Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

At Hank’s Place we choose to live in the New Covenant. Jesus’ sacrifice has made the Old Covenant obsolete. Hebrews 8:13. Instead of shadows and types and commands to be obeyed, we find GOD completing an eternal covenant on our behalf, a covenant full of promises to be believed and received – instead of performance to be achieved.

Pretty good, eh? Hebrews 13:9 tells us not to be mislead into thinking that there are practices and rituals we must observe, but rather let us allow our hearts to grow and become established in God’s grace. After all, as Hebrews 9:14 says, how much better than any Old Covenant sacrifice, is the blood of Christ. The more we realize this, the more our conscience is cleansed from dead works to serve the living God. To serve the living God here means in the sense of priestly service, worship, intercession, praise — things like that.

You see, Jesus has dealt with our sin. At Calvary. All of it. Eternally. Hebrews 9:12 &15 speak of Jesus accomplishing eternal redemption in order that we might receive an eternal inheritance. Eternal Inheritance. Think about that. Heb 12:2 says “looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross.”  What joy was His? What was it about? As THE Son of God He already had everything, literally. I submit to you that this JOY Jesus was looking forward to — the joy on the other side of the Cross — was HIS inheritance. And His inheritance, my friend, is you and me. (pause)

Can you imagine? Conceive it? Can it enter your mind? Your heart? Jesus enduring the Cross, despising the shame, to gain many many many brothers and sisters — eternally redeemed. WOW!

Jesus has made us heirs of God, living in the fullness of the life of Christ. His life in us; us living in Him. Read Galatians 4:5-7. And Romans 8:15-17. We, through Christ, have been made — a done deal — sons and daughters of the living God. Adopted by GOD. Citizens of Jesus’ eternal kingdom. Cmon — read these passages and rejoice pilgrim!

Rejoice, for you are a citizen of a heavenly kingdom, son or daughter of the Living God, held firmly in the grip of the Almighty One – today — REJOICE in this great adoption — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

At Hank’s Place we choose to live in the New Covenant. And why not?  Everything is BETTER there — Hebrews 8:6. The Old Covenant and the world live under a system of performance and reward/punishment: do well and we get rewarded. Do poorly and we miss out – even be punished.

Blessings under the Old rested upon our shoulders. Our performance. Obeying the rules God set down. But our ability to resist temptation – well, you know.…

Many Christians try to keep the rules found in the Old Covenant. But wait! Hebrews 10 declares the entire Old Covenant consists of mere shadows of what was to come! Shadows cannot make a person perfect, can they? Following shadows is a fruitless endeavor – just as bars on a cage do not change the nature of the beast within…. The laws only serve to remind us – of our failures.

When I am not at Hank’s Place, I may be found keeping a mega-billion dollar company going. (laugh) Recently employees have been tasked with developing their IDP – an Individual Development Plan. Based on the Korn Ferry leadership architecture and it’s Core Competencies. Sheeez. My development is all on my shoulders. If I respond to this with my own efforts, well, I go under the LAW – and it will crush my spirit. What is the solution?

Consider Joseph in Genesis. His teen years were bumpy: his brothers sold him into slavery! But in Genesis 39:2 and onward, we find these words; “GOD WAS WITH HIM.” And Joseph succeeded. Prospered. Oh, there were more bumps. Evil people sought to do him harm. BUT GOD WAS WITH HIM. God made him ruler of all Egypt. Because GOD WAS WITH HIM. Not Joseph’s clever analysis of his strengths and weaknesses and his IDP. What mattered was that GOD WAS WITH HIM. Do you recall Matthew 28:20? Jesus words? “…behold, I AM WITH YOU always, to the end of the age.” In a New Covenant where things are even BETTER! Hmmm?

This is today’s takeaway, dear believing friend – life is not about our performance, but that GOD IS WITH US, in a New Covenant through Jesus’ blood, a covenant where everything is BETTER, full of better promises. We are blessed, not because we got it right. Not because we are exceptional. We become exceptional — because GOD IS WITH US.

Our IDP, Individual Development Plan, has been crafted by God before we were born. We’ve been made ‘fit for God’ because of Jesus’ sacrifice. So today, toss off the stress of life. Toss off those anxieties that distress you — the fears of failure — all fears — DARE to live life, confidently, God is with you, and — COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

I’m the Hank of Hank’s Place. 45 years in Christ Jesus. Hank’s Place is a place of GRACE. God’s Grace: His unmerited, undeserved FAVOR, BLESSINGS, where everything is BETTER as the writer of  Hebrews says of the New Covenant. 

