1-2-3 A-B-C

It is a simple concept, really. If we really have an understanding of Jesus, we will not make a practice of sin. Sure, we will stumble. We will fall. But if we have a relationship, we won't live in it. We won't indulge it. It will not be something we are "okay" with. If someone really knows Jesus, they cannot help but to be completely enamored with him and completely sold out. And that means that they won't "cheat" on him. He will own our heart and our life. And sin will not be indulged and kept as a special pet.

John said so in his books.

The Exit that is an Entrance

My feelings and perceptions surrounding Josh’s death don’t fit into my picture of God.

I John 2:6 says, “Anyone who claims to be intimate with God out to live the same life Jesus did.”

Jesus is my measuring stick in my relationship with God. What’s the shortest verse in the Bible? “Jesus wept.” I knew that for years. I recently learned what he wept over: A friend died. Jesus wept over Lazarus. The fact that he was the Creator of the universe was of no consolation. He as God Incarnate and he still struggled with the misery from loss due to death.

Death is inevitable. Is it natural? Maybe death is unnatural. It’s an abrupt end to an eternal soul. I don’t have any concept of what the moment of living here to the moment of being dead feels like. I speculate. Is it like the first drop on a roller coaster- exhilarating and scary?

Whatever it is, the grief of death is deep. Jesus wept.

And I can’t help but to wonder if he raised Lazarus from the dead in part because he could. I mean, Jesus was human. Death hurts. Lazarus was a witness after he came out of the grave, and he led a large number of people to Jesus himself. There is purpose in his resurrection in that. But maybe there was also a human factor at work in raising Lazarus. I know that if it would not hurt anything, and maybe even help, I would love to be able to bring back Josh.

But that’s not gonna happen. There is no more need for eternal death. Jesus gave everyone the chance at their own resurrection when he rose from the grave himself. Josh will be back. We all will. In the meantime, I weep.

Don't Forget Your Helmet

Just to mark the day, I should let you know today is day number one.

It is the first day of about 500 people in my church starting to pray three times a day, for five minutes each time for 40 days.

Buckle your seat belts.

2 Chronicles 20:12-22 “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel….He said, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the vast army. For the battle is not yours but God’s. …You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tormorrow and the Lord will be with you.

Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites from the Kohaithites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with very loud voice.

Early in the morning they set out, the king stood before his people and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ”Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab who were invading Judah, and they were defeated."

Stay focused on the Lord. Be in the correct position in God, our position in Christ. Give thanks, praise and be thankful for his holiness. He will defeat the armies that rise up against you with the intent to kill, destroy and rob you.

Kiss of Love

I think it is interesting that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. A kiss is an expression of love. God is love. Jesus was the fulfillment of love. And he was sent to the beginning of his death with an expression of love.

Of course, this got me thinking. How many things look like love or an expression of love but are really just the opposite? How many of those things are a betrayal of love?

True love is something I strive to understand more. Christ said that if you love a friend, you will lay down your life for them. He said that we should love and pray for our enemies.

That means that we should be willing to lay down our lives for any person, whether considered a friend or enemy. Why? Ultimately because we love our Father, and if we love him, we will obey him.

And what does it mean to lay our lives down for others? Read Philipians 2:3- "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

Be a sacrifice. Follow Christ in his example of laying down your life and taking up your cross. Do whatever it takes to save those around you and to display love.

My Soul Awaits

The most disappointing NASCAR races are when the last laps are done under the caution flag. Everything seems to move in slow motion but the drivers are still striving for the finish line. For the guy that was in 2nd place and taking over the 1st position, it must be frustrating. Yet, we are all called to finish well.

Psalm 62:1 (MSG)- A David psalm. God, the one and only-- I'll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not?

One of the hardest things God can ask us to do is wait. If you are being asked to wait, consider that you probably have favor because it takes strength to wait on the Lord.

Psalm 27:14 (NIV)- Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

It is strength in faith because faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. It requires this faith of being certain in times of tribulation and temptation to stand and simply wait.

