God doesn't call in sick on our off days.

I don't know why but I'm remembering a bunch of old songs this week that I sang as a boy. Today I was reminded of the Paul and Silas song my Mom used to sing, "Paul and Silas were in jail, they sang hymns and prayed, then an angel loosed their bonds, the jailer was afraid..."

I always thought that song meant that when I was in trouble I should sing and pray. But my experiences have taught me that sometimes (though it shouldn't be this way) those are the last things you want to do. I think that was the case for Peter in Acts 12:6-11. Peter is in the same situation, jail. But his attitude is a little different from Paul and Silas. Peter is asleep (not singing or praying). He is chained between two guards, that is, chained TO two guards. There are also soldiers at two different posts moving away from his cell. And there is a large, locked gate that separates the city outside from the Jail inside. He is stuck. So he sleeps.

That is, until an angel, "struck him in the side." Did you ever hear of another angel acting this way? I'm thinking he was in the angel etiquette program... and failed. He's like the Rambo of Angels. Or Rocky angel, "Yo, Pete... get up!" I have to assume, since it happened every other time, that the angel tried to wake Pete, er, Peter up like all other angels. "Peter, do not be afraid." That apparently didn't work. So, Rambo Angel got progressively louder and more agitated.

But once Peter is up, the chains fall off. The doors open. Even the large gate, the final barrier, swings open by itself (surely an incredible feat and not likely to happen on accident). Peter doesn't know what's going on. Thinks he's having a dream until the angel disappears as they are walking down the streets of the city. That's usually what happens when you're convinced your situation is too impossible to get out of. You simply cease to see the way out. He believed he was going to die like (the first Apostle to be killed) his friend and fellow Apostle, James. He's in the same jail James was probably housed and killed in! He's chained between two guards! There's guards posted at the doors! There's a huge gate! Its impossible!

Let me get to the point. Peter saw Jesus raise Lazarus. He pulled a coin from the mouth of a random fish. He was the first to preach Jesus and he saw Jesus' resurrected body. But in this case he couldn't see a way out. He couldn't transfer what he had seen, to his current situation. But others were praying. And God moved.

Sometimes when you're in the pit you just can't bring yourself to pray or sing, it's hopeless. But that doesn't mean that God can't work. Others were praying and God rescued him in spite of his current situation and spiritual funk.

He can rescue you too. No matter how hopeless it seems. Let someone know you're hurting. Tell them about your chains. Even if you think you can't move and there is no way out. He can set you free. Even if He has to send Rambo Angel! And when He does, do exactly what Peter does. Run and tell someone what God has done in your life. Celebrate His provision!

It only takes a spark... destruction complete.

When I was a child in VBS and Sunday School I remember singing this song.

It only takes a spark,
to get a fire going.
And soon all those around,
can warm up to it's glowing.

I recall that being a very sweet song. Everybody sitting in a circle holding hands. I think it closely preceded by Kumbaya.

But today I'm thinking about how "sparks" have ignited some of the countries largest forest fires. How one spark has torched a home. How an innocent flame can quickly destroy lives. The spark is innocent. The consequences can be devastating.

I only got to verse one of Acts eight today in my Bible reading before I had to write. Luke, an incredible writer, does such a great job of moving through the story of the early church. In chapter seven we are introduced to a man names Stephen who is chosen to be a leader in the local church. But by the end of the chapter Stephen has preached an incredible message of hope in Jesus Christ to the Jewish leaders and was has been killed for it. Chapter eight verse one says, "Saul was one of the witnesses and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen" (NLT).

If you read the next few verses you would find out that a great persecution of the church broke out and that Saul was the ring-leader for it all. But I don't want to get that far. You see, in verse one I see a spark. A tiny flame. An insignificant act that would lead to one of the most horrific genocides in history.

You see, we take for granted the little things. A thought we dwell on a little too long. An action with seemingly no consequence. One. Simple. Word. Spoken without thought. A twist of the heart that drastically and quickly sends the path of our lives in a direction we never expected, could not have foreseen and still can't believe.

Perhaps this is why the Bible warns, "guard your heart..."

Every act. Every word. Every thought, has the potential to send our lives off course.

Guard your heart (Pro 4:23).
Do not be quick with your mouth (Ecc 5:2).
Capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5).

May the only "sparks" in my life be used to spur others on to good deed in Christ Jesus.

Standing on the promise.

I am not a patient man. I don't like to wait for things. In fact, I hate it. For years I have told God, "just tell me what you want me to do... and let me get to it." I don't like to sit. I don't wait well. I have always been a what's next guy. Get this done, so I can move on. That's probably why I'd much rather take a snap-shot than paint a picture.

This creates some problems. I rarely enjoy what I'm doing now. I only see it as a stepping stone for the "next thing" so I don't spend too much time in the moment. Relationships, children, church... same story. Hurry up and get through this, to get to the next thing. I couldn't wait to be married. Then I couldn't wait to have kids. Find a job, settle in and get to work on whats next.

But I'm now in my 39's (39 years, 3 months and 2 days to be exact!) and our oldest child is going to graduate this coming May. And now I'm not so sure I want to move on to the next thing. I'm trying to pull back on the reigns. I'm looking down the road at the changes coming and I'm pretty sure I've missed some things.

It must have been hard for Abraham. God called him to leave his hometown and head to a land of promise. So, Moses packed up and headed out, my kind of guy! A few pit stops and a re-issue of the call and finally he landed at the very spot God promised to give him and his descendants. But did Abraham get right to work? NO! God didn't give Abraham even "one square foot" according to Stephen in Acts 7:4-7! Abraham was standing on the very spot God was going to give his children but Abraham didn't get any of it. Instead, he got a promise. A promise that after some wandering and slavery and punishment and a bunch of years, Abraham's descendants would indeed be given the land and would make it there own.

I don't know if I could do it. Be exactly where God wanted me to be and not do anything about it. It's difficult for me to imagine. Abraham must have been a man of great faith and patience and trust - I guess I struggle with all of those. I want to get to work! I want to get moving! I want to do just about anything but sit and wait. But that is what is needed sometimes. God had to bring a whole nation up, raise them as His children, so they will trust Him and only Him. That couldn't be done if God just gave it to Abraham. So He leads, provides, guides, teaching them to trust.

Sometimes our feet need to be still.
Sometimes all we can do is look to the future and trust that God knows what He's doing.

That's hard for me, but I'm giving it a shot. I know that my life is an unfinished painting of what He has planned. If I sit still long enough, I'll see that picture come to life and be so glad I got to be His subject matter.

He's got a beautiful picture He's painting for you too. Be still and watch it take shape and be amazed at what He sees in you!

Obediance

Acts 5:29. Often quoted by those who break the law. Wrongly.

Peter and John have been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel (and blaming the religious leaders for killing Jesus). They are, once again, hauled before the whole Jewish council to account for their actions and are told to, "never again teach in this man's name." To which they reply, "we must obey God rather than any human authority..." And there you have it. Every christian person who has been arrested for breaking the law uses this passage as their "get out of jail free" card. But they're wrong.

I wonder how many people have been arrested for doing what the Apostles were doing? Preaching the Gospel in a public place is not against the law. Unless you break the law in another way. Inciting a riot. Impeding traffic. Being too close to a school or something. See, Peter and John were not breaking ANY laws, and yet were thrown in jail and told not to preach (lawfully) to the people, when they made their defiant statement.

I know ministers who have rejoiced over the fact they got arrested protesting an abortion clinic and broke the law by getting too close to the clinic. That is not what Peter and John were talking about. Or, many Christians simply break the law for their own benefit and then claim that they only answer to God... and they will.

The Bible clearly states in several places that as Christians we are to obey the laws of the land we are in and every authority that has been placed over us. We can not use the Bible for our own personal benefit. We can not break the law and then claim that God told us to do it, or fool ourselves into thinking He is proud of it.

If you are lawfully presenting the Gospel Message of hope and life in Jesus Christ and are arrested (having broken NO laws) then you can claim, "I must obey God rather than men." But God does not condone breaking the law. He does not condone killing to stop killing. He wants us to live, "such peaceful and quite lives among the lost that they see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven."

It's about time we got so on fire that our preaching was once again so powerful to transform lives that the only way to get us to stop would be to put us in jail. Then, having obeyed every law and being punished wrongly for the cause of Christ, we could rejoice that we had been counted worthy to suffer.

We often stop too soon.

I don't enjoy confrontation. Often my prayers go like, "God, did you hear what so-and-so said? That was crazy! Please convict them and shut them up so that I don't have to hear what Satan has to say through them."

My goal in prayer is to get my opposition to be quiet or that God would remove them so they won't "get in His way" anymore. I'm really small minded.

In Acts 4 Peter and John just spent the night in jail for healing a dude who'd been crippled and begging for 40 years. They were sternly warned the next day not to speak in the Name of Jesus anymore and set free. They go back to the house where the church met and told them what happened and then they prayed.

