Righteous Anger

Here is a photo of my son Daniel (left) and Peggy and Larry's son Josh (right) enjoying life on the Wolf trampoline!

Now let's read John 2: 13-17 and focus on verse 16...."....take these away! Do not make My Father's House a house of merchandise!"

Here we see a differing dimension of Jesus. To say it bluntly, He was "ticked-off ". He went to the temple to celebrate Passover, and found merchants ripping people off. Folks came a long way to worship at the temple during this Passover celebration. If you look into their tradition, they would sacrifice some of the best animals of their flock to recognize their sins before God. Since people were traveling long distances, it was more convenient to buy a lamb, goat, or dove as a sacrifice at the temple, than travel with one. Demand probably out-stripped supply at the temple and the prices for these animals were outrageous. Plus people would come from lands of differing currencies. So of course there were currency exchange people called "money changers" charging unfair exchange rates. So what did Jesus see. He saw a place set up in front of His Father's House, The Temple, for the sole purpose of taking advantage of His followers. It was like a tourist trap. We have all seen them. It's like getting off a plane at an airport, you have a splitting headache and no aspirin. You go into one of those convenient stores at the airport terminal and you get a small packet of Tylenol for $4.00. Rip off! But they have you, your pounding head, knowing that the closest reasonably priced Tylenol is 4 miles away! This example pales in comparison to the frustration that Jesus saw out front of His Temple, but it gives you a flavor.

Now thinking about the Temple and it's purpose, to me, it is a place for worshippers of God to focus on Him and have a place to get relief from their sins. Often times you look at a temple or church as a place to serve God. This is true. But really it is a place for God to reach us and help us! It is God's house, a place we can come to in order to get right with Him. To see a place like this misused was appalling to Jesus! In applying this to our lives, I think of the Temple of today. The temple was a physical place. As we move into the New Testament of the Bible, the temple is our bodies, soul and spirit. It begs the question on how we are allowing our Temple of God to be used? Is it a place of refuge and renewal with the Lord or is it a place where people go to get ripped-off. Does Jesus need to enter our life (our temple) and turn over some tables? What are some of the tables in our lives needing over-turning by Christ...The table of Cheating on our Taxes....The table of Lust.....The table of Jealousy....The table of Hanging around the wrong people....The table of Acting like someone you are not....The table of Denying Christ. We need not only to invite Jesus into our temple, but to work with Him to dismantle the things not of Him in an aggressive way!

"Dear Lord, From these verses we can see your righteous anger to those things that are of you, but also things that are being misused. Cleanse me Oh Lord, search me for the things not of You and drive them out! Amen."

Fine Wine

Moving forward in our study of John we are now in Chapter 2!! Our focus this time is John 2:1-11 and I focused in on verse 4...""Dear woman, why do you involve me?", Jesus replied "My time has not yet come.""

This is a well-known miracle Jesus did at a wedding. He turned water into wine. It was not just table wine or the "house" wine, but it was FINE wine! ...... Break out the Bible and read the text. Usually, at that time, the fine wine was served first and then the lower grade wine was served later in the wedding celebration. But when Jesus did His miracle, the stuarts of the wine were wondering why they were serving this good stuff last...contrary to tradition. .....Anyway, OK a well known miracle....so let's move on....not so fast! Verse 4 popped out at me! Why did Jesus say that to His mother? Read verse 4 again.... He is laying down signs to those following Him as to what is to come. Ok, well what is the sign here????

I am no theologian but what did Jesus say about wine in the "upper room" the night before he was arrested? (This is a few years out from where we are now but it is a well known story too. Look at Matthew 26:17 to 30 or more specifically v. 27 to 29) He said "This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." This is His blood shed for OUR sins. There is a connection between wine as a symbol for us to remember the blood Jesus shed for our sins.

Now let's go back to the wedding. Jesus provided them barrels of fine wine. His mother was likely not going to forget His statement about the future of her Son and the miracle He did.

Now this is conjecture, but she must have been so proud of Him. Think about it, He is pulling what I'll call "mild" miracles to get the buzz going. He also is showing people that He knows exactly where He is headed, to the Cross to experience a brutal physical death. At this wedding, He know where He was headed, but His time had not yet come.

In looking at this passage, I see how brave our Lord is. He knows where He is going. I see also how strategic He is on..... when.... and where He does His miracles. This plan was all rolled out for you and me. What a Gift!

"Dear Lord, your earthly ministry through Jesus was so short, yet so powerful. I praise you for your brave trek to the Cross on my behalf. All glory to You, Amen!"

Spiritual Bread Crumbs

Attached is a photo of me and my sister Peggy at her 45th birthday party this past September. It was a good time seeing everyone and to celebrate Peggy!

In the study of John I honed in on John 1: 43 to 50 but more specifically v49".....Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are King of Israel..."

My attention is drawn toward a few things in these verses. I will call them "Spiritual Bread Crumbs". It's a trail of evidence that there is something ahead, in this case it is a great feast of spiritual blessings with the Lord. What do I mean? Well, let's take a look.

Phillip and Nathanael are both getting their own indications that Jesus is the One Moses referred to as the "Prophet" in Deut. 18:15-19. From reading this text, I didn't sense there were huge earth-shattering indications that God spoke to them, but they were convinced it was God. Nathan was sure that Jesus was someone special. It became apparent when Jesus knew where Nathaneal was before they met.

The stories told by Phillip and Nathanael are not all that sensational. I'm not sure of the circumstance, but eventhough it was not that sensational, it was enough to convince Nathanael that he was interfacing with Almighty God! From my vantage point, it seems like I need to interview Phillip and Nathanael, to verify their story. But think again. Do I really need to verify their story? To me they are like bread crumbs. They are small bits of nourishment...spiritual nourishment. Even these slight indications provide powerful food for our soul and will empower us beyond expectation. Nathanael was clearly empowered. Look at the verse 49!

