Plan A

Merry Christmas! Have you ever thought about Christmas and wondered why Jesus came? In a conversation some years ago, I someone said, "It is so great that God sent Jesus to die for us so that He (God) could love us." Whoa! Wait a minute. That's not why Jesus came. In fact, we have to look all the way back to the story of creation to understand what happened.
Way back in the book of Genesis, God created people. Listen to this story carefully from Genesis 1:26-27. “God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth. God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female.” God, as in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (three persons yet one God), spoke about the creation of the galaxies, the universe, the earth, people, and even mosquitoes before the beginning of time. The plan was clear and it has never wavered. Many people assume that the fall of humanity, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree, made God step back and wonder, “What do I do now?” That was not nor has ever been the case. God is sovereign. In other words, while we live in linear time and look clearly back upon the past and wonder what the future may hold, God has never been so limited. God has always, from the beginning of time, known that Adam and Eve and you and I could not keep the commands of the Law. Jesus was never Plan B. His birth, life, death, and resurrection was always Plan A. A plan that was brought to fruition at the moment God conceived creation. Jesus was always destined to be a part of the story… history… His story!
Do you think that Jesus arrived that first Christmas looking “like us”? On the contrary, Jesus, as revealed in the first chapter of the gospel of John was in there from the start. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” In other words, Jesus was there at creation. He was not born to fit our image, we were created in His. Now that’s awesome!
I also want to point out that Jesus loved people. You may have already known that. But it is good to be reminded that Jesus never went around creating suffering or mayhem upon people, even those who were mean. He never withered someone’s arm or made anyone blind. He healed, taught, and even wept. Do you know what God the Father is like? Like the Son! The other day I was at a basketball game and one of my daughter’s friends, Kylie, came over to me. She is four years old. She loves my daughter and she felt comfortable enough to give me a kiss me on the cheek. Isn’t that like the way we know God? We know Jesus through the revelation of scripture, thus, we also know the heart of the Father.
Plan A was always meant to be a mission of rescue. God knows each one of us and wants to have a relationship with us. Plan A demonstrates that God is good and what God created is good. The Son went on the one man/God mission to bring us home to His Father. Some people thought or still think it was a foolish suicide mission, but that was not nor ever will be the reality. The reality is that Christ’s mission was fulfilled. The world is reconciled to God through the work of Christ. He has cleared away our sinfulness and erased the fall of humanity. He has reversed the curse of Adam. In doing so, we are faced with the reality that we cannot be good enough or keep enough laws to stand before God. It is God and only God who has made it possible for us to be with God both now and into eternity. Jesus (Emmanuel… God with us) has prepared the way. In Him there is wholeness and a home. Jesus came because God already loved and loves us and God wants us face to face with Him. That was always the one and only PLAN. Merry Christmas!

Words To Throw Away

by Dean Denby
I find myself reading a lot of church literature including blogs, books about church growth and leadership, and church websites or religious websites. I also find myself reading a lot of non-church literature and realizing that church literature is actually getting on my nerves.
First, all church literature uses the same language and colloquialisms rather frequently and annoyingly. Why does every church website have to say stuff like, “for the glory of the kingdom,” and, “to reach the lost?” There are many more that I read and hear in, to coin a term my pastor uses, churchianity. At what point did non-churchgoers need a Church-English dictionary to understand just what we’re talking about. I’m sure you could find some express instances on this very blog to bolster my own point. Its the most time-honored and indoctrinated habit brought about through our induction into churchianity. When you are in the church long enough you begin to speak, pray, and ultimately act like them. Its somewhat inevitable but in my opinion kinda creepy.
So from now on I’m going to try and keep myself clear of heavily church-centric jargon in favor of a much more unchurched-friendly linguistic tradition.
Second, its much more prevalent in the actual church services where this church jargon is so thick half of the things that are said hardly have any outside meaning. The problem is that the language that our grandparents spoke is still being used in the church and what we speak at home is totally absent at church. Its slowly creeping its way in but sort of unintentionally and by sheer happenstance. We need to make it a priority to drop the 1950s church lingo in favor of more modern and dare I say more meaningful rhetoric. Now some thing will be unavoidable and I understand that but we need to remember that if we are patterning our churches in such a way as to create a church that people who don’t go to church would want to go to that church(which my church is) we need to remember that there are going to be people in our audience who have no clue what we are talking about. We have guests in our house. Lets be welcoming and inviting to them and keep the inside jokes to ourselves. Church is much more fun when it includes everyone and not just those of us who have been going to church our whole lives. I’m looking forward to the day where our church is filled with people don’t care about churchianity but only care about God.

Josh Cribbs Walks With Late Coach's Son On Senior Night

by Chris Chase, Yahoo Sports

In a dismal year for the Cleveland Browns, wide receiver/returner Josh Cribbs has proved to be one of the only bright spots. Last month he showed he's equally good off the field.

The Pro Bowler traveled to Berea, Ohio, to walk onto the field on senior night with the son of one of his former college coaches. Michael Drake, a senior receiver at Stow High School, lost his father, Mike, in 2005 to lymphoma. He had assumed he'd be accompanied by his mother and sister for senior night introductions and was stunned when he saw Cribbs arrive minutes before the game.

''I looked, then looked away, then said, 'Why are you here?''' Michael recalled. ''I was shocked.''

A receiver, cornerback and holder for extra points, Michael said Cribbs offered advice before his final game.

''He said, 'Play your heart out. This is it. Give it your all. Don't ever stop on any play. Keep pushing,''' Michael said. ''I almost felt worried. I didn't want to look bad for him.''

Michael's late father recruited Cribbs to play at Kent State and served as a father figure to the D.C. native during his time at Kent. Mike Drake was the offensive coordinator for the Golden Flashes during Cribbs' freshman and sophomore seasons. Cribbs played quarterback in college and credits Drake for helping him drive home the fundamentals that he still uses today. So, when the idea of returning for senior night was pitched to Cribbs this summer, he didn't hesitate.

It's a small gesture, but it says a lot about the character of Cribbs. He apparently didn't feel the need to talk about it publicly; this happened Oct. 30 and, as far as I can tell, yesterday's report in the Akron Beacon Journal is the first it's been mentioned. Similarly, Drake's mother is quoted in the piece as saying that Cribbs took great pains to underplay his presence at the game for fear of taking away the spotlight from Michael and the other seniors. This shows a humility that other professional football players could sometimes stand to emulate.

Okay, So Now I Am a Joe Girardi Fan

I USUALLY CAN'T STAND THE YANKEES, BUT THIS WAS PRETTY COOL.

ESPN.com news services
2009 MLB Playoffs

Hours after guiding the New York Yankees to a World Series championship, manager Joe Girardi stopped along a suburban parkway on his way home to help a woman whose car had crashed into a wall, The (Westchester) Journal News reported.

Early Thursday morning, Westchester County police officer Kathleen Cristiano congratulated Girardi on the World Series win as he passed through a drunken-driving enforcement checkpoint, according to the newspaper. Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte, who had started in the Series clincher, had passed through the same checkpoint earlier, she said.