It has taken me some 40 years to discover, believe, receive the truth that GOD really does love each of us without regard to our performance, without our having to measure up to some standard of perfection or maturity. Unconditional LOVE. 40 some years to believe John 3:16’s “For God so loved the world, that He gave” His very best, FOR US. 40 some years to begin receiving what God has to give, without regard to how Hank was doing as a Christian.

Yet all around me I see Christians struggling to find approval in God’s eyes, to do better, to be more obedient. They haven’t yet discovered Jesus as the Author and Finisher of their faith. I hope to spare you some decades of struggles by inviting you to Hank’s Place. Let’s have a home roasted coffee and enjoy one another and the blessings of grace found in the New Covenant.

Some history. Like all of us, there was a huge emptiness within me. If you had told me at the time that it was Jesus, I would not have listened. But in the fullness of time a friend (“Thanks Dave!”) began sharing the real Jesus, not religion.

I began searching, began praying to God. Nothing seemed different, UNTIL – one day I went forward in response to an altar call to confess Jesus as my Savior. Everything changed! Tears streamed down my face as found that God was real and God was love, and He loved me just the way I was. In an instant the weight of sin was gone, I was clean – and LOVED.

However, within minutes well-meaning but misguided Christians were telling me about all the rules I needed to keep ‘now that I was a Christian.’ “Do this, don’t do that” they said. From being loved unconditionally I went to conditional approval based on my obedience, my performance. 

I had struggled in my youth having a father to whom I could never do things ‘right.’ Relating to my Heavenly Father through rule keeping changed the pure joy and love and friendship and innocence into a relationship of fear, and dread of getting things wrong and maybe being punished by God, to teach me a lesson. I was losing sight of the greatest lesson there is about God: His Son on Calvary’s cross, crucified for me!

You might be struggling right now. Well, you don’t need 40 years to start walking in the New Covenant. Come on over to Hank’s Place. A place – of grace. A place – of acceptance in the beloved. Where we have passed out of judgment into His marvelous light, where there are no shadows. Where relationship with God is ‘sonship’ because of the blood of Jesus. Where we love to talk about Jesus, our Awesome God.

At Hank’s Place, enjoy peace. Enjoy — joy. Come on — let go of trying to get things right. Come to Hank’s Place, and — COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

Today we want to give hope to all you zombies out there. Not a zombie? Listen up, you might want to — think again!

Check out Matthew’s Gospel, the first 17 verses of chapter 8. After recounting details of Jesus’ birth, temptation, and Sermon on the Mount, Matthew records powerful events at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. There’s a leper, a Roman soldier, a family member, and unidentified multitudes. In 17 verses! Our focus is primarily upon the leper.

The man had leprosy. This terrible, contagious, debilitating disease caused a progressive death over a period of 20-30 years. There was no cure. A person died by inches as body parts grew numb, diseased, and rotted off. A person with leprosy was dead while alive. The LIVING DEAD. Like a ZOMBIE. BTW, leprosy is a perfect model of SIN and how it destroys a person, bit by bit.

Well, this zombie came to Jesus by himself. No one to help. Having no hope in this world. No promise. No invite. But he came — to Jesus. And worshiped. In coming, in posture, in words, in honor, in respect and in confidence – “IF you are willing,” he said, “you can heal me.” Healing of leprosy was on par with raising the dead, but this leper did not question Jesus’ ability to cure even a zombie like him. 

Jesus, moved with compassion it says in Mark 1:41, said, “I AM willing” and touched him. Jesus touched the zombie, this picture of SIN. He didn’t HAVE to touch him — but He did. Jesus didn’t HAVE to touch our sin — but He did. He took it upon Himself, bearing the punishment, and carried our sin away. Hallelujah!

That leper was cleansed. Friend, what about you? Are you sick? With something incurable? Are you full of sin? Come to Jesus. Get ahold of Jesus — let Him touch you and be healed! God’s grace is abundant. It’s not about you; it’s all about Jesus. Whatever form our zombieism may take, Jesus is our cure.

In the account of the Roman centurion that follows, we find that he has a sick slave. Under Roman law a person could kill his slave if the slave was ill or unable to work. But this centurion has compassion, and pleads for the life of his slave. REMARKABLE, don’t you think? He thinks of others, even his slave, and understands FAITH better than Israel.

We can gain wisdom: compassion, faith, Jesus leads to miracles, yes?

Next Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law with a touch of his hand – and without mention of faith. Can’t put healing in a box when it comes to Jesus my friend! 

Then they brought to Him many who were ill or demonized — and He healed them ALL. The implication is He dealt with each one, one by one — because He cares for each one of us – we — matter — to Jesus!

