Simple Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven

The land I will give you (Exodus 23)

2012-01-26T08:27:00.000-06:00

I got an iPhone last December and I installed Logos Bible Software on it. I was looking through it and found a “read the Bible in a year” feature. I thought it would be neat to say that I have read the entire Bible on a phone. I am now somewhere in Numbers. It has been fun and it’s a great way to stay on top of my personal Bible reading. Now what actually matters to this particular post. In the course of reading the Bible for no other purpose than to simply apply it to my life, I ran across this gem in Exodus 23:29-30.

“I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.”

The second half of Exodus chapter 23 is a really good read. God is informing the Israelites just how He intends to drive out their enemies so that they may take the good land that God has promised to them. He gives the people some very specific instructions, like pay attention to the angel, don’t rebel, worship only God, break up their idols completely, etc.

God then lets them know His timeframe. It will take a while...on purpose. I will only give you what you can take care of. When you have grown big enough, tough enough, smart enough, then I will give you more to take care of. Notice God did not tell them that they will take it, He tells them that He will give it to them.

For the Christian, patience is realizing that God is at work and we are to be faithful with what He has given to us. As we are faithful with it, He will give us more. Sure seems like there may be a couple of other stories like this in the New Testament :)

What land are you looking to possess (metaphorically)? How has God started to clear the land out for you? Have you occupied that land? Are you taking care of that land? Are you big enough, wise enough, and strong enough to take care of more of the land that you are looking to possess?

Ever wonder why it seems like God is taking forever? I do.

"Caged boy"

2011-05-26T07:20:00.000-05:00

Each morning I read news from several different websites. I am kind of a news junkie. I have read stories of destruction, death, and disease. I read fun stories too. But stories like the following leave me without words.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-caged-boy-20110525,0,4162190,full.story

What about this poor boy? What was the world like to him? What does he understand? He lived a tragic life. What about the adults? What is the world like to them? What do they understand? They live tragic lives. What about the other kids? What about the neighbors, teachers, friends of, etc?

I really don't believe that humans were created to be monsters like these people. I don't know how it happened to them. I am sure that they were mistreated and abused as kids too. Sin is ugly. Sin begets more sin. In a few places the Bible teaches that sin takes people over. As people continue to give in to sin, the sin starts to form who they are. They become, well, what they have become - unbelievable real-life monsters.

I wish that God would have intervened for this boy. Specifically, I wish he would have snatched this boy from them, along with the rest of the children, and given them to people who could care for and love them. God did not do that. Not on earth anyways. Is this boy in Heaven? I hope so. I hope so with all of my heart.

True stories like this make me more aware of my misunderstanding of the world, of God, and of human nature. I am a strong believer that we can never fully understand any of those three things while we are on the earth. The more I understand, the more I go through, the more I hear people's stories, the more I realize that there is far more to wisdom and knowledge than I will ever understand. Cut and dry answers will never satisfy me in the case of this boy's tragic life.

God...and....

2011-02-09T07:04:00.000-06:00

In 2 Kings 17:33 we see the end of the kings of the line of David. The Bible states this, "They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought."

When we come to Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior we must learn a new way to live our lives (Matt 11:29). We are buried with Christ in His death and then raised up to new life in His resurrection (Romans 6:5). We cannot be with God and with our old way of understanding and living life (Luke 16:13).

Becoming a Christian isn't just a better form of living life. It isn't the icing on the cake of life. It is a radically different way to be alive. It is leaving the kingdom of the world and moving to the kingdom of Heaven. It is more than just working on being a better person. It is more than membership at a church with good kids programs. It's more than buying Christian music. It's more than not lying, not gossiping, not cheating. It's more than smiling and waving at everyone. It's more than shoveling someone's walk.

It is about a radically different way to understand yourself, your life, your future, your resources, your talents, and your relation to each of those. I am convinced that we will ALL repeat the sin of 2 Kings 17:33 unless we read the Bible and understand who God is and how He works. We can not help but worship all the things we grew up with unless we study the new life that Jesus came to offer us.

Are you living "God...and..." or "God only?"

Proverbs 14:12, yeah that's right

2011-02-07T10:55:00.000-06:00

In his book Generation Ex-Christian, about younger Christians leaving Christianity, author Drew Dyke tells a story of one interview with a young man who left Christianity to join the Wicca religion.

He expressed his rejection of Christianity with candor. “Ultimately why I left is that the Christian God demands that you submit to his will. In Wicca, it’s just the other way around. Your will is paramount. We believe in gods and goddesses, but the deities we choose to serve are based on our wills.”

Do you come up with a great idea and ask God to make it happen? Do you figure out how your life could be better and then ask God to make that happen? Do you wonder why God wouldn’t let you get the things you want? Do you wish God would listen to you better? If so, that sounds a lot like this young man’s reason for leaving Christianity and choosing to be Wiccan. (Wiccan, by the way, is not a viable option. There is one truth and it is that God is real and God is in charge.)

Just because you think something is right does not mean that it is right. “There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death.” That’s found in proverbs. What you think is right may not only be wrong, it may lead to your death, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or eternal.

Have you come to understand that life only works when we follow God’s will, not our own will? How much more will you have to chase death before you can see it?

102 men died

2011-02-02T09:24:00.000-06:00

I love this lesson of humility found in the first chapter of 2 Kings. The King fell though a lattice and injured himself. He gathered up some men and told them to go to the god of another nation. They took off and were stopped by Elijah. Elijah (the prophet of God) asked them why the king would consult a god of another nation when he already has God. Then he tells the men to tell the king that he will die.

Now it gets more interesting. The king sends a captain with 50 men to have Elijah come to him. The captain calls out, "Man of God come down here." Elijah shouts back that if he is a man of God may God sent fire down and consume the men. It happens. (Maybe the captain should have said please or at least asked nicely.) So another captain and another 50 men come and the same thing happens. Finally a third captain comes with his 50 men and begs on his knees for Elijah to not kill them and come with him. Elijah doesn't kill them.

Do you command God? Do you set up ultimatums with God? It may not be blatant, but I think most of us try to get God to do our wills.

God moves according to God's time. God works according to his good and perfect will. My will and your will are not good or perfect. (Maybe somewhat good, but definitely not perfect.)

How many times have I been burned because I tried to bully God into doing my will? How much heartache, pain, and worry have I endured because I demanded my will from God? For me, it's a lot.

Let's humbly seek after God's will. Why? Because it is both good and perfect.

Rejecting because we Forgot

2011-01-10T08:23:00.000-06:00

I read some more very disheartening words in my study this morning. I have read through the New Testament a few times toward the end of last year so I decided to get into the Old Testament historical books. They are much harder for me to translate into my own life. These verses, however, are not very hard to translate into the modern world.

1 Samuel 8:4-9

"So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. But when they said, "Give us a ing to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you."

This is bad. It is bad when God points out that they have rejected Him. Its worse when He states that they have rejected Him ever since He led them out of Egypt. It gets even worse when we realize that in the previous chapter the Philistines (not God's people) are fearful because they remember the things that the God of Israel did for His people when they were rescued from Egypt.

So the "others" remembered how God saved His people, but the "insiders" forget what God has done for them. I sure hope this doesn't happen in our churches.

Hannah's Prayer

2011-01-07T09:09:00.000-06:00

Here is a special treat for those of you who follow this blog. (Not just the people who click over from facebook). In my reading this morning I read the prayer of Hannah found in 1 Samuel 2. I will post her prayer because it is awesome. If you would really like the full meaning - you should take just a moment to read 1 Samuel chapter 1. Go to biblegateway.com and type it in if you don't have a Bible close.

Then Hannah prayed and said:   “My heart rejoices in the LORD;
   in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
   for I delight in your deliverance.
“There is no one holy like the LORD;
   there is no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God.
“Do not keep talking so proudly
   or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
   and by him deeds are weighed.
“The bows of the warriors are broken,
   but those who stumbled are armed with strength.  Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
   but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
   but she who has had many sons pines away.
  “The LORD brings death and makes alive;
   he brings down to the grave and raises up.  The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
   he humbles and he exalts.  He raises the poor from the dust
   and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
   and has them inherit a throne of honor.
   “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s;
   on them he has set the world.  He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
   but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
   “It is not by strength that one prevails;
  those who oppose the LORD will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
   the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
   “He will give strength to his king
   and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
  Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.

Trapped in the Carwash Line

2011-01-05T11:29:00.001-06:00

A few days ago I was trapped in a carwash line. It was terrible. Not really, but it's a funny story. I had dropped Mindy off at the grocery store and I went to vacuum out the van. I like to use the carwash vacuums because they are super powerful and we had just got back from vacation so the van was filthy. I made a joke that I was going to get a carwash. Mindy thinks they are a HUGE waste of money. I don't. So I vacuum out the car and leave with no carwash. I drive around the corner to get gas. After I fill up I notice that the line is long so I go one business down in order to pull onto the road from their driveway. This business happens to be a carwash and I get stuck in their parking lot. I try to get out and find myself in the car wash line. Great! I knew Mindy would make fun of me if I got a carwash. So I am going to reverse and just drive back. Immediately a truck comes in behind me and I am stuck. So I picked Mindy up with a very clean van.

How much of my life is lived being stuck?

Freedom in the Kingdom of Heaven

2011-01-04T11:16:00.000-06:00

Jesus has come to give all of humanity freedom. As Americans, don't we already have freedom? In fact, doesn't the new testament of the Bible teach things like; being a slave to Christ, to serve God, and to die to ourselves? Once again it seems like Jesus has taught us a whole different way to understand something, freedom.

In his masterful work, The Importance of Being Foolish: How to think like Jesus, Brennan Manning writes these words on the subject.

"Often our preoccupation with the three most basic human desires - security, pleasure, and power - is the cloak that covers transparency. The endless struggle for enough money, good feelings, and prestige yields a rich harvest of worry, frustration, suspicion, anger, jealousy, anxiety, fear, and resentment. These powerful, emotionally-backed desires cause 99 percent of the self-inflicted and unnecessary suffering in our lives."

I think it's simple. If I make decisions like most people I will make the decision based on my desire for security, pleasure, and power. By doing that I will find my life as a huge mess and I will not want to live it. I will have to live it because it's the only one I have. If I lose my life in Christ I will make decisions through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and find my life as a tremendous blessing and a wonderful creation. A creation not made by me, but by God. With my freedom, I chose to stop letting the world influence me and I chose to be influenced only by the God of all love. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit has led me to ever-increasing freedom from worry, self-doubt, and all the other things that used to dominate my life.

Displaced Hope

2010-12-27T07:55:00.000-06:00

If your hope never comes to a realization than your hope was not only useless, it was harmful. If you really place your hope in something or someone and it does not work out - that is a harmful sense of hope. It's setting you up for a colossal failure or pain or frustration or hurt.

So, where is your hope? You live with a sense of hope. Probably. Actually, you may not. The CDC estimates that 1 in 10 Americans lives with clinical depression (yes, clinical). That means if you are in a group of only 20 people, 2 of them are clinically depressed. Doesn't that break your heart? I wonder how many people I talk to each day who are suffering from severe depression. Do I realize it?

There are so many reasons in our world to lose hope; unemployment, divorce, affairs, gossip, unwanted pregnancies, racism, child-molestation, mortgages going under, sex-trafficking, porn addicted dads, alcoholic mothers, and more. We are all affected in some way by a lot of the things on that list. So I understand when the writer of Psalm 39 states, "But now, Lord, what do I look for?"

Where is the hope? I wonder how many people look at Christians and think they are living in a fairytale world. Why do people who trust in Jesus have hope? Don't they look around them? Can't they see what the world really looks like? Have they lived sheltered lives?

Many of the most hope-filled joyous people that I know have been through terrible circumstances. They choose to echo the rest of what the Psalmist writes, "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

The only hope that will not disappoint is hope placed in God. Hope placed anywhere else leads to harm. It is displaced. If you struggle with depression, please visit a Christian counselor. You need it. If you struggle with hopelessness. If you struggle to just get through the day. If you struggle to get out of bed. If you struggle to leave work and go home. You have probably placed your hope in something other than God.

Forgiveness: Beauty from Ugliness

2010-12-09T07:22:00.002-06:00

In his commentary on Luke, theologian N.T. Wright pens this:

"The Kingdom that Jesus preached and lived was all about a glorious, uproarious, absurd generosity. Think of the best thing you can do for the worst person, and go ahead and do it. Think of the people to who you are tempted to be nasty, and lavish generosity on them instead. These instructions have a fresh, springlike quality. They are all about new life bursting out energetically, like flowers growing through concrete and startling everyone with their color and vigor."

As we approach Christmas we see a short view of the life of Christ:

1) He had to leave Heaven and the presence of the Father in order to come to a corrupt and painful world marked with hate and greed.
2) When he was born the King wanted to kill him
3) He was born outside to an unmarried poor couple.
4) He came preaching a message of forgiveness of sins and then people wanted to kill him
5) During much of his ministry there is a group of self-proclaimed "God's people" that plot to kill him
6) The climax of his life happens when he is imprisoned, beaten close to death and hung on a cross with no real charges or real trials
7) He is betrayed by one of his own 12 disciples
8) The other 11 disciples scatter and don't support him in death
9) With his last words Jesus asks God's forgiveness for those who are there killing him

I believe that forgiveness is very important to God and a marker of a person who is in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The call of parenting in the Kingdom

2010-12-03T09:10:00.000-06:00

I have met many, many people who live with the false sense that they are supposed to forsake their families for the Kingdom of Heaven. Some of these people understand this outright and some don't even see it but are driven by this principle from somewhere deep in their soul from somewhere they may not even know. Their is this sense that they should only pursue God and His Kingdom work in order to please God. It's as if their family is more of a hindrance to the pursuit of DOING God's work (which of course, humans can never really do God's work, God is actually quite capable Himself).

People see verses where Jesus seemingly shuns his family and says that his real family is the brothers and sisters in Christ. He tells a young man not to say goodbye to his family because the Kingdom is of more value than his stupid family anyways (maybe not a a good interpretation of those verses hmmm?) They read that Paul said we shouldn't really get married unless we are so pathetic that we get married just because we can't control our sexual desires.

These people are dead wrong.

God also chooses to be know as "Father." Jesus is known as the "Son." We are a part of his "family." The church is the "Bride" of Christ. Christians are his "children." Marriage is an idea that actually came from.....yep....the Bible. Having children is seen as a very high honor throughout much of the Old Testament (think the early Fathers).

I am a part of the Kingdom of Heaven only because Jesus brought it to earth and then died for the forgiveness of my sins. I enter the Kingdom through my faith in Him and my acceptance of His Lordship in my life. Therefore I have been given this through grace, not through work. After I accept this grace I have become his slave and need to continue to die to my own desires and be filled with His Holy Spirit. Who am I to stop the Holy Spirit's work in my family?

At this point in my life I have been called to serve Christ, serve my wife, serve my children, serve my church, and serve in the world at large, in that order. That's how I understand it. These extremists that believe that their families are not important to the work of God are going from #1 to #5 back to #4. They are living unbalanced and that's why they are actually working against God. Yes, against God.

I am embarrassed to write that it has taken me years to understand this. By the grace of God I understand it now. I included this picture of my daughter because I have been looking at it the last few days and marveling in her pure beauty. She has been made just the way that she is by God. My prayer is that I am open to God's work in her life so that she becomes all that God has made her to be. I pray that I don't hurt her development. I pray that I don't project my problems and pains onto her but help her to understand the world from God's perspective (found in the Bible).