About 15 minutes later, Cristiano was among the first responders to a one-car accident on the Cross County Parkway in Eastchester. She was surprised to again see Girardi, this time trying to flag down assistance, according to the report.
"The guy wins the World Series, what does he do? He stops to help," said Cristiano, according to The Journal News. "It was totally surreal."

Girardi told WFAN-AM that he was "really concerned" because of damage to the car. He says he had his wife call 911 and then approached the mangled vehicle.

The driver of the car in the accident, 27-year-old Marie Henry of Stratford, Conn., was able to get out of the car by the time police arrived, and she was shaken but unhurt, according to the report.

"She had no idea who I was," Girardi said. "I think the important thing is, you know, obviously there's a lot of joy in what we do, but we can't forget to be human beings where we help others out. I think that's the most important thing we can do in life."

Girardi, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, then told them he "had to get going," according to the newspaper.

"The driver didn't know it was him until after I told her," Cristiano told The Journal News.

In stopping to help, Girardi took a risk by running across the eastbound lanes of the parkway near a notorious blind curve, county Sgt. Thomas McGurn said, according to the report.

"He could have gotten killed," McGurn said, according to the report. "Traffic goes by at 80 mph."

Should You Keep It?

A few weeks ago, I heard a story about a young woman who went to dinner with a few friends. She and her friends had a wonderful dinner and the service was excellent. At the end of the evening, she told her friends that she would pay the bill. She quickly gave the waiter her credit card and signed it when he returned. She liked the service so much she gave a generous tip of 25000. How much? Forgetting to use the decimals and accidentally adding a zero, she gave to waiter a 25 thousand (25,000.00) dollar tip. Due to fact that the credit card was her father's and he was a corporate executive with plenty of credit. The amount cleared and the waiter was cut a check. Days later when the error was realized, the question was asked, "Should the waiter return the tip?"

What do you think? This is not a legal question. The law is clearly on the side of the waiter. Thus, it is a question of ethics. The young woman, a college student, was well meaning in trying to be generous for the service rendered, but there was clearly an error. Should you keep something that is clearly legal, yet obviously unethical. I have heard of multi-millionaires and the like give extravagant tips/gifts. (Elvis once walking into a Cadillac dealership and gave a car to a woman who was window shopping.) But in this case, it was a mistake. The reason I bring this up today is this. What is legal and what is ethical?

Many Bible passages speak a great deal about money and possessions, but the one I want to highlight today is found in three of the four gospel stories in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It goes like this, "...some Pharisees and followers of Herod tried to bait him, hoping to catch him saying something incriminating. They came up and said, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, that you are indifferent to public opinion, don't pander to your students, and teach the way of God accurately. Tell us: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" He knew it was a trick question, and said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Bring me a coin and let me look at it." They handed him one. "This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?" "Caesar," they said. Jesus said, "Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his." Their mouths hung open, speechless." (Mark 12:13-17)

The question today is... "What is God's?"

Every year at this time churches are wrapping up stewardship campaigns. Each is hoping to get enough to fund their church programs, staff salaries, and outreach. Some will increase, some will maintain, others will have to cut. But, most churches would have more than enough... if. That is a big "IF". If people gave unto God what is God's, most churches would have more than they need to operate. Our church and others are big on keeping tithing information secret. Only you and God knows what you give and how close your giving is in line with ten percent. Like the waiter, most folks can get away "legally" with giving any amount we choose. But what would happen if every Christian's tithing were to be published in a public way? Would it matter? Probably not, maybe embarrassment would help a few, but I'm not sure. I am sure of this. Jesus calls us to give to Caeser what is Caeser's (the government) and give to God what is God's. Funny isn't it... we seem to dread giving to the government through taxes and many Christians have associated that same feeling with giving to God. And since there is not a "K.R.S. (Kingdom Revenue Service)" to audit anyone, it might be easier to cheat on our tithe. Yes, you can get away with it... your wages won't be garnished or penalties added, it is legal... but as a Christian, is it ethical ?

Should you keep it? Isn't it God's?

I really dislike talking about money, but Jesus sure didn't so forgive me. Jesus calls us to live in obedience and giving is part of that life of discipleship. And no, if you give to the church, don’t expect to win the lottery or get money back, but you will feel better and know you are being a disciple.He does love you so. That is enough. Just like the $25.00 dollar tip to the waiter. Until next time, Blessings.

You Have A Home with God

Recently my favorite movie was re-released on DVD, The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy wants to leave home for new exciting adventures. She wants to go to places and see things and especially get away from Elmira Gultch, or as you know her, the Wicked Witch. As her adventure unfolds, she discovers that she actually misses the family and friends of her family farm. She wants to go home.

What do you think of when you hear the word home? Do you think of a dwelling? A place to belong? Anywhere you hang your hat? Home is not a building or a place, but it is a place where we feel that we belong isn’t it. It is a place of being cherished and cherishing others around you, family and friends. In reality, isn’t “home” about being in relationship with others whom we feel a connection. It is a place where our hearts long to be… a place of comfortable relationships and a feeling of belonging.

There is a place like that. It has been instilled within us from our conception. Into each human being at a DNA kind of level. Eventually this world come us short. Eventually we find there is no place on this earth that is home. Age, circumstance, etc.. leave us knowing this. We seek to be in a better place. The place where we long to be is… with God.

Humankind has searched for God since the beginning of time, it is part of our story. The search for God has been mandated by God so that eventually we can indeed realize that God was never lost, just not clearly seen by us. Being with God is literally like being at home. John 14:20 says, “… you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father, and you're in me, and I'm in you.” Theologian Baxter Kruger puts it like this, “if you take three books and put them together, you still have three books. But what if the three books could read each other? What if they managed to read each other so thoroughly and perfectly that they all began to say the same thing (just) in their own way? Thus, God is like that. God is three persons, (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) but they are not separate, they read each other.”

While you may have already known that about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, did you know that you are also involved? Here is good news. Jesus came to earth to bring us into this eternal circle of relationship. Like a father coming home from a long trip and having his son or daughter jump into his arms and celebrate with joy that “Daddy is home”, so too we have a place with our heavenly Father. The life of Jesus was not only for our sin, but it did something to and with us as well. Jesus’ life placed a bridge across a chasm that was too great for us to cross. As Adam and Eve broke our relationship with God, Jesus repairs our relationship for good. Suddenly in Jesus, our home is assured. No longer are we abandoned or alone, we are adopted and rescued from a life of self centeredness and brought into a life of selflessness. It reminds me of how Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion see the Emerald City in the distance and run toward it.

Do you believe what I have been saying? The Bible insists that this is true. There are no magic words or potions or secret knowledge or buttons or actions or anything to be done. It is just true! It is not about being religious or baptized or how good you are. It is only about the fact that God loves you and has made it possible for you to be with Him forever. Can you believe that? If you can, that is all it takes, that is faith! That is all you do, believe it. Believe the fact that God knows your name and cherishes and accepts you. You may have been deceived by the world and may think yourself homeless or abandoned by God. But it is not true. St. Augustine said, “God has made us and our hearts are restless until we rest in God.” I pray this piece of information will continue to deliver you from the lie of abandonment and homelessness. God loves you. God has, in Jesus, adopted you as His own and you are never too bad or too far away for God to be loved. The rescue party has been sent and you have been saved, “There’s no place like home… there’s no place like home.” And there isn’t. You’ve been there all along, you just may not have known it. Now you do.

