State Farm Commercial

I'm sure you're all familiar with these State Farm commercials with that super-smug guy walking around telling us to contact an agent, BUT NOT YET, first talk to someone that already has a State Farm policy.



State Farm obviously knows that "word of mouth" is the best method of advertising and they are confident that their policy holders are pleased with their service and will give a good recommendation if asked. As I watch these commercials the thought comes to me; how am I suppose to find a "State Farm driver"? Does State Farm actually want us to try and search out one of these 40 million drivers that "trust" them or are they just trying to point out we have 40 million policy holders and no one else does. Basically, "we must be good if so many people use us".

As a Pastor, this commercial also got me thinking about evangelism, that is, spreading the message of Christ. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus gave us the call to GO and SPREAD the message. If followers of Christ were to put together a commercial it could look much like that of State Farm's; leading off with all the misconceptions and sounding something like this:

"The big bang theory, a big kill-joy in the sky, followers like a bunch of crazy fanatics. Come on! Isn't it time someone gave it to you straight? That's why you should talk to Jesus Christ. But not yet, first, talk to any one of the 2.1 billion who already trust Jesus Christ. 2.1 billion, yeah, that's more than John Smith or Buddha have combined. By a lot. 2.1 billion followers, hope for tomorrow, and eternal security. Where else can you find that? Talk to Jesus in prayer right now or open a Bible to read about Him."  

Notice, Christians could put a commercial together much like this, not that we should. The biggest problem I see with State Farm's commercial, as I said before, is trying to find one of these 40 million drivers to ask, it is not like these drivers walk around with sandwich boards on talking about their insurance coverage and/or agent. Likewise, not too many Christians walk around with sandwich boards (or even t-shirts) on talking about Jesus Christ and/or sharing their testimony.

State Farm customers have been trusted to spread the word about their coverage and about their agents. State Farm customers have been trusted to do this by their agents and by their super-smug spokesman.
Christians have been trusted to spread the word about Jesus Christ and the hope, joy, love, and salvation that He brings to life. Christians have been trusted to do this by Jesus Christ Himself (Matthew 28:19).

So let us do it! By the way, I am both a follower of Christ and a State Farm policy holder, I can tell you about my experience with both.  

Status of 2010

I was tooloing around on facebook this evening and came across something called My Year in Status - 2010. It takes all of your facebook statuses for the year (or a lot of them at least) and puts them together as a collage. I especially liked the fact that I could go through and pick and choose which statuses to include in the collage.


It was interesting to see the statuses that were shared throughout the year from the standpoint of what I was doing as well as what I felt was important enough to share as a status. It brought back a lot of memories from this past year.

Great memories of family, friends, jobs, thoughts, fears, and successes!

Incomplete

Last weekend Addison and I were looking for something to do and so we pulled out a puzzle to work on. When we went to the closet to find a puzzle I saw the normal puzzles that we do, the 24-piece puzzles and decided that this was the day that we finally pull out the big one, the 1000-piece puzzle.


It took us a few minutes to turn over all the pieces and develop some sort of organization, and in a short time we had begun. It didn't take much persuasion to get Kim in on the puzzle action. Before long we had completed the frame of the puzzle and began to work on small portions at a time.

Four days later we were approaching completion on the puzzle when we realized that out of the 1,000 pieces needed to complete the puzzle, we had 999. One piece short! If you have ever felt like you were missing something, like you are 99.9 percent there but just can seem to achieve that last .1 percent, you must know how we felt. 

I wish there was a happy end to this story, there isn't. We looked all over the dining room for that last piece, we look in, under and around chairs, we looked under and around tables, we walked around portions of the house, looked in the game closet, and several drawers. The puzzle was disassembled on a Thursday having achieved a 99.9 percent completion.

Visiting through the funk

This afternoon I had the great duty of visiting with some wonderful people! 

One of the duties of my job is visitation. Visiting with the members and attendees of our church, visiting with various individuals from the community, and visiting with shut-ins and those in the hospital. While this is not the part of the job that I enjoy THE MOST, it is a fairly enjoyable task. Connecting with various individuals, ministering to them and allowing them to minister to me, this is very fulfilling and I count it a true blessing.

Yet, there are times that I find it very difficult to visit with people. Sometimes I find myself in a "funk" and don't feel like going out, carrying on a conversation, or entertaining the interests of others. And, although these moments of "funk" are few and far between, I find that these seem to be the most fulfilling moments of visiting and connecting. When I force myself past that "funk" I soon find the joy and pleasure in visiting with these wonderful people. 
 
This morning I was reading from Psalm 23 and the sixth verse really caught my attention: "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." 

Just as there are days that I find myself in a "funk", without the desire to visit with others, I sometimes find myself in a "funk", without the desire to visit with God. These are times when I don't want to read Scripture, I don't want to pray, I don't want to do anything. Yet these are the times David is writing about in Psalm 23:6, times when God says; "don't worry about visiting with me, I'm going to visit with you right now. Why? Because you are my child and I love you. Why? Because I am here for you, forever. Why? Because I am God and you need me, even when you don't always know how much you need me.

Just as God walked in the garden when Adam and Eve were hiding in sin and shame, and he called out to them; "Where are you?" How often God pursues us and calls out, "where are you". God is good, always! God is love, always! God is there, always! Perhaps He is calling for you right now.

"Where are you?"   

One Last Christmas

Matthew West wrote a beautiful song not too long ago, One Last Christmas. With this song, Matthew tells the true story of a little boy, Dax, that was suffering with lukemia. His parents were determined that he was going to see "one last Christmas" and they put up the decorations early in the year. Soon the entire community joined in, it caught the local news and people from all around were joining in.