Parenting is a "Kingdom" act. If I fail as a parent I am failing in the Kingdom because I do not understand the scripture and have decided to live unbalanced and selfishly.

I pray that God continues to awaken us parents in our understanding of the holiness of Godly parenting.

The life-value of the Bible

2010-12-02T10:00:00.002-06:00

I used to be encouraged by very popular verses in the Bible. Verses like “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and “For to me to live is Christ and to die is Gain!” which are both found in Philippians. Those verses are still wonderful but they don’t encourage me like they used to. I have to find new verses to inspire me. The following verses have been like food for my soul the past few months.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

I put those verses by my desk because they give me strength. I don’t mean that they make me feel nicer. I mean that those verses encourage me to do my best, to work hard, and to try to continually become the person that God has made me to be.

A few years ago I was going through a particularly rough patch in my life and I happened to be reading the Psalms. I was reading Psalm 15 and my life changed. God used those words to encourage and comfort me.

The Bible is very important to me. Words really will not do justice to just how important the BIble has become to me. On some days it is like food for my soul. It seems like I turn to the Bible when I am discouraged or sad or angry. I need to read it to calm me down or help me see just how much bigger God is than whatever I am facing.

I am convinced that reading the Bible is one of the most important things that a human being can do. My actions, my decisions, and my thoughts are shaped by those words. I am the person that I am because of the words contained in the Bible. Going an entire day without reading the Bible is much like going an entire day without food. If you have gone for an extended period of time without eating you know what happens. Your body becomes weaker, you get a headache, and you get grouchy. The longer it goes on the worse everything gets. If you go without eating for too long you will die. I believe that if you go too long without reading the Bible you will drift into spiritual death.

God has given us the Bible as a very special gift. It is a way to understand Him and understand ourselves. It teaches us how to live and how to recognize good from evil. It gives us comfort, peace, and courage. It is far more than a book. The Bible is alive. The words that you read are the words meant for your life at that given moment.

How Idolizing Hurts

2010-10-29T11:27:00.000-05:00

There have been people throughout my life that I have really, really looked up to. Over the past few years I have figured out that every one of them has let me down. MAYBE THAT'S WRONG!

Here we go. Maybe, without knowing it, I have made them an idol. Someone is so nice or smart or caring that I figure that they can do no wrong. I try to emulate them. I start thinking thoughts like "what would so-and-so do if they were in my situation." I take this little bit of knowledge that I have of them and....I.....get it wrong. I build them up to a place in which they don't exist. I don't look up to them as much as I look up to my idea of them. The problem happens when my idea of that person clashes with the actual person. Then I am hurt and angry. "Why would this person let me down?" Have they actually let me down or have I built them up to a non-human level and set them up as an idol?

Is this how pornography really ruins marriages? It's not so much that a person likes looking at naked people or reading about strong men rescuing a beauty, it's that the person that they are actually married to is not as good as the person that they read about in the novel or see on the computer screen. "Why can't my wife do that?" "Why won't my husband rescue me from my life?" We build this image (or idol) of a person up to a point where no human could ever fulfill this perverted image that we have of a sexual partner or passionate lover. The bigger problem with this is that we can not be let down like we can with people. Here we have even come to a place where we have a false image of a human that doesn't exist in real life!

In my life as a Pastor I see this with guest speakers. The best job in the world is to be a guest speaker. You come in and preach a message that you have been working on for years. It's really polished and good. You have it memorized. People automatically give you the title saint and then you leave the Pastor at the church to be compared to you. Well, not really you, but the false sense of you that people have built up.

Idolizing hurts. It creates a false sense of life and creates a fake world. A world that exists only in imagination and not in reality. Maybe that is why the rise of "reality shows" has happened so quickly. People really want to believe that life is like that. They are sick of their own. They want to see someone succeed at life like they want to live it. Even though that person is really just their imagination of what that person is.

Idolizing kills us. We should have no other idols. Worship the Lord your God. God puts these things in perspective in the Bible. He really does. Yet most people don't want to read it. I can not believe that. That is why we are hurting people. That's why we get angry when our lives aren't going as we imagine they are supposed to be going. We have peace when the thought or image of our lives match up with the reality of our lives. Someone once said that he had learned to be content in all situations.

We don't find peace and contentment because we spend more time watching fake life on television than we do reading about real life in the Bible.

Breastplate of Righteousness

2010-10-28T07:52:00.000-05:00

In our men's study last night we looked at the armor of God found in Ephesians chapter 6. This is a very popular scripture for guys to study. For good reason I think. It's interesting. It shows us a larger picture of reality than we are normally given. It shows us that battle that is going on. It shows us that the Kingdom of Heaven is, quite honestly, more real than the world that we see. Time after time Jesus tells us that the kingdom of the world will fade away, but His kingdom will endure forever.

In the battle that is happening at a cosmic scale we find a place. What's the best way to win a fight? Probably to not let your enemy know that there is a fight. Satan has done an amazing job convincing many people and christians that there really is no "battle" happening. From reading the Bible it is simply impossible to not realize that there is a battle happening.

One of the pieces of armor that God has given us is the "Breastplate of Righteousness." Righteousness means to walk in line with God. When commanding Joshua, God told him him to walk straight and to not turn to the right or turn to the left. If he stays that course he, and the whole nation, will be delivered. If he turns to the right or to the left they will surely perish. Righteousness is the breastplate. The breastplate covers the entire torso (think bullet proof vest). If the breastplate is not on you are a HUGE target.

When we veer off course. Simply put, when we sin we are turning to the right or to the left. When we actively pursue sin we are taking off the breastplate and opening ourselves up to the very real attacks of satan and the principalities of darkness.

Why is sin so bad? Through sin you are opening yourself up to die. The opposite of sin is to follow in line with God (righteousness). As you walk in line with God you represent a much, much smaller target. When we are facing the temptation of sin we hardly recognize a war going on. The problem with the invisible war is that it is so easy to forget that it is happening. Why do I need to wear armor? Seriously? Doesn't that seem a bit over the top? I can only conclude that Paul was serious about a war when he wrote these words. I can only conclude that God had opened his eyes (pun intended) to see all the things that were going on around him.

I know that sin is bad. I have read that sin leads to death. I have thought that as a Christian we should just work real hard to not sin because we love God and he tells us not to. That is not wrong but it may fall short of what sin really is. God may not want us to sin because sin opens us up to the attack from Satan and the principalities of darkness and evil. Sin isn't just bad. Sin is death. Sin is a separation from the living water and the bread of life of Jesus Christ. Sure sounds like communion doesn't it?

Forgive or ask for forgiveness

2010-10-15T15:01:00.000-05:00

Do you find it harder to forgive someone or to ask for forgiveness from someone?

I think it's easier to forgive someone because I have control over that. I don't have to ask anyone else I just have to decide to do it. Right?

No way! How hard is it to forgive someone who has really really hurt you and doesn't ask for forgiveness or even care about you?

BUT, how hard is it humble yourself and ask someone for forgiveness?

What do you think?

Dirty Hands

2010-10-15T10:01:00.002-05:00

I still can't get this thought out of my head. This is my article for the Beecher Paper. If you aren't familiar with central Illinois, Beecher is a town of about 400,000 and the paper is circulated around the world. It is frequently on Huffington Post. (None of this is true - Beecher may be smaller than Cowden).

Have you ever thought about the hands of Jesus? What did they look like? Were they smooth or rough? Were they large or small? Were they clean or dirty? I’ll bet they were very, very dirty. In Luke chapter 8 it is recorded that Jesus had encounters with two very unclean women. They were unclean for very different reasons, but they were unclean nonetheless. In both cases these women needed healing. They needed the healing that could only come as a supernatural miracle. Jesus of Nazareth offered that hope. One woman reached out and touched Jesus as he walked by. One woman was already dead and Jesus touched her.

In touching these women Jesus risked much. He was breaking very important cleanliness rules. He would be scorned, looked down upon, and hated by the established religious and governmental leaders of his day. The miracle? HE STILL DID IT! He knew full well that his hands would be dirty and he would be cast out of the group. His focus was on healing those who needed to be healed. He didn’t care about getting his hands dirty.

Do you need healing in your life? Do you have a broken heart? Are you a victim of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse? Jesus is ready to get his hands dirty in your life. Are you sick? Are you lonely? Do you not even know why you have to get up out of bed each morning? Are you lost in this world? Have you been chewed up and spit out? Are you too dirty to ever be loved? Jesus is ready to get his hands dirty in your life.

In his commentary on Luke chapter 8 N.T. Wright writes, “In whatever problem or suffering we face, the presence of Jesus, getting his hands dirty with the problems of this world, is what we need, and what in the gospels we are promised.”

Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Do you claim him as your Lord and Savior? Then what do your hands look like? Are they clean? Do you avoid getting them dirty? If you wish to really obey Christ and be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven your hands will be very dirty as well. The business of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ’s healing and life will get under your fingernails. You hands will get dirty dealing with the sin and darkness in this world. It’s dirty business.

Would Jesus be allowed to walk on the carpet in your church or your home? Or would you be embarrassed to have a Savior with dirty hands? I thank God that Jesus’ hands were bloodied for my sins and your sins.

Dirty, dirty hands and the Kingdom

2010-10-02T08:56:00.000-05:00

"In whatever problem or suffering we face, Jesus getting his hands dirty with the problems of this world is what we need and what in the gospels we are promised." NT Wright

This quote is the key from Wright's commentary on the passage in Luke 8:40-56. I have been thinking through this quote for about 10 days now. The more I think about it the deeper it becomes. It's like a Chinese Finger Trap. The more I pull at it the tighter it grips. It's starting to get really tight now.

As a Believer and admitted Follower of Jesus I have chosen to try to understand his teachings and then form my thoughts and actions around my understanding of those teachings. In this particular case it means that I must get my hands dirty. I like to have clean hands. I like to help people that don't make me uncomfortable. I like to spend time with people that think and act somewhat like me. That is not what Jesus did. In the case of these verses he touched an unclean woman and a dead body. In both cases he didn't have to draw attention to the situations but he did. In both cases he chose to get his hands dirty. In both cases healing was brought to them.

As I was getting ready to go home for lunch some people came into the office to ask for money because they were homeless. I wanted to let my secretary take care of it and just hide in my office until they left. I was going to until this phrase crept into my head. Would Jesus just sit here and wait for them to leave? No. He would go out there and help. So I went out and helped.

I wanted to go home to a nice lunch with my wife. There was someone else there. I needed to be in that meeting too. Later that day we had 8 kids at the house. My hands were continuing to get dirtier and dirtier.

Maybe one way to see how my "walk with Jesus" is doing is to look at my hands. Are they nice and clean? Or are they beat up and dirty like Jesus' hands? May we, who confess Christ as our Lord, have the dirtiest hands.

Living in the Rhythm

2010-09-28T07:06:00.000-05:00

In Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero writes the following, "Contemplative spirituality focuses on classic practices and concerns such as.....developing a balanced, harmonious rhythm of life that enables us to be aware of the sacred in all of life." Mmmmm...that feels nice. "A harmonious rhythm of life" is certainly what many people, if not all of us, are looking for. You can hear it in conversation. You can listen to it in songs. You can see it in advertisements and commercials. You can watch it on TV and in movies. You see it in sports and hear commentators. You can see it everywhere. There is a deep human desire to live in rhythm. We all want a certain cadence to our lives. A life that is harmonious. A life lived out of our passions and strengths. A life like that would bring peace and fulfillment.

The second part of his quote may be a bit more telling, "that enables us to be aware of the sacred in all of life." God defines the sacred, we do not. The connection to God is the conduit for living in rhythm. God created the music. There are not many songs. There is one song. When you can hear that one song you can live in that rhythm.

Repentance

2010-08-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

I don't know if God is trying to teach me something here but "repentance" has been a dominate theme in most of my study over the last month.

On Sunday nights we have been looking at the book of Isaiah. The theme there is: things are bad and they will get worse until you repent. When you repent things will get better. So why not just repent now? That is theme for each of the nations that are being judged. If you would just repent you would not have the terrible time that is coming to you. You are too proud to repent so you will be smashed. If you would have repented you would have no problems, dummy (I added the last word for emphasis.)

On Sunday mornings we are in the very beginning of the book of Acts. Peter has two sermons to start it off. He preaches one right after the Pentecost. He preaches the second right after a healing is performed. In both cases people look to Peter and ask him, "What must we do to be saved?" What is Peter's first word? You guessed it. Repent.

In a sermon, in July, about David the whole idea was that David could have stopped his huge sin with Bathsheba at some point and it would not have been as bad. He could have stopped the bleeding but he continued to cover up his sin by sinning even more. The consequences and the sins kept getting worse. David needed to stop and turn the other direction which of course is what repentance is.

In another sermon this time in August, I was preaching about the woman at the well. Jesus had finally helped her to understand that the "living water" that he offered was much more about life than actual water. She wanted this new life and what did Jesus do? He brought up her sin. She needed to confront her sin before she could get this new life. Repent.

Repent, repent, repent. It's everywhere.

I am starting to believe that repentance is the opposite of pride. Pride says that I can do it on my own. Repentance says that I have made a mistake and I did not do things right on my own. Pride says that I am no worse than anyone else. Repentance does not compare to anyone else. Pride comes before a fall. Repentance is the rope that we grab so as so stop falling altogether.

Repentance is the first step toward forgiveness. Repenting of our pride helps us to love and forgive others.

Repentance. If we are headed down the wrong path it is a better idea to stop and walk back the direction we came from. Why would we continue down the wrong path hoping that it will get better? Will we walk the wrong direction on purpose so that people don't think we are stupid? (They will find out sooner or later).

Repentance can stop a whole lot of pain and problems. It's best not to make mistakes, but if you make one - you might as well repent as soon as possible.

What is your criteria for decision making?

2010-08-11T07:46:00.001-05:00

I am teaching through the book of Isaiah and using Warren Wiersebe's book as a reference. On page 45 I came across a wonderful quote:

The Jewish political leaders were asking, "Is it popular? Is it safe" The prophet was asking, "Is it right? Is it the will of God?

I wonder how many decisions we make using the first set of questions. I'll bet it's far more than half. In our churches. In our lives.

That's a sad state to be in. It didn't make me feel good.

"I don't even know why people go to church"

2010-08-07T08:49:00.002-05:00

This is a great post by a blog of the Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-howard-merritt/church-charity-in-the-21s_b_673254.html

Stupid Parenting Magazine and Christian-speak

2010-08-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

This morning I was thumbing through a parenting magazine and I read an amazing tip. This medical doctor gave the following advice for parenting. Paraphrased by me.

"When you are on the phone and your 3 year old child is trying to talk to you tell them to do something else and you will be right with them. For example you can say something like this, "Mommy is on the phone right now please go play with your blocks and when I am done I will come talk to you." When you are off the phone make sure to find them and reward them for listening to you."

That is groundbreaking advice. I would have never thought of that on my own. "Excuse me Doctor? Um, what happens when my child starts screaming because I won't talk to her?" "Also, Doctor do you by any chance have a phone AND a child? I don't think that you do."

Do you give advice like this? Please stop.

I read this and I immediately think of all the christian catch-phrases that we tell people. It is very easy for us to read the bible and assume that it applies very easily to all people in all circumstances. Life is very messy. People understand things very differently. Please don't think that you are helping people just by giving them good advice. Do you really think that anyone read that piece of advice and thought to themselves that it was a good idea? I don't. I can not believe that it made it past the editors.

It did give me a good laugh. I will probably quote that a lot in my lifetime. Please don't let your christian-speak tiny pieces of advice be someone else's good laugh.

No 3 year old is cool with being put off. Teaching your child to show respect when you are on the phone is something that happens before and after the phone call. It's a lot bigger issue isn't it? Whatever your neighbor, co-worker, or friend is going though is a lot bigger than what you can see from your perspective. Treat them with respect too.

Great Post by Al Hsu

2010-08-02T20:23:00.002-05:00

This is a fascinating little read on the blog of Al Hsu.

http://thesuburbanchristian.blogspot.com/2010/08/evangelical-tribalism-big-sort-or.html

How old is the Kingdom of Heaven?

2010-08-02T07:16:00.000-05:00

How long has the Kingdom of Heaven been around? Is it one of those things that just always "has been" and "will be?" Like God? Or is it something new that came when Jesus came to the earth? Yes, no, and sort of...

In Matthew 5:19, Jesus teaches, "Anyone who breaks one of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."

In this teaching, Jesus is telling them (and showing us) that he is continuing the message of the Old Testament. He is teaching that the old way of doing things is not being thrown away, rather it is being fulfilled in Him. He is the finish of the Old Testament. He is the completion of the law. He teaches the same things in new, more challenging and much more personal ways. He serves as our Mediator, or one between us and God the Father. Now we can do things much differently than they did in the Old Testament.

The Kingdom of Heaven is the reward for those who keep the law. I think it's really interesting that it seems like there is a ranking in the Kingdom now. If you keep the commands you are great in the Kingdom and if you don't you are least in the Kingdom. This seems to reinforce the idea that the Kingdom of Heaven is not "heaven" as we think it. It is right now. It is on earth.

How old is the Kingdom of Heaven? Well, here Jesus teaches us that it extends back to the commandments. That gives it a few thousand more years. Is the Kingdom of Heaven on earth in the Garden of Eden? Or has heaven and earth not yet been separated at the point in time?

Still more questions, but I think we are starting to get the border of the puzzle put together.

Kingdom of Heaven in the Beatitudes

2010-07-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

What's exciting about the references to the Kingdom of Heaven in chapter 5 of Matthew is that Jesus is ushering in the Kingdom. He isn't just explaining what it is like - he is telling us that it has come. The Kingdom of Heaven is being announced here.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

You are not supposed to be poor in spirit. This isn't a law that Jesus is handing out. He isn't issuing a rule. He is making an observation followed by a promise. You aren't supposed to make sure that you are poor in spirit. Jesus is telling them (and us) that we are blessed because the Kingdom of Heaven is ours. It is right now.

We learn from this that the Kingdom of Heaven is different than what we think of as "Heaven." The Kingdom of Heaven is something that is happening here on earth as a result of Jesus coming to earth. The moment that Jesus crossed over from Heaven to earth the Kingdom had arrived. For example: The Kingdom of Greece spread when they overtook the world. That is not to say that the rest of the world became Greece. Greece still stayed one country, but now had it's army, it's influence, and it's control of the rest of the world. The world was becoming Greek, but Greece remained a country. Yes, that is confusing, but if it was easy to understand perhaps Jesus wouldn't have had to teach us so much, hmm?

The Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth. Jesus assures us of that. We find out here that it is, specifically, there for those who are poor in spirit and those who are persecuted because of righteousness (v 10). The Kingdom of Heaven should not be confused with Heaven. Heaven is a very real place. Earth is a very real place. The Kingdom of Heaven is spreading on the earth.

Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near

2010-07-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

Matthew 4:17, "From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."

Repent does not mean to feel bad or guilty. Repent means to change direction. Those are very different things. Repent has very little to do with feelings and much more to do with action. Now action and feelings are generally tied together by the human psyche but, in this case, it is a call to action not a call to "feeling."

Jesus is telling people that they need to stop and change direction because something new is coming. There is a new Kingdom and we are invited to change our direction and join into this kingdom instead of the kingdom's that we are under now. In their case, they were under Roman rule. They were a province of the kingdom of Rome. As the Israelite people were awaiting their Messiah - they were hoping for a king and kingdom that would overthrow the present kingdom in power. In the United States we put a lot of hope into elected officials. We hope that certain parties will overtake other parties every few years so that we can be a part of the ruling party.

Jesus' kingdom simply isn't a military or political kingdom. It is much, much bigger than that. From what we can see so far - it is coming and we are supposed to change our direction. Let's see how this plays out.

Candwich

2010-07-22T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is simply a miracle.

http://markonefoods.com/index.html

The Kingdom of Heaven in the book of Matthew

2010-07-22T08:58:00.000-05:00

There are 31 references to the Kingdom of Heaven in the book of Matthew (NIV). I called my blog "the simple guide to the Kingdom of Heaven" so maybe this would be a fitting study. I have been wanting to look at each one of these references for a couple of years now. I didn't want to make them a sermon series just yet, and I didn't want to do a Sunday school class with these references. I have finally figured out the venue I would like to present these in - my blog.

So here is mention #1 - Matthew 3:2. This scripture is the first mention of the Kingdom of Heaven and it is presented by John the Baptist. John was clearing the way for the King to come. He was baptizing people in water to cleanse their sins. He was preaching that the Kingdom was coming. So he said to get prepared. Make sure that you are ready. The King is coming.

Repentance is a way to make room for the Kingdom of Heaven. The people repented of their sins. In essence they were cleaning out their hearts to make room for the Kingdom. We can not live in the Kingdom with sin in our hearts.

John shouted, "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is near

Great Post about "A Message from God"

2010-06-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

This is a post from Dr. Lowery from Lincoln Seminary. It is a great thought from a very prominent Biblical scholar. It's a quick read and really encourage you to read it.

http://rlowery.com/2010/06/29/a-message-from-the-lord/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rlowery+%28Robert+Lowery%29

Quiet Strength - Tony Dungy

2010-05-31T09:21:00.001-05:00

I definitely recommend this book. Dungy has a wonderful story of a man living with the knowledge of God's reality and presence in life.

I was fairly apprehensive to embrace the Dungy phenomenon. Just because someone wins a Superbowl doesn't mean that they should be able to write men's bible curriculum. When I was in the beginning stages of planning our men's bible study I really wanted to stay away from his stuff. So I read through a lot of other curriculum. I eventually picked one and it was pretty terrible. It took me a few months to finally give in to the hype and get his men's small group stuff. It was fantastic! Guys were sharing more and I was able to make more sense of it. It was good common-sense Bible teaching geared towards men.

As we traveled through the curriculum I finally decided to get his book Quiet Strength. It was a wonderful read. I really like biographies and this did not disappoint. Any person, regardless of whether they care about football or not, would love to hear his story. His approach to life, work, family, and coaching were all the same based in Biblical truths.

I get to hear him speak at Busch Stadium after the Cardinals game in July. I am very excited about it now.

5 funerals in 2 weeks

2010-05-29T20:36:00.000-05:00

I never imagined that I would be preforming 5 funerals in 2 weeks (I also went to 1 visitation in that time span as well.) I really hope this slows down. They were all such good people that had lived good lives. Through these experiences I have learned more and more just how important family is.

Graduation 2010

2010-05-24T09:02:00.000-05:00

It was super-hot in the gym and I know that most people wanted me to make it short. So I tried to make it funny and give the graduates one main thing that they can remember. In terms of what people came to see, I was last on the list. So here it is:

My daughter just finished 1st grade. She is all of 7 years old. I asked her what she wants to be when she grows up. She told me that she wants to be a teacher or a doctor.

My son is 5 years old and just finished preschool. He will be in kindergarten next year at this fine institution. He has not narrowed it down quite yet. He wants to be a cowboy, pirate, policeman, sword fighter, army guy, or superhero. With the exception of pirate, I would be proud of him doing any of those things.

You probably have nieces, nephews, and cousins that are similar to my kids. Every little kid wants to be something cool right? That all want to do something that we think is pretty awesome.

In Matthew 13:44-46 , Jesus tells a story about a man who discovers a treasure hidden in a field. He sells everything that he has in order to buy that field so that he can have that treasure. He then tells a story of a man who bought pearls. One day he found someone selling a pearl worth way more than they were charging. They had no idea how rare the pearl was. The man sold everything that he had in order to buy that pearl.

What will you do with what you have been given?

You are so valuable. You life is worth so much. All of us here today are so happy for you and we are thinking back to what life was like when we were in your shoes. Back when it snowed every day and we had to walk up hill both ways to school.

What will you do with what you have been given?

There are a lot of people in this room who are very proud of you. In your short time on earth you have accomplished something great. You have graduated from high school. You have finished the job. You have completed the race. Good job. We are very proud of you.

What will you do with what you have been given?

Where will you be in 5 years? Will you have a family? Will you be working full time? Will you have written a book, or composed a song? Will you have graduated college? Where will you be in 5 years?

Where will you be in 20 years? Will you be here watching your child graduate high school? Will you be living in another country? Will you have a good marriage? Will you own your own business? Will you be famous?

What will you do with what you have been given?

You have accomplished something great. You have graduated high school. Most of you are smarter than about 95% of people who have lived since the creation of the world. But you are just beginning the journey of your life. Will you hold on to the little bit that you have or will you cash it all in on something much better? In this life you will always have the option of going for your dreams or living safe and comfortable.

No little kid wants to live a life that is safe and comfortable. They want a life that is exciting and full of adventure. Don’t let this life pass you by. Use the life that you have and go after your dreams. Where you see impossibilities and obstacles, God sees opportunities to shape us and give us life. When the time comes to cash in all that you have to get something even better - go for it.

My your hats fly as high as your dreams

2010-05-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

What has two thumbs and is speaking at graduation for the Cowden-Herrick Class of 2010 tomorrow? This guy. I desperately want to start off with the quote from Michael Scott in the office, "May your hats fly as high as your dreams." Alas, that would only be funny to me. So I won't do it. I am really looking forward to it. I have been told, by everyone, that I should keep it short because it gets really hot in the gym and nobody really cares what the minister says anyways. Needless to say, I am honored that they would pick me as the guy to say something quick and not be remembered.

That has presented a challenge. I have come up with a pretty good opener, followed by an easy to understand Bible parable from Jesus and then I will finish with a celebrative-style repetition. All in all it will be less than 10 minutes and I think it will be memorable. We'll see how it goes.

The graduation is at 3pm and I am supposed to be there by 2:45. I have a funeral on Sunday as well. It is at 2pm. That will be a full day. I wonder how many people, in the history of time, have gone from conducting a funeral to speaking at a graduation. I think of myself as a trailblazer. I am sure that when I am in my 60's I will still be talking about that fateful Sunday in May 2010.

I think I will post my graduation speech her Sunday night.

What I learned from my first year at Grad School - Post 1

2010-05-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

1. I am not smart.

That was easily the first thing I learned. Wow! These people are insanely intelligent. They seem to have read so many more books than I have read. They can recall Bible verses on any subject at hand. They have mastered their craft. I am talking about the students. The Professors are at a whole different level. Dr. Hall, Dr. Kurka, and Dr. Snell are worlds smarter than I am. It was impressive just to hear them speak each week at class. This guy's helped me to realize that there is plenty that I don't know.

I took the first semester of Hebrew and after a few weeks I realized that most everyone was getting it. I was not. It was the first time in my life where I honestly felt like the un-smartest person in the room. If you know me well, that's a great thing for me to have to feel :) !

I was humbled and encouraged this year at school realizing that I am certainly not as smart as I want to be. I have a lot to learn. It's nice to come to that realization. It gives me a challenge.

No Training Wheels

2010-04-22T07:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had the joy of watching my almost 5 year old boy ride his bike without training wheels. He could not have been more proud of himself. I admit I was pretty proud too. He could finally ride on the grass and rocks without getting slowed down by the training wheels.

He has always loved to ride his bike and now he loves it even more. I asked him why he liked it so much and he told me because he could go fast and could ride through grass. I think he was describing the new freedom that he had.

Two days ago when I took off the training wheels he was very afraid to get rid of them. He was mad that I was taking them off and told me that he couldn't do it. The training wheels had been eaten through and they were turning in to training blocks. His bike was super loud and he could not keep up with his older sister. He got mad at me and cried. I finally convinced him to try it.

"On the grass dadda."

"Alright - try it on the grass."

He took off and rode all the way around the house. He was beaming with pride at his new found freedom.

Then yesterday he was an old pro. He was riding all over shooting imaginary "bad guys" and having motorcycle races. He was free and happy.

"Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven."

I liked watching Will ride his bike with no training wheels because he was so happy. The world was right for him. He had no cares. He just loved riding his bike. He could not have been happier or more content. The freedom on his little bicycle was all that he needed or cared about.

Can I please live like that? Can I find freedom in living my life? Can I come to a place where I have taken off the training wheels? Can I get to a place where I am free again? Not a vacation, but a life of freedom.

Yes I can. It's called the kingdom of Heaven. In order to enter it I have to learn from my children. I have to quit worrying and live in the moment in the freedom of God.

Our Home Study

2010-04-15T07:51:00.001-05:00

In just a few hours a lady is coming to our house to conduct a "Home Study." It is protocol for adoption and foster care. First Mindy and I had to fill out a ton of papers. We had to write, individually, about each one of our kids strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. Then we had to fill out papers on our growing up, our parents, our families, and our own personalities and parenting styles. We also had to write, individually, about our marriage. Now this lady will come to our house for a few hours and interview Mindy, me, and the kids.

We have placed ourselves out in the open in hopes of adopting a child. We have opened our lives, thoughts, problems, hopes, fears, and weaknesses. The home study agency will then use this time of meeting with us to see if our written word matches up with our actions. You could say that they aren't taking us at our word, but they are coming to see if we walk the talk (or in this case - live like the words we wrote). (I wonder if this is what internet dating feels like :) !

So will our actions meet up with our words? They should. I am not worried about it. Mindy and I try very hard to be honest. We are honest with each other. We are honest with our kids. We are honest with ourselves. We are also trying to be our best. We try to do things right. We try to be the best parents that we can be. We try to have the best marriage we can have.

James chapter 2 says:

What good is it, my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

Someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

It's a hard thing when someone's words and actions don't match up. We all hate it. I try hard not be that guy. James says that if you have faith in God your life should look like it. Anyone should be able to see that you have faith in God simply by how you live your life.

If you are a Christian, does your life look a lot different than a non-christian? How?

Father wants Biology Book Ban

2010-04-08T06:31:00.002-05:00

This story caught my eye this morning. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/apr/04/father-wants-biology-book-ban/ This dad is going to be viewed as a bigot and narrowminded person. I think he is doing the right thing. He didn't rally everyone together to hate the school and call the school a "den of snakes" or anything like that. He didn't burn all the biology books or refuse to let his son attend class. He simply disagreed with a text book and brought it to the school board. Isn't that how it is supposed to work? I commend him (based on what I know from the story.) I wish more Christians would express their beliefs without having to overreact and hurt the cause. From the little excerpt that I saw I can see his dissatisfaction with the book.

This is from the quote:
On page 319 of the text, the authors describe creationism as “the biblical myth that the universe was created by the Judeo-Christian God in 7 days.”

There is definitely some bias there. :) By the way, the book is called, "Asking about life!"

You should be happy when your life sucks

2010-04-07T11:45:00.002-05:00

I have started my study on the Book of James for the 5 week sermon series.

The book starts with these words; "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of any kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

James starts the book with a clear indication of his answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?" In one verse this guy writes more meaning than I have in my entire life. Man, what is the purpose of life? I guess most Americans would agree that we are looking for happiness, peace, and security. None of those are bad things...inherently. I say this because that's what I feel. That what I see advertised on TV. That's what I hear shared for prayer requests, as well as what I share for prayer requests.

James then concludes his opening thought like this, "Perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

What is the purpose of life? I think that James is saying the purpose is to work through this life to become complete and mature, lacking nothing. So how is this unique to James and Christianity? Doesn't this sound like self-actualization or some forms of eastern religions? Do the best that you can in this life so that you can come back even better. Where is the separation? What unique perspective has James brought into the equation?

Let's look just a little bit further and James says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." You see James doesn't see a "coming back again" thing going on in life. He doesn't see an exultation of ourselves. He doesn't see us being able to complete ourselves or achieve peace on our own. He doesn't recommend us trying to persevere on our own. He doesn't allude to us being strong for the sake of ourselves. It has little to do with us.

It's about Christ. Once again - right? It's about the completeness that comes from a person being united with God. It comes from the relationship being made complete. It comes from us and our connection to God.

Why can we stand any trial? Only because of Christ's strength. Why have so many people died for the sake of Christ? Because they can't understanding living for any other reason.

The verses don't imply that God is the one causing us to go through the troubles. It does teach us that we can walk away stronger from each trial. Each bad think that comes our way can make us weaker or stronger.

My friend in high school, Cory Anderson, was super tough. He still is. We had a wrestling coach in Junior High that told Cory he would never amount to anything. He wasn't just talking about wrestling. (How a teacher can say that to a student blows my mind.) Cory could have been hurt by that and let it just eat at him. He could have become a victim to a jerk teacher. He could have let that prophecy be fulfilled. Not Cory.

Cory used that as motivation. He was an amazing wrestler. He was one of the strongest people I have known in real life. He was my wrestling partner and he is the reason that my nose is crooked and I can only breathe out of one nostril. Cory was tough. Very tough. Cory went to graduate school. Not bad for someone who "would never amount to anything."

So should we all be happy when our lives suck? No, not really. It's perfectly natural and acceptable to get beaten down and hurt. Sometimes the right thing to do is to just cry.

But, at some point, you must get back up. Count it all joy that God would care enough about you to let you live your life and make your own mistakes so that you can be on the journey to maturity. But even through that there are storms that will come that will be more than we can bear on our own. God promises to be with us in those storms. Any good parent knows that you must not always run to help your kids up. Sometimes it's best for them to pick themselves up and keep on moving. I would rather my kids have wonder, challenges, and adventures in life than look for empty happiness in the security of a good education, nice mortgage, happy job, and pointless existence.

Doing the Right Thing

2010-04-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

Mindy and I watched "Changeling" last night. I really didn't want to watch it, but I was tired so I assumed that I would fall asleep. The first 20-30 minutes was uninspiring and I was starting to give up on the movie and ready myself for a late night nap.

Then the movie started to follow two different stories. The police captain and the mom. The captan knows what he is doing is wrong, yet he continues to do it because he doesn't want to do the hard work of figuring out what's wrong. The mom goes the correct way and continues to search for the truth. She puts in the hard work that comes from living with integrity and doing the right thing.

The mother is hiding nothing. She has no regrets. She is searching only for the truth. She wants to know where her son is.

The captain continues down his wrong path and works within his corrupt police system in order to do cover his poor work. He is worried about image, his and the police force.

That alone is interesting and makes for a decent movie. It gets so much better though. The path that they both lead is amazing. His path messes up lives and really hurts people that he doesn't even know. His crappy work and lack of integrity leaves much more terrible crimes to happen. She moves with integrity and helps people along her path. Her path has integrity as she does the right thing even when it would be much easier for her to just give in. Her path heals people.

Our lives are so much like that. When we don't live with integrity we end up hurting people that we don't even know. We hurt those we love much worse.

When I sin my life begins to be consumed by that sin. For instance, when I lie my life begins to work around that lie. Because of that lie and then need to calculate who I told the lie to and who I will need to speak with in order to make sure that my lie will work out. I also need to keep track of that lie so as not to accidentally tell the truth or a different version of that lie to someone else. Now I am spending a lot of thought and emotional effort on that lie. I am then using my relationships with people in order to manipulate the person that I originally lied to. Now I have a fake part of my life that I have to take care of. It wasn't there and then it was. My lie has crept into my relationships and has hurt a lot of people.

How big is the lie? Don't know how big it was when it started, but it seems pretty big now.

Easier if I had never told that lie.

I understand good leadership to mean that you do the right thing over time and there is nothing that can not be accomplished. That principal works with money too. Do the right things consistently and you will succeed. Works the same in marriage. Works everywhere.

Do the right things consistently. When I move that way I am helping people. I am no longer using or manipulating people in order to get whatever it is I want. I am truly living. I am not controlled by my sin. I am doing the right thing because I want to be a person that does the right thing. I am doing the right thing so that I can have peace.

The movie was interesting. It showed (much better than I just did) what affect a life has on others. Because of the captain's cheap and easy actions he and the police force missed a much larger crime going on. I would recommend the movie.

So what do I mean by "doing the right thing?" That can be a hard question for many people. I understand that knowing what the right thing to do is what we call wisdom. I believe wisdom comes only from God. I believe that God gave us all the wisdom that we need in the Bible. The more that I understand the Bible and how it all builds on each different book and chapter, the easier it is for me to understand what "doing the right thing" means.

How do you know what that means? What is your truth source? Is it your intuition? Do you really believe that you are the wisest person to ever live? I am crazy arrogant and I don't even believe that!

How do you understand what is right? I see that only living in truth will lead to peace. Peace for me and peace for those around me.

Revelation Series Complete

2010-04-05T09:29:00.000-05:00

8 Sermons done. Hard to believe the series "kicked-off" on Superbowl Sunday. I finally feel like I have a decent grasp on the Book of Revelation. What has been a mystery to me my entire life is now a letter that I can read and see patterns, themes, and understand the images and what they represent.

All in all there is just under 4 hours of preaching on Revelation available on my podcast found here. If you would like more info I have two suggestions for you:

Start following the blog of Dr. Robert Lowery, a Professor at Lincoln Christian Seminary.

Read the book, Discipleship on the Edge, by Dr. Darrell Johnson.

Download all 8 sermons from my podcast or email me to get them on 4 CD's.

Up next? The Book of James.

April Fool's & Maundy Thursday

2010-04-01T06:58:00.000-05:00

How great is it that April Fool's Day and Maundy Thursday are the same day this year? (Maundy Thursday is the day we remember that the Last Supper and everything that went down in the Garden of Gethsemane.)

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

²²Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

I believe that God came down to earth in human from through Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus was fully God and fully human. I believe that he actually died and then came back from the dead. I believe in that one act, the Resurrection, that he was able to conquer death and provide everlasting life for those who would claim him as savior. Those who would then die to themselves, be buried in the waters of baptism, and then live their new lives with Him would receive the crown of eternal life.

That sounds ridiculous! Seriously. It is foreign. It is not something that you can experience through your 5 sense. I know that.

But how did we become human? Why are you alive? How do you know that you are alive? Why does your heart break? Why do you love someone? The last one is the kicker for me.

I struggled with the origin of the universe. I finally concluded that it takes faith to believe anything. I choose to believe that my wife actually loves me. I choose to believe that my parents are my real parents and that they love me. I choose to believe that there is a God who loves me as well. I choose to believe that I was created and that the world was created. If I believe that then I must start to believe the rest of the Bible as well. So I believe that there is a Heaven and that there is a Hell. I believe that all people will be separated at the end of their lives. I believe those that have chosen Jesus as their Lord and Savior will spend eternity with him. I believe Heaven is unimaginably amazing. (For more - listen to my podcast on Heaven from 3/28/10). I believe people actually go to hell if they have not placed belief in Jesus Christ.

I know it sounds foolish, but if we all talk on a basic level like this, we will all sound foolish. When I talk about why I love my wife I sound like an idiot too!

Proverbs 22:6

2010-03-27T20:29:00.000-05:00

It was my turn to give the devotion for our Upwords Basketball League today. I gave the same devotion 4 times at the half time of each game. I proudly donned my Nebraska Cornhuskers 2009 season Coaches Shirt (black). It was only the second set of games that we had so there had only been one other devotion given.

I decided to go with Proverbs 22:6. It went something like this:

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it." We don't really have to much trouble with the first part of that. It makes sense. We know that kids need to be trained. We have all seen kids that live around our neighborhood that need to be trained. We understand that we need to help our kids understand how to function in this world and be successful in life.

But the verse doesn't stop there. What about "in the way that they should go?" I have a friend by the name of Dave. When he was in his 40's his junior-high aged son loved football. He went out for football but he was very small. Most smaller kids are fast. Well Dave's son was really small and slow. Those do not make for a good football player. Dave encouraged his son to try wrestling. He didn't really want to, but Dave got him to try. His son ended being a state champion wrestler when he was in high school. Had he stayed with football and not tried wrestling he would have never tasted that gold medal feeling. His dad "trained him in the way that he should go."

All kids have been given talents by God to be extraordinary. Each kid is full of God-given potential. As parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends - are we helping train kids in the way that is best for them? We need to help them find their strengths and help them see how God has uniquely made them.

Heaven

2010-03-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

There are lots of songs that deal with Heaven. The best, of course, is Guns & Roses "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." This was first performed by Bob Dylan and then covered again by Eric Clapton. Clapton wrote "Tears in Heaven" after the tragic death of his son. Everyone from aging rocker Bryan Adams to Warrant, to the Los Lonely Boys have discussed Heaven in some way. Kenny Chesney stated that "Everyone wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to go now."

So what is Heaven? Is it a lot like earth, but better? Is it a place where we sit on clouds and play harps? Will we know other people in Heaven? Is Heaven boring, because all the fun people are in Hell?

What are your thoughts on Heaven? What have you been told that you believe or don't believe?

This will also be my facebook status to see if there are any responses there. Please tell me what you have heard.

Tim Boyd

Create Your Badge

Healthcare

2010-03-22T08:29:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to a post by a guy I went to high school with. He is a Catholic Priest. We are different, but a few things remain the same. http://whitearoundthecollar.blogspot.com/2010/03/heath-care-reform-repost-of-old-homily.html

"Life" on Discovery

2010-03-21T21:08:00.000-05:00

So I am watching "Life" on the Discovery channel. The video is amazing. It is really great that these people were able to get, probably, the greatest events in the world captured so that everyone can watch it. The thing that is really bothering me is the audio. It is all about ingenuity and adaptability. It is all about evolution. There is no reference to "created" or "creation" or anything to do with the God who created all these amazing animals.

I guess that sounds about right. Humans are so amazed at themselves. We, as a society, think that we have risen to the top and are the best of the best. We believe that there is nothing better than us. We are the geniuses that have survived. We are the adaptable ones. That is a lie.

We are created in the image of God, by God. All these animals are a testament to the amazingness of the Creator. Amazing video, but they have really missed the point. That's too bad. I'll bet there are a lot of people watching this that believe life is all about adapting and ingenuity. That life is all about survival.

It is all about survival if we are fighting a force that will kill, steal, and destroy. Of course Jesus came to give us life, and life to the full. The creators of "Life" have missed out on real life. Too bad.

Wedding Clothes

2010-03-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

To prepare for the sermon on Revelation chapter 19 I have been reading about ancient wedding customs. It's really interesting. We have lots of wedding customs and some weddings are very lavish. There are huge weddings with large wedding parties that make it to TV. But they aren't even close to the standard of Weddings a few millenia ago.

This understanding will also help us read through all the wedding language that Jesus spoke in.

So here's a quick taste of how a wedding, marriage, and party went.

1. The groom would leave his father's house and go to the bride's house.
2. The groom would pay a "purchase" price to the father for his new bride.
3. They would then drink wine from a cup to legalize this and make a new covenant.
4. The man and woman were then legally married, but the husband would return to his own father's house in order to set up a room for him and his wife. This may take up to a YEAR!
5. The bride was betrothed and would be a widow if the husband died in this time. She was "set apart" which is also what "holy" means.
6. The groom would return with his wedding party to pick up the bride at her dad's house and she would come out with her maidens.
7. They would then go to the wedding party which would be 7-14 days in length! They knew how to party!
8. At the wedding feast they would have robes that they were supposed to wear (they being everyone involved and invited).

This sure makes the parables about weddings and several things that Jesus said about covenants mean a lot more to me.

-Jesus' first miracle is at a wedding and he turns water into wine. Notice point #3.
-Read Matthew 22:1-14, seems to make more sense with points #6-#8.
-John 14:2 seems to take on more significance looking at point #4.

The background of the metaphor sure helps tie a lot of the New Testament together.

Kingdom of Heaven in "Fidelity" By Regina Spektor

2010-03-12T12:57:00.000-06:00

Music is a language all it's own and it fascinates me. I have no musical ability. I can not hear music and pick out anything. I can barely distinguish between the sound of the piano and the guitar. When God was giving us gifts, music was not one that came to me. That's fine. I don't have to make it or understand to be moved by it. The song that has recently been playing in my head is Fidelity by Regina Spektor. The first verse goes like this:

I never loved nobody fully

Always one foot on the ground

And by protecting my heart truly

I got lost in the soun

I hear in my mind

All these voices

I hear in my mind all these words

I hear in my mind all this music

What a sad and beautiful statement. I can not fully love my wife if I have a back-up plan. When I asked her to marry me, I laid it all out there. I didn't tell her to think about and come back to me if she thinks nothing better would come along. I think that's why our marriage is almost to 10 years and going so well. I did not keep one foot on the ground. I went head over heels.

The same is true in my relationship with Jesus. I fell in love completely with him. He would die for me just the way that I am. He would come down from Heaven to the earth to be with me, teach me about life, and save me. He went in all or nothing. The act of dying on the cross is a desperate act. It is desperate in that Jesus went all or nothing. There was a lot of prophecy and deliverance that God was bringing to people in the Old Testament. He tried and tried and tried. He brought about his wrath to bring about redemption. He brought about his grace and deliverance to bring about redemption. His efforts stretch as far as the universe that he created.

And yet we are still afraid to trust him with our lives. We live as if we have to have "one foot on the ground." That is no way to live life. There is no back-up plan. It is all or nothing. It is head over heals. It is full engagement with the redeeming King from Nazareth. The lion, the lamb, the king of kings, the prince of peace, and the redeemer of our lives.

Are you all or nothing? Am I living all or nothing? How am I (or you) living life with a back-up plan?

Why must we have one foot on the ground? Doesn't that sound eerily close to the Kingdom of this Earth and the Kingdom of Heaven? Satan is the prince of the kingdom of the earth and Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven. Revelation 19 shows us that Jesus wins the war without ever fighting. As a matter of fact, he gave himself up so that he could win from the inside.

I never loved nobody fully

Always one foot on the ground

And by protecting my heart truly

I got lost in the sounds

I hear in my mind

All these voices

I hear in my mind all these words

I hear in my mind all this music

It's easy to talk ourselves out of taking risky chances. It's easy to rationalize. It's hard to really go for it. Don't settle.

Another reason my small town is better than your big city

2010-03-09T14:00:00.002-06:00

Oh Cowden - you rule! We are taking a little loss on the sale of our house so we need to get a small personal loan to cover the loss. We are hoping to pay it all off by this fall. Anywho...

So Mindy calls Bank of America this morning and talks with them for more than 30 minutes and is transferred 6 times!!!! No one was able to answer her simple question.

So I walked to down to the bank. Yah, I walked to the bank. Stepped in to an office and explained my situation face-to-face in about 3 minutes. He replied that they could help. I asked how long it would take and he said, "How long do you want it to take?" So I am going to see what the final balance is after the sale is finalized and walk to the bank and get the loan. This all (walk included) took about 15 minutes.

Cowden is better than your town. I don't really even care what your town is. Cowden is better. I thoroughly endorse our local Shelby County Bank and living in a small town. There are a few houses available around here - so if you can, you should probably move here. I also know of a wonderful church that you would love to have you join!

A Unique Wedding

2010-03-09T10:30:00.000-06:00

This past Friday I had the honor of performing a wedding for our next-door neighbors. They asked me on the previous Friday if I could come talk to them. Then they preceded to ask me if I would officiate their wedding. I asked them how they met, why they wanted to get married, and when they were hoping to do the ceremony. The story was very atypical and wonderful.

My neighbors knew each other a long time ago and their lives went on different paths. A few years ago he was working in another state and making decent money. He was part owner of a small construction company and he was building houses when the economy was doing very well. He said that his life was very lonely and he hated going home to his empty house.

Her story was one of heartbreak and dreams unfulfilled. She is a very giving woman and takes care of her children. She needed to get away for a while and her friend suggested that they go out and see him. They went out there and he says that his life all of the sudden seemed to matter again. He said that the first day she was there that the sun started shining in his world. He said instantly he wasn't lonely.

So....

He left his house and his good job to move across four states to be with her. He told her that he was only happy when he was around her and that all the money in the world wasn't worth it. He traded everything he had to be with her.

Their is a story in the Bible about a man who buys pearls. He is out looking one day and we pick the story up in Matthew 13:46, "When he found of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

The Bible story is not about finding true love. But the story of the man leaving everything that he had to marry my neighbor is a story that mirrors what is taking place in the Bible here. He is willing to sell all the emptiness of his life and to leave everything that seems to be a good thing to cash in on the great thing. He would rather be with her than have a great job.

That makes me think about risk. What am I holding on to that is good, but isn't great? What am I pursuing in my life that is good that is holding me back from pursing the best?

They got married last Friday. She has trouble believing that he loves her that much. He does. He has proved it. He is here. They are married and they love each other.

What a great story huh?

Hacked!

2010-03-08T08:33:00.004-06:00

Hey my blogger account got hacked this morning. I had to change my password and there were google ads all over. Interesting.

Getting to the Podcast

2010-03-08T08:33:00.001-06:00

Go to www.Cowdenchurch.org then click on "podcast" at the top of the page. Then look for the "subscribe" button. From there you will easily be able to connect to the podcast. I am sorry about moving around so much, but the free place quit working, then this place wants to charge me. Now I am moving it to iTunes so that it will be free and it is the most recognized format.

My God Provides: Part 2

2010-03-05T14:33:00.000-06:00

My last blog entry was on Monday and that was one of the toughest days that I have had in a loooong time. Mindy and I realized that we simply could not pay our mortgage for another month. We needed to sell the house. We have been trying to sell the house for 11 months. We have had over 150 showings. We have been paying the mortgage 500 miles away for 7 months. It has burnt through so much money each month. We have not had an offer on it. That was Monday.

Then came Tuesday. We got an offer on our house. No joke. 11 months no offer. 150 showings no offer. Then the day after we realize we simply can not go on we get an offer. My God provides. I wrote those words, my God provides, on Tuesday morning before we accepted the offer on our house. My God provides.

Unbelievable. That was the only word I could say all day Wednesday. Wednesday was the day we got the contract signed for the house. It was Gracie's 7th birthday. We heard great news from our friend who has been out of work since Christmas. We heard incredible news about the church - the kind I can't share here yet (just wait, it will come!) We heard incredible news about another friend - the kind I can't share here yet either! MY GOD PROVIDES!!!!!

My God Provides

2010-03-02T11:25:00.000-06:00

What good is a blog if you won't share your personal story? Here is the tension that I have been living with for a while now. Please understand that I don't spend a lot of my time griping and feeling sorry for myself. I don't make it a habit to whine about money and then get people to give it to me. Outside of my time in high school I don't think that money has ever really been that important to me. With that said...

I understand that I am rich (relatively speaking). I can eat food and drink clean water. I sleep on a comfortable bed with a roof over my head. I own two vehicles. I can clothe my family. I have heating and air conditioning available.

I also understand that I do not have as much money as I would like. My family has not been on a "real" vacation. Ever. We rely on special gifts from people and Christmas time to shop for clothes. My wife watches sales like crazy to stock up on clothes for the kids. My wife spends about $10 on jeans per year. She has an amazing ability to dress very well and spend little to no money. She uses that ability to take care of our family. This is not a sob story.

I look at Mindy and I understand that she deserves the best that the world has to offer. She is beautiful and has a wonderful personality. She is very popular and cares deeply for people. She will live with very little and never complain. She deserves to be well dressed and well cared for. I can not provide that for her. She will never own a beach house or yacht. Don't feel bad for me.

I look at my daughter Grace and I understand that she deserves more than I can possibly provide for her. I don't know if there is a cuter 7 year old on the planet. She is outgoing and loves to be around people. She deserves to have access to more than I can give her. She should dress as well as she looks. Her outer beauty should reflect her inner beauty.

I look at my only son Willy and I see a blossoming man who deserves more than I can buy him. Every cowboy needs a horse and I wish I had a Wii so that he could play all the shooting games that he could ever want to.

I look at my youngest daughter Eden and see a beautiful young lady who should have only the best toys. She should have all the baby clothes, cribs, and strollers that money can buy. I can not provide those for her.

I said earlier that money has never really meant too much to me. It only bothers me when I think of my family. I can not provide for them all of the things I want to give them. I can not give them all the material things that I would like to give them or for them to have.

I may not be able to buy my wife a diamond bracelet (or diamond anything), but I can give her a faithful and supportive husband. I can do the dishes without complaining. I can be a man of honor who does not look at porn on the internet or a man who has unhealthy relationships with other women. I can give her a husband that she deserves.

I may not be able to buy my daughter all the clothes that would look so cute on her, but I can teach her how do develop her gift of loving people. I can teach her how to be the best friend that she could possibly be. I can teach her what love is supposed to be so that some boy won't come along and ruin her life.

I may not be able to provide an ATV for my son Will, but I can teach him what it means to be a man. I can teach him how to stand up for those who can not stand. I can teach him how to be a voice for those who have ho voice.

I may not be able to give my youngest daughter Eden all the toys that I would like her to have, but I can show her that she is beautiful the way that God made her. I can teach her that her value is found in Jesus Christ and not in her looks.

I can teach my family that true happiness comes only from God and not from stuff. I am not sure why all the financial troubles are hitting my family like they are, but I can do my best to help my family have faith that God will take care of us.

My God provides. I may never have the money that I would like to have for my family. That's not what they need though. They need me to be the best husband, daddy, pastor, and follower of Jesus Christ that I can possibly be. Thank you God that you provide for us. (As I wrote that last sentence the sun came out for the first time today here in Lincoln, Il). Thank you God that you heard me.

Revelation Podcast - Seals, Trumpets, Bowls Part 4 of 7

2010-03-01T07:31:00.002-06:00

The easiest way to get this podcast is to have iTunes and go to the podcast page here. Then click subscribe and the rest should just take care of itself.

3 Flat Screen Tv's...and...faith?

2010-02-25T11:04:00.000-06:00

We have four televisions in our house. We have a 42 inch LCD in the living room. It's hanging, like a picture, over the fireplace. That's the one where we will watch movies together. The kids get it all day and mommy and daddy can use it after the kids go to bed. We have a 32 inch LCD in the master bedroom. That is where Mindy can watch TV at times throughout the day and it's the TV that Mindy and I get to watch mostly. There is a TV upstairs in the kids room that doesn't have cable, just a DVD player connected to it. That brings us to the dining room.

We had an old 13 inch TV in there and the sound has finally gone out. There is just a cable box sitting there. On Monday I had Eden(2) and Will(4) with me and we headed to the doctor. Before we got there we stopped at Walmart and I decided to look at TV's. There are so many TV's there. I looked at the smaller ones because I wanted to replace the broken TV. I picked out a Vizio 19inch and put it in my cart. We then went to look at toys. I could not quit thinking that I needed to just put the TV back and get rid of the cable box. So we would then go from 4 TV's to just 3. From 3 cable boxes to just 2. I decided to put the TV back and I instantly felt great. I felt a bit of freedom. I had decided to buy something and then decided that I didn't need or want it. I was able to control my decision making. I didn't need that TV.

I got home and told Mindy what I did and she said, "Good, we don't need a TV there." Grace got home from school and asked where the TV was. I told it didn't work so I threw it away. She didn't care. No one has complained about the lack of TV in the dining room. No one. So why was it even there?

As I was putting the TV back on the shelf I thought to myself that it would be ridiculous to buy that TV when we have been asking people to send us money to help fund our international adoption. I am acting in a way contrary to what I believe - I am being a hypocrite. So I stopped. By God's grace and strength, I stopped.

The two days after that event things started going with the adoption process. We got lots of encouragement from God through various friends, new and old.

So, am I saying that saying no to the TV was saying yes to God's direction with the adoption? Yes. I absolutely am saying that. What follows faith and obedience? Blessing.

My Podcast is on iTunes now

2010-02-22T09:08:00.000-06:00

As of this morning there are 35 people listening to my podcast. It is now available on iTunes. It would be easier to subscribe to it there. In the next few weeks I will end the podbean podcast. They have a small free trial and then you must pay. Using Garageband, iWeb, and iTunes I can make my podcast for free. So you may have to change where you are subscribing. Email me tboyd@cowdenchurch.org if you need help with that.

Consumerism drives entertainment

2010-02-22T08:53:00.000-06:00

TV programs don't exist without commercials. Commercials don't exist without people wanting to sell things. Most commercials are for nonessential items (consumerism). People don't sell things if people aren't interested in buying things.

Our culture is driven by television. Friends, Seinfeld, and all the other 30 minute programs become peoples perception of reality. Of course there is "reality" programming like The Real World, Road Rules, The Bachelor, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and tons more. The more we watch TV and don't interact with people in real life, the more we believe that life is what a producer shows us on TV. In turn entertainment is creating culture. Consumerism is driving the entertainment through the sale of ads. With no ads, there is no television, unless it is subscription based.

It's an interesting cycle. I wonder who came up with the idea of selling ad time to fund producing the show. Did it start in radio or some other form of media?

I like thinking through this stuff. Consumerism is so far reaching that it's hard to even recognize it most of the time. It's such a part of life in America that it is hard to battle against. You can't win a battle if you don't see the enemy.

How else does consumerism shape us?

The Greatest Event in the History of the World!

2010-02-20T08:36:00.001-06:00

The slain lamb is standing on the throne!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow I am teaching on Revelation chapters 4 and 5. John is welcomed into the throneroom of Heaven. No one has ever seen in here. This revelation to John is groundbreaking. John is up in the throneroom and he sees some peculiar things. There are animals with eyes all over them and there are 24 elders who are on thrones and wearing crowns.

There are four animals that represent all animals. There is the lion that represents all the wild animals of creation. There is an ox which represents all the domesticated animals of creation. There is an eagle that is representative of all the birds of creation. Then there is a human who represents...well you get the point. Then there are 24 elders which is eerily close to the 12 tribes of the Old Testament and the 12 disciples added together. The 24 represents all the people of God in all of time. They are all there worshiping the one who is on the throne. Who is it? It is the slain lamb that is able to open the 7th seal.

What is the 7th seal? This is our discussion on February 28th.

Why are they worshiping? Because Jesus ALONE is worthy to open the 7th seal. They looked and no one on earth or under the earth was found who could do it. All of humanity was under the oppression of satan and death. Jesus alone is worthy. Jesus conquered and therefore saved us from death and the oppression of satan.

Hallelujah thine the glory! If you are around FCC-Cowden come to the worship service tomorrow. We are celebrating the Greatest Event in Human History! We will have a powerful worship experience as we hear and see the revelation given to John.

18 Podcast Subscribers....really?

2010-02-19T06:29:00.000-06:00

Hey there are 18 subscribers to the church podcast. Found here: http://timboyd.podbean.com/ The world is so much different than when I was in High school. I listen to two podcasts every week and I love them.

Mars Hill - Rob Bell

Southland - John Weece

There teaching and study styles are very different. I like the balance of them both. Being a restoration guy I really like Weece's straight-forward style. Being a music lover I really appreciate Bell's artistry in his sermons. They are edifying and enriching to me. If you have time and an iPod I would suggest that you add those two guys. (I can not believe that anyone would want to subscribe to my podcast! That's funny.)

Yours not mine

2010-02-16T07:40:00.000-06:00

I have been dealing with selfishness a lot lately. My selfishness. Mindy and I had a pretty long conversation about things yesterday. It was very good and very hard. Selfishness has been on my mind for a long time (not intended as a joke, but works well as one!) I heard a sermon where a guy said that all sin is selfishness. We are putting ourselves, our problems, our passions, and our selves in front of others.

Jesus famous statement: Love the Lord your God with everything that you have and love your neighbor as yourself. But Jesus, who is my neighbor? Oh. Right. Everyone (including my wife and kids). Hmmm.

So in my car this morning God spoke words into my heart. "Yours, not mine." Everything is God's meaning that everything is not mine.

My wife....yours, not mine.
My daughter Grace....yours, not mine.
My son Willy....yours, not mine.
My daughter Eden....yours, not mine.
My sermon....yours, not mine.
My church....yours, not mine.
My job....yours, not mine.
My giftedness....yours, not mine.
My house....yours, not mine.
My clothes....yours, not mine.

As I was passing through Decatur I was praying this and as I turned to come to Lincoln God opened my eyes further.

My selfishness....yours, not mine.
My burdens....yours, not mine.
My lack of patience....yours, not mine.
My insecurity....yours, not mine.
My disappointment in myself....yours, not mine.
My feelings of being overwhelmed....yours, not mine.
My sin....yours, not mine.
My sin....yours, not mine.
My sin and everything that comes with it....yours, not mine.

God thank you. It is all yours, not mine. The good and the bad are all yours, not mine. Thank you for sharing with me. Thank you for being with me in every area of my life and heart. Thank you for speaking to me when I don't seem to every shut my mouth.

Try the prayer. It may not be God's word to you right now. It certainly is timely for me and it is a prayer that I will continue for quite a while. Thank you God.

The Revelation Podcast: Part 2 of 7

2010-02-15T07:37:00.000-06:00

Here is the link to the podcast site: http://timboyd.podbean.com/

Here are my notes about the seven churches in Asia:

Why 7 churches

There were 7 churches that John wrote to in Asia. This was literal because he names them. This was also figurative because the number 7 represents perfection.
So John is writing to the people of his day and to all people in all places that are in all churches.
Today we are going to look at the problems that Jesus saw in all churches. Literally with the 7 churches and figuratively with the representation of the churches. Does this make sense?

If the Bible is alive, like we believe, than it should have something to say to us right now. It had something to say to those churches around 80 AD. It had something to say to every christian church that has been around since then. See why Revelation should not be avoided?
Darrell Johnson states, “It turns out that the 7 churches in Asia embody every major issue with which the church has struggled in every age in every culture.”

Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)

City of 250,000
Center of town was a humongous church for Diana (the greek goddess of hunting and fertility, as well as the moon). (Insert joke here). Every building in town as well as every coin they had had a palm leaf on it. That was her symbol.
They believed that she was born outside of town in a grove of palm trees. They called the grove paradise and the tree “the tree of life.” Sound familiar?
Jesus introduces himself as the one who holds the seven stars. He identifiies himself as the one with all the power.
The Ephesian church had forgotten their first love. Jesus tells them to repent, and turn back to their first love, then they will eat every day from the tree of life and be with him in real paradise.

Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)

Was located on a hill and had buildings around the peak. People called it the crown of smyrna.
The town was leveled by Alexander the Great and rebuilt. Then it was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt. People called it the city that died twice.
Jesus introduces himself as the first and last and the one who has come back to life.
The church in Smyrna is getting destroyed. Jesus tells them that it will get worse before it gets better. The reign of Domitian was a sad time in the history of the church. Never before and never after were Christians so persecuted. Domitian killed Christians in sport. He sought to destroy them so that all would worship him. He hung Christians like lamps around his palace.
Jesus tells them that I know things are tough. I feel your pressure and your pain. Then he tells them that they will not be hurt by the second death.

For the Christian the first death is baptism. It is being buried with Christ and then raised from the dead. The second death takes us to Heaven.
For the unsaved the first death is death from this world and the second death is eternity in hell.

Jesus tells them that the second death will have no pain.

Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17)

Pergamum was known as the city of the sword. They were under Roman law. Jesus introduces himself as the one who’s words are sharp double edged swords.
In the center of town they had “The Throne of Zeus.” It was 120 ft wide, 112 ft long, and 18ft tall. They did animal sacrifices on it all day every day. Jesus tells them to stop eating from the table of Satan.
Then Jesus offers them the manna from heaven. Stop eating the meat sacrificed to idols and eat the bread (the life) of Jesus.
Don’t worry about the sword of satan, worry about the sword of JUDGEMENT.
The word Parchment comes from the name of the town Pergamum. They had so many books and ideas that they had become foolish to God and wise to the world. Jesus says his words are like swords that will cut through the popular wisdom of the day. We live there today.

Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29)

Jesus introduces himself as the Son of God - Domitian told everyone to call him the son of god. This is the only place in revelation Jesus calls himself that. Comprimise can lead to death as well.
Eyes are like burning fire and feet like glowing bronze.
Jesus will never change and he is not ever leaving. This world is his dominion. He reigns and in the rest of Revelation we see how he will win.
The poeple of the town are in bed with another woman. Christ is a jealous lover. He wants all or nothing. They are worshipping him along with other gods.
Jesus states that he will strike them dead and people will know who the true king is.
He promises them the morning star. The morning star comes up in the darkness and ushers in the morning. The morning is coming.

Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

History holds that the city of Sardis was twice invaded by outside armies and the army of Sardis fell asleep on their wall.
To them Jesus says “Wake up!”
The church of Sardis is busy. They feel like they are successful. They have lots of programs and lots of people. Things are busy and busy is always good. Nope. They believe that they are alive when in fact they are dead.
Jesus introduces himself as the one who holds the 7 spirits of God and the 7 stars of the churches. If he will bring his hands together God will be with the church. That should be our prayer.

Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)

Wealthiest city. They were destroyed in 61 by an earthquake and Rome said they would pay to fix it. The people of Laodicea turned down the money. That’s like New Orleans saying, “Nah, we got it.”
Laodicea was known for high fashion and medical schools.

2 doctors from that town invented a medicine for the eyes
There were sheep found there that had black and purple tinted wool. They were the center for fashion.

They were also known for two different natural springs that came to the city. There was a cold water spring that flowed from Colosse to Laodicea and a boiling hot water spring that flowed from Heropolis. They were pumped into town and by the time the water got there is a putred luke warm stinky water.
Jesus tells them some very funny things.

Stop being lukewarm. Either get on the boat or get off the boat.
Cover your nakedness
Open your eyes
I rebuke and discipline those I love. God working on your life? That’s better than God giving up on you. A throne is your reward. Heaven is your reward. Hell is without God.

Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13)

Oh Philly! Here we are. The only church mentioned that is not giving a warning from Jesus.
This one we will read
Read Revelation 3:7-13
His name will be written on a pillar. If someone had served their city well they would be given a pillar with their name on it in a temple somewhere. Kind of like “He was a pillar of society.” Jesus gives us the promise that our names can be pillars on the new city.

My Valentine

2010-02-14T00:01:00.001-06:00

Mindy Boyd is the love of my life. We met in college and got married pretty young. I was 21 and she was 19. In many ways we have grown up together. We now have three kids and are praying for one more. We have lived several different places (Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois). She encouraged me to go back to school last year.

She is my strength when I am weak. She is the most important person in my life.

There are two stages of my life. There was my life before meeting Mindy and my life after meeting Mindy. I love her with all of my heart and I thank God each morning that she is my wife.

Pride leads to Insecurity

2010-02-11T11:15:00.000-06:00

Still working this one through in my head.

When we are secure in ourselves and not realizing our dependance on God we begin to be filled with pride. This may not be the huge pride that is obvious to anyone or really to ourselves either. It is the pride where we don't lean on God, but just take care of things by ourselves. It's not the, "I don't need God!" It's more like, "I guess I didn't think I needed God to help me with this." "I can do this myself." We start to squeeze God out of that part and we start to squeeze God out of the bigger parts. Someone very intelligent once said that God must be in the small parts of our lives or we will never let him in the big parts.

That pride leads to selfishness. Our focus becomes ourself. It's not the 2 year old kid selfishness. It's the selfishness where we are always thinking and talking about ourselves. It may be seen by others but doesn't have to be.

Of course, selfishness leads to insecurity. We get so wrapped up in thinking about ourselves that we become insecure and try to protect our own interests and protect ourself from others who may be trying to hurt or manipulate us.

Security in ourselves leads to insecurity. Security in God leads to true security.

Reaction to: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" Sermon Series

2010-02-09T08:57:00.001-06:00

There is no other sermon series that I could preach that would pique the interest that Revelation has. Since Sunday I have heard some interesting comments:

Q: "Hey Tim are you recording these messages?" Really? Has anyone ever listened to their own pastor preach a sermon in the internet?

Q: "Why did you pick to teach the book of Revelation so early (in your time here)?" No one would ask my why I picked to teach on the book of Philippians so early. :)

One person is avoiding coming to church because of the sermon series.

One person is attending church because of the sermon series.

"I have been so excited for you to teach on Revelation!" Ha! No one has come up to me after a Christmas sermon and said the same thing.

"I wasn't looking forward to this sermon series." That may be my favorite (you know who you are)!

I think its awesome that there is still a book of the Bible that makes most people uneasy or (at least) interested. No one has been upset with me or disagreed with me yet. Of course it is only Tuesday morning and the series started just 48 hours ago.

Revelation is beautiful. I did not realize that until I started reading the study books. I was scared of the book and didn't understand what it meant. The Pastor of the first church that I worked at told me to avoid teaching on Revelation. You would never hear a Pastor tell you to avoid teaching on the book of Romans.

I guess we will see how it goes. If you go to church with me - I think we are on an interesting ride and I wonder what God has in store for us. If you don't go to church with me - ask your Pastor to preach on Revelation and see how he reacts. :)

By the way - I think that picture is really funny. The images in Revelation aren't meant to be seen. They are heard and then understood. We are to get them with our ears not with our eyes. Hmm...

Podcast

2010-02-08T15:40:00.001-06:00

Hey - I got a new podcast. The current sermon is from this week and it lays the ground rules for understanding the book of Revelation.

Podcast

2010-02-08T14:58:00.003-06:00

Gcast cancelled their services - so I am currently looking for a new podcasting place. Thanks for your patience.

Revelation :: Ground Rules

2010-02-06T10:00:00.001-06:00

As we look at the book of Revelation let’s take some time to understand to lay down some ground rules. There are a lot of misconceptions and sloppy studies to this book.

This book was written to someone. It was not written to us. We must see what this book meant to the people it was written to.

The word antichrist is not mentioned in the book of Revelation. The word apocalypse does not mean the end of the world. It is the word “apocolypsis” and is a meshing of two greek words; “apoco” which means away from and “lypsis” which means “a veil.” It literally means the pulling back of a veil. When Jesus died the curtain in the temple was torn. Now the veil is being pulled back.

This book is part of the Bible. It does not stand alone. Out of the 404 verses of the book of Revelation there are over 500 references to Old Testament imagery.

This book is written to visual learners. Just like us, different phrases had meaning that would only be understood to them. They say that American-English is the hardest language to master, because there are so many different phrases that don’t make sense to people not from our culture.

For instance

Jump on the bandwagon
Knock on wood
Let the cat out of the bag
long in the tooth
armed to the teeth
brand spanking new
break a leg
face the music
roll with the punches
cut the mustard
Keep your pants on

These phrases give us a visual image so that conveys an idea. They are called metaphors and every one of us uses these each day. The people of the time of Revelation were no different. They had phrases and some are from the Old Testament that would mean something different than what you and I would guess. We need to understand their “language.”

Objects - In chapter one there is a sword coming out of a mouth. In that day if you carried a sword you had power. A sword coming out of a mouth is not literal, it is a metaphor meaning that Jesus’ words have great power. They are not like the words of a man. In the beginning was the “word.”

Numbers - 7 in the OT was the number of God and number of perfection. The triune God’s number was 777 (meaning perfection.) If someone would come and the number assigned them was 666 that would mean that they are not quite God. The number 12 represents people. There were 12 tribes in the OT and 12 disciples in the new. That’s not a coincidence.

Events - volcanoes, earthquakes, seas swallowing up. If we were to pick up a newspaper and read the headline “Hornets crush Indians.” We would read that and assume that Cowden- Herrick beat Altamont. We would guess that would be in the sports section. What if it was in the International News section? We would get a picture of huge hornets the size of helicopters crushing people. We have to read the book in context.

Creatures - If you opened the newspaper and you saw a picture of a donkey crying and an elephant celebrating? The republicans defeated the democrats. The same thing was happening in Revelation. There are creatures that represent different things.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ :: References

2010-02-05T09:50:00.000-06:00

So this Sunday will be the start of my Revelation series. I am very excited. I am actually way more excited than I thought I would be. It really feels like Christmas is just two days away. I have been preparing for this message series for over a month now. Each week I will try and post some of the key ideas that I preached about the previous Sunday. First off let me get to my references:

Hughes, Philip - The Book of Revelation
Johnson, Darrell - Discipleship on the Edge
Lowery, Robert - Blog
Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Peterson, Euguene - Reversed Thunder
Weece, John - Message Series on Revelation in September - October 2009

Discipleship on the Edge is my book of choice. Peterson's book is wonderful but somewhat over my head. Johnson's is more understandable. If you are wishing to read just one book on Revelation I would heartily recommend Discipleship on the Edge.

Seasonal Depression

2010-01-28T08:11:00.000-06:00

Every January I get down. A few years ago we decided it was a lack of vitamin D. It's the vitamin you get from the sun that makes you happier in the summer. So I started taking Vitamin D.

Recently I have been down. I don't really show it to anyone but my wife. I blame it on whatever seems to be happening that day or week. I think I know what the problem is.

My depression comes from selfishness. I start to get sad and I start to close myself off from spending time with people. I start to become a time-czar. "I don't want to have anyone over because I never have a chance to just sit and do nothing!" What a stupid phrase and what a stupider thought. I always feel better when we have people over to our house. (And who actually wants to do nothing?)

Depression comes from self-focus. Self-focus fades into self-interest and then into selfishness. Selfishness lends itself to insecurity, lack of trust, and lack of faith in others. Then I start to feel like other people are being selfish. (Hey Pot! The kettle called.)

I finally came out of that pattern some time this week. I don't think any one thing triggered it. I'm glad that I came out of it after only a couple of weeks.

When we focus on others life is much better. That seems like a Kingdom of Heaven principle to me. Jesus said that the law and prophets (the old testament) can be summed up like this: Love God with everything that you are and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. So when Jesus says in John 10:10 that he has come to give us life to the full he is continuing that thought. How has he come to do this? Well, he taught us what we need to know. We do have to take the time to read it though.

Our other Blog

2010-01-25T08:53:00.000-06:00

Mindy and I have a blog about our international adoption journey. You might want to check it out.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Right now Tim and I are watching the program to raise funds for Haiti. My heart is breaking looking at all the children who have lost their parents. In one orphanage they had 200 babies. These are God's babies with no one to love them as they deserve. Watching this program puts a burning desire in me to do something now. I want our son home now with us. I want to hold these babies in my arms and rock them. Maybe God is tugging at your heart about adoption. Maybe He has just planted a seed deep in there. If God is knocking at your heart don't shut Him out because the journey seems so old and long. Keep praying.
We are at 640 dollars still. Only 98% more to go. = ) Please pray that the money continues to come in. We will be sending out the second set of letters to people who live close to our home. Please pray that right now God begins to soften their heart and that they listen if God is calling them to give. Help Tim and I to know what God wants us to do next. We can either start right away with the home study and start applying for grants OR we can wait to raise the whole amount before we start anything else. We want to know 100% what God's timing is for this journey.
On a different note our dear friend did find out it is cancer, but are still waiting to find out what the next step will be. Please continue to pray for patience and strength.

Thanks again for reading this and praying for us. We so deeply need your prayers.

http://boydsadoption.blogspot.com/2010/01/right-now-tim-and-i-are-watching.html

Comparisons

2010-01-13T07:25:00.000-06:00

I used to spend a lot of time comparing myself to other people. I see that in my kids now. They want to see who is the fastest, who is the smartest, who is the tallest, etc. It gets so out of hand that they have adopted one of the phrases that Mindy and I say to them all the time, "It's not a competition." You know which one says it the most? It's the one who is losing. :)

I still compare myself to people all the time. I'm just more selective and hidden about it. Whenever I hear about someone who works at a church I always wonder what they are better at than me. Then I start to make a mental list of why I am good at what I do. Then I start to get jealous and upset. Finally I do my best to stop thinking about it and just enjoy doing what I am good at.

In Galatians 6:2-5 Paul writes, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load."

I think it's fascinating that Paul starts off by saying "carry each others burdens" and then concludes by saying "each one should carry his own load." In one case we need to help people carry something. In another case we need to carry it by ourselves. I guess that means that a burden is different from a load. If I knew Greek I could look up the original words that Paul used there and make some huge theological contribution to the whole thing, but alas I am taking Hebrew for now. I could guess that a burden would be something that is just too big for us to carry by ourselves. Then a load would be something that we should be able to carry alone.

When we are comparing ourselves to others it is hard not to be in competition with them or with our thought of them. Comparing is not what we are commanded to do. We are commanded to carry not to compare. Comparing seems to run in direct opposition to carrying. When I meet someone I should think more about the burden that they are carrying and how I can help. That would be much more important than sizing them up and seeing which one of us is faster in a 100m dash.

A Wedding and a Funeral

2010-01-04T11:12:00.000-06:00

The first day of January I performed a wedding. The second day of January I performed a funeral. Life in all it's wonder and beauty. On our planet there is a birth, a wedding, and a funeral every day. With each day that passes the population of the earth changes. Never again will we have this group of people all together. We all happen to find ourselves on earth at this time on this day. There is no special meaning to this post - just pointing out some of life's interesting moments.

Christians vs. Atheists: Christmas Style

2009-12-22T06:52:00.001-06:00

I saw this video on the Foxnews website. It talked about atheism so I was intrigued and I watched the 6 minute clip. There are two ladies in the video. The first one is the show's host and I never did catch her name. She states that she is catholic. The other lady is Annie Laurie Gaylor, who works with an atheist group that has purchased billboards that say "Reason's Greetings" and "Heathen's Greetings."

The exchange is absolutely terrible. The lady from fox news treats Annie terribly. She talks over her and never really lets her answer. She is condescending and mocks this lady. If you know the truth and you are confident of the truth - you simply have no reason to treat people poorly. She knows the truth of the gospel and yet she treats this other woman as dirt.

Of course, I believe that the atheist lady Annie is hurting people by spreading a message that there is no God. She says some terrible claims in there like "young children should not be exposed to religion." I just wish the lady from fox news could have calmed down some and actually talked like a real person. If you are right - you don't have to be a jerk. "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2

The Shepherds

2009-12-21T11:12:00.000-06:00

I have never worked in the sheep industry. I have seen sheep and I have owned a couple of wool sweaters. I have eaten lamb and I read about sheep (in the Bible) quite a bit. If I met a modern-day Shepherd I don’t think we would have too much in common. However I do relate to the Shepherds in the Christmas story. They were out in their fields watching there sheep when an Angel appeared to them. The Angel told them to go find a baby lying in a manger and worship him as the Savior. The most amazing part of the story is that these Shepherds did what the Angel asked them. In the middle of life and work, God reached out to them and they listened. How busy are you? How set is your life? Is there room for spontaneity? Is there room for God to speak in your life? The Shepherds listened and their lives suddenly took on more meaning. They became part of the Christmas story.

What story are you a part of? Is there room for God to speak into your life? Have you become so set in your ways or so busy that there is no room for God to move you? When you pray do you pray for God to help you as you live life -or- do you pray that God would show you the path that your life needs to be on? My life has changed a lot in the past year. I have moved my family. I have started a new job. I have gone back to school. My wife and I have decided to go through the long tiring process of international adoption. Through all of this we have faced many obstacles. My wife lived 20 minutes away from her parents and now lives 8 hours away. I have had to balance living in a new town, meeting new friends, taking graduate level courses, preaching each week, and being a dad and husband. We have faced financial trouble with not being able to sell our house and more.

I wouldn’t change any of it. This year has been the best year of my life. My life was fine. I could pay all my bills and I was saving for retirement. I had a fine job and lived in a fine place. Jesus says, in John 10:10, that he has come to give us life and life to the full. A fine life simply won’t cut it. There is something better in store for each one of us if we choose to follow God. I took him at his word. So did the Shepherds. The big question is, will you? What does God have in store for you in 2010 and will you be a part of it? There is a bigger story and you can be in it.

Authentic Manhood - Expect the Greater Reward

2009-12-17T08:22:00.000-06:00

This is the last in the Authentic Manhood list. Robert Lewis' 4 pillars are:

Reject Passivity
Accept Responsibility
Lead Courageously
Expect the Greater Reward

Moses was one who was looking to the greater reward. Hebrews 11:24-26 states; "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as a greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward."

Moses traded the earthly reward for the heavenly reward. He traded the immediate success for the long-term success.

When I was in high school I drove a little 3 cylinder car called a Chevy Sprint. It was tiny and would barely go 65 miles an hour. One day someone pulled out in front of me and totaled my car. It was sad. I liked that little car because it was my first car. My dad gave me two options for replacing the car, after all it was really his car. I had two options:

Option #1: Drive my mom's station wagon and she gets a new car. In two years when I graduate that new car will then go to me and mom get's the station wagon back.

Option #2: Go buy a car for $2,000. One that wouldn't be half as nice as my mom's new car.

I wanted to go with option #2 because I did not want to drive a station wagon. My friend talked me into doing option #2. He still made fun of my station wagon, but he told me to wait and get the better car for college. I did it. I chose to forego immediate satisfaction to wait for the greater reward.

My mom ended up getting a really nice little toyota sports car. I drove that station wagon for two years of high school and then for the last week of high school I drove one of the nicest cars in the school parking lot. I put over 100,000 miles on that car and even delivered pizza for almost three years in that car. That car provided me with the money to get through college, buy my wife her wedding ring, pay for a honeymoon, and put food on our table. What a great car and what a great decision.

Being a man has more to do with our heavenly reward than it does getting a nice car. We work hard now because we know that our joy is made complete in our service to the Lord.

Authentic Manhood - Lead Courageously

2009-12-14T11:25:00.001-06:00

This is part 3 in a 4 part series on a look at authentic manhood from Robert Lewis' book: Raising a Modern Day Knight.

The third pillar of Biblical manhood is to Lead Courageously. I'd like to point out first of all that it doesn't say "lead confidently." There is a large difference between confidence and courage. Courage is the ability to face your fears and not be paralyzed by them. Courage is not the absence of fear. It simply not being controlled by your fears.

I lead with a lot of faith. I place a lot of faith in people and a lot of faith in my own abilities. I generally believe that everything will work out as long as we do our best. I am not a visionary leader that sees things before they happen. I hold fast to the maxim that "if we just do the right things over time we will succeed." People around me generally have one of two reactions.

Some people see that as a source of strength. I worked with a lady in Omaha who would always just laugh at me when I would say, "I'm sure we can figure this out." She believed me and together we were able to do some great things. She had several gifts that I did not and I believe I had the courage and the encouragement that she needed.

Some people see my leadership style as that of a person who has his head in the clouds. I don't spend a lot of time doing risk assessment or weighing all the possibilities. When faced with a decision I generally think through a few things and come to a resolution rather quickly. Some see that as lacking foresight. I see it as someone who seizes the moment and sets up action.

There are different types of leadership styles. Different circumstances need different perspectives in order to make good decisions and lead well. That's why no one person should ever have complete control over anything.

Men need to live out of faith in God and the ability that God has given them. Men do not need to live in fear. Fear causes us to do all sorts of terrible things.

Lead courageously. God created you to do so.

Christian Church Crackdown in China

2009-12-11T07:05:00.000-06:00

Please pray for Christians in China. They are dealing with persecution from the police. Here is the news story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579979,00.html?test=latestnews

Authentic Manhood - Accept Responsibility

2009-12-09T10:11:00.000-06:00

God walked up to Adam and asked him why He was hiding. Adam told him that he was hiding because he was ashamed and naked. God asked him why he was ashamed asked him if he had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam, in his amazing brilliance, tells God this;

"The woman that you gave me told me to do eat the fruit."

What a wuss. Adam shirks responsibility and blames his wife. If you really read into it Adam blames his wife and blames God, "you gave her to me." No one made Adam eat that fruit. Adam ate that fruit by his own account. He is responsible for his actions.

In Hebrew class yesterday we took a look at Genesis 3:4. "The serpent said to the woman, you will not die." What's interesting about this is that the "you" that is used her is used in the masculine plural sense. That means that the serpent wasn't just responding to Eve, he was responding to Eve AND Adam. While this whole exchange was going on - Adam was standing quietly by watching his wife get deceived. Adam wussed out. He didn't speak up. He just let is happen. Adam was passive and did not accept his responsibility.

How has this affected me? Well I am still terrible in this area. I have come a long way in conquering passivity, but I have a long way to go in accepting responsibility. Here is where I am growing:

Fatherhood - Instead of getting mad that my wife won't take care of the kids and keep them quiet, I try to get my butt off the couch, turn of the TV, and be a father. I try to teach my kids life lessons. I try (TRY) to keep my patience and do things slower so that I can explain them to my kids.

Husband(hood) - If there is work to do - I try to take care of it. Are there dishes in the sink? I should clean them. Is there close that need to be put away? I should do that. Does a diaper need to be changed? I should take care of it at first smell. (Mindy reads this - so let me be honest and say that I am TRYING in all these areas!)

Friendship - I am terrible at this. I have started to carve out time each week to talk to my friends. I get so caught up in work, school, and family that I often leave out people who are very important to me. Over the past year I have realized that I am not a very good friend. I need to accept the responsibility of working on my friendships and caring about my friends as much as they care about me.

Are you accepting responsibility?

Authentic Manhood - Reject Passivity

2009-12-03T08:05:00.001-06:00

In his book Raising a Modern Day Knight Robert Lewis's first principal of authentic manhood is Rejecting Passivity.

It is very easy for me to be passive. Standing up for what I believe is right does not come naturally for me. When faced with a tough situation or a lot of work my first reaction is to just keep my mouth shut and quit before I start. The best things in my life have happened because I reject passivity and made a move.

When I finally decided to follow Christ with all of my heart I knew I had to move from where I was. I needed to get away from the town, those friends, and that life. I needed an escape. The only place I knew to go was to a camp in northern Minnesota that I went to as a high schooler. Instead of just hoping for it or thinking that they wouldn't want me in the first place, I went for it. I wrote them a letter and told them that I would do whatever it took to be up there for the summer. If they would feed me and provide me a place to sleep I would work for free. It happened and that summer is when I really opened myself up to the working of God.

When I met my wife for the first time I thought she was way too pretty for me. She was very confident and she was by far the best looking girl in school. Instead of hoping that she would see me or think that I just wasn't good enough, I went for it. At a basketball game I walked right next to her and started talking to her. After that I called her house to ask her out. I pursued her and life has not been the same since. I'm glad I wasn't passive in that situation.

The best things in life are free. Well, in the sense that they don't cost money. The best things in this world are things that we must risk everything for. In Matthew 13:44, Jesus states, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field." The man gave everything that he had in order to get something that was much better.

It's about safety. Passivity is being scared to step out onto unsafe ground. When we reject that passivity we can hold on to a better life with more adventure. That's what I want (even when I don't think I do)!

Authentic Manhood

2009-12-02T09:39:00.000-06:00

How do you answer the following questions?

1. You become a man when ______________________.

2. What makes you a man is ______________________.

There are a million different answers for those questions. Last week I did a Message about Joseph (the earthly father of Jesus). I said that he was an authentic man. Here are my quick points:

1. Joseph was righteous

2. Joseph loved his wife

3. Joseph was a man of action.

Robert Lewis, in his book Raising a Modern Day Knight, states that there are 4 characteristics of biblical manhood. He states that a man:

Rejects Passivity

Accepts Responsibility

Leads Courageously

Expects the Greater Reward.

I started praying for these four characteristics about 5 years ago. I pray them (among other things) each morning. In the next few weeks I will share with you what Lewis is talking about and how this has shaped me as well.

Finding God in dark places

2009-11-25T10:27:00.000-06:00

I had a disturbing day yesterday.

On Tuesdays I go to seminary at Lincoln Christian Seminary. It's about a 90 minute drive. On those days I listen to podcasts from Mars Hill (Rob Bell's church), Southland (Jon Weece's church), Breakpoint (Chuck Colson), and my own podcast (I figure if I force 200 people a week to listen to me than I should at least do the same).

I started down the road and put on this podcast (be warned - this one is not for kids) from Dan Allender, who was teaching at Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is teaching on Matthew 5:21-30 about murder and adultery. It is his contention that we really find God in the dark places. If we venture to go into the dark places in our own lives and in our world we will find God there. It isn't that we are looking for God, but we are looking at our own brokenness. We realize God is there in our brokenness and in the brokenness of others. Allender shares that one of his friends works in the investigation of the child porn industry. It is her job to identify the people in the videos and bring them to justice. I can not begin to guess how terrifying that job is. I don't think anyone would actually want to do that job, but it does need to be done. He shared one story that made me almost vomit in my car.

Now - I needed to here that story. I needed to know just how real and terrible the child porn industry is. What can I do to help stop this terrible thing? What can I do with my influence, friends, family, and community to stop the spread of this heinous thing?

Terrible.

Then I went to my class and we watched a movie called Amazing Grace about the life of William Wilberforce. He is the force behind the effort to stop the horrible cruelty of the slave trade. The movie took us to several dark places. Just how horrible it was for someone to be stolen from their home and forced on to a boat to become a slave. More than half of the slaves died on the boat. During the three week journey the slaves that lived were trapped in a tiny casket with no toilet. It was terrible.

Terrible.

Wilberforce had to thrust himself into this in order to stop it. Thank God that he did. It took his health and much of his life, but it happened. Wilberforce had to go into the dark places.

I did not have the best of days yesterday. I know that November 24, 2009 has helped to shape me. How? What will this do in my life? I don't know.

I do know that God never asks us to shy away from dark places. I am thankful that God is in those terrible places. I pray that he uses us to fix them.

Have you bought your Thanksgiving presents?

2009-11-23T10:53:00.000-06:00

Grab a pen and paper. Write down my prophetic words. In the next ten years it will be customary for people to buy Thanksgiving presents. Christmas is the shopping season. Commercials and Christmas music saturate our TV's and stores way before Thanksgiving. With the emergence of "Black Friday" many people celebrate Thanksgiving as part of the Christmas Season anyways. Why not start marketing products as Thanksgiving gifts? It's coming....

http://www.findgift.com/Holidays/Thanksgiving/

Giving Thanks

2009-11-22T07:44:00.000-06:00

What has God blessed you with this year? Take some time to come up with 10 things that you are thankful for this year. Then reflect on God's goodness as he takes care of you.

Were there things that started as trials that ended up as blessings?

How has God's blessing shaped you this year?

Would you like to share one of them on this blog? (or the whole list)

Go to church every week? Really?

2009-11-18T09:30:00.001-06:00

How do you understand the world? Where do you get your world-view? If you get it from watching the news - you understand that world is filled with murder, corruption, ponzi schemes, child predators, civil war, famine, and people behaving in all sorts of terrible ways. Those are the stories that make it in the news. We know that that is not necessarily the whole story though. Every day there are millions of acts of unselfishness that take place. There are junior high kids standing up for fellow classmates who are being picked on. There are people giving of their time and money to help people who can’t help themselves. There are good parents making sacrifices to train their kids to live good lives. These things happen all the time.

When you look at the world around you what do you see? In Philippians chapter 4 Paul gives us an exercise to do. He challenges us to change our perspective on life. He doesn’t say that it will happen in three easy steps. He tells us that a perspective change will help us to get the peace that doesn’t make any sense. When someone is facing a terrible problem - how do they react? If they smile all the way through it we think that they must be dumb and don’t really grasp how bad things are. That may not be true at all. There is a peace that passes all understanding. The peace of God comes, of course, only from the God of Peace.

Why is it important to come to the Worship Service every Sunday? It is an exercise to help us gain the peace that only comes from God. Peace is what we are all wanting and searching for. Well here it is. Each Sunday we sing a few songs to worship the God of the universe. That helps our perspective as we realize that what we are facing now, we are not facing alone. God is with us and He is big enough to take care of our troubles. Each Sunday we take communion and remember that God loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us. That helps our perspective on life because we know we are loved by the almighty God. Each Sunday we take an offering and train ourselves that money is not the most important thing in the world. That helps us in the advertising and consumer-driven world. We don’t need things to make us happy. Each Sunday we study a section of scripture and look at how God has ordered this world. As we reflect on the scriptures of God our perspective shifts from the problems that we see all around us to the peace that we receive from God.

Join us each Sunday, or a church in your area, to find the peace that comes only from God. Haven’t been here for a while? Come the next month or so during the Holiday season. We host the worship service every Sunday because we know that there is value in meeting together each week. If you have never been a person that has “gone to church” every week - try it and you will start to understand the full life that God has promised He will give to to you if you want it.

My Podcast

2009-11-15T17:48:00.001-06:00

I got a lot of comments about the sermon today, so I wanted to just draw attention to the podcast that is on this blog. You can make that a weekly thing that downloads for you. There might be some value in that. You can hear my jokes bomb if you are actually interested in that part.

Church Advertising and Successful Churches

2009-11-13T09:51:00.001-06:00

I have been talking a lot about consumerism running through churches. Churches use advertising practices that are shaped around a consumer worldview. (The consumer worldview is the prevalent idea that you are a consumer and you are made complete when you are purchasing the right things to fulfill your needs. In order to do that you must make a certain amount of money and that influences what you do for a living, etc).

What about churches that are battling consumerism? Do they exist? How do they battle consumerism? Here is one such example of a church:

Southland Christian Church in one week did the following:

1. They got about 50% of their weekly attendance to come in on one weekend and prepare 1,056,024 meals to feed people who are starving.
2. They had 500 people raising $70,000 to make a refuge for women who are escaping the exotic dance industry through their bruised reed program.
3. They open their building twice a week for homeless men.
4. They have warehouses stocked with items donated from their congregation. Last year they provided clothing for 14,000 families.
5. They have a team in the Congo, a nation being rocked by civil war, to determine how they can help.
6. They have teamed up with 80 pastors and churches in Mozambique to teach abstinence. Aids is destroying an entire generation of people there. 84% of the people to go through that training have stayed abstinent for two years.
7. They have started a (now national) dollar club. Every week people bring an extra dollar for the offering. This past week they bought a car for a woman who needed to go to work.

You fight the emptiness of consumerism by teaching people to give of themselves. Way to go Southland. Please continue to influence the world and break the grip of consumerism.

You can hear all about this in the message by clicking here. It's the message title "full."

I only eat rice

2009-11-10T16:16:00.000-06:00

Last week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday I ate only rice. Sunday I had a steak for dinner because I was having someone over to watch football. (I'm not inviting someone over and just eating rice!) So I took that day off. Then yesterday I started eating just rice again. That steak after church on Sunday was really great. I am normally not a big steak fan. There's not enough flavor for me. I like a hamburger with ketchup, pickles, mayo, tomato, onion, etc. I like all the flavors.

A week ago I was listening to a podcast of John Weece's sermon (he is at Southland). He talked about just eating rice to see how 2/3 of the world lives. It has been quite an experience. Life is a lot different when you don't have options as to what you will eat. The stomach is not made for food. Food is made for the stomach. I didn't waste as much time as I normally do picking out what I'm going to eat. My mind even had more time to think about things other than food.

I like it. I think it has helped me understand that my life is really easy. The things that I worry about are not as important as things most of the rest of the world is dealing with.

Eating only rice has helped me with discipline. It gives me confidence. It is teaching me that I am more than just a consumer. I am more than an animal that must please his fleshly desires. That sounds eerily familiar to the passage that I just preached about on Sunday.

Philippians 3:18-21 states, "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (emphasis mine)

"Their god is their stomach." Is that what this verse means? Does it mean that we should not put our time and energy into what we consume? Instead we should put our time and energy on our citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Has eating rice helped me to see the Kingdom of Heaven? Absolutely. It is an discipline that I am following that is teaching me. What have I learned about the Kingdom of Heaven so far?

-I am capable of so much more when I am not focused on my flesh-needs.

-Consumerism, money, and affluence have put a fog in my life that I need to see through to understand the life that God has created for me.

-Food is a gift from God.

Why did God create us to need food? Probably to teach us about Him.

By the way - you should try it too. I have been enjoying my stomach feeling better, my pants fitting better, and feeling like I am growing in my knowledge of God and of people I have never met.

Consumerism and Pro-Life

2009-11-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

Consumerism is a life-shaping religion in America right now. Don't believe me? Why do you eat what you eat? Why do you watch what you watch? Why do you shop where and how you shop? Tell me about your house, vehicles, and career decisions. Back to the matter at hand.

Consumerism affects every area of life in America (and a large part of the world). A few weeks ago my professor made a big statement. We were talking about world view and how you can't really escape the time and place that you live. In America it is incredibly hard (if even possible) to not think like an American. (I'm not saying that's bad or good right now). He brought up slavery and said that there were many people who love Jesus every bit as much as we do that didn't help with getting rid of slavery.

Here's the big statement. He said that in the next generation or so he believes that abortion will be viewed then as slavery is viewed now. Most of us understand slavery to be a terrible human tragedy. Slavery is one of the worst things to happen in human history. In 50 years will abortion finally be shown as the same thing? Wow. I really hope so.

With that I have posted a link to a wonderful blog entry that you need to read.

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/women/2009/11/the_day_we_let_our_son_live.html#more

Church Branding

2009-11-04T07:31:00.001-06:00

“...many churches are eager to adopt curricula or programming that has a certain seal of approval on it from a prominent megachurch or parachurch organization. Christian publishers now see their marquee authors as brand entities; big-name authors are not just people or personalities - they’re brands, complete with brand managers who leverage the brands with ancillary products and extensions.”

Hsu, Albert. The Suburban Christian: Finding Spiritual Vitality in a Land of Plenty. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2006.

This book is a great read and I recommend it to anyone who is part of any church. Basically if you are American and go to church I think this book would be of value to you. It's very readable. Hsu is a wonderful writer.

Church marketing is big business. Does that make a church a big business? Are most churches done with innovation? Are we just taking teaching from other places and making it our own? Why would churches need to hire pastors or train Sunday school teachers if they just regurgitate information from larger (more successful) churches?

What's the goal of the church? Is to have a lot of people show up for it's weekly programming? Did Jesus ever talk about the church? Is the church mentioned in the Bible? What is a successful church in the Bible? Does the teaching of the churches in Revelation have anything to do with the church today in America?

Absolutely.

Is a church only about spreading a message? hmmm....

The Most Important One

2009-11-01T17:13:00.000-06:00

So this morning at church I'm standing around the main doors greeting people with some other guys. Their are two elders, and a couple of guys on the board. If you combine their years in service to this church it would be around 990 years (not really, but a looong time). One sweet lady walks in the door shakes hands with all the guys and walks a little bit away. She pauses and then turns around and says, "Oh I forgot the most important one" and she shakes my hand.

Here I have been at this church for just over 3 months and I'm the "most important one." These guys have been serving in this church for decades. It's about image. I am on the stage the most. I am the one who is recognized as the "preacher." I am the one who gets credit for what's going on in the church.

Not fair?

Not even close.

How do we determine who is the most important one?

Paul writes in Philippians 2 that we should have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus. Jesus could have come as a king bent on conquest. Jesus had all authority on Heaven and earth, yet he humbled himself to death. He was born to a poor unmarried couple. He rode in to the great city on a donkey. He never turned away anyone. He did not consider himself better than anyone else.

Jesus knew that humility held the key to success. Satan didn't figure that one out. Or he did and just couldn't do it.

To accomplish something great we must become one. To become one we must become humble. To become humble we must recognize our relationship to the Creator.

Who is the most important one? Is it the visible one? Is it the owner? Is it the best looking? How does that really work?

Jesus did exactly what Satan wanted to do

2009-10-30T07:24:00.000-05:00

Jesus did exactly what Satan wanted to do.

What did Satan want? He wanted to be counted as the best and brightest and be exactly like God. In Isaiah 14 it's found that Satan wanted to become like God and have people worship him. He wanted all the power and all the glory.

(Who do you want to have control? The person who is burdened with love of people and therefore wants the best for them? Or do you want the person who wants power and wealth and glory to rule over the people?)

So in Philippians chapter 2 we read that Jesus came in all humility and humbled himself, even to death on the cross. Jesus did the opposite of what Satan did and then he received exactly what Satan was searching for - "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow on heaven, earth, and under the earth." All glory is Christ's glory. It is because he humbled himself, which is the opposite of what Satan did.

So let us set this in place with the idea that Jesus throws out in Matthew 7 of a wide path that leads to destruction and a narrow path that leads to life. The wide path leads to death which is where Satan is. Satan wanted everything and ended up with nothing. What do you want? The narrow path leads to life and that's where Jesus is. Jesus humbled himself in obedience to the point of losing everything. He was then given everything (all authority).

Wide or narrow? Remember the narrow path has a gate that you must enter.

Jesus also taught that if we find our lives we will lose them, but if we lose our lives for His sake we will find life. That is exactly what Jesus did! That is exactly what He tells us to do. Today - do you find your life? Are you trying to make your mark on this world? Are you trying to prove your worth to people? Jesus teaches us that we accomplish greatness with humility. Do we help? Do we consider others better than ourselves? Do we really believe that we are no better than anyone else? Life begins there - right there in that realization. We are all the same. We all need the life that only comes in Jesus Christ.

The Kingdom of Heaven in some popular music

2009-10-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

I love the song "chicken fried" by the Zac Brown Band. It's fun and simple with a poignant message. Here's the best part.

And its funny how it`s the simple things in life that mean the most
Not where you live or what you drive or the price tag on your clothes
There`s no dollar sign on a piece of mind this I`ve come to know

Here is another glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven in real life. Jesus didn't come to get all the money and distribute it to his followers. Jesus didn't come to get all the power. Jesus didn't come to be world famous. Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth and to rescue us from the teaching of the world.

Life is not about what we get. Life is not about always moving forward to a better life. Life is not about retiring with a bunch of money. Life is about living. (Too simple right?)

A person is not alive until he or she has realized that there is a God who has made everything. There is free will. We can choose what we wish, but then we live with those decisions. There is a God who came back down to earth so that he could teach us again about what life is really about. Are you listening or ignoring? Are you too busy to actually live your life?

What's really of importance? The people that can answer that question correctly are experiencing the peace that only comes from God as we live in harmony with him (the Kingdom of Heaven is there).

Philippi - a town with a church ::: Part 3

2009-10-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

So when Paul went to set up the church in Philippi he first met some ladies at a place of prayer. Lydia and her whole family were baptized that day and thus the church began.

In Acts 16:16-40, we find the rest of the account of the church. They kept meeting at the place of prayer. There a young woman had an evil spirit on her that kept her shouting, “These men are servants of the most high God.” Paul got annoyed and cast the spirit out of the girl. The owner of the slave girl got mad because he charged people to hear her give them their fortunes. So he took Paul and Silas to the middle of town to be judged by the leaders. They cast the two of them in jail. In jail Paul and Silas were singing hymns and there was a violent earthquake. During the earthquake all the chains came loose. Paul and Silas did not flee. The guard came to check on them and not seeing anybody decided to kill himself. That would be better than the fate ahead of him for losing prisoners. Paul shouts out for him to stop. He asks why they stayed there. The guard immediately asked them how to be saved. Paul told them to believe in the Lord Jesus. He and his whole family were saved and baptized that night. The next day Paul and Silas are released from prison. They went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. (Acts 16:40)

Philippi - a town with a church ::: Part 2

2009-10-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

The History of the City of Philippi

Philippi was named for Philip the 2, the father of Alexander the Great. This was a great city with a forum the size of a football field, a library, an open air theater, and two large temples.
It was a greek city for about 300 years. That means that they were a pagan city that worshipped greek mythological gods.
Then, if you remember your world history, a very famous scene happened there. In 42 BC Mark Antony and Octovian chased down Brutus who was the guy who killed Julius Ceasar. They chased him and killed him at Philippi.
Then in 31 BC the Roman Emperor sent some Italian exiles to the city and He made it a Roman City. That is a big deal because being a Roman city had it’s advantages.
Then in 49 AD (80 years later) Paul comes to plant a church. So the church is set in a very pagan culture with Greek pagans and Roman pagans. Needless to say the people of the city thought very highly of themselves. They weren’t the great city of Rome, but they were a great city in Macedonia.

My neighbor

2009-10-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

The blogs are going to be coming more frequently over the next week or so. There will be three types coming; personal entries, Book of Philippian entries, and consumerism quotes - linked to the paper I am writing on Consumerism and the American Church.

Here is my personal entry:

My wife has struck up a good relationship with our neighbor. She is a sweet lady with fibromyalgia. She takes care of her grandkids a lot. She is pretty sad, but finds joy through her grandkids. To me, they are her source of life.

This past week she was feeling good enough to come to church. I started the series on the book of Philippians titled "finding life." This past Sunday dealt with the idea that God has laid a burden on each one of us. Paul felt God's burden with a dream to go to Macedonia and plant a church there. God does the same for us. When we actually respond to that call is when we find true life.

So I finished by asking a question; What is God asking you to do? She answers out loud at the front of the church, "believe." God still moves. Do you hear him still speaking to you? He is. He who has begun a good work in you will see through to completion.

What is God asking you to do?

Philippi - a town with a church ::: Part 1

2009-10-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

The book of Philippians was a letter written to a group of people that formed a church. It is in the Bible because it is written by the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote to this church. Here are some fun background facts about the book:

A letter to a church in Philippi written by the Apostle Paul.

Birth of the church; Acts 16:9-10, God gave Paul a vision to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the people of Macedonia. Paul faithfully responds. Acts 16: 12-15, Paul goes to the city of Philippi. The church starts because of a prayer meeting. Paul responds to God’s call and travels to the area. Paul then goes to a prayer meeting and shares the gospel of Christ. The church has begun.

Jim Elliot

2009-10-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

Philippians 1:21 - For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Those are Paul's words from a jail cell in Rome. He is writing to a church he helped set up 11 years before that.

Jesus' call to enter through the narrow gate and to walk the narrow road is not about "living a good christian life." Jesus simply asks for everything. The podcast is of the sermon (should be up by Monday AM at latest). Here is a link to Jim Elliot's wiki-bio and the book written by his wife.

The Biography on wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Elliot

The book

http://www.amazon.com/Through-Gates-Splendor-Elisabeth-Elliot/dp/0842371524

The American Christian

2009-10-22T08:25:00.000-05:00

This cartoon is great! I heard about these from my friend Seth Bates who works at a church in Assumption, Il. This cartoon speaks volumes to the sermon that I am preaching this week out of Philippians 1. Juxtapose this with "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Awesome.

Here is the credit for these cartoons: http://micahprays.org/doodles.htm

Harmony

2009-10-21T07:18:00.002-05:00

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

We were made to live in harmony. God created us in the way he did for so many reasons. This might be another one of them.

1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."

Romans 12:16 "Live in harmony with one another."