Isaiah 30:18b (NIV)- For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

This is a promise after a time of persecution and despair.

Acts 1:4 (NIV)- On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised. Which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Hold Spirit."

Jesus is quoted as saying "in a few days". I believe it was more like 40 days. What if they would have given up and gone home?

Romans 8:23-25 (NIV)- Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

We groan while we wait. We hurt while we wait. We hope for what we do not have, but we are hoping for what we have been promised. Like childbirth, the pain intensifies more and more before the actual delivery.

Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)- Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

While we are waiting, we might be heart sick. When that hope is finally realized, we will have a strong, deep source of life. I am of the opinion that sometimes we have promises stored in our hearts and it's as if we have been given songs to sing which we can't quite remember the words for it and our deepest selves just want to get the melody out in the worst way. When the song is finally sung, it is the biggest relief ever. It will usually bring tears of frustration while it is stored up inside, but the release is sweet. The tears are tears of joy when it is finally done. And the full realization of God's glory and goodness is what is earned and learned from the experience.

Hebrews 9:28 (NIV)- So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

The promises and rewards of waiting on the Lord are huge. There is great relief when God shows up after we have been doing nothing but waiting. I think it is the hardest lesson of our faith in God.

Psalm 46:10a (NIV)- "Be still, and know that I am God."

I will be still and know you are God. Blessed are those who wait upon the Lord. Waiting is not in vain. It is not hopeless, in fact it is quite the contrary. It is built on hope and faith. When the delivery comes, there will be great relief and rejoicing.

TGIF (Thank God It's Faith)

How do we overcome the discouragement that is bound to hit when we are truly following Jesus? Sometimes the service we are called to seems overwhelming. Sometimes the goodness we see in the Word is no where to be found in our surroundings.

Rom 1:12 What I am saying is that we can encourage each other by the faith that is ours.

And yet the key to be encouraged is getting together with like-minded individuals and dwelling on the faith that is ours.

That means, remember the glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Remember that he is sitting right next to the throne of God, praying on our behalf. Envision that he went through the pain and suffering of the cross, he has brought you to where you are in your life now, he’s not going to quit on you. Remember that the person who hopes in the Lord will not be disappointed. Think of the glorious salvation that is our free gift and entrance into heaven. Remember that you have the Creator of the Universe ready to listen to whatever troubles or woes you might have. Ponder the fact that God, the God that has been since the beginning of time is our refuge. He is interested in our day to day lives. He is interested in our worries. His hand is strong on behalf of his people. Remember that sometimes prayer changes situations immediately and sometimes it takes a little while. In all things, God will be glorified and that is who you are serving. Because he is the Alpha and Omega, he is ever letter in between. He is at the beginning of whatever you are going through, he is at the end of whatever you are going through and he is in every moment of the middle as well.

This is our faith: That the God of the universe is a personal God who has already gone to great measures so you could know him. He is wholly and completely love and holiness. He is everything you need and nothing you don’t. Dwell on the goodness of the Lord.

The Finish that starts The Beginning

We get restless. When we are almost there, we want to be there. We can taste it, see it, feel it and we want it. Paul said to not give up the race but to finish strong. You are almost at the finish line. Who would tell you to stop running? Don’t give up. Finish this last leg of the race with pride. Don’t give up your prize. Be encouraged. Have hope. The end is near. The finish line is at hand. God’s perfect will is being realized and implemented. When we get close to the finish, I think the enemy comes in to sow dissention in ourselves to make us give up at the last minute. It is God’s will that you are following. You do have the strength to finish. His will shall be done. Don’t discourage. Don’t despair.

He who trusts in the Lord shall not be disappointed.

Sometimes all we have left is hope. And it aches but it won't come back empty if the hope is in God.

If Jesus Didn’t Come..

..I would rather have never been born. I would rather not have breath because I would never have life.

If Jesus didn’t come and I still was born, I would rather be a vessel of shame and ugliness just to display all the more clearly the absence of holiness. I would rather point to his glory in my lack than to try to be good without a Savior.

