Good Bye

This post is one that I have been mentally writing for over a year, but now that I actually sit to type it out I am finding it difficult to express my thoughts. For a long time now I've felt that this blog has run its course, but until a few months ago I was unwilling to let it go. For the last five years I have written at the very least monthly. In that time I have shared my thoughts, feelings, and some of the insights God has revealed to me about Himself, His church, and His word. This blog has seen over 18,000 page views in that time with readers from six contents. I am truly humbled by that.

Over the past year my activity has dwindled greatly. 2014 has been an exhausting year, and I have found my life full of new challenges, responsibilities, and passions to which attention now turns. Nothing lasts forever, and this blog has done what God has intended for it to do. I don't know the lives who have seen this, I hope they have been touched by what God has led me to share.

I pray that God will continue to use the words that have been written, and I pray that what He is leading me into will have an even bigger impact for the Kingdom.

I thank everyone who has taken the time to read. And so for the last time I will share the closing thoughts, and say good bye.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Let's Stop Celebrating Christmas

Let me ask you a question, what is the point of Christmas?

If you ask anyone with any concept of the Christian faith you'll most likely hear something along the lines of "To celebrate the birth of Jesus."

To that I ask this question, why was Jesus born?

Asking the same demographic as before you'll probably hear something to the effect of "To die on the cross and save us from our sins."

That's all good, but it isn't a complete answer. If Jesus' sole purpose in being born was to die then there is about thirty three years of wasted time between those two events. If the only point of the mission was to die then He could have done it differently. He could have shown up on the scene as a thirty three year old man and just gotten it over with. I've heard the argument that He had to be born in order to be fully man, but this is God we're talking about, He can do things however He wants to. And He chose to be born, and then to live for thirty-three years, culminating everything in His death and resurrection.

The birth of Christ, celebrated on December 25, is an important event. The death and resurrection of Jesus, on Good Friday and Easter, is the single most essential event in history. But, again, if that is the point, there is a lot of wasted time there.

Jesus' purpose in coming to earth was not solely to die on the cross. Again, it was the most essential moment in history, but it was the culmination of His mission, not the whole thing. Jesus came to earth not simply to die, but to live. As Mel Gibson said portraying William Wallace, "Every man dies, not every man really lives." Jesus came to really live, showing the world how to, and then died and rose again to make it possible for all to follow His example.

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus, not simply to die, but to live.

I think a big part of the reason that American Christianity is in the state it's in is due to the fact we have misunderstood the point of Christmas. For so long we have given the message of Jesus came to die, and we have left it at that. Jesus came to live. Jesus modeled for us what life was intended to look like. He lived a life of obedience and dependence upon the father. He lived in relationships with others, teaching them about God and how to live for Him. Finally, as He ascended back to the Father, He commissioned all who would follow Him to go and do what He had done.

Jesus' birth was about so much more than His death. He was born not simply to die, but to live. The events that took place in a Bethlehem stable over 2,000 years ago were simply the beginning of what God desires for all of us. He desires for all to born into new life through what Christ accomplished on the cross. Following that crucial moment, His intention is for all to live as Jesus lived, in relationship with the Father, and with others, teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded. God's design is for us to become disciples of Jesus, in order to make more disciples of Jesus.

Christmas was merely the beginning of a life that perfectly modeled how God would live life as a human. Human life ultimately ends, and the death of Jesus was essential because it paid the price for sin once and for all, and the resurrection brought the empowerment to follow in Jesus' example. It was new life that led to living new.

Christianity is not simply about being forgiven to get into heaven when we die, it is about embarking on a new way of living. It gives new life so that we may live new. It invites us into discipleship so that we may in turn make disciples. It invites us not simply to die, but to really live.

Christmas is not the end, but simply the beginning. So let us stop celebrating Christmas and begin living it. Let us embrace the life that Jesus was born to model, through the power of His death and resurrection. Let Christmas not be an isolated event, but something we strive to live in daily. It is not about God being born to die, but rather to live. New life is only life if it is lived, not if it is spent waiting to die and get to heaven. Christmas is not about ultimate death, but about real life.

This season let us seek to live as Jesus was born to live. Let us live as He modeled, fully trusting and obeying God, and teaching others to do the same. Let us not celebrate Christmas, but live it.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Are You Fulfilling the Great Commission?

I am at the halfway point for my current seminary class, and it has been a very though provoking and challenging four weeks. While I enjoy the eight week class structure I do feel much of it ends up being rushed and I have very little time to fully process everything that I want to with the course material.

This current class is on discipleship and within the first week I was hit with a thought that has not left my mind, and probably never will. The author of one of the books points out that the Great Commission says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." I've read this verse, quoted it even, countless times, but until recently I never got what it was saying.

We see that we are to go and make disciples, not converts but disciples, that part I've got, and it's actually gotten me fired from a church. We are to baptize the disciples we make and welcome them into the family, and work, of God, modeled by the Son, and empowered by the Spirit. And the process by which we make disciples is to teach them to obey what Jesus commanded. Except that last part isn't right. Read the verse again.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Jesus specifically says to teach them to obey all that He has commanded. Not some of the things. Not just the things that we agree with or find easy. Not even just the things we feel the people we are discipling need to work on. We are to teach them to observe everything the Jesus commanded.

