The Group

Alone

2009-11-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

Last week I was having my customary weekly coffee with my dear friend. We meet quite regularly - to my great enjoyment - to discuss life and build relationship. This particular time we were discussing our children, our role as fathers and comparing notes on raising teenage boys (both of us have just entered that stage in our lives) and what wisdom we could impart upon them as they enter manhood.

As we spoke my friend looked at me and said "sometimes I just don't know what to say, I can't find the right words." He continued - "the other day all I could think of was telling him, that I am will be there to help him in his struggles and weaknesses and I would never be ashamed of him." I could not believe it. Here my friend was telling me that he could not think of the words to say and yet he said some of the most beautiful words that a father could ever speak to his son . . . . "you are not alone!"

What a wonderful thing for a young man to here, his father, will be there. His father loves him and will never be shamed by him. What more could a boy going into manhood ask for? His father loves him and will help him in his weaknesses and struggles that lie ahead.

In Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 we see God command the following of Israel:

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Notice what he says . . . impress them on your children and then he says how this should be done by speaking it to them in every area and every moment in their lives. At meals, when walking, when going to bed, when getting up from bed. God even tells them to put it on the door-frames of their homes so they see it continually. What God is saying here is "parents, don't leave your kids alone!" Be with them, walk with them, toil with them, strive with them, why? So they know the truth. So they know they can beat the struggles, so they know who God is.

At a time when teenagers are known for not wanting their parents around or wanting to put distance between themselves and home, it is more important than ever to engage, to support and to walk with our kids.

There is nothing worse than feeling alone, feeling isolated and that there is nowhere to turn with struggles. We can't afford to leave our kids alone, the stakes are to high and if we are not there, who will speak the truth to them?

Carson - Joshua 1:9

2009-09-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

Wind

2009-08-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

In I Kings 18 we find that God tells Elijah to present himself to King Ahab because He will finally send rain after a three year drought. Now for my money the best part of this passage is not Elijah, but is found in verse 3 which says "and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace (Obadiah was a devout believe in the Lord.)"

Is there any doubt that the reign of Ahab and Jezebel was one of the most evil, ruthless and corrupt regimes in the history? The very next verse talks about how Jezebel was running around killing the Lord's prophets, yet here we have Obadiah, a devout believer, in the midst of such danger and such risk!

If you look throughout scripture you kind of see this pattern of risk and danger rather than safety:

Abram left the comforts of his home in Ur
Moses went back to Egypt
David went with no armor to face the giant Goliath, the champion of champions in the Philistine army - he did this as a teenager!
Daniel & his friends stood up to the Kings of Babylon as teenagers
Prophets spoke out about the corrupt kings of Judah & Israel
Jesus took his disciples, his young disciples, to places like the Decapolis & to see a demon possessed man in a grave yard!
Stephen preached in front of an angry mob and was killed for it
Paul risked shipwreck and stoning and beatings all for the name of Christ

If this is the pattern we see in scripture, if we see the followers of Christ sticking their necks out in the name of the Gospel then why are we content to play it safe? We loathe the idea of taking a risk, of being injured or being thrust into a dangerous situation, because it is not comfortable, not easy, or harm may come to us.

We do this to our kids as well. We keep them isolated from the dangers of the world, from the things that could harm them, cause them hurt or pain, we try to make the road easy for them and allow them to avoid hardship or danger so we can raise them as "good kids". In reality, we are not preparing them for real life and if we do this, we are raising weak kids. For we have not been called by God to play it safe. We have been called to be lights in the darkness and told by Jesus to not be surprised if people hate us - that is not a call to safety and comfort.

My wife told me the story this past week of the scientists who lived in the experiment called the Biosphere. The story was relayed to me that one of the things that failed in this experiment was that the trees were dying and despite their attempts they could not keep them alive. It turns out that the trees were dying because of their lack of exposure to wind. Trees, when they are young, need wind! The wind blows against them and as it pushes against them, it in turn makes them stronger, more solid, able to stand up against it as they grow and when it blows harder. How are we or how are our kids doing with no wind?

I am not suggesting we throw our kids to the wolves and not provide any parental guidance, but I am suggesting we allow our kids to explore, to test the waters, the engage the wind, to not play it safe all of the time. Sooner or later the wind, the trials, the danger will come into their lives and we as parents will not always be able to be there, they will need to stand on their own and at that point playing it safe won't be an option.