The View from the Other Side of the Road

In Luke 10, Jesus was asked what someone needed to do to attain eternal life. Jesus claims the person must love God and love their neighbor. But the man asking the question responds with a question, “Who is my neighbor?” So, Jesus tells this story.
“There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.’ What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly," the man said to Jesus.
Christians do a wonderful job of helping people in need. In aspects of food, clothing, and shelter many Christian people and agencies perform a great deal of outreach in both our nation and the world. The story of the Good Samaritan is one that reaches much farther than it may first seem. To me, the story does speak to the need to help people, but it also speaks to two other issues (maybe more).
First, the Samaritan is considered a “nobody”… a “bad seed.” He is viewed by any Jew of Jesus’ day as someone who can’t be trusted nor respected. Thus, it is an irony that the person who does “a good deed” is this Samaritan. But the twist is that two men of faith, a priest and a Levite (another priest) simply walk on bye the hurt man. Maybe they feared becoming “unclean” and they would not be able to participate in the religious festivities for days. Either way, the Samaritan is the one who places the needs of the hurt man above the needs of himself.
Secondly, I am reminded that helping one man who is beaten is not enough. If he is truly my neighbor, I must question the areas safety and find out if I can protect people from future attacks. The robber could have motive to return and do more harm. Thus, the area must be patrolled by law enforcement and become a place where people can safely travel from Jericho to Jerusalem. Sooner or later, I cannot love my neighbor if I continue to allow acts of violence to be perpetrated upon them without acting on their behalf. This requires a system change doesn’t it? Somewhere along the line, the people must demand change, the government must act to budget for a safety program for the area, the law enforcement must be properly equipped and paid to do the job, and finally the justice system must prosecute and make sure the message of change is clear.
My, this sounds like Jesus actually wants His children (us) to live in a decent, law-abiding societies where people care for each other, look out for one another, and seek resolution to injustices (always in favor of the care of people) when they do occur.
How is the system working in your town? Is it a safe place to live, work, and go to school? If not, what system changes must take place to ensure that everyone is protected? We can complain about drugs, gangs, violence, crime of all types, but it will take the community to stand up in unity and demand that system changes occur. I thought I might say this because, frankly, I, as a pastor, often find myself walking down the other side of the road.

1 YEAR AGO TODAY...

IKE ROARED ASHORE IN GALVESTON, BUT THE EAST TEXAS COAST GOT THE "DIRTY" SIDE OF THE STORM. LEADING TO THE FLOODING OF BRIDGE CITY, TEXAS.

HERE IS A PICTURE.

97% OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES FLOODED!

A Lesson From A Dead Bird

Did you know that in 1914 the last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati zoo. Less than a century before, the passenger pigeon was in great abundance. Just about the size of a chicken, the pigeon was hunted extensively and was known as a good meal. Some blamed the bird's extinction on over hunting, others blamed environmental changes, but many believe the passenger pigeon died out because of its own nature. The birds loved to be with one another. They roosted in the same trees often until a tree would collapse from the weight of so many birds. They pooled together in families and rarely welcomed new pigeons into their group, thus the genetic pool became weak and the birthrates dropped. The main trick hunter's used to kill them was to capture a live pigeon and tie one of its feet to a stool. Other pigeons would flock around the bird and hunters would simply walk out and club the birds to death. Thus, the term "stool pigeon" was born.

Why do I bring this information to your attention? Writer Thomas G. Bandy believes that the passenger pigeon is analogous of many of today's churches. In his book, Moving Off The Map, he claims some churches have become bound by similar problems that led passenger pigeons down the road to extinction. He states that many churches say they are friendly, but the real truth is they aren't welcoming at all. Such churches want people who think and believe as they believe. Not about God, but about all the other non-essentials from dress codes to rituals. If they conform, then that person can become a part of the group. Church members are certainly friendly to one another. In fact, Bandy says that same friendliness, where everyone knows everyone's name, often keeps churches from adding multiple services or spinning off a new church planted because no one wants to leave the roost. Like the pigeons, the church values unity, harmony, and friendliness to a fault. Bandy further says that these good things become problematic when church leaders, both clergy and laity, begin to believe the "rest of the world" just don't love God. They claim themselves to be a "righteous remnant" and actually start looking forward to the church having "a noble death." Such a church begins to look at itself as "survivalist" with few or no options. In most of these situations, clergy worry so much about the next paycheck they may not risk pushing the congregation forward to leave a "rotten roost" and may fear reprisal from church leaders who themselves for various reasons are "tethered" to remain in a collapsing church. Leaders may not want to lose some members by moving either spiritually or physically. Thus, a church continues down its path to extinction because some are scared of change, horrified by a loss of control, frightened of conflict, attached to a building(s), or frozen in time with memories from days gone by.

So, what can churches do if they find themselves in "pigeon" mode? Bandy asserts that change must be systemic. It cannot be small in nature, it must be somewhat radical. In other words, if you want to build an airplane, you cannot build a car, you must build the airplane. Secondly, change must be concentrated. Nothing matters except the Gospel! People either experience the transforming power of God or they don't. Two things... it's that simple.

Yet, it is anything but simple. I see churches dwindling in number and some even closing. There are books written about the problem of evangelism and how to grow, but it still seems to be a secret. Church leaders that are brave enough to push churches forward face extreme conflict and clergy face dismissal.

But there is good news. God is calling people to task. God is raising up leaders and looking for His Church to move forward. The Message never changes but the methods of delivery must. Maybe the lesson from the passenger pigeon is that certain churches will simply die out and others will live on and flourish. The question is… is my church simply a roost for passenger pigeons or is it reaching people for the Gospel? It is a question each church and church member must ponder.

Blessing of the Backpacks starts off school year

The Port Arthur News
By Darragh Doiron

PORT NECHES — Besides books and pencils, the Davis sisters are packing some faith in their backpacks this school year.
Emily and Katie gathered in a circle with Emma Bodden and Sue Ellen Bass at the Blessing of the Backpacks booth on Saturday. Balloons, popcorn and this blessing booth was part of the Providence Church of Port Author back-to-school party at Port Neches Park Pavilion.
Bodden and Bass spent the morning joining hands with students who approached the booth and prayed over backpacks dropped in the center of the circle. They said they prayed the Davis sisters would grow to be “strong women of God.”
Katie, 10, will be hauling her purple and white camouflage backpack to Port Neches Elementary. She said she steered her prayers toward math and science as well.
Emily, 13, said her first few days at Port Neches Middle School have already been busy.
Clay Faulk, Providence Church pastor, said the back-to-school party was a small event this past year, but the congregation decided to invite the community this time around.
The sunny day drew visitors out to watch the river traffic at the park and children seeking shade gathered for all manner of games and face painting. Brenda Theriot managed a tiny, inflatable pool just big enough for a Chihuahua to spin around in. It was filled with ice cubes and colorful chunks of plastic that children fished out with their bare feet.
“The kids say this game is cool,” Theriot said, pun intended

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Is It Really As Hot As Hell?