To my surprise they prayed just like me! Really! They prayed, "Lord, consider their threats..." Cool! They want God to get involved with those who would seek to shut them up or oppose them. They are asking God to consider the threats against them as threats against Him. Just like me! But then they go on...

"...and enable your servants to speak boldly." Crap. See, I often stop too soon in my prayers. I want God to get involved but I don't ask Him for boldness to continue speaking, or help to overcome my own fear so that Satan doesn't get the victory. You see, Satan doesn't need to kill us or destroy us or treat us like Job from the Bible. He just has to scare us enough to shut up. Then he's won.

So, how is Satan coming against you? Is it financial? The threat of loosing a car, your home, your job? My prayer today was, "God, consider Satan's threats against You and help me to continue to preach your word and share the Gospel no matter what. No car. No house. No income. No problem. As long as I continue to do what You've called me to do. Help me speak Your Word with great boldness."

Acts 2 - God's part/our part

It is really easy to get caught up in the story of Acts 2, storm sounds, lightning, fire, it's ever kids dream - a pyrotechnic miracle! But I'm praying that God will help me see Him and hear Him through His Word so I'm looking deeper than just the cool story of birthday of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men.

I see several things going on in this story that the church today could benefit from. First it seems that God caused a stir - that was His doing. There was a violent and loud sound that brought everyone running to where they heard the sound coming from. It was a different sound than they had heard before in Jerusalem so they all wanted to know what was going on.

Once they arrived to where the sound had originated they heard the Apostles speaking in their own language and telling of the Good News of Jesus resurrection so that those who came because of the sound, might hear the Word and believe and then respond appropriately by being immersed - putting to death the old self, the physical self (like Jesus did on the cross) and being buried signifying their death (as did Jesus in the tomb) and being reborn through the water into a new creation (as Jesus was upon His resurrection).

The people were so excited when they heard the message because it was clearly understood, the "wonderful things You [God] have done."

So I'm praying for several things today:
1. That God draws a crowd. That He does something among us that our community has never seen before so that they want to come and discover for themselves what is going on.
2. Once they are here I pray that we speak to them in their language - not super spiritual language that they don't understand, but like the opposite of "lost in translation" I pray that through God's Spirit each person "hears" exactly what they need to hear, supernaturally, so that they can make a decision for Jesus.
3. That we proclaim the message of Jesus Christ so that it is "clearly understood." We don't want to get the message mixed up and jumbled together, but to keep it clear so that those who hear would hear of, "the wonderful things You have done."

God draw a crowd. Speak to each one exactly what they need to hear. And help us to keep the message clear so that they hear about what You have done. You must increase, we must decrease.

3 thoughts from John 21/Acts 1

Just a few observations about what is going on in this chapter that you might find interesting.

1. in vs 3 - Jesus has revealed Himself in resurrection glory to the disciples a number of times already but the disciples, while believing He had been raised from the dead, didn't move. They didn't do anything but sit around together in the upper room. They had seen the Lord, but not been moved to action yet. Then all the sudden Peter says, "I'm going fishing." And many of think that is a good idea so they get up and go with him.
-- observation -- when things get boring spiritually, you're not growing or going anywhere for Jesus it is easier to fall back into the same pattern of behavior you were in before you accepted the gospel message. Peter knew fishing so when things cooled down and they were just in coast mode he went back to what he knew. We often go back to the familiar, the things that once defined us when there is a pause in our spiritual growth. Jesus had to make the same call to Peter and the others that He did the first time he called them to be "fishers of men." This time though He said, "feed my sheep." Keep moving for God or you might slip back into your old habits and behaviors.

2. In vs 21 Jesus is talking to Peter and they are having a good conversation when Peter turns and looks at John and says to Jesus, "what about him?"
-- observation -- do you ever get the feeling we are so concerned about what everyone else is doing or where they're going or what our position is relative to theirs that we miss our own target? My prayer for this passage was, "God help me to focus on what You have called ME to do - not on what you've called someone else to." I see other ministers with big salaries and churches it get easy to say to God, "what about him?" But I need to let God take care of His business and I need to focus on mine.

3. Jesus finally makes His last accession to heaven and Peter and the others are standing there looking up into the sky when a couple of angles appear (unknown to the group who were busy) and say, "why are you staring up into heaven?"
-- observation -- I'm not sure why the group was just standing there but Jesus had left them with instructions, there was work to do! I wonder if sometimes we spend too much time staring up into heaven waiting on God's next move, His next big thing, another miracle or answer to prayer... but while were staring God is stewing. Get to work! There's stuff to do! This same Jesus whom you've seen go up into heaven will come back as you saw Him go, until then, get busy!

Couple thoughts on Goliath

1. Reading 1 Samuel 17 preparing for tomorrow's message. Goliath was a giant of a man. He was between 9'10" and 10'6" depending on who you read and the length of a cubit. The tip of his spear weighed 15lbs - imagine how big the shaft would have to be to hold that thing and carry it through the air, let alone how far Goliath could throw it! I'll bet that thing would fly! His shield was even 125lbs! Not even the men of Sparta with their rock-hard abs could carry shields that big! Goliath must have been impressive as he stood out in the valley alone and taunted the Israelites.

Wait, he wasn't alone. The end of verse 7 mentions something I never paid attention to before. It says, "His armor bearer went ahead of him." This was a common practice I'm sure, though maybe not the going before. I thought the armor bearer stayed to the side or behind. Usually the armor bearer was for kings, though I guess Goliath deserved one as the great warrior for the Philistines.

But what this means is that Goliath was not alone as he stood in the valley. Goliath was impressive but imagine how strong his armor bearer would have had to be to carry all that stuff! You've got this 10' guy standing there taunting and then this regular sized guy who surely had muscles for his muscles! My guess is the armor bearer for Goliath could have bested most of the fighting men in any army. Today, he stood before Goliath.

If the guy who carries the shield for Goliath is huge and muscular and built in his own right, what chance do the Israelites have against the man Goliath himself?

Sometimes I think we get so afraid of the wind we never face the storm. Satan wants to intimidate us into never picking up a stone to fight. The only way for Satan to win is to convince us the fight isn't worth the risk. But (I don't want to give it all away!) opposition is one dimensional. That's all I'll say for now.

2. Here's the other thing. We get so caught up in the story of David fighting Goliath that we don't think about what would have happened if he would have lost and how strongly the fighting men of Israel must have tried to get David to stay with them. It seems strange that Saul would send this boy out knowing the outcome if he lost!

Goliath's challenge was that the loser becomes the slaves of the winner. Had David lost the whole Nation of Israel would have become the slaves of the Philistines! Wow! The men of Israel must have tried desperately to get David, this young, inexperienced, boy not to go and fight.

You see, as long as the Israelites stayed on their line... as long as they never sent anyone out to meet Goliath they didn't have to fear becoming his slaves. They thought (wrongly) that by not moving they kept him at bay. But Satan doesn't always have to beat us or even fight us, he just has to get us to stop moving forward! If we aren't advancing, we don't have the chance to win... we let hundreds, thousands, millions or the next one, die in their sin.

Satan's goal? Make the fight "look" to difficult so he doesn't have to fight at all or simply keep the armies of God from moving forward. From advancing. From gaining ground. Satan has already lost the battle, he's only got tricks left. How many have you fallen for? I've lost count. But not any more.

A Quickie on Faith and Belief

John 16:30,31
Jesus has been unloading a bunch of spiritual Truth on the disciples becasue He is getting ready to face His death. This is natural in fact, in verse 4 Jesus tells them He didn't say anything earlier becasue there was time... now the time is up and He's got to get them prepared.

After unlaoding all this stuff the disciples finally say, "...from this we believe that you came from God." But Jesus knows better and responds, "...do you finally believe? But the time is coming when you will be scattered and each of you will leave me alone."

Here's some quick thoughts on belief and faith - don't hang me by them, just quick thoughts.

You can believe in God all day but what do you do when when its dark and scary?
Faith takes over when what your belief in something runs out.

Belief is mental - faith has feet.

It's easy to believe when there is no pressure. Pressure reveals the faith belief talks about.

Faith happens where your belief and the unknown make contact.

If you believe in God but never have to test it through trial there is no faith. Belief comes natural, faith is developed in the fire.

That should get you thinking!

Prayer - it doesn't matter... (read carefully)

Spent some time in the hospital with a friend over the last few days. He's a biker. Yep. And been in to everything you are probably thinking a biker might get into. But he's also a believer in Jesus. Tattoos, prison time and all. I prayed with him before I left each day. This morning he's having open heart surgery and I stopped in to see the family. I knew they were there because there were a couple of bikes with ape-hangers in the parking lot. His daughter told me that before the ambulance got to the house to pick him up last week she asked him if he would like her to pray. His response, "I've been waiting for that."

