ChurchBlog

Eat and Grow

2011-08-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

When my boy isn't eating his food I look at him and say, "you need to eat so you can be BIG and STRONG." He smiles at me and tries to copy my flexing gesture, and begins to eat. I was thinking about that this morning. The whole idea that if he didn't eat, he really would begin to get weaker and weaker. He needs food to grow and he needs it for strength

Well, when I think about my spiritual life, I truly want to grow. But if I am honest, I often don't want to eat. I just want it to happen: no effort, no energy...just happen. But that isn't how things work. That is only the way our selfish and lazy minds work. We want something, but don't want to put the work into getting it. Ponder this idea. Ask yourself what you are truly after. If you truly desire God, than no amount of work, pain, or struggle will side track you from pursuing him. But if what you are after is your own good, than you might just find laziness more appealing than God himself.

You need to eat your (spiritual) food so you can be BIG and STRONG! Feed yourself.

Controlling our Hope (Part 2 of 2)

2011-08-06T10:27:00.006-05:00

I can’t control the weather.

I can’t control who lives.

I can’t control my kids.

I can’t control my wife.

I can’t control what people think of me.

I can’t control what is demanded of me.

I can’t control when unexpected costs come.

I can’t control if I get a disease or major health problem.

I can’t control if I get hit by a car.

I can’t control if my “stuff” works how it’s supposed to.

I can’t control my kid’s health and safety.

I can’t control my brain to function as it should.

I can’t control politics.

I can’t control who wins the Super Bowl.

I can’t control.

Thinking about life makes me realize how little is up to me and how much is out of my hands. Why then, do I spend so much physical and emotional energy trying to control what I can’t…all the while neglecting the very things I can control.

By God’s grace and through the power of the Spirit, I can control my obedience to Him.

I can be faithful by saturating myself in God’s word, whether I feel like it or not.

I can be faithful by loving my wife, despite how she responds.

Loving and disciplining my kids, whether it is easy or exhausting.

Sharing my faith, whether people respond or not.

Sometimes faith seems complicated, but I think that is because our hope is in so many different things and we try to control all those things. Maybe faith is simple. Our duty is to obey God and keep his commands (Eccl 12:13). It is that simple. What makes it complicated is not what is asked of us, but that our desires are not where they should be. It gets complicated because our sinful hearts pull us in so many directions, and in that we try to control much of life around us. Maybe it is time to stop trying to control so many things. Time to stop being anxious and worried over things we can’t control. Time we just look at what God has called us to be obedient to, and do it. Time we trust God for all that other stuff, and focus our energy where it should be focused. After all, trying to control these things instead of trusting God accomplishes nothing except revealing our hope is in something other than God Himself.

Controlling our Hope (Part 1 of 2)

2011-08-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

I hope I make a difference.

I hope my marriage thrives.

I hope my kids love Jesus.

I hope to provide for my family.

I hope people like me.

I hope to enjoy life.

I hope tragedy doesn’t strike those close to me.

I hope my neck stops hurting.

I hope it rains.

I hope my car will work when I turn the key.

I hope to have more kids.

I hope our economy will strengthen.

I hope.

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” -1Pe. 1:13

Hope. Fully. Those words rise from the page as I read this verse. How many different things is my hope in? How many things, even good things, do I hope for because I want them to come true. Yes, it is a good thing to want to make a difference. But is that a hope I have because of what I want? Or is it a hope that overflows from a hope that is fully on Jesus Christ? How would my life look if my hope were fully on the grace that is to come? How would it be different? Why am I so far from that?

All these little hopes seem harmless, but in the end focus my attention and energy away from the sovereign plan of God. Why do I hope it rains? If God wanted it to rain, it would rain. So why not, instead, hope in God through the drought. Hope that He will accomplish his purposes through this. I believe that as we are swept away by the greatness and beauty of who God is and what He has done, that our lives will be changed. It is not trying harder, doing this or that, or learning more that will transform us into who we are called to be. We need to hope in Christ. Fully. Everything else will work itself out though that hope.

Self Esteem

2011-07-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

There is a lot of talk about self esteem today, especially in circles that work with youth. People beleive that if we can get kids to feel better about themselves then they will be more likely to suceed and less likely to fall into depression or drugs. Christian organizations and youth groups have adopted this same philosophy, yet there is a huge problem with it: it isn't Biblical.

Think about it. Do you think Adam and Eve needed self esteem? No! In fact, they only began to worry about their self-esteem after they sinned. This tells me that the focus on self and worry about self worth is a product of the fall. It is a result of sin. So if Adam and Eve didn't have self esteem before they sinned, what did they have? They had, what I like to call, God esteem. They found their worth in God and who they were in Him. Their thoughts and lives revolved around God and His glory, not around their own thoughts and their own glory.

What this means for us is that we need to think less about what we do, less about who we are, and less about our status in society. We need to think more about who God is, more about what Christ has done, and more about our identity in Christ. This means when we get down we don't need to convince ourself of our worth, rather we need to remember that no matter what, our lives our hid with Christ (Col 3:3). Nothing can separate us from God's love (Rom 8:38-39). And that our identity does not change in Him. When we begin to do this, no longer will our identity change based on circumstance, rather it will be changeless, regardless of how you feel. Just the thought of this brings hope to the downcast, hope to the anxious, and hope to the sinner who is flooded with guilt.

Self Esteem focuses on how you feel about what you have done. God esteem focuses on who you are because of what Christ has done for you.
Self Esteem focuses on your changing identity in culture. God esteem focuses on your changeless identity in Christ.
Self Esteem is about how I feel about myself, leading 2 obsessing over self. God esteem is about how I feel about God, leading 2 worship.

The Christian Walk

2011-05-31T17:03:00.002-05:00

After hearing a sermon, there are some key points or feelings you usually take from it, but it is often difficult to remember the details. Since my sermon was about the Christian walk, I wanted provide some of the details from the sermon in writing, so they can be remembered and referred back to; Because if we miss the purpose of the Christian walk…we will miss Jesus.

Below are the 3 main points (from Col. 2) I communicated followed by the quote by Tullian Tchividjian (Presbyterian Pastor and great grandson of Billy Graham). His quote sums up beautifully what the Christian walk is about and how we are to grow in it.

1. You are completely full in Christ. Everything you need, in Christ, you already possess. So don’t seek fullness anywhere else, you have it.

2. You have triumph because of Christ’s triumph. It isn’t about what you do but what Christ has already done for you.

3. You live the life you are called to live because of your love for Christ, not to gain the love of Christ.

“I’m realizing that the sin I need removed daily is precisely my narcissistic understanding of spiritual progress. I think too much about how I’m doing, if I’m growing, whether I’m doing it right or not. I spend too much time pondering my failure, brooding over my spiritual successes, and wondering why, when it’s all said and done, I don’t seem to be getting that much better. In short, I spend way too much time thinking about me and what I need to do and far too little time thinking about Jesus and what he’s already done. And what I’ve discovered, ironically, is that the more I focus on my need to get better the worse I actually get. I become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my performance over Christ’s performance for me makes me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective. After all, Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on “how he was doing”

So, by all means work! But the hard work is not what you think it is–your personal improvement and moral progress. The hard work is washing your hands of you and resting in Christ’s finished work for you–which will inevitably produce personal improvement and moral progress. Progress in obedience happens when our hearts realize that God’s love for us does not depend on our progress in obedience. Martin Luther’s got a point: “It is not imitation that makes sons; it is sonship that makes imitators.”

The real question, then, is: What are you going to do now that you don’t have to do anything? What will your life look like lived under the banner which reads “It is finished?”

What you’ll discover is that once the gospel frees you from having to do anything for Jesus, you’ll want to do everything for Jesus so that “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do” you’ll do it all to the glory of God…That’s real progress”

*from June 2011 Newsletter Article

Sharing in the Death & Resurrection (Part 3 of 3)

2011-04-20T14:59:00.000-05:00

Our old self is dead. It is no longer there.

The reign of sin is gone. It no longer has the authority it once had.

Now what?

The death of our old self and dethronement of the reign of sin is not the end. We not only participate in the death of Christ, but the resurrection as well! Christ’s resurrection is also our resurrection. We are risen with him and given life (Rom 6:5-10)…but why?

A boy is coloring a picture, and in his excitement handles the crayons a little too aggressively and breaks one. He is upset because he needed that color, but now it is broken. He looks at his mother as she reaches into the crayon box and pulls out another crayon of the same color. Why is she giving the boy another crayon? Is it so he can break it just like he did the last one? No! She is giving him one so he can use it for its intended purpose. To color.

Our lives were broken. Sin destroyed us. What did God do for us? He sent his Son for us. Jesus died for our sins, and then rose from the dead to give us life. Does Christ die, rise, and give us a new life so we can break it again? No! He gives us a new life so we can live it out for its intended purpose: God’s glory! Living out the power of the resurrection means living life the way God intends for us to live it, through the power of Christ’s finished work. It means fearing God and obeying his commands (Eccl. 12:13). He didn’t die and rise so you could be an observer. He did it to give you life with him, life that participates in what God is doing. He did it to change you. The whole object of all that Christ has done in his grace is to deliver us finally and completely out of sin and death and to bring us into this new life, which is his own life, which is indeed the life of God.

Sharing in the Death & Resurrection (Part 2 of 3)

2011-04-12T12:48:00.003-05:00

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” Gal. 2:20

Several years ago, Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi president, was captured, tried, and hung. He was killed for his terrorist activity and violence to other humans. Can he run Iraq anymore? Absolutely not! It isn’t just improbable, it is impossible because he is dead. Even though he cannot rule the country, his violence, policies, and ideas can still be lived out by people within the country and world. People can act like Saddam still reigns, but truth be told: he doesn’t and can’t reign again.

Before Christ changed you, sin reigned. It was sin that ruled your heart, guided you, and had the power. But upon belief, something happened to sin. Sin has been killed, which means sin no longer reigns. We may at times try to act like it reigns, like people did with Saddam, but we must know that it isn’t just improbable that sin will reign, it is impossible. Christ conquered the power of sin, so that what reigns now is Christ. The power that sin had on us has been nailed to the cross, has died, and was buried. Christ is now the power in us. Christ reigns. Christ gets the last say. Learn to obey the one who truly reigns instead of listening to the silent whispers of the one whose reign has been forever conquered.

“Because of my union with Christ, because I have died with him, because I have been buried with him, because I have been risen again, I am dead to sin as a realm and reign, I have finished with it, it has nothing to do with me.” -Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Sharing in the Death & Resurrection (Part 1 of 3)

2011-04-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

“If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” –Rom 6:5-7

We just rearranged our house…it just wasn’t working how we had it. We moved my office across the house to be further away from the playroom since it was difficult to work in the same room as an adorable 10 month old screaming “papa” (which is what he has decided to call me).

The other day I was working in my new relocated office when I needed a book. I stood up, walked across the house, and got all the way to the play room to realize that the book I was looking for wasn’t in this room anymore. In fact, it was in the room I just walked out of. I was so used to it being in the other room that I didn’t even think about the fact that the book accessible to me without even leaving my chair.

We do the same thing in our spiritual lives. This passage tells us that the old self has been crucified. Yet we still, figuratively, walk all the way across the house to get something that is no longer there. Even though the old self isn’t there, we seek to find it. We, without thinking, go back to our sinful lives, our sinful habits, and our sinful desires…even though that part of us has been killed.

The death and resurrection has many implications, and one of those is that we share in it. Our old self has died just as Christ died. Begin to live out the power of the cross. Realize that your old self is no longer there! Stop living like it is there. It has died, so stop going back to it. That self was crucified and buried. Do not dig up what God has buried. There is a new life you are called to live. Live it!

The Resurection...why does it matter?

2011-03-29T13:47:00.002-05:00

What if there was no Easter? What if Christ was born (Christmas) and then died on the cross (Good Friday), and it ended there? Think about it. Do you believe that Christ rose from the dead? that the event was significant for some reason other than what happened on the cross?

The Apostle Paul realized that there were people having these questions, so he addressed this issue in a letter to the church in Corinth. Here is Paul’s take on the resurrection: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men…If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (1Cor 15:14,17,19,32b)”

Paul could not make it any clearer: No resurrection, no Christianity. No resurrection, no eternal life. No resurrection, no payment for sins. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,” Paul declared (1Cor 15:20a). So there is Christianity, life, and payment. Let’s think about how this all comes together through the resurrection.

In the Old Covenant, priests would have to make sacrifices day after day for the sins of the people (Heb. 10:11). Why? Because the sacrifices that were made were for the sins the people committed…they couldn’t cover future sins. So, since they (and we) daily sinned, the sacrifices had to continue. On top of that, the sacrifices they made did not take away sins (pay the penalty for them) they were just a sacrifice to show that sins needed to be paid for (Heb. 10:11). Jesus, on the other hand, only had to sacrifice himself once (Heb 10:12), and that sacrifice took away sins of the past, present, and future.