It's hot. Here in Texas, August is blazing and with what seems like 99% humidity daily. The subject of heat leads me today to explore the concept of hell. Did you know that a recent study showed that while 74% of the people believe there is a heaven, a lesser amount, 59% think there is a place called hell.

It is interesting that many of our churches teachquite differently about the subject, if the subject is even taught. One article I read stated that pastors are fearful about preaching about hell because they may be seen as irrelevant. The Catholic view, as stated by Pope John Paul II in 1999, stated that "hell is a state of those who freely and definitely separate themselves from

God." Some conservative evangelical churches believe that hell is a literal place where there is eternal punishment. In fact, the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board study of 1993 estimated that 70% of all Americans were going to hell because they had not had a born again experience.

According to Alan Bernstein, author of "The Formation of Hell", historical concepts of hell follow from ancient Hebrew views of afterlife. After Babylonian captivity, the Hebrews believed that those who prospered yet tormented others would be punished after death. The Jews were exposed to Zoroastrianism during their exile and learned the concept of an eternal battle between good and evil. Even the Old Testament concept of "Sheol", the realm of the dead, had its roots in mythology and a sense of afterlife reward. The Bible is clear that there is a place called hell. The books of Matthew (chapters 5,10,18,23) Mark 9, Luke 12, James 3, and Revelation 20 all give reference to hell.

Maybe we have avoided the concept because it is such an unpleasant topic. We would much rather think of God's goodness and Jesus' love than think about anything opposite. In fact, I am of the belief that people generally want to think the best for people. I know at funerals, the last thing any loved one wants to think is that their beloved didn't go to heaven. I have also found that a majority of people don't want to seem judgmental in light of death. In fact, who are we to pronounce anyone else's destination. I certainly would never want to be considered "the gatekeeper" and I believe only God has that right. But, because scripture clearly speaks of afterlife and hell, albeit arguable in nature, it must be considered a reality.

Finally, I think the bigger issue is this. Christians must realize that our battle is to follow Christ at all costs. I have been amazed how often the idea of Satan or evil has been dismissed in the Church itself. Isn't it ironic that the first healing Jesus performs in Mark 1:23 is healing a man with an unclean spirit in the church. Yes, there in church was a possessed man in need of healing. Is it no wonder that Satan wants to gain a foothold in churches around the world? Ask any pastor and you will find many who have encountered individuals who "want what they want" not what God wants. Even Peter is told he is serving Satan when Jesus rebukes him. No, selfishness is not necessarily evil, but when it comes to following Christ, it is. Isn't that why the rich young man in Mark 10 could not follow Jesus? I think so. And, in today's culture, I think selfishness is epidemic. Maybe the path to hell is paved with selfish intentions?

Is hell hot? Is it cold? Is it eternal? Is it...? These are all questions that can be argued, but I encourage you to focus on God and the work to be done while here on earth. For example, I know there are penalties for robbing banks, thus I have made my mind up to

never worry about that. To me, hell is a nothing to worry about if we are seeking to do God's will today. So stay cool, the Good News is clear, you are loved and you are forgiven, go now and serve the Lord!

The Larger Picture

Recently on Facebook I was asked to name my favorite movies. What are your favorites? Can you think of them quickly? I remember when I was a teen, the newest and coolest movie quickly took the jump to number one. But now, I think back about all the movies I have loved. The movies that made me laugh like Caddyshack, Dumb and Dumber, or Airplane. The ones that touched my emotions like Saving Private Ryan, Rocky, Braveheart, or Field of Dreams. The ones that we all watch again and again; The Shawshank Redemption, The Wizard of Oz (my favorite), Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Gladiator and so many others. We all have our favorites too, like horror, westerns, war, comedy, action, or even an occasional chick flick. My question is, “Why do so many of us love these movies?”

All of our favorite movies have something in common. A story! There are heroes, danger, love, romance, sacrifice, good verses evil, and always some goal to be obtained that seems to be a long shot. As author John Eldredge says in his book Epic, “… all great stories pretty much follow the same story line. Things were once good, then something awful happened, and now a great battle must be fought or a great journey taken. At just the right moment a hero comes and sets things right, and life is found again.” This story line can be seen even in this summer’s hit Transformers 2 where those on the side of good literally need a resurrection to occur in order to win the battle.

The story seems to speak to our internal souls because they are part of our makeup, part of our DNA. These stories follow suit from the Story of God. It is the Biblical story re-written, re-packaged, re-invented over and over and over again. There are just slightly different twists in the scheme of things. From the Matrix to E.T., there is no shortage of a deep desire to overcome the reality that is death to experience new life and toss death aside like a rag doll. When the resurrection scene occurs, it is dramatic and even emotional. I believe we love movies because they tell us what we know deep inside, we too are part of a larger story. We too have a future unfolding before us that is about a good creation that has run amuck and is in the process of being corrected. We see glimpses of God. We see glimpses of what life might be like if we were free from this world of stained beauty. We see, often in other people and sometimes ourselves, heaven and the future God holds for us. Loving one another and being in a place of peace and delight with a God who we genuinely cares for us and whom we genuinely love and find joy in His presence.

For me, here is the really cool part. The Story, the Biblical Story was written not only to tell us about people like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Paul, John and, of course the hero of it all, Jesus , but it was also written to tell you about you. That’s right. We have a God who loves to tell stories. God loves the drama, laughs at the humor, cries at the tragic, suffers with those who suffer, and who lives life with us, yet God also knows how the story ends in victory over the villain. In the same way that Star Wars is an epic about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader), so too the Bible is a story about the creation, fall, battle, and restoration of our world. Author Eldredge reminds us of these three points. 1) We must realize that all is not as it seems, 2) We are at war with Satan and his demons, and 3) God has a part for each of us to play in His Story. We are to realize that in our daily lives we must always cling to the truth and be an ally to our beloved leader, God.

If you have never thought of yourself as being part of a bigger picture, let me encourage you to see yourself as a vital part of the Story. If you will ask God to lead you, God will present opportunities for you to make a difference on His part. At first, it might be a simple smile to others but you will find your part will grow into a larger role like leading others to know Christ. Who knows what a difference you can make? In fact, YOU can change the world… unbeknownst to us now, but all in accordance with The Story.

A Blog From A Friend...