I have to say, I have been there too. I've found some spiritual bread crumbs and have known in my heart of hearts that it is supernatural and directed from God! These small spiritual morsels can provide sustainance to a hungry soul. The week before Peggy's death, God provided me with spiritual nourishment. Some things were not very sensational, but were amazing to me that God was providing for me! There were several things, but the one that comes to mind is:

After Peggy died, I drove away from Ventura alone. I turned the CD player on in the car. In queue ready to go was Third Day's song "Call my name". God confirmed to me without a shadow of a doubt that Peggy is alive and well and doing just fine in His presence. This was one of the songs played at Peggy's memorial service. The song said to me, to her family, to her freinds that her love for us is still alive! It was such a sad moment driving away, and my saddness was so-very turned around by a pad on the shoulder by God through this song. Now the song clearly impacted me, but funny thing is I had heard this song numerous times before and it never struck me until Peggy had passed away.

God gave me this song, not a real sensational story, but one that is very real to me and one that gives me confirmation to my spirit that God is working around me and He cares for me.

Phillip and Nathanael are seeing small signs of incredibly powerful things go come. When God reveals Himself to us in a small way, we need to realize it is a precurser to an incredible experience ahead.

"Dear Jesus, let us embrace these moments you have revealed Yourself to us. Let us not discount them as conincidences. Have us see them as an intro into amazing things to come. Amen!"

Behold the Lamb of God!

It's been over a week since my last post. Life has been pretty busy in the Haeussler House. Work, school, sports with the kids and searching for a new church. Our oldest Aimee, at 14 years, is very busy with school, volleyball and her FCA group at school. Denae, our 10 year old daughter is just wrapping up soccer season and her and I are preparing for a ride across California on our bicycles over spring break with several other 5 graders. My 7 year old son, Daniel, is mid-way through his youth wrestling season. Meanwhile Lori and I at times seem like "ships passing in the night". I think we need a date night! It sometimes seems like life is going like a freight train and is difficult to put on the breaks. But such is life with three kids. It's a blast, but very busy. Above is a photo of Peggy's nephew Daniel on the left, her neice Denae in the middle and her neice Aimee on the right.... and our dog Nala.

Enough of that, let's get on with our study in John. I focused on John 1:32-42 this time. "Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples, And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God".

I found it interest that John had folks following him. I always thought of him as a follower of Jesus, only... not that he had his own following. As you look at the verse, God entrusted John to lead these people and point them in the right direction. He wasn't an arrogant, control freak leader that wanted to be the center of attention. John was a humble servant of God and when called to point his followers to the Messiah, he did it. He repeatedly told the people I am not the One. When Jesus arrived he pointed their focus on this miraculous person, God in human form, Jesus! He was more than willing to release his followers to Jesus.

We can look at John's actions and see his humility. His actions were in submission to the Lords way, he pointed to Jesus, not himself. I see this in many deeply devoted Christians. They have so much energy flowing out of their lives, that you think it is them. But really it is the God they serve, using them. Look at my sister Peggy. She has an incredible story of being so very focused on the Lord, drawing closer and closer to him...even as she approched the point of her passing. She told me, "this is not about me". What she meant was the story of Peggy is really the story of Jesus using Peggy to glorify Himself. She was always willing to point to the Lord of her life, not get the glory, but to encourage others to takehold of a bond she had with the Creator of the Universe. Peggy was far from perfect, as all of us are, but she was a exceptional ambassador for the Lord. John was great ambassador as well. Are we? ....We should be! ....Point to Jesus when people ask you why you are different or why do you go to church, or how were you able to handle that so calmly. Tell them Jesus! What about the times God is prodding you..."tell them about my Son". You say under your breath, "not right now Lord". God keeps prodding. Just do it, takes some risks. Tell them about Jesus, tell them your story!

"Lord Jesus, thank you for being so steadfast and strong that we may point to you as the one who has given us hope. You need no defense, you are able to help all of us. Amen"

Take Another Step

John 1: 29 to 34 " Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! This is of whom I said.....I did not know Him. "

Did John really know Jesus before this event in these verses? There is a presumption that John knew Jesus and grew up together because they were cousins, as I had mentioned a few posts ago. However, this verse mentions that John did not previously know Jesus....or another weaker angle (to me) is that John did not know that Jesus his cousin was the Messiah. From looking at this verse and the previous story that Elizabeth, John's mother, lived a ways away from Nazareth, it is very possible that John did not know Jesus at all. But, it is pretty clear in John 1: 31 that John did not previously know Jesus. Exactly why John didn't know his cousin is not clear.

One thing I always remember about scripture, is that it reveals what we NEED to know, but does not reveal ALL that there there is to know. So we have to be ok when all the facts are not there and all our "whys" are not answered. If I am scratching my head on a story in the Bible, I usually either A) Look deeper into it and ask some friends about their perspective on the issue or B) I table the issue and pray that God reveals what he wants me to know about the issue and I wait on God.

So here is one of my "whys"? Why was John introducing someone who he did not know, as the Messiah...the Son of God. John was clearly in a very close relationship with God. He had deep focus on what God wanted and limited focus or concern about what other people thought about him or what he was doing. So I would suggest that John was just doing what the Lord asked of him. John was in such a close and deep relationship with the Lord Almighty, that he didn't question God on every turn and realized that he needs to trust God, even though he didn't understand or see exactly what God was going to do next. It seems that John knew he was introducing the Messiah and trusted that God would reveal the Messiah, but he just didn't know who it was. John was living a life of faith and trust in God. The Lord presented Jesus in a miraculous way in the ensuing verses.

Looking at my own life and those around me, we often want to know the whole story, and then we will act. Consider this hypothetical conversation. God says.. "Joe I want you to introduce the Messiah, the one everyone has been looking for"....I say "Sure Lord, but I need to meet this guy and interview him, I need to qualify him and then sure I will introduce him. I have a reputation at stake with these people and if you don't deliver, I'll have egg on my face." God says "No! just introduce Him and I will take care of the rest"! So should I do what God says or should I continue to argue? I didn't see John arguing, he just did it. Then what happened? He was blessed with being a part of what God is doing and he took a deeper step in his relationship with God. We should, just as John did, step out in faith and further our relationship with God.