Developing risk takers who are not afraid of what wind will blow, what giants they may face or comfort zones they will abandon, because of the Christ we serve, what a great comfort that would be and there is nothing safer than love of Christ!

An Amazing God!

2009-07-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

http://rheacambodia.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/catherine-and-green-pit-viper/#comment-54

Riddled With Fear

2009-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Over the last few Sunday’s we have been studying the “I Am” statements that Jesus makes in the book of John and as a result we have been working our way through the book. While Joey has taught the majority of the lessons (thanks Joey!), two weeks ago I taught on John 10 where Jesus says, “I Am the Door & The Good Shepherd.”

While there is a lot of meat to chew on in this chapter, the one thing that stood out to me and has had me thinking since is Jesus’ statement in verse 10 – “The thief comes only to kill, steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (NIV) - This literally means a supreme or superior life.

Does it get any better than living a life to its fullest?

This is what Jesus says about why He came - so we as His children can live a life to the full!

So if that is the case why are so many of us who follow Jesus charged and driven by fear and pessimism? I am continually confounded by believers I meet who are continually worrying and fretting over –

- the down economy
- war
- failure
- my kids
- that my kids may fail
- politics
- the environment
- potential job loss
- violence
- the media
- Etc. Etc. Etc.

Is this what was intended for us?

Clearly not!

If there were ever a group of people that should be living life boldly, with no fear, it should be us. We should live with an understanding that a trust in Jesus is a life lived to the full!

Paul understood this almost better than anyone and he was shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, stoned, jailed, and whipped but he knew “that if God is for us, who can be against us?”

The body needs to stop living in a state of fear. We need to stop raising our kids in a protectionist mode; we need to stop fretting about the things around us, worrying about the things that may or may not happen. We need instead to lay hold to the promise of a life to the full and begin to experience the true freedom of a life in the Kingdom of God.

Moo!!

2009-04-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

Can You Catch The Cow?

catchthatcow.com

Students of Culture

2009-04-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

I received an e-mail today from someone who was offering me tickets to what they said was a "Christian" Rock concert (quotation marks mine). I thought this was interesting as for the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of reading, studying and thinking about culture and how we as followers of Christ are to be a part of it and engage it.

I know there has been a plethora of information published about this topic but it is still inescapable that the Christian world has created a culture in a response to the world at large. We have Christian Bookstores, Christian radio, Christian music. I have heard people referred to as Christian artists, comedians, musicians, athletes, etc.

In the words of Makoto Fujimura Christian should not be an adjective

but a noun.

Why is it that we refuse to engage or be students of our culture? Why do we instead erect these markets that so separate us from the world that it makes it virtually impossible to minister to and serve the lost? What is out there that makes us insular and wanting to live in the bubble?

If we look throughout scripture Joseph engaged the Egyptian culture so much so that he rose to second in the kingdom. Daniel was a student of the Babylonian culture that he achieved the confidence of the king. Paul knew the Athenian culture and even saw beauty in it and how could he not? All of these men, while fervent followers of God immersed themselves in their cultures and in doing so were used by God in amazing ways to change the world.

If there was ever a time for us as believers to shine a light by being part of and engaging our culture, its now. We can't wait for the world to come to us, we are the ones that have to step out of our bubble and transform from adjectives to nouns.

Follow Us on Twitter

2009-03-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

We are now on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheGroupGBC

Can You See Me Now?

2009-03-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Romans 1:18-32 is one of those passages that I have always had a hard time digesting. Overall I would be fine with it, except for that phrase "for they are without excuse." It seems pretty harsh to me that because someone does not see God's invisible attributes and pick-up His divine nature through nature that therefore they are without excuse and given over to their depraved nature.

However, this week during my study I realized that this passage is not at all about a harsh, judgmental God. This passage actually speaks so much to the love of God and His desire to reach mankind! Think about it . . . . God so desires to have a relationship with man that He made sure He could be found in the trees, in the air, in animals, mountains, lakes, forests, oceans, the night sky and everywhere and even in the complexity that is the human being a.k.a made in His image. This is a God who wants to be known and found and because of that is giving every chance for man to do so.

Pretty amazing, the creator of the universe wanting to be known by me and all of man. WOW!

