Monday, May 24, 2010

Why don't we?

The past few weeks there has been something on my heart and mind, something that keeps coming up in conversations and something that I just can't escape; prayer for instant divine healing.

A few months ago a friend sent me a link to a youtube video called "Finger of God", and it deals with God doing amazing things through people's prayers. As I watched it I didn't know what to think at certain parts, some of it was stuff I had never heard of, but honestly if I really believe God is who He claims to be and who I proclaim Him to be, why does it surprise me that He does things like that? Recently I was talking to some other youth pastors who actually know people who have received gold teeth from God as the video opens with, it's a real thing that God actually did.

The main thing that has been on my heart is this, If God is doing these things and if I believe He can do these things, why don't I pray for it to happen? Why don't I lay hands on people with injuries and pray that God heals them, not asking him to do it in a few days, or weeks, but immediately and completely?

As I sat with other youth pastor friends last week and we talked one of them brought up the fact that not everyone we pray for healing for will receive it immediately, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't ask for it and believe it will happen. Jesus healed people, and when he did he did it completely and immediately, but Jesus didn't heal everyone. There were people he walked past, people that needed his help, that really would have appreciated it and rejoiced over a healing miracle.

I am convicted to pray in faith for immediate healing in people's lives. I pray for the courage to act, and the faith to believe that the God I serve can and will act.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Song Theology

This past weekend I spent three days at Olivet Nazarene University for Regional Celebrate Life, a four state church youth competition in art, music, and sports. After three days of very little sleep and poor cafeteria food I escaped the weekend with a thought for Monday.

One event they had was Nazarene Idol, as you can probably guess was a singing competition. The second girl to sing, sang "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood. She sang it well, but the longer I listened to it, the more frustrated I became. This goes back to a previous blog, but I just feel I have to talk about it again.

The whole song "Temporary Home" deals with the idea that we simply need to hang on and deal with life. It talks about how it's hard, but it's ok because this is just temporary, we aren't supposed to be here, so let's just endure it while we have to and one day it will be over and we'll get to heaven. But that isn't what I see in scripture. Heaven is not the goal, heaven is not what we were created for.

In the beginning everything was perfect, the Bible says, "God saw that it was Good." My Theology professor said that Genesis was as much creation as it was eschatology, (study of the end times). In Revelation it talks about all things being made new, about a new heaven and a new earth. One of my mentors quoted someone, I can't remember who, but he said, "If we're going up, we'll pass him on the way down." Scripture points to the earth being made new, a new creation where we dwell. We were created for here, not how it is presently, but this is where we were created.

Later in the evening a young man sang "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin, and as he sang I realized that the idea is not that I simply need to hold on, endure the trials, and then rejoice in heaven, but that I WILL rise with Jesus because he has overcome. Jesus has won the victory. He has taken hold of the prize that I am to strive for. The Bible talks about in Romans 8 and Philippians 3, that we are to become like Christ. That is the goal. We strive not to endure life but we strive to live it to the fullest. We strive for the goal, unity with Christ.

One of my professors said this, "The Bible contains everything you need to know to get to heaven, it does not contain the answers to everything you are curious about." While I love that professor dearly, and I believe it's a true statement I want to alter it just slightly, "The Bible contains everything you need to know to become like Christ," unity with Christ is the goal.

Jesus said in John 16.33, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." It won't be easy, their will be hardships, but I don't need to just hang on and struggle through life, because Jesus has overcome the world. The one I am striving to be like has overcome the world, and in him, I can overcome the world as well.

St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." So don't live in a temporary home, Rise when he calls your name. Jesus has overcome and won the victory, and he calls us to join him. Philippians 3.7-14,

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Live life to the fullest, live to the glory of God, and Rise!

Peace be with you

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mom

Today is Mother's day, so I want to thank the mothers in my life.

Mom: You did so much, but you always loved, always listened, always taught. I remember trips to the zoo when I was little, playing Batman in the cubby hole in my room, all the school field trips you took work off to be able to go on. In high school when things were tough you always listened. The thing that sticks out most though is the song, "Through it all". Every time it played when we were driving somewhere you would always tell us, "No matter what happens, no matter what you go through, God is there. God will always be there." You started me on the path I'm on, and I wouldn't be where I am today if you hadn't taught me to walk. I never would have gotten here if you hadn't showed me the way. I wouldn't have made it if you hadn't helped along the way. You did so much mom, and I love you so much.