Watch the video of "One Last Christmas" here:



Dax did eventually lose his battle with lukemia following this Christmas celebration with his family. And today he celebrates Christmas with Jesus Christ in heaven. Dax's parents would like for his legacy to live on here too and so they are asking for donations to be made to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in his honor. They are hoping to raise enough money to run the hospital for an entire day (a cost of 1.6 million dollars). To donate to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, click here.

As I watched this video I was inspired by the life of Dax and by the committment that his parents had to helping him see one more Christmas. I thought about all of the time we waste everyday, especially around the holidays, on such frivilous things. If we new that this might be the last Christmas, the last day, the last moments that we have with some individuals, how might we spend our time differently?

Light: the way out of the cave

Years ago my friend and I went spelunking, that is, exploring a cave. We planned it out the day before and prepared with a map in hand and two flashlights.


Once inside the cave we began to follow the bright orange arrows that pointed the way in and out of the cave. Once we reached the back of the cave we turned around and began following the arrows back to the opening of the cave (there only one in and out of this particular cave).

I would venture to say that we both felt an emptiness in our stomachs when the bright orange arrows pointed to a dead end somewhere near the middle of the cave. This realization was followed shortly by the realization that we had left the map of the cave in the car, and promptly by the failure of both flashlights.
Soon we found ourselves running into dead ends within the cave at every turn. As we pressed on we grew more tired and more frustrated. It seemed as if everything that we did resulted in us getting lost even further.

Although we knew that there was only one way in and out of this cave, we knew that we must do something or else we may grow too tired, too cold, and too hungry inside of this cave. We began to pound on the walls of the cave, listening for a hollow echo. It did not take too long before we saw a faint glimmer of light coming from the crack in one of the cave walls. Needless to say, we did not stop hammering away at that wall until we had broken through.

That crack in the wall of the cave was our hope, it was what we had been searching for. The light coming in was our salvation. Because, after we broke through we not only saw the light of the sun, we felt the warmth of the summer air, and I saw my dad coming toward the mouth of the cave with water, a rope, and a light. He was only minutes away from entering the cave to come and find us. Thankfully, we were able to find our way our before he had to locate us himself, not to mention the police and rescue workers and their helicopter.

It is much the same with us as we live here on earth. So many are searching for the Light, they are looking for their salvation from this cold, dark, weary place. So many people have been putting in so much of their energy and time looking for the "way out", looking for the "light". Jesus said in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” What's more, Jesus said in Matthew 5:14 that anyone that follows Him are "the light of the world."

If you are a follower of Christ it is your responsibility, your privilege, and your honor to share this light, the light that is Jesus Christ with all those around you. If you are not yet a follower of "The Light", take this glimpse of the hope and don't give up, pursue it, research it, and don't give up until you experience the light of Jesus Christ for yourself.

Salt: making thing more foodier

My wife and I have vastly differing views on the amount of salt that should be used on a daily or weekly basis. It seems that she can go with little or even no salt put on food while I will practically empty the salt shaker on my plate in order to get the desired taste.

Ideally though, we should aim for a middle ground, somewhere between no salt and a lot of salt. Because the right amount, the appropriate amount of salt does not allow the food to remain bland and yet it doesn't overpower the food either. The right amount of salt won't be tasted or missed. Instead, it will pull out the true taste of the food, making it more "foodier".

I believe this is one of the characteristics that Jesus was calling His followers to in Matthew 5:13; “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

Jesus says that when we are the salt of the earth we will add flavor to the beauty of this world that has been created by Him. Rather than overpowering the taste of the things we encounter, we will pull out the wonderful and amazing qualities and characteristics.

A Reminder: Lead Me

Sometimes we need a reminder. A reminder to give up our selfish ambitions. A reminder that others are counting on us. And a reminder to lead.

This song, "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real is a wonderful reminder. It reminds husbands of their first ministry, their duty to honor, love, and lead their wives. It reminds fathers that they are to committed to their children and their families, even when it's easier not to be. And it reminds us all that when things of this life seem to over burden us, our Father in heaven grants us the strength and ability to lead in spite of the evil in this world. 

Lead Me by Sanctus Real

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

The Unnoticed Servants

This is a great picture of the kids, taken yesterday as we finished up our "nature hike" at the forest preserve near our home.

It's difficult to get a good picture of our kids, this is because they are four and two and when one is in the mood for a picture, the other is not, when one decides to smile, the other decides to act like a fool, when one decides to look at the camera, the other seems to be in their own world. You get the picture, no pun intended.

But, this is a good, quality picture of the kids and I am proud to say that I am the one that captured them in this moment of good behavior, stillness, focus, and smiles.

But I can't take all of the credit.

You see, or rather, you don't see, my wife Kim is really the one that should get the credit for this wonderful picture of our kids. While I knelt down to snap this photo she was galloping around behind me pretending to ride a horse while making all of the actions and noises that go along with it. She is really the one that made this photo a success.

This week we are speaking on the topic of service, serving God, serving the church, serving the community, and serving the world. As I think about this picture and about service, it occurs to me that there are so many that work behind the scenes, making the events, programs, and ministries not only possible but making them a success. So many of these servants don't ever get the recognition or the credit that they deserve and so many never desire it. 

A special word of thanks to all that serve God on a regular basis. Perhaps you feel unappreciated from time to time, as though no one notices the work that you are doing, the time and energy that you are spending to make so many things flow seamlessly. Let me just say that, although you may not be noticed, although you may not be given the recognition or the credit that you deserve, your work is being noticed, your labor is not in vain, and someday real soon you will be given the appropriate reward for all of your service to The Lord.  

Obama Health Care Plan

In this video Dr. David Janda discusses the rationing component inherent in ObamaCare, how it MUST be repealed for the good of the nation. (This is part of an election speach on behalf of Dr. Rob Steele who is running for Congress in Michigan)

Below is an article written by Dr. David Janda discussing this same topic in more detail with some rather interesting and informative links.