The follwing I cannot take credit for...
It was written by a friend on a different blog site, but it is so insightful, I wanted as many people to read it as possible. So without further adieu... here is
A Not So Clandestined Meeting
So today I had a very interesting and tragic meeting with a group of local church leaders. Nine churches were represented in a group of 15 people. The purpose of this meeting of the minds was to address the issue of churches dying on the heels of a local church closing its doors. It seemed well intentioned and I was very interested to see what sorts of things were going to be discussed and what kind of outcome a meeting like this would have.
Not a whole lot was actually discussed. We spent most of the time introducing ourselves and talking about what we were doing. Forgive me but when you tell me we are going to a brainstorming meeting to see what we can do as a community to stop our local churches from closing their doors I’m not keen to spend an hour hearing about how you came to settle at your current church or how many kids you have. When it came time to actually throw about ideas instead we bantered about possible meanings and feelings about the word “transformation.”
Now here is the part where I spoke up. Oh you know, if you read this blog then you know how I am and I am not one to gently lay it on the table. I talked about a radical transformation of a church in Canada called Connexus Community Church. The church went from three very traditional presbyterian churches each with their own property and congregations and converged into one body. They sold all their property and started meeting in a school gym. Now they are meeting in a movie theater, holding multiple services, and experiencing amazing growth and very radical transformation. The room was silent and then immediately someone responded saying that what they got out of what I was saying is that we need to focus on small things and let God turn it into something big. I was dumbfounded! Here I am talking about three churches merging into one church, selling all their property, and instead of building another building they decided to meet permanently in movie theaters. Does that sound like they were doing something small to you? I was speechless and even laughed a bit at the absurdity of that statement. It gets better.
At one point one of the pastors spoke up and said that their church leadership was committed to growth and their entire plan of action was to commit to pray fervently for church growth. Now I am in no way saying that they were wrong in fact it should be the very first step. But for them it was the first and last. They mentioned that two people had joined the church recently since their resolve to pray for church growth and at some point another church leader raved about how much growth that was. They were juiced up and excited over two people! I stifled a snicker and basically sat on my thumbs the rest of the meeting. I was yet again speechless. But then again I had a lot to say.
One plus to the evening was there was discussion of attending Catalyst Conference in Atlanta Georgia. Whether or not anyone will go is anyone’s guess and if I was betting money I wouldn’t put my money on very many. They seemed somewhat apathetic about the conference and I yet again decided speak up and plug the conference and its merits before I was interrupted to close the meeting in prayer. Not before it was mentioned that this was just “one” conference and of course it “didn’t have all the answers,” and “if this one doesn’t work we’ll just go to another one.” What confidence and arrogance these people have. Here we are talking about a conference staffed by some of the biggest names in church growth in the world today and we’re giving it a side-glance like you would walking by a pastry in a window.
We ended the meeting in prayer and I and another member of my church made our way out the door. It was a lot less stodgy than I had expected but my expectations weren’t entirely off. When we should be pleading with God and sweating blood and tears trying to eek out a plan of action for our churches we’re sipping our tea and talking about when we’ll meet next month. I don’t ever expect this group to do anything substantial. For something to really take place its going to take much more than small thinking and wishful prayer. We need radical action, transformation of our systems and ways of thinking and doing things, and above all the humility and wisdom to seek out those who do know what they are doing and to get help. We’ll see many more churches close and very possibly several of these churches represented in this meeting. And even then there may be little we can do to save them. It takes real leaders and a people who are willing to change. I don’t see that in this group. It also takes a strong undercurrent of young leaders and I (27 yrs old) was probably the youngest of that group by at least 20 years if not more.
I’ll end this with a small list (you knew I couldn’t resist) of ideas that came up throughout this meeting. I’ll let you be the judge and feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
1.A church plant for the poor. (The comment was that there were many services to the poor such as soup kitchens and such but no place for them to worship. Funny though, why not just invite them to our churches? I’m sure glad to have them at mine.)
2.Community church developments inside nursing homes. (My thought was that most of the churches represented basically WERE nursing homes. Just put up some beds and a few nurses and they’d be set. Or just uproot one of them to a local nursing home on Sunday. Trust me the congregation would love it and would get a meal and a nap to boot.)
3.A new church plant. (Nothing more than that was said really. My thoughts are...do we really need another church?)
4.Pray for growth. (I mentioned this one. The lack of effort on our part seems to stand out to me the most)
5.Going to Catalyst (or other conferences. I would vote to go to Drive but most likely they’ll end up going to some goofy conference put on by the already failing presbyterian church simply because its only a few miles away)
I am so glad for the leadership and vision of my church. Though they have their moments they are light years ahead of these guys in their thinking and in their vision for what they want their church to be. Thank you guys so much for not being like these people.

A 4th of July Declaration

Another 4th of July is just around the corner. I remember fondly some of those wonderful Independence Day celebrations over the years and I bet you can too. Years of grilling burgers, dogs, and chicken, lots of watermelons or home made ice cream. We enjoyed activities such as swimming, going to the beach, golfing with the guys, or just being with friends. The day always culminated with the effort to watch fireworks. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it didn’t. The fourth of July makes me think about our country, but it also makes me think about freedom, as a country and as an individual.
Today I want to talk about something related to independence… the opposite, dependence. I was with a couple of Seniors recently and we were talking about the value of being able to go and do when and where we want. There is an independence that we slowly discover as we grow up and come of age. We all remember the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a car by ourselves for the very first time. From that point on it was a series of breaking free from moving out on our own to getting married… there was great independence.
For most of us, our adult lives have been lived as independent people. We are free to a great degree to live as we please. I think that God created us that way. We have always had freedom of choice, even though that didn’t work out too well in Eden. God never intended us to be zombie-like creatures whom God simply commands to do as He says.
The truth is… we are creatures whose lives are a “catch 22” or a paradox. Our country takes pride in its freedoms. Indeed, we like to think of ourselves as “independent.” But nothing could be further from the truth. We are more like fish in an aquarium. We are utterly dependent upon God whether we recognize it or not or even like it or not. God has always been the eternal parent and we have always been the children. We have never really been independent, even though we think we are. Our dependence upon God ranges from the very breath you are inhaling as you read this, to the offer for Christ to live in you daily, to the salvation you are welcomed into at the end of your life. In light of this truth, it might be a good idea to create “A Declaration of Dependence” with God if you haven’t already done so. Why? Because, at some point, you will realize dependence upon God is a fact of life. You will realize this because you are a human being who has already or will eventually have big problems. And the only solution to life’s big problems will be found in going to a loving God who wants to be there to help you solve or cope with life’s biggest problems. Author Jim Cymbala writes in his book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, “Prayer cannot truly be taught… it has to be born out of a whole environment of felt need.” In other words, when you need God, and you will, then you will find a way to pray! It’s like all those movies that put the person in peril and as a last resort they look up to the sky and say something like, “God, I know I don’t usually do this, but now… I need …” What? They couldn’t handle it all by themselves? Neither can you or I. Do yourself a favor and don’t wait until the chips are down to have a relationship with God. Declare your dependence today and make this a truly freeing holiday to remember. Let’s look at Jesus’ humanly existence here on earth. He prayed regularly and claimed utter dependence on the Father. If Jesus did that, who are we not to? I Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.” I think this must be the scripture my Grandmother she was thinking about when she told me, “Pray in good times and bad.”

