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