"Dear Jesus, let me have the faith of John! To do your requests of me, even though I may not know what is ahead. Thank you for leading me on this journey, Amen."

Never Know Who God Will Use

Well, Peggy's family; and my sister, Sandy and her family came down to San Diego for the weekend. We had a great time. The cousins enjoyed playing Wii, watching movies , riding bikes and doing the stuff that cousins do. Larry, Keith and I went surfing. It wasn't the best surfing day, but it was good to get out there. My oldest daughter Aimee turned 14 and we had a great time celebrating her birthday.

Now on to the Book of John...

John 1:24 to 25 " Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, " Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

John was not a main-stream guy. He was baptising people out at the Jordan river, 20 miles northeast of Bethlehem and 60 miles south of Nazareth. He attracted sinners, both Jew and non-Jew. He would baptize them to symbolize their death to sin and their embrace of the Messiah..the One to come. John had some fashion issues....he wore camel hair clothing and eat wild honey and locusts. (see Matthew 3:4). Many people were going to see him and it was causing quite the stir. The power structure of the time, the Pharisees, sent people to inquire about this dude wearing camel's hair, conducting a ancient ritual not commonly practiced at the time. In short they said, "who are you,....... what are you doing ........ and who said you could do it?" Typical of God, using some unsuspecting character, a guy eating bugs, to introduce the most influential human being of all time, Jesus! This introduction marked the start of Christ's three year public ministry and trek to the Cross to save us from our sins. It is the most powerful three year period of any human-being's life. These three years of Jesus' life have been the center point of focus and discussion for thousands of years. And God used unsuspecting John to introduce Jesus.

The Pharisees were people focused on strict "legalistic" interpretation of God's law. Some of the Pharisees would act "holier-than-thou" and some of them would look down on those in sin. (Sound familiar). So they set out to expose John as a "cracked pot" or one who is acting on his own and not under the Authority of God. But they were sadly mistaken. Again, because they were so caught up in who they were, their own righteousness, blinded by ridged traditions and legalism.

In looking at the this story, our judgement of people sometimes blinds us. No doubt we need to be cautious at times. But sometimes we are very judgemental of people not our "type". If someone walked up to you at work, school or church wearing a 70's Leisure Suit, eating Grape Nuts (modern equivalent of camel's hair clothing and eating bugs), would you talk to him or would you call security? It's ok to be cautious, but would we be objective in our discussions with him?

This set of verses encourage me to be more objective to all of those around me, even if they are different. Who knows, God might be using them.

"Dear Lord, please open my eyes to those around. Let me be objective to those you want me to get to know and cautious of those you want me to stay away from. Amen".

Sin Identified - Grace Revealed

As we continue our look into the Book of John, the concept of sin v. grace in John 1:16-17 caught my eye. It says "And of His fullness we have all received and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

God had given us a tremendous amount of grace. Let's face it we are fallen, and it is difficult for us to carry the torch of righteousness. In some way-shape-or-form we are always dealing with sin. If someone is claiming to be sinless, they are living in "the big river in Egypt"......deNILE! Guaranteed, they are dealing privately with some level of sin. The law of Moses came about to show people the sinful state they are in and the demands that God has to be apart from sin. I am convinced we are all "hard-wired" to sin.

I can think of an example is when my daughter, Denae, was two years old. She snuck into the pantry and opened a can of pre-mixed chocolate frosting. She took it into the living room, hid behind the couch and enjoyed some "forbidden fruit." It was something she knew she shouldn't have. When we saw her after she was done...there was evidence, you see....evidence all over her face; on the carpet; on the couch and on the drapes. When we confronted this innocent little two year old, we said "Denae, did you eat something you were not suppose to?" She said confidently, "No!"

Ok... stop the story there...

Who taught my little two year old daughter to lie? I can tell you I didn't. I don't want my kids learning to lie, but somehow she knew the drill at a very early age. The point is we are born into a sinful state. That is what God exposed to us with the law of Moses. He exposed our sinful state and the separation we have with God in that state. There really is no hope with out help from God. Then God displayed His love for us and grace by providing a Savior for us to take on our death by sin, through Jesus Christ.

We need to be real with the sin in our lives. We need to continually ask God to search us and expose the things in our lives that are not of Him. Then we need to embrace the work Christ did on the cross for us...."grace and truth came through Jesus Christ".

"Dear Lord, I acknowledge I have sin in my life. Please continue to help me minimize my rebellion to You and let me focus on the grace you offer through Jesus, Amen"

Ventura County Star Article on Peggy!

Memorial fundraiser planned for cancer victim in Oxnard
By Jean Cowden Moore
Posted January 6, 2010 at 10:12 p.m.

Peggy Wolf was the kind of woman who saw the good in everyone, volunteered several times a week at her children’s school and helped friends even while she was sick with cancer.

“She just gave of herself constantly,” said friend LaQuisha Robinson of Oxnard. “She was always, always, always giving her time.”
Wolf battled cancer for four years before dying in November at the age of 45, leaving behind her husband and three young children.
Now her friends are organizing a fundraiser in her memory. The event will be a pancake breakfast from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Rio Del Norte School, 2500 Lobelia Drive in Oxnard. Donations of $5 or more are requested and will go to the Friends of Peggy Wolf fund. A tree planting at the school will follow the breakfast.
The fund was established shortly before Wolf died to help pay medical bills. Any additional money raised will go to a college fund for her children, ages 10, 7 and 6.
Wolf comforted friends even while she was suffering herself, said Sharon Ojeda, who is helping to organize the fundraiser. “I was struggling ... and she’s battling cancer, and she’s helping me,” said Ojeda, who lives in Oxnard.
Wolf was married to Larry Wolf, a pastor at New Life Church in Oxnard, for 13 years. After she was diagnosed, she told him she believed God wanted her to encourage the people she came across during her many cancer treatments.
“You never realize how many people your life influences,” Larry Wolf said. “So many friends, so many teachers and others have been touched by her.”

