GREEN ONION,
                 HIGHWAY NEWS AND GOOD NEWS

                                  Smothered in Ketchup by David Roberts

‘Hey, Green Onion,” said Alice the waitress, “how did you enjoy our diner’s daily special?” Not wanting to hurt Alice’s feelings and knowing how sensitive she is, Green Onion said,“ Alice, that meatloaf was so delicious I thought my wife made it.” Alice replied, “If that’s so, how come you smothered it with ketchup?”

In so many ways we have buried the truth with ketchup —the truth that Jesus Christ is God, who came into this world in a human body, being born of the Virgin Mary.

Why did the one and only true God send His only begotten Son (John 3:17-18)? Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus read this prophecy to His own hometown folks at the synagogue, and they were furious.

They rejected His message and tried to kill Him. Now, after two thousand years, the world gets more raving mad than ever if you say Jesus is the only truth and the only way: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Or if you state that there is no salvation apart from Him: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Jesus’ message, which He entrusted to His disciples (and that includes you and me), is just not what this world wants to hear. The “in” message today is “tolerance.” But that tolerance does not apply to those who believe in an absolute truth.

Do you just want to be happy, healthy, and prosperous, or do you want the truth, eternal life, and power to live the Christian life? Are you a true disciple or a false, fake disciple? Can you say, like Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). Over thirty years ago, I wrote under this verse, “Lord Jesus, I believe You are the only way. I love You and will obey You.” Like Peter, I have often failed in action and attitude, but God’s grace and mercy have sustained me and restored me. After Paul’s conversion, he preached that God, “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, gave himself as a ransom for all men” (I Timothy 2:4-6). Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:17-20). Will you open the door and let Jesus come into your life and heart?
Now, please pass the ketchup.

Smothered in Ketchup
David Roberts is Lead Chaplain at the TFC chapel in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

                         Reprint from September 2008 Highway News And Good News.

                                     Green Onion
                                           Anger
                                   by David Roberts
                            David Roberts is Lead Chaplain at the TFC chapel in
                                               Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

‘Hey, Crankshaft,” called our Green Onion, “I heard you quit that trucking company because you had an argument with the dispatcher. What was the matter, did you wake up grumpy?” “No, Green Onion, I let her sleep.”

What makes some drivers, or any person for that matter, so ill-tempered and crotchety that no one wants to be around them? (Besides, who wants to be around a malicious, ill-humored and snappish person?) Being around them at times can feel like being on a mine field — you never know what’s going to set off an explosion. When you’re around them, you always have to watch your step.
Contentious people love to quarrel and cause controversy and seem to always be raising objections. You can get sick in your soul by slurping on the soup they stir up to poison your system. They seem unable to find joy and seem not to want anyone else to be happy or joyful either. They make life miserable and wretched for themselves and those around them.
The bottom line is anger, which is a strong feeling of displeasure and antagonism against another person or situation.
We have all seen the fury of someone who accused everyone around him or her of betrayal. Usually anger is trigged by failed expectations (real or assumed). On the CB, drivers often feel free to express verbal rage toward anyone who cuts them off or does anything that inconveniences them on the road, because the truck is a safe place to remain anonymous. The good thing is, when we hear this type of talk, we can always turn to another channel.
Who wants to be emotionally abused? King Saul feared and hated David, and when his son Jonathan, David’s close friend, stood up for him, Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan to such a degree that he hurled his spear at his own son to kill him (I Samuel 20:30-33). Saul was out of control. He would not take responsibility for his anger and didn’t recognize he had a problem; he saw David as his problem. We are seeing this same type of violence in our schools, streets, and malls.
Today we don’t hold people responsible for their actions and attitudes. No, we say, “The poor fellow has an addiction,” or, “He needs classes in anger management.”
But what did Jesus say? “You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell” (Matthew 5:21-22 NLT).
Anger is the opposite of true love. God is love and we are commanded to love one another.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35).
So when we start to get cranky, it’s a sign that we need more of Christ’s love in us. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with His love and take control of our actions and attitudes, because He is the only one who can give us the power to love others. But that doesn’t leave us off the hook: we are responsible for seeking Him and allowing Him to love through us.
                               Reprint from February 2008 Highway News
        

                                     Green Onion
                                  By David Roberts
                                   Lead Chaplain at TFC Chapel
                                      Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

                            Microwave Oven Christianity

‘Hey, Green Onion,” said Dr. Panic, “I’m taking off the cast on your broken wrist. You can go back to trucking in three weeks.” “That’s great, Doc!” Green Onion replied happily. “Will I be able to play the violin?” Yes, Onion, you should be able to do that with no problems.” “That’s fantastic, Dr. Panic! I’ve always wanted to be able to play it but never had the time to learn.”

It takes a life time on enduring hard practice every day to play an instrument with skill. One day without practicing and the musician knows he’s not playing his best; two days, and the Maestro knows; on the third day, the audience knows.

