Giving the Way Jesus Intended

What was the best Christmas gift you have ever gotten? Was it something that was unexpected? Was it something someone made by hand? Those tend to be the best gifts when someone thinks about something you really need or want or simply take the time to make something unique. Now, what was the worst gift you have gotten?

You might need to think hard about it, because we tend to forget the worst and remember only the good ones. But I am sure you got some terrible gift along the way. Maybe it didn’t fit and you couldn’t return it or it was simply the ugliest thing you have ever seen!

Indeed, the Christmas season is about spending time with family and friends. But sometimes a funny thing happens when we get together with those folks. We somehow desire to return to the days when things were better and maybe happier. The “return to home” is at the heart of Christmas. Home that is a place where we all get along and love one another. Unfortunately, many families and friends get together and inflict pain on one another. The pain may come from words that wound or being together just brings up bad memories of days gone by that were hurtful The holidays become a time of simply surviving.

Isn’t it comforting to know that God doesn’t want you to live that way. God wants us to enjoy our family and friends. If you suffer from having to deal with painful memories or “psycho” relatives, God wants you to be able to not simply endure, but overcome.

I want to suggest three ways the Bible suggest to help us. The first is to pray for those who have wounded us to be forgiven. Jesus forgave even those who hung Him on a cross, thus we are to forgive others as well. The second is to pray for them to be healed. Jesus healed people even when they didn’t believe in Him. The final is to pray for them to be blessed. This last one is the hardest of all.

There is a true story of a man whose sister was sexually abused by a male adult family member. Many years passed and the man grew from boyhood to manhood. He had not acted upon the abuse and was still upset with the uncle. When the uncle came down with a terminal disease, the man was glad. He found his heart was still full of anger and rage even though his sister had been healed through counseling and her faith in Christ. He too needed to make things right. He sat down and wrote a letter to the uncle and took it to him. The uncle was now blind and could not read and the nurse read it to him. After reading the letter, the nurse knelt down by the bed and prayed to accept Jesus in her heart. She wanted a God who could have made such hatred forgive. The uncle too cried and prayed for Christ. Today, the man says he is healed too and his prayer for his uncle to be blessed came to fruition. Not only that, but the nurse came to Christ through his act of forgiveness.

This Christmas give a real gift of forgiveness. It will be both healing and a blessing to you and maybe to those for whom you forgive. Until next time, blessings.

WHY PROVIDENCE???

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DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE!

Why Tell Anyone About Jesus?

Years ago a man I know sat across from me and we were speaking about the future of the church, not a particular church, but the church in general. We spoke of the years he had spent in the church as a child and how over his lifetime he had seen the church decline in attendance and he couldn’t understand why. He told me that he thought that the generations had gotten lax and had failed to comprehend the value of the church and would suffer in the end. When I asked him about evangelism and what the church could do to reverse attendance, he made a startling, yet not uncommon, statement. He said, “Well, you know, I have never needed to tell anyone about God… I live my life in a Christian manner, I treat people well, and I’m basically a good person. I don’t have to actually tell people about God.”
Really? What happened? It is clear that something had happened in this man’s life to make him think that sharing his faith in the lordship of Jesus Christ was not only unimportant, it was not needed at all. Somewhere along the line he had gotten the message wrong. He had gotten the message that the church was some king of social agency. It simply existed to help the poor and needy. While that is certainly a noble cause, the church doesn’t exist for that purpose. Social outreach is a by-product of Christians who care. The church exists for two reasons, to worship God and to tell people about Jesus.
So here is the big issue. Why did the church fail to communicate the importance of telling others about the joy and incredible life one finds when living in a relationship with Jesus Christ? My opinion… the church failed to impress upon its members the dire nature of life without God. That’s right, the church failed to acknowledge a place called “Hell.” Here’s the kicker. If you believe there is a God and God exists, then you really might want to believe that being without God is Hell. In a recent poll, over 60% of people polled did not believe in a place called Hell. And there are many who believe in a place of fire and torture and others who believe it is a metaphysical place of absence with God, either way, neither is a pleasant state of being. The Bible is clear about it, there is a hell and it isn’t a party. It is a place to destroy Satan, demons, and unbelievers.
Do people just not take the possibility of Hell seriously? That is possible. I don’t want to come off as judgmental. I certainly don’t know who will or will not go to heaven, but I do know that I want as many people to go to heaven as possible. I want people to know that God is wonderful and life with God will be wonderful. Life without God is empty, unfulfilling, and ultimately worthless.
Finally, I want to go back to my friend in the first paragraph. Sadly, he had the criteria wrong for who is a Christian. He had been misled to believe that “good” people go to heaven and “bad” people go to hell. Thus, in his mind, I believe, he thought that those who don’t go to church (know God) would get what was coming to them and it was just. Isn’t it ironic… that is not what the Bible says at all. Those who are good have no ticket to heaven. The ticket to heaven is given as a gift. Good people don’t go to heaven, forgiven people go to heaven. All it takes is to realize that we are all broken and in need of God’s gift of healing and, yes, salvation. Please… share that information with someone you care about!