The author of the course book asked if someone had a gun to your head and told you to write down everything Jesus commanded could you do it. Complete honestly, I couldn't. If I don't know everything that Jesus commanded, then most likely I am not personally obeying everything He commanded. If I don't know everything that Jesus commanded, then I most certainly cannot teach others to obey them. You cannot teach what you don't know. So with this being the case, I am not fulfilling the Great Commission given by Jesus.

The author posed some version of the question "What would your life look like if you obeyed everything Jesus commanded?" on some social media forum. He shares how a pastor responded, "Are you crazy?! That's impossible!" If it is impossible why did Jesus command it?

Look at the last part of the Great Commission again.

"and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

These are the last words Jesus spoke on earth. His final words were the promise of His presence for as long as we live. Jesus doesn't give a command and expect us to fulfill it on our own. Jesus is with us as we strive to fulfill His last command.

Are you fulfilling the Great Commission? By human effort it is impossible, but we have Christ with us, and are empowered by His Holy Spirit. However, the presence of the Spirit does not excuse us for effort. We must study and learn all the things the Jesus commanded. We personally must obey them, modeling the life that Jesus lived. As we do this, we must make disciples by teaching others to obey all that Jesus commanded.

This is possible. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. As a mortal man, capable of sin, Jesus lived a perfect life, modeling for us how God intended for us to live. At the end of a well lived life, short as it was, Jesus died on the cross paying our debt so that we could find forgiveness and restoration, and then He rose again so that we could be empowered to follow His example.

Finally, He left us with this commandment. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." This is what all who claim to be followers of Christ are to do. It is not simply the role of a pastor, but everyone who calls themselves a Christian.

Let us seek the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Let us learn and obey all that Jesus commanded. Let us teach others to do the same. May we be people who fulfill the Great Commission.

Note: I recommend Disciple Making Is... by Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey and Discipleshift by Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert Coleman, to anyone who seeks to be a disciple maker.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Why is Forgiveness so Important

A couple of weeks ago at work I was loading a truck with a coworker and we got onto the subject of salvation. He told me that he is an agnostic (believes that God/His will is unknowable, not that there is no God). As we talked he began to share a little of his story with me and ask questions allowing me to share some of what I believe and why.

The question that he asked that has stood out to me the most was, "Why is it so important that I ask Jesus to forgive me?" It's a very good question, and honestly I think it's the first time I've ever been asked that. He brought up the idea of simply living a good life, doing the right thing, and all of that, to which I talked about not being able to be good enough, but at the end he asked that question, and in that moment, with boxes pouring down on us, I didn't have a good answer.

I thought about it the rest of the day and that night, because it wouldn't leave my mind, and that night I came up with an answer. Here is what I thought of.

Imagine your child is outside playing and gets completely covered in mud. When it comes time for them to come inside you aren't going to let them until they are clean. You know that they can't clean up by on their own, and so you offer to hose them off, even offering to use warm water so that they can come inside.

It's like that. If we are going to enter God's house, we have to be clean, and the mud of sin has covered us from head to toe. There is nothing that we can do to clean ourselves off, but God sent Jesus so that we could be cleansed. He's offering to hose us off, and He's even warmed up the water for us. But until we allow Him to clean us up, we can never enter His house.

Forgiveness is so important, because without it we're still covered in mud, and we can never enjoy everything that God has for us inside His house if we're muddy. We must be cleansed by the forgiveness of Jesus if we want to be welcomed inside of God's house.

I shared that with him the next morning at work, and he told me that he understands. I'm praying for him and that God will continue to open doors for conversations and ultimately, whether through me or someone else, help him come to faith in Christ.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Vision

This past weekend my pastor shared his vision for the church this coming year. All of what he is sharing is from God, and it is a crucial part of his role as lead pastor. He is the chief vision caster, and vision is essential for any organization. Proverbs 29.18a says, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained". Without vision the church has no direction.

Right now I'm in the final week and a half of a class for towards my master's. This week I have to do an assignment that looks at a vision for my life when I get done with school. It's one of those things I've been meaning to do, but haven't had the time to simply sit and do it. It's crucial because of what the verse in Proverbs says.

Without vision there is no direction to life. Without vision there is no reason, simply action and results. Without vision, everyone does what they feel should be done. Resources are wasted, potential isn't lived up to, and ultimately lives are lost. Vision is essential. My pastor's vision involved people being prayed for, witnessed to, and entering into new life in Christ. He outlined some steps as to how it could be done.

What vision is there in your life? What are you trying to accomplish? Who are you trying to reach? What is God leading you to do? With no vision your life will be unrestrained. Take some time this week and pray, begin to seek God's direction in your life. What is your calling? What is your passion? What are your gifts? What is God leading you to do?

Get a vision from God. Live it out.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

What I Make It

About two months ago I sat down with a man who has graciously agreed to meet with me once a month and simply allow me to learn from him. He has lived well for over six decades, faithfully serving God, and continuing to become more like Christ. He is a man I greatly admire and feel truly blessed to know.

