Blog
Share this:
Portraits
The fragrance of freshly baked pecan pumpkin pie wafted through the air. The chatter of children echoed throughout my parents’ home.
Holiday weekend!
Just then, my recently turned 8-year-old son, Carson, reached out his hand to be held in mine. I cherish these moments. Time races on. I’ll blink a few times, and my little boy will suddenly be 16 years old… and reaching out for the car keys.
“Daddy, is that you?” he asked, pointing to a picture frame on a bookshelf.
“Yes, buddy, that’s me! I was a year or two younger than you when that photo was taken.” I replied.
“Is that Auntie Sarah?” he inquired again. His eyes sparkled with curiosity and wonder.
“That sure is!” I answered.
“She’s so nice. I love her,” he said, warmth bubbling up from his soul.
We quietly walked around the room and looked at other pictures positioned here and there. I later found him flipping through a dusty photo album — one hand turning pages while the other cupped his chubby cheek. I could see his keen mind whirring as he constructed our family story with each image, portrait by portrait.
Later that day, we gathered the entire crew for a family photo, replete with giggles, half-closed eyes, and toddler squeals. A family picture – shows just a glimpse. Sometimes, a photo captures a flurry of action, but it’s only one snapshot bound in time. To see a lifetime – to learn the entire story – we need a whole book of portraits…
We have little glimpses here and there of Jesus: a dose on Sunday morning, a brief snippet on Christian radio, a quick snapshot over a meme on social media, or perhaps a morning 2-minute devotional. If we’re honest, we tend to minimize the Son. We’re prone to small caricatures of Christ. But do we see the entire fabric of His story?
Jesus can’t be contained in quick snapshots. To see His mission and comprehend the magnitude of His message, we need a whole series of portraits: a deep look into His life, His power, His character, and His deity.
The apostle Paul highlighted the unfolding of the Old Testament prophetic portraits that culminated in the Messiah’s Advent, Christ’s first arrival:
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5) — click here for more detail on “the fullness of time“
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)
These riveting phrases are like headlines to a massive photo album that shouts, “Dig-in to see the full story of God’s grace!”
As you and I journey through this holiday season and embark on a New Year, let’s pause over these portraits of Christ:
King of Peace (Colossians 1:13-23), King over All (Hebrews 1:1-4), King of Joy, Friend of Sinners (Luke 15), King-Servant (Philippians 2:5-11), King of Grace (Matthew 1), King for Everybody (Luke 2), and King of Glory (Revelation 1:1-8).
Pray. Invest. Invite.
Opening up God’s story of grace in Christ also re-frames our daily story. So, as we turn the pages through these portraits of Jesus, let’s pray that God grants us fresh comprehension and Spirit-led application of our Savior’s message. Now is a wonderful season to invest the joy and grace Christ has given you into the lives of those around you. Consider inviting a friend or neighbor into your home for a meal or to a nearby worship service so they, too, can see, hear, and receive God’s good news for the world.
His story changes everything.
Share this:
Life’s End
“How we live our days is how we live our lives,” someone once remarked.
On our return home from youth group last week at Faircreek Church, I diverted upward into a poignant hillside cemetery overlooking Beaver Valley.
Humorous questions erupted from our back seats (we now max-out our minivan with 7):
“Dad! Where are we going?! Why are we driving into a cemetery? Is that a real tomb?! I think it’s open! What are we doing up here? Oh wow…look at this view!”
I remained silent as they chattered in circles until we arrived at the highest point of elevation. As I slid the transmission into park and opened my door, my wife Stephanie wondered aloud with a smile, too, “Honey, why are we stopping up here?”
“We’re going to renew our commitment to the Lord as a family,” I replied.
She softly smiled.
“Hey children! How we live our days is how we live our lives. Each day passes so quickly. Those days rapidly turn into months, years, and decades. Remember, death is the end of every man and woman on earth,” I shared with my crew.