What does the resurrection have to do with this? First, His sacrifice took away sins because Jesus was able to die in our place for our sins. This was possible not only through the cross, but the resurrection as well. Jesus had to die for our sins (the cross) but he also had to conquer sin (the resurrection). Death is a result of sin, so in rising from the dead, Jesus conquered sin. His resurrection is victory for Christ and for us. The cross was the payment and the resurrection was the victory. The resurrection gives Christ the ability and authority to not just die as a sacrifice for sins, but to take our sins away. (cf. 1Cor 15:54-56)

Second, Christ’s resurrection doesn’t just take away past sins, but future as well. Christ is the sacrifice for our sins, and in rising from the dead he has become our living sacrifice. He is not lying dead on an altar like the animal sacrifices. He is alive; interceding for us (Rom. 8:34). His resurrection made his sacrifice one that lives on. We don’t have to wait for another sacrifice…because of the resurrection we can have life, be forgiven, and have hope that our sins do not get the last say. The resurrection makes his sacrifice effectual forever.

Spend some time this Easter season to really think about the resurrection. Think about what it means. Think about what it does in you. Think about the gravity of it. The Christian faith depends on the resurrection being a real. Is it real for you? Not just in your head…but have you experienced the power of the resurrection in you? Dwell on this. Let it change you!

Daily Littles

2011-03-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

"The Christian life is a great thing, one of the greatest things on earth. Made up of daily littles..." Horatius Bonar

When we approach the Christian life we usually see it in terms of big decisions, big actions, and big life change. There are times we make big decisions, such as when to have kids, what job to take, or where to live...but on the whole, life is about the little decisions, and growing closer to God and being faithful to him is directly tied to those little decisions.

A heroin addict doesn't get to that point over night, it happens after an extended period of time, making little decision after little decisions...eventually getting to the point of addiction. An athlete doesn't just think his skill will be there for the big game. No, the athlete runs, trains, practices...and those little decisions make him succeed. Why would our Christian life be different? The little decisions we make take us down a path, for good or for bad, and prepare our hearts for life's challenges. It's the decicions to be diciplined to read our Bibles, the decision to help your neighbor, the decision to talk with a friend about Jesus, the diccision to not let your anger fester. All your decisons take you somewhere, the question is, where?

Horatius Bonar challenges us in this saying: "Let us be on our guard against old self in every form, whether it be indolence, or temper, or coldness, or rudeness, or disobligingness, or slovenliness, or shabbiness, or covetousness, or flippancy, or self-conceit, or pride, or cunning, or obstinacy, or sourness, or levity, or foolishness, or love of preeminence. Let us cultivate a tender conscience, avoiding old notions and conceits; yet watching against the commission of little sins, and the omission of little duties; redeeming the time, yet never in a hurry; calm, cheerful, frank, happy, genial, generous, disinterested, thoughtful of others"

Think about your daily littles. What do they say about you? Where do they take you? Where do you fall short of obeying Christ?

Sayed Musa

2011-02-24T09:29:00.001-06:00

I sit at my desk drinking coffee while planning my next youth sermon. Next to the east side of the church is the post office and next to the west side of the church is the municipal building. Both these buildings are run by the government, and neither have any problem with what I am doing at my desk. So I sit comfortably and continue my work....

In the mean time, on the other side of the world, a man named Sayed Musa is set to be executed because of his Christian faith. He has done nothing which deserves government actions...he has simply believed. Here is a link to an article that describes the situation and is being updated as events unravel:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor?s=Sayed+Musa

With this happening as we speak, there are a couple of questions I want you to ask yourself, as these are the questions running through my mind.

Do I pray for persecuted Christians throughout the world? Because of how easy it is to believe here, we forget that there are people who profess the same thing we do, but because of where they lived are getting brutally tortured. There is a free magazine called Voice of the Martyrs (click to go to website) that tells the stories of those who are persecuted. It is a great magazine to have to remind you to pray and make aware to you what others are going through (since our news doesn't find interest in this).
Do I really believe what I say I believe? If it came down to it, and I was getting tortured like Sayed Musa is getting tortured, would I hold fast to the faith?
Why am I so timid to share my faith? Brothers and sisters across the globe are getting killed for it...what am I so afraid of? Rejection? Being seen as a Jesus freak? Loosing a friendship? Having an awkward conversation? What would Sayed Musa say to us if he heard our excuses?

May Sayed Musa's story remind us of our call to preach the gospel at any cost. May it bring us boldness to be who we are called to be. And may it bring us to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters.

Cross to Bear

2011-02-17T15:43:00.000-06:00

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." -Mk 8:34

This verse is asking two things of those who wish to follow Christ: deny and take.

Denying yourself requires much more than we want it to. I doesn't mean denying your personality, dying as a martyr, or denying stuff.* It means denying you: your selfish desires and hope in the things of this world. It is calling you to not live for yourself.

But we don't just deny, we then take. Taking up you cross means that you agree to do whatever God call of you, no matter the cost. This has nothing to do with bearing the troubles life brings you* (death of a loved one, difficult job, family trouble, etc.), but everything to do with obedience to God's will, and accepting the consequences that may follow. For some this will involve physical suffering and ever death, but for others it might involve a sacrifice of time, money, comfort, friends, or anything else. The idea is that nothing is to be held back...we take up our cross no matter what it is, and in doing this it shows our love for Jesus surpasses our love for anything else.

The cross imagery here calls to mind a very profound idea: Someone who carried a cross through the city to their execution would publicly demonstrate their submission/obedience to the authority which they had previously rebelled against.* This is exactly what we are doing in taking up our cross. Though we were once far off (Eph 2:13) and enemies (Rom 5:10) of God, we now make a public declaration of our submission to Christ. We intentionally live for His will, come what may.

Cross bearing denies self and seeks to live out what God calls us to. The end goal of cross bearing is not the suffering it may require, rather the end goal is obedience to what God calls us to. Jesus dying on the cross is the ultimate display of this type of obedience, where He gave everything to fulfill what He was called to do.

So what is your cross to bear?

*Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Salad or a Big Mac?

2011-02-08T11:21:00.000-06:00

Sally waits in line with her little boy Jack as her mind races. What should she order for her boy? Should she order him a Big Mac, and make his day? Or should she order him a salad because that would be the healthy option? Satisfaction or heath. This is what it all boils down to. Both have there advantages and both have there drawbacks. What will it be?

We all know that pursuing Jesus is good, but what is "good." It is good to order the salad, but that isn't the option that will bring Jack the most joy. Unfortunately, this is often how we view what it is like to follow Jesus. We know it is the right decision, but it will lack the satisfaction that the alternatives bring. We want to change, and become more like him, but are afraid that this change will result in boredom and a lack of joy. Well, this is because we view things all wrong!

"The secret of gospel change is being convinced that Jesus is the good life AND the fountain of joy. Any alternative we might choose would be the letdown."* He is the joy and satisfaction of the Big Mac while being the wise choice like the salad. He is both! God created us to live in fellowship with him. This means that our desires find their true satisfaction in him, since that is what they were created for. This means that there will be no lasting satisfaction in anything apart from Jesus. This is good news! You can have both!

Our problem is that we live in a culture where we want things now. Yesterdays news is boring, answering an email after its been in your inbox for two days is too late, waiting more than 5 seconds for a webpage to load is frustrating, getting stuck in traffic throws our whole day off. What is our response to our impatience? It is wanting satisfaction now. We would rather have a lesser satisfaction now then a greater one later. I would rather eat the Big Mac now and deal with the consequences later. Take a step back and really think. You will realize that Jesus truly is our deepest longing and joy, we are just too impatient to see it and wait for Him. Joy in him isn't a quick fix, its a long road...and too often we would rather have the quick fix. It is like a child who has a deep desire for a bicycle. But instead of saving up for one, he uses his allowance each week on candy. It satisfies his current desire, but not one of his deepest ones. I will end with a quote from C.S. Lewis, where he drives this point home:

"Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex, and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

*Tim Chester in "You Can Change" p15

State of the Union

2011-01-25T09:12:00.000-06:00

Tonight, our president will address our nation on the state of the union. Some will watch confused, unsure what the answers are to our problems, some will watch in support of their party, unconcerned about actual issues, and some will watch nervous for our nation, knowing there are real issues that need to be solved.

Here is the truth behind the State of the Union: we live in a world plagued with sin, and not matter what happens in Washington, we will have major problems in our society. It doesn't matter who is President and what party is in the majority, sin will continue to fracture society. With this in mind, here are some Bibilical ways you can view the government and political issues:

1. God establishes all authority, therefore we are called to submit to government (Romans 13:1). This does not mean that we must agree, but through our disagreements we are to submit to the ruling authority. (sidenote: if the government ever does ask for us to do what Scripture forbids, this is when we obey Scripture and disobey government.)

2. Support issues, not parties. There are issues on both sides of the isle that the Bible would support, and issues on both sides of the isle that the Bible wouldn't support. Be someone who cares about Biblical issues, not political parties.

3. Fight for what is Biblical, do not just vote for what is Biblical. Too many Christians use their vote as their only voice. (Don't get me wrong, we should be responsible citizens and care about who is elected and what is passed. We should vote...but that is not our primary task.) God does not call us to just hope things change through the government...he calls us to action. He calls us to fight for injustices and make a difference. No matter what the government does, there will still be world hunger, diseases, abortion, unemployment, pollution, sex trafficking, drugs, education issues, fraud, health care issues, war, corruption, crime, and so much more. What issues do you care about? If you care about them and they are Biblical...figure out how you can help!

4. Know what true change is. Too many people think that if we can just legislate certain policies, than things will be better. As Christians we don't believe that things will change through policy changes, but heart changes (which is why laws are broken daily...because the heart is still bent towards sin). Things will begin to change as hearts are transformed, as the gospel begins to invade hearts. Change will happen as your fiends, neighbors, and family begin to grasp who God is and what he has called us to. Change will happen as hearts of stone are changed to hearts of flesh (Ez 36:26).

Pray tonight as our nation is addressed. Pray for our leaders, that their decisions would truly impact lives for the better. Pray for yourself, and how you can make a difference. And pray that hearts are changed as the gospel is spread...for this is the true hope for the world!

Not in this World (Resolutions 4 of 4)

2011-01-13T08:14:00.002-06:00

"Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable or, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of."
We spend so much time seeking happiness in this world, yet this world will soon pass away. It is temporary. Let us seek our happiness in the world that will not pass away, it the world that will bring us true joy! Let us spend our time on things that are not temporary, but that will last forever.

"Resolved, never henceforward till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but to act entirely and altogether as God's"

Our culture uses the words "mine" so much that we believe we own things, we believe we are our own...that we can do what we want. Yet scripture tell us differently. It tells us that you are not your own, "you were bought with a price, therefore honor God with your body (1Cor 6:20)." We are God's, and he has a purpose for us. Let this constantly be on your mind...you are His!

Fighting Sin (Resolutions 3 of 4)

2011-01-12T10:09:00.013-06:00

Sin is around us and in us so often that we become desensitized to it. Let us fight to do away with the sin within us, and care deeply about the sins we see within ourselves.

"Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it."

There is a root cause to every sin, and Edwards wanted to find that root! Can you trace your sins back to the original cause?

"Resolved, to examine carefully and constantly what that one thing in me is that causes me in the least to doubt the love of God; and so direct all my forces against it."

If we are not waging war against our doubts than they will fester and grow until our doubts are so great that we wonder if it is even worth being a Christian. Doubts are not bad, unless they go untouched. Doubts are there so we can wrestle them and grow from them, not so they can isolate us from our faith.

"Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and wherein I have denied myself; also to inquire so at the end of every week, month, and year"

Care deeply about your sin, for sin separates us from God. Find a specific time where you will examine your life and how you have fallen short of God's commands. If it isn't' scheduled, it probably won't happen often.

"Resolved, constantly and diligently, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not."

Discipline of the Mind (Resolutions 2 of 4)

2011-01-11T10:01:00.001-06:00

"Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can toward solving it"

What would it be like for us if every time we had questions related to divine things, that we did everything we could to figure it out? Not because there is an answer to everything, but because we want to deeply understand the things of God. What questions about God, scripture, or other divine things do you have? How will you solve it?

"Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking"

Jonathan Edwards is known to have a very strict diet, not because he was concerned about his looks or his weight, but because he cared about his mind. He knew that what he fed his body affected his whole being, and he wanted his mind to be clear so he can think upon God with a clear mind. Are there things you could change in your diet so that you feel better, you mind is clearer, and you have more energy for pursuing God?

"Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of them."