Over the past few months he has been challenging me, and in the process preparing me, for what comes after this current stage of my life. Right now I'm at a point where I have two choices. One I can settle where I am. I have a job with unbelievable perks and benefits. It isn't the most exciting job, and after a while it does take a physical toll on you, but the compensation, for many, is worth it. Option two requires something of me. It requires me to push myself and seek something more than just settling for a job that makes sense to stay at. It involves taking risks and trying to go for what I really want to do. It involves looking at my current situation as a training ground, a place and time of preparation for what is waiting for me if I'm willing to take the risk.

Over the past few months I've come to the realization that my life will be what I make it. That is not to say that God is not sovereign, or that He does not have an overall plan that will be accomplished because it has to be. It is not saying that God does not have the final say on my life or destiny. What it is saying is that God has brought me to a fork in the river of life. One channel is calm waters. No waves, no rocks, very slow current. It's safe and involves no risk. The other channel is class five whitewater. There are no guarantees, of making it through alive, but it offers an exciting ride. And if you don't make it, at least you go out with your boots on.

My life will be what I make it. My choice here, now, in this moment, will determine what I say on my death bed. It will determine if I die with regrets over the choices I made, or satisfied that I at least tried.

Tomorrow, I officially launch my raft into the rapids. I begin a five year and three month, 108 credit hour journey towards two Master's degrees. Total honesty, it's a daunting task. More than once this past week I've been overwhelmed by the thought of all of it, and even an hour ago thought about dropping it all and playing it safe. But I don't want to be that guy. I want to be the man that at the very least went for it.

My life will be what I make it, and I want it to be lived in faith, pursuing what God is offering to me. I want the courage to go after it, and if I fail, at least I gave it all I had. I don't know what is waiting for me at the end of this journey. I have a hope of what is waiting at the end, but there is no guarantee that it is going to be there. The uncertainty is what gives me the moments of hesitation, but if I give into that when I reach the end of this life all I'll be thinking is "What if I had gone for it? What if I would have taken the risk?"

Teddy Roosevelt once said, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

I want to be the man in the arena, face marred because I've put it all out there. And if I fail, atleast I dared greatly. I want to be that man, let's see what I make of my life.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

The Answer for America

This year is an election year, and though every time an election occurs people say that "This is the most important election of our time" this one very well could be. The President has an agenda that he seems bent on carrying out at all costs. And his agenda could very well be the end of America as we know it. But this blog is not about politics, and this post is not meant to be a political post. Instead I want to share the answer for America.

For a long time we've listened to men campaign for the office of President. They make all kinds of promises, most of which they probably have no intention of fulfilling, and then whoever is better at convincing the people that they can fix the issues, is elected to serve a four year term. Recently they haven't been doing that great of a job. And do you know why? Democrats don't have the answers. Know what? Neither do Republicans.

The answer for America can't be found with either political party, or an independent. It isn't found in Tolerance, or Coexistence, as bumper stickers try to push that agenda. It isn't found with the liberal or conservative. All of them offer their plan, they try to pass their agenda, but it never works. But I have the answer.

The answer for America is holiness.

The Bible says in Leviticus 11.44a, "For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy." God made us for a purpose. He created the world to work, and us to live in it, a certain way. That way is as holy people. We were made in the image of God, to fellowship with Him and reveal Him to the rest of creation as we cared for it. But sadly, we've drifted farther and farther away from holiness.

We live in a society that wants nothing to do with God. We say we are one nation united under Him is our pledge of allegiance, but there are people that want to remove that phrase from it because it is offensive. We see the words "In God We Trust" on every piece of our currency, but that too people want to remove because we really don't trust in God. We can't even say "Merry Christmas" anymore because we really don't want anything to do with God. And when we want nothing to do with God, what else can a President do but try to pass his own agenda at the people's expense?

The more we push God out, the less holy we become, the worse everything gets. Am I saying that if we turn back to God as a nation then everything will get better? Am I saying that had we as a nation been fully committed to God that September 11, Hurricane Katrina, and Sandy Hook wouldn't have happened? No. We live in a world that is cursed by sin. A world where sinnful people choose to do sinful things that cause death and destruction.

Holiness does not shield us from the results of sin, rather holiness molds us into the image of Christ. Jesus came to earth as man to show us how God would live life, giving us a model to follow, and then He died and rose again to empower us to live that model. Holiness is us living life as God would live life as a human.

Holiness seeks that best for all, not it's own agenda. Holiness loves all, and speaks the truth in love, not in angry condemnation. Holiness seeks to honor God in everything, even the hard times. Holiness helps mold us into Christlikeness. Holiness is the answer for America.

If we really want to see hope and change, then we must turn to the source of hope and allow Him to change us into holy people. If we want to change, and save, America then we must set aside our own agendas and begin living for His. His plan is for our best. His plan is for our greatest good. His agenda is for us to live life to the fullest. And it is only found in holiness.