So I was thinking about prayer on the ride back to the church. In some religions of the world you have to approach god in a certain way. If you don't, he won't hear your prayer. You have to spin something. Ring a bell. Wear a certain hat. Rub some beads. Assume a specific posture. Or face a certain direction. If you do everything right, god might hear you. Of course, you'd better make sure that your heart is pure and that your deeds are goods and your motives just.

John tells us that the God of the universe, "loves us so much..." That loves compels Him. Instead of insisting that we approach Him in a proper manner, He says, "draw near to me and I will draw near to you... I will never leave you" and "ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened." What does that mean to you and me and everyone else? It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, what direction you are facing, what you're wearing or what you were doing the second before you said, "Dear God." He hears your prayer. Whether you've never done anything wrong or you've never done anything right, He's listening.

So, remember this truth about prayer.
Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. For any reason. In any circumstance or setting.
God is listening and wants to answer... He loves you.

Where's the bait?

Do you remember that little old lady in those commercials who would come in and say, "Where's the Beef?" Who knew how that little statement, intended to sell hamburgers, would catch on?! Of course the point was to show that the "beef" was at Wendy's and also to show you where it wasn't, those "other" hamburger joints. So, the bait was more beef and it was intended to get you to come to their restaurant.

Bait has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Commercials, info-mercials, political ads, they are all the same. I remember watching the old black and white movie, The Swiss Family Robinson. Do you remember that? The family that got shipwrecked on an island and built these elaborate tree houses to live in and had all these exotic animals for pets? Every kid's dream! In that show they caught a tiger. They dug a hole in the ground and covered it with branches, etc., then they hung some bait from a tree right over the center of the hole. The tiger was so interested in the bait that he didn't pay attention to the hole, until he was in it.

I think that Satan has mastered bait. He is so good at making the bait too tempting to pass up. Satan designs his bait to do two things.
1. It's designed to catch and keep our focus. He knows if we so busy looking at the bait, we won't see the hole.
2. It's designed to be so desirable that its determined to be worth the risk. You hear a lot of, "yea, butt..." kind of statements.

I think you see this in the life of Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus. When that father/daughter duo started out a few years ago they were very focused on remaining a Christan witness and not letting the "lime light" of fame and fortune distract them. Billy Ray made several statements about how he was going to keep his daughter grounded. But you probably know what happened if you've seen Miley lately.

I know so many Christians who have started out in their faith walk well, only to fall in the trap. Usually it is money. Satan baits his hook with dollar signs, a better job, a bigger salary, more power or popularity. They are so focused on the bait that they simply can't see the downside, longer hours means less time for bible study or personal growth. Pretty soon Sunday is the only day they "don't have to get up early" so church attendance starts to slip. And having money is a big deal today so I hear things like, "yea butt, if I make more money I'll be able to give more to God." News flash for you, God isn't depending on you alone to meet the needs of His church.

So what do we do? We continue to point out the scheme. We look at the surroundings and not just at the bait. We explore possibilities AND potential problems. We desire to be used of and know God so much that the bait can't compare.

And maybe we in the church take a lesson and put a little more thought into how we attract the lost. Since were calling them to experience not loss or pain or death, like Satan, but Real Life!

What's the test for successful ministry?

I was talking with some preacher friends of mine last weekend about a conference we had gone to recently. We hear a lot that it's not the size of your church but your faithfulness that matters. But the only guys teaching anything are the guys with 1000's of people in their churches. Seems a little inconsistent.

In this day and age it seems to be a lot about the size of your church. If you pastor a big church you must be a good leader, teacher, scholar, etc. But if you pastor a smaller church, well, nobody wants to go to a conference and learn how to be a small church pastor. In fact, television preachers would have you believe that if you are faithful then you are successful too. If you are faithful to God and let Him direct your path then you will have the job, car, home, family you want.

But is that really true? It is pretty clear that just because someone does what God wants them to in the Bible it almost NEVER means that they are successful.

Take John the Baptist. What do we know about him? Well, he was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth - only other person we could say that about is Jesus Himself. We know that he did exactly what God wanted him to do. We know that he never performed a miracle of any kind. We know that he lived alone in the wilderness. We know he wore camel hair clothes (imagine the stink and itchiness of that!) and that he ate locusts and wild honey.

Sound like a successful ministry to you? Oh yea, and he never "saved" anyone because salvation wasn't possible until the death and Resurrection of Jesus - which didn't happen for a few years after John's beheading! Another great sign of a successful ministry! You lose your head!

So, John the Baptist is NOT the poster child for getting into the ministry. But was he successful even though he didn't have a home, didn't eat in good restaurants, didn't have many friends, never grew a church or healed a disease? Yes. He was successful because he did exactly what God created him to do.

Sometimes I wonder why the church I pastor isn't bigger. Why people aren't asking me to speak at conferences. Well, Jesus said in John 6, "the work of God is to believe in the one that He sent." So that's what I'm gonna work on. If I've got that right then none of that other stuff matters. What are you trying to accomplish for the Kingdom? Don't be discouraged, believe and do. That's what you've been called to. Get that right and everything else is just gravy.

Confirming Signs

I know God's will for my life. Know Jesus and make Him known. But sometimes the road can get long and difficult. Doesn't mean that God isn't there. Or that I'm on the wrong path. Just means that Satan is active. But sometimes, with the passing of time we can get frustrated and begin to wonder if we're doing the right thing, especially when we're facing pressure! So it's nice when God gives confirmation of His plan.

That's what He did for John the Baptist. I was reading today in John 1:19-34 and saw something very interesting. A confirmation. A really cool confirmation!

So John is preaching and baptizing around the Jordan river and he's getting hammered by these religious leaders who are asking him a bunch of questions and probably hacking him off a bit. So he says (I hadn't caught this before), "right here in this crowd is someone you do not recognize...I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie his sandals." That meant this mystery person was pretty important! But the next day John sees Jesus coming toward him and says, "behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! I did not recognize Him... but... I saw the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove... I didn't know He was the one...but when God sent me to baptize He told me, 'the one on whom you see the Holy Spirit descend is the one.'"

So, for 30 years Elizabeth (John's mom) had been telling him that his cousin Jesus was the Messiah. The day before when the leaders where questioning him John saw his cousin Jesus in the crowd but did not reveal him. The next day, as Jesus approached John, John saw the Holy Spirit - in the form of a dove - come down from heaven and rest on Jesus. Confirmation. His whole life and ministry had been lived up to this point with nothing from God. He did exactly what God wanted and yet lived in the desert. Was called a crazy man. Wore crudely fashioned clothes from camel's hair (itchy!) and he ate locust and wild honey (which means no one cooked for him, he was a loner). His whole adult life was lived as an outcast. Yet he was faithful. He was waiting. And though he knew his cousin, Jesus, was supposed to be the Messiah, and he knew that Jesus was in the crowd that day. He did not point Him out. He did not call Him to his defense. He waited for the confirmation. And He got it. Just like Moses. Just like Elijah. Just like Gideon. Just like Paul.

Don't assume that your circumstances are any indication of God's favor or punishment on your life or ministry. So often we confuse our present situation or circumstances or ministry success (or failure), with God's blessing or punishment. If God were pleased with my life and ministry He'd bless me is the thinking. Not correct. John "made clear the way for the Lord" for what could have been years with nothing in his life or ministry that would prove God's favor. He didn't perform miraculous signs or wonders. He wasn't financially blessed. He was comfortable. He probably didn't have friends (cause he stunk!). And he was opposed by the religious leaders and the general population. But he was faithful and received the confirmation that what he was doing had been the right thing.

Wrap up: Be on the lookout for God's confirmation. He will give them. It's your job to notice them when they happen.

a Wordle of this blog

Heard of this site (Wordle) through the Batterson Blog and thought I'd give it a try. These are the words you will find here on this blog. The key is that the bigger and bolder the word the more it is used... Can you figure out what I talk about most?

Accepting the Opportunity

As Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem (the Triumphal entry) He stops to weep over the city and her people. Once the greatest city in the world and home to the greatest temple to the world has ever known, Jesus sees the future destruction of the Temple and the City. His statement ends with this line, "you did not accept your opportunity for salvation."

What a sad byline for so many. They did not accept their opportunity for salvation.

There are several times when you have one of those, "once-in-a-lifetime" scenarios. Where you have to act or lose the opportunity. Perhaps it's a job. A spouse. A sweet deal on a car. A rare find in someones garage. Something that you'd give almost anything to get. A deal like that only comes around... you know.

There are a couple stories Jesus tells about a guy who found a very expensive/rare pearl and another guy who found a treasure buried in a field. The end of each of those once-in-a-lifetime stories is that each guy sold everything they had to gain the thing they wanted. Salvation is supposed to be like that. In truth, God should only have to offer salvation once. You either take it or leave it right then. But He doesn't do that.