Little Red Packages

2009-02-28T15:04:00.001-08:00

In the last two days I have received several invites to "Red Envelope Day". All of the invites I have received have been from Christian friends who no doubt love Jesus; so before I signed-up I went to the Red Envelope Facebook page to get more information.

Red Envelope Day is an event that has been designed to, in the founders of the events words, "show our President and the world that the voices of those of us who do not believe abortion is acceptable are not silent and must be heard." This is largely in response to Presidents Obama's statement that he would move to overturn the Freedom of Choice Act if elected President.

While I find abortion vile and reprehensible as an act, I continue to marvel at the churches and believers to it. Some of the quotes from the site are below

"I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died [in the U.S.] before having a chance to live."

"It may seem that those who believe abortion is wrong are in a minority. It may seem like we have no voice and it's shameful to even bring it up. Let us show our President and the world that the voices of those of us who do not believe abortion is acceptable are not silent and must be heard."

"Together we can change the heart of The President and save the lives of millions of children."

"An empty red envelope will send a message to President Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue"

There is no doubt that the lives of 50 million children being killed is a tragedy and so are the thousands who are killed in wars and the close to 6 million globally (1 every 5 seconds) who die each year of hunger. I pray that the same voice for the right of the unborn are wanting the same as the living who also are helpless and have no choice as they by happenstance were born in the wrong country.

I also wonder when we as believers started to demand that we have a voice? Why are we so determined to have a voice? Truth is we have had a voice for many years when it comes to abortion and have used that voice by and large to convince the world that we are mean spirited, unloving and harsh. I do not think this is what Jesus had in mind. I wonder what would happen if instead of "demanding to be heard" we used our voice to:

- speak to these pregnant women and tell them we love them
- used our voice to serve them
- used our voice to pray on their behalf
- used our voice to tell them that while we hoped they chose life that regardless we will still love them and so would God and Jesus
- used our voice to offer to adopt these babies and allow these mom's to see their precious baby grow and live

- instead of using our voice we just listened speak of their pain and confusion

It seems to me that if we use our voice in that matter, the Spirit of God would then change the hearts of men and women as only He can. The the love of Jesus would permeate and we would see more lives being brought into the world and hearts changed.

Maybe instead of being outraged we need to be loving. The times Jesus became outraged was with the religious of the day. There was plenty for Him in that day of which to be outraged, the Romans were as pagan as you get, but we see Him loving those who needed love. Listening to them, speaking with them, serving them and ultimately dying for them, for us .... all of us.

I pray that we use our voice in such a manner and instead of outrage and demands, we love and serve and allow the Spirit to do His work through us and in this understand that we in and of ourselves will not change men, only Jesus can.

Pray With Us

2009-01-29T17:57:00.001-08:00

We are asking all who read this blog to pray along with us for Carson Leslie. Carson is a member of our group and was informed last night his cancer has returned.

We do not know what God has planned in all of this and its hard to discern why He would allow this, but we know He can work a miracle.

Please pray with us and if you want to keep tabs on him you can visit the following link:

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do

Why?

2009-01-04T16:04:00.001-08:00

I think one of the most profound things we can ever ask God is - Why?

I know in some circles to question God is a bad thing. To ask Him to provide an answer to the question why is seen as not our place, but that just does not make sense.

I think God wants us to ask Him why. How else will we learn if we do not ask?

Why pain?

Why sorrow?

Why hurt?

Why poor circumstances?

Why me, why us, why them, why him, why her?

It is in the asking that we can then begin to look and listen for the answer and in His response we find that there are often a multitude of answers.

This Little Light of Mine

2008-12-30T08:44:00.001-08:00

The following is an article that ran on December 27 in the TimesOnline. The author, Mr. Matthew Parris, is an avowed atheist and penned this article in response to his recent trip to Africa.

As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God

Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset

Matthew Parris

Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there. Pump Aid helps rural communities to install a simple pump, letting people keep their village wells sealed and clean. I went to see this work.

It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities. But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith.

But this doesn't fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing.

First, then, the observation. We had friends who were missionaries, and as a child I stayed often with them; I also stayed, alone with my little brother, in a traditional rural African village. In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.

At 24, travelling by land across the continent reinforced this impression. From Algiers to Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, then right through the Congo to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, four student friends and I drove our old Land Rover to Nairobi.