America, our only hope is to turn back to God. It is only in being one nation under God, a nation that fully trusts in God. But the more we continue to push Him away the worse things will get. No human leader can make us holy, and therefore no human leader can fix the problems. Our only hope is found in God.

The answer is holiness.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

The Worst Part About Hell

Yesterday began a three week class at Church called "Your New Life". Week one focuses on what new life is and how to receive it. Week two looks at assurance of new life, how to know that you do have it. Week three looks at growing in new life and sharing your story. As I sat with three people yesterday and began working through the material this thought came to me, "The worst part about Hell is..."

If you stop and think about it, the question almost seems redundant. Hell is a place of darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is the place reserved for the Devil, his angles, and those who reject Jesus. It's a place of eternal death and suffering. But the worst part about Hell is that it is eternal separation from God.

Think about it. We were made for the sole purpose of glorifying God, and existing in relationship with Him. We were made to have communion and fellowship with Him. That perfect relationship was broken when sin entered the world through disobedience, but because of Jesus it can be restored. Here on earth God still speaks. He still reaches out to us and pursues our hearts. Until the moment we die, God is longing for us and reaching out to us for the relationship we were made for.

In Hell all of that goes away. In Hell God's presence is completely absent. God does not speak, and God no longer reaches out for relationship. It is a place where sin goes to die forever, and where God is not. The worst part about Hell is that God is absent from it. It is there that the souls of those who rejected Him in life, will be sent for eternity. Those who wanted nothing to do with God in life, will spend eternity completely separated from Him. In Hell the soul is completely cut off from the One it was created to exist with.

Hell does not have to be your eternal destiny. You can enjoy an eternal, and perfect, relationship with God simply by accepting the new life that He offers through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Dying Jesus paid for sin, and rising again He defeated it along with death and Hell. Jesus made it possible for us to have a relationship with God again. If we accept the free gift of grace that He offers to us, we will never know Hell. Instead we will enjoy unity with God forever, just as we were created to.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Angered or Saddened?

Over the past few months I've been thinking about different people I know, and the lifestyle's they have chosen to engage in. Some of them have been very destructive by choice, and others have been "forced" into certain situations. And as I've thought about it a question has come to my mind, "Does our sin anger or sadden God?" Maybe more appropriately it should be phrased, "Do the sinful acts we chose to engage in anger of sadden God?"

If you had asked me a year ago I most likely would have said anger without a second thought. But since then the circumstances of my life have change significantly, and I've started to see things with a different lense. I'm still fully believing that the Bible is the foundation for truth as God's written word, but I've started to read with another pair of eyes and see things from another perspective.

The more I've thought about it I'm starting to lean towards our sinful acts saddening God. Think about it, when someone you love engages in something you know is bad for them, something that will only lead them to destruction and ruin their life, doesn't your heart break for them?

The Bible tells us that we are God's children. We are more prized and loved by God than we can ever know. He is the loving Father, and we are the children He delights in. We steal His heart with that first smile. All He wants is the best for us, and when a child does something that isn't best for them, it saddens the parent who loves them.

When we choose to engage in sinful behavior it pulls us away from God. When we choose to sin, we choose something opposite of God. I think God is saddened when we choose things that aren't best for us, things that pull us away from Him. And when we choose to engage in it I think it breaks His heart.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Insights on Crucifixion

Today is Good Friday, the day that Jesus was crucified. Tonight is also opening night for Angels of the Empyrean: Journey to the Empty Tomb. Tonight I get to portray Jesus, and one of the scenes is the cross. Over the past few weeks as we've rehearsed the scene I've gained some new insights on crucifixion.

In the play I'm not having nails driven through my wrists and feet. I'm not being beaten with sticks or a whip with shards of metal on the tips. I don't have to carry a 300 pound cross over rough, uneven streets barefoot. My arm isn't pulled out of socket to make it fit the beam. And though I do have a crown of thorns, it isn't real, and it doesn't cut into my forehead. Because I don't have to undergo all of that, it has opened my eyes to another aspect of crucifixion.

As your arms are spread out and the weight of your body works with gravity, blood doesn't flow easily to your arms, and they begin to fall asleep. It gets to the point after twenty minutes that i cannot get my hands out of the rope loops on my own. Every little movement gives that uncomfortably painful feeling you get as your limb begins to wake up. And every time you take a breath while being crucified you have to pull yourself up.

On top of this, during the scene I'm not able to move my feet/legs since we're going for realism and during a real crucifixion they would have been nailed down. Since I can't move them and they are in one position on a small platform (not nearly as small as an actual crucifixion) there begins to be a cramp that moves down my entire leg. And again, being unable to move, I just have to deal with it.

And I only have to be on the cross for about twenty minutes, Jesus was up there for six hours. I don't have to endure the torture that Jesus did as well. So He got to deal with all of that, and the little discomforts that are just icing on the cake.