Bound To Be Cool

Let’s be honest for a moment. How much of our life has been spent in pursuit of trying to be “cool?” I look back at the years spent as a kid, teen, and adult and I have to say that there has been a good amount of time spent on trying to be cool.
My kids, and likely your kids too, probably think you’re not cool at all. If you would just let them do everything they want then… nahhh. Even then they wouldn’t see you as cool… you’re just too old. What is cool changes from year to year doesn’t it? Cool has been ducktails, penny loafers, bell bottom jeans, pet rocks, peace signs, Members Only jackets, Walkman, jogging, parachute pants, and all those various things that seemed so important at that particular time.
Maybe cool began with questions like, “How do I look?” or “How do I sound?” and “How do other people see me?” These questions have been with people since Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden (Why do you think they both grabbed fig leaves?). For most of us chasing cool started with self awareness. I am not sure when the day comes when real self awareness begins for most, but it has to be sometime in childhood but likely after the first few grades. Little kids don’t really worry too much about being cool… they just like what they like and let you know it. But, at some point, it is imperative to be known as either good at something, respected for something, or at least viewed by others as someone to reckon with in some way. It may be just being known for trying to BE cool (remember Fonzie, aka.”The Fonz” from the TV show Happy Days).
Usually chasing cool is of no real consequence, but we might run into the problem of trying to be “too cool.” A few years back, if you remember, Camel cigarettes used the cartoon character Joe Cool in its ads. I really don’t think too many adults past 30 see a teenager smoking and think, “that’s so cool”, but I suspect that’s often why most teens start smoking. Brad Paisley’s hit song “Online” told us that a certain fellow logged onto his computer and suddenly “lost weight, grew hair, developed six-pack abs, and got cooler online.” Again, it’s not too cool to be such a liar… or at least that un-self aware.
But the one place I think the one place to definitely stop chasing cool is with God. In fact, those who chased cool in Jesus’ day were generally the people he saw as most offensive. They were the people who had to look, act, and speak in ways that simply created a mask of their real selves. These were Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, men throwing stones, and the like. Jesus called people accountable who held onto tradition and ritual above the needs of people. Being “a fool” for Christ, was probably seen as pretty un-cool. But I think that my favorite Jesus description of un-cool is in the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Jesus says the Father saw his son far away and “ran” to him. This is an act that would have been very un-cool. Basically the Father pulled his robe up around his mid section and ran. What an embarrassing sight! Yet, this is how God loves us. Enough to rush to us with no worry about how it looks or what others might think. Thus, we should never be bound by worrying about the same stuff in order to get with God. Passionate worship, lively singing, whatever… if you can be free to glorify God you will never ever worry about being “cool” at church. Never let it bind you up in such a way as to hinder your giving God glory. God wants the real you and God wants you to be focused on… well… God, and not on how you might look to anyone else. 1 Corinthians 4:10 tells us, “We are fools for Christ…” that is, if we aren’t bound trying to be cool. Be real… and that will be cool with God. Until next time, Blessings!

Hey Guys... Pay Attention To This Video

THE DOG HOUSE!

Do Men Fear the "Flanders" Effect?

What is the Temperature of Your Church? That was one of the many questions asked in the book, Why Men Hate Going To Church, by David Murrow. The book is a fascinating response to the real issue that is going on in our world. Men are staying away from the church more than ever before. Did you know that less than 40% of the average congregation are men? In fact, more than 25% of married women attend church without their husbands. According to Christianity Today, many non-Christian men may fear turning into Ned Flanders if they attend church. Who is Ned Flanders? Fans of “The Simpsons” know Ned as the boring, straight-laced fellow who’s doorbell chimes a hymn and whose afraid to let his kids play with dice in the Monopoly game. That depiction of the Christian man is not only ridiculous, but a turn-off to most men.
Biblical advice to the church in Titus 2:6-8 says, “ (the old men should) …encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned…” Murrow claims that many churches have gotten away from taking the temperature of the men and finding out where their thermostat is set, thus, making the church a place men fear. In other words, when you go to a movie, what kind of movie are you going to see? Honestly, guys know a “chick flick” from a “guy’s movie”. You can definitely tell a Hugh Grant movie from Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry can’t you? That is as simple as it gets. Some men hate going to “chick flicks” and some men hate going to church. Men want to be men and feel manly, even at church.
Most churches have more than one thermostat. Many women want their church thermostat set on comfort. That is where the church is decorated with all of the comforts of any self respecting females digs… flowers, plants, doilies, and of course peace. Rick Warren calls these churches “family reunion churches.” If you continue to move the thermostat further you find other settings men fear. Ceremony setting is one where the church’s purpose is to keep traditions just as they have been kept for years. There is a control setting that loves to heap guilt trips and power plays on both men and women and many men just can’t stand that. Similar are the last two thermostat settings of conformity and confrontation. Pressure is put on to make people conform to “the rules” of the church (the Pharisee would have loved that setting!) while confrontation settings turn up the heat so much that men run out wishing they could slug someone, including the Pastor from the harsh words dealt out each week.
So what is the solution since men and women are often as different as Mars and Venus. How can the thermostat be set to keep both genders happy in the same church? While it is not a simple answer, Murrow suggests this thesis… men want to be challenged. Challenging, not in a confrontational manner, but stressing the mission of reaching out to people in service and evangelism for the kingdom of God. It is challenging in caring for those who are needy in spirit and material, but it does not seek personal comfort alone. Such a church challenges from the pulpit in direct to the point teaching, yet it is the church attendees who challenge one another to live lives seeking maturity in Christ. As scripture says, men learn by example. The church must find ways to allow men to see into the lives of other men. That, according to Murrow, will lead men to spiritual maturity. So what is the temperature at your church? I pray that it is one of challenge for men and women.

Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus Christ...

Thanks to Carrie McCullough for this VIDEO... CLICK HERE.

BACK from DRIVE 09...

Here is a hillariously stupid video from Johnny and Chachi we saw at Drive 09, just for a laugh.

Talking to Ourselves?