We slept under the stars, so it was important as we reached the more populated and lawless parts of the sub-Sahara that every day we find somewhere safe by nightfall. Often near a mission.

Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you direct, man-to-man, without looking down or away. They had not become more deferential towards strangers - in some ways less so - but more open.

This time in Malawi it was the same. I met no missionaries. You do not encounter missionaries in the lobbies of expensive hotels discussing development strategy documents, as you do with the big NGOs. But instead I noticed that a handful of the most impressive African members of the Pump Aid team (largely from Zimbabwe) were, privately, strong Christians. “Privately” because the charity is entirely secular and I never heard any of its team so much as mention religion while working in the villages. But I picked up the Christian references in our conversations. One, I saw, was studying a devotional textbook in the car. One, on Sunday, went off to church at dawn for a two-hour service.

It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught.

There's long been a fashion among Western academic sociologists for placing tribal value systems within a ring fence, beyond critiques founded in our own culture: “theirs” and therefore best for “them”; authentic and of intrinsically equal worth to ours.

I don't follow this. I observe that tribal belief is no more peaceable than ours; and that it suppresses individuality. People think collectively; first in terms of the community, extended family and tribe. This rural-traditional mindset feeds into the “big man” and gangster politics of the African city: the exaggerated respect for a swaggering leader, and the (literal) inability to understand the whole idea of loyal opposition.

Anxiety - fear of evil spirits, of ancestors, of nature and the wild, of a tribal hierarchy, of quite everyday things - strikes deep into the whole structure of rural African thought. Every man has his place and, call it fear or respect, a great weight grinds down the individual spirit, stunting curiosity. People won't take the initiative, won't take things into their own hands or on their own shoulders.

How can I, as someone with a foot in both camps, explain? When the philosophical tourist moves from one world view to another he finds - at the very moment of passing into the new - that he loses the language to describe the landscape to the old. But let me try an example: the answer given by Sir Edmund Hillary to the question: Why climb the mountain? “Because it's there,” he said.

To the rural African mind, this is an explanation of why one would not climb the mountain. It's... well, there. Just there. Why interfere? Nothing to be done about it, or with it. Hillary's further explanation - that nobody else had climbed it - would stand as a second reason for passivity.

Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosphical/spiritual framework I've just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.

Those who want Africa to walk tall amid 21st-century global competition must not kid themselves that providing the material means or even the knowhow that accompanies what we call development will make the change. A whole belief system must first be supplanted.

And I'm afraid it has to be supplanted by another. Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete.

Stillness

2008-12-15T19:07:00.000-08:00

I have yet to talk to anyone, me included (yes I talk to myself), who is not talking about how busy we are, especially that it is the holidays. We have shopping to do, family for which to prepare, work to be completed, and

more and

more stuff to do.

We are running around like mad and for what? What does all of this breakneck speed get us? Happiness? Wealth? Love? Peace? Better Relationships?

In Psalm 46:10 God tells us to "Be still and know and know that I am God."

To be still means to relax, to literally let drop. Once we do that, we have the ability to hear God and really get to know Him deeply, intimately, clearly.

So what keeps us from this?

What keeps us running so frantically that we find it impossible to to be still?

What is so important that we prohibit ourselves from letting go?

What kind of schedules are we keeping that we have replaced relationship with a to do list?

God desires to have relationship with us. His whole pattern from the beginning of time was to dwell among His people, to KNOW them and build an intimate friendship with them. God, the Creator of the Universe, the Divine wants to know us and is waiting patiently and gently calling to "be still".

May we not be so busy that we do not even hear the call.

Violence and Love

2008-12-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

Over the last week or so I have received several e-mails detailing the violence that has erupted in Jos, Nigeria. The outcomes of the local elections ignited the violence between Christians and Muslims as well as the various tribes. Churches and Mosques have been burned, many people have been killed and many more are wounded.

This past year I spent 15 days in Nigeria, the majority of those days in Jos and to think of it now as a war zone is hard to imagine. It is hard to think of my friends there having to worry about their very lives, it is hard to think of our missionary families having to leave the city for their own safety and it is hard to come to terms with any good that could come of this.