This is a lot of study! To study them so much that you can see yourself growing in understanding! There are many times I have trouble recounting what I studied the night before. Edwards did not want this to happen to him...his study was for growth in God, and he would study so fervently to make this happen. How can you study the Bible in a way that you remember what you have read, and understand it better? Are there better times in the day for you to study that would increase its effectiveness?

Edwards was very intentional so his mind could be actively engaged in the pursuit of God. Let us follow suit in discipling our own lives and minds for God's glory and our good.

Don't waste your Life (Resolutions 1 of 4)

2011-01-05T13:53:00.000-06:00

"Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can"

"Resolved, never to do anything that I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life"

Edwards understood how short life was, and that it could end at any moment. This drove him to desire and strive to live every moment to the fullest. He did not want his life to end while he was wasting it. Life was a gift and he was going to live it for Christ!

What about you? How much time did you waste today, this week, this past year? What is the reason behind this?

I think it is far to easy for us say to ourselves: "I'll get to that tomorrow" or "Next week I'll do better at loving Jesus" or "I am tired, I'll serve my spouse another day." The urgency to live for Christ now and always, without wasting time has not hit us as hard as it hit Jonathan Edwards. Spend some time thinking about this, and how your life could be lived ALL for Him...not just some or most.

Resolutions...from the 18th Century

2011-01-04T16:28:00.000-06:00

Gyms get crowded, nicotine patch sales increase, memberships for weight loss programs grows, and church attendance tends to rise. Why? New years resolutions. This is a natural season of life where we really think about life and how we want to change things for this upcoming year.

What if we could think a little deeper than the typical resolution? What if we could really dig into our lives this January? Well, this is the hope. The next blog series will be going through Jonathan's Edward's "Resolutions" to help propel us to greater commit our lives to Christ.

Jonathan Edwards preaching and writings were a catalyst to what we know as the first great awakening. During his ministry he began to make resolutions to help guide, monitor and gauge his spiritual condition. In them, we find a man who is "determined to bring every area of his life under subjection of the Lordship of Christ and to rest in the sovereignty of God." In these resolutions he gives himself a note that says "remember to read these once a week," which shows us these are not merely ideas he wrote down, but truths he passionaly tried to live by.

Over the next few weeks we will read and examine some of these resolutions, and my hope and prayer is that we would really take to heart these topics. Here we go...

Gifts at Christmas

2010-12-23T13:19:00.000-06:00

Christmas morning is quickly approaching...and on that morning families across the world will open presents that have been sitting under the Christmas tree. The fact that there will be presents for you to open shows that God has been gracious to you...but it is also something we must approach with care. Sometimes, when you have all that you need, it is hard to really believe that all you need is Jesus. You might say it, but often life shows that we need Jesus and _____. So here is the question I want to you ask this Christmas: IS JESUS ENOUGH? Truly ask yourself that...without the lights, without the presents, without your health...if all that were gone would this still be a time to celebrate because Jesus is enough?

Corrie Ten Boom, a Holocaust surviver who suffered and lost everything, says: "You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have." Know this Christmas that he is enough. That if you lost everything except Jesus...you would have everything you ever need!

Read this blog post by Matt Chandler. He is the pastor of my home church, who reflects on his fight with cancer one year after he was diagnosed. Click Here to Read Matt Chandlers Blog Post

Is he enough? Is He why we celebrate?

Merry Christmas!

Dwelling on the Nativity

2010-12-21T08:45:00.001-06:00

It is hard for us to even begin to imagine what it was like for Mary and Joseph at the time of Jesus' birth. The great reformer, Martin Luther, articulates well some thoughts about the nativity that I would like to share:

"Truly it is marvelous in our eyes that God should place a little child in the lap of a virgin and that all our blessedness should lie in him. And this Child belongs to all mankind. God feeds the whole world through a Babe nursing at Mary's breast. This must be our daily exercise: to be transformed into Christ, being nourished by this food."

On Mary: "There was a poor young wife, Mary of Nazareth, among the meanest dwellers of the town, so little esteemed that none noticed the great wonder that she carried."

On the journey: "How many great ladies and their daughters there were at that time, living in luxury, while the mother of God, on foot, in midwinter trudged her weight across the fields! How unequal it all was!"

On the birth: "There she was without preparation: no light, no fire, in the dead of night, in thick darkness. No one came to give the customary assistance. The guests swarming in the inn were carousing, and no one attended to this woman. … There was the maid of fifteen years bringing forth her first-born without water, fire, light, or pan, a sight for tears!"

On the newborn Jesus: "They must have marveled that this Child was the Son of God. He was also a real human being. Those who say that Mary was not a real mother lose all the joy. He was a true Baby, with flesh, blood, hands and legs. He slept, cried, and did everything else that a baby does only without sin."

On Mary after the birth: "Think, women, there was no one there to bathe the Baby. No warm water, nor even cold. No fire, no light. The mother was herself midwife and the maid. The cold manger was the bed and the bathtub. Who showed the poor girl what to do? She had never had a baby before. I am amazed that the little one did not freeze. Do not make of Mary a stone. It must have gone straight to her heart that she was so abandoned. She was flesh and blood, and must have felt miserable-and Joseph too-that she was left in this way, all alone, with no one to help, in a strange land in the middle of winter. Her eyes were moist even though she was happy, and aware that the Baby was God's Son and the Savior of the world."

"Mary was not only holy. She was also the mother of the Lord. With trembling and reverence, before nestling him to herself, she laid him down, because her faith said to her, 'He will be "the Son of the Highest."' No one else on earth had this faith, not even Joseph, for although he had been informed by the angel the word did not go to his heart as to the heart of Mary, the mother."

May these thoughts about the nativity bring us to worship! To realize the humility it took for the God in the flesh to born to such a situation.

*from Martin Luther's Christmas Book translated by Roland H. Bainton © 1948 The Westminster Press

Common Objections to no Santa (Santa, Part 4 of 4)

2010-12-16T11:27:00.004-06:00

Here are some common objections I get when people find out that we will not do Santa in our house (note: this is just how we decided to do things in our house based on our convictions. This is not the only way to do things. The purpose of this is to help you think through things to make the best decision for your family based on your Biblical convictions. The goal is not to get more people not doing Santa, rather to get more people thinking intentionally at Christmas.)

Objection: But it is so fun and magical for the kids.
Response: True. But I am willing to have my kids miss out on this joy in hopes that they see a greater joy at Christmas. And lets be honest...what is magical about it isn't the reindeer dust or the cookies...its the fact that they get tons of toys. That doesn't have to change.

Objection: You can have both Santa and Jesus. You don't have to choose.
Response: True. Many people do both and it works out fine...but many people do both and it doesn't. The problem is you don't know which side you fall on until your kids are grown. For us, it isn't worth the risk. The stakes are far too high. (side note: Santa and Jesus are so intertwined in our culture that other countries sell a cross with Santa on it in their marketplaces. This isn't to mock us, rather it is what they think we believe based on what our culture has communicated.)

Objection: I don't want to be over the top. People who don't do Santa are the super conservative Christians who don't get out much.
Response: Don't decide what you do based on the type of people that do it. Base you decision on how you feel you can best raise you children up in the ways of the Lord.

Objection: They will ruin in for others.
Response: They might. You can try to explain to your kids what Santa is and tell them not to tell. They may or may not listen...but if you do choose to not do Santa, you need to try your hardest to protect others who do Santa.

Objection: So we shouldn't do Santa?
Response: You can still do Santa, but if you choose to do it, do it cautiously. The Santa you communicate shouldn't be omniscient, he shouldn't be about giving gifts to only the good children, he shouldn't be used to scare kids into behaving, he shouldn't be central.

Objection: I am a grandparent...what am I supposed to do with this information?
Response: Remember, it isn't about doing or not doing Santa (or other traditions). It is about communicating things Biblically. There are people who do Santa and an incredible job of communicating the purpose of Christmas and making Christ central, while at the same time there are people who don't do Santa yet don't communicate to their kids the true purpose of Christmas. It as all about what you communicate. Talk to your grandkids about what Christmas is about. Take the time to really sit down with them, you may not think they are listening, but they are. It is amazing how many people I have talked to who consider their grandparents role models and a vital part of their spiritual growth. Make this time of year an opportunity to fuel the spiritual growth of your grandkids.

Hope this helps. Happy thinking!

The anti-gospel (Santa, Part 3 of 4)

2010-12-15T11:22:00.008-06:00

"He's making a list, And checking it twice; Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice; Santa Claus is coming to town"

This is the climax. If I could name the biggest issue I have with Santa, this would be it: Santa communicates an idea that is the complete opposite of the gospel...so opposite that it is an attack on the true gospel. But know that this isn't something that just Santa communicates, this is something our culture is saturated with.

Here is the Readers Digest version of the gospel: All of us have sinned and fallen short of what God commands. The penalty for our rebellion in death and separation from God. It is too late for us. There is nothing we can do or work up that can get us back into right standing with God. Our only hope is that God himself pays the penalty. Since the sin was against God, someone equal to God must pay it. Since the sin was committed by man, a man must pay it. Thus, Jesus Christ is our only hope: fully God and fully man. He paid our penalty because he is gracious and merciful, not because of anything we have done. And to receive this gift, all we have to do is believe in the person and work of Jesus. Nothing will earn the salvation he gives.

So here is the gospel and Santa contrasted:
Santa's gifts are given to the good kids. Christ's gifts are given to the bad ones (which is all of us).
Santa's gifts are based on works. Christ's are based on faith.
Santa tells us we can do it on our own. Christ tells us we can't...but he already has.
Santa weighs the good vs. bad. God looks at the good: Jesus
Santa is all about "stuff." Christ is all about relationship.
Santa cares about your actions. Christ cares about your heart.
Santa makes us feel entitled (we earned it). Christ makes us feel grateful (we don't deserve it).
Santa makes Christmas about gifts. God makes Christmas about the giver.

Karma is everywhere, and this is no exception. It is the idea that if we are good we should get good, and if we are bad we get bad. But how do you explain the fact that thousands of "good" people die each day unexpectedly. Karma is the idea that if my good outweighs the bad then I can get to heaven. But if you commit a crime it doesn't matter how many time you served in the soup kitchen or how much money you gave to charity. The jury is looking at the crime you committed. We have committed a crime against God and that penalty must be paid.

Please, if nothing else, protect the gospel this Christmas season. Teach of God's grace. Teach of how everything we have been given...everything...is a gift from God. Teach of how we fall short of what God commands, and how we need a Savior. Teach that we cannot do good apart from Jesus. That we can't earn our way to heaven. Teach that Jesus is enough. Teach the gospel in all you do, and let nothing get in the way of this precious gift we have been given!

Omniscience is for fairy tales? (Santa, Part 2 of 4)

2010-12-14T11:22:00.001-06:00

"He sees you when you're sleeping, He knows when you're awake, He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!"

One of characteristics of God that distinguishes Him from anyone/anything else is his omniscience. He knows all. This shows his greatness, for what else can know even the intentions of our hearts? Well, this song would put Santa into that all knowing camp. But this is just for fun...it is harmless right?

There will come a day when Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Toothfaily, and all the like will cease to be believed in. There will come a time when kids realize that that is silly fairly tale stuff. Logic will tell them there is no way for a man to deliver presents all around the world in one night, that deer can't fly, that Santa can't fit through the chimney, and that there is no way for anyone to know everything we do.

Did you see that? If Santa is fake then what he does is fake...and one of those things is his omniscience. While it is true that Santa isn't omniscient, could it be that the whole idea of omniscience is put into the fairy tale category? On the surface this may not be seen as a big deal, but anytime we credit what is reserved for God to someone else, than it is a big deal to Him. He alone is God, set apart from everything else.

When the "magic" is over, what do we and our kids believe? This is what we must think about. Of course they enjoy it at the time...they would also enjoy eating cookies for dinner every night. But what is the long term effect? We are instilling in our kids and grand kids ideas that will affect them, even if they can never put a finger on where that viewpoint came from.

If you choose to do Santa this year and in years to come, this, and all the other Santa blogs, hope to help you seriously think through how you communicate Santa and Jesus to your kids and grand kids. Make it fun, but not spiritually dangerous.

You better watch out? (Santa, Part 1 of 4)

2010-12-13T14:25:00.000-06:00

"You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why...Santa Clause is coming to town."

What do we celebrate on Christmas? This is the first question we must ask. Christmas is a time we celebrate the birth of our sweet savior, Jesus Christ. The world awaited his coming, and this is the day we worship Him. We praise Him, for in His grace and mercy he humbled himself to leave his heavenly home, take on flesh, so he could one day die in our place for our sins. What a glorious time to celebrate! How can this be, that Jesus has done this for me...for you...