This experience has given me a new insight into the pain that Jesus endured. Yes it may seem small and insignificant, He may not have even noticed it with everything else He was going through, but it's a thought to add as we reflect on the sacrifice of today.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Portraying Christ

Several months ago my brother-in-law called me with a request. At the church he attends he writes the holiday plays, as well as directs different video productions to promote events. Two Christmases ago (2012) we saw part one of a play with a cliffhanger ending, that would wrap up Easter of 2014. This particular favor involves me participating in the Easter play. He asked me to play the part of Jesus. It's one of those feelings that I'm not really sure how to describe. It's still difficult for me to put words to all of this. I started writing this in December after our initial cast read through of the script.

We've been working for months, and in less than a week we perform. It's one of those experiences part of me has always wanted. I've studied my character for the better part of almost three decades. I've come to know Him personally and intimately in that time, and as part of that it's my role to reflect Him to the world. This is the chance to literally do that. To stand before hundreds of people this upcoming weekend and give a portrayal of Jesus.

Spoiler alert, in the Easter play, Jesus dies, and then comes back to life. There is a scene where after the resurrection Jesus confronts Satan (if I say anything else I'll probably get in trouble). But reading the lines, speaking to the devil as Christ, you can't help but feel powerful. You can't help but feel the authority of Christ in that moment. It makes chills run up your body. And at the same time there is a scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, drawing from the account in Luke, where Jesus is worshiped. In that moment there is a tremendous sense of unworthiness.

My hope is that this upcoming Easter weekend, the people in attendance will see a glimpse of who Jesus is. Not how the church has painted Him, or even how I have come to know Him, but who Jesus really is. The love that took Him to the cross. The victory that He won for us at the empty tomb. The authority that is ours because of His Spirit. The burden that is still there for the work that is still to be done.

My hope is that this is what my own life looks like every day. I want to live in the power of the Spirit, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, glorify the Father, and love God and others. That's what Jesus did on earth, and that is what I want every day of my life. Every day I want to be a portrayal of Christ.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Jesus

When I was younger during Sunday School I was asked, "What Bible character are you most like?" You've probably been asked the same question. A lot of people say Peter, he's an old favorite, actually most people probably say Peter. But I really think that's the wrong answer, not in that it's not who people are most like, but because it is who people are most like.

The world doesn't need more Peter's. It doesn't need more David's, Moses', Paul's, Joshua's or Timothy's. The world needs more Jesus. What would happen if when Christians were asked, "What Bible character are you most like?" they answered Jesus? What would a world look like where Christ followers actually looked like Christ?

We are called to become like Christ. When we enter into new life through salvation, we enter into life with a new purpose and goal. Romans 8 says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified" (verses 28-30).

God created us to mirror Him to creation. When sin entered the world the mirror was broken. Jesus came to earth in order to show us what the image looks like, and then die and resurrect in order to make it possible for us to reflect the image. God causes all things to work together for our good, because everything molds us into the image of His Son. The goal of the Christ follower is not to be like Peter, or David, or Paul, but Jesus Christ.

What Bible character do you want to be most like?

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Your Kids Aren't Yours

I've been thinking a lot about children and being a parent recently, and the more I think about it, the more incredible the whole thing really is. Not just the miracle of life, but the whole reality of whose children they really are. And the reality of it is your kids aren't really yours.

I've had the privilege to do a baby dedication. In the preparation I talked with a pastor friend and he told me that he always mentions that this is not the parent's child, but God's. This is God's son, this is God's daughter, and He has lovingly placed them into your home. Your kids aren't really yours, their God's.

Think about that, God takes His children, and entrusts them to someone else to raise! Can you imagine doing that? After your child is born you go find a couple and you give them your baby to raise. How many parents are willing to do this? (Notice I said baby, not teenager) My guess is not many. Why would you entrust the life of your child to someone else? Why would you put their future, and eternity on the line like that?

I'm not looking down on adoptions here. I understand there are circumstances that people find themselves in, and adoption is a far better option than abortion. Please do not read that into what I am saying. My point is not to say you've messed up by giving up your children, because the reality of it is that in giving them up like that you demonstrated the greatest act of love. You gave them life, and then gave them a chance at living it.

The point of what I'm saying is your children aren't really yours, but God's. He has entrusted you with His most precious possession, and given you the responsibility to point His children back to their true Father. If this was the mindset of every parent how much better would the world be? If we stopped looking at our children as ours and rather began to see them as God's? Each little boy is God's mighty warrior that needs to be trained to join the fight for His Kingdom. Each little girl is God's princess, that needs to see her captivating beauty and unveil it. Each child is God's and needs mom and dad to set their little feet on the path of righteousness that leads to Him.

The reality of it is, God has given you His child to raise. You won't be a perfect parent, you can't be, only He can. But if you will love them, protect them, teach them about their true Father, and help them to follow Him, you will have done all that He asks you to do.

And when it comes to helping them follow, I think the most important thing for a child to learn, or a parent for that matter, is this: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones" (Proverbs 3.5-8).

Teach them to fully trust in God, and not to lean on their own limited knowledge. Teach them to turn to God first and always, and as they do He will make their paths straight. Teach them to be humble and to reverently fear God. Teach them to pursue righteousness and flee from evil. In this they will find peace, and so will you. Children learn best by imitation. If they see you living out Proverbs 3.5-8, it will be that much easier for them to learn to do it too.