As expected, more questions overflowed as they poured out of all the doors of our Honda Odyssey. I mean, ALL THE DOORS. Every stop we make at the school, store, or church looks like a chaotic, loud fire drill.
“Daddy, what do you mean?” they asked all-at-once.
“Kids, look at these tombstones. Each life passes so quickly. How we love Christ, love one another, and serve our neighbors (or the opposite) is how we build not just our days but the sum of our lives. So tonight, let’s consider the brevity of life and renew our commitment to love and serve Christ.”
We gathered around a small, stone memorial bench as the sunset poetically painted the sky. My tribe of seven humans held hands in a circle for just a moment, sang a little song, and prayed for God’s grace and power to guide us.
As we dispersed, our daughter Everlynn found a grave marking of a young woman who died in her twenties. In just 10 years, my slender princess will be 22. Our oldest son will turn 25. Those years will fly by.
How will we use the remaining time?
Surprisingly enough, a cemetery can be a place of revival, renewal, and re-thinking. Our daily priorities often fade into the distance when we view life through the macro lens of a funeral.
Think about the end. How we view the end, changes how we live right now.
Psalm 39:4-5 advises:
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.”
Soli Deo Gloria
:: August 25th, 2024 ::
—- Michael J. Breznau
Share this:
Motherhood Discipleship
What’s the heart of discipleship? I recently read through a book that aims toward a strategy for Christians to live faithfully in a post-Christian culture. Written just several years ago, it’s incredibly relevant to our future as followers of Jesus in North America. Among many worthy quotes, one statement jumped off the page and, I believe, answers this question:
What is the essence of being a Jesus-follower?
“To run the way of God’s commandments with unspeakable sweetness and love.”
~ Benedict of Nursia (480-547 AD)
What a short line yet rich with such truth and beauty!
I immediately think of three people who daily disciple others according to this poetic path of following Jesus: My amazing wife, Stephanie, my mother, Diane “Dee Dee”, and my mother-in-law, Dawn.
Being immersed in the constant challenges of mothering, grandmothering, and dealing with sometimes ornery husbands isn’t easy. Ha! Yet these special women consistently run the way of God’s commandments, and overwhelmingly, with unspeakable sweetness and love.
Most moms – and women in all facets of life – are daily inundated with pressures, unforgiving expectations, and bewildering stressors. Such is the nature of the twenty-first-century technology-modernity pinwheel.
But this Mother’s Day Sunday at the Wright-Patterson AFB Chapel, we’re going to discover God’s heart of overflowing grace through often forgotten and overlooked women in the Bible. Our grace-giving God invites us to thrive – to find hope, healing, and rest in Him.
I’m excited about this coming Sunday with all of you. We’ll sing joyful praises to our Redeemer. We’ll gather in reverent prayer. We’ll grow in the Word together. I can’t wait to see you there at 11AM!
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Love in Christ,
Chaplain Michael J. Breznau
Share this:
Christ our Compass
Celebrating my 40th birthday at USAF Officer Training School was rather underwhelming. However, I did happen to procure an MRE with M&M’s on the big day last May, which brightened my afternoon of field training. But upon our return to the base that weekend, I received a gift shipment from my incredible wife and kiddos. Inside was a beautiful cherrywood box with a handsome compass nestled in the center. Stephanie knows of my love for compasses and how I’ve often woven together spiritual analogies with these captivating devices.
Any compass worth its salt will always point true to magnetic north. From where I stand in the middle of the lower 48, that is just about on-point with true north, too. Roll out a topographical map, mark your route, and set a heading. The compass will lead the way.
Jesus’ sixth “I Am” statement in John’s Gospel is bold and unmistakable:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).
He claims not to be one of many decent options, but the one true Guide for the only trail of Truth and Life. Grammarians quickly notice the thrice repeated definite article (“the”) in this verse, which clears away any notion of universal ways to God.