Walk into Abundant Life

Happy New Year everyone. We had a great Christmas and New Year. My family spent time at home in San Diego, then two days after Christmas we went to the Wolf Home and visited for two days with Larry and the kids. Peggy's family is doing great, but your continued prayers for Larry and the kids to get to a settled routine would be much appreciated. If you think about it, Peggy passed- away right before Thanksgiving.... then the memorial service.... then the holiday season... getting all the basic routines down pat.... then kids out of school for the holidays.... then Christmas shopping.... then Christmas...Whew! It has been a very busy time for the Wolf Family, obviously. But the blessings from family and friends have been there and they continue. Larry has been able to get away for surfing with Keith. So that has been good for him. We had an all-family roller derby at the roller rink in Ventura. Included is a photo of Larry and the kids having fun skating.

Plans for the Blog....I have plans to average two posts per week, as long as God allows me to. Some have thanked me for serving Peggy with this blog. I appreciate that. But really it is serving the Lord that Peggy served. It is a blessing to me. So with that, I am planning to roll through the Book of John for starters. The last post was about the first few verses in John. Here is another post in the 1st Chapter of John.:

John 1:10 "He was in the world , and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him"

Going back to the time Jesus was born, it is hard to believe that God, the creator of "all that is seen and unseen", arrived in human form and some of the world did not recognize Him. Why is that?

I have some ideas:

Sometimes we are so caught up into ourselves and our own circumstance that we have a very difficult time seeing reality. Ever hear the phrase, "he wouldn't know it if it hit him in the face". Some theologians at the time of Christ's birth were clearly "asleep at the switch". They were likely caught up in their own circumstance...their own comfort zone...their own power structure...their own level of intellect to yield themselves to some baby born to a poor family from Nazareth. It could jeopardize their entire social structure. But the way Christ was brought into earthly life was what God had planned. Those focused enough on God would be blessed beyond comprehension. Those focused on themselves or their own circumstance would go on their merry way. They would call those following Christ..."Crazy" or even more, seek to destroy them.

When Christ was born, you would have to admit God was doing an incredible work. Shift your thoughts to current times. God is doing an incredible work around us. Are we apart of it? We can be focused on ourselves or our own circumstance....or we can be on the hunt for what God is doing and become a part of it.

How do we become apart of it? Here are a few things:

1. We need to embrace with full faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He died for our sins and He is the savior of our lives.

Consider what my sister Peggy said in May 2006 (blog post) after her first surgery..

"A big part of the peace that I have felt in this shadow of fear and death is that death is not really a scary thing if you have Jesus. 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. I have no doubt where I will go when that time comes and that comforts me always."

2.We need to quiet our lives from the noise and busyness so we can hear what God wants us to do and see.

3. We need to pour over His word, the Bible, on a daily basis and consider our thoughts about it and apply what we have learned to our lives.

Where is our focus? A) On what God is doing and wants us to do....or...B) On ourselves...our own circumstance/ status. If it is "A" we will have abundant life in Him. If it is "B" we run the risk of missing what God is doing around us....the little things and the big stuff.

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for being on earth to give us the ultimate example of Godly living. Give me a humble heart that yields to your Way. I want to walk into the blessings and abundant life you offer. Amen"

Reflection of the Light

John 1: 6-8 " There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."

Look at John having been someone "sent from God." Zacharius and Elizabeth had an amazing touch by God with the birth of their son, John, as seen in Luke 1: 1 to 25. They had him in their old age and you can see that God had John in focus when his life began. God used John mightly,"to reach people for Chirst. But though his work was great, he was not the "light," just a mere reflection of it. The true "light" was what he spoke of, Jesus Christ, God in flesh, the Messiah. John had a lot to talk about in his experience. He had grown up with Jesus and saw his miraculous life. He told people about Jesus. He was an influential leader pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. I'm sure he risked his life at times talking about his Savior. People back then were not open to new teachings.

We too, as followers of the Jesus, are reflections of the Light that God has shown on us. We need to allow the light to shine on and through us. Often times as believers, we cover up the light, because...sharing now might be "in appropriate"....or..."not politically correct"....or...."they'll think I'm weird".....or ...."I don't feel like it." But really we need to bear the light all the time and allow God to be present where we go. This world is a dark place and the times that we allow God to eminate from us are the times we can be used by Him and we can continue to draw in closer to His will for our lives. We all need to share our experiences and interactions with the Lord with others and let OUR story be told. Our story with God is not to be stored in some dark closet to collect dust, it is to be dusted off and shined daily so people might ask about the hope that lies within you.

"Lord you have blessed me with my own personal experience of You. Please let the light you have shown through my life be crystal clear and let me share it like John did. Amen."

Merry Christmas From Heaven

My mom gave me this. It is a great poem to remember Peggy on this day. Here it is:

I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love
On cold wintery nights

I still share your hopes
And all of your cares
I'll even remind you
To please say your prayers

I just wanted to tell you
You still make be proud
You stand head and shoulders
Above the crowd

Keep trying each moment
To stay in His grace
I came before you
To help set your place

You don't have to be
Perfect all the time
He forgives you the slip
If you continue to climb

To my family and freinds
Please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you
In a new special way

I love you all dearly
Now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year

Author Unknown

MERRY CHIRSTMAS PEGGY!!!!

Christmas Story - Different Angle

As we approach Christmas, I thought I would drop into Luke, Chapter 1 to read the Baby Jesus Story. The meat of the story begins in v. 26, but there is some interesting stuff in Luke 1: v 1 to 25....v13"But the angel said to him " Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, as you shall call his name John"....

Zacharias, John the Baptist's father, is a man who found favor in the Lord's eyes. He was in the temple when an Angel of the Lord told him that his wife would bear a son in their old age. Think of a man who serves God all his life, like Zacharias, always wanted a son and never got one. He gets on in years and probably had long written off that he would be blessed with a son. Then a once-in-a-lifetime event occurs, the Lord has an angel speak to him. It seems similar to when the Lord was speaking to my sister a few hours before she passed away. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event for Peggy as well.