Your children aren't really yours, they are God's. Raise them right on His behalf. You will be held accountable for how you raise His children. Do all that you can to teach them to love God, and help them to follow.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

How God Works

Recently I had the opportunity to witness a miracle. And for about a week I've been thinking about how God works. There are two ways, miraculously and naturally.

God created the world to function with certain rules and laws. There is a way things work, because that is how they were created to work. When God works miraculously is where God makes a temporary exception to the natural order of things to show that He is working. In a miracle we see God's power at work, doing what normally doesn't happen.

The cancer patient who goes in for a screening, and the doctor's come in to say, "We don't know how, but your cancer is gone" has experienced a miracle. My doctor told me, "Bad things don't go away", and so for cancer to just disappear from someone is a miracle. And sometimes God decides to bless people with miracles.

But I think far more often, God works naturally. There is a way to the world, and God created it to work that way. Doctors go to school to learn about the body and medicine. They learn ways to make the body healthy and functional. But I don't want to take any credit away from God, and so I'm going to say that is God working too. It is God working naturally. He is allowing something to work the way that He created it to work.

A person is sick and goes to the doctor. He prescribes some medicine, the patient takes it as prescribed, and they get better. God was at work allowing the medicine to work. God was working naturally, but God was still at work.

God is always at work. Sometimes He does a miracle, something that has no other explanation except God. Sometimes He works with something natural, but may we never take credit away from God. They day we stop acknowledging His work in our lives, miraculous or natural, is they day we say we don't need God's help.

And to clarify, sometimes in the case of an illness, God doesn't allow healing naturally or miraculously. Sometimes death is the result. But even in death God is still at work. In the case of a sick believer God has brought permanent healing. He has welcomed them into His presence for eternity, with no more pain or sickness. For those left behind we can see God at work here as well. We can see His grace and comfort. We can see someone face death with confidence, knowing they are going to see the face of Christ.

God is always at work. May we never take credit away from Him, and always give Him the glory for how He decides to act.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

More Abundantly Beyond

This post has been on my mind for a while, and I finally have a moment to sit and write it out. About a year ago I began a part time job. My wife and I had been thrown out of a rough ministry assignment, and abandoned by people we thought genuinely cared about us. I had been unemployed for several months and finally got hired at Home Depot. I was working in the Garden Department for the first couple months there so it wasn't that bad. The pay was lousy, and the hours weren't always the greatest, but I had a job that allowed me to be outside and learn about things I actually wanted to know about.

I survived the first cuts from temp to part time, and actually got moved to a slightly better position in that it came with a set schedule, and a raise (or so I was told). But I began to get really restless. Already I had been there longer than I wanted, and I was getting discouraged. Life was changing, and I wasn't making enough to be able to support my family, and my hours were beginning to be cut. I learned that at the end of the year they let most of the part time people go, and then begin the cycle all over again, that way they avoid giving raises.

I wasn't worried, but I was getting desperate for something better. I began to pray, and I told God, "I just want a forty hour a week job that allows me to provide for my family." Enter Ephesians 3.20-21, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

I had met a guy through our Life Group at church and he helped me begin the process of seeking a new job with the company he worked for. When I applied I thought I was simply applying to a job that would give me forty hours Monday-Friday and as a bonus help me get my Master's completed. And then I got to work the first day. As I sat in orientation I began to watch God go above and beyond.

What I'm about to say isn't meant to be bragging, but a testimony of praise that is long overdue.

My new job gives me a set schedule Monday-Friday and salary pay that is more than double what I made at Home Depot. I don't have to clock in or out. My wife and I get Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage at no premium, and they also give great life insurance to me at no cost. After I work 1,000 hours in a year they pay into a retirement account for me, and they also give cash profit sharing bonuses at the end of the year. And on top of all of that, they will pay for 100% of my schooling, books included, no matter what my field of study is.

I didn't know that jobs like this existed, and therefore had no way of even asking God for something like this. My prayer was simply for a forty hour work week that allowed me to make enough to provide for my family. God did that, but He did so much more than I ever thought possible. And for that I'm writing this post to give Him the glory He deserves.

I'm not doing what I want to be doing with my life, but I have found contentment in the moment. God is providing for my needs, and He is paving my way back into full time ministry, and even providing for retirement now. I don't know what comes next, but He's starting to give me a vision for that, and during this time of preparation I'll be seeking His guidance for that, with the hope and expectation of it being far greater than I can imagine.

That is how God works when we trust Him. He is able to do it, but if we never give Him the chance we get stuck because we limit Him. Pray big, but pray with the right motives, and watch God take care of you in ways you never thought possible. And when He does, give Him the glory.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Fat Tuesday

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of Lent. It is a time of fasting to be more focused on Christ as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection. Growing up as a Protestant, I never celebrated Lent. I honestly didn't know really what it was until college, and during that time I did engage in the season. But all of that begins tomorrow. Which makes today Fat Tuesday.

Today is a day to indulge and live it up, or sin it up as I've heard it said before. You do everything you can't do for the next 40 days, so you have one last hoorah before you have to behave. It makes the next forty days seem like a bit of a religious ritual that is done out of obligation. And yet as I've thought about it today, I wonder how many of us live our lives like it's Fat Tuesday.