I have a silly question. “Do you ever talk to yourself?” Of course you do… I think we all have those conversations in our brains. Now for my second question, “Who are you talking to?” Some people may say that they are just rambling to themselves. But if you think about it, maybe there is another answer.
Author John Eldredge tells the story of a Christmas tradition where his family goes into the woods to chop down their annual Christmas tree. It was the weekend after Thanksgiving and John, his wife Stasi, and their two boys scheduled their trip on that Friday. As the week unfolded, things were hectic and crazy, as we all know life can be, but the family was determined to go on Friday. But, John prayed about going. When he did, he said to himself, “we need to wait until next weekend.” Indeed, his wife heard the same thing when she prayed about it. But, they had plans the next weekend and getting the tree would really work best the way they had planned… so off they went! Did I mention that John and his family live in Colorado? That weekend as they headed into the woods, the snow came down in piles and the jeep slid off the road ending up in a ditch. What had been a fantastic family outing turned into an ordeal. After not one, but two flat tires, a dead battery, and 10 degree weather, the family got their Charlie Brown Christmas tree… all three feet of it. Why didn’t John and Stasi listen to God’s wise counsel? Simple, they like so many of us want to do things our own way.
In the Bible, the book of James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and God will come near to you” and the book of Isaiah 50:4 claims, “God wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” God really wants to have a conversation with us. Really. But while God wants to speak with us, we are not attuned to God’s voice. I believe that we can learn to hear God just like we learn to play an instrument. In fact, I think that more than we realize it, we are in constant communication with God.
One evening I was working with the teenagers at my church and I brought up the questions I posed earlier about talking to ourselves. One of the teenagers responded. As I looked at him, I could see the light bulb pop on. He said that just before he grabbed the biggest kid in school in a moment of after school horseplay, the thought burst into his mind….”don’t do it.” With a big grin and a large cast on his right arm he knew that the voice in his head wasn’t solely his own idea, but the voice of God trying to look out for him. We hear that voice from time to time but most of the time, we ignore it. Certainly, even the best listeners miss God’s voice from time to time, but if we ask questions of God, we may find surprising and real answers. “What are you saying?” That is a question that should constantly be on our minds.
So here is the challenge. For the next few weeks, every day take the time to ask God “What are you saying to me?” Take the time after to listen… as in be quiet. It may be done anywhere, just try it and let’s see what you hear. You may even think yourself nuts, but that’s okay we can all be nutty sometimes. I think that in a few weeks, if you practice this simple exercise, I believe you will find God in a closer way. My daughters are taking piano lessons. They have been at it for months. Do you think they play better now or when they started… exactly! You will get better at it, but it may at first seem like sour notes… but simply try it… talk to yourself… talk to God.

Do You Want to Know How to Beat Death?

Have you ever thought about what you want to have written on your tombstone? Some of the better epitaphs on tombstones are, “I told you I was sick!” “Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a 44. No Les, no more.” Guess who’s this is, “My Jesus. Mercy.” – Al Capone.
I think most people avoid talking about death as much as possible. You have probably never been to a party where the subject was part of the conversations. In general, even at after funeral gatherings, people avoid talking about death. We, our society, works hard to avoid getting old. We take pills, vitamins, cosmetics and even cosmetic surgery, and everything that promises to help us look and feel younger. But the truth is, even with all of our efforts, death will certainly come for each of us.
While I am not a betting man, I would bet you that your church saw a marked increase in attendance on Easter Sunday. Just as it did at Christmas (We clergy call many of you folks who come on those two days, Poinsettias and Lilies). Christmas is of course a family time, you know “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” yuletide sort of thing. But Easter, I think there is something else that draws people to church. Aside from bunny rabbits, eggs, and new wardrobes, I think there is something in our DNA that wants to hear the story again and somewhere deep within us, we want to know how to beat death too. That’s the Easter story isn’t it. We never have a parking problem on Thursday or Good Friday, only on Easter morning. There is something about Jesus coming out of that tomb that people really long to know about.
I Corinthians 15:51-57 says, “…Let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true: Death swallowed by triumphant Life! Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now? It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!
The truth is, we cannot beat death, only God can. We can only have faith that we will be resurrected by our loving God. The great preacher Peter Marshall once told this story about death and I think it is the best I have heard. “There was a boy who was dying of a terminal illness. His mother read to him daily and cared for him. He realized that he was not like other kids and over time began to know that he was going to die. One day he asked his mother, “What is it like to die? Will it hurt?” She welled up and had to leave the room. She prayed for an adequate answer and God gave it to her. She came back to her son and said, “When you were very small, you would play until you were exhausted and collapse on my bed. When you awoke the next morning, you were in your own bed with your pajamas on. Your father had scooped you up and taken you to your own room and own bed. That is what death is like. You go to sleep and you Father in heaven will pick you up and lovingly care for you and place you in your own room in your own bed.” The boy understood and was at peace with the answer. A few weeks later, the boy died and indeed, he was lifted up out of his death bed and placed in his own room in heaven.” Indeed, God has a place for you in heaven. John 14 tells us this truth as well. “Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live.” Maybe you can write on your tombstone, “I’m not here, this grave is empty and my room in heaven is now taken.”

IT IS Never OVER!!

Last Sunday, Easter, we showed this clip with a message that "It's Not Over!" 

Do you feel defeated?  Do you feel beaten?  Then this message is one of victory.

Enjoy.

click here for the video

Wake Up, There’s A War Going On Here!

Wake-up… wake-up! The voice roused me from my sleep and I felt a tug on my shirt to get up and get going. It was my brother-in-law getting me out of my warm bed to pile into the station wagon for the long trip to Duke Medical Center. I was ten years old and my mother had what would be terminal cancer. This particular night was not totally uncommon, just too common. She was in such pain that she couldn’t stand it anymore and had called my sister and her husband to come help her. For years I didn’t understand why my mother had to deal with cancer. Why I had to live without her. If God is loving, then why is life sometimes so unloving? The answer, while not simple, can be partly found in a biblical truth that many Christians miss because they are snoozing like I was that night.
The fact is… we live in a world that is at war. What… you thought life should be full of peace? The world in which you and I inhabit is one that by its very nature is at war. There is a raging battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. The battle has been going on since the Garden of Eden and rages on today. While the victory was won on the cross of Calvary, Satan refuses to go quietly into the night. He is determined to battle on, thus, we must face his wrath in our lives.
So why fight, I did say that Jesus won on Calvary. You don’t have to fight. Indeed, you do have choices, God is not one of forced labor. But, when people don’t battle evil, they suffer for it. In Deuteronomy 1:26-41, the Israelites are punished for 40 years for refusing to fight the Amorites. It is not suffering because of God, it is suffering which is self inflicted because evil is allowed to get a foothold. Ephesians 6 says it very clearly, “God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life.”(The Message)
So wake-up. Sleeper arise, wipe your eyes and do not be in denial! If you don’t believe me, how about C.S. Lewis who says in his book, Mere Christianity, “One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe—a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death, disease, and sin . . . Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong. Christianity agrees . . . this is a universe at war.” Indeed, a war of the spiritual realms and the fleshly realms. Author John Eldredge puts it this way, “I am staggered by the level of naïveté that most people live with regarding evil. They don’t take it seriously. They don’t live as though the Story has a Villain. Not the devil prancing about in red tights, carrying a pitchfork, but the incarnation of the very worst of every enemy you’ve met in every other story. Dear God—the Holocaust, child prostitution, terrorist bombings, genocidal governments. What is it going to take for us to take evil seriously? Now back to my story. God is loving, pain ends and eternal life is given. I know my mother’s faith and I know her place in God’s loving arms although I still grieve for myself. Unfortunately, we live in a war torn world. Bad things do happen. Disease, violence, poverty, war, corruption and all those hideous things are not the product of our good God, but a symptom of a world that has fallen from the presence of sin and forces opposed to God. This Easter, know that the victory is won, but don’t forget what led to the tomb: a trial, a beating beyond belief, and inhumane torture at the hands of those influenced by Satan. You have an enemy. Now wake-up and let's go, war is at hand.