A Lesson Learned From Finger Painting

This past summer I attended a wonderful seminar on the subject of the church and family called “Think Orange.” The idea is simple. We all learned as children that primary colors mixed together make new ones (although most of time my efforts resulted in the color ugly!). The church is represented by the color yellow. The family is red. When we join them, we get Orange! Orange is when these two powerful forces work together to be more potent.
If you are a parent or grand-parent what do you believe are the most important things in a child or teens life? Toys? Bikes? Cell phones? Cars? While some kids and teens believe those things are most important, many parents want kids to have something more eternal… an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ.
That is what Think Orange is all about. Helping our children grow into mature Christians who not only love Jesus but love His church and the broken people in a broken world. While the type of education someone gets is important, it pales in comparison to the education we all should have about God.
A separation between the Church and Family has become apparent because many families don’t believe that the Church really has anything relevant to say about rearing kids. The Church has often looked at parents and said, “be like God as much as possible… or, you are the closest thing to God your kids will see,,, or only, see you next week.” There is also no such thing as a perfect family… only families struggling with this, that, and the other. Thus, there is no “normal family.” Sadly, many parents have just checked out because they know that life at home is far from the “Father Knows Best” or “Cosby Show” families portrayed on TV. It is more like the Brady Bunch on a really, really bad day. Life is complex because it now involves not only kids, but also step-kids, second or third marriages, etc… Most families aren’t made up of a first marriage and two biological kids. Even our culture tells us church has nothing significant for families at church. Baseball, soccer, and other family oriented events are now scheduled on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, both previously thought of as church times.
So what are we to do? Think Orange! Moses said in Deuteronomy 5 that we are to “ be very careful to act exactly as God commands you. Don't veer off to the right or the left. Walk straight down the road God commands so that you'll have a good life and live a long time...”The church is called to help parents by asking parents to spend quality time with kids, asking other Christians to spend time with kids, and seeing the whole process as an opportunity to trust God. For whatever reason, God seems to work through families, from Adam and Eve to Jesus to you. Have you ever wondered why so often the Bible gives genealogies or boring facts of who’s related to whom? It is because families are important. It may not even seem like it, but your family is part of a larger story. What role in God’s story will you or your children or your children’s children play? Who will they impact in their lives? What difference will they make for God? Who will grow up to be the next Billy Graham or Beth Moore or the hero who saves someone’s life or a great prayer warrior? Can you imagine if parents and churches partnered to help families be real and honest about the struggles of life and work to live as broken people in a hurting and broken world? I sure hope you can.

GRAND OPENING!

Getting Ready

Music

M

JUST HAD A GREAT TIME!

SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY!

Something Different

A couple of years ago someone asked me, “When did you change churches?” She went on to say that she reads this column and she thought that I had changed churches because the name of the church at the end of the article changed. I responded, “No ma’am, I didn’t change churches, the name of the church changed!” Five years ago this summer I moved to the area to pastor the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. Two years later, the church decided to relocate and at the same time change the name. But, something else was going on besides just a name change, God was making changes too.
Over the course of a few years, God was setting a fire in the hearts of the members of the church I serve. The people began to realize that their church had become stagnant and the days of reaching people for Christ had peaked back in the 1980’s. The landscape had changed and it was time to relocate and start over. With that came the name, Providence Presbyterian Church, now simply Providence. Indeed “providence” is what was happening. According to Webster’s the word means, “to understand that God is the power that is sustaining and guiding human destiny” We see in scripture that God provides… in the desert of Exodus, Psalms, Job, Galatians and others books. Today I want to mention John 21where Jesus provides for Peter and then tells him to “feed the sheep” and Matthew 28 where Jesus tells all the disciples “go and make disciples.” Both are commands not requests. Jesus wants disciples to tell others about Him and that’s an order! Unfortunately, it has too often become the case that churches forget to focus upon reaching out and become divine social/country clubs for members. This isn’t new to our day as it happened in the ancient churches as well. But, there comes a time when churches must decide what is most important… follow Jesus’ command or not. It is that simple!
I have heard it said that insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Providence Church decided that it was not only the name that needed changing it was the heart of the people, worship style, music, and attitude. The church has embarked on a mission “to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.” And to that end, nothing else matters!
With our goal in mind, we studied many churches that were reaching people across our nation. We decided that the best way to proceed was to create an environment where people could come to a building that felt casual, comfortable, and practical. Casual, as in, people can wear shorts, tee shirts, jeans, skirts, slacks, just as long as they have clothes on! Comfortable, as in, a place that feels laid back and relaxed. We provide practical and solid theological messages which apply to daily life. All that and with modern, upbeat music that sounds like something I might hear on the radio.
Needless to say there was opposition. Some folks didn’t want to see change. That has been a struggle even though we still have a traditional service at our Jimmy Johnson campus. Change is hard. But, Billy Graham was right many years ago when he said, “the message never changes, but the methods must.”
If churches want to be fishers of men and women, churches will change… or die.
So, yes, I guess the answer I gave to the woman’s question about changing churches was wrong. I have changed churches. I am now part of a church that sees Jesus’ commands as a way of life. We wanted to provide a church for people who don’t really like church. Thus, it is something different. Providence Church opens its new building at 5315 North Twin City Hwy this Sunday at 10 a.m. So if you don’t regularly attend a church, come give it a try.