Think about it. How many people live like they have all the time in the world? Or how many live with the intention of turning to Jesus later? I was out with my wife on Valentine's Day and I overheard a conversation between our server and the people sitting next to us. He was telling them that he was young, and now was the time for enjoying life, he'd worry about religion later. I've met a lot of people like that over the years.

I've also met a lot of people who live life like Lent is obligatory. The do things because they are supposed to in order to make God happy so they can get to Heaven. But it isn't heart felt and it misses the point dramatically.

And then there are those who live Lent everyday. Their lives are committed to fully serving and glorifying God. They have sacrificed things so that they can grow closer to Him. They have given up things so that they can become more like Christ. Their focus is on celebrating with the resurrected Lord, and they live like it every day.

Which category do you fall into? Is your life Fat Tuesday, full of indulgence and living it up as much as you can before you have to clean up? Just a heads up, life isn't predictable. It doesn't have a visual clock that declares Ash Wednesday is here it's time to behave. We don't know when it's going to end.

Is your life the obligatory Lent? Do you do things because you're supposed to, because it's what's expected? Do you realize the joy you're missing out on? Or the blessings? God has incredible things to show you and you are unable to see them because of the half-hearted attitude you go through life with.

Are you living Lent? Is your life spent focused fully on God and looking forward to the resurrection daily? Look at all that God has shown you. Look at how you've changed and grown. It's because of how you've chosen to live your life.

Now, which one do you want to be? Tomorrow begins the season of Lent. It can be a time of growth for you if you choose to invest yourself in it. It can be a time of growing closer to God than you ever have before, and a time of learning to trust Him in ways you didn't know where possible. It can be if you're willing to live it. And it can be the start of a whole new life. It doesn't end at Easter, but continues until we participate in the resurrection.

How do you want to live? Time is short, and you don't know when it's going to run out. Fat Tuesday or Lent, you decide.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Born Again

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?' Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'" -John 3.3-6

As I was laying in bed last night I started thinking about yesterday's post, and then these verses from John 3 came to my mind. This is a thought I am still working through, and I am not saying with complete certainty that this is what Jesus meant, but after writing and thinking I'm wondering if it could have been what He might have been referring to.

Without being born again, we cannot see the Kingdom of God. We must first die, and then be born into life as it was meant to be. A life with no ending, that exists in perfection before the throne of God. Everyone who has come to faith in Jesus, has been spiritually conceived. Those who faithfully endure to the end grow and develop in the spiritual pregnancy. And those who die in the faith, are born again in Heaven.

Not everyone who begins this journey will finish. Just as there are miscarriages and still born babies physically, there are those who spiritually begin, but don't endure. They don't finish and cannot enter the presence of God. Tertullian said, "Do we test the faith by persons or persons by the faith? No one is wise, no one is faithful, no one worthy of honor unless he is a Christian, and no one is a Christian unless he perseveres to the end."

To be born again, we must endure to the end. We must come to salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. And we must grow and mature in holiness until it is time to enter eternity.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Death=Birth

And we're back with another thought on death. In one of my previous posts on the subject I said that people fear death because they see it as an end, rather than a new beginning. This is a continuation of that thought.

I've been thinking about the birth of a baby for some time now, I have several friends who are expecting children, and as I've thought about the process of birth, I've noted many similarities between this life and the next. Jesus came to give us eternal life. We've somehow arrived at the conclusion that this is life that is only available to us once we reach the other side. It is life that goes on forever as believers spend eternity before the Throne of God. But this is an incorrect conclusion.

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10.10). He came to give life, not just eternally, but presently. Around Christmas I wrote about how we need to see Christmas as the beginning of Jesus' life, a life lived to show us how to live as God would, and then He died on a cross so that we could live the way He modeled.

And so eternal life begins here and now. And so with that being said, death is not the end, but the beginning. Death=Birth.

Think of it this way. The moment you come to faith in Christ and experience the forgiveness of your sins, you have begun a new life. This would compare to the moment of conception. At that moment a baby is living being, with a soul and eternal destiny. But at this moment, a baby is not ready to enter the world.

Over the next nine months, give or take a few weeks, the baby grows and develops. Arms and legs form with hands and feet, fingers and toes. The heart begins to beat and pump blood. The brain forms as well as the other organs. The baby begins to move and stretch. It develops a personality that is unique. But it takes this time to develop before it is ready to enter the world.

As believers, we begin life with salvation, but we grow in holiness and mature so that we are ready to enter the next world. And then at the moment of death, we are born to real life, life as it was meant to be lived. It takes time for us to grow and develop in holiness, into Christlikeness. But at the end of the process we are ready to be born.

Hebrews 12.14 says, "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." Without holiness, no one will see God. We must be holy, we must grow in holiness. The journey to heaven is marked by growth in Christlikeness. The more we walk with Christ, the more holy we are to become. If we would see God, and be born into real life, we must grow and mature in holiness.

For the holy one, death is not the end, but a new beginning. Death=Birth.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

God Will Provide the Lamb

Life has been more hectic than I thought it would be, and so my blogging here has been less than I thought it would be as a result.  But recently I've had a couple thoughts I really want to share, and so hopefully I can write over the next few days.

In our group Bible study a few weeks ago we read about Abraham sacrificing Isaac, and I noticed some things that I haven't before.  Abraham places the wood on his son, who carries it to the place where the sacrifice would be offered.  Then Isaac is laid on the wood to be killed.  God spares him, and then provides a ram to be sacrificed.  Abraham told his son the God would provide, and He did.

Now look ahead to the New Testament.  Jesus has a wooden cross placed on Him, and He carries it to the place where the He would be offered as a sacrifice.  There He lays down on the cross and is sacrificed as the Lamd God provided.

It is important to note the attitude of both men.  Isaac was probably in his late teens or early twenties at this point.  He could have easily over powered his father and not have almost been killed.  But he doesn't, and in him we see a willingness to do the will of God.   And in the same way Jesus, who could have easily overcome those who crucified Him, willingly lays down on the cross and is nailed to it to fulfill the will of God.

Finally, Abraham came out of a society where child sacrifice was common.  It would not have been unheard of in his mind for God to ask for his son.  But in this God shows more of His character.  He shows Abraham, this is not how we do things in my Kingdom.

With Jesus we see God again showing us His character.  We deserved the cross because of our sin.  But Gid says, "No, in My Kingdom, I will sacrifice my Son to save you."  He cannot over look sin, but He will not leave us to deal with it on our own.

God has provided the Lamb.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Redeemable

Genesis is full of interesting stories, and they involve people God has blessed. Yet in them we see some atrocious behavior. Last week was a bit hectic for me, so today you get the insight I had last week.

In Genesis 19 Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed, but God rescues Lot, Abraham's nephew. He escapes with his wife and two daughters, but the wife looks back and is turned to a pillar of salt. The go to a near by town, Zoar, but leave because we are told Lot was afraid to stay there. The end up living in a cave in the mountains.

What follows is a story of his two daughters, knowing they won't find husbands in the mountains, seeking a way to preserve their family line. They get their father drunk and sleep with him. For a long time I've wondered why we are told this story, what was the point of all of it. But in my most recent read through I noticed this, "The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day" (verse 37).

Moad was east of the Jordan, and during a time of famine Elimelech of Bethlehem, took his wife and two sons to Moab. The sons married, but the father and sons all died in the land. A grieving wife and mother returns home, accompanied by one of her daughter-in-laws, a young woman named Ruth. And now the connection is made.

Ruth married Boaz, they had a son named Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse, who had a son named David. David became King of Israel, and God promised that one of his descendants would sit on the throne forever. A few centuries later, Jesus is born.

God can take any act and redeem it. If you think about it, that is what God does. He sees something that isn't good, and He makes it good. Now this doesn't excuse sin. It doesn't permit us the attitude of "I can go do whatever I want, God will forgive me for it later." Paul wrote in Romans 6.1-2, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"

When we come to new life in Christ, God has redeemed us from the old life of sin. We cease living in sin, and live as Christ. But don't be discouraged by the past. Your past doesn't disqualify you from the love of God. God can take anything and redeem it.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you

Good

So here's what I'm thinking. Part of me really just doesn't feel like it's time to let this blog go. I've poured a lot into this over the last four years, a lot of insights, and bits of my heart as well. A lot is going on in my life, and I don't have the time available at the moment to do a lot with this, but I'm thinking that I do have the time to share a few thoughts each week. Our life group at church is doing something a little different this year. We're taking the Bible Reading plan that the church has made and working through it as a group. As I'm reading I find things that stand out to me, and when I find a particularly good thought, I'm going to share it here.

This week as I read I noticed this: God only makes things that are good, and when something isn't good, He takes it and makes it good. Look at creation in Genesis 1. God speaks, it happens, and it is good. That is who God is. He is good, and therefore everything He puts His hands to is good. That means the serpent was good, because Genesis 3.1 says, "which the LORD God had made."

Satan does not have the power to create, he can only work with what is here. He takes what God has made as good, and twists it for his own uses. He takes the serpent, and uses it to deceive the Adam and the woman, and bring about the fall of man. He takes sex, something that God created for a husband and wife to enjoy together as an act of worship and procreation, and turns it into fornication, homosexuality, adultery, and pornography. He takes man, and has him desire to be like God, convincing him that it is possible and that it is worth it. He takes everything good, and tries to distort it so that we buy into the lie that we know what is best for us.

But God loves us too much to leave it like this. God doesn't just create things that are good, but takes things that aren't good and makes them good. Genesis 2.18, "then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'" something wasn't good, and so God then made it good. He never leaves things unfinished, or does them half heartedly.

This reading is unique because it pairs the Old Testament and New Testament, and so as we're reading about the creation and fall in Genesis, we're also reading about the birth of Christ in Matthew. Seeing God's original plan, and then seeing the plan of redemption unfold, side by side has been pretty amazing. God sees something that isn't good, and so He sets to work to make it good.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you