What Happened To The American Dream

What’s going on in our world? Every day things seem to be getting worse. People are losing their jobs, the stock market is down, the banks are teetering on collapse, and it seems that things are simply spiraling downward. Someone even recently told me that the end of the world is coming soon. I asked, “How do you know?” She said, “Look at all the horrible things happening in our world.” I certainly see her point. What’s worse is that it seems to be a rigged game. You know a con game like “Three card Monte”. It seems to me that the people or agencies that our country has long entrusted as keeping society safe have failed us. Crime is rampant. Oh, I’m not talking about “old fashioned” crime of break-ins, theft, even violence, although we have plenty of that. I’m talking about the criminals who have robbed our retirement accounts, savings, and allowed systems to enable unscrupulous people to profit from it all. Much of this “white collar” crime is to blame for our country’s economic and social problems, even the world’s problems. It seems that the world has become more and more Darwinian, survival of the fittest. The Golden Rule seems to be “he who has the gold rules!” And the question is what can we do about it?

Conventional wisdom seems to be at a loss here. I have listened to smart people debate the issues that are in front of us. Little has changed. Maybe we must begin to acknowledge that our problems are not new. I am not a prophet of gloom and doom. I am a realist who

looks at the world my children and grandchildren will inherit and I wonder what it will be like for them. History tells us that ancient Rome fell and many, many other empires have come and gone. If we are going to continue, things must change and change soon.

Our society has to begin to realize that people matter, especially the common person. Jesus tells the story of the widow who gave her last two coins to the church in Luke 21. Jesus’ point is not that the poor widow has given all that she had, the point of the story is… SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN OUT OF MONEY. Those who had wealth should have cared for her. This is not welfare, but true benevolence to someone who was in need. It was more important to take care of the widow than to show off their wealth. All of the people whom Jesus is speaking to think they are “good people”. They have forgotten to be sure that the widow has not only enough to put in an offering to God, but she should not be down to her last coins in the first place. Most folks want the basics of a good life. Most folks are willing to work for those benefits. But our government has to ensure that the system is at least fair. Isn’t that what we want a fair system where we can make the best of our opportunities? We may not strike it rich, but we want a chance to prosper and rear our families.

How warped has our society become? I have a friend who worked for an NFL football team. Last Monday he got laid off as a “cost cutting move”. Meanwhile the team negotiated a 40 million dollar deal with an offensive lineman. Yep, they needed his meager salary and

took the chance that such a move might ruin his family. Ironically, the team sought him out to hire him because of his skill. He just happened to be the last hired in his department, it had nothing to do with his performance at all. That’s just business. I wonder what Jesus would say about that?

Will the world end soon as my friend said? I don’t know, but I do know that our society must wake up and begin to look out for its most precious resources, people and prayer. I hear the words of Maximus from the movie Gladiator… “There was once a dream that was Rome, it shall be realized.” Maybe we can recover the dream that once was America. God help us.

Two Bowls, Two Champions

Football season has come to an end and so I and many of you have an empty place within us until next fall when they tee the ol’ pigskin up again. But before we say adieu, I want to revisit the two championship games from both college and the NFL.

First let’s look at the final college game. It was the University of Florida against Oklahoma University. One of the participants was the Florida was quarterback Tim Tebow. Tim is a young man with a great deal of talent. But that’s not why I am writing about him. Talent in college football is everywhere. In a game like that, talent is shared by all. It’s not a case of who has any, only a case of how much each has. The Sooners had their own star quarterback (and Heisman Trophy winner) Sam Bradford. But Tebow stands out, not because he won the Heisman the year prior, but because of his clear and bold statements about his Christian faith. Tim is even bold enough to sport scripture on the black patches under his eyes that he wears during games. Tebow says this about his faith, “If people don’t believe it, that’s fine. There’s always going to be nay-sayers, people that are going to say it’s fake. But that’s fine, because you can’t control everybody. But I can control what I do, my attitude, how I approach the situation. How I approach the situation is I want to do everything in my power that football gives me to influence as many people as I can for the good, because that’s going to mean so much more when it’s all said and done than just playing football and winning championships.” Before last season began, Florida coach Urban Meyer was asked about his star. Meyer responded not about football, but about how Tebow has inspired the Coach to go with his own family on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. “Tim has done a lot of things that opened my eyes, and that’s one of them,” Meyer said. “To have our children experience that, with three other families, it was a life-changing experience.” What a witness for Christ!

The second player I want to highlight is none other than Kurt Warner, the star quarterback from the upstart Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were in the Super Bowl for the first time ever. But Warner had been to the big game twice before with the St. Louis Rams. He had won one and lost one. He is a guy who, after spending some time stocking grocery shelves, caught on with the Rams as a back up quarterback in 1999. When the Rams needed him, he stepped in and delivered. But, like so many other players in the NFL, his talent got him recognized, but his faith in God and willingness to speak about his faith has set him apart. Warner said, "If you ever really want to do a story about who I am, God's got to be at the center of it. Every time I hear a piece or read a story that doesn't have that, they're missing the whole lesson of who I am." In Warner’s own words, his faith defines him. No the Cardinals did not win, but that fact is irrelevant, Warner, Tebow, and anyone, including you, who witnesses about God’s love, mercy, and grace is and always will be… CHAMPIONS!

We look into the book of Acts to explain such zealous behavior by these two men. Acts 1:8 reports that Jesus promises, “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Be bold and brave! May the Holy Spirit’s power descend upon all Christians who read this message so that we too may claim the mantle of champion witnesses.

Hail to the Chief

It has been an exciting week in our nation. Our country is living new history
in electing Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. For those who voted for him and those who did not, he is the President… period. For the Democrats and the Republicans, he is the President… period. For the Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, etc… even the Atheist, he is the President… period.
Scripture tells us how we are to respond to our new President. Romans 13:1-7 makes this bold statement, “Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you're irresponsible to the state, then you're irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you're trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you'll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you're breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren't there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and He uses them to do it. That's why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it's the right way to live. That's also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, and respect your leaders.”
The apostle Paul wrote this to the Roman church in an era when the Emperor Nero was on the throne. Nero was a horror of an authority. He was the one who blamed the Christians for everything that went wrong and began a brutal era of killing Christians for sport and pleasure. Could the people respect him? Maybe not much, but Paul advises Christians to live in their society within the bounds of rule, order, and government. Today we can hear these words again afresh. I prayed for President Obama on election- day for his safety. I pray that his policies will be benevolent and for the best possibilities for his Presidency. I pray that our country will come together in reaching agreements that will be sound in judgment and prudent for future generations. Our economy is a wreck and there are those who need to be brought to justice for some of the crimes committed.
Ultimately though, there is free will. Free will allowed Nero to behave like a mad man. Free will enabled someone like Adolf Hitler to terrorize the world. But, free will brought Emperor Constantine to proclaim Christianity the religion of much of the known world. Free will enabled so many great leaders to choose to be the difference maker in helping the citizens each represented. You and I will continue to pay our taxes, obey the laws, and be respectful of our elected and appointed officials. But at the same time, I encourage you to be in prayer for President Obama, our legislators, and our judicial officials. May they use their will and authority to bring this country into line with what God wants for His people. Until next time, Blessings!