Grandma Sage: You're the most Godly woman I know, and our family owes how close we are to you. You poured time into our lives, you made sure we spent time together, in a way, you almost made us be friends. We probably didn't make it easy all the time, but I know we're so grateful for it now. All the time we spent in your kitchen decorating cookies, all the time we spent "sleeping" in the living room. All the time we spent playing games in the basement and backyard, it all bonded us into the inseparable family we are today. Without you none of that would have happened. You showed us what family is supposed to be, and because of that we can all pass it on.

Grandma Ginger: I have never doubted that you love me. I love when I hear your voice, and how happy it sounds just to hear mine. I love how happy it makes you to see me. It shows me how important I am to you, and I know that even if everyone else didn't care about me, you always will. Thank you for watching me when I was little, for cutting my hair, for being at every sporting even and school activity. Thank you for the love you show me every day.

Jenny McConnell: It's crazy to think that five years ago you came into my life, and I doubt either of us expected it to become like it has. The first Mother's day I couldn't be around my mom you were there. You aren't old enough to be my mother, but you treat me like your son. It has been awesome to watch you grow as a mother to your own kids, as well as feel like your son. You have always been there through the last five years, and I don't know that I could have made it through some of the junk in college without you. You showed me how to love teenagers and young adults, and I look forward to the day when I can do all that you have done for me to someone else.

Linda Russe: It's hard to believe you've been gone for almost three and a half years, but you were mother to me too. I remember the day I met you like it was yesterday. My parents trusted you with two of their kids after knowing you for a few hours. At that point I had no idea the relationship we would have. I wouldn't have made it through that church experience without you. You helped get me through two and a half years of a living hell, and I will never be able to thank you for that. Sitting at your side as you died of cancer, you still gave me something, you showed me what Faith does. You showed me how to live a life as a servant and how to die in total confidence knowing what will happen when you breath your last breath and close your eyes for the last time on earth. It was an honor be learn from you even at the point of death. You affected so many lives, I am just thankful to have been one of them. I pray to leave a legacy like you left. Until we meet again in Glory, I will see you on that beautiful shore.

These are my mothers, the women who made me who I am. To all women, you don't know the lives you will affect, so do what these women did for me, love. Happy Mother's Day.

Monday, May 3, 2010

And we wonder why it is the way it is

This was not the original thought I had for today, it was going to be on the church, but that will be saved for later, maybe it'll fit in to this, we'll see. Every Monday morning I send a text message to 9 of the best friends I've ever had, 9 of my 10 Proverbs 18.24 brothers (the last one doesn't have texting). Each week begins with them getting a text message asking how I can pray for them this week. Today one of them sent me a request for Lebron James' elbow, and that started a discussion between us.

Look at Lebron, or any professional athlete, they have a skill for what they do, a God given ability, to play a sport. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive" and so when an athlete does what he does best that can be a way to glorify God. The issue I have is with what they receive as compensation for this skill.

Lebron makes millions because he can put an orange sphere through a circle consistently. I'm not bashing him, I know he gives millions away each year, as do many people with great wealth, and many without it. The issue is not on the athlete, but on the society that embraces him.

What does a professional athlete, a musician, or actor contribute to society, not based on what they do with their wealth, but with the skills they have? Honestly very little. But society embraces them as if they cured cancer, ended world hunger, or brought peace to the Middle East. But really they contribute nothing to the greater good of society. So why do we embrace them as we do?

I remember back shortly after the death of Michael Jackson, I read something wanting to make the day of his death a national holiday. Really? Is he the person we want to idolize? If so, we wonder why our society is the way it is. We wonder why it's so messed up and why we have so many problems, look at where our focus is. Again, none of this is directed at any of the individual people.

Where is our focus? Who or what do we live for? We wonder why our society is the way it is? Look at what we idolize, and by that what we worship, and that explains a lot.