Without Jesus I am nothing but chaff. I am nothing worth noting. The worth I have comes from the worth he has given me. I am his creation, his servant, his daughter, his friend. He is my King, my Savior, my Creator, my Groom.

If he would not have come, there would be no holiness. I would rather be a vessel of shame to point to the lack. I would rather have never been born.

But he came. He came and gave himself totally and completely without a thought of himself. And in love, he gave what I could never earn, what I could never achieve, what I could never work towards.

And I want to turn around and give myself totally and completely without a thought of myself in love to Jesus.

He is the author of my life. He wrote my life. He edits and deletes the parts I messed up. He is the perfector of my faith. He makes me complete. He fills in the story with wholeness and vibrancy. He is the main character, the author. Not me. I point back to the Author in everything I do. My lack only displays his holiness that much more. My talents and beauty are credited to his glory and his worth.

He is worth so much to me that if he didn’t come, I would rather not even be.

New Day

The sun has finally come out. The rain started in Mid-October. The dreariness set in. We were hit on all sides, financially, physically, spiritually and emotionally. We saw teens robbed, violated, beat up, kicked, and hurt. We felt despair. We felt sadness. We felt hopelessness at times.

But even thrown about by the waves, I clung with every last shred of strength to the rock called Jesus. I held on for dear life when the turmoil set out to destroy me. I stubbornly clung to the Word. I fervently stayed in prayer, even without speaking just knowing that was what was needed. The waters rose and flooded the area. Some were washed away, carried by the waves. I can still see them. I pray God will lift them back and bring them to us.

The sun is out. The Son is among us. New life is beginning around me, my allergies tell me so. Financially I have been restored. Emotionally I feel brand new. Physically I am strong. I am ready.

And I continue to pray. And I continue to seek God in his Word. Some are already slowly coming back. I continue to pray for those I lost in the storm. I love them. I hurt for them. I cry for them. I still despair over them.

And yet it is a new season. It is time for new growth. The ground has been watered. The area is fertile. The Son is out among us. The vibrant colors are starting to peek. There is already a lushness in the valley, a carpet of new life has been born. The miracle of new life is about to begin.

Don't Let the Grass Grow Under Your Feet

"Satan's angel did his best to get me down. What he in fact did was push me to my knees." 2 Corinthians 12:8 Message


Is that my response when I begin to feel overwhelemed? When life is pushing so hard I feel like I am going to snap in the face of it all. I feel sometimes that the life of a devoted Christian is kinda like rolling a huge stone wheel up a gently sloping hill. If I break then the wheel rolls back down to the bottom of the hill. And I have come so far. I make an effort, I double down, buck up and keep going. Sure, sometimes I have to rest with my back to the wheel to keep it in place so I can get up and move it more.

When I get down, do I get down on my knees in prayer? Do I take a position of humility before the Lord? Do I allow him to be my strength when I no longer have the ability to walk or even look up? And in my weakness, his strength pushes me further and takes me farther than I could have ever dreamed I would go. He fulfills me.

Taste Test

"Taste me and see that I am good."

I was getting ready this morning and thinking of people like Greg who are agnostic who don't believe in God or any spiritual doctrines. I wish I could explain to Greg how much God graces me and favors me and what a difference that makes in my life but it is quite unexplainable to anyone except the person it is happening to.

And I thought, if Greg could ever get to the place where he could have any understanding of God and submit one area of his life to God, he would know what I am talking about.

God lets us have a taste test before we buy the whole box. I think most people when they first have understanding about God put a toe in the water and slowly start to get in, letting the God-lake rise to their knees, wading a bit further in to their chest until they are fully immersed. Then it is all fun and splashes, swimming around the God-lake thoroughly enjoying themselves.

*Greg, I hope you don't mind me using you as an example. This really did come about because of you.

Is the Church Embarrassing?

I am never embarrassed about God. I will tell anyone who will listen everything I can about God. I do not like to tell people I go to church.

