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The Reclaim Ministry, 33655 Willnick Road, Rutland, OH (2026)

01/09/2024

This new book is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It is also available in Kindle editions. Find it by title or by author's name. ( there is more than one Dale Minor) I have yet to receive my order, but I should have a few copies for those who can't get them otherwise.

01/09/2024

The Unconquered

“For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6)

Read this again, slowly, letting the words of Paul sink in. Paul is speaking from experience. He has been under attack as he travels from place to place, speaking the words the Spirit places in his heart. His is a dark world desperately in need of the light of Christ. Our world is not different. Darkness exists all around is, in the world, in our nation and our states, in our local communities and our homes. It even exists within our churches. It exists because we, who should know better have allowed the light to be veiled and the darkness to descend upon us.

But the Light has not been extinguished. It has not been diminished except by the interference thrown up by Satan and those of us who wittingly or unwittingly perpetuate his lies by feeding on them and speaking them; by loss of focus and weakness of faith. Yet, this darkness can be dispelled, the light can again shine brightly for us as we cease our inward focus and turn our hearts to Him who saves us.

St. Paul continued his comments concerning the Light which dispels the darkness: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also be manifested in our mortal flesh,” (2 Cor. 4:7-11)

We are people of the Light. We are the beneficiaries of Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, and we live with the presence and assurance of His Holy Spirit, and of the promise our Lord made to His servant Peter upon Peter’s confession that “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16: 16-18)

Key words here are that Peter confessed that Christ is Lord and Jesus promised that there is no power on earth, not even the full power of Satan, who can destroy His Church. The Church is us, the body of Christ. It exists and continues in those who are faithful in belief, unrelenting in prayer, always trusting in His word, and joyfully proclaiming His name at all times and in all situations.

This assurance is comforting but at the same time, we know that even as Christ defeated Satan at the cross and demonstrated it by exiting the tomb, this wounded enemy of God and his legions continue to strike at us, sometimes inflicting pain. 1 Peter 5:8-11; “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devils walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.”

Even if it seems as if the enemy is pounding on your door, we remain unconquered. Go in peace in full knowledge of faith, then this present darkness has its end, it is being overcome by the light of Christ.

(from Dale's E-Musings, January 9, 2024)

12/24/2023

I'm an old bachelor. Thought I'd do some Christmas decorating. Here it is, -- I'm exhausted.😞😞

03/21/2023

You Who Are Thirsty

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when the heat comes…” (Jer. 18:7-8)

I grew up in a rural area of south central Ohio, near a small stream known as Yellowbud Creek. From the time I was old enough to venture near that creek by myself, I spent the majority of my free hours exploring every rock, riffle, and swimming hole within a mile or two from my home. This was my school, the source of my education, and the spark which ignited fantasies and fostered numerous dreams. This creek would have been defined as a live stream; that it is, it flowed continually, it had a current, it was fresh water and safe to drink, -- usually. But there were a few times, in seasons of drought, when the creek stopped flowing and all that was left were a few pools of stagnant water.

I remember one year in particular when the dry season was more severe than usual and the creek stopped flowing. The pools of water grew smaller and all things living began to shrivel up and die. I spent hours dipping fish out of the small pools to place them in bigger pools. I moved fresh water clams and other aquatic creatures from the sand bars which had appeared in the streams to place them back into the water. I can still envision the catfish which were wallowing around in mud gasping for some air and of course there were many which had already expired before I could get to them. Also, I noted the vegetation which had grown lush and green along the creek’s banks was now drying up and dying.

The problem was simple. Because of the drought, the stream was no longer flowing with living water. All creation which was dependent upon this living water was drying up, -- it was dying. Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well, and when He asked this woman to give him a drink, she questioned him as it would not have been proper for a Jew to talk to this woman. But in the exchange between them, Jesus said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

“Living water!” The substance of life, that which refreshes, revives, and restores. It is possible for human beings to feel as if they are in a drought while surrounded by water. We can become spiritually dry, a feeling that we are out of our element, as sure as a fish out of water. We can feel as we are gasping for every breath, not because there isn’t air to breathe, but because of the condition of our hearts. The issue is not our physical environment, but that of our spirit. We have become separated from the source of the Living Water, He who Jeremiah described as the One in whom we can trust, and who is the source of our hope.

“if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Rivers may flood, and they can sometimes become dry. We will have good times and the bad. But if we are to survive the cycles of life, we have to make sure we are planted by the stream whose source is the waters of life, -- that we extend our roots to Him who is the Living Water. He alone will satisfy our thirst.