A friend of mine told me when I was a new believer in Christ, “David, there is no such thing as instant Christianity. It will take a life of discipline to grow into a mature. Strong Christian.” You can’t be a Microwave Oven Christian, but that’s what many are in this undisciplined and scripturally illiterate age. How many people do you know who are truly strong in the Lord and the power of His might because they are disciplined in body, mind, spirit, and personal character? It takes about six weeks to grow a squash, but 60 years to grow a mighty oak tree. Do you want to be known as a mighty oak or a squash?

Jesus is calling us to stand up and be disciples, which means people who exercise discipline and self denial, people willing to serve, sacrifice, and even suffer to the death if God so wills, like Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and so many thousands more through out the ages.

Friends, Jesus said then, He says now, and He will say forever, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (Luke 9:23-25). Who are you going to believe, new age prophets of wealth, whose messages aim to feed our worldly desire for ease and riches? Or will you take up your cross daily, which means death to self, and follow Jesus? Will you determine to be a disciple of His, full of faith, full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom from your consistent study of the Bible and your faithful prayer life?

To follow Jesus is to be a disciple: and discipleship means to discipline: and discipline takes daily, hard practice ------practicing the presence of God by taking time to pray.
“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). Its short-time pain here on earth for long term gain in heaven. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

To be safe on the highway you need a costly overhaul of your rig, not a cheap tune-up with duck tape to hold your truck together. It’s the same with us. “ So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7). The more we set our minds and hearts on praising the Lord, the more joy we will have practicing and playing for the Divine Maestro in His orchestra, which takes discipline over a lifetime.
 

Green Onion
By David Roberts
Lead Chaplain at TFC chapel
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

 Who Will You Invite?

“Hey Green Onion,” said Rolling Stone, I have a problem. My new neighbors keep showing up with the whole family every time we are about to eat dinner. Being a good southern boy, I don’t want to be disrespectful and tell them they can’t eat here.” “No problem, Stone! Just have your dogs Blue and Jake lick all the plates clean while your neighbors are watching and put them back into your cupboard. I guarantee your problem will be solved.”

Now I ask you how do you keep the devil away? He is working hard to come over for dinner and stay awhile. And he likes to bring his own dishes of devil’s food, food that looks and smells so good, but carries ruin in the end. “Just taste it”, he say’s. You stare, you sniff, and you reason, “What’s wrong with just one little bite?” First you take a drink, and then the drink has a drink, and then the drink has you, as the saying goes.

Our Lord was tempted like you and me, but just as He had victory, so can we, in His strength. Jesus defeated Satan by using the Sword of the Spirit, the Bible. “The tempter (devil) came to him (Jesus) and said, ‘if you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:3-4).

When our minds are immersed in God’s Word, Satan’s thoughts will be foreign to us because we will hear God’s voice and follow Him. We must reject any thoughts that are not from our Lord. Martin Luther one said, “One day Satan knocked on my door and asked, ‛Is Martin Luther home?’ ‛No’ I replied. ‛He died awhile back. Jesus Christ lives here now; do you want to talk to Him?”

To overcome temptation, welcome the Lord into your life and allow yourself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Remember no temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Standing on God’s Word and His promises will give you the victory over Satan, who has come to kill, steal, and destroy you.
Jesus, on the other hand, came to give us eternal life, abundant life here and now, joy that is full, power to serve Him, and peace that passes all understanding.

Suffering and disappointments will come, but all trials must go through and have Jesus’ permission first. C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world,”

David said in Psalm 15, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? 
He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman. Who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”

God Said we can do it through His grace, mercy, and power. Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart right now. Are you going to invite Him in?

 By David Roberts
Reprinted with permission
From the September 2007 Transport For Christ, 
Highway News and Good News.
This is a monthly publication.
Stop in at any TFC Chapel in USA and Canada for your free copy.

Pastoral Ponderings
By Pastor John Gray

 God's Plan for Your Life

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,” plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future,” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

God has a plan for your life. He brought you into this world to fulfill that plan.
It is the best plan that anyone could ever make for you. It is a plan that will bring Him the greatest glory and you the greatest good. From the beginning of your life until its end, God is working out His plan.
As you follow Gods plan for your life, you do so by faith. It is important to remember that He is the Guide and you are the follower. He does not need to bring you into His planning room as a consultant to help Him decide what is best for your life. God has called you to trust Him and to take the next step of obedience according to His will. God has said, “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 NKJV

Here are some of the ways that God is working out His plan:

He is your Shepherd-He is leading you.
He is your Provider-He is taking care of you.
He is your Strength-He is enabling you.
He is your Counselor-He is speaking to you.
He is your Shield-He is protecting you.
He is your Comfort-He is encouraging you.
He is your Father-He is blessing you.

Join with Him in His plans for your life. If you fight Him in His plans for your life, it will be the worst decision you could make. By allowing Him to work His plan, it will be the best decision you could make!  