Every day you take another breath of air and begin your day is a gift. One more opportunity to accept the invitation to believe. But at some point, you will take your last breath and then your opportunities for salvation will be over. The tricky part is, we don't know when that moment will be. You have to be ready, before that time comes.

I'll be doing a funeral service for a guy this week who probably had lots of opportunities to accept the invitation to believe throughout his life but it wasn't until 13 days before he died that he finally accepted that invitation. God in His great grace and mercy extended that invitation one more time, through a friend, knowing that it would be the last opportunity he would have.

No matter what your life has been like up to this point, God desperately wants you to accept His invitation to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. You don't have to understand it all, just believe that He was, is and will always be your savior. That's the start of a changed life.

The saddest thing in the world is that someone would say of one of your friends, "they did not accept the opportunity for salvation" before it was too late.

Are we hindering people from coming to Jesus?

Just wondering today how we as The Church (and as Real Life Church) are hindering people from getting to Jesus. In Luke 18:15-17 the Disciples intercept some parents who are bringing their children to see Jesus, to be touched and blessed by Him. But the disciples don't think Jesus can be bothered with this so they try to turn them away. And I suppose it almost worked! But Jesus stops them and calls the children to Himself.

I think there may be times when I, the church and The Church, act more like the disciples in this case and less like Jesus. We may not ever think of asking someone NOT to come to church. But surely there are times when we simply don't invite. Or maybe just aren't inviting. We may say the church is open to anyone but then arrange it so only a few would "feel" welcomed. What does the front of the church say to an unchurched person? Welcome? or Stay Out?

I often make jokes about churches who hang up banners that say Welcome on them. Isn't the church supposed to be welcoming, without having to hang up a sign that says it for us? I think that at times, in our desire to counteract our culture, we end up driving people away instead of calling them to come closer and investigate. Church is supposed to be attractional... that means that people should see us and the building or place we worship and say to themselves, "I'd like to check that out."

What are you doing, saying, acting, that (maybe unintentionally) reflects more the disciples attitude then Jesus'? How we present the Gospel is as important as the Message! I can tell someone about Jesus and hope and changed life, but if I tell them about it like I was talking about my house burning down around me... who's gonna care? Who's gonna want to come and see for themselves?

We need to make sure that our lives, buildings, language is less like the disciples in this case and more like Jesus - who said, "let the (spiritual) children come to me and do not hinder them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to them."

Did you catch that? The Kingdom of God belongs to the people we might just as soon turn away. God, help me to enable people to come to Jesus, not hinder them.

More faith is More Obedience.

Luke 17 is about faith. Have you ever thought about the faith of the mustard seed? It seems to me (this morning anyway) that the issue is not the size of your faith but the extent of your obedience. Jesus answers the request of the disciples that He, "increase" their faith with the mustard seed story and immediately begins talking about a servant and his master. The servant does what the master wants. The servant waits on the master, not the master the servant. The master is in control. If the master says, "do this" you had better do it. It's the master's responsibility to give the direction, it's the servants role to follow it.

Then in verses 11-19 Luke tells the story of the 10 lepers who came to Jesus for healing. Jesus told them to, "'go show yourselves to the priests' and as they went they were cleansed." As they went... or, as they obeyed. Then one, noticing that he had been healed returned to thank Jesus (the master). Jesus told him, "your faith has healed you."

It was in the obedience that the healing took place. Had the 10 not headed straight for the priest they would not have received the healing because they would not have been obedient!

So, my prayer today is this; Father, help me to obey. No matter what. Help me to recognize that You are the Master and I am Your servant. Help me to do everything You say. Then my faith will be proved by my obedience and it will not be in myself - for what servant can bring about anything apart from his master - but a tiny speck of faith reflected in obedience will result in great reward. And I will simply be doing what I have been told. Obeying orders.

Focus Blinds you to Everything Else.

There is a lot of conversation about focus out there today in the church world. I was talking with my friend Terry Deaver from FBC August this morning and we talked about focus. This church focuses on this, that church focuses on that. What's the right focus? Where do we need to focus?

Then I came into the office and read in Luke 14 where Jesus is talking to the religious elite. Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath after asking this question, "is it permitted in the law to heal on the Sabbath?" They didn't answer Him so He healed a guy (He knew they didn't believe it was right for Him to heal on the Sabbath anyway). Then Jesus said, "which of you doesn't work on the Sabbath? If your son or a cow falls into a pit, don't you rush to get him out?"

Here's the thing about focus. When I wear my glasses I can see everything I turn my head to look at. But everything outside the lens is blurry. Focus determines what you're Blind to as much as it determines what you're focused on. Everything outside the scope of your focus exists, but you can't "see it" so it doesn't affect you, it doesn't get in. Which means, we have to be very careful about what we focus on!

Jesus was focused on people. Meeting needs. Compassion. Mercy. Grace. Forgiveness. Instruction. Relationship. The religious leaders where focused on themselves, so it was okay for them to work on the Sabbath, to save a son or cow (interesting pairing there I know!) because it affected them. But they were blind to the needs of others.

What are we, as a church, missing because of our focus? What are we blind to? What is going UNDONE because of what is getting done?

Post Script: I was gonna end there but just had this thought. When I wear my glasses I have to turn my head to change my focus. If I just move my eyes there is a point where things are blurry. When I wear my contacts no matter where my eyes go everything is in focus. We need to be spiritual contact wearers so that we can focus on whatever the need is, not just whatever we happen to be looking at. Pet projects, etc. Perhaps that is why it is good to have people in different areas of ministry. My friend Terry can focus on preaching and leading, while his worship guy focuses on worship, and the children's guy has his own focus. When they all come together they "see" most everything. Individually they may miss a lot. There needs to be a team approach to ministry. Anyone want to join the team?

In the Storm with Dad.

Here in Kansas we have these minor distractions to our day known as tornadoes. I've seen a few funnels form and driven through the aftermath of the storm. But I've never been in a tornado. We have, however, been sent to the storm cellar on more than one occasion. A couple times last season we were woken up in the middle of the night by the storm sirens. No time to think then or wonder if it's real or not, it's time to wake the kids up and hit the cellar. There have been a couple times when the younger kids would be really scared about what might happen and I've told them, "Daddy's not scared, so you don't need to be."

In Luke 8 Jesus' disciples are once again in a boat heading across the sea of Galilee. But this time they get caught in a storm. The waves are crashing over the boat, the wind is tossing the boat this way and that, up and down. The disciples have done everything they can to secure the boat... remember these were seasoned fishermen. Peter and Andrew, James and John, this was their business. No doubt they'd seen their share of storms on this sea. But tonight they are frightened. Tonight they decide this might be their last night.

And while they are all scared, Jesus is asleep in the stern (that's the back right?) on the seat the pilot would sit on. That's right. The seasoned fishermen are freaking out and Jesus is asleep. Sawing logs. The counting of sheep must have worked. He's out.

Have you ever been on a small boat in a storm? Have you ever tried to sleep on the water? It's not as easy as you think. Sea sickness doesn't go away just because you lay down and close your eyes (trust me on this!). And in a boat like they would have been on there was no where you could escape the water. So Jesus is asleep... in a storm... soaking wet.

Strange. Strange that Jesus can sleep through the storm and the bath. And strange that the disciples freak out. I have a couple of thoughts here. I think Jesus could sleep because He knew no matter what was happening around Him He was going to be okay. His time hadn't come. So He could be at peace to sleep so soundly that the water didn't bother Him because He knew He was in God's capable hands. And I wonder if the disciples were so concerned that they might die because at this point they still thought that just because Jesus was with them nothing bad could ever happen. When the storm came it surprised them! This shouldn't be happening! We're with Jesus!

Listen, God's got you in His hand. Find some peace in that. Relax IN the storm because whether God sees you through it or not you are still His. He's in control. And don't fool yourself into thinking no storm can come against you since you are with Jesus. It's not about avoiding the storms of this life, it's about growing through them. Coming to the point you realize, live or die, God's got this.

Once Jesus woke up, at the insistence of the disciples who were now certain of their death, He simply spoke and everything calmed down. The disciples were amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed Him, but hey, He's God in the flesh! When you're walking with Jesus, or boating with Him, you're gonna be okay - even in the midst of the storm. Look at Dad, if Dad ain't scared, you don't need to be either.

Jesus changes the rules...

The Jewish people were (and still are) governed by rules, don't touch, don't taste, don't look. And everything made you unclean. If you were unclean you couldn't enter the city, the Temple to worship or have contact with others who were clean or you would pass on your uncleanness to them. If you touched something unclean, you BECAME unclean and if you touched anyone else they caught the unclean bug too! So Jewish people were very careful about what they touched, where they walked, what they saw.

That was the order of things, it was like nature. This is the way things work. Storms come and go, the living die, disease, famine, poverty, disabilities, these things were all just a part of the natural order of things. That is, until Jesus came. Jesus worked contrary to nature. He changed the rules. Jesus calmed the storm. Healed the sick. Fed the hungry. Cured disease. Pulled coins from the mouth of fish and restored the disabled. It is clear that the "law" of nature obeyed Jesus, not the other way around, as with you and I.

So when Jesus is heading into town one day and meets a widowed mother who is leading the funeral procession of her only son to the tombs He has compassion. Instead of the customary, "don't worry because it won't you do you any good any how" He defied the law and customs and the fear of being unclean and walked right up to the open stretcher the body of the dead man laid on and touched it. Then He said, "get up." And the dead man did just that.

Jesus isn't afraid of being unclean because He makes all things new. Death isn't scary to Him, death is scared OF Him. Instead of becoming unclean Himself, Jesus made the unclean clean - He was like the spiritual Mr. Clean! There was no mess, no disaster, nothing that scared Jesus. So He walked right up to that death stretcher that represented the victory death had over the boy and He released him. Then Jesus called to the young man to operate in his new reality - life. "Get up!" You are no longer held by the things that kept you down! You are free to experience life like you never have before!

See, sin, uncertainly, fear, jealously, unforgiveness, anger, materialism, these things wrap around us like spiritual chains that hold us down and keep us from experiencing life. But Jesus has the power to release you from those chains and speak directly into your life and He says, GET UP! Live! Go back to your family and experience what Real Life is like!

What is keeping you down? Spiritually dead? It doesn't frighten Jesus. He's in the business of cleaning up messes! You can never be too dead for Jesus to work something incredible in your life. Just listen for His voice. Is He calling you? Respond to Him, he's already released you from the chains that hold you down and back through His death on the cross - get up and begin to operate in your new life!

Did Jesus Make the Wrong Choices?

Have you ever noticed that when things are going well in some one's life we assume that God must be happy with them? If someone has a good job, nice home, lots of stuff, we think that they must be "living right" and that they just make God happy. Lots of religious television personalities will have you believe this. I actually heard a "wise" guy on TV encourage people to put their "seed" on a credit card if they couldn't afford to send cash to his ministry so that they wouldn't miss out on God's blessing in their lives - God save him, but shut his mouth right now.

We assume that if someone is successful they have God's favor and those who are not must be doing something wrong. If you would just do what God wants you to... Follow Him. Honor Him. Worship Him, then you can have the life you've always dreamed of because God is always looking for people to bless! When we seek God and do what He wants then life will be good.

Except if you believe that, you have to say that Jesus was not following God, that He somehow made the wrong decision. In Luke 6 Jesus picks out the 12 Apostles from among His disciples (followers). The text says that He, "prayed to God all night" and when He was done he chose the 12 guys - after getting God's approval. their names were, Peter & Andrew, James & John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (the lesser), Simon (the zealot), Judas the son of James and Judas Iscariot. All 12 hand picked by Jesus after praying ALL night to His Father, God about who should be chosen.

Take a quick look at Jesus choosing ability. Peter denied Jesus publicly at His greatest hour of need. James and John tried to manipulate Him and use Him for their own glory and purpose. Thomas refused to believe Him and Judas betrayed Him. Oh, and they all abandoned Him.

So, if you believe that God blesses those who seek Him so that their lives get better, what are you gonna do with Jesus? Peter? Paul?

If you study the men and women of the Bible who were close to God and followed Jesus wholeheartedly you will find pain, poverty, betrayal, one catastrophe after another (take a look at Paul's life). And yet no one would ever argue that these people were not doing exactly what God wanted them to do.

Doing the will of God WILL NOT always make your life being better, nicer, easier, happier. Did Peter have Nike(TM) sandals? Did Paul wear a designer cloak? Did their lives get better as they followed Jesus or harder?

The fact is you can do exactly what God wants you to do and not have two cents to rub together. But let me ask you this... does it matter? If you're doing what God wants, does it matter that you are well paid or not? Would you keep doing what God wants if you never get a cent for it? Do you follow the Savior and purchaser of your soul because He's going to bless you for it? Or because He paid your price, He saved your life? Father, never let us confuse our standing in life with Your blessing.

Here's the point: Blessings in this life do not prove God is happy with you. God's favor with your life will be determined when you leave this stuff that moth and rust destroy and enter Real Life in eternity. Then we will see who is first on God's list and who is last.

BTW: Jesus did not make the wrong choice. He did exactly what God wanted Him to do and the result was painful. Just like Paul. Just like Peter. Just like so many others who did what God called them to, regardless of the outcome in this world. It's called spiritual maturity.

Satan ain't no dummy...

Just because Satan still doesn't fully understand that he's already lost (beat down by Jesus on the cross and dealt the final blow when Jesus said "BOO" and then rose from the dead) doesn't mean that he's dumb. He's fighting a loosing battle but he's gonna inflict as many casualties as he can before he's done.

In fact, Satan is a crafty son-of-a-gun! He's very smart when it comes to you and I, the human condition he understands very well. That is why he chose the last day of Jesus' 40 day fast as the time to tempt Him. Satan knew that Jesus, in His human condition, would be the most vulnerable. Think about it, when you are hungry, do you sleep well? Do you process information well? Jesus is hungry and probably tired and simply put, physically drained.

Yesterday I went to the Y for my workout and felt terrible! I do the 5k on the treadmill and just about didn't make it through. Why? Well, I figured I only took in maybe 750 calories yesterday before the workout (in which I burned over 550) and I just didn't have enough fuel. I made it the whole 3.5miles, but only barely. Maybe you have the same hunger symptom my wife does... she starts to shake when she hasn't eaten for awhile - blood sugar thing I suppose (yes she's been tested for diabetes and doesn't have it). When were hungry our bodies don't work right, our brains don't work right (haven't you seen the commercials?), nothing works right.

So, physically speaking it was the perfect time for Satan to try and tempt Jesus! But what Satan didn't realize is that Jesus wasn't just fasting to keep His figure, He was fasting to get close to God, His Father. So while it was a good time physically, it was the wrong time spiritually, and Jesus puts the smack down on Satan, 1...2...3.

But look what it says in verse 13 of Luke 4, "[Satan] left Him until the next opportunity came."

Satan may not fully understand the spiritual side of things but he is persistent. He failed that time but that didn't mean he would just give up. Never think that just because you've beaten Satan's temptations, once or twice or 50 or 100 times that you won't ever give in... he will keep after you, testing you to find your weakest time. Trying here and there to figure out just how you work, when you are most vulnerable so he can spring his trap.

So when you pass the temptation don't get too smug, he will most definitely try again.

I don't want to just go back...

It was late in the evening... and since it makes for a romantic story I'll go with it, since I am a romantic myself.

Some dirty, stinky shepherds are huddled around a fire swapping stories and boasting about their skills with a sling. When suddenly (that means without warning so I wont be redundant and say "and without warning") there is a dude floating in the sky who is gleaming with the radiance of God's glory! Wow! Have you ever been in the middle of nowhere at night? I mean, no cities around. No street lights. Dark. Imagine the strain on your eyes when you are met with the radiance of God's glory on a black Bethlehem hillside night! Their fire must have seemed like a Bic lighter on a hot Kansas day!

And then the angel speaks, tells them the wonderful news of the birth of the Messiah and is joined by, "the armies of heaven"! Thousands...millions of angels all singing praises to God! I can't imagine the glory and fear and awe that surely accompanied this great sight!

And once the angels leave the shepherds figure they will go and see if what they just heard about is really true. Sure enough, they find Jesus just like the angels had said. The shepherds then go and, "tell everyone" what they had seen and heard and what the angels said about Jesus, that He was the Messiah.

But look what happens next... they prove the angels announcement. They tell anyone who would get close enough to them to listen. They go back to work.

Huh. Interesting. Here's my thought. Would I go back to work the day after millions of angels announced the birth of the Messiah to me? Would that announcement and my discovery of the baby change my life? Or would I just go back to work.

The birth of Jesus changed history. The shepherds SAW the promised Messiah - they met him face to face. They got all excited and told some people and then, back to the old grind-stone.

When I have a "come to Jesus moment" I want my life to be different. But the tug of the familiar, the consistency of the grind. The comfort of the continual. The promise of a pay-check are hard things to just walk away from. So, many of us meet Jesus and then go back to work. Unchanged. Unmoved. Unaffected by the presence of the Savior.

God, help me to be changed. Help me to overcome the rut, the comfortable, the confined and live for You. Abandoned to Your Will. Appropriated to Your Spirit. Accustomed to Your Call. Changed.

Just wondering out loud... don't stone me.

Reading today in Mark 16 about the women's encounter with the angel in the empty tomb and I was struck by some (perhaps over-reaching) comparisons.

During Jesus life and ministry He spent a lot of His time teaching in the synagogues and the temple (when he was in Jerusalem). But He also spent a great deal of time teaching in the open air, on the hillside, across the pond (sea of Galilee) and walking along the road. Surely someone has done a study of the times when Jesus was teaching where so we can compare, you can comment and let me know where to find it.

Then Jesus spends some time on the cross during which He pays the price for all sin. Then His body spends some time in the tomb of Joseph until Sunday morning. But when the women come to anoint His body they meet instead an angel. This angel says, "He is not here!" He's risen just as He said He would (duh)! And when the women left they saw Him on the path, He walked on the road, He cooked on the shore, He appeared in the upper room behind a locked door.

Here's where I have the potential to get in trouble. How many people are going to the wrong place to find Jesus? I would venture that some are entering our churches every week expecting to find Jesus and instead all they get is some smelly remnants of where He used to be (the spice soaked linen that laid on the slab signifying where Jesus HAD been).

And when they are walking on the road, or chillin' at the lake or having a party in their house, where they don't expect to find Him... there He is!

The empty cross we honor because on that stick of wood our Savior was nailed and bled for our sin. But Jesus isn't there any longer. The empty tomb we honor because it proves what we already believed, death could not hold Him! But Jesus isn't there any longer.

Where is Jesus? Well, He certainly is in some churches, right where He's always been. But I think where He wants to be is on the road engaged in casual conversation that leads to the spiritual. He wants to be on the path in the garden where He is least expected. He wants to be the life of the party when you're relaxing with your friends. He wants to be on the shore, sharing a meal.

We often don't find Jesus where we expect and do find Him where we don't expect. But here's the kicker, Jesus is found whenever His people, who are called by His Name act like it. So, maybe we ought to stop acting like Him only on Sunday when were in "the tomb" (lovingly) and start acting like Him every day, in the world we live. So that He is found where ever we go by everyone we meet.

What's your "One Thing"?

Do you remember that movie City Slickers? (I know, I'm on a movie roll right now!) I loved that movie! My family watched it a lot. Do you recall that famous line from Curly about the meaning of life?

Curly: do you know what the secret of life is?
Curly: This [holds up index finger]
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing, just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean (expletive) nothin'.
Mitch: But what is the "One Thing"?
Curly: That's what you have to figure out.

What's the one thing?

There was a guy who came running up to Jesus, fell on his knees and asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life" (Mark 10:17-23)

Sounds good, right? Genuine and honorable question. He obviously wanted to know. Look at him! He comes running up, assumes a position of humility and asks a great question, The question!

Jesus response is that he should obey the commands of God (10 commands). To which this guy says he has, since he was a child. So, he's not only inquisitive and wants to make sure he's doing the right thing, he is already DOING the right things. He must just want to make sure he's got all his spiritual bases covered.

Jesus surely is impressed with this young man and his devotion to God's Word and his desire to do whatever it takes to spend eternity with his Heavenly Father. So Jesus, wanting to make sure the guy is really ready for heaven, tells him to do just one more thing... Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, then you will be welcomed into heaven.

What's the one thing for you? The most important thing in your life? Jesus has a way of cutting through all the phony actions and speech and getting right to the heart of the issue. What is it that you can't live without? What is it that you wouldn't trade for Jesus? For this guy it was his stuff. His possessions. That was his "one thing." And because "stuff" was his one thing, Jesus couldn't be. Mark says he, "went away sad" because he had great wealth.

The secret of life is Jesus. Just that one thing. A relationship with The One and only Savior of mankind. There may be nine other things in your life that are important to you but if The One thing you can't live without isn't Jesus you're gonna have problems. Figure that out for yourself and you'll be just fine.

Length x width x height = no big deal

I like The Matrix movies. There, I said it. I confess. I love the whole plugged into the matrix or not plugged in. But I really love the mental acrobatics the characters have to work through. Learning that when they're jumping off a building, they're not really jumping off a building. Hopping off the curb is no different from stepping off the empire state!

But most of us don't see the world that way do we... Try this; take a 2x4 and lay it on the ground and see if you can walk across it. Easy, wasn't it. Now put that same 2x4, let's say, 20 feet in the air and try it again. What's the matter? Chicken? Same board. What's changed? Your focus has changed. When the board was on the ground you were able to focus on balancing because you weren't worried about falling off. When you're 20 feet up your focus is NOT on the board, it's on the ground and what will happen when you hit it!

But those same mental acrobatics are not something God struggles with. In Mark 9 Jesus steps into a situation where people are focused on the wrong thing. A father is bringing Jesus his son (we don't know his age but could assume he is in his middle to late teens) who is possessed by a demon. The demon attempts to kill the boy by sending him into convulsions near fire or water so that the boy is always in danger of dying while he's having one of these seizures. The father tells Jesus that some of His disciples had already tried to cast the demon out but they couldn't do it... the boys father is loosing hope. Jesus, His disciples, were probably the mans final hope. But it wasn't looking good. He'd hit another dead end. The doctors, spiritualists, fakers, they all failed and it looked like Jesus would too.

But once Jesus gets to the scene he asks this question, "how long has he been like this?" to which the father replies, "since he was a small boy." Now the crowd is really concerned! the disciples couldn't cast out the demon AND it has possessed the boy since he was a child! It's looking hopeless!

Here's what we need to understand about God. He is not limited. The man could have been possessed for 5 min or 50 years - it wouldn't matter for Jesus! Our God functions outside our finite reality! The size of the problem, debt, hole you've dug doesn't scare God. When you own it all, control it all, created it all, little things like how long or high or much or deep don't bother you. For Jesus, it's just as easy to say, "your sins are forgiven" as it is to say, "take up your mat and walk."

So the next time you start thinking that your situation is too big. Your problem too complex. Your relationship too broken. The hole you've dug, too deep. Remember this. God is God. There is none like Him. His power, infinite. His resources, boundless. His Grace, always sufficient. His mercy, never ending. His strength, limitless. His love... Higher. Deeper. Longer. Wider. You can never - no matter what, get in too deep, be too far gone, be too lost for God. Your "rock bottom" is God's starting line. Your ocean, God's puddle. Your mountain, God's stepping stone.

Going hungry in a bread store...

Do you know any plumbers? Electricians? Chefs? I've heard it said that a plumbers pipes are always clogged. The thinking is that people in these professions work all day on other people's problems they don't want to deal with the same stuff at home. So, who does an electrician call when he needs a new light? Who does the cooking in the home of a chef?

In Mark 8 there is the story of how Jesus fed the 4,000 men (+ women and children). Now, it's important to remember that Jesus has already fed the 5,000 so this is a slightly smaller miracle. Just as in the first case Jesus asks the disciples about feeding the people and immediately the disciples start thinking in human terms. It would take a year's wages to feed this many people, they said of feeding the 5,000. This time they say they can't supply this need because they are too far away from any town. There's no where to get enough food. The first time it was about money, this time the money may have been there (Judas kept the money and he was a penny pincher!) but they claim they can't feed them because of geography, we're just too far from any town. The disciples have the baker with them but are going hungry.

Once again Jesus takes what they have (a few loaves of bread and a couple fish) and performs a miracle of multiplication so that everyone eats and they have leftovers.
Why didn't they simply say, "well, Jesus, you fed the 5,000 with just a few loaves, we'll find what we can and You pray and we'll feed the people - just like before." Instead they immediately look to human means to meet the need.

It seems to me that if you're friends with the Life Giver, Bread Maker, Water Walker, Storm Calmer and Disease Healer why look anywhere else!

So it's confession time for me... I'm terrible at this! I tend to look for human means to meet spiritual needs; church growth, leadership, finances, resources, instead of immediately going to the Church Grower, Servant Leader, Land Owner, People Maker!

The moral is this, Jesus is all we need. He's the answer to every problem, the supply for every need.

Computer Art and Faith

Do you remember those computer generated posters or books that had that "hidden" 3d image? They were huge when I was growing up in the 80's and I remember that my sister got a poster one time. I tried and tried but never could see the hidden image. I later got a book of these pictures and as I recall, I gave it away or threw it away. I was convinced that it was a conspiracy. No one really knew what picture was supposed to be there they just waited for someone else to say, "it's a ship" and everyone after them would agree and claim they saw it. I never did.

In Mark 5 there is the story of a demon possessed strong man that Jesus heals. No one could control him and every time they tried to capture him with shackles and chains he broke free. He wandered through graveyards yelling and beating people up and cutting himself. Oh yea, and he didn't like to wear clothes! Surely it was a crazy sight seeing someone get beat up by a screaming naked man, bloody from all the cuts.

But when he meets Jesus everything changes. When the town's people come out to find out what all the commotion is about they see the man dressed (for the first time), sitting at the feet of Jesus calmly having a conversation. The text says he was, "in his right mind." You'd think that Jesus would be hoisted up on their shoulders and carried around to cheers! He just saved this town, no more screaming crazy man in the tombs. The women could move about with freedom without covering their eyes. Parents could let their children play without worry. Men could be men and not get beat up anymore. I mean, this was GREAT news!

So why did the people do the exact opposite? Instead of welcoming Jesus, giving Him the key to the city and creating a holiday in His honor, they ask Him to leave! Crazy! It seems they were more concerned with the loss of income and food. You see, Jesus allowed the evil spirits that inhabited this man (and there were many) to take possession of the minds/actions of a herd of pigs, about 2,000 of them and they promptly ran off a cliff and drowned in the lake! So when the people heard the story the thing that stood out was not the crazy man who had been set free (and likewise the whole town) but the loss of the pigs. The income they generated! The food they provided! Who was going to reimburse the farmer? What were they gonna eat? Who was gonna pay!

Just like those 3d art images that I could never see, I only see what's on the surface, the numbers, the offerings, the relationship problems, the hurt feelings, the programs, etc. And I don't see what is most important. Jesus is changing lives. It may only be one life at a time, but isn't that worth it?

God, help me to see what's truly important - I don't want to be side tracked by what's on the surface, I want to see what You see.

Light's other quality...

What do you know about light? Some guy named Edison discovered it, harnessed it and produced it. It works by creating an enclosed area for a positive and neutral current to connect and burn, it closes the electrical loop. It is a contained shock. A fire waiting to happen. But light does something else. The lighthouse warned of impending danger. The bug zapper drew the pests to their demise so we could enjoy the outdoors, which we lit up, a little longer. Somebody with a bubbly personality we say, "lights up" a room. Light is pretty useful.

Do you leave a light on when you leave the house? When I was a child and would go away to church camp each year my Mom would deep clean my room. She often moved the furnishings, bed, dresser, nightstand. Cleaned the carpets, put on fresh clean bedding, dusted and straightened. Then she would turn on the light on my nightstand. It was a small bulb, low watts, soft light. I remember how excited I always was when I came home and that light was on.

Before "light" when the sun went down people went to bed. Which means they had to work hard while the sun was up and sleep hard when the sun went down. But since the invention of the light bulb people have been able to stay up. Light creates a place to gather. To share ideas. To enjoy company, read a book. Light enables me to see what would otherwise be unseen and I think it welcomes others to see as well. A light in the window is an inviting scene.

In Mark 4:21-24 Jesus says that no one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead they put it on a stand for all to see. Of course Jesus was talking about a candle light - but the reference works now too. The purpose of light is to see. Why turn on a light and then cover it up? Surely your mom had many talks with you (as mine did) about turning off a light when you leave a room. There's no point for the light to be on in an empty room.

In another place Jesus calls believers the "light of the world." Here's my question, shouldn't light gather? Illuminate? Create a place to gather? If we are to be the light of the world then we should be drawing others, like moth to flame (or bug zapper). Our light should be a place to gather, safe, warm, understanding.

Can you think of ways in which the church, you and I, can be a light that draws others? I'd love to hear your ideas!

I'm percolating a thought... dangerous

Why are we so willing to excuse the past while being unwilling to deviate from it?
The religious leaders complained that the disciples were "working" by rubbing heads of wheat in their hands and eating it while walking through a wheat field. Jesus reminds them that King David actually went into the "house of God" and took the consecrated bread from the alter and ate it! So, the religious leaders had excused the acts of David while still enforcing the law of not working on the sabbath. They excused one act of lawlessness while upholding another law.

So I'm pondering and percolating this strange thing. Are there areas where we have excused the behaviors of certain people in the past, while at the same time holding others as law breakers in the present?

Not sure where this is going, maybe nowhere... help me out if you have a thought. Just seems strange to me. I think there might be a principle or an application here somewhere just not sure what it is, beyond the one plainly stated by Jesus - the law exists for people not people for the law...

behind the obvious, veiled perhaps...

Spirtual Espionage...

Reading Mark 1 today and I see something I've never noticed in all the times I have read it. And since I love a good action adventure flick... this intrigued me!

Jesus' ministry is just beginning, hasn't even called all the disciples to follow Him yet but He goes to the Synagogue in Capernaum (where they've been staying) and begins to teach the people. While Jesus is teaching and reading from the scrolls no doubt, a guy stands up in the crowd and shouts at Jesus, "Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!"

Pretty strange to have a dude stand up in church and begin to shout at you (though it has happened to me before!) but what makes this story so interesting is that in verse 23 the man is identified as, "a man... who was possessed by an evil spirit". Imagine! Having church and a guy stands up, demon possessed and begins to shout!

But here's where it gets really interesting to me! Didn't the people there know the guy? Wasn't he someones father, or brother, or husband? Wasn't he uncle Ben's best friends cousin? How did a demon possessed man get into church that day?!

And then I started thinking... if a demon possessed guy could waltz into church with Jesus, what's to keep them from coming into any church service? Who's to say that we don't have covert agents working for Satan infiltrating our services all around the world? Which begs the question, Why? Why would Satan care what goes on in church? And before you say something like, "the demon possessed couldn't possibly get through the doors of my church because (add whatever super theological argument you've got here)." Think for a minute. Satan is the master mind behind every evil, sinful, wrong thing that is done...correct? And you're gonna tell me that everyone in your church always and forever does the right thing all the time? You've had no affairs, divorces, offenses, etc. in your church? Come one now... it is Satan that can "look" like an angel of light.

Perhaps the same thing that is true about the angels in 1 Peter 1 is true about all spiritual beings, "they long to understand prophecy and the Word." Maybe there is spiritual espionage going on because Satan wants to know where to hit the church (where the weak links are) and find out if we know something spiritual that he hasn't figured out yet...

Maybe there are double agents, and war rooms, covert operations and black ops happening all time!

Perhaps this is why the disciples warned us to, watch ourselves, our doctrine, our friends, our lives, our relationship with our Savior, watch yourself or you may also be tempted...

Direction Motivation

Matthew 28:19-20 gives the marching order for the church from her captain, Jesus Christ. Jesus laid out the battle plan for the church to make a beachhead for inroads into the communities in which it exists.

Jesus said the job of the church was to:
1. Make Disciples. The word disciple means "learner" the 12 disciples were learners of Jesus, they were His students. Judas was one of those, though he didn't learn very well. We are to help people want to learn more about Jesus.
2. Baptize. Once a person becomes a learner they should learn about baptism and, if true learners, they will want to be baptized in obedience to Jesus. A learner wants to follow and obey his teacher.
3. Teach the new disciples the commands of Jesus. Baptism is not the graduation ceremony for the disciple (learner) it is the initiation into a new way of life. A new life that must be taught and caught. The church is to teach, those who follow, the whole counsel of God.

At Real Life we do a good job of creating an atmosphere and environment for making disciples and most of those respond in obedience to immersion. But I think we have failed in the "teach the new disciples God's commands" department. So I will talking and thinking about a way to remedy that situation.

I think it will begin with a greater push for Life Groups. That means we'll need people willing to host and lead these small home groups where we can facilitate the third part of our directive. I'm open to ideas and dialogue on this issue so if you've got a thought, please share it!

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The pebble problem.

Have you ever heard it said of someone that they were, "too big for their britches"? I'd like to put a new spin on that from the life of the Apostle Peter.

In Matthew 16:16-18 Jesus is talking with the disciples about who other's thought Jesus really was. Everybody had a different idea about but Jesus asks Peter directly, "who do you believe I am?" And Peter responds, "you are the Christ (means chosen one of God), the Son of the Living God." This was obvious the right answer because Jesus tells Peter that he should consider himself blessed, since "this was revealed not by men, but by my Father in heaven." In other words, God revealed this to you Peter, you ought to be happy about that.

Here's where the problem starts. Peter gets an "atta-boy" from Jesus. You're catching on Peter! You're growing up Peter! In fact, this is where Peter gets his new name. The name he was born with was Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter right here after this key truth is revealed, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! Way to go, Simon, your name is now going to be Peter - which most language people believe means, "stone" or "pebble".

So let's recap. Peter makes a great spiritual statement about who Jesus was - the Son of The God. Peter gets a pat on the back and a new name (Peter). Then something happens...

Jesus goes on to tell the rest of the disciples, who were all standing right there, that on the truth of Peter's statement Jesus would build His church. And that's just what happened! The church today is built on the foundational belief that the historical Jesus IS, WAS and ALWAYS WILL BE the Son of the LIVING God and the Savior o fall who believe in Him! Which is pretty cool. But right after that Jesus starts talking about Him impending death on the cross. At which point Peter (the pebble) takes Jesus aside and scolds Him, (like a child) saying (in his best big man voice), "this will never happen Lord," you're talking crazy! Why, I'd die before I'd let anyone harm you, after all, I'm a boulder - the guy who came up with the truth on which your church will be founded! (okay, okay, I know I took some liberties there with the text, but you get what I'm saying, right?!)

Did you see how Peter is given a truth from God, claims responsibility for it and in just a few moments goes from a little pebble to scolding Jesus like he was a big boulder? I think a lot of us do that still in our lives. We are given a few pats on the back. A few Atta-boys. And pretty soon we've gone from a little pebble who just wanted to serve and be involved and help however we could... to a boulder that is telling others what to do and bossing them around, etc. I see it all the time. The problem for many leaders with giving people pebble responsibilities is that they soon start acting like boulders, immovable, planted, sturdy.

I always try to look for leaders who have no problem being pebbles. Those are the ones who can roll with the flow. Who will help build the wall, knowing they can't do it themselves, instead of standing on the sidelines telling everyone else how it should be done.

If you read the rest of the story after Peter reprimands Jesus (I still can't believe he did that!) Jesus says, "get behind me Satan!" Wow! Peter goes from a pebble, to a boulder (in his own mind) to a grain of sand as he is called down by Christ.

When you get too big for your britches, the fall is often long and hard. Believe me, I know.

Are you stuck IN a trial or ON a trial?

I wonder how many opportunities I've missed in my life because I was too focused on the trial I was going through to see anything else. You may not know this but we (almost all of us) base decisions on what HAS been instead of what COULD be. What I mean is this. If you've been hurt in a relationship you are less likely to jump into another one because you will expect to be hurt again. So you're past experience may keep you from a future opportunity. I think we do that even "in the moment."

Matthew quotes Jesus as saying to the disciples, "you WILL stand trial...BECAUSE you are my followers, BUT this will be your OPPORTUNITY to tell...unbelievers about me." Jesus knew that His disciples would be punished and face trials for no other reason then their faith in Him. But, He also knew that the trials they faced would provide OPPORTUNITIES they might not otherwise have to share their faith.

You and I don't face judge and jury trials like the kind Jesus is talking about, but we do face hardships and temptations (we call them trials). In every trial we face there is opportunity. But these are so opposite from each other that we tend only focus on one or the other at a time. Like when Jesus said, "you can't serve two masters..." here, we tend to not see two sides.
Trials are difficult, opportunities exciting. Trials exhaust us, opportunities infuse us with energy. Trials take from us what we have, opportunities give us more. But when we focus on the trial we tend to forget about the opportunity! But don't lose hope! When we intentionally learn to focus on the opportunities, the trials begin to fade into the background.

I want to be more opportunity focused and less trial conscious. Let's face it, we could all benefit from that. I feel like we at Real Life are going through a "season of trials" - but I'm also beginning to see the many opportunities that exist, solely because of the trials! Let's take advantage of the OPPORTUNITIES for the glory of God and let Him worry about the trials!

character flaw...

I have this flaw in my character. If I decide to do something, let's say, exercise and lose some weight, and tell other people about it I am less likely to actually do it. But, if I don't say anything to anybody I am more likely to begin such a program. It's almost like just have the conversation gets me out of actually doing the thing I'm talking about! Stinks.

Jesus healed a man with leprosy in Matthew 8:1-3 but tells the man NOT to tell anyone. Instead he is to go show himself to the priest and offer the required sacrifice for being cleansed of leprosy (perhaps a thank or wave offering) and this action will be a public testimony that he had been cleansed.

Perhaps Jesus knew this guy had the same character flaw I do! Look at what might have happened. He is cleansed and runs through town telling everyone Jesus healed him. But, since he didn't go to the priest, he has no proof that he had leprosy and had been healed. And, he may have told a few people, been all excited and then went back to work, forgetting about it. By going to the priest he gets a record of his healing (because the priest would have had a record that he had leprosy and needed to be sent out of the community according to the law), he has the opportunity to offer a "thank you" sacrifice to God (according to the law) and everyone in the Temple would have seen it - a public testimony!

So, I'm exercising and trying not to talk about it too much. The public testimony comes when others notice the physical change in me and ask me what's up or tell me I look better. Then I can tell them what I am doing.

Maybe spiritually we ought to make those lifestyle changes first (instead of just talking about it) and then let people "see" it in our lives and ask, "what is different?" Then we can tell them, I've been cleansed. You've seen the proof.

God may have other plans... are you ready?

Every big thing in our lives certainly takes center stage in our thoughts and dreams. Marriage, the birth of your children, first job, etc. We've got it all worked out don't we.

I read a line in Matthew 1:18 the other day that got me thinking. Here's how it goes, "Mary was engaged, but before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin..."

One little sentence packed full of so many dreams and ambitions and interruptions and then a complete turn around...

Mary was engaged... Statement of fact. Her and Joseph were gonna get hitched. Surely she was dreaming about the wedding, their life, the children that would come. Joseph was a strong young man. Perhaps handsome. Maybe she considered herself lucky to have such a man. Well, one with a career any way. Everything was going great and moving, just as she dreamed it toward her ultimate marriage...

But before the marriage took place... something interrupted her dreams. Before she could get to that thing that had monopolized her thoughts for weeks, months, maybe even years, it all came crashing down. Surely you know what that's like. You've had unfulfilled dreams. Maybe it was while you were preparing to walk down the aisle when he or she bailed and left you standing there stunned. You found out your unborn child had a disability of some kind. Before you could really get your life going, something happened. You can relate to Mary.

While she was still a virgin... believe it or not this is my favorite part of this sentence! There is so much hope and faith and wonder tied up in this lost statement! Listen, if she was still a virgin then nothing that happened next should have happened! A virgin can't be pregnant. There was not way! How could the Savior of the universe be born to a virgin?! The only answer is God.

What is your obstacle to God birthing something wonderful in you? If a virgin girl can become the mother of His Son I can't see anything standing in His way! And while you go about making your life plans, completely incapable of accomplishing His will on your own, He is at work to bring about something incredible in your life! Something you can't possibly imagine!

So make your plans, but be ready, because God just may interrupt your life when you least expect and birth something incredible in you too.

Wait for the numbers.

Just a quick one today, but more to come! Lots of good stuff in Matthew 1 and 2!

Sometimes it is really hard to see how God could possibly be working in our lives (surely it's not just me). One thing after another happens and we seem to have no control and nothing is working right and we think God could not possibly be involved in our chaos.

While reading about all that happened to Joseph and Mary prior to and immediately after the birth of Jesus I am sure that they simply could not see the picture God had created for their lives. Just a bunch of random dots on one of God's activity pages. Then in Matthew 2:18 you read a prophecy from Jer 31:15 about death and mourning and weeping and Matthew says it was a prophecy about Herod killing all the baby boys while searching for Jesus.

Who would have thought or could have predicted that Jeremiah was talking about this event!? The readers in Jeremiah's day probably didn't even recognize that as a prophecy, but Matthew, through the Spirit saw it.

Here's my conclusion and then I've got to run; It's easier to connect the dots once they've been numbered. When you look at what God is doing all you may see is a random bunch of dots on a smudged piece of paper... wait for the numbers, then be amazed at how God has orchestrated the events of your life to reveal a beautiful picture you can not now see.

The POINT of prophecy.

I've been a little "off" lately in my blogging - no comments allowed.
Church life and ministry are often a blessing and often, nearly more than I think I can handle. The last few weeks have been some of the worst in my 15 years of ministry. Satan is certainly at work in the lives of people, relationships, marriages, etc. And we, by giving into our "desires" allow Satan to have victories that decay our spirit and tear down the Kingdom.

That being said, my Bible reading has been in the last book of the Bible and the most difficult to understand, Revelation. (if you comment and say you've got it figured out and it's easy to understand I just might call you a liar.)

But there have been some incredible passages in this letter that twists and turns and repeats and crosses stories. One of them I cam across today in Revelation 19.

John is in the midst of a bunch of symbolism here with animals and people representing a bunch of different things. It seems like there is prophecy within prophecy here - kind of a Matrix moment when your in the story your in... like when you look in a mirror that's reflected in another mirror and your image goes on and on. But in the midst of all this stuff the angel says something incredible to John.

It comes in verse 10 of chapter 19 and the angel says, "For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus." wow.

In the middle of the most prophetic book in the Bible with stuff happening all over the place the angel cuts right to the heart of it all! The point! The reason! The effort all finds it's purpose in focusing every one's attention on Jesus.

There are lots of people who claim to be prophetic or prophets today. Some of them may be legitimate but I fear most are phonies. How do you know? If they add anything to the ultimate prophecy found in the Words of the Bible they are fakes. There is no new prophecy. It begins and ends with Jesus.

But the point today is as strong as it was for John and as clear as it was to the angel. It's all about Jesus. There is no point in prophecy unless it points clearly to Christ.

So, I want to be more clear in my preaching so that people see Jesus. I want to be more honest in my life so that people see Jesus. I want to be more careful with my words so that people hear Jesus. I want to preach Jesus with laser accuracy so there is no doubt. No question. No mistaking who is the One who takes away sin and gives life. He is the only One that brings life change. Let's cut through the junk and be clear.