Are you a zombie? Got an incurable disease? Got sin? Lots of sin? Well, Jesus cares! Isn’t it time you get ahold of Jesus today, the God of compassion — let HIM deal with all that nastiness — and you — COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

My wife and I traveled to her hometown of Ashland, Wisconsin to celebrate the 4th of July, do a bit of visiting and participate in her 60th, yes, 60th, high school reunion.

Ashland is on the shore of Lake Superior, unsalted and shark free! It’s a small midwestern town, and like many, knows how to celebrate the 4th patriotically, with a parade, concert in the park, a ‘fire run’ and fireworks. Enjoy the photos.

But it was the reunion time that was most awesome – a Friday gathering, a picnic Saturday, and participating in all the 4th of July events. We loved it!

I heard a good word from the Holy Spirit in Ashland, and that word was, and is, “restoration.” It’s a two fold word. I heard it on the 4th, so it is for the United States. And don’t we need it! One nation, one people, under God. Amen!

Also being restored are relationships among families and among friends. These close high school friends had been out of touch for decades, but wow, were they brought close to one another that weekend! Relationship being restored.

It was the best high school reunion I’ve ever had. In fact I adopted the class of ’61 as MY class and they were happy to have me! Ha-ha!

The prophet Joel spoke of a time of restoration, the Lord promising deliverance from the people’s situation in chapter 2, followed by an early and latter rain and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and then restoration for the years the locust, cankerworm, caterpillar, and palmerworm had devoured from our lives.

Hey! That’s from your life. That’s from my life. Separated from your family? Children going their own way? Out of touch? God is declaring that restoration is on its way; it is happening already!

Separated from old friends? Don’t be surprised if you find in the coming days contact with those old friends. Relationships are precious to our Lord Jesus. He desires a deep and intimate one with each of us, and also desires OUR relating well with family and friends. 

It’s the season of restoration —the Spirit is inviting us to participate in it with Him — it’s time to let go of the old hurts and grievances.

In closing enjoy a clip of Ashland’s ‘fire run’ where every vehicle that has flashing lights and sirens and horns runs down Main Street to the cheers of bystanders.

May the ‘fire’ of the Spirit come upon as you watch, and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

The Apostle Paul frequently warned Christians about the dangers of the law and those who preach it:
“Watch out for those who put obstacles in your way contrary to what you have been taught.” Romans 16:17
“See that no one takes you captive through philosophy which depends on men rather than Christ.” Colossians 2:8
“Watch out for those dogs….” (evil workers preaching a law filled gospel). Philippines 3:2

Remember those Galatians? They had unintentionally cut themselves off from Christ, being seduced by dead works. Happens to all of us at times: one moment we are free under God’s amazing grace, the next enslaved to various laws. The laws don’t have to be the 10 Commandments or other biblical laws to enslave us.

To live under law is believing we can cause God to bless us (or not hurt us) through our performance. Do you think we can manipulate God this way? Ha! The only thing that counts is faith working through love. Galatians 5:6.

You might be living under the law and not realize it! I’ll give you 4 ‘struggles’ — I’ve had each one — see if you’ve had them too.

1. Struggling to do the right thing. To live by a code of conduct is infinitely inferior to the life Jesus wants to live through us. Why choose rules when now we have a wonderful relationship? Rules or relationship, can’t have both. Even when we can keep the rules, we are doing the WRONG thing — because we are not walking by faith. Wow! Choose abiding in Christ — you’ll find yourself doing the right thing at the right time every time.

2. Struggling to be righteous. Before the Cross righteousness was demanded of sinful man. Deuteronomy 6:25. But at the Cross righteousness was freely given. Romans 5:17. The gospel of grace reveals the GIFT of righteousness that comes from God. Romans 1:17 Might be time to trade-in self-righteousness for His, by freely receiving it!

3. Struggling to be holy. Manmade religion defines holiness in terms of moral behavior, but this definition falls far short of the perfect holiness required by God. Just as we cannot make ourselves righteous, neither can we make ourselves holy. But thank God for Jesus who is “our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30. By His sacrifice we have been sanctified forever. Hebrews 10:10.

Consider those Corinthians and their bad behavior. Yet Paul addresses his letter to the “church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ” 1 Corinthians 1:2. Holiness is based on our identity, not performance. We are IN Jesus who is holy and righteous — thus we are holy and righteous.

4. Struggling to not disappoint God. If we have a law mindset, it’s natural to think that we have disappointed God. But that’s impossible. Disappointment comes from unmet expectations and God doesn’t have any. Before we were born He knew everything we would ever say and do. How long it would take us to come to the Cross. How many times we would stumble. Make mistakes. Even the mistakes we haven’t made yet. Knowing all this, He still loves us!

Under law it’s natural to think of our shortcomings and project them as disappointments onto our heavenly Father. No! He loves us with an unfailing love 1 Corinthians 13:8. He knows all our faults, yet chooses to remember them no more. Hebrews 8:12.

Today, let’s have faith in Him and His amazing grace — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

Today’s Hank’s Place, coming from Venice Beach, Venice Florida, was flying with what was a Hank’s mind without editing — pardon please the rough edges 🙂

The message is a reminder we live under the NEW Covenant, which is NOT LIKE THE OLD one – Jeremiah 31:31. Under the OLD a person got good things, blessings, when he performed well, did the right things God said, and got bad things, curses, when he did not measure up. The OLD was conditional upon man’s performance. See Deuteronomy 28!

Under the NEW Covenant Jesus is our sacrifice. His performance was perfect, eternally. As a result God could write His laws upon our minds and hearts. No one has to tell us what to do, in terms of what God saying. If we will simply LISTEN to the Spirit, He will make God’s will and ways known. Each of us has become a precious child of the LIVING GOD.

In the video I speak of the refreshing, the renewing, and rest-oration that comes from time at the beach. And more importantly, the time taken in the Spirit! Take that time, friend.

I give an example of Old Covenant guilt/shame/blame/condemnation coming from the pulpit when I heard a minister speak of sex trafficking in another country and how it struck his heart, and knowing it is happening in the USA. He went on to say, well, we should ALL be involved in DOING something about it! So what are YOU doing about it??? You need to. Classic OLD. Law and judgment. Under the Old we needed the priest or prophet to tell us what to do, what God was saying. That is not the relationship between God and man under the NEW. Dear friend, LISTEN to the Spirit, respond — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

The world challenges, “Are you qualified?” The devil’s disciples scream at you, “You are NOT qualified!” No matter what the topic. Two messages ago I referenced 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 — that as far as God is concerned, HE has qualified us, by His Spirit, to share the Good News with everyone.

So what then is Paul saying to these same Corinthians a few chapters later, in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

That’s a real anxiety producing verse, isn’t it? Check yourself out; are you a perfect example of a Christian, a mediocre  Christian, or not a Christian at all?

If you are standing on your own performance, how YOU measure up, rather than resting on Jesus’ work of redemption at Calvary, then it IS terrifying, and should be! Are you saved, really really saved? Is there sin in your life? Arrrg! Do not forget: it is Jesus who has qualified us. It is Jesus who has saved us, not we ourselves, and we are kept by grace, not works or self-examination and repentance.

In the Old Covenant, the priest examined the sacrifice, not us. That was a shadow of the New. It’s Jesus, our sacrifice, who was examined, not us! Thus Paul is NOT saying here, “Examine yourselves periodically to make sure you’re still saved or if there is sin in YOUR life.”

We are not automobiles subject to annual inspection. No! Christ is already in us. Remember my favorite verse, Col 1:27, this mystery of the Gospel, is that Christ is in us? It’s true. We believed in Him. And He joined Himself to us eternally. We are in union with Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1:5, sanctified in Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1:2, and our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 6:19. Powerful! Believe it! Disregard those insecurity preachers. Don’t let the self-appointed fruit inspectors trouble you. Remember, we are not transformed by self-examination but by the renewing of our mind. Romans 12:2.

The only one who can fail the test of being in Christ is the one who is not yet in Christ: an unbeliever.

So Paul is saying, examine yourself honestly, and you will see Christ Jesus in you. He is our life. You will see you ARE one with the Lord — as righteous and holy as He is, 1 Corinthians 1:30. That you are pleasing and acceptable to God, able to stand, because Jesus makes you so. 2 Corinthians 5:21. We are saved and kept — by grace.

So examine yourself honestly — then rejoice in knowing that you have — COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                  

This world seems always to seek for ‘the qualified.’ And ignore those who in their mind are ‘unqualified.’ God’s wisdom however, is far beyond earthly wisdom. 

Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 addresses the Corinthian believers as letters of Christ, written on tablets of human hearts – hearts, remember that. Paul then speaks of his adequacy as a servant of a NEW covenant – of the Spirit, for while the letter kills, the Spirit gives LIFE. Remember that too! Hearts. Spirit. Life.

Last week I’d shared about my dear friend Ernie, former alcoholic truck driver who had ruined his marriage, family, and life before finding Jesus and receiving His love and His mercies and marvelous grace. He went about preaching itinerantly, doing various mission trips and rescuing people in distress, such as I was. I want to share one of his experiences, since he’s gone on to Jesus and I know he wouldn’t mind.