THE OBAMA HEALTH CARE PLAN – IN ONE WORD

By David H. Janda M.D.

As a physician who has authored books on Preventative Health Care and Health Care Cost Containment, I was recently given the opportunity to be the keynote speaker at a Congressional Dinner at The Capitol Building in Washington D.C… The presentation, entitled Health Care Reform; The Power & Profit of Prevention was well received.

In preparation for the presentation, I read the latest version of “reform” as authored by The Obama Administration and supported by Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid. It is important to realize that The Obama Health Care Plan is comprised of two parts…..that’s right, not one but two parts.

The first part of The Obama Health Care Plan was buried in The Stimulus Bill which was signed into law by the President in February (see READ the STIMULUS). It is the second part of The Health Care Plan which is now being debated in Congress. Here is the link to the over 1000 page document….. Bill Text.

Let me summarize just a few salient points of the two part Obama Health Care Plan. Warning……. They need to put the same warning on The Obama Health Care Plan as they do a pack of cigarettes…..Consuming this product WILL be hazardous to your health.

The underlying method of cutting costs throughout the plan is based on rationing and denying care, NOT PREVENTING health care need. The plan’s method is the most inhumane and unethical approach in cutting costs. The rationing of care is implemented through a Council, equivalent to the National Health Care Board in the British Health Care System. The name given to this panel is The Federal Coordinating Council For Comparative Effectiveness Research (”Federal Council”). (Section 9201 H.R. 1 Version of the Stimulus Bill.)

President Obama has already appointed the fifteen member Federal Council. According to the Stimulus Bill, p. 152, all members of the Council must be “senior federal officers or employees.” Thus, medical treatment will be dispensed by a group of bureaucrats from their ivory towers, not by the hands-on practitioners in the presence of the patients. The council was funded with $1.1 BILLION from The Stimulus Bill. (Source.)

“Comparative Effectiveness Research” is based on the formula of the approval or rejection of treatment for patients based upon the cost per treatment divided by the number of years the patient will benefit from the treatment.

According to former New York Lieutenant Governor and Health Policy Analyst Dr. Betsy McCaughey, the Federal Council will set a cost effectiveness standard for treatment. (Stimulus Bill p. 464) Translation…..if you are over 65 or have been recently diagnosed as having an advanced form of cardiac disease or aggressive cancer, dream on if you think you will get treated…..pick out your box. Oh, you say…this could never happen. Sorry….this is the same model they use in Britain.

The plan also empowers the Federal Council to create another level of bureaucracy, The Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research. (Health Care Bill, Section 1181, p. 502). The effect of this extra level of bureaucracy is to slow the development of new medications and technologies in order to reduce costs. How special is that!

The plan also outlines that doctors and hospitals will be overseen and reviewed by The National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. This “Coordinator” will be responsible for monitoring treatments to make sure doctors and hospitals are strictly following what the government deems appropriate and cost effective, and to “guide medical decisions at the time and place of care.” (Stimulus Bill, p. 116; see also pp. 442, 446).

The Stimulus Bill goes on to say that hospitals and doctors that are NOT “meaningful users” of the new systems will face penalties. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time.” (Stimulus Bill pp. 366, 478, 511, 518, 540, 541.) According to those in Congress, penalties could include large six figure financial fines and possible imprisonment. According to the Obama Plan, if your doctor saves your life but breaks government protocol, you might have to go to the prison to see your doctor for follow-up appointments. I believe this is the same model Stalin used in the former Soviet Union.

Section 102 of the Health Care Plan has the Orwellian title: “Protecting the Choice to Keep Current Coverage.” What this section really mandates is that it is ILLEGAL for you to keep your private insurance if your status changes, e.g., if you lose or change your job, become a senior citizen, graduate from college and land your first job. Yes, illegal. When President Obama was asked about this portion of his plan recently, his response was, “I am not familiar with that part of the plan.”

Obama hosted a conference call with bloggers urging them to pressure Congress to pass his health plan as soon as possible.

During the call, a blogger from Maine said he kept running into an Investors Business Daily article that claimed Section 102 of the House health legislation would outlaw private insurance. He asked: “Is this true? Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?” President Obama replied: “You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about.”

Then there is Section 1233 of the Health Care Bill, devoted to “Advanced Care Planning.” After each American turns 65 years of age they have to go to a mandated counseling program that is designed to end life sooner. This session is to occur every 5 years unless the person has developed a chronic illness then it must be done every year. The topics in this government run session will include how to decline hydration, nutrition and how to initiate hospice care. It is no wonder the Obama Administration does NOT like my emphasis on Prevention. Under the Health Care Plan for cost containment, Prevention is the “enemy,” since people would live longer.

I rest my case….The Health Care Plan authored by Obama / Pelosi / Reid is hazardous to the health of every American.

In the question/answer session following my Capitol Hill presentation, a Congressman asked: “I am doing a number of network interviews next week on the Obama Health Care Plan. If I am asked what is the one word to describe the plan, what should I answer?”
The answer is simple, honest, direct, analytical, and sad, but truthful. The word is FASCIST.
*******************
Dr. Janda is a practicing orthopedic surgeon and a world-recognized expert on prevention, healthcare cost containment, and health care reform. His website is http://www.noinjury.com/

How He Loves (you and me)



David Crowder Band's song "How He Loves" has been out for some time. It expresses the way that God truly feels about His creation, that is you and I. Not only are the lyrics a wonderful portrayal of God's love for us, the analogies used to paint this portrait bring His love for us to life conveying the emotions and power behind His grace, mercy, and love.

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, / Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. / When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, / And I realize just how beautiful You are, / And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh / Oh how He loves us, / How He loves us all  

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, / Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. / When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, / And I realize just how beautiful You are, / And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh, / Oh how He loves us, / How He loves us all

He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize, / Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, / If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking. / And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss, / And my heart turns violently inside of my chest, / I don’t have time to maintain these regrets, / When I think about, the way…

That He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves. / Yeah, He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves us, / Oh how He loves.