Pastoral Ponderings
By Pastor John Gray

How and Where God Speaks

The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." - Ezekiel 3:22
God speaks in many different ways to His children. He spoke through a bush to Moses. He spoke through a donkey to Balaam. He spoke through prophets to His kings. He speaks through other believers. He speaks directly to us through the invisible Holy Spirit. And He speaks even through circumstances.
When God wants to speak a very important word directly to us without interruption from the noise of our busy lives, he will take us "into the plain." The plain is a place of no distractions and no other persons. It is a place of silence. It can be a place of great need as it often fails to have the normal provisions we are accustomed to. It can be a place we go voluntarily to seek His face, or we can be moved there without choice by His supernatural ability. More often, it is the latter method that brings us into the plain. In modern times, it often means a separation from our normal activities such as jobs or families.
The plain can also be a place where we discover afresh that God's hand has been on us all the time. When we are so busy with life, we sometimes forget that God's hand is still there, gently leading our path. When our lives get so busy that we are not listening or responding to His gentle touch, He must take more aggressive measures to get our attention. Thus, the plain is one of those appointed times of one-on-one communication with our heavenly Father. No distractions, no people, no beautiful surroundings to capture our thoughts. It is a barren place designed to allow us to seek and hear clearly. When He speaks, we need to be able to listen. We hear much better in the plain.
Do you need to hear God's voice today? Is your life such that you cannot even hear His voice? Each day God calls us to our own mini-plain in order to speak to us and for us to hear. If we neglect this time of open communication, we may be invited to His plain in order to hear without distraction. Pray that you might make time to hear.

"A Trucker's Family Prayer"
 Dear Lord:

Please watch over our Trucker, as he may need extra guidance. He is out on that long road, trying to make an honest living. Please be sure to keep him safe; it can be very dangerous this far away from home.

Life out there can be full of stress and disappointment: We ask that you lift him up when he is down; reminding him that he is not alone, that you are always with him.

Dead lines and Hot loads are a worry too, Dear Lord; Shine your light on him as he travels through the midnight darkness; keeping his eyes opened until he is able to rest.

Lord, know that our Trucker did not choose an easy path: He chose to drive a truck for a living, which does not allow us a "normal" family life. Please bless him. This is not an easy life, but it is the life that we live.

Times at home with out him are hard too; sometimes the worries and loneliness can seem unbearable. Please remind him that he is always in our hearts, no matter how many miles he is from home. Knowing that you have our "Trucker-Family" under you wings to protect us from harm, allows us to wake up each morning loving you and knowing: You love us; regardless of where we might be.

Amen
Author unknown
 

How Good is Good Enough?

Submitted By Chaplain Mike,
Transport for Christ Crossroads Chapel,
Chilliwack, B.C. Canada.

Do you consider yourself to be a good person? Most people do. However, most of us differ as to the definition of "good." The Bible says that God is good, and the Ten Commandments are His standard of goodness. So, we will look at God's Law . With a tender conscience; ask yourself if you have obeyed the following:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me. (Have you always loved God above all else?)

2. You shall not make yourself an idol. (Have you made a god in your mind that you're more comfortable with, a god to suit yourself?)

3. You shall not take God's name in vain. (Have you ever used God's holy Name as a cuss word?)

4. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.

5. Honor your father and mother.

6. You shall not murder. (God considers hatred to be as murder).

7. You shall not commit adultery. ("Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart" — Matthew 5:27-28;).

8. You shall not steal. (Have you ever stolen anything? — the value of the item is irrelevant).

9. You shall not lie. (Have you lied even once? Including answering these questions).

10. You shall not covet. (Have you ever jealously desired what belongs to others?)

Do you know the ultimate purpose of God's law? Jesus Christ defined the purpose of God's law as teaching us how to apply the two great principles of loving God and loving each other. He made this clear when someone asked Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" How did Jesus respond? "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:35-40).

God Himself made a way where His justice and His goodness could meet. We broke the Law, but He became a man to pay the fine. Jesus suffered and died on the cross to satisfy the Law. God can forgive us and grant us the gift of everlasting life! But you may still think that you can (from now on) keep the Ten Commandments. But isn't it true that the best of us have lied, stolen, lusted, hated, failed to love God above all else, and failed to love our neighbour as ourselves?

Jesus Christ offers a cure for us. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But if we don't know we are sinners, we can't appreciate or accept the cure. In the Bible, in the book of Romans Paul tells us, "There is none righteous, not even one: there is no one that understands, no one who seeks God" 
(3: 10-11 ).

The only thing we can do is humble ourselves, repent of our sins, and receive the gift of salvation by trusting Jesus Christ alone. Almighty God demonstrated how much He loves you when Jesus suffered for you on the cross. If you want to trust in your own goodness, then you are saying His agonizing death on the cross was in vain. The Bible says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." You cannot earn a gift.

That brings us to a decision about what to do with the good news?  "God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Jesus Christ took your punishment, then He rose from the dead and defeated the grave. That’s good news because if you repent and trust Him, God will forgive you and grant you everlasting life. What better news could there be!!

If you would like to accept the invitation to receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour, Pray this pray: "I repent Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner. I believe that You died on the cross and shed Your blood to pay the penalty for my sins. Please forgive me and come into my life. I confess that you are my Saviour and Lord."