ago.

So even as I am writing this I am in the middle of one of my kidney stone episodes. Surgery was a week ago but the last week, while not being terrible, has reminded me how much I value being in good health. It has also reminded me that I am not a young man anymore – even though I try to tell myself otherwise. So here are a few reflections of an older man – perhaps we can turn them into conversations one day.

• Never take good health for granted. Do whatever you can to get healthy and stay healthy.
• The choices you make as a young man will have very serious repercussions when you are an older man. Don’t just make good choices. Make great choices.
• Always have something fun and adventurous on the horizon that you are saving and planning and preparing for.
• Do that fun and adventurous thing above with other people. Shared memories are the very best kind of memories.
• Pursue joy! It is worth it. But be aware that most people look for joy in the wrong place and never find it.
• Find at least one really really good friend when you are young and cultivate that friendship for life.
• Find a vocation that will pay you for doing something that you love to do. 40 years is a long time to work at something that you do not enjoy.
• Learn a second language. Learn to play the piano. I wish I could do both. I can do neither!
• Always keep a book around. Read for the fun of it. Read to learn. Just read.
• Live simply. Money is nice but you don’t have to have a lot of money to enjoy life.
• Live generously. And you can do this whether you have a lot of money or not.
• Invest your life. Invest in eternal things – God’s Word and people. Invest in making memories.
• If at all possible, travel the world and applaud God’s creativity.
• Learn to ask great questions. Most people like great answers. I like great questions.
• Discover what it means to abide diligently in Jesus. And then never stop abiding.
• And finally… never ever get kidney stones. Seriously! I mean it! I’m not even kidding!

I’d love to chat with you about any or all of these. But don’t wait too long to ask me about them because after all… I am an older man now.

Never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Ezra,

A very happy birthday to you!!

I have recently been pondering a few verses about being someone who refreshes others when they are around me…

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

⁴ I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, ⁶ and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.^[a] 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

I have been around people who refresh me and I have been around people who drain me. I want to be a refresher. And I hope that you to do. Here are a couple of things that Paul mentions to Philemon that can help us be that kind of person.

v. 5 – “I hear of your love and your faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus” – It is refreshing to be around people who genuinely and obviously love Jesus. Their faith overflows. Their hope abounds. Their joy spills out of them. If we want to refresh others we need to cultivate our relationship with Jesus.

v.5 –  “… I hear of your love toward all the saints.”  What are some practical ways that we can demonstrate love toward others? It  really is the simple things: an encouraging note or text, a well-timed phone call, a hug, an unexpected gift, a shared experience, a conversation over coffee.

v.6 – “the sharing of your faith…” – This is more than evangelism. This is sharing an appropriate word from Scripture with someone who needs to hear from God. The Word of God is refreshing to those who are inundated by the lies that we hear every day as we walk through this world.

v.22 – ” prepare a guest room for me for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.”  Two things here. 1) It is refreshing to me when I know that people are praying specifically for me. That is something we can do for others – but don’t just do it, tell them that you are doing it and how you are praying for them. 2) Demonstrate hospitality – Use your home as an oasis where people can come and be refreshed. Let them see Jesus in your home – because they do not see him in many people’s homes. And it is very refreshing when they go into a home where Jesus lives.

It is awesome watching you grow up. I can’t believe that you are already 5 and almost going to school. My prayer is that as you go to school next year and in the years to come that you will be someone who “refreshes the hearts of the saints” as they are around you. I want to be that kind of person too.

Never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Haddon,

What in the world is a Rabshakeh? And what does a Rabshakeh have to do with you as you turn 4 years old. Great question  – so let me see if I can give you an answer.

One of the things that I love about God’s Word is that I am always discovering new things. In one of my pondering times last week I was reading in Isaiah 36 and this is what I read:

¹ In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. ² And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. 

Now, I have read through Isaiah bunches of times over the last 50 years but I have no recollection of ever reading about some dude called the Rabshakeh. Turns out that he is a very interesting part of King Hezekiah’s story and can teach us a lot that can help us as our story is being written.

The Rabshakeh was a high ranking military officer in the Assyrian army serving under King Sennacheib. The Assyrians had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel (the Jewish nation had split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah following Solomon’s reign) and were now on the verge of conquering Judah. The Rabshakeh had been sent by the king to promote fear in Hezekiah and the people of Judah as well as to mock and belittle and disparage the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel.

There are a few application points that I take away from Hezekiah’s response to the Rabshakeh.

1) The Rabshakeh’s voice in many ways is similar to the voice of culture in our day – mocking what we believe, belittling our faith and disparaging the God we belong to. In our technologically advanced world there seems to be less and less of a place for the Christian worldview to bring influence to the table of decision making. To bring God into most conversations is to invite ridicule and dismissal.