While we can agree that violence of this magnitude is indeed senseless, the one thing that I have been reminded of in the past days is that in the midst of this violence, God is still there and the love of His son Jesus is being shown through his people. This was never more apparent then the e-mail I received from Jos that told this story:

On Friday the riots started near our center for older boys called Transition House. By mid morning the young men and teen boys in the area were in a hate frenzy and going to the houses of those from the other religion and burning them down. They also were beating the people. Many of these people from the other religion came to the gate of TH seeking help. Our boys and staff let them in and gave a place of safety. They even dragged some of the people left for dead into the gate and then helped them with their wounds. When the other boys of their age and religion were given into fear and catching the harmful 'mob' mentality, our boys were helping the very ones others were hurting. Our staff and boys were the hands and face of Christ as they reached out over the divide and helped those in great need. We are so proud of these young men. They are the true heroes in this mess.

A mess indeed, but somehow

through the carnage

through the chaos

through the hell

heaven is being brought to earth by boys, who are the face of Jesus. May we bear the same likeness of our Nigerian brothers and of our Jesus.

ONE Sabbath

2008-11-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

On November 30, we The Group will be celebrating ONE Sabbath. We are asking that all members of The Group both past & present, and all parents of The Group join us as together we look into God's word to see His concern and commands given the poor and the part we as individuals and as a Group can play in helping those in need.

Please join us at 9:00 am in the Youth Room a.k.a The Garage at Grace Bible Church and to find out more about what the idea is behind ONE.org and ONE Sabbath, watch the video below.

What If?

2008-11-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

www.Jesusofnazarethministries.org

2008-11-11T17:01:00.000-08:00

In the last few weeks I have received several e-mails from ministries that are named after their founders. It got me wondering if Jesus was on earth today would He name His ministry after himself?

I mean the ministries are supposed to be about God not the man . . . .

Right?

Amazement

2008-11-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

I am amazed by what I saw last night and see today. I am not talking about the historic events that occurred last night in our country, which are indeed amazing. I am talking about some of the shameful and saddening behavior I have seen and continue to see from my Christian brothers and sisters leading up to this event and now in the wake of it.

By the sounds of things coming from those in the American church we ought to pack up our tents and call it quits because Barack Obama is now our new President. I have seen, heard and read some incredible things leading up to the election. Such as the following:

the reckless and irresponsible Letter from 2012 in Obama's America by James Dobson's Focus on the Family

denials by many believers of Obama's claim of faith in Jesus Christ

labels and character smears against the then candidate by his own brothers in Christ who supported John McCain

Now, not even 24 hours after the election, I have heard and read things from Christians like:

"God Help us" (I guess we did not need to pray this before?)

"We are doomed"

"America what were you thinking this is such a disappointment"

"We elected this idiot now we will pay for this"

"We are mourning the death of our country"

Why does all of this amaze me? Because by the sights and sounds of it we as a body of believers have forgotten

who we serve

who the real enemy is

where are hope is

that we should be working more towards the Kingdom of God not the Kingdom of America

Jesus does not belong to a political party. He has his own agenda and His own Kingdom and no matter who was elected last night, He is still on His throne and our hope is in that and that alone.

Yet, I see so many people who claim Jesus as Lord acting defeated, hopeless and sad to say hateful because of this election.

What is needed is a call to repentance and making our calling a priority. To love, to serve, to be a light of the truth, love and saving grace of Jesus to a lost and dying world. Measuring the actions and the words I have seen by so many believers in the past months, we have strayed far from that

Paul in his letter to the Galatians said: "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel" God help us is right . . . . for our Gospel is not the government or a specific party and may we stop chasing it as if it is.

Realistic Calling

2008-10-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

Is there anything worse in life than to be assigned a task or job and not have the necessary tools or resources to accomplish it? What a frustration that is and anyone who has ever been in that spot knows exactly what I am talking about.

Each one of us who have accepted the grace of Jesus has been given gifts of the spirit and God given talents. In essence we have been given the tools and resources to do what God wants us to do.

What’s even better is each one of us has a unique set of tools and resources suited just for us!

However, I see more and more this thread of thought that says we can be good at anything.

We can do anything and not just be good or do, but we can excel and be the very best with hard work and effort.

Not only can we excel, but we should excel and that anything less than excellence is failure.

How does that work!?

This thought is so unrealistic and dooms us all to failure.