But I turn on the radio and hear lyrics such as one one above and cringe. This song is teaching us to primarily worry about actions. Are you jealous? Well just don't pout about it...keep it to yourself. Are you mad? Don't cry and make a scene about it. This is completely counter to what Jesus teaches. Jesus is after the heart, not merely actions. The issue is not the pouting, but the jealousy that caused it. He is not after externally moral creatures...for if he was he would not have so viciously attacked the Pharisees. Jesus is after the heart. In a marriage, a husband desires his wife to truly love him, not just do things for him out of obligation...and Jesus is the same way. He doesn't want merely actions, he wants a heart of love. This is why Jesus motivates not from fear (if you aren't good you get coal), but love (you aren't good, but I love you) Don't let Santa influence to try to be perceived a certain way. Let Jesus motivate you to BE a certain way.

[The Santa series intent is to help us think deeply about the things we celebrate and do. Since Santa is a deeply ingrained tradition in most households, this blog series will unintentionally pinch some nerves inside you. This is not the intention. The intention is to have us think Biblically about everything, which is increasingly more difficult in our culture. The things addressed in this series are not just issues seen at Christmas, rather I am using Santa and this season to bring to light a general worldview our culture bombards us with.]

Book Recommendations for Christmas Gifts

2010-12-07T10:59:00.004-06:00

Here is a list of books that would make great Christmas presents. They are organized by category to help you sort through them based on who you are buying for. See blog post "What You Didn't Ask For" for my reasons of why books make a great gift.

You can click on all the book titles below (all are linked) to read more about the book on Amazon.com (free shipping if you spend $25.) An "*" by the book puts it in a top tier category for me. These are books I feel every house should have/read. I have made comments on some, which will be in parentheses.

For the Couple:

å *What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp

å This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence by John Piper

å Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

For the Parent:

å *Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting by William P. Farley (gets to the heart of parenting. This should be one of the first books parents read)

å *Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp (complements the book above really well. This one is more on the practical side whereas the above book is more focused on the heart of parenting.)

å Long Story Short: Ten-Min ute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God by Marty Machowski

å Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God by Bruce A. Ware

å Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper

å How Children Raise Parents: The Art of Listening to Your Family by Dan B. Allender

For the Kids:

å *The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago (incredible children's Bible! Every story points to Jesus, showing kids what the Bible truly is about. Every house with kids should have this in it)

å Big Thoughts For Little Thinkers by Joey Allen (There are 4 books in this series: The Trinity, The Gospel, The Scripture, The Mission. They do an amazing job of explaining these essential Bible docrines in a way kids can understand. Amazon.com is running a deal where you can buy all 4 for the price of 3!)

å Little Pilgrim's Progress: From John Bunyan's Classic by Helen Taylor

å The Big Picture Story Bible by David R. Helm (another great Bible, has great illustrations)

For Spiritual Growth:

å *Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper

å Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan

å Overcoming Sin and Temptation - by John Owen (edited by Kelly M. Kapic, Justin Taylor)

å *The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer

å The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life by A. W. Tozer

å Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts by Harold M. Best

å *The Grace Awakening: Believing in grace is one thing. Living it is another. by Charles R. Swindoll

å The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out without Selling Out by Mark Driscoll

å Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment by Linda Dillow (for women)

å Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp

å Leading with a Limp: Take Full Advantage of Your Most Powerful Weakness by Dan B. Allender

å *God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself by John Piper

For the Story Lover:

å Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Chrisian Spirituality by Donald Miller (very casual approach. Fun and easy read that will get those no interested in God to think)

å *Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (for women)

å The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers (for women)

For the thinker/theologian:

å Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (rational basis for Christianity)

å *Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears

å The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation by Bruce Demarest

å The Church: Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, Mission by Edmund P. Clowney

å In His Image by Philip Yancey and Paul Brand (A doctor examines the body, and relates how it was created in God's image. Profound insights.)

For the Biography lover:

å Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Herbert Bainton

å Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by Jonathan and Darlene Edwards

å William Tyndale: A Biography by David Daniell

å Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper

These next four books are each contain several short biographies in each book. All written by John Piper. (great way to read about many different heroes of the faith in a reasonable amount of time)

å The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin

å The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd

å The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce

å Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ: The Cost of Bringing the Gospel to the Nations in the Lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton

For the History Lover

å *Pocket History of the Church by D. Jeffrey Bingham

å The Story of Christianity: Volume 1, The: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation by Justo L. González

å The Story of Christianity: Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day by Justo L. Gonzalez

å Lost Letters of Pergamum, The: A Story from the New Testament World by Bruce W. Longenecker (this is also a great one for the story lover)

å Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times by Paul Barnett

For the Student of the Bible

å Living By the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible by Howard Hendricks

å *Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne A. Grudem

å Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary by Charles W. Draper

å The New Unger's Bible Handbook by Merrill F. Unger and Gary Larson

å New Bible Commentary by Gordon J. Wenham, J. Alec Motyer, Donald A. Carson, and R. T. France (great 1 volume commentary)

What You Didn’t Ask For

2010-12-03T08:00:00.002-06:00

What do you want for Christmas? That is the question we are asking our parents, spouses, kids, and grandkids. We want to make sure the gift we get them is something they want. So much thought and money are put into these gifts that will, in a year, be obsolete and collecting dust. What if it were different? What if we thought like Peter?

Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when they saw a crippled man being carried to the gate to beg for money. Every day this man was carried there to beg, because it was money he needed to survive (being crippled he couldn't work). Or so he thought.

As Peter and John passed the crippled man, he begged them for money. Peter's response began how we normally respond, "Silver and gold I do not have." Translation: I don't have any money. But Peter continued with these words that should fill us with awe: "but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" The man leaped to his feet and began praising God as he walked away. He got something he didn't ask for…but something he needed! (Acts 3:1-10)

What we all need is God. We were made for Him, so deep within us is a longing for Him. Augustine puts it best in saying "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee?" He is what we all truly want. He is what we all truly need.

Therefore, we must ask ourselves how our gifts, conversations, traditions, and everything else this Christmas can point to Christ. Peter's main purpose in healing the crippled man was not that he would walk, but that he and others would know Christ. This act led to people wondering how this happened, giving Peter the opportunity to preach one of the greatest sermons ever preached in Acts 3:11-26

Here are some ideas of gifts that can point to Christ: One of the best gifts for this is a book that challenges, encourages, and fuels your passion for Christ. Check the blog this month – I will be posting recommendations of books to give as gifts for different types of people, i.e. kids, couples, parents, thinkers, etc. For other gifts, think of things that stir their affections for Christ. Is it listening to music? Buy a CD and put a note about how you hope the creativity and art of song would help them fall deeper in love with the wonder of God. Is it creating music? Buy an instrument, equipment, or lessons and tell them your hope that this ability would cause them to worship God much deeper. Is it art? Buy a canvas and tell them you hope that in painting that would see the beauty of God and His canvas. Is it being around family? Gardening? Photography? Coffee?

The key here is finding what makes them know and love Jesus more. This gives purpose to giving. It makes it not just about the receiver, but about the ultimate giver. We live in a world now that has hijacked Christmas, and it will take everything in us to display the true meaning of Christmas to our family.

Don't give the gift they ask for…give the gift they need.

*adopted from December 2010 Newsletter

The Bible and the Boy

2010-11-23T11:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I went to Starbucks to get inspiration. For some reason when I am at Starbucks my mind kicks into gear and the Lord really speaks to me as I prepare sermons. When I arrived I found a table and set my Bible and backpack on it before walking up to order a drink.

As I wait in line I keep looking over at my table, where an 8-year-old boy keeps hovering and staring at my Bible. I smile at him while I wonder what he is doing by my stuff. He then opens the Bible up, looks at me, then closes it...realizing he got caught. But he stays close, touching it one more time before his mom comes by with is hot chocolate.

When the boy was hovering around my table, I was worried. What is this boy going to do? Where are his parents? It is just a book...why is he so interested?

When I walked back to the table with my coffee I looked at the Bible on the table and it hit me. This boy was not just getting into whatever he saw...he was curious to see something he had never seen. Leather cover, gold edges, and a bookmark ribbon. This wasn't a normal book! Of course he was curious, because books don't usually shine gold. My heart sank.

How young was I when I saw my first Bible? I don't even remember...I grew up knowing what a Bible was and looked like. This boy, on the other hand, probably had never even seen one. It is not his fault that his parents don't believe and have a Bible...but it is his reality.

This Thanksgiving, really think about how blessed you are. To be able to hold the word of God in your hands, to read it, to be changed by it, and to pass those wonderful truths on to your kids. To know and love God is the greatest gift we have been given.

I am often overwhelmed with how good God is towards me, and I can't help but ask, why? The list of my sins is great, but God's mercy and grace are far greater! Celebrate that this Thanksgiving!

Finding a Parking Spot

2010-11-16T11:55:00.000-06:00

Dependence on God is hard in our American "yes you can," "pull yourself up by you bootstraps" culture. We are all about independence, which is why stories that display true dependence on God can really help open our eyes to what true dependence looks like. Here is one of those stories, as told by Paul Miller in "A Praying Life":

After raising 5 children on a meager pastor's salary, Rosa "went with her husband the share the gospel in the slums of Uganda and the streets of Dublin." She is now 82 years old and a full time missionary in London. Her son read a book on prayer that said that we shouldn't pray for things such as parking places because those requests are selfish. After hearing this, Rosa "looked a little incredulous, coked her head, started laughing, and said 'how else would you find a parking place?' "

The experiences this woman has had through raising 5 kids on a pastor's salary and doing missionary work in Uganda, Dublin, and London have made her completely reliant on God for everything, and she has stories to tell about God answering those prayers.

We don't pray for things that are normal to everyday life, such as finding a parking place. Maybe becasue we lack dependence or maybe because we are cynical and assume we will get a spot anyway, so why pray. But if we completely changed our view of the world we would realize, like Rosa has, that everything is dependent on God...otherwise...how else would we find a parking spot?

Where your Confidence Lies

2010-11-11T10:23:00.000-06:00

"If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are all you need in life. You'll always be a little too tired, a little too busy. But if, like Jesus, you realize you can't do life on your own, then no matter how busy, no matter how tired you are, you will find the time to pray." -Paul Miller

It is true. We are far too confident in ourselves. We don't realize how dependent we really are. But in reality, there is not a muscle I can move or a thought I can think without God granting it to be so, for all things are held together by Christ (Col 1:17). Our lack of praying reveals more than we want it to. Our lack of praying says we don't need God, but God says we do.

Martin Luther truly understood his dependence in God, as seen in quotes such as this: "Tomorrow I plan to work, work, from early until late. In fact I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer." May our hearts attitude towards prayer be like his! That the more we have to do the more we depend on God and seek Him in prayer!

Snippets of Prayer

2010-11-09T07:52:00.000-06:00

"While being constant in prayer is an important way of praying, this is no substitute for focused times of prayer. For example, a husband and wife who only talk in snippets to one another throughout the day would have a shallow relationship. You'd be business partners, not lovers. You can't build a relationship on sound bites." -Paul Miller

Life is busy and often times the only time we make for prayers are snippets throughout the day. Thanking God for a safe trip to work, praying for you spouse when you think about them, praying a meeting goes well, etc. While this is good to do, when do we spend time in concentrated prayer? When was the last time you sat in prayer for an hour? That sounds like a long time, but only because we put everything else ahead of our relationship with God. We can spend hours watching the Rangers game, hours on a date, hours with our kids...but an hour in prayer is difficult!

I invite you to join me in this challenge: Purposefully plan out an hour this week that you will spend in prayer and follow through with it. Set an alarm so you don't keep looking at your watch. Pray, listen, and just enjoy your time with God. It might be awkward, but that is okay...most first dates are awkward, but it will get better. After your hour, look at your daily schedule and plan a time each day where you can spend time in concentrated prayer. It doesn't have to be an hour...just needs to be concentrated time, like 15-20 minutes.

Happy Praying!

The Criteria is Weariness

2010-11-04T07:30:00.002-05:00

"When we slow down to pray, we are immediately confronted with how unspiritual we are, with how difficult it is to concentrate on God...Nothing exposes our selfishness and spiritual powerlessness like prayer."* But this is okay. We are called to come to God like little children, and little children never hesitate or try to hide their selfishness. They come as they are.*

When I was learning to walk, my older brother would quickly notice I was getting the attention so found thought it would be a pertinent time to pracitce his football skills and throw me to the floor. My parents didn't just roll their eyes because I couldn't handle his blow...no...they cheered when stood without the help of the table and would help remove the obstacle of my brother (after capturing it on film of course). They were excited to see me take a step and fall, because that was who I was and that is what I could do.

God is the same way. He gets exited when we come to him. We may get thrown to the ground on the way or fall down after a few steps...but unsteady prayers is often what we have to offer, and that is okay. Jesus doesn't say to come to him when we have prayer life figured out, he says "come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28). "The Criteria for coming to Jesus is weariness. Come overwhelmed with life. Come with your wondering mind. Come messy."* But please...COME!

*From "A Praying Life" by Paul E. Miller

Don't Seek the Experience

2010-11-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

"Deep in our psyches we want an experience with God or an experience in prayer. Once we make that our quest, we lose God. You don't experience God; you get to know him. You submit to him. You enjoy him. He is, after all, a person" -Paul Miller

We all have those times in our life where God felt so close...so real. We can't help but think about those times and want to experience them again. But what happens when we pursue this experience? It becomes about an emotional feeling, and not about God. And just like a roller-coaster, the thrill is amazing while it lasts, but once it is over you must ride another roller-coaster to feel that way again. This leads us into a cycle of experience instead of a deeper relationship with God.

Laura and I have some great memories together. We have flown over the longest water fall in the world, snorkeled at the 2nd largest barrier reef while touching sting rays, toured London in 10 hours during a layover...but the moments that are the sweetest and most meaningful are the ones where we have been lost in conversation. It didn't matter where we were or what we were doing...it was those times that matter. Yes, the experiences we have had are amazing, but it was the deepening of our relationship that has mattered most. Through my pursuit of Laura there will be many great memories and experiences, but those are just a result of my pursuing her, not the purpose. This is the same with God. We should seek not the thrill of the ride but rather the beauty of the deepening relationship.

I am not saying those experiences are wrong, just that pursuing them is, because it makes it the goal to use spiritual things and God to make me feel a certain way. This makes me central, and not God. I am the created one, therefore my life needs to be about Him: loving Him, obeying Him, and pursuing Him.

Pray for the purpose of knowing God, not to just experience what He gives.

A Conversation with God

2010-10-26T16:13:00.003-05:00

"When your mind starts wandering in prayer, be like a little child. Don't worry about being organized or staying on task. Remember you are in a conversation with a person. Instead of beating yourself up, learn to play again. Pray about what your mind is wandering to. Maybe it is something that is important to you. Maybe the Spirit is nudging you to think about something else." -Paul Miller

This is a common problem for me. I sit down and my mind wanders. For some reason though, I have it in my head that I need to get back to my intended list of what I was going to pray for. I came to prayer time with an agenda, and I need to get through it.

Prayer is not a staff meeting, it is a conversation. Knowing this is so freeing, and it makes so much sense. Laura and I have conversations all the time that begin on one subject and we end up somewhere completely different. Do I pound a gavel on the table and say "Lets get back on the topic of such-and-such, because that is what is on the agenda at dinner tonight." No! We let conversation go where it goes. Why? Because that what a conversation does in a relationship, it develops.

This should be the same in our prayer life. Prayer is a conversation, not a monologue that just needs to be said. We need to be okay with the conversation developing, be okay with topic changes, and be okay when it doesn't go as planned. The purpose isn't to get through a prayer list, it is to know God. And besides, God already knows what is on your list, you don't need to recite it in formal ways each day. He just wants to talk with you...like what you do at the dinner table with you family.

So start the conversation, and see where it takes you.

Prayer: the medium and the object

2010-10-26T11:51:00.002-05:00

"Many people (oddly enough) struggle to learn how to pray because they are focusing on praying, not on God." -Paul Miller

I have always been a doer, which makes doing nothing difficult. Deep down I know praying isn't nothing, but often at the end of it I have nothing to "show." When I read a chapter in a book, write a song, or do a Bible study I feel as if I have just done something. But with prayer, it is a struggle. Am I doing it right? Did I pray long enough? Was I focused or did my mind wander? Was that time at all fruitful or was it a waste?

Prayer can be hard and often frustrating. This frustration led me to reading a book called "A Praying Life" by Paul E. Miller (We will be talking about some of the main points of the book in the coming blog posts). When I read this quote it hit me. There are a lot of good tips on prayer out there, but the first thing I must to do have a praying life is to focus on God, not on prayer. This sounds so simple, but to me it was profoundly insightful. It is so easy when we are struggling in a particular area of our Christian walk to run to methods on how that area can improve, instead of running to God and allowing him to penetrate our hearts and change us.

So I don't want to be a better prayer...I want to be a better lover. I want to love Jesus more deeply, and this will be accomplished through prayer and a relationship. So as we speak on prayer, let us not focus on the medium (prayer) but the object (God).

Walking Trees

2010-10-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

"[Jesus] had spit on [the blind man's] eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly." Mk 8:24

Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn't just heal the blind man completely the first time? I doubt it was because the first attempt "didn't take". So there must be an intentional reason, which is why Jesus probes him after the partial healing, asking if he sees anything.

This is a loaded question, because yes, the man can now see, but no, he really can't. You can't say this man is still blind, but you also can't say he can now see. His sight is fuzzy, enough to know things are there, but not enough to know what they really are and how they really look.

The partial healing was meant to represent the state of the disciples. They aren't completely blind as to who Jesus is, but still don't quite get it. In Mark 6 we are told about Jesus feeding 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish...then in the first part of Mark 8 we find the disciples doubting that Jesus can feed 4,000. The disciples lack true faith in Jesus. Despite what Jesus has done amidst them and for them, they still don't get it.

Are we the same? How quickly do we forget, and doubt, question God when things get tough? I can't help to wonder how many of us, spiritually, are still seeing trees. Are our eyes opened to clearly see Jesus, or do we still have this fuzzy idea about him? The answer to this question does not come from what you just thought in your head, but rather how you are living. If you are living as if He is who He said he is, and He will do what He has said...then you can see! But most of us live is this state of believing in our heads but not really trusting with our lives. Most of us walk around seeing trees.

Lord, gives us the eyes to truly see and follow you!

Your Mind is a Sponge (Part 3)

2010-10-07T07:00:00.058-05:00

What we have discovered the last 2 days is that our minds our sponges, and we are probably soaking up things we shouldn't. Statistically, we are spending 100x more time in front of a TV than at church. What we now turn to is some practical things we can do to be influenced by Biblical rather than cultural influences. These are just ideas. What you need more than a few ideas is the desire and commitment to saturate yourself with biblical influences and rid yourselves of much of your negative influences.

1. Know what your influences are and list them out. If it is TV, what about it is influencing you? Are you watching too much, are you watching things you know you probably shouldn't? If not TV, it may be a hobby, the culture you live in...whatever it is, if you don't know it is influencing you, how can you combat it?

2. Intentional Schedule: We schedule meetings, events, parties, vacations, etc., yet never seem to schedule our free time. I know, scheduled free time doesn't sound free...but it is! My deepest desire is to know and follow Christ, yet I have often found myself wasting time, watching TV, or doing something else that doesn't line up with that desire. To combat that, I try to schedule some of my free time. When and what are you going to read? What time will you watch TV and what time will it be shut off? When will you work on house projects and hobbies? The problem most of us have is if you are left without a schedule, we come home hopping to really get into the Word and find ourselves 3 hours later still watching TV. If you schedule your time each week (and stick to it), this can be avoided.

3. Book List: The truth is, we all need to spend more time saturating ourselves in the Bible and other Christian books. We are spending too little time in this area, which has a major impact on our spiritual growth. So make a list of books you want to read and when you will read them. Have categories, so you can be reading about and working on many different areas of your Christian life. Example: I read a biography on Saturdays, marriage/parenting book on Wednesdays, devotional everyday, personal growth book on Saturdays, and ministry related books throughout the week. At any given time, I am reading between 6-10 books at a time. I will admit that this is a lot and I am a little crazy...but there is no reason why you can't have 2-4 books you are reading at a time. There is no reason you can't substitute a TV show for Christian book.

4. Let Technology work for you: Laura and I have shows we like to watch, but instead of watching them when they come on TV, we wait. Then we either watch in on our own time at hulu.com or we wait until it comes on DVD and rent it from netflix (TiVo works too). What this does is allows us to watch what we want, when we want it. We are not locked into a specific time slot and we don't have to worry about missing a show. Some people watch a show each night, get hooked, so they can't find time for other things since they "have" to watch their show.

5. Change your mindset. Have a mindset that works towards eternity, not one that just works for getting through each week.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1Cor 10:31

Your Mind is a Sponge (Part 2)

2010-10-06T07:00:00.054-05:00

"The average adult who spends 50 hours a year in a pew will also spend 2,000 hours at home watching television" –Brian Chapel in "Christ Centered Preaching"

The American culture is defined by busyness. Our schedules are packed and we rarely have time for things that haven't been planned into our busy days. Or at least that is what we try to communicate to others, but the impression we give of being busy doesn't line up with this statistic. If this statistic is true (which lines up accurately with other statistical research) than this means average Joe American spends 5.4 hours a day watching TV. That is over 37 hours a week, which is just shy of being the equivalent of a full time job.

Going off what we said yesterday, if we are so heavily influenced by the things we see and hear, than this shows why our spiritual lives are such a struggle. You may not watch this much TV, but however much you watch I am guessing there is more time spent in front of the TV than a Christian book. We are being heavily influenced by the media, and rarely influenced by the Bible, church, and things of the like.

So when the preacher gives a 30 minute message about living for others, that same listener is bombarded with countless hours of media telling them to serve themselves: buy this to make you look better, this to make you feel better, you deserve this and that. They are opposing messages, yet the message from the culture is taking center stage!

This is going to be a struggle for us, because obviously we can't just be in church 5 hours a day to combat this. But there are some things we can do to live in such a way that our influences are Biblical ones, so when we are around media and culture, instead of being influenced by it, we begin to see things through the lens of Scripture and seek to influence the culture itself. This is what we will tackle tomorrow.

Your Mind is a Sponge (Part 1)

2010-10-05T11:28:00.003-05:00

"The average adult who spends 50 hours a year in a pew will also spend 2,000 hours at home watching television" –Brian Chapel in "Christ Centered Preaching"

This quote was given to make preachers aware of what they are up against. The people we preach to spend 100 times more time in front of a TV than a preacher, which makes a preachers job an uphill fight.

I truly believe we are heavily influenced and guided by what we fill our minds with. If I am watching TV shows filled with drama, I will be more likely to cause or find it myself. If I am listening to rap music filled with cursing and sexual imagery, my mouth will begin to swear more and my mind will become more sexual corrupt. If I am reading financial magazines all the time, my mind will often be concerned or think about what to do with my own finances. If I am hanging out with certain people a lot, I will begin to act or talk like them (teenagers are a perfect example of this). The truth is, we think and act like what we fill our minds with. We cannot avoid this, but we can do something about it.

So what are the implications we should draw from this? That is where we will go tomorrow, but for now I want you to ask yourself:

What is the primary thing I am feeding my mind? What things I am listening to, people I am hanging out with, or things I am doing that are affecting me negatively?

If God is God

2010-09-29T10:40:00.001-05:00

"I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it..." -Ps 50:9-12

We often forget that God is God. If God needed us, that would mean that we are in some kind of partnership with him, seeking to fulfill a mission together. But the mission we seek to fulfill is God himself. If God is God, than that must mean there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more loving, nothing more powerful, nothing more right...So the most fruitful endeavor of every human would be to experience his greatness and share that with others, for he is the end of all our pursuit.

This is why it is not selfish of God for him to desire others to experience himself. It is the most loving thing he could do. A doctor isn't selfish by giving out medicine, a cook isn't selfish by allowing you to enjoy what they created, and a musician isn't selfish by letting you experience their music. On a much grander scale, God is not selfish for allowing us to enjoy himself, for their is no greater joy.

Let us remember that God did no create out of need, but out of love. So when we serve, it is out of our love for him and what he has created, not out of a desire to contribute to God himself.

Martha, Martha....

2010-09-28T16:06:00.001-05:00

"God doesn't want something from us. He simply wants us" -C.S. Lewis

Reading this quote makes me think of the husband who works long hours and weekends trying to provide his family with the "life they always wanted." Nice house, nice cars, toys for the kids, savings for college, etc. Amidst all the hard work the wife softly speaks to her husband in tears: "we miss you...your son just holds onto the baseball glove you bought him, waiting to play. Your daughter puts on the princess dress you bought her, not to play in it, but to just show you how pretty she looks. She waits at the back door...I have began to spite being in this house...because look at what it has cost us. we want you back."

Do you do the same thing towards God? Offering him all these things and spending all this time trying to serve him, yet amidst it all have neglected to love him and give yourself to him. Are we too busy serving like Martha, while not sitting at our Kings feet in worship like Mary? (Read Luke 10:38-42). God wants us. All of us. Let us not lose focus as we try to live out our faith in our family, church, and community. It all begins with love of God. If we don't love him rightly, we will not serve him rightly.

A Bad Reputation

2010-09-23T13:14:00.003-05:00

Pain. That is what I felt emotionally. The comment was made casually yet sunk to the depths of my bones. It was real. It was honest. It was eye opening.

We were sitting around the family room after dinner with our extended family having casual conversation when the topic of Christianity came up. As the conversation progressed, George* decided to speak up. His eyebrows were raised, his shoulders tense, and he spoke with a passionate frustration as he gazed at the floor: "They are hypocrites. They are no better, and often worse, than people who aren't Christian. Why would I want to be a part of that?"

I have spoken to many people before and diffused their view of hypocrisy in Christianity, so it wasn’t the accusation that surprised me. I sat there speechless, thinking of what to say. Do I tell him how Christianity is the only religion where you don't need to reach some moral or spiritual standard to get in the door? Then I could explain that we are saved by no merit of our own, only by the work of Christ. But I could tell this would have done no good. What if I told him to not focus on how Christians act and behave, since we are all struggling sinners in need of Christ, rather look to the Bible and what Christians claim to believe. But I felt like saying this would be like telling someone to not judge a restaurant by the actual quality of the food and service, but by the restaurants philosophy and operating guidelines. Or to not judge a car by how it actually performs, but by how the company wanted it to. That just doesn't make sense. I could not think of anything constructive to say. I sat there…speechless.

It hit me hard that night that this was a reality for many people. A large percentage of people's biggest obstacle to faith is they very people who claim to believe it. We are our own worst enemy. It is time we admit and accept that we now live in a world where Christianity has a bad name. This is not the 1950's anymore where going to church and being a Christian is seen as a respectable thing. This is a different world today, and we have a bad reputation.

We all have experiences with companies that lead us to not trust them. From a bad service experience to the large companies such as Enron, Firestone, BP who had a major shortcoming that tainted the image of the whole company. Whatever the reason, this we can know: it is extremely difficult to recover from a bad reputation. Companies must go above and beyond in hopes of recovering. We see this now with BP, as they are now showing commercials to announce their efforts to clean up the spill. They are seeking to gain the publics trust again.

So what can we do to regain the publics trust in the church? I believe we will regain a good reputation when we start acting like our faith calls us to. When we start looking radically different then the rest of the world…and not just because we have plans on Sunday morning. Our time, talent, and treasure should all be used for the kingdom. We can no longer just sit around and hope. I am calling all of us to either get in the game or get out of the game. We can't afford anyone just sitting on the bench. The stakes are too high, the work is too great, the need is too deep.

[This post is adopted from my October 2010 Newsletter]

The Blog is Back!

2010-09-21T09:35:00.000-05:00

Well...the blog is back! I had stopped writing in the summer to see if anyone even noticed, since I didn't just want to be writing for myself. It has been brought to my attention that many have missed the blog. So the wait is over and the blog is back. I will be posting weekly (not every day), so here are the options of how you can stay up to date with the blog:

1. Receive the blog to your email. If you are getting this in an email, you are already set up for this, so don't need to do anything.

2. Check the blog by periodically at the website: http://prayforfpc.blogspot.com/ If you would like to do this instead of getting emails, just send me an email and I will take you off the email list.

3. Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/ryanodowd Not only will the blog be linked to my twitter, but by following me on twitter you will also receive the updates I post for the youth group, which include encouraging quotes from pastors and theologians and updates on what is going on with the youth group.

One more addition to the blog: I want to have the option for you to post on the blog. So if you want to write a blog entry, just email it to me and I will post it on the blog.

So there are the options. Let me know if you want me to take you off the email (if you are going to just check the website on your own time or if you are following via twitter). I hope this blog continues to encourage you.

Freedom?

2010-07-08T10:55:00.001-05:00

What is freedom? After celebrating July 4, I think it is a good question for Christians to ask.

I think there are different levels of freedom, and different worldviews when it comes to freedom. There is the American worldview of freedom...which in a sense says I am free to do what I want (within reason). I am not held back by government, military forces, or infighting. I am free to live my life as I want. Then, there is the Biblical worldview. The Biblical worldview flips this American idea on its head. The Biblical worldview shows that if left to myself, I choose sin, death, and pain. The Bible tells me that as a human I am not free. I am bound and enslaved. Enslaved to myself, enslaved to my sin, enslaved to knowing nothing but depravity. The Biblical view of freedom is freedom that is given to those who are in Christ. Freedom from sin, from eternal punishment, reedom to now live how I was created to live. Before, I was bound...but now, Christ has set me free!

So while we are being grateful for the American freedom we have, let us not forget that many Americans, in the truest sense of the word, are not free. They are bound to their sin, and unless they meet the savior, will never be free.

Most people assume the non-Christian in America is more free than the Christian in Nepal who getting beaten to the point of death for their faith. I would ask you to reconsider your view of freedom. Do you value your freedom to worship how you want more than your freedom to live out your faith? Is the freedom you have to own a nice air conditioned home more important (in your heart) than the freedom Christ has given you? If it came down to it, would you choose beatings and jail time like Christians in Pakistan (who chose obedience to Christ over their own comfort), or would you choose American freedom? Where does your first allegiance lie...to self and country or to Christ and His kingdom?

What may sound like an easy question may not be so easy when your life is on the line. Today, and everyday, there are Christians facing terrible persecution all around the world...we just don't hear about it. When I hear these stories I have to remind myself that these persecuted Christians are free! In fact, their freedom is probably greater than mine, for their lives prove that Christ is everything...and they are literally giving up everything to prove it. That is freedom.

What is God asking of you?

2010-06-21T12:52:00.001-05:00

Read James 2:14-26, Genesis 22, and Joshua 2…Go ahead…read them.

Abraham was a man God wanted to use, but what Abraham wanted more than God, more than his wife, and more than anything else, was a son. So Abraham sleeps with his maid servant to conceive a child. Yet despite his disobedience, God still shows his grace to him by promising Abraham a son by his wife…not his servant. Through it all, Abraham sees the beauty of God, and begins to desire God more than anything else, even the son he so desperately wanted. His love for God is proven in the Genesis 22 account. Abraham, despite all his shortcomings and failures chose the pleasures of God over the pleasures of this world. Abraham chose obedience!

Rehab was a prostitute. Someone our Christian culture would look down upon. But God did not look down on her, rather chose to reveal himself to her and use her. Rehab chose obedience to God over the love of the world and herself. She risked her life to house 2 Israelite spies, yet did it knowing that it was exactly what God was calling her to do. Rehab chose obedience!

God changed the lives of this adulterer (Abraham) and prostitute (Rehab) so much that they are mentioned twice in the New Testament as an example of true faith (James 2 and Hebrews 11). So the question for you today is: where is God calling you to be obedient? Don’t think God won’t use you in great ways because of what you have or haven’t done…he used Abraham and Rehab! In James 2:14-26 we are told that true faith actually does something…it proves itself by how we live and act. So if you really believe what you say you believe, then God must be calling you to be obedient in certain areas. So what are they?

Our Mission

2010-06-16T16:26:00.001-05:00

Our mission is to make disciples and teach them to follow Jesus. Is this your mission? How do you plan to accomplish this mission?

Physical vs Spiritual Birth

2010-06-15T11:19:00.001-05:00

As I pull myself together after weeks of sleep deprivation I realize I have neglected the prayer blog. As I think about prayer and as I think about new life, and startling thought has entered my mind.

The amount of excitement over a new life is indescribable: people visit from all over, gifts flood into our house, cards fill up our mail box, phone calls are made, pictures are requested...and it keeps going from there. Before the baby is here, people can hardly stand it they are so excited for his arrival, and once born the excitement level is through the roof!

Bringing a new life into this world is an incredible thing. Something that has often brought tears to my eyes. But I feel that many of us have lost perspective. We get more excited about a new physical life than a new spiritual one. Jesus tells Nicodemus (John 3): "that which is born of flesh is flesh and that which is born of Spirit is spirit." In other words, being born physically is being born into sin, yet being born spiritually is being born into eternal life. In saying this I am not trying to lessen the excitement of physical birth, rather I am trying to heighten the excitement of spiritual birth.

Our excitement level for new disciples should exceed that of physical birth. For when someone accepts Christ they are passing from death to life. We are talking about eternity here! I believe that a major reason we don't evangelize and share our faith is that we don't find making disciplines all that exciting. So today, think about the idea that a sinful man can be reconciled to a Holy God. Think about what that took! Elevate spiritual birth in your mind to the place it should be. And maybe if we did that, the excitement we have towards evangelism would be similar to the excitement of a pregnant mom. And maybe the celebration we have towards a new believer might be similar to the excitement of a baby being born. And taking this analogy further, maybe the way we nurture and raise up new believers could be done with the same care and concern that parents and grandparents do for the new life that has been brought into the world.

The World

2010-05-26T15:14:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we get so focused on our specific mission that we forget God's greater mission: To make disciples of ALL nations. So take a few minutes to pray for that mission. Pray that God would call people to Himself from all around the world. Also, pray that the Bible would be spread to new areas and new languages. Currently there are 2300 languages that don't have any part of the Bible in their own language.

Grace

2010-05-25T14:40:00.001-05:00

"Grace will teach you that you are much less than you thought, while it assures you that you can be far more than you ever imagined." -Paul Tripp

Dwell on this truth. Let the beauty of grace soak into your being and let it change you. We cannot be who God wants us to be until we realize how desperate and needy we truly are. It is then we can find strength and courage to live for Him, but only by his strength and power.

First Allegiance

2010-05-18T14:33:00.001-05:00

"My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man,
My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood,
It's to a king & a kingdom" - Derek Webb

Is this true of us? Is your first and primary pursuit God and His purposes? If your allegiance was as it should be...how would this change things?

Rescue

2010-05-12T08:33:00.001-05:00

"We need more than love and encouragement, information and insight. We need rescue. Anything less will not address what is really wrong with us." -Paul Tripp

We have to understand that what people truly need is rescue. People need God to save them from their sinful state to reconcile them back to Himself through Christ. This helps bring things in proper perspective. At the end of the day, the best thing we can do for others is to beg God to rescue. Yes, it will help as we love and encourage people. Yes, it will help as we teach about who Jesus is and what the gospel is. But at the end of the day God must do His saving work...so pray that He would!

One person

2010-05-06T14:21:00.001-05:00

Think of one person you know in the area that does not believe in Christ. Take a few minutes and pray for them. Plead for them, intercede for them, and believe that God can answer that prayer.

Humble and Broken

2010-05-04T12:49:00.001-05:00

"It is not long discourses nor eloquent tongues, that are the things which are pleasing in the ears of the Lord, but a humble, broken, and contrite heart (Ps 51:17, Is 57:15)" -John Bunyan on Prayer

Humble: humble prayer is prayer that brought with submission to the Father, knowing that we are far inferior and in desperate need of Him.

Broken: A broken heart in prayer is a heart that realizes how incomplete it is. A heart that knows it can only be fixed by the Lord. All of us are broken, but a broken heart in prayer is one that realizes its state.

Contrite: A contrite heart feels the weight and agony of its sins. It is heart that sees sin and God rightly, desiring to be cleansed of all iniquity. A contrite heart is a desperate heart. A heart that is in need of a savior and calls out to God in agony to forgive.

Is this how you come to the Lord?

James

2010-04-28T12:50:00.001-05:00

This week I will be starting a series on James with the youth. The series will be entitled "Faith with Legs," and will focus on practically living out your faith. Pray that this series would impact the youth and help them to better live out their faith in different areas. Pray for me as I prepare these messages for them.

I just outlined the book, and it looks like it will be a 14 week series (will go through the summer), so continue to keep this in your prayers. If you would like the tentative preaching schedule so you can follow along and discuss some things with the youth/your prayer partner, please let me know.

Prayer and Labour

2010-04-27T15:01:00.001-05:00

"Right prayer is accompanied with a continual labour after that which is prayed for" -John Bunyan on Prayer

Are you just praying or are you laboring after what you are praying for. This is a question we must ask and dwell on.

When God doesn't Answer

2010-04-22T10:18:00.001-05:00

"When I have been in my fits of agonies of spirit, I have been strongly persuaded to leave off, and to seek the Lord no longer; but being made to understand what great sinners the Lord has had mercy upon, and how large his promises were still to sinners; and that it was not the whole, but the sick, not the righteous, but the sinner, not the full, but the empty, that he extended his grace and mercy unto--this made me, through the assistance of his Holy Spirit, to cleave to him, to hang upon him, and yet to cry, though for the present he made no answer." - John Bunyan on Prayer

Labor in prayer! Do not stop praying when it is diffictult and hard. We don't pray becasue we want the genie to answer, we pray because we have a deep longing for God and His will. Remember this as you pray. And remember that our ultimate hope in prayer is to get more of God, not more of his gifts. Let Him be central, not what we want answered. He is a jealous God who wants all of us, and may choose to be silent or not answer to reveal that we want certain prayer answered more than we want God himself.

Trust Him, rest in Him, and do not stop pursing Him in prayer.

Which are you?