I just realized today that I am embarrassed about church. I feel that people would judge me about being a church-goer but I am not so worried about being a Jesus freak. I believe that a widely held notion people have is that everyone who goes to church is a hypocrite, a false image, or just stupid. Can't we get God just fine without going into a church? Even within the Christian community there are conversations about what is wrong with today's church.

Yet it dawned on me that the church is like a person. Christ established the church and gave the church power. And even though the church is flawed, he works with what he's got to make something wonderful.

The church is not dead. The church isn't going to dry up and be blown away like dust in the wind. It is sometimes flawed, has issues, can't agree even with itself, might have a bad attitude but all in all, just like individual people, if a church is striving for the things of God, God will use that church, live in that body and make a statement to his world through his church.

I am never going to be embarrassed about going to church again. It is God's chosen vessel for this time.

The Word is Breathing

The Bible makes so much sense to me. I can look at the teens and make observations of life in general, like an insatiable appetite to feel fulfilled and then I start reading my Bible and WHAM-O there it is in black and white written down almost two millenium ago.

James 4:4-10 MSG

"You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that God goes against the willful proud. God gives grace to the willing humble."

"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet."

When we dabble in trying God and mixing him with other philosophies, ideals and beliefs, we end up enemies of him. Not good! And yet people say they are so entangled in sin they can't get out. All it takes is a shout of NO and humbling oneself before God, ready for change. Simple!

Christian Public Service Announcement

Reminder:

We do not war against the flesh but against things unseen. Our weapons are the Sword of the Spirit (the Bible) and prayer.

So, let's be sure to devote an equal amount of time pointing our fingers at the media, rock stars, pop culture and society in general as we do picking up the tools that will actually conquer these influences in the lives of our loved ones.

Artificial Sweetener

Diet soda usually tastes funny the first time someone tries it. It has to grow on us. Most diet sweeteners are only substitutes for the real thing- sugar. There are many varieties of these sweeteners and all sorts of things we can put them in and mix them with.

And there are artificial sweeteners in life that our teens are poisoning themselves with. It is the world's view of life's sweetness: Premarital sex, drugs, alcohol, pornography, foul language, treating each other with great disrespect, rebellion, violence, an unrealistic goal of beauty.

The world's definition of what makes life sweet and desirable is false. It is an imiation of the true sweetness.

But teens usually are making big decisions on their own and their life view is a mixture of what they learn in church, from peers, from the media and at school. And when life gets dull, when decisions get hard, when waves start to crash around them and their prayers seem to fall on deaf ears they look to the artificial sweeteners.

The problem with artificial sweeteners is once you get used to the taste, they seem sweet enough but don't really satisfy the sweet tooth. The longing of a person's Spirit is still left unsatisfied but without being able to identify that the need is much deeper than a quick fix, they continue to poison themselves with more and more artificial sweetener. It's like trying to scratch that spot on your back you can't quite reach, so you keep scratching the spot closest to it but the itch persists. The desire for true sweetness of life will persist.

And like an abused dog, these people have been bloodied and beaten. They lay on the side of life's highway and when offered a hand, they simply asked to be kicked some more. They wish to have no life left, for all of it to be drained for the sake of trying to scratch an itch that just won't go away.

Love Letters

My life is a love letter back to the Lord. How do I love you, Lord? Let me count the ways. From my rising in prayer to laying down in prayer tonight, let me express my love for you through what I do:

Let my mouth be kind in the words that pour forth. Let me be discerning about what I allow my ears to listen to. Let me have wisdom and self-control in what I will see with my eyes. Let my feet take me to places where you will be glorified. Let my hands do things that are only holy and pleasing to you. May my thoughts be held captive when they rise up to rebel against the things of the Lord. May Jesus be the cry and the beat of my heart.

I pray that I would say kind things about people. I hope that my day would be filled with the glory and love of Jesus. May my mind be expanded to understand the ways of God. I pray for wisdom and discernment in my decisions. May I be an example of Christ to a dying world.