Lessons from Bath Time

Bath time at our house is always very eventful.

A couple nights ago Kim had to run out and I wanted to get the kids in and out of the bath before dinner. So I started the water and called out for them to come and get in the bath. Seconds later I heard Zion ripping his diaper off as I passed him in the hallway. As I tossed something in the garbage can it occurred to me, "he still had his shirt on" (Zion can't take his shirt off by himself). I walked into the bathroom and saw him sitting waist deep in the running bath water and asked "did you forget something?" That explains the look on his face in this picture.

We all "jump" into certain situations without fully thinking through the steps that need to be taken or the preparations that need to be made, much like Zion did when he jumped into the bath without removing his shirt.

There are various situations in which we need to make preparations before we enter into them. Accepting Christ in our lives is not one of these. Christ tells us to come to Him with all of our burdens, with all of our anxiety, with all of our fears, with all of our failures, and He will meet us where we are. and although there are no preparations that need to be made, there are still steps that need to be taken, a shift in our mindset that needs to be made. That shift comes when we begin to let go of this world, when we begin to let go of ourselves and admit that we need Jesus Christ as our Savior, our Lord, and our Master. It is then that we take the two steps outlined in Romans 10:9, confess and believe. And, "YOU WILL BE SAVED"!

Back to the kids and bath time for a moment. Our kids love taking baths, partially because we let them play for an extended period of time before making them get out and they enjoy splashing around in the water. So, when we tell them that it is time to get out of the tub, it is usually met with some hostility and argument.  And, although Zion does not want to get out, he has yet to figure out the whole cause and effect thing, the repercussions of an action. So instead of telling him that it is time to "get out of the tub" I usually will ask him to "pull the plug". This gives him yet something else to do in the tub. And, as the water runs out, he gets cold, and wants to get out of the tub to get warmed up and get dressed.

While there will remain certain preparations, actions, or changes for almost every stage of our lives. In the same way, various repercussions of our actions follow. What are our repercussions of accepting Christ?

Here are JUST A FEW:
- letting go of this world (Luke 14:26)
-  denying one's self (Matthew 16:24)
- take up the one's cross (Matthew 10:38)
- make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)
- filled with joy (Acts 13:52)
- love for others (1 Thessalonians 4:9)
- fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

First Impressions

 

In our home we have certain standards by which we keep. I hope that when guests enter our home they find themselves welcomed and find that it a comfortable and enjoyable place to be. We keep our home clean and organized for the most part. While some things have changed recently, here is what our living room looks like regularly. 

I say this not to brag, but only to say that this is the first impression guests have of our home when they walk in the door. Because of this, they may get the impression that our entire home is clean and organized, perhaps even clutter free.

Just a few weeks ago my wife, Kim, took a picture of the "play room" in the basement. This is a room that the kids can keep their toys in, play in, and, aside from general rules, create total chaos in while they explore their imaginations and have fun being kids. Here is what she captured:

These pictures are, by no means, the worst case scenario for the playroom or for the basement on a given day. Our kids have a lot of fun in this room and we would like nothing less. Yet as I thought about these pictures, the condition of our home, both in cleanliness and organization, it occurred to me that this is the way we often try to live our lives.

We strive to give certain impressions, perhaps first impressions to those we meet and interact with and we present the clean and organized portions to them. While, under the surface chaos reigns, things needing to be sorted out and perhaps even done away with.
Likewise, we often try to compartmentalize our lives, keeping the clean and organized for certain people or certain situations, while the messed up portions of our lives are open for others to see and experience. Some may think of the face/act we put forth at church versus that we show at work or home. I tend to put on one face for our friends, and acquaintances, while showing my true face to my family here at home.

We all need some chaos in our lives, areas that we can be free, free to say what we are feeling or thinking, areas that we are open, open to accountability and improvements, and areas where we can relax, relax from the pressures and stresses of this life. But, we also have areas in our lives that we have let go for far too long, areas that need to be cleaned up and cleaned out.

He is in control

I read this morning in "My Utmost for His Highest"

"If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign on His intimacy - silence."

Our church family enjoys many of the benefits and blessings that members of a mega-church might never find. We know one another on a first-name basis, we share prayer requests and praises on a weekly basis, we share in meals with one another at the church and our homes on a regular basis. I truly enjoy being the Pastor of this church body and consider it a true blessing to belong to this family.

Our average attendance on a Sunday morning is around 70. I spoke last week about being "content" with the size of our church family from the aspect of being complete, lacking no one, while at the same time being discontent with the number of people within our community and the world that do not know Christ or have a church home of their own. This is a wonderful concept and one that our church family embraced. Yet, as the Pastor, I found it very difficult to buy into my own words. You see, I want our church to grow, I want to see the seats packed every time we gather together, I want to see our numbers climb at an alarming rate, so much so that people within our community take notice and want to join in a become a part of it.

This past week we had 59 in our Sunday morning worship service. As I came to the church this morning I was a bit down, much like our numbers were yesterday. Yet these words from my devotional hit me where I needed it the most, MY PRIDE!

The question I must ask is: Why do I have the desire for our church to grow?" Well, I want the church to grow so that Christ may be glorified, so that His name is brought honor, and so that others may be brought closer to Him and know Him as their Master and Savior. This should be the desire of our hearts if we are striving to please God and fulfill the ministry that He has called each one of us to.

So, if this is the desire of our hearts we need to be more open to what the Spirit is leading us to. We need to be content with the number we have on a Sunday morning with the understanding that this is who God has called us to minister to on this given day.