2010-04-21T10:17:00.001-05:00

From John Bunyan on Prayer:

"Suppose there should come two men begging to your door; the one is a poor, lame, wounded, and almost starved creature, the other is a healthy strong person; these two use the same words in their begging; the one says he is almost starved, so does the other: but the man that is indeed the poor, lame, or maimed person, he speaks with more sense, feeling, and understanding of the misery that is mentioned in their begging, than the other can do; and it is discovered more by his manner of speaking, his bemoaning himself. his pain and poverty makes him speak more in a spirit of lamentation than the other, and he is pitied sooner than the other, by all those that have the least dram of natural affection or pity. Just thus it is with God: there are some who out of custom and formality go and pray; there are others who go in bitterness of their spirits: the one prays out of bare notion and naked knowledge; the other has his words forced from him by the anguish of his soul. Surely that is the man that God will look at, 'even to him that is poor, and of contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word' (Is. 66.2)."

So the question I ask: Is our praying merely a formality? Or is it out of a deep longing of the soul? Which man are you?

Romans 8:26-27

2010-04-20T09:57:00.001-05:00

"None knows how many by-ways the heart has, and back-lanes, to slip away from the presence of God. How much pride also, if enabled with expressions! How much hypocrisy, if before others! And how little conscience is there made of prayer between God and the soul in secret, unless the Spirit of supplication be there to help! When the Spirit gets into the heart, then there is prayer indeed, and not till then." -John Bunyan

It is so easy for our prayers to be prideful, hypocritical. or even meaningless words we say but don't feel. Prayer does not happen apart from the Spirit interceding. You might think you are praying or look like you are praying, but apart from the Spirit, there is no prayer. Read Romans 8:26-27 when you get a chance today. Think of what it will take for you to be and stay Spirit led in prayer. We need to take this scripture seriously, and truly depend on the Sprit as we commune with the Lord.

Emptiness under Heaven

2010-04-15T08:37:00.001-05:00

"The soul that thus prays indeed, sees an emptiness in all things under heaven; that in God alone there is rest and satisfaction for the soul." -John Bunyan

This makes me realize that much of the problem in my payer life is an attachment to the things of this world. The more "of this world" I am, the more I become self dependent instead of dependent on God. True prayer is completely dependent on God and hopeful for heaven, and not putting hope in the world we live in now. It is in God alone where our souls will be satisfied. Sounds impossible to do, but with prayer it can happen.

Prayer

2010-04-14T08:53:00.000-05:00

Our desires for this church are completely dependent on God being gracious and merciful on us and on those he calls. Nothing we desire can be done by merely human effort. Because of this, we MUST be a people who seek the Lord in prayer.

John Bunyan, who wrote Pilgrim's Progress, wrote some classic books on prayer, which I will now start reading through. Prayer is difficult, and maybe learning from this great man of God will stir my heart to pray as I ought. With that, I am going to be inviting you into what I am reading through this blog. My hope is that we can all take these coming weeks to be challenged in our prayer life, and motivated to grow in this area. My prayer now for all of us is that we take seriously prayer, and take seriously wanting to grow in it.

If any of you are interested in the book I will be reading and quoting from, it is called "Prayer" and is from the Puritan Paperback series. This book contains 2 books by Bunyan, "Praying in the Spirit," and "The Throne of Grace."

Do it.

2010-04-08T11:54:00.001-05:00

Take a minute and think about something you feel God is asking you to do that you haven't done. Whatever it is, pray about it, come up with a plan, and do it. It could be visiting a friend, reconciling a relationship, saying a kind word to someone, giving money to a good cause, reading your Bible more...whatever it is. It is so easy to put off what God is putting on our hearts, but there is so much joy in being obedient to His leadings.

Don't Stare

2010-04-06T12:26:00.001-05:00

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." -Acts 1:8-10

Translation: Don't sit around waiting for Jesus to come back. He will come, but until then, we are to obey what he has called us to do - be his witness. So now that we have celebrated the resurrection, let's not just stand around looking at the grave site for another year or into the sky. Let's go share about what He has done!

Celebrate Death

2010-04-01T08:52:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is a day we celebrate Jesus dying on a cross for our sins. Maybe you find celebrate an odd choice of words, but I find it very fitting. Jesus chose to leave heaven, come to earth and live without sin so that one day he could pay our penalty. He died for us not so we can walk around sad and droopy. He did it so we can live! And we celebrate because we know that our God in not dead. We know that 3 days later he would rise from the dead. Our savior is not dead...he is alive! So we celebrate that through one man's death we all can receive life. Believe in what Jesus Christ has done for your sins! Celebrate what he has accomplished on this Good Friday. Let this truth humble you, and let it move you to live for Him who bought you.

Eggs and the Resurrection

2010-03-31T08:37:00.001-05:00

An idea on how to transition a conversation to share the gospel:

Use the fact that people have decorated with eggs or that they are taking their kids on an egg hunt...Tell them how easy it is for you to forget the meaning of the eggs. Then go on to explain that the eggs symbolize new life. You can then explain about being born again, about Jesus giving us new life, and unpack the gospel in a way that makes sense to who you are talking to, and bring Easter into a new light for that person.

Eggs and resurrection. They go together. Our new life is because of what Jesus did on the cross and that he rose from the dead. O, what an amazing truth!

Holy Week

2010-03-30T08:45:00.001-05:00

So many people celebrate Easter. They have egg hunts, big meals, decorate with bunnies, etc. Would you be so loving to tell someone this week about how your savior rose from the dead? Will you tell someone how He gave His life for your sins? Please, this week, share the gospel with someone. The timing this week is ripe for ears to listen.

"He who has ears, let him hear."

Free Time

2010-03-25T11:24:00.001-05:00

From a CNN article about the middle class: "What's your top priority? In a 2008 poll by the Pew Research Center, it wasn't healthy kids, a strong marriage or a great career; 68 percent of respondents said it was free time."

Does this change the way we evangelize? Think about it.

Maybe instead of trying to invite people to things all the time (not that inviting people to things is a bad thing), we should focus on changing what they value...having conversations with people that begin to allow the gospel to take root in their hearts (this means purposeful conversations). If this happens, their whole value system changes, instead of just their schedule.

Mission and Vision

2010-03-23T09:56:00.001-05:00

This week at Strategic Planning we will talk about the mission and vision of the church. But today, my question is to you as an individual: What is you mission as a follower of Christ? What do you envision to accomplish through that mission? Think about these things, and hopefully they will help you live more purposefully.

Hatchet

2010-03-16T15:50:00.001-05:00

"Do no remove a fly from your neighbor's face with a hatchet" -Chinese proverb

Thought this was a funny proverb with profound insight. The idea is that we are not to turn small issues into huge problems. It is all about perspective. In the grand scheme of things, are the things that bother us really all that big of a deal? We are far too easily swayed by emotion. If our hope is in the things of this world, than a fly on your neighbors face is a big deal (figuratively). But if our hope is not in the things of this world than we are able to let the little things in life roll off our shoulders, we are able to be more resilient to the pain in life, and are more focused on things that matter.

The Passion

2010-03-15T14:26:00.001-05:00

In response to the movie “The Passion”:

“Images cannot adequately convey the gospels content. The gospel message isn’t visual, it’s truth. It is truth to be believed, not simply a collection of images to be viewed. –CJ Mahaney

We have to remember this when we share the gospel and communicate about Christ. We are not merely trying to get people to understand WHAT happened, but get them to understand WHY. This is the truth of the gospel. Let the truth of what happened on the cross sink deeply into your hearts (how Christ died in your place for your sins, reconciling you to the father and giving you eternal life with Him). And ask yourself if those around you understand this incredible reconciling truth. Pray that you would be bold to share it and that God would be gracious enough to reveal it to them.

Sunday School

2010-03-12T11:54:00.002-06:00

I am having some email issues, so am posting this email here about sunday school: With spring break, we will cancel Sunday school this Sunday. On March 21 we will do chapter 6 and discuss our experiences with the questions at the end of chapter 5.

I tried to post more blogs this week, but had trouble. A 31 year old pastor from my old church passed away, so after the funeral Tuesday I had trouble keeping my mind focused. In light of this, my prayer for me, for you, and for our church is that we would live ferociously for God. Life is short, life is precious, but this life is not the end. Let us live in light of the life to come!

The Boss

2010-03-09T11:55:00.001-06:00

“And [Christ] is the head of the body, the church”

That means it is Christ we submit to, period. We don’t submit to attractive ideas, clever methods, squeaky wheels, or organizational structures. We submit to Christ. Pray we would be a church that first follows Christ, and not first follows opinions, ideas, sessions, pastors, ect. Those are secondary to our submission to the One who saved us and has sent us.

Thirsty

2010-03-04T12:47:00.001-06:00

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." Ps 42:1-2

There are times where I get so thirsty that all I can think about is water. I think of how incredible it will be when the water touches my lips and quenches my thirst. O, how I want to thirst that way for God. How different would it be if all I could think about was God, and thirsted deeply for him.

Today, think of one thing that increases your desire/passion for God, and do it. It could be taking a walk on a beautiful day (like today), it could be reading the Psalms, it could be listening intently to a worship song, slowly drinking a cup of coffee because it tastes good - not because you need the caffeine. Whatever it is that brings your pallet to thirst for him, do it. For as our desire for God increase, our desire for evangelism will increase as well.

Loved

2010-03-03T10:20:00.001-06:00

"The fact that I am loved and will forever be loved frees me to love peoples how are hard to love" -Jonathan Dodson

Part of evangelism is showing people love. As we do that, we must remember that the love we receive is from someone we have sinned against (God). So pray that you can free yourself of judgment, anger, frustration, and anything else that is hindering relationships with those in your life. Ask God to help you love them. It is when we show love at the most unexpected times that people really see God at work. Love those who don't deserve it! After all, that is the reason we are all Christians...because God did that to us.

Purpose of the church

2010-03-02T10:33:00.001-06:00

There are 2 main purposes of the church: 1) Glorify God (1Cor 10:31), 2) Make disciples (Mt 28:19-20)

Are you doing both? Is your life revolved around trying to accomplish these two purposes? Pray that you and the church would better fulfill these purposes.

Cry Out

2010-02-25T13:53:00.001-06:00

"In true reality, you and I have absolutely no hope...except to cry out for a mediator." -CJ Mahaney

No hope. None, zippo, zilch, notta, nunca, nil. Our lives are completely dependent on Christ yet we live as though they are dependent on ourselves. If we live with more dependence on Him, maybe the humility that goes with that would grant us opportunities to share our faith more boldly and lovingly. For we aren't coming to people as better or more special, but as people that have been graciously given something we don't deserve, and now we want to share it. So share the hope. Share the hope.

The real battle

2010-02-24T14:27:00.001-06:00

"Satan's aim is that no one be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. And one of his key strategies is to start battles in the world that draw our attention away from the real battle for the salvation of the lost and the perseverance of the saints." -John Piper

True and convicting. How different would this world be if all Christians kept the real battle at the forefront of their minds? How different would my life be? Pray that we would see the war for souls more clearly and that our other battles would be secondary. Think about the battles you fight more vigorously than the battle for souls. Repent, and ask God for a heart for His people.

Go ahead...take it.

2010-02-23T08:19:00.001-06:00

The more you risk, the more you can loose...but is it worth it? If you don't risk at all, the results stay about the same, but if you do you can gain or lose so much more. As we approach strategic planning this Sunday, we need to remember this. We must be willing to take chances, to get our of our comfort zone, knowing that it is risky. The other option would be to not risk anything and for things to never change.

I think history clearly shows that those who made the most impact for Christ (people and churches), are the ones who lived in a state of fearlessness. Those who followed where God called and never worried about the repercussions. Pray that we would be willing to take a step out on faith in this season of our church. Pray that the hope of what we gain out weighs the fear of what we can lose.

T-Shirts

2010-02-17T11:38:00.002-06:00

Read and think about these lyrics. It is about how the world will know us, instead of how the world should know us.

Song: T-Shirts

Artist: Derek Webb

"they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
at anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare

they’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
they’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
like anyone on earth is living right
and isn’t that why Jesus died
not to make us think we’re right

chorus:
when love, love, love
is what we should be known for
love, love, love
it’s the how and it’s the why
we live and breathe and we die

they’ll know us by reasons we divide
and how we can’t seem to unify
because we’ve gotta sing songs a certain style
or we’ll walk right down that aisle
and just leave ‘em all behind

they’ll know us by the billboards that we make
just turning God’s words to cheap clichés
says “what part of murder don’t you understand?”
but we hate our fellow man
and point a finger at his grave

chorus

they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
telling ‘em their sins are worse than ours
thinking we can hide our scars
beneath these t-shirts that we wear"

Caretakers of the Establishment?