We need to keep our focus on serving the Lord, yielding to the plans He has before us, continually drawing in close to a deeper relationship with Him and always holding out hope for bountiful blessings. Think about Zacharias, his son will be in ministry with the Lord Almighty, Jesus, the Messiah!! John was not going to be just Zacharius' son, but a personal friend of Jesus! God really flooded the blessings on this situation.

"Lord help us to draw closer to you, day by day, so our relationship can strengthen. We look forward to the blessings you have in store for us. Thank you for the birth of your Son, Jesus, Amen"

Merry Christmas everyone!

Peggy is in heaven for her first Christmas...What is that like???!!!

Journey

My family has an annual trip to Mammoth Mountain in the winter to go snow skiing. We go with my wife's family. We all leave separately from our houses but usually within an hour of each other. During the trip we call each other on the cell phones to see where the other cars in the caravan are. Sometimes if we are close to each other we will converge on a Starbucks or stop for lunch at a roadside grill. We talk and then get back in the car and say "last one there is a rotten egg!" and the journey continues. Some go up a day before and we never see them along the journey. Other family members opt out of the trip due to commitments or lack of interest.

Sometimes (like last year) we had long delays, we had ice on the road and we had to stop and put chains on the tires. I can remember the pain in my hands putting those stupid chains on and watching on-coming traffic as they passed, hoping they would not slide out on the ice on the road. But in the end, we arrived at Mammoth Mountain. We see the beautiful blankets of snow, we drive up to the cabin and see family members who have arrived before us. We get out of the car and smell the fresh cold air and look forwad to hanging out with the family and hitting the slopes over the next few days.

There's an image of Heaven I saw after Peggy passed away that was very comforting to me. I saw Pastor Steve show up to the room to greet my family after Peggy had passed away. He gave supporting comments to various family members inside and outside the room. When I was in the room he was saying goodbyes and started to walk out of the room. He walked by Peggy, looked over to her and said "See you up there, Kiddo!"

A day or two later I was talking to one of Peggy's freinds, Jody on the phone. We were going over some memories of Peggy and preparing for the Memorial Service. Jody said in a real matter-of-fact way, "Peggy is such a brat, she gets to go to heaven first!"

Both of these comments have been ringing in my head. They were comments from core believers in Jesus. They were comments of ultra confidence in where Peggy is and where each of them are going. The comments were not much different than those comments on my trips to Mammoth when we had our journey and coordinated stops along the way.

Life is a journey, much longer than an annual trip to Mammoth Mountain, but very brief compared to eternity. Life's journey has its ups and downs, it has its dangers and frustrations, but the focus of our journey should be heaven. It will be a great day when we arrive.

We can say with confidence that we will see Peggy again, if we have saving faith in Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and Peggy has entered the presence of God through her relationship with Jesus....so will I; so will Pastor Steve; so will Peggy's freind Jody and many others who have put their faith in Jesus. But there are those that choose not to go on the journey. They opt out because of various reasons.

Jesus was clear when He said " Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life" John 5:24.

See you up there Peg!

The Last Night

I thought I would go back and share some details about Peggy's last night, which was Friday night November 20th. It's remarkable how God was working that day and night.

As I had mentioned in one of my first posts, that it was Peggy's wish to limit the amount of pain medication, so she could interact with those around her and be coherent for her family. I remember her telling me earlier in the week, a nurse came in with a needle and was about to put some medicine in her IV. Peggy saw it and quickly said, "what is that." The nurse said "morphine." Peggy replied, "I didn't ask for that." So no morphine was administered.

I went back to San Diego to check in at work on Friday. I planned to go back up to Ventura County that night. My wife, Lori, and my mom both saw Peggy late Friday night and had a great visit. My wife massaged Peggy's feet, while they talked about a lot of different stuff. Lori said that Peggy was very calm and enjoyed just reciting scripture. It was interesting, just reading scripture aloud really soothed her. The wall to Peggy's right was plastered with visitors' notes and scripture. We'd all read the scriptures off the wall to her.

Laurie Stevenson set up a 3-hour watch rotation for Peggy on Friday night, so Larry could get some much needed rest. As I drove back up to Ventura County on Friday night, I called Laurie Stevenson and asked if she had full coverage for the watch rotations. She said she was having a tough time covering the 4AM to 7AM shift. I told her I would be there to cover it. I felt the Lord reserved that shift for me.

Here is what I gathered from talking to people covering each shift:

Aimee, Peggy friend, covered the 10PM to 1AM shift. Aimee indicated that she wanted to create a real quite environment so Peggy could rest, even though she had been resting most of the day. Sometimes when you are in the hospital the days blend into nights because of all the interruptions, but Aimee created the "night" in the room as best she could. For most of the three hours, Peggy was saying "Ok.......k.........ok.........yes........ok" in differing tones. Aimee just listened in and did not interrupt. Aimee said it was like Peggy was on the phone and the other person on the line was giving her some very detailed information. Toward the end of the shift, Peggy said "OK... LORD!" Aimee figured she was talking to God, but when she made that statement she knew she was talking to God.

The next shift came at 1PM and I spoke with Christine, another one of Peggy's friend. I'll also note that Christine is a registered nurse. She said Peggy was in and out of sleep, asked for water and seemed uncomfortable at times. At one point at about 3AM the nurse came and they woke Peggy. They asked her if she wanted some pain meds. The nurse had three pills and recited to Peggy what each of them were. Peggy opened her eyes and said "I'll have half of that one." They gave it to her and she continued to rest. The point here I'd like to make is that Peggy was totally coherent very close to the end of her earthly life. Christine said she has seen people very close to death and have been no where near the coherent state that Peggy was in. The beauty is that is what she wanted..... to be coherent. Even more, we got to see through Aimee's testimony that the Almighty Creator of the Universe was right there with Peggy..... Amazing! He was right there with Larry's wife; Lexie, Trinity, and Josh's Mom; our sister; my mom and dad's daughter; your friend....God Almighty was conversing with her and escorted into eternity...WOW! Do we have a loving God?