02/12/2023

Handling Truth
2/12/2023

Written by Fr. Dale Minor - Reclaim Ministry - Rutland, OH
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In the 1992 Movie, A Few Good Men, during a Court Marshall proceeding, Col. Nathan Jessep, a character played by Jack Nicholson, is being questioned by the character played by Tom Cruise. Jessep responds to a demand for the truth by shouting, “You can’t handle the truth!” The inference is that, in matters of life there are certain facts which are too sensitive, too shocking, or too revealing for them to be spoken and heard.

This is a movie, it is a story contrived in the minds of writers; yet we have to wonder how often such false facts become reality. We live in an age when it is difficult, if not impossible, to discern the truth. Our news media daily report matters where the truth has been distorted, covered up, misrepresented, etc. Further, the social media enables anyone with access to the internet to state anything they want, present it as truth, and people will believe it and repeat it over and over again. So, what is truth? And, can we handle it?

In the Gospel of John, 14th chapter, Jesus speaking to his disciple Philip, declares Himself as representing truth. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He goes on to state; “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” When Philip still didn’t understand he tries to explain how he is the Son of God, that He and the Father are one. Hear verse 11: “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

This question of truth came up often as people struggled to understand who Jesus is. Most famously in the exchange between Jesus and Pilate just before the Lord was turned over to the mob to be crucified. After Jesus stated that He ruled over a kingdom that did not fit within this world, Pilate asked directly, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered. “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” To this, Pilate replied sarcastically; “What is truth?” (John 18: 37-38)

The statement Jesus made, “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice,” provides the answer to the question, “How do we know what is true?” And it also provides the answer to our being able to handle the truth. We can have confidence in the word of God, simply because He is truth! And being truth, He can do none other than to speak truth. For us, it is a matter of faith.

Who else can you rely on? Your neighbor, your brother or sister, your political leaders? Heaven forbid; politicians hire people for the expressed purpose of drafting lies about most everything. They call it, “putting a spin on it.” But it means, crafting lies to make you believe what is untrue.

The Gospel of John says a lot about Jesus and the truth, and it begins with inviting us to hear and understand His word. “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” (John 8:31-32) But free from what? Free from sin, free from bo***ge created by the lies we live and those which are foisted upon us by those who want to control us.

Finally, Jesus assures us that we can know the truth when we have the Holy Spirit within us and rely on Him to guide our every living moment. “When He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13)

Not only can you handle the truth, but you can glory in it, because God is with us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

06/21/2022

How Deep the Father's Love
6/20/2022

Written by Fr. Dale Minor - Reclaim Ministry - Rutland, OH
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“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Gen. 2:7) “So God created man in His image, in the image of God He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘be fruitful and multiply,’ etc.” (Gen 1:27-28a)

This past weekend we celebrated Fathers Day, a day set aside to honor and celebrate our earthly fathers. Like most fathers, I received numerous reminders of the love that exists between fathers and their children and noted through the media, print and electronic, the special and heart-warming tributes offered up by so many. While enjoying these, I was also reminded of God, the Father of us all, who not only created us, but continually demonstrates the relationship a father is to have with his children, that special bond which a good relationship celebrates and those lacking that relationship long for.

This article is far too short to quote the numerous scriptures relating to healthy father/child interaction, but as we scan through the Bible we learn that the father is to instruct, correct, teach, train, nurture, control, provide for, bless, provide spiritual guidance, to forgive, and in short, TO LOVE! Not only has God charged fathers with such responsibility, but He daily demonstrates these facets of love to us through the presence and power of his Holy Spirit. So, to extend your Fathers Day celebration, I offer these additional verses of scripture for your consideration of our heavenly Father’s constant presence and involvement in your life.

“For us, there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” (1 Cor. 8:6)

“But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

“But now O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; and we are the work of Your hands,” (Isaiah 64:8)

These are comforting words; they speak of the love of the Father for the child and of the children for the father. But as many of us have experienced, our personal relationships sometime fail us; schisms do occur within families. Yet, even these provide opportunities for God to demonstrate one of the most powerful aspects of love. Remember the story of the prodigal son, who by his own will separated himself from his family to, as we would say, “do his own thing.” But when his “thing” failed him, he returned home thinking that he would have to beg to be allowed to stay, being willing even to work as a servant in his father’s house. But this son failed to realize a father’s deep love for his children and his capacity to forgive. “He arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

This is a word for all who have separated themselves from God, for whatever reason, for whatever season; once we have determined to return to Him, even while we remain a great way off, He will run to us and love us and forgive us. He is our loving Father who will never leave us nor forsake us.

“For you did not receive the spirit of bo***ge again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself bears witness that we are children of God,…” (Rom. 8:15)

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)

03/13/2022

Written by Fr. Dale Minor - Reclaim Ministry - Rutland, OH

02/01/2022

That Can’t be Right !

February? It can’t be February, can it? And is that the right spelling? Nobody says, Feb-brew-airy! Just like no one pronounces Wednesday the way it is spelled. And what about the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl. Surely that can’t be right! ( Sorry, I just had to get that in, Go Bengals !)

Well, there are a lot of things in life which won’t necessarily appear to be right, yet are true, and there are a lot of things in scripture which seem to be impossible, but we know they are true. We know by faith. The whole story of Creation doesn’t make sense based on logic which itself comes mostly from experience. Yet individuals spend a lifetime, and our government is spending trillions trying to discern the origins of the universe. Why? Because it is a mystery, and most people perceive a mystery as a problem to be solved, while God’s mysteries are truths to be believed by faith and celebrated as facts to be revealed when and if God chooses.

How about the Exodus. Did all those plagues really happen in Egypt? Did the Sea of Reeds part and the waters stand up like walls? (Ex.14:29) and, did the Hebrews really wander around in the wilderness for forty years while their sandals and their clothing did not wear out? (Dt. 8:4; Neh. 9:21) Did the walls of a great city like Jericho collapse with no more effort than having a tribe of people walk around outside its walls seven times and then let out a mighty shout? (Josh. 6:20)

There are literally dozens of examples like this in scripture; different unbelievable events occurring in different places and with different circumstances, but they have one thing in common; -- the faith of the people. When people of faith are obedient to the word of God, miraculous things happen. And even as you are a witness, logic tries to convince you, “That can’t be right.”

Consider what we know about Jesus. Minute details of his life were foretold centuries before His birth. Details such as the place of His birth, Bethlehem of Judea (Micah 5:2), that his family would take him to Egypt (Hos. 11:1), and then settle in Nazareth (Mt. 2:23, oral tradition) Scholars long knew He would come from humble beginnings, yet would be considered a king (Zech. 9:9) and that He would suffer for our sins. (Is. 53)

These prophecies, and many others going back hundreds, even a thousand years, revealed the Messiah, yet when Jesus came, the scholars did not recognize Him. Is it possible that the Gospel writers pulled all these prophecies together and created a character to fit? This is highly unlikely since these writers were mostly uneducated men coming from a variety of backgrounds and without access to libraries, etc. Even King Herod had to call in his scholars who in turn had to search the scriptures to determine that the Messiah was to have been born in Bethlehem. (Mt. 2:4) To think that anyone could make up a story that so neatly fit all of the Old Testament prophecies is perhaps more difficult to believe than are the events themselves.

Then, we have the eyewitnesses to the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are given testimony that Jesus suffered and died on a cross; that He was entombed for three days, then the tomb was miraculously opened and over five hundred people saw him alive before He ascended into heaven. (1 Cor. 15:6) Surely these provide sufficient proof that the story is true, as unlikely as it may seem to questioning minds?

How about you? Is Jesus alive in you? Do you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you such that He is your constant strength and your guide? Does He comfort you in time of sorrow, does He give you hope when the world around you is in chaos? Then, what more is there to know? You are His witness, for the Lord God has revealed Him to you. And you know in your heart the stories are true. They are true, and it is all very right!

01/30/2022

Trust and Obey

Written by Fr. Dale Minor - Reclaim Ministry - Rutland, OH
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“When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way; while we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.”

These are the words to the first verse of the old hymn Trust and Obey. Following this is a chorus and four more verses which affirm the truth that obedience and trust are two sides of the same coin.

In today’s atmosphere of mistrust of anything relating to civil authority, with arguments pitting individual rights against the mandates of governments, with the politics and division trumping all reason, some are openly rejecting reasonable solutions based upon their trust in God; and for sure, trusting God is never wrong. But trust without action is.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” The next verse is similar; “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”

There is a well-worn story of a man whose house was being surrounded by flood waters. When the waters began to encroach into the first floor, a man in a rowboat came by and offered to take him to safety. The man replied, “No thanks, I trust in the Lord. He will watch over me.” The flood waters continued to rise until the man had to retreat to the second floor. Some people in a motorboat came by and offered to take him out. He again refused stating he trusted the Lord to rescue him. The waters continued to rise forcing the man to sit on his roof. A helicopter pilot saw him and tried to rescue him. Again, the man refused proclaiming his confidence in the Lord. Finally, the house was washed away and the man drowned. When he found himself standing before the throne of God he cried out, “Lord, I trusted in you. Why didn’t you answer my prayers for rescue?” The Lord replied, “I did, I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”

The point is obvious; trusting the Lord does not mean we pray, praise, and do nothing. It demands that we listen, hear, and obey. Dr. Ken Boa, president of Reflections Ministries in Atlanta Ga. teaches a mantra of “Trust, abide, and walk.” I believe this means we trust in the Lord, abide in, or take ownership of His instruction, then be obedient to do what He says and go where He directs. And it also means we embrace the help He sends us.

When Jesus was facing the most difficult trial of His life on earth, when He had experienced rejection, betrayal, and persecution, He went out to the Garden of Gethsemane and three times he prayed for the Lord God to deliver him from this trial; yet, each time He qualified his plea with, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Yes, Jesus was acting out of human agony, but at the same time He was demonstrating the depth of His trust in God and his intent to follow God’s lead no matter what. His trust was based on an unwavering belief that God knew what was best for Him, and He would walk through hell if that was what it took.

Yes, we often find it difficult to hear clearly and know without a doubt the will of God. But it is only difficult because we want to listen to the call of the world, we want to hold onto our old desires and prejudices, instead of getting quiet and listening to the Lord. And this betrays a truth in us, that we don’t trust the Lord as much as we think we do.

Let’s return to the hymn, to the last verse of Trust and Obey:
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet
or we'll walk by His side in the way;
what He says, we will do;
where He sends, we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey,
for there's no other way,
to be happy in Jesus,
but to trust and obey.”

It is right and proper to pray for God to heal you, but understand; He has raised up many servants to minister to you. Some He calls doctors, pharmacists, first responders, or maybe, just neighbors and friends.

01/10/2022

Now What?
1/9/2022

Written by Fr. Dale Minor - Reclaim Ministry - Rutland, OH
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Well, I’ve just written the year 2022 for the first time and I didn’t have to scratch out an erroneous 21 to do it. I guess that is a success of sorts. But since I am writing this on the third day of the new year, this isn’t the first accurate thing I have done and for sure I haven’t been without a misstep or two along the way. It’s not that I have already violated a New Year’s Resolution; I didn’t make any. In fact, I can’t remember when I last made a serious resolution. Of course, at my age, there are a lot of things I can’t remember. In just a few months I will begin my eighth decade which provides me with sufficient excuse for most of my failures; forgetfulness, tardiness, sloth, grumpiness, impatience, prejudice, -- well, maybe not prejudice. But I digress. What I started out to express was the fact that we have just celebrated hope for a positive change in the new year, but do we really expect anything to change?

It’s not wrong to hope the new year will be better than the last, and by most measures, even a mostly mundane year would be a considerable improvement over our recent experience. But what do we mean by hope? A basic definition of hope is “desire with expectation of fulfillment;” we could say, “wishful thinking.” But when we have our hearts tuned to God, there is a greater dimension to hope. First of all, hope is a feature of the three theological virtues defined by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 13:13; “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Thus, he defines hope as a collaborator along with faith and love as that which fosters our relationship with the Lord. Indeed, the author of Hebrews makes this connection as he writes. “Faith is the subject of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” By faith, we put our trust in God and this trust elevates hope beyond the realm of wishful thinking to that of assuredness in the promises of God. And while faith enables us to come to God, it is love which enables us to imitate Him.

Therefore, hope for a change for the better, whether it comes with the beginning of a new year or the dawn of any new day, must begin with a decision to change ourselves. Making a resolution is a start, it is a confession of the need for the change. But, just as confession must be followed by repentance, the resolution must be followed by action. There is a quote often attributed to Albert Einstein but which probably preceded him which says, “Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” Every failed venture, must be analyzed to determine a cause, followed by a plan for correction.

A favorite old cartoon was called Pogo featuring the antics of animated swamp creatures. One offering showed a variety of these critters dressed in paper hats and sporting wooden swords going off to fight their imaginary foes. They climbed into a flat-bottom boat and with several different participants trying to paddle the boat and being unable to coordinate their efforts, they bumped and thumped among the trees until they slammed into an island causing several of them to roll out of the boat onto the land. At this, Pogo jumped up, raised his sword, and proclaimed, “We have met the enemy, and they is us!”

This may describe many of us. Often the first step to lasting change in our lives is admitting that the problem may mostly be our own fault; it is the result of choices we have made. And if things are to change, we will have to change. But it is also true that we are unlikely to make such change if we rely strictly on our own wisdom and strength. Just wishful thinking, just hoping for a change, isn’t going to get the job
done. We need the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. We need the hope that exists in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope is in the power of the Lord.

Let this be our prayer, “Help me to change Lord, help me to be like You, help me to love like You.”

The Reclaim Ministry

01/09/2024

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