2010-02-16T11:53:00.002-06:00

"God, save us from having a 'maintenance ministry' and being a 'caretaker of the Establishment.' I want to see God move!" -Dr. John Hannah

Is our work about caring for the establishment (the church) or about being part of what God is doing in the hearts of people? Pray that we would be a peopel that aren't so inward focused that we miss what God is doing.

Mine!

2010-02-15T11:35:00.003-06:00

"There is not one inch in the entire area of our human life about which Christ, who is Sovereign of all, does not cry out, "Mine!" " -Abraham Kuyper

This quote is the reason we must hold loosely the things we have been given: time, talent, and treasures, and hold tightly to God. If we live to protect the things we have been given, than our energy is spent on things that will not last, but if our energy is spent on declaring and representing the name of God than our energy will be spent on bringing Him glory. Where is your time spent, on things that will last or on maintaining life? Where is your energy going? Pray we would be a people that care for God first and that His effect on us would enter every area of life. Whether we admit it or not...all is His...so let us live that way.

Feelings

2010-02-10T08:51:00.001-06:00

"We let our feelings tell us what is true, instead of letting truth transform our feelings." -CJ Mahaney

What separates us from those who don't believe is the fact that we have a hope that will never change. Through joy and through pain, we know the truth. The question is, will people see that feelings guide us (like the rest of the world) or that truth guides us (as we are called to in Scripture). Our life ought to look different because our hope ought to be different. The question is...is your hope different? Is your life different? Trust in the creator, not the creation. That is where hope, joy, and truth is found.

Sobering Thought

2010-02-08T07:50:00.002-06:00

"If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" -Revelation 20:15

The work we do as ambassadors for Christ is work that must be taken seriously, and work that must be thought of as urgent. Our days are numbered...but we don't know the number. Let us not wait to live out our faith as we are called. Pray that you would be more in tune to the Holy Spirit, to know His leading and see opportunities He gives. And pray that your life would display God as your ultimate hope. Not family, not friends, not money, not stuff, not comfort...God is our unwavering ever-present hope.

You can comment on this post and others at http://prayforfpc.blogspot.com/

Greater Things

2010-02-04T10:53:00.001-06:00

"Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city" -Chris Tomlin

Believe that today. That greater things are to be done in this city and surrounding cities because of the power of Christ to bring hope and restoration! Pray that God would move in mighty ways.

Walking

2010-02-03T14:38:00.001-06:00

"To walk out of his will is to walk into nowhere" -CS Lewis

During this time of growth and change, there will be struggle, there will be resistance, and there will be excitement. The whole time we must continually ask, is this God's will. We must be willing to walk anywhere God leads and nowhere he doesn't...no matter the cost. Pray for us, as a church and as individuals, to do this.

Tax Collectors

2010-02-02T08:29:00.001-06:00

"By all means eat with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus came to call them (Mt 9:13). So call them. Call them. Call them." -John Piper

How will people be see the beauty of Christ if they are never around those who love Him? Jesus has called us to be around those who are lost. So think of ways you can invite sinners into your life and pray that others in this church would do the same. This church will not grow by inviting people into the doors of the building, it will grow by inviting people into the lives of the members.

Bible

2010-02-01T14:36:00.000-06:00

One of the youth is already half-way through reading the one minute Bible’s we gave them! It is 365 pages, and in just weeks he has read half…I was so excited to hear this. This is a group of kids who have little Biblical knowledge but are desperately craving it! It has been both fun and challenging to teach them each week. Pray that all the youth would grasp this excitement for God’s word. Pray that God’s word would begin to penetrate hearts and change lives!

The World

2010-01-28T13:39:00.001-06:00

"In the beginning God created..."

Our hope is not in this sin filled world we live in, but in a world that will be restored. Are we communicating this by the way we live, or are we hoping in the same thing the world is hoping in? Pray that those around us would see our love for Christ and the world to come, and not our love for sin and stuff.

Youth Room

2010-01-26T14:15:00.001-06:00

The youth room has been painted. Though this may just seem like a cosmetic change, to the youth it is so much more. It is now a place that is theirs, a place they helped to create. Their is pride and belonging in this room. So something as small as painting is a giant step forward for this youth group.

Today, pray that in this youth room, lives would be changed. Pray that the gospel would transform. Pray that friendships will strengthen. This could be the start of something amazing in these kids lives. I also as that you stop by the youth room either before or after the service Sunday and pray. look around the room a imagine kids lives being changed there, and ask God to do amazing things.

Tell and Sing

2010-01-25T08:10:00.001-06:00

“O tell of His might, O sing of His grace
Whose robe is the light and canopy space
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm”

-Hymn, O Worship the king

Tell…sing…these are verbs, that speak of our action. In the song they seem as if they just naturally flow out of loving God. My prayer today is for our church to have such an overflowing love that everywhere we go our lives testify of Him. For just as the last two lines of this verse testify, his wrath is real and it is coming. Let our lives bring others out of darkness into light!

Taking Risks

2010-01-20T11:04:00.001-06:00

“Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.” –Braveheart

Well, I have been home sick all week with the flu (not fun at all). I decided to pop in one of my favorite movies, Braveheart, to pass the time. The above quote is from this movie, and really got me thinking.

It really takes courage to follow where your heart leads. We value comfort, safety, and security so highly that risking these things is a difficult task. Well, our church is at the point where we can follow our call to grow the church or follow our desire for comfort. The decision seems easy on paper, but in actuality it is a hard one. It is a decision that takes courage. With that, we must respect those who take the leap, and understand when there are those in the church who are hesitant. This isn’t easy.

Today, pray for this church to take risks. Not crazy risks, but risks that would put people out of their comfort zone. Risks that would prove the body is more important than the individual. Pray we would all have the courage to follow where Christ leads, and not just follow what is comfortable.

PS – if none of this makes sense, I blame the meds J

I forgot a word.

2010-01-14T08:20:00.001-06:00

“Controversial”

I spent 10 minutes in my office yesterday thinking of this word. I knew what I was trying to say and knew the word I was looking for started with a “C” but could not think of the word. In the middle of trying to think of the word I was humbled by the Lord. I realized that each that every word I think of is a result of God allowing me to think it. Every motion I am able to take is because of God’s grace. So often I think I am in control. I can think, move, and act all on my own. Today, I was humbly reminded of my dependence on Him even for the little things. I am not in control of anything. If God wants to do something, he will. If I get in His way he can take me out of the equation in an instant. He is God.

My prayer today is that we would all realize our dependence on Him. We can do nothing apart from Him, period. That is why Colossians 1:17 says that “he is before all things, and by him all things are held together.” So remember, all you do is a result of Christ allowing it. He is in control, not you.

Not Deserted

2010-01-13T10:16:00.001-06:00

“But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, event when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and daid, “this is your god who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.” – Neh. 9:17

Despite all we do, God has not deserted us. Let us remember this today, and let us thank God for his abounding love. Also, let us pray that others in our community might understand the love and compassion of God!

Gandhi on Christians

2010-01-12T08:03:00.000-06:00

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." -Mahatma Gandhi

Pray that this would not be the case for us. Pray that those we are called to reach see us more like Christ than not. Often, the biggest barrier to evangelism is our own.

Tears of Joy

2010-01-11T09:46:00.001-06:00

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Eph 2:8

On Sunday I preached about grace, the idea that we are saved by no merit of our own, but solely by the grace of God. I explained that our sin deserves penalty, and the very one we sinned against was the one the decided to pay the penalty in our place. That is grace.

After the service every week, we get in a circle and have discussion (we call it Bible study breakout). My first question for the past two weeks has been: what do you think about this idea. This week one of the students eyes just lit up as he explained how he had never heard this before, and began to speak of how incredible it is! You could tell that the gospel is truly taking root inside. God is doing amazing things in the hearts of these youth in just the two weeks we have had together.

As I think about this moment it brings tears to my eyes. This is why I am here at this church. This is why we are all here, to see the gospel transform people. So despite all the challenges in front of us, despite all the tension that is present as we try to change and grow this church, we have this to rejoice in. My prayer today is that we would continue to pray for the youth and for others who are just joining our community. I pray that as we strategically move forward that people would focus on what God is doing in hearts and not what is being done to “change” things. Pray today that the church body would focus on what we can do to reach people and not what we can do to meet personal preference. This will take much prayer, so please, beg the Lord to work in hearts, including your own.

Work

2010-01-07T09:19:00.001-06:00

“For a church to be revitalized and transformed, much hard work must be done” – William T. McConnell

Though this may seem like an obvious statement, I am sure there are those in the congregation who see it as a spectator sport. Pray today that the entire congregation would be motivated, excited, and ready to work. Pray that this strategic planning would be fruitful because of the work people will put into the implementation. I am hopeful because of the response we got from attendance and the commitment forms, so pray that this commitment would be fulfilled by all.

Sinners

2010-01-06T08:07:00.001-06:00

“One of the early stages of becoming a Christian is, I think, realizing that our problems aren’t fundamentally that we have messed up our own lives, or have simply failed to reach our full potential, but that we have sinned against God.” – Mark Dever in The Gospel and Personal Evangelism

I would completely agree with Mark here, which is why I preached on our sinfulness this past week to the youth. If I could get them to grasp their sinfulness and depravity, then they would be at a point where they know they need a savior. So this week I will preach on grace and salvation in hopes that the realization of their depravity and realization of who Jesus is will bring them to worship our Savior in ways they never have. Pray today that these kids would truly grasp their desperate need for Jesus. Pray that Jesus wouldn’t be just something they add to a list of things they like, but that He would be their treasure.

Selfless Unity

2010-01-05T09:28:00.001-06:00

" So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:1-4)

I am humbled by the unity and service that this group displayed on Sunday. Everyone served in different ways while being unified for the same purpose. Everyone was looking out for the interests of others: With women in the kitchen for hours to get the meal ready and then back in the kitchen to clean up, never expecting a thank you and didn’t care if people noticed – your heart was to make the strategic planning meeting a success. Their were others setting tables, serving food, and making extra copies because of the big turnout, all focused on making sure the meeting went smoothly.

I know you don’t think what you did was a big deal, but it was! Because you planned and organized the meal I was able to spend my time on preparing for the 1^st youth service and the 1^st strategic planning meeting, which was a bit overwhelming falling on the same day. Because you were in the kitchen preparing the food I was able to set up the room for the youth service, do some last minute things, and hang out with Matthew who came early. Because you were serving food I was able to make the presentation while people were eating which made it possible to have the presentation before people began to leave. Because you helped make copies and cleaned up everything at the end I was able to sit down and build relationships with the youth, who ended up staying around until about 2pm. If I had gotten up to clean then the youth would have left at 11:30. If there would not have been food the youth and many others would not have come at all. I believe that the time I spent with the youth after the meal was more valuable then the sermon I preached or the songs we sang. It allowed them to get to know me, and see that I cared for them, which is what youth are craving, and those conversations might just be the reason they come back next week. None of this would have happened if you did not do what you did.

So today is more of a praise than a prayer. I am thankful for you and God is honored by your service. Thank you for everything!

Joy Overflows

2010-01-04T08:35:00.001-06:00

“A few days ago I called my eighty-five-year-old father and said, “Daddy, I am writing a book on how to fight for joy. What one thing comes to your mind from sixty years of ministry as to what Christians could do to increase their joy?” Almost without hesitation he said, “Share their faith.” Joy in Christ thrives on being shared. That is the essence of Christian joy: It overflows or dies.” –John Piper in When I Don’t Desire God

With a new year, we are hoping that this one will be better than the ones before. With that hope fresh on our minds, let us realize that true joy thrives on being shared. Let this truth sink into our hearts so we are more compelled to share our faith, for our joy and God’s glory! Pray for our church today. Pray that we would find joy in sharing our faith. All of us need help in this area, and help starts with prayer.

But you were washed!

2009-12-22T08:28:00.001-06:00

“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” -1Cor 6:11

This is what Paul says after giving a list of sins where all of us would be found guilty. What is his point? His point is that we are no longer who we were, but are now cleansed and forgiven of our sins. So even though Christmas gets chaotic, family gets frustrating, and our patience gets short, remember this truth. Remember as you interact with you family that you are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified. Go about your day with this attitude. Make this holiday an opportunity to display the love of Christ and act as one who is different and cleansed.

Today, pray that you and others in the church would represent Christ well at home this Christmas season. Pray especially for those who have unbelievers in their homes this Christmas, that they would make Christ look beautiful and glorious!

youth tomorrow

2009-12-21T14:43:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow at noon we kick off the youth program! Please pray! Tomorrow could be a total flop, or could be the start to something amazing. Pray it would be the latter, that these kids would be excited to develop relationships and excited to know Jesus through this group. The potential is there…we just need the commitment. Laura, Karen B. , and myself will be at the meeting tomorrow, so pray for each one of us, that we can connect with these kids!