If God has called us to a church of 60, 40, 20, or even 10, to Him be the glory! No one knows better than He does who will gain from the ministry done at this time, in the place, and with these words. Know one knows better than He does what gifts we have, what gifts we lack, what lessons we need to learn, and how we need to learn them.

This is just one more time I was reminded that God is in complete control and I need to let go and allow Him to have it. Completely!   

Glee/What People Need

 

This past Tuesday the show "Glee" was on and although I do not normally watch it, the storyline this week was that of religion and spirituality. So, not only did I stay in the room and on the channel, I actually paid attention (something I do not always do).

  

In this episode, one of the characters makes a grilled cheese sandwich and when he opens the grill sees what he believes to be an image of Jesus. He then deems this "grilled cheesus". He proceeds to pray to the sandwich, asking it for various signs and confirmations of control. Although this opening made me skeptical that this was yet another television show that was trying to bash the name and the image of Christ, I stuck around and gave Glee more of a chance this week.

The most basic issue I had with this portion of the episode was that it was as if someone with no understanding whatsoever was attempting to explain Jesus Christ, Christianity, and everything about faith, prayer, belief, etc. As one fellow blogger wrote "I suppose it would be like me, an Asian American, writing about what it’s like to be black; I can research and I can see the cultural or societal view of being black, but it would be quite amazing if I could write about the true experience."

These words explained where the writers of this show were coming from, because a basic level of research had been done, a cultural or social view had been considered, and then off to the writing boards they went. Yet how can I say this? I do not know if the writers, the producers, or the actors of the show Glee are born-again Christians or if they make claim to any faith at all.

Yet this same basic approach is made by so-called Christians everyday, those that claim to follow Christ and have a faith in Him. So many are not truly experiencing the saving grace, the fellowship, and the presence of Jesus Christ and His Spirit within their lives. Yet they are "Christians".

We are told in Matthew 7 not to judge, and for this reason we leave this alone. Who are we to judge those around us that claim the name of Jesus and yet do not have the depth of understanding, the depth of relationship, or the depth of desire to truly know Him? We so easily forget that we are to hold one another accountable, that we are to "consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24 ), that we are to "encourage one another and build each other up"  (1 Thess. 5:11), and that, if we are truly a part of the body of Christ, we are all a part of the same body (1 Cor. 12).

Back to Glee, as the program went on various situations played into the storyline, "church and state", "religion in school", "homosexuality", "death", "the afterlife", "family", and several more. The basic conclusion to the episode was that, we all need to have faith in something, we all need to believe in something. I can definitely get behind this on the most basic level. I don't see how anyone can live in the world and honestly believe that there in no "higher power", that there is no God. Further, I don't see why anyone would continue to live if they honestly believe that there is no God and no hope after they pass away from this world.

We all need to have faith in something. True! Yet the issue in our world today is that so many have a faith in something, and that something is anything. What people NEED in our world today is a faith in The Living God, The God that does not change, The God that created, loves, and sustains everything. What people NEED in our world today is a lasting relationship with The God that offers forgiveness for yesterday, joy for today, and confidence for tomorrow. What people NEED in our world today is God!

The Answer

We talk a lot at our church about the importance of a daily quiet time with God. Not only is it important that we read the Scriptures on a daily basis (or at least strive to do so daily), it is vitally important that we communicate with Him and allow Him to communicate with us through prayer and meditation.

It is all too often when I allow my schedule to get in the way of my time with the Lord and I find that the later in the day it gets, the harder it is for me to sit down, clear my mind, and focus on God. And I have found that even when I don't feel like sitting down for an extended period of time and meeting with God, as soon as I begin to focus on Him, nothing else matters and I find complete joy in our time together.

However, early last week I would have my quiet time, I would read Scripture, journal, pray, and meditate in His Spirit, and yet nothing. I spent more time, and, nothing. This same thing went of for a couple of days, the harder I tried, the more time I spent, the more disciplines I followed, still nothing.

That is when God made me aware that I had gotten away from a total dependence on Him and that I was instead looking to myself for the answer.

In John 14:5-6  Thomas says to Jesus; "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" And Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 

Last Thursday morning I echoed these words of Thomas, "I don't know where you are going, so how can I know the way?" 

It is at these moments that Christ reminds us that, we don't need to know where He is going, we just need to hold on to Him, to cling to his ways, His truths, and His life and we will come to the Father. 

May we all depend on Christ at a very deep level, to His way, His truth, and His life. May we be drawn to God our Father as we are shown where He is going and where He is leading us. May we be open to His call and His ministry through us.

Psalm 23

The 23rd Psalm is a beautiful reminder of who our God is and all the strength, comfort, encouragement, shelter, rest, love, mercy, discipline, forgiveness, guidance, grace, and hope that He gives to our lives.

The danger in a Psalm such as this, one that we become overly familiar with, is that we allow it to become common to us, and thus, it loses meaning in our lives and of our God.

I invite you to read the following Scripture, the 23rd Psalm, pausing to reflect on the words used and the meaning of these words. A journal entry prayer written by King David;

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

begging and pleading

The other day I was driving to Bloomington with my son in the back seat. We had stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and he could see my Coke cup in the cup holder. He started to ask for a drink and I handed him his cup of milk. He didn't want the milk and so he threw it to the floor and began to point, whine and ask for my drink.  The problem was that I could not give him my drink, I couldn't reach him, he couldn't reach me and I was driving and could not pull over to get the drink to him. Besides that, he did not need coke at 9:00 in the morning (whether I needed it is a separate matter entirely) and I knew that he would end up spilling it all over himself and I did not have any other clothes for him.

Needless to say, there were plenty of reasons NOT to give him my coke at this point. So I began to explain this all to him...

Have you ever tried to reason with a two-year old? The best reasoning, the most thought-out responses or explanations mean nothing! It is very difficult to convince a two-year old that you are right and that you have their best interest in mind.