2) Hezekiah had instructed his people not to respond to the Rabshakeh. Isaiah 36:21 says, “But they were silent and answered him not a word for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” I find that interesting. Hezekiah was wiser than me – and most people. We try to come to God’s defense and usually find ourselves in an argument that is not winnable. God can fight his own battles – which in fact He does in this case… see below.

3) Hezekiah’s response was this… “he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.” (37:1) He prayed and listened to the counsel of the Lord through Isaiah and then watched God go to work. It was a pretty simple strategy and prayer was what he did to begin with – not as an afterthought or after he had made things worse and needed God to bail him out.

So here is how things played out. Isaiah 37:36 reads, “And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people rose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Ninevah.”

So my young grandson, what does all of this have to do with your four year old self? You are growing up in a culture that is going to be less and less tolerant of people who follow Jesus and more and more belittling of your faith. Never forget that our God is a great God, strong and mighty. When you are confronted by those who mock your faith and make fun of what you believe – take courage, stand firm, and as a first response go to Lord in prayer and in His Word.

Just a few chapters later in Isaiah 41:10 we can take great comfort in these words…

Fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Grandkids,

200 Pop Pop Epistles. I have thought long and hard about what #200 should be about. After all, 200 is kind of a milestone. So with that in mind, it only seems right that it should be about… pickleball.

Kind of surprises you doesn’t it. Kind of surprises me as well. But read on.

I have been hearing about pickleball for several years now. Evidently it has been around for awhile – having been invented back in the 1960’s by two dads looking for a way to entertain their bored kids. When I first heard about it, it seemed to be a game for people who had gotten too old to play tennis. But now it has kind of become a national sporting phenomenon.   I have heard (and Mr Google confirms this) that it is by far the fastest growing sport in the United States.

There seems to be several reasons for this:

1) How can you not love a game that goes by the name pickleball and in which the people who play are called pickleheads?

2) It seems to be a game that values the social aspect of sports more than the competitive aspect. Which is not to say that it is not competitive but it puts “playing together” at a premium.

3) You can have fun playing even if you do not consider yourself athletic.

4) And yes, it is much easier on the body than tennis because the size of the court is so much smaller.

All that explanation to say that I played pickleball for the first time yesterday. My 65 year old self played with three twenty-somethings and I was able to hold my own. Not the best on the court but not the worst either. I can definitely see myself playing on a regular basis as a complement to my twice a week disc golf forays. I know what you are thinking – retirement sounds awesome. Indeed it is kiddos, indeed it is – even if it is only the “semi” kind at this point.

Here are a few things that I was reminded of about myself after my pickleball adventure yesterday:

• I enjoy exercise much more when I am doing something like pickleball rather than doing pushups in my living room or riding an exercise bike.
• I love to win – but I don’t mind losing. In other words I don’t think you would ever classify me as a sore loser. I enjoy seeing other people win as well.
• At 65, I am blessed to have good enough health to do something like pickleball and disc golf – which I don’t take for granted.

Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, once said that “life is more fun if you play games.”

I don’t disagree.

Next you are over here perhaps we can go play pickleball together. Or maybe invent a new game that will one day become a national phenomenon.

Never forget that you are very loved,

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Dear Bowen,

A very Happy 9th Birthday to you.

I was recently pondering Isaiah chapter 7 and I came across a verse that I had never noticed before. Verse 18-19 says…

“In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thorn bushes, and on all the pastures.”

Evidently our God is a whistler. I did not know that.

This prompted me to do a little research and I found at least 2 other verses that mention that God whistles:

“He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!” (Isaiah 5:26)

“I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.” (Zechariah 10:8)

Why do I bring this up? Well, this discovery made me realize that even after being a Christian for 48 years and reading through the Bible a bunch of times there are still things that I am learning about God. I’m sure I’ve read those verses before but evidently they did not register.

So here are a few things I want to encourage you with:

1) When you read Scripture pay attention to what it says. Don’t just go through the motions of reading the Bible just to say that you read your Bible.

2) As you make observations about Scripture write them down. I have a journal that I write in each morning making note of things that catch my attention.

3) Share your discoveries about Scripture and about God with other people. My guess is that I am not the only one who didn’t know that God is a whistler. I, for one, would love to hear about new discoveries that you are making.

The last thing that I will say is this: the next time you hear somebody whistling, be reminded that our God is also a whistler and that  at His whistle even flies and bees are quick to respond to His summons. The Lord may or may not whistle at us when He calls but we should nonetheless be quick to respond to whatever He says.

Now that you are in your 10th year of life I suspect that you will make all kinds of new discoveries. May the Lord give you eyes to see His beauty both in the Word as you read it and in the world as you pass through it. I’m already looking forward to celebrating birthday #10 with you. Can you guess why?

Never forget that you are very loved,

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