Christ Jesus is the Compass. He came to be the Compass for a beautiful yet broken world – a planet filled with people following a giant pile of cracked compasses. No man-made trail can lead us to redemption and life forever with God, no matter how good, altruistic, or helpful the path may appear. Only Christ the Compass can “bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18b), a return into the communion with our Creator that our hearts long for.
Think about it:
What compass are you following? Check your heading.
Are you linked to True North? Only Christ can lead you there.
In God’s Vineyard,
Michael J. Breznau
Share this:
Not the Last Chapter…
This past Monday afternoon, I received the tragic news that a close friend suddenly died of a heart attack. I am still in shock. Pastor Ken Pierpont was my long-time mentor, confidant, and pastor-colleague. 20 years ago, I served under him in an inner-city ministry team in Flint, MI. In 2006, he enthusiastically wrote a reference letter for me to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. That same year, he was also instrumental in my wife and I first meeting. He always joked with me about earning an “assist” on our matrimony.
Baby Everlynn held by Pastor Ken Pierpont and his daughter Holly
From 2010-2013, I worked as a youth pastor where he served as a senior pastor in metro Detroit. He also encouraged me by graciously recommending me for numerous lead pastor positions as he observed that calling on my life. He was our first hospital visitor upon the birth of our now 12-year-old daughter. Most recently, he traveled northward to speak at my send-off service into active-duty Air Force chaplaincy.
Ken was a vibrant, active 65-year-old. He could easily pass for being in his mid-50s. He preached with his characteristic zest, joy, and creativity at his wonderful church just the morning before. He was a larger-than-life encourager, a sought-after conference speaker, and an engaging author. He adored his wife, eight children, and grandchildren. He was deeply devoted to Christ and pastored with a loving tear in his eye for the flock of God. My heart hurts with the reality that he is gone.
Every conversation and sermon with Ken was sprinkled with witty quips and well-mined truths like these:
“Remember who you are. But most importantly remember whose you are: a beloved member of God’s family.”
“Know God’s love? Show God’s love.”
“No sermon is ready to be preached until you’ve summarized it down to that ‘one big hairy idea’.”
“If you want a joy that cannot be shaken, you must find a joy that cannot be taken.”
“Don’t forget the romance of ministry.”
“Always mark down and practice a Family Red Dot Day.” (a full day reserved for uninterrupted family time)
“Savor every moment with your children.”
“Pastors don’t occupy offices. They pray, counsel, and prepare in ‘a pastor’s study’.”
“Write a thousand words a day”. (He did)
“The little things are the big things.”
“Shepherd the people who want you to shepherd them.”
“It would be better to walk with a limp with God in your life than to run like the wind without God in your life.”
Among many talents, Ken was an astounding storyteller. He called himself, “a keeper of The Story,” an expert at sharing the themes of God’s redemptive love in Jesus. I can’t count how many times I heard him begin with, “I’ve got a story for you…” or “Let me tell you a story.” He wove captivating narratives into the tapestry of everyday life.
Tonight, I’m holding onto the One who tells us that death is not the end of the story. His Word reminds us that we live on a beautiful yet broken planet. Disease, illness, and tragedy are par for the course. Yet He also said, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life,” therefore, we know we will again embrace our loved ones in Christ.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll gather with his family and many other Christ-followers to remember the life, legacy, and love of Ken Pierpont. We’ll point our hearts toward the hope of glory: the resurrected Lord and His coming glorious kingdom, in which all our tears will be wiped away.
Remember whose you are. The last chapter is yet to come.
Maranatha. Come soon, Lord Jesus.
Share this:
God is Faithful
God is Faithful.
This coming June, my wife and I will celebrate 16 years of marriage. The time has flown by like the blink of an eye. We’ve had our share of “ups and downs” – dark valleys and beautiful mountaintops. The pressures of tight finances, a special-needs child, and multiple miscarriages have, at times, strained our relationship. Exuberant joy also marks our marriage as we reflect on the warm memories of childhood laughter, fruitful ministry, and the excitement of serving on God’s mission.
One word leads the melody of happy matrimony: Faithfulness. Spouses can spew angry words. We may dig our heels in with spite. We might throw our hands up in the air with frustration about our children. But loving, undying commitment keeps us together. Yet this sort of stick-to-it no-matter-what does not arrive via a rah-rah speech or self-actualization but through God’s own faithfulness toward us.
As we arrive at the concluding act in the Book of Ruth,* the story poignantly unfolds into a marriage – a match ordained in heaven. But this narrative is not so much about the human romance between Ruth and Boaz, but about God faithfully loving Naomi back to faithfulness. Yes, Naomi, a woman who shouted in the village square that the Lord was testifying against her and afflicting her (1:21). She is beginning to believe again that God is intrinsically good and kind.
How so? Through her experiencing the faithful love of Ruth and Boaz, which of course was sourced in God’s chesed (loyal covenant love). So, we can echo what the village women tell Naomi in the final scene of this story, “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today” (4:14a).
Think about it.
How has God shown His faithfulness toward you through His people?
Pause for a moment and express gratitude to Him.
What step can you take today to demonstrate His faithful love to someone?
______________
*I’m currently preaching a series through the Book of Ruth at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Protestant Chapel service | February 2024.
We’re still having fun! | Michael and Stephanie circa 2023
Share this:
Take the Step
“Take the step!” I can still hear the words of the slightly irritated Drill Instructor clanging across my memory. He continued in the face of the reluctant young man, “Step off the edge! You can do this!”
We were learning high-angle rescue on the side of a 100’ limestone cliff. The first skill to obtain was basic rappelling. In my previous years on the wild side, I spent many afternoons climbing, rappelling, and even a bit of spelunking. However, quite a few in my unit had never touched a climbing rope let alone dangle from a static line on the side of a mountain.
“Trust the rope!” The DI yelled, “It can safely hold 2,700 pounds. It’s not going to break!”
The fear-inducing moment was not putting on the harness, clipping the carabiner, or threading the rescue-8 belay device, but that first step over the lip and into the wide-open abyss. Their minds would spin, hands would begin to shake and sweat, and knees would knock. Terror squeezed their throat as they gasped for air. There they stood with their heels frozen to the crusty corner of the cliff. Unable to budge one inch.
“Close your eyes… trust the rope,” This time the captain, a gentler soul, gave the young man reassurance. He made the difference. “Do you trust the rope to hold you?” he asked.
“Yes, yes, sir,” the recruit replied. “Ok, then take the step,” the captain said calmly.
And he did.
You and I are faced with moments when our faith in God calls us to take the step. We must choose to trust that God will hold us and guide us through what looks like a cavernous, dangerous abyss. But the Word in our hands and the Spirit in our hearts reassure us. God calls us to ask our souls, “Do you trust God?”
Yes, yes, we do.
We take the step and find Him already there – waiting, watching, and always with us.
So, Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers, “…for we walk by faith, not by sight – we are of good courage.” (2 Cor. 5:7-8a)
What crux are you facing? Take the step. Trust the God who placed you there for His good purposes. He will hold you and guide you.
___________________________________________
This coming Sunday, as I continue our preaching series at the Wright-Patterson AFB Chapel, we will discover Ruth facing a pivotal moment. She must take the step – not seeing or knowing the potential outcome. I’m looking forward to diving into this story again with you!
Share this:
Peace in the Darkness
Political unrest. Global uncertainty. Societal division. Schoolroom violence. Corporate corruption.
One glance at the 6pm broadcast or a social media feed gives us a smack-in-the-face reminder that the 24-hour news cycle marches on with negativity and collective anxiety. Songwriter Andrew Peterson recently lyricized:
“Do you feel the world is broken? We do. Do you feel the shadows deepen? We do.”
Sigh. Yes, it’s true. Things are not the way they’re supposed to be. We inherently feel the seismic activity in our culture. The fault-lines are widening. The fractures are deepening.
But God invites us to stay on the path of trusting in Him because therein we discover peace and rest. Even when the way is dark, difficult, and dangerous: trust leads to rest. The prophet Isaiah reminds us of this truth, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)
Corrie ten Boom journeyed through the horrors of the holocaust, survived a Nazi concentration camp, and lived to tell the world of God’s peace amid the darkness. She wrote:
“If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within, you will be depressed. If you look at God, you will be at rest.”
In each feeling of the darkness, we must choose who we will trust. God is with us and will bring us through. Peterson continues his song “Is He Worthy?” this way, “But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through? We do.”
May it be so in your heart and mine as we focus our eyes on the One who is coming to make all things new.
__________________________
I’m looking forward to this coming Sunday at 11am as we continue our new sermon series “RUTH: God’s Unstoppable Love,” in which Naomi, too, is learning to trust God again…when the way is lonely and dark. See you soon, brothers and sisters.
In Christ Alone,
P.S.
Here’s a YouTube video of Andrew Peterson performing his powerful song, “Is He Worthy?”
Share this:
Hope is Alive!
Hope is alive!
Lately, my kids have been hoping for snow. The winters are clearly milder down here in southern Ohio than they were in Michigan. We’ve had a few scattered snow showers – even a dusting – over the past couple of months. But, alas, no actual accumulation. Still, they are holding onto hope that the forecast will soon turn favorable for Frosty the Snowman. They have dreams and prayers for snowflakes, but the meteorologists are uncertain. The projections are nothing someone can count on.
However, God invites us into a hope that is guaranteed and grounded in reality. How so? Our enduring, eternal, and immutable hope has a name: the once-crucified and now-resurrected Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter instilled these words into first-century believers living amid a growing fire of persecution:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:3-4).
Hope is alive!
Today, I’m emotionally processing the recent death of my dear grandma, Nancy Breznau. I was privileged to be her pastor for five years. The older she grew, the more resolute in hope she became. She embraced me with happy tears in her eyes when I’d preach a message on Christ, our Hope. She knew her inheritance of heaven was guarded and sealed by God’s power (1 Pet 1:5a).
How could she be so sure? The resurrected, living Lord of heaven and earth is also, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27b). Her faith did not rest in what she knew, but in who she knew – and He had made all the difference. Her soul was at rest because His life was in her. So, you and I can trust God’s invitation to be people of hope. Christ lives and is coming again. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and all things will be made new (Rev. 21:4-5).
Take heart, loved ones, and in Him have hope.
Share this:
For A Change: 2024
For A Change
We flipped the calendar to a new year! 2024. What does this mean? Change.
Some of us have a list of New Year’s resolutions: ways we desire change in our personal lives, careers, families, or finances. Others among us will simply attempt to change the wiring in our brains so that we write “2024” instead of “2023” on our cheques and memos. With the unseasonably warm temperatures, some are still waiting for the “real” changing of the season.
Yet change can often be difficult and unpleasant. Those resolutions resemble insurmountable mountain peaks by January 30th. Frustration builds upon the seventh time of erasing the wrong date on a cheque. Movement causes friction against the ruts in which we’d rather comfortably roll.
However, a quip from one of my seminary profs rings true:
“Change is the call of every Christ-follower!” (Howard Hendricks)
From the moment we turn in faith to Jesus Christ for salvation, we are then called into a life of progressive sanctification, i.e., incrementally becoming more like Jesus (cf. Rom. 6:19-22). As we walk with Christ by the indwelling power of the Spirit and with God’s Word as our guide, we experience day-by-day change (Gal. 5:16-26).
The apostle Paul exhorted believers, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).
God continues sanding off our rough attitudes, coarse words, and sharp pride. This New Year, let’s purpose through prayer to lean into whatever change He wants to bring in us – no matter how uncomfortable it may be. The best is yet to come!
In Christ Alone,
Have a very Happy New Year!
December 2023 | The Breznau Family | Atop Empire Bluff, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | Empire, Michigan