CASUAL, COMFORTABLE, PRACTICAL... NOT JUST ANOTHER CHURCH... SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Preoccupied?

Are you busy? Do you have a job, married, single, have kids, have fun,... anything? If you do, then you are probably caught up in the game of LIFE. When we are so busy it can take something dramatic to get our attention. But when we do have those moments, we suddenly find ourselves face to face with our own mortality. When that moment strikes, what gives you comfort?
For most people on this planet, surveys indicate that there is a belief that "God is good." Therefore, those same folks believe that "... if they are good, then God will let them into heaven."
Sounds reasonable right? Wrong!
Did you know that the common factor in all the big religions is the idea that how you live your life now will effect the future life. Ironically, that has also become a false belief in Christianity too.
But it seems right. It seems only fair that good people go to heaven, I mean , if bad people go, could it really be heaven? If people are simply keepers of the Law, can't that get them in?
But who is good and by what standard can we judge goodness? Romans 3:23 makes this claim, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Therefore, who has kept the Law? Who is good enough to get into heaven on their own merits? Has there ever been a test?... a final?... a midterm? You see the Law was not given to be kept. It was given to let us know that we are unable to keep it and we are guilty of breaking it! Thus, we needed a Savior not a lawyer.
Jesus, the Savior, tells us that people don't get what they deserve... good or bad. He makes a startling claim, Good people don't go to heaven... Forgiven people go to heaven! All of Jesus' ministry he spoke this truth. Those who rested their faith upon their own merit fell short while those who believed they were sinners and needed God to forgive them and that Jesus embodied that forgiveness were headed to heaven. In other words, God, in Jesus, removed our sin the way Shout cleans the stain out of our clothes. God stepped in and God took what we (everyone)deserved and took it upon Himself. God cleaned up our mess. All are welcome, all can meet the requirements, and all come in the same way. What could be more fair? In fact, beyond fair... it is gracious of God to do such a thing... downright amazing. Until next time, Blessings.

FUEL arrives Sept. 12th!!!

FUEL... To Get You Ready For Your Everyday Life

Sunday September 12th at 10 a.m.

The modern worship service at North Twin City Hwy campus of Providence Church is now being tweaked and will debut on that Grand Opening Sunday!

We wanted to create an environment

for people who like God, but don't like church.

FUEL is a modern worship service that incorporates

rock and roll/adult contemporary styled music

with

practical and relevant messages

based on classical solid biblical theology.

We have classes for kids that teach and reach

with fun activities and instruction.

(There is even and Indoor Playground)

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD FUN AT CHURCH?

PROVIDENCE... Discover the Difference!

You Can Make A Difference Right Now

The Youth Group had wonderful summer conferences. The Middle School Students went to Jackson, Mississippi while the Senior High went to BigStuf in Panama City, Florida.

In Panama City, there was no oil to be seen, only white beaches and emerald green water. 1500 youth from all across the southeast enjoyed incredible speakers, humor, and awesome music throughout. During the event, the youth heard presentations about the need to help our brothers and sisters in Africa with education and clean water. Did you know that every 20 seconds a child dies from lack of clean water? Every 20 seconds! (and yes, the picture to the right is the filthy water that child is getting ready to drink!)

Children and youth suffer from malnutrition and kids are turned away from school in some cases because the family cannot pay the tuition. If they get to school, they usually have overcrowded conditions and very few school books for the large amount of students. Going to school in the U.S. is often considered monotonous or drudgery, in Africa it is
a priviledge and dream to be able to attend classes and get an education.
Out of the Senior High experience, I was introduced to a group called the 410 Bridge. (www.410Bridge.org) The group, founded by Pastor Lanny Donohoe,

realized that the plight of the poor is overwhelming, so they decided to pinpoint a particular place to make a grand impact. That place is Daraja, Kenya. There, because of giving people like you, kids are being fed, wells are being dug, education is taking place (and we know how much Lutherans and Presbyterians love education) and buildings are being constructed. All this is to begin to stem the tide of extreme poverty in this African village.

You can give to this project in either of two ways. You can pick up your cell phone and dial "50555" and text the word "think". You will recieve a reply asking if you want to add $5 to your phone bill and it will go to directly to the 410 Bridge African project.

Finally, a second opportunity to reach out to our global neighbors is available.
World Vision is sponsoring a concert in Beaumont on October 8th at the Ford Arena. A limited number of tickets are available. This concert features Michael W. Smith, Third Day, Toby Mac, and Max Lucado speaking. All proceeds go to World Vision hunger programs. You can see more at www.makeadifferencetour.com

You have been blessed. We, the people of the United States, have been blessed. Today, I am asking you to give a little bit to this cause on a regular basis. If you want to know where a person's heart is, check their calendar and their bank statement. This is a direct way to give to a charities that will use every possible dime to serve people in need. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10