The 4am to 7am shift is the one I covered. My shift was less remarkable. When I arrived God left and went down the hall to get some coffee (just kidding :) ). When I arrived Peggy was sleeping but mildly restless. She'd move her head back at forth at times but did not wake up. I did not tell here I was there because I wanted her to rest. Some time between 5am and 6am she seemed to me to drop into deeper sleep. Just after 6am the nurse and I verified that Peggy had dropped into an unconscious state. Then I called Larry and other family members of the situation and began to read scripture to Peggy off the walls and out of Psalms. At 7am Larry arrived and I left to give Larry some alone time with Peggy. Others showed up, Laurie, Larry's sister; Jeff our brother; Sandy our sister and our mom. Laurie brought some praise music and we just filled the room with praise music and prayer.

At 9:30am Peggy breathed her last with all of us by her side and passed on into eternity with God Almighty! It is sad that Peggy had to go. I think of her all the time. But any tears we shed now are selfish, because Peggy is right where she needs to be, in the presence of the Almighty God. We should all be jealous!

The reason I share all of this in such detail is to memorialize what happened for Peggy's family to read for years to come. I'm not intending to prolong every one's sorrow. We need to continue the grieving process and be free to talk about the wonders of God in Peggy's life. The story continues to be remarkable and things are still happening.

We are so blessed to have such a powerful and mysterious God. He has shown us that He has time to stop by, sit on the edge of our bed and talk.

Not of this World

Romans 8:16 to 18 "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, the heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us."

As beleivers and followers of Jesus Christ we are heirs to God's Kingdom. At the time we commit ourselves to following Jesus, we step into being citizens of His glorious realm. We also then become aleins in this world we live in. We clearly follow a lifestyle contrary to the world around us. We are in a strange circumstance of needing to function in the world that in many ways is fallen and broken.

When I was in my early teen years and not a Christian, Peggy as a believer in Jesus, would invite me and my friends to Campus Life (Youth For Christ) events. The program was an outreach to high school students. They would offer fun and crazy stuff and weave in the message about Jesus. We would not go to hear about Christ. We would go to goof-off and be obnoxious. While me and my freinds would joke around, the Campus Life staff would plant "seeds". The seeds were basic information about salvation through Jesus Christ. Peggy would drive us home and talk to us about what was said. We use to think it sure was fun, but that Jesus-stuff was weird and not cool. Peggy's approach with us was not in-your-face or controlling. It was out of genuine concern and love for us. Peggy and the Campus Life staff were presenting something to us "knuckle-head" teenagers that was different and contrary to our high school culture.

The seeds of hope in Christ were planted after attending numerous Campus Life functions. But they did not spring up until years later when I was on my own in the Marine Corps. The things said at those functions made an impact on me. Now, having accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, I too became a citizen of God's Eternal Kingdom. But it doesn't come easy. We are faced with trials and tribulations. Peggy knew full-well she was living a life contrary to the World's way. She knew she would be looked down upon as a Christian. She knew she may face trials possibly more severe then people not of God. While she was not perfect (trust me, as her little brother I would know)...she was steadfast in her faith in God and plowed through the "sufferings of this present time". But now she is experiencing the Glory of God. It is so hard to comprehend God's Glory and the joy we feel when we are in His presence. At times we get just little glimpses of His glory. But this verse tells me that any suffering we face now will pail in contrasting-comparison to the joy we will feel when we are in God's presence. It is the joy Peggy is experiencing now.

Let's look at our own alein status in this World as a joy. There is joy in the fallen World, if our focus is on God. He will allow us to endure difficulty and we will get mere reflections of God in this life on earth, but it will be enough to sustain us. Also, let's look forward to the extreme joy we will live in with God, when we ourselves pass into His presence one day.

Prayer..."Lord help us to endure any suffering now and look forward to being blessed by Your Glory here on Earth and for eternity, Amen!"

Peggy's Life

For those of you who did not attend the Memorial Service, below is the write-up on Peggy's life which was in the program:

Margaret Mary “Peggy” Wolf was born in the San Fernando Valley on September 19,1964. Her first home was on Lear Circle in Thousand Oaks, California. She was brought into this world to Bill and Patsy Haeussler and her 11 month old brother Jeff. Her little brother Joe was born 2 years later and her little sister Sandy was born 6 years later. She spent most of her childhood and teen years living on Siesta Avenue in Thousand Oaks. Peggy and her brothers were style trend-setters in Thousand Oaks, often sporting “Toughskin” pants by Sears & Roebuck!

Her favorite TV shows as a kid were: Brady Bunch, I Love Lucy and The Little House on the Prairie. The Haeussler family attended St. Pascal’s Roman Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks.

Peggy loved trips to Grandpa and Grandma Duax’s in Modesto. She and her two brothers spent weeks at a time at their farm during the summer. Peggy had a very special connection to Grandma Duax. She also enjoyed Christmas Eve’s with Great Grandma Tobin in Monrovia. Peggy enjoyed camping with the family. One time while camping, the Haeussler family found themselves at a Christian Church service where the pastor was talking about Jesus and Christianity. Peggy, at age 8, asked her mom, “Are we Christian?” and her mom said “yes”. You could see Peggy was following what the pastor was saying about Jesus and seeds were planted.

Peggy went to Horizon Hills Elementary School, Redwood Intermediate School, and graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in 1982. In high school she was involved in the Campus Life ministry where she, at age 16, accepted Jesus as her personal savior. She was the first person in the Haeussler Family to make a personal commitment to Jesus. Peggy was baptized at Hobson Beach in 1984 at a beach camp with Campus Life.

She attended Moorpark College from 1983 - 1984, then transferred to Biola University in La Mirada. During her college years she would go with her friends to concerts of “Undercover”, “Ramones” and “The Alarm”. She connected with the music of Mike Peters of the rock group “Alarm” and became just short of a groupie.

In 1986 she became an exchange student with friend Ann Simonson and spent time in London for a year, working at the Texas Lone Star Café as a waitress. She also attended a small local church. She loved the “Lake District” in London. She left London and spent time in Sicily, Italy with a friend before returning to Thousand Oaks.

In the early 1990’s she became employed at Gospel Light Publishing in Ventura.
She did various jobs starting in the mail room, the customer service and then
International Sales Customer Support. She enjoyed talking to international customers
all over the world.

In February 1995, her department received a fax in the customer service department that was addressed to an employee named, Larry Wolf. She checked the company directory and saw there was no one by that name and threw it away! Later that day, she had the opportunity to meet, Larry Wolf, to whom she quickly apologized for throwing away his fax.

A few months later, after having a few conversations with him in the hallway and around the company, he boldly asked her out to lunch. A new system was being installed on the personal computers, called e-mail. Being a lover of technology, Larry chose to send her a message, on this new, untested systems. A few weeks later she responded, YES, and their first lunch date took place at Hornblowers in Ventura.

God’s hand was upon this couple and dating continued throughout that entire year. In November
1995, it became apparent that this was more than just another friendship, each felt that in fact God had brought them together for something far more serious. On December 7, 1995 (Pearl Harbor Day), Larry dropped a “surprise attack” at the Gospel Light Christmas banquet in front of 200 guests proposing to Peggy. She said “Yes”, and on August 10, 1996, they were married at Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks.

Both had been single up to that point and remained pure because of their commitment to Christ. They spent their honeymoon at a Sandals Resort in Negril, Jamaica. After returning, they settled into a two-story condo in the Ventura Keys, and attended South Coast Fellowship church in Ventura while continuing work at Gospel Light. In September 1998, they helped plant New Life Community Church with Steve and Tami Abraham in Oxnard.

On August 20, 1999, they welcomed their first child, Alexis Louise Wolf. A few years later on February 26, 2002, Trinity Joanne Wolf was born, followed by Joshua Lawrence Wolf on December 28, 2003.

During their life together, there were ups and downs, challenges and trials, but God
strengthened their marriage and they grew closer and closer. Their walk with Christ
deepened when they experienced two miscarriages, a failed business venture and
mounting business debt. Through it all, God was faithful and covered this young family.

Then in April 2006, after celebrating Larry’s 40th birthday, a routine x-ray exam of
Peggy’s showed a rare tumor in her chest the size of a grapefruit. Major surgery ensued
at UCLA, followed by numerous rounds of chemotherapy, radiation, additional surgeries
and even clinical trial drugs. Larry and Peggy’s desire to go to Hawaii for their 10th anniversary soon faded and they found themselves sitting in a hospital room at UCLA Medical Center, celebrating 10 years of marriage.

Through all this, she was determined to not loose faith, not give up, and to live life as vigorously and vibrantly as she always did. She volunteered in the kid’s classrooms, served at church and baked her famous, “Peggy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies”. She would call friends to encourage them and see how they were doing. She would give gifts and write letters to strengthen others. A blog was set up for her and she began writing her thoughts and feelings about how God was with her each step of the way. That blog is: www.peggyvictory.blogspot.com.

Often in our greatest need and weakness, we become self focused, bitter, angry, and thinking about our own needs. Peggy was constantly thinking about others needs, almost to a fault. She was unwavering to the very last breath, that she would fight this, and prayed for God’s complete healing and restoration. Her favorite saying was, “Heaven is not the booby prize!” and Phil. 1:21, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” There is no way we loose! One of the phrases God gave her in the past few weeks was: DON’T WORRY, BE AT PEACE, KEEP TRUSTING.

Peggy was blessed by not experiencing a lot of pain through out this whole ordeal, and because of battling cancer for 3-1/2 years, it gave the family a lot of time to do extra things together, to talk about leaving this earth, to cry and laugh and to discuss what heaven would be like. Although we will all miss her, we know she is dancing, laughing, singing (on key now! J ) and enjoying fullness of life!

After 45 years on earth, 13 wonderful years of marriage and 3 beautiful children, Peggy stepped over into eternity on November 21, 2009 at 9:30 am., where she now awaits the reunion with her family and friends in heaven.

Favorite Scriptures:

“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired,and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28b-31 (NLT)
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NASB)

A Trust Fund: Friends of Peggy Wolf Fund has been setup at Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and can be sent directly to any branch within Ventura County.

The Work of the Spirit Continues

It has been almost 2 weeks since Peggy has stepped over to the "Other Side". In the wake of her passing, God's mighty Spirit continues to use Peggy and her story to impact lives. Here are a summary of things happening that is a direct impact from God working thru Peggy's Life and her witness of Jesus to us:



- Larry and the kids are doing great. There is obviously times of sorrow and saddness, but the peace of God is definitly protecting them and getting them into some routines. Continue to pray that God's peace showers the Wolf home on Delphinium Way in Oxnard, CA and they can feel the Holy Spirit comforting them. Pray that there is a hedge of protection around their home and around them through out their day.



- The Baptisms - This past Monday evening, after doing homework with the kids and getting them fed, Larry went to my Mom's house in Simi Valley and conducted 5 baptisms: My Mom's, My Neice Erika, Peggy's friend Ann, Peggy's Sister Sandy and her fiance' Keith. They all professed their faith in Jesus and committed to following Him for the rest of their lives. God continues to draw in those He has called.



- Peggy's sister Sandy and her Fiance' Keith - I received a message from Keith, my younger sister's Fiance'...he is leading Sandy in morning and evening devotionals and clearly hungry for God precious Word. He said he and Sandy are planning to go to Grace Baptist Church in Saugas, CA, this Saturday Night and will likely go to New Life, in Oxnard on Sunday. As you may recall, Keith accepted the Lord on Thanksgiving Night last week. Praise God for the fire placed on Keith and Sandy's heart.



- Funeral Speech - My daughter Aimee offered to speak at her FCA (Fellowship of Christian Atheletes) club at her Jr. High School her in San Diego. She wanted to tell Peggy's story and how we have hope in Christ even in difficult circumstances. She was going to share her experience from Peggy's Memorial Service. Well, the buzz got out that Aimee was going to give a "funeral speech"(A Junior Higher's Interpretation) and several kids went to FCA at lunch postponed spending time in detention. Aimee was able to share the Lord's blessing around Peggy to these kids.



- People at work - It's amazing how people at my work have been tracking the story of someone they do no know. Those of the faith have been encourage in their own walk. One lady has a mother at home on hospice suffering from cancer. My hope is that the verses and the focus we have all had on the Lord, encourages all of these folks to have a deeper walk with the Lord.



-Me - I am still rolling through all of the emotions of losing my sister. I miss making those phone calls to check in with her and she would say "Oh, Hi Joe!". I feel so honored to have been part of the last few weeks. The Lord touched me in a very special way in the last couple weeks. I accepted Chirst while I was in the Marines in 1985. Right when I accepted Christ, I had a very special and unique experience with the Holy Spirt that is almost hard to describe. The last few weeks have been a close-second to my experience in 1985. God's work around Peggy was very apparent in many ways. One of the things God revealed to me was through a song by Third Day..."Call My Name" that Peggy is alive and well. After Peggy passed away, I drove back to San Diego by myself. "Call My Name" was the first song that happened to be in que on my car cd player. It was loud and clear that the Lord told me Peggy is doing fine. "Call My Name" was the first song on the photo slide show at Peggy's memorial service.



I plan to continue to watch what God has in store. It is all so exciting.



Remember this Blog's Theme Verse....

"Stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!" 1 Sam 12:16

Give Thanks

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess. 5:18.



To give thanks in everything is tough, especially in circumstances like Peggy going home to be with the Lord. Reflecting on the last week of Peggy's life, when I was in the room with Peggy, often I was hearing Peggy say "Thank you, Lord" or "Thank you, Jesus".



Peggy was thankful for each day and hour she was here. How profound. We so often take for granted the days we have; the air we breath; the family and friends around us; the church we go to; the house we live in; the job we have....the list goes on. Peggy was simply thankful for her relationship with God and each day that was given to her.



There are very tough trials that people face in the world around us. Financial problems, loss of a family member, legal problems, and what about our troops in the Middle East. A basic fact is we live in a "fallen" world with alot of problems surrounding us everyday. But the verse above talks about being thankful in everything.



What I learned the week before Peggy's death was that you need to draw close to God and His will. Just like a US Marine might draw close to a amored vehicle or a tank in feirce combat, we need to draw in close to God and be thankful for our relationship with Jesus. When we are under fire or hitting real trials, we don't run from God, but draw in even closer....He will "protect our hearts and minds" in a way that is incomprehensible. While there is sorrow and saddness in the Wolf and Haeussler Families...there is a peace there which God gave that is really hard to understand.



We always need to draw close to Jesus during good times and times of severe trial. Let Him take you through His plan, even though you many not understand it.



"Lord, please protect us and keep us close to You in good times and bad, Amen."



What to thank the Lord for?:



1. For Peggy being in our lives
2. For a supernatural peace over Larry, Lexi, Trinity and Josh
3. For Peggy's friend Julie O's successful lung transplant
4. For the awesome up beat celebration of Peggy's life at the Memorial Service
5. For God showing Himself through and around Peggy's life
6. For those that have committed or re-committed thier faith in Jesus Christ recently

Photo - One I took of the Wolf Family at Peggy's birthday party this past September. People say I look alot like Peggy. I'd disagree....she is alot better looking!

A Celebration It Was!!

The Celebration of Peggy was awesome. New Life Community Church is a group of people so focused on Christ. The community God has created there is something special. Their sancutuary seats about 500 people. The Memorial Celebaration of Peggy packed the house! Some sat in overflow. What a blessing.

Pastor Steve gave a "matter of fact" sermon about the difficulty we face at death's door and the hope offered through Jesus. The service was non-traditional and had great up-beat Christian music, just the way Peggy would have wanted. The messages were great from all of the family and I felt particularly blessed to have spoken at the service and made it through without getting too choked up from emotion.

Included is an image of the program at the service. This is Peggy's oldest daughter Lexi's copy. She wrote some notes to her mom on the program. I have to say watching Lexi during the service was amazing. Some say at 10 years old she is a "spiritual giant". I'd have to agree. She was praising God in the worship songs and focused in her prayers. She has a steadfast faith, just like her momma. It is going to be great to see what God will do in and through her over the years.

I will be posting the content of the Memorial Service Program shortly. The service can still be viewed at: www.ustream.tv/channel/newlifeoxnard

If you have been impacted by what God is doing through Peggy, give this blog a comment. The Wolf Family will be encouraged by it and the kids will be able to read about it for years to come.

I'm looking forward to seeing what God will continue doing in all of this and what He will continue to do with this Blog!

CELEBRATION OF PEGGY'S LIFE

PEGGY'S CELEBRATION MEMORIAL SERVICE

Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 2Pm (PST)

at New Life Community Church

1960 North C Street, Oxnard, California

__________________________________

LIVE FEED
A live feed of the service will be provided for those who cannot attend at:
www.ustream.tv/channel/newlifeoxnard
__________________________________

GIFTS
In Leu of Flowers please send gifts payable to:

Friends of Peggy Wolf Fund

Santa Barbara Bank and Trust
400 E. Esplanade Drive, Suite 101
Oxnard, CA 93030
__________________________________

NOTE TO THE WOLF FAMILY
Do you have something to tell the Wolf Family or picture to show them go to:

www.wavelength10.com/peggys_page.pdf

There you will find instructions on writing a message and showing some photos to the Wolf family. You can write a note and import some photos print out the page and bring it to the memorial service to drop off for the Wolf Family to read and share with the kids as they grow older. We appreciate all of your prayers and blessings to Peggy and the Wolf Family.