I imagine that this is the same way with God as we pray for our "needs" and ask "why", "why not", but, but, but...

Back to my son, after some asking, whining, and a bit of a fit, he pulled out the "p" card, "please daddy, please".

When we begin to beg God, to plead with Him on our own behalf or the behalf of another person, what does He do, what does He say, what does He feel?

GOD QUESTions

Our new teaching series at the Robinson Free Methodist Church is called GOD QUESTions. If you're in the Robinson, Illinois area between September and October 2010, stop by a join a loving, Christ-focused church family.

Through this series we will take an onest look at many of the questions that we all deal with. Questions about God on our quest for God.

Not only will this be a great teaching series for those unfamiliar with God and the church, it will give the more mature believers to gain a deeper insight.

Sunday September 12th - WHO is God?
Sunday September 19th  - Why do I need God?
Sunday September 26 - What can God offer?
Sunday October 3 - When I need God?
Sunday October 10 - Where can I find God?
Sunday October 17 - How do I walk with God?

Pure Worship

Sometimes I wish we could all go back and remember what it was like to be a kid again. The early days of Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Summer Camp, and children's choir were some of the purest days of worship. The freedom to sing loud, clap our hands, and dance was never stifled by the worry of what others might think or say. 


Too often we let our concern and awareness of others put a restriction on our worship of God. And that's when our worship services are filled with statues and frowns.

If you have ever attended a church service that feels more like a funeral than a worship service. This is for you! We all need to remember to have joy in our lives and that it's okay to laugh and enjoy our lives as we walk with the Lord.

This week, let us "cut loose" and worship The One that created the universe!

Tub Time

A very productive evening with dinner out of the way, baths in process, and then the words ring through the house; "help, help, uhhh, help, Zion pooped in the tub!"

I am not a trained poop remover, for that I'm thankful. I can't imagine what being a "poop remover" would include. So, when I walked into the bathroom to see the two kids standing next to the tub, Kim practically rolling on the floor laughing, and the entire family looking to me for action, I hesitated on "step one".

I asked for a bucket and Kim brought a camera! Smart, now we can share this experience with our friends a loved ones!

WARNING: GRAPHIC (POOP RELATED) PHOTO BELOW

Being a parent is full of unexpected happenings, most leave memories etched on our lives far into the future. Sometimes we are left with great joy, other times we are left with a tub full of poop! Sometimes we know the exact thing to say or do, other times we are left with our hands in the air in search of what our next move should be. Either way, we are trusted to love our children and ALL the poop they leave in our homes and our lives!

Honeymoon Phase

This week Addison, our four-year-old started preschool. I would have to say that this was more of an adjustment for the rest of our family than it was for her. Zion, our two-year old wondered aimlessly around the house all afternoon asking for Addison and saying "school" in such a sad tone.

In addition to being an adjustment, it brought a lot of anxiety to Kim and I throughout the day and especially as we waiting for her to come home on the school bus. The first day we waited around for over an hour, not sure of the exact time that the bus would arrive and countless times Kim was itching to call transportation to check on the bus.

Yet, when Addison arrived home that afternoon, the smile on her face, the sprint up the driveway, and the stories about her day calmed our minds and  gave us security, knowing that this was a good school for her.

This weekend we received a call and a letter from her teacher, bringing us even more comfort. In the letter she stated that this past week was the "honeymoon phase". And although the kids were very excited to come to school, meet new friends, and learn new things, that may soon change. She said that soon the kids may begin to get homesick, miss their parents, and not like school. She said this is normal.

Addison loves us very much, we know this because she says it every day, she gives us hugs and kisses, has the desire to play games and spend time with us, and because she (generally) likes to listen to us and please us with her actions. Yet we know that this may someday change, that she may soon have no real desire to spend time with spend much time with us and that the word "hate" may be hurled from her mouth toward us. I'm not sure if I am ready for that yet!

Which led me to thinking; are we in the honeymoon phase with our children? I know that both Kim and I have changed a great deal since we were married seven years ago. This may be due to maturing in both of us, the joy of life, the stress of life, and so many other aspects. Yet one thing is certain, we have both changed and so has our relationship. We are no longer in the honeymoon phase! But we are okay with that, no one can live in the honeymoon phase, not only is it not possible, it is not healthy. But it sure is fun to think of the times of our honeymoon and the memories made up to that point and even after that. And, when this life and so many outside forces are chipping away at us and at our relationship, it is good to remember our honeymoon phase and to strive to get back some of the feelings, the joy, and the happiness that we experienced at that stage in our relationship. 

In the same way, we cannot live in the honeymoon phase of our relationship with Jesus Christ. But, it is essential for us to remember the joy that we experienced when we first found the one thing that made life worth living, the only thing that gives our life value. We must strive, daily, to achieve all that Christ has called us to, that is, His purpose for our lives. This is so much easier during the honeymoon phase, but God did not call us to the honeymoon phase, he called us to this life.

John had this to say about remembering you honeymoon phase with Christ, or as he called it, your "first love".

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.  (Revelation 2:4-5)

I encourage you to read and reread the above, pray over it, asking God to speak to you through it today.

Three Things After Three

Three things happened this afternoon, after 3:00p the first shaped my afternoon, the second my evening, and the third made connected my thoughts and got me thinking. Allow me to share.

FIRST...
A gentleman entered my office this afternoon and said he had the desire to recommit his life to Christ! I'll take five seconds of spacing here to allow for celebration...................................................................................................We had a lengthy conversation about what it meant to be a Christian, what actions he needed to take to recommit his life to Christ, and many of the question and/or concerns he had about this recommitment. One of the topics that came up was his formation of our belief in Christ and the great foundation that our parents built within us at such early ages by "forcing their beliefs on us". And although we had these beliefs thrust upon us, at some point, we all must ask the question; "What do I believe" and we must accept Christ, and the salvation that only He brings, for ourselves Following our conversation I had the great privilege in praying for him and having him pray. This has been, by far, the most rewarding part of my ministry here in Robinson.

Second...
This great experience was followed by dinner with my wonderful family. We decided to go out for dinner and because we eat at such an early time the restaurant was fairly empty. Sitting down in a quiet booth we got settled in only to have an older couple with, what must have been, the most annoying child in the Robinson area. Dinner was spent with this child dropping food on my shoulder, making siren noises in my ear, hitting me in the back with some sort of a stuffed snake-eel-fish-dinosaur. Every now and then "ma-maw" and "Chris" would say "turn around Austy" (I assume his real name was Austin but for such a cute little bugger we need to use the pet name "Austy") but little Austy didn't listen.

THIRD...
Kim ordered hot wings for dinner, her desire for bread sticks and hot wings was what brought me and little Austin together in the first place. Well, that and fate! Anyhow, she likes the wings not the drumettes (we call them chicken butts) and so I was lucky enough to polish off the final two for her. I like spicy food and these didn't seem that spicy, not until I finished them and started breathing again.  As I sit here almost four hours later I can still taste the aftershock.

 As I sat down to reflect on this afternoon's events, still celebrating the rebirth of a soul, tasting the hot wings from dinner and icing the wounds obtained from little Austy, I thought about that foundation of beliefs given to me and to so many others. Some of us are so very lucky to be given this foundation at an early age, to be introduced to Christ by our parents, teachers, friends, and churches. Some of us are lucky enough to have the beliefs of others thrust upon us, creating a basis of beliefs for the remainder of our lives. Others, are not so lucky! Some, like little Austy, are not given a foundation, a basic foundation of behavior and respect (I'm making a judgment call here and referring not to Salvation). Yet, just like the hot wings, it may not be felt until after we have formulated our beliefs and have lived through many of the trials and burdens of life and begin to breath again. 

Do you feel the "aftershock" of the foundation that was given to you? If you are not as lucky as I perhaps you had a foundation that was built on uneasy soil or perhaps you never had one formed at all. Yet there is only one foundation, the true foundation, that can stand the test of time, trials, burdens, struggles, stress, and all that life brings. And that foundation is Jesus Christ. 

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11)

                                                                                                   

making the connection

Recently we have been working to develop our ministry plan, purpose statement, mission statement, and so on, most of you know the drill. (It is complete but I feel compelled to unveil it for our church family before unveiling it here). Anyhow, one element of this is the word "connect" (more on that in a moment).

Every week the local paper runs a section titled "Faith and Family" in which they list every church in the community and/or county with information about that church. This information is submitted weekly by the local church and will include service times, visitor names, participant names, etc. They have a list of stipulations such as not listing sermon titles, Scripture references, and so on. One of the things that I wanted to include in our churches listing was "come and connect with God and with others this Sunday", yet I noticed (after several weeks) that this statement was never included. I emailed the newspaper to ask why this statement and others were removed from our listing every week? The response shortly followed;
This was a well prepared and well worded response. As I thought more about it though, it brought to mind many of our worship services. Can we as Christians, and those of us as pastors make the claim that those who worship with us will "connect with God and connect with others"? My prayer is that we can make this statement and that we are constantly evaluating our times of worship and asking this question.

As Christians we understand that people who attend church and Sunday School can "Connect with God" and "Grow in the Word of God", but as a newspaper providing information to the general public we do not have an authoritative source to confirm that information. If you were placing a paid advertisement expressing yours or the church's opinion those words would be fine.

As I sit here on a Saturday evening, preparing my heart to worship The Lord tomorrow and to lead others to worship His majesty and give Him glory, I must ask myself. Will you connect with God tomorrow? Will those that walk through the doors of the church connect with God tomorrow? How will you help to make that connection possible? How will you connect with others tomorrow to show the love of God in a hurting world to so many people who need to see it?

May God bless us all as we strive to connect with Him and connect with others.

surviving the impossible

Just a month and a half ago we moved from northern Indiana to southern Illinois. This, as we knew it would, came with many struggles (can't help but think of the Illinois fans that I have dealt with so far). These struggles started months before we moved with the stress of packing, leaving a church family and a job that I loved and that I felt more than comfortable doing. The anxiety that followed when we considered that our income would change, our insurance would change, our stability, and knowledge of so many of the surrounding elements would change.

I'll take a moment here to mention just how wonderful Kim (my wife) is. She has never questioned the move, the change in jobs, the change in income, or the change in comfort. She has never mentioned that fact that I have taken her (once again) away from all of her friends and have moved here four hours away from her parents. Further, she has taken on so many new duties (such as teaching a Sunday School class), she has taken on new responsibilities (with the additional stress), and she has been my sounding board and listening ear more than I could mention. Bottom line, she's amazing.

One of the biggest challenges for me has been the ability to write a solid sermon every week. And yet, I am not expected to write one sermon, but two sermons (for the morning and evening services). When I stop to consider that fact that every week I am going before people double, triple, even quadruple my age and share with tell a teaching from the word of God, scared is an understatement. The people that I am "teaching" are scholars, executives, business owners, and teachers themselves. At any moment I am expecting one, or all, of the people in the church to stand up and ask "what are you talking about" or "what are you doing up there". Weekly I open my Bible and share a teaching based on truths that are taken from the best selling book of all time, a book that was written by the creator of the universe, the creator of mankind. It is not uncommon for me to ask myself "what are you doing". This is impossible for me! Today a friend of mine reminded me that "God lives in the impossible".

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

How do we get through the impossible? I know that for me it is through the daily, sometimes hourly, reminder that God has called me to this task. It is when I remind myself of this that the anxiety is lifted and it becomes a joy to write a sermon. This is because I am no longer studying, preparing, or writing, but rather God that is writing through me, it is Christ that is working through me. When we allow The Spirit to use the gifts that He has blessed us with to bring Him glory and to further His Kingdom it is no longer an impossibility or an anxiety but it is a joy to see it His work fulfilled.

May God continue to be glorified as He ministers and does the impossible through me.

because that's the way dad did it

The other night I was putting the kids to bed and, in addition to our regular bedtime routine, I told them good night in a very strange voice with some added motions. My wife, Kim, asked me what I was doing, why I used these voices, and why I used these particular motions. My answer was simple; "because that's the way dad did it".

This simple phrase really got me thinking as the night went on. I began to think of the many actions I take, the many routines that I follow every day "because that's the way dad did it".

My dad would do some of the simplest things on a daily basis that seemed to have had a great impact on my life. piggy-back or horsey-back rides to bed that seemed to last for an hour, potty-breaks in the middle of the night so that we would break that pesky bed-wetting problem, making up silly songs with us and about us, trapping us in a make-believe cave while wrestling with us at the same time, giving us rides on his shoulders when we seemed to tired to take another step, giving us rides on his feet when we needed a laugh, and many other memorable things that he did that I think back on and can't help sharing with my children too. But it is not just the fun activities that my dad passed down to me that I share with my children, it also seems to be the disciplines, making them drink all of their milk before they get up from the table, ensuring that they treat their mom, my wife, with respect and are never cruel, giving them "the look" or even "the voice" when they behave inappropriately in public and especially at church, and making sure that they say their prayers before meals and bed every night.

I thought not only of my children, the way that I treat them, the way that I raise them, but also about my wife and my marriage. The small things that my dad did for my mom remain in my head and they seem to have made it to my marriage as well. Opening the door for my wife whenever possible, surprising her with unexpected gifts throughout the year, making the holidays (especially the Christmas season) a special time, and many more.

All of this helped me to realize just how much of an impact fathers have on the lives of their children. Often times as a father we may wonder if the things that we do really serve a purpose and if it is all really worth it, let me say that it is. Sometimes the actions, the little things that we do may seem to be unappreciated and we may feel that no one cares, perhaps even that no one notices. Yet, in the same way that a rock is smoothed and forms under the gentle pressure of a stream, over time fathers are making a huge impact on their children and on their family. If you are a father and you are doubting yourself, your role, and the responsibilities that you are carrying out, just know that, as time goes on, as children mature and advance, your impact and your legacy is being established.

Further, if you are a follower of God, the one true God who created the heaven and the earth, the God that loves and cares for you and me more than we could ever imaging, "that's the way dad did it" carries a higher meaning to you and should impact the way that you lead your family. Our God is a God that governs with mercy, love, and forgiveness. Our God is a God that teaches His children at the various ages and stages as they grow and mature along side Him. Our God is a God that never leaves and never forsakes his children. Our God is a God that keeps His love as the focus of all judgments, actions, and disciplines. But, in order for a believer to say "that's the way dad did it" we need to be familiar with our Father in Heaven, we need to be walking with Him as He is guiding us, teaching us, and maturing us in our personal journey with Him.

Romans 8:15 says: "but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." If it's been a while, your Father wants to hear from you and He wants to make it clear the way that He does it, which is the only way to do it.

God's Timing

We've been quite busy over the past few months.

We found out near the end of April that we are expecting our 3rd child sometime in December (perhaps November). We were very excited about this new addition to our family and at the same time this news added to the anxiety thatwould soon follow. Yet I know that God has a plan and His timing is perfect while our timing is, well..less than. Fast forwarding here, we found out today that it is a boy and is due November 30th. Kim is hoping to hold out until the beginning of December so that we do not have yet another birthday in November. Her original hope was to have a January baby, but that may be a little long for her to hold out on delivery.

In May Kim and I began to speak with the Wabash Conference of the Free Methodist Church as we felt God's call for a differnt stage in the life of His ministry through us. We were introduced to the Robinson Free Methodist Church in mid-May and we began to pray about this move, not only from the church family and neighbors that we love so dearly, but also about the move to a senior pastor position. As you can imagine, this came with many questions, concerns, and anxiety. One of the largest concerns for us was; "how are we going to sell our home in Flora?". With the market the way that it is we knew that this would be difficult, but not impossible, because nothing is impossible with God.

As we made the decision to move and to follow what we believed was God's call for us, we began to prepare. Just over a month ago we announced to the church that we were going to be leaving the church, the student ministry, and the community. This was a very tough decision to make and one that came with a lot of mixed feelings. For many of the students this was the absolute worst time for us to leave, as a foundation had now been established and security and momentum seemed to be building within the student ministry and the church. Once again, we work on God's timetable which is so much larger and more precise than ours will ever be. And who are we to think that we can do anything without God's will on our side.



We made the move to Robinson on my birthday this year, June 28th. With limited hiccups we moved into the parsonage and the church. The love of the church family began to poor on us from the moment that we drove into Robinson. We are happy to be here and are now confident that we are exactly where God wants us. One of the measurements that I personally used was that of our house in Flora. Every month that the house sits unsold costs us money that we do not have, in the bank or in our monthly budget (we didn't get into ministry for the money). I began to pray that our house would sell quickly, Kim did the same. We began to share our requests with our family, friends, and churches. Then I began to understand that I was not praying "BIG PRAYERS"! My prayer then became that we would receive an offer our house by the end of July, an offer that Kim and I could agree upon and one that we could accept. As Kim and I joined in this prayer together peace began to come over me knowing that God was in control and that there was nothing else that we could do.

Wednesday evening we received the offer that we have been praying about. Yesterday we accepted it! God continues to bless us when we do not deserve it and amaze us day after day. Praise the Lord, He is so much wiser than we are.