PLUS

Matthew 23:13 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”

Matthew 23:23 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

Matthew 23:25 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.”

Chuck Yeager had been pulled from his Test Pilot School (TPS) class to be a part of the X-1 program, and eventually was the pilot who first broke the sound barrier in that rocket plane. Shortly after the X-1 program finished, the rule-followers of the day made a point that Yeager was not qualified to be a test pilot because he had not fully finished the course at TPS. It was ridiculous to regress the record-shattering test pilot back to school, but the “rules are rules” mentality prevailed and Yeager was sidelined until he could finish his remaining six-month chunk of schooling.

Yeager was lambasted by an extra hard workload dumped on him by those instructors who were jealous of his world-record-breaking accomplishments. Though his practical flight test experience had dwarfed the school curriculum, the antagonistic attitude by his instructors was overwhelming, especially when added to the extra responsibilities Yeager carried as an in-demand test pilot persona. The instructors ganged up on Yeager to try and fail him out, but Brigadier General Albert Boyd, commander of Edwards Air Force Base, stepped in, slammed his fist on the table and demanded the attention of the TPS commandant. In that meeting, Boyd aggressively exerted his waiver authority to grant Yeager his test pilot school diploma. It was only then that the famous Chuck Yeager officially became a test pilot, breaking through the Pharisaical perspective of the self-righteous rule followers.

In our Christian lives, we all sometimes fall into the traps of the scribes and the Pharisees. We rely on our own righteousness in strict observance of the law. We rest on a “rules are rules” mentality, and elevate the letter of the law far above the spirit of the law. In doing so, our pretentious persona loses all of its perspective. Our spiritual micromanagement causes us to omit the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO MAINTAIN A PROPER PERSPECTIVE THAT NEVER FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES. We must never omit the weightier matters.

ADMIN: Today is the 76th Anniversary of Chuck Yeager’s heroic shattering of the sound barrier!

I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them, to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint”

Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints”

A few weeks ago, I had a unique opportunity to be a part of the International Motor Sports Association race activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Thanks to a God-ordained connection, I was able to open the Saturday evening race in prayer, speak at the driver’s meeting on Sunday and open their meeting in prayer, lead a chapel service at the raceway, and then open the main race on Sunday in prayer. It was a series of pinch-myself moments.

After my prayer on Saturday night, I was notified that the Race Director wanted to talk to me. I wondered why. I had just prayed in Jesus’s name, as I always do, and thought that she was going to ask me to not pray in His name during the main race. But, I was pleasantly surprised with what she really wanted me to do differently.

She said that she appreciated my prayer for the race that evening, but there was one problem. “What is that?” I asked. “You need to pray more; you need to pray longer,” she said.

Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before!

Of course, I asked why. She explained that the timing of the flyby for Sunday’s race was based on a 60 second prayer and a 90 second national anthem. If I were off, it would cause the flyby to be off as well. As someone who had performed an F-15E flyby of a race, I understood completely. I couldn’t pray for 45 seconds like I had done on Saturday, but needed to pray for 60 seconds on Sunday (which provided an interesting constraint on its own). I needed to pray more and l needed to pray longer!

We all do!

PLEASE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANT TRUTH THAT WE ALL NEED TO PRAY MORE FOR OUR NATION AND FOR EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES. We must pray longer and we must pray more!

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured he cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

This is a bit of a different post, delayed slightly to align with a big announcement regarding my next steps forward in service to people, our great nation, and our remarkable Lord.

I am convinced that the Lord would have me to run for United States Senate from the great state of Maryland. I announced my candidacy publicly earlier today.

I intend to run this race with patience, mindful of the great cloud of witnesses who will be watching from near and far. I will also do so with the overwhelming intent of keeping my gaze firmly fixed upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

The following will make up some of my primary tenants of focus:

• Support and Defend: When I was seventeen years old, I first raised my right hand and took a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I took that as a lifelong commitment, and intend to use the rest of my life to wrestle our nation back to where it belongs in accordance with those remarkable principles. We need a widespread revival of those principles to reignite the promise of the shining light of liberty.

• Leadership Not Politics. I am running to lead and intend to help spark a conservative movement in Maryland and beyond. We must break the shackles of inflation and even higher taxes, equip our children with the tools they need to succeed in the real world while putting parents back in charge, take back control of our crime-ridden streets, and reverse impotent leadership on the world stage.

• Collaborative Conservative: I am a strong conversative. I also realize that the real problems we face in our great nation require collaboration that focuses on our shared humanity and mutual interests to find real solutions for Marylanders and the American people.

PLUS will continue as it has for the last ten years, with occasional references to my current journey of faith and service. In order to fully track this journey, please see:

Home

Of course, I would be honored and humbled by your willingness to support me in prayers and through financial contributions.

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AS I RUN THIS RACE OF FAITH AND SERVICE! Thank you!

• John Teichert

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured he cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

While I normally post PLUS thoughts on Saturday, I am delaying this one slightly until Monday to correspond with a big announcement regarding my next steps forward in service to people, our great nation, and our remarkable Lord.

Luke 13:31-34 “The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”

Luke 18:31-34 “Then he took unto him the twelve and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Luke 22:41-42 “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

In the previous two posts of this mini-series, we honored three first-responders whose service caused them to pay the ultimate price on 9/11 – Police Office John Perry, Fire Chief Orio Palmer and EMT Yamel Merino. We also honored three Biblical heroes whose faithfulness caused them to surge forward into danger – David, Peter, and Paul. Their stories reflect bravery and courage, obedience and faithfulness. 

As impressive as they were, there is One whose acts of bravery, courage, obedience, and faithfulness dwarf them all – Jesus Christ!

On the road to Jerusalem, He knew of the sacrificial acts that He would be forced to endure. On the way into Jerusalem, He knew the details of His future mocking and scourging. On the eve of His crucifixion, He knew the weightiness of His responsibility in bearing the sins of the world.

Yet, He moved forward anyways into the danger! He did so out of a profound and powerful love for you and me.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FULLY CONCEPTUALIZE THE AMAZING ACTS OF JESUS CHRIST. His love for us prompted service that ran towards danger!