Ernie was living at the time in the Toledo Ohio area. He preached on street corners, coffee houses, recovery houses, and some churches. One time he felt he should ask the pastor of a larger church if he could speak to his congregation. 

He visited the pastor, described the man he’d been and what Jesus had done for him and asked to speak. The pastor replied, “Absolutely not! You are totally unqualified! Your life has been a mess! You have no education. You have no theological training or seminary experience. You are unqualified to share the Gospel. You will never, ever, speak in my church. Get out of here.”

Talk about opportunity to become physically violent – and the old Ernie had been a barroom fighter. Opportunity to succumb to condemnation or anger, vengeance, retaliation, a root of bitterness, or all of the above!

Ernie left quietly. I won’t tell you his thoughts at that time, but some months later he was with a pastor and some men at another church when the church phone rang and the person on the line said pastor so-and-so (the man who’d condemned Ernie) had suffered a massive heart attack and he might be dead, and could some people go to that church and pray for him. Ernie said to the men, “Who has faith for this? Who will go with me?” Two or three men said they would.

When they got to the church, the EMS team was wrapping up. The pastor lay dead on the floor. They documented it. Ernie and the others began with the name of Jesus – who raises the dead – before whom nothing is impossible. The pastor’s spirit returned — the man revived. The head EMS person gave out a shriek and fainted! The team attended to the pastor and to her. She and the entire EMS team became believers! Hallelujah!

Once the commotion settled, that pastor told Ernie the pulpit was open to Ernie to speak anytime he wanted…!

Could you have prayed in faith for the life of someone who had declared you incompetent to minister?

Friend if you are in Christ Jesus, then that same Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead, and that pastor, dwells in you, and qualifies you, to share the treasures of the New Covenant, in word and in power, as happened here. 

So, today, walk in the New Covenant. You know Jesus, the Impossible Working God. You are qualified by the Spirit. So GO, help others, even if they are dead — to COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —                              

Some 30 odd years ago, I was far from understanding the grace of God that came to us at Calvary. And remains with us. Calvary is all Good News, my friend!

I was working hard to keep all the laws I found in the Bible. I was a perfect example of Galatians 3:2-3 and 5:1-4. Having received the Spirit by faith, I was trying to become justified and perfected by following the Law. Like most of us – wanting to please Jesus and ‘do the right thing’ I had switched back to working to accomplish this by self-effort; I had fallen from grace.

And of course, it wasn’t working. I labored under a cloud of failure, accusation and condemnation. Ministry, what ministry there was, was empty, hollow, ineffective. Maybe you have been there, Maybe you are there right now?

BUT GOD, who knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart, had mercy upon that young man, Hank, and his wife and children. What did God do? He sent us – a man.

What was this man like? Did he have a Phd in Theology? A seminary professor? Other credentials? No, God sent a former alcoholic truck driver who had destroyed his marriage and family – but who then met Jesus, and was transformed. His name was Ernie, and he loved people, having experienced the love of God personally. He was full of mercy, having experienced the mercies of God for himself.

In a hard hard place? Cry to your Father. He’ll send help, likely a person. I’d met Ernie on a mission trip, some months prior, and one day he felt the need to visit us — that was the Holy Spirit. His favorite expression, directed toward me, was, “Hank, you gotta change.” He had experienced the devastation to his own life from his being a stubborn drunk and now his heart went out to help others.

For 2 weeks he lived with us – again and again saying, “Hank, you gotta change.” I couldn’t stand it. My facade that all was well – crumbled. I saw I needed to change, but I had no idea of WHAT to change – or HOW to change. Prayer? Fasting? Mission trips? Bible study? What? What? WHAT????

Ernie didn’t know; the Holy Spirit had not revealed it to him. In desperation, my heart being wrenched open, I fell to my knees and pleaded with the Lord to show me what it was, what had to change, what hidden evil there was within me, what selfish ‘thing’ was hurting me and my family.

This is what Jesus said, “Son, you have given me all your achievements, your life, all the good things you have done. But there is yet more. You have held on to your failures, your defeats, the ugly incidents. The things you are ashamed of. Son, I died for those — especially for those. Will you let me have them?”

I had been keeping from Jesus what He wanted most! At that moment I surrendered all my failures to Jesus – He didn’t tell me I should have been a better Christian. No, He took them from me. And that mantle of failure and condemnation lifted and has never returned. 

Perhaps you have been trying to be the best Christian you can possibly be. Give it up, friend. And give Jesus your failures. The uglies. The nasties. HE DIED for those things. Let Him take them. You will be transformed. You will — COME ALIVE!  I know I did!

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