I could work hard for 5 hours a day, get the best coaching and training available and despite my best efforts still be a terrible singer.

Why?

Because I do not have any talent in this area and no matter how hard I try or how much I want it, I will still be a terrible singer. Sure, I may have slight improvement, but will not excel or be on the best. I would be far from it.

The sad part is our kids are being pushed and pushed to be better

do more

excel

be the best

work harder

put in more time

and for what result . . . . failed expectations or frustration when they come up short in areas they are not gifted or talented.

Have we ever stopped to think that maybe God gave them gifts and talents in other areas to be used for His glory?

While overall we should want our kids to do the best they can, to expect them to be the best and be the best at everything is an expectation that only Jesus Himself could meet.

Paul’s writings make it pretty clear that we have a calling as followers of Christ. How much better would it be to use our spiritual gifts and God given talents to fulfill that calling?

Focusing our gifts and talents for the contribution to the Kingdom will be far more rewarding, far more gratifying and produce more success, than chasing an unrealistic expectation.

We have been called, may we use what God has bestowed upon us to fulfill that calling and may we encourage our kids to do the same.

Our Responsibility

2008-10-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

There are less than 30 days until the election and you can't turn on the TV, look through the newspaper or receive an e-mail without getting something on the election or some new folklore e-mail about the candidates.

I am often amused and amazed at the fervor that politics wage among people and specifically among Christians. We seem to really get our back up when we perceive that the political landscape may shift in a way that is contrary to the traditional church leanings and therefore we amp up the rhetoric and talk about the importance of getting the right guy in office.

Is this really what we have been reduced to as a church, as followers of Christ, as a community of believers? Do we really believe that our country or the world hangs in the balance depending on who we get in office? Don't get me wrong, I believe it is important to be active in our communities and hold our elected officials to a moral and ethical standard, but to hear the sounds of some from the church you would think that we are facing certain doom if the "wrong guy" gets elected.

I think first that we as believers would do ourselves well to understand what we think is right at an individual level may not be what our other brothers and sisters in Christ believe and that's OK. I think often we assume to much and adopt the thought that if you are a Christian, you just have to think this way. Not so! I have encountered many people who are followers of Christ with differing views and opinions and I am glad for that as we can have great discussion and sharing of ideas and find diversity in the body of Christ.

Secondly and back the the questions I asked previous, I believe that in large part the western church has abdicated responsibility and our calling to the government. We have fallen asleep and become gluttons to our society and instead of feeding the poor, ministering to the widow, serving the needy, bringing the light of Jesus's love to those who need it most (the sick, the poor, the homosexual, the hurting woman seeking an abortion etc.) we have fixed our gaze on getting the right person to elected office and sit back and wait for things to change.

This is not what we are called to do as believers, not even close. I shared this view with a friend of mine a few weeks ago regarding the issue of abortion and in the response were the words "you are so idealistic!" Really? The love of Jesus coupled with social justice is idealism? News to me! I thought this was what we were commanded to do by the Messiah Himself?

Imagine if we as a body of believers spent as much time and energy of loving the unlovely, serving the needy, ministering to the poor, consoling the woman who is considering an abortion, befriending the friendless and loving our neighbor, what would change then? What would the love of Christ do for our nation, for our communities, for our neighborhoods and even our churches? A whole lot more than any politician or political action group that is for sure.

The election is important, but it is not vital and surely is not our calling. I for one choose being idealistic!

Is This What They See?

2008-09-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am amazed by the way we speak to and about each other. Just in the last 2 weeks I have had my integrity questioned, people tell me they have lost respect for me, had my commitment to my faith challenged . . . . and that is just to name a few.

What ignited this firestorm? I differed in some views about scripture and my world view.

During these discussions the words that have been used are words like stupid, ridiculous, liberal and many other have bee used.

While being called names has never really set me back, the thing about these cases is all of these have come from people who also claim to follow Jesus! Pretty nuts isn't it? I mean, we say we are people who follow Jesus and are saved by grace but when there is a differing viewpoint or we are challenged in our way of thinking we pull the pin and hurl the degradation grenade at our Christian brother and sisters.

Jesus said that the world will know we are His by our love. Makes you wonder if they know us at all if this is what they are seeing.

9-11

2008-09-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

September 11, who will ever forget? I remember first hearing the reports of the first tower being struck over the radio, I then got to a television and watched in horror as the second plane hit the south tower. "Oh dear God", I remember saying. I stood there numb, unable to move, watching and knowing this was not happening.

I remember calling Susanne as I knew she was getting herself and the kids ready for Bible Study and would not have any news on. As I told her of the events, I could hardly believe my own words coming from my mouth. Moments later, the unthinkable happened, the mighty towers were crumbling, what was going on?

As the hours went by new reports kept coming in about the religious fanatics that were responsible for this monstrosity. This was not religion; this was pure evil plain and simple. That night I cried as I kissed my children goodnight, I cried because my country had been dealt a mighty blow, my children's world was suddenly not so innocent any longer and my God, the almighty who I worship and adore let this happen.

I spent much of that sleepless night asking God, where were you this morning? I wanted . . . no, I needed an answer.

Just 10 days later I stood at Ground Zero, a life altering experience indeed. It was there that my suspicions were confirmed God had fallen asleep at the wheel. This destruction along with Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania was all the evidence I needed to know God had let one fall through the cracks.

I saw the devastation first hand; I smelled death, saw the flames and wept as I viewed the tomb of 2,803 innocent people. My questions to God remained the same, but this time with even more indigence, God where were in the world were you the morning of September 11th?

My remaining days in New York were spent with policeman, rescue workers, firefighters, families who lost loved ones and many others directly affected by the tragic events. I heard of incredible stories of those who were scheduled to be in the towers, but were either sick, or running late that day. I spoke with Celenea Besseril, the daughter of a New York City Policeman who found herself in the middle of the chaos and the raining debris. She told me of being grabbed by a complete stranger and brought to her grandfathers house. Complete stranger? More like an angel. I sat in a worship service where 14 people came to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I was part of leading a prayer meeting at the 43rd Precinct in Inwood Heights; the prayer meeting was at the request of the precincts Commanding Officer. I had policeman ask me to pray with them, saw firefighters accept Christ and rescue workers come to know Jesus. The list of stories could continue.

It was during that week God answered my burning question of his whereabouts on 9-11. Where was God on September 11th? Right where He was 2000 years ago when so called religious fanatics nailed His Son to the cross. God was there and in complete control. God was there watching and the one making sure the usual 50,000 people that were in and around the Trade Center Towers on any given day were a much smaller number. God was there directing flight 77 into the newly re-enforced part of the Pentagon preventing greater loss of life. God was there on Flight 93 above Shanksville, PA where heroes gave their lives to prevent the loss of others. God was there giving orders to His angels who were there to supply protection, He was there pricking the hearts of Americans to come and trust him. He was there as for the first time in years we heard His name prayed in schools, homes, businesses and airwaves across this country. Oh, He was there, He had not been blindsided, God was fully aware and had all things under His control.

Today we remember. We remember those who perished 1 Year ago today. We remember the Heroes. We remember our country and pray for her safety and pray she will turn to God. And yes, we remember our God who knows exactly what He is doing.

Habits

2008-09-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I have a very bad habit . . . . ok, I have more than one but the one I am about to confess is one that I just realized today.

I keep broken stuff. I am not talking about stuff that can be fixed, I am talking about stuff that is done, over, dead and never to be revived again and for some reason, I keep it. I not only keep it, I justify why I should not part with it and see how long I can go without having to deal with it.

Need some examples?

- Exhibit A: Last spring (about April or so) the refrigerator we had in our garage died. The engine burned up so the thought of trying to revive it is not possible. However, there it sits, in the same space doing absolutely nothing. How do I justify this? I use it as a shelf and a mighty good shelf it is, so there it sits, broken and useless and taking up space but I do not throw it out.

- Exhibit B: A friend of mine once gave me his 1983 Buick. What a ride! He was leaving for the mission field and no longer had use for it, so he gave it to me. I drive that thing until there was no life left and then it sat, and sat and sat in my driveway for a full year. It was ugly, took up space and left a great oil smudge on my driveway after it was finally towed away, but for some reason I refused to part with it.

As I had this self realization today about this bad habit I could not help but think this is how we often treat sin. We leave it there, unattended and refuse to part with it because we somehow manage to come to some good reason as to why it is there and why we cannot part with it. Makes me wonder if this is why James encouraged us to "confess our sins to one another." By having this open and authentic relationship with each other, it would be hard to justify the existence of something that not only served no use, but was doing us harm. We would be forced to deal with the issue and the brokenness of our soul.

Imagine that, confessing to one another, being authentic and feeling the freedom to work through these issues in community without being judged, condemned or cast aside. Hmmmmm, kind of sounds like what church should be!

Change Is Good!

2008-08-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago we studied Matthew 6:19-24 where Jesus tells the disciples and those gathered around to not "lay up for themselves treasure on earth but to lay up for themselves treasures in heaven." This has been a confusing passage for many as one has to wonder what does he mean on laying up treasures in heaven? As we studied we realized the Jesus is actually using a Hebrew idiom of that day to describe giving to the poor and the needy. We say that this phrase "laying up treasures in heaven" was actually used in other writings of the day and its meaning was clearly understood. Jesus wants us to give to the poor and according to Proverbs 19:17 when this done generously one is actually making a loan to God. Pretty weighty stuff!

In response to this we began to wonder what would happen if we gave and what kind of eternal impact could 20-30 of us have if we prayed and gave. We partnered with GO Nigeria, a charitable organization that looks after the educational, religious and humanitarian needs of Nigerian orphans. We soon realized that by giving just $.10 we could supply 1-meal to an orphan and that got us thinking.

We decided that we would all look to gather as much spare change that we could find. We looked in our cars, our junk drawers at home, our couches, rooms, etc. and decided to bring it to see how much we could pull together on one given Sunday. When all was said and done, including all of the change and the $100 in bills that came in we pulled together enough money to supply 9,000 meals for needy children in Africa.

That was not a typo! 9,000 Meals!!! all because 20 or so kids were obedient to what Jesus called us to, saw a need and took action! This is what being part of the kingdom is all about.

I Don't Get It

2008-08-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the last few days and weeks I have found myself in discussions with other believers about the Muslim world, the Iraq war and how it all relates to Christianity. During these discussions (one face to face, the other over e-mail) the following statements have been made by those I was speaking to:

- "I say we just wipe them all out then we will not have any more problems."

- "The idea that there is a physical and spiritual war being waged between Christianity and Islam is reality."

Both of these statements caught me off guard as once again they wee uttered (in one case written) by people who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ. What I don't get is how as believers we can stand here and wish for the elimination of people. That we can claim to follow Jesus, read His words and His teachings, say we love people, say we are pro-life and then claim that we are at war with them (Muslims) and that we believe they are the evil ones and hope for the mighty United States to wipe them out?

How does that convey the love and the calling for Jesus?

How does that compare with the Jesus who said He "came to seek and to save those who are lost?"

How does that show the love of our enemy or our neighbor?

There is no doubt according to scriptures that there is a spiritual battle between good and evil, but to label that evil as Muslim and then to buy into the political view point that the United States is somehow the Christian voice in this battle is one that I cannot comprehend.

I pray that God will use the church to bring the love of His son Jesus to the Muslim world and may we do it by serving them, feeding their poor, and being like our master Jesus.

The Olympics

2008-08-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

In just two days the world will once again join together in a celebration of the Olympics, due to kick off in China's capital city of Beijing. I watched this morning on the news as the Olympic torch was ushered into the city and through Tiananmen Square. The celebration was obvious, the Olympics were near and China would be on full display to the world. However, my thoughts went to the last time where Tiananmen Square was on full display to the world and it was in June of 1989 when Chinese students who were protesting their oppressive government were massacred by the very government that they were there to protest.

Since that time, while China has not displayed their atrocities against humanity for the world to see, they have routinely and without conscience been at the forefront of disregard for humanity or the rights of their citizens.

This record that China boasts is not news to the world at large, neither is the damage to the environment, yet on August 8th, we will celebrate the opening of the games, and the Chinese government will put on their best face, smile and welcome the world to their doorstep. All the while trying to keep their abuse and oppression behind the curtain in hopes nobody notices.

The Olympics is a great event and one that we can all enjoy, but as you watch, think about the people of China, their need and what they face on a daily basis. No freedom of religion, no freedom of speech, limits on children, imprisonment without trial (The United States is guilty of the same thing), the beating and murder of dissidents and the list goes on.

My hope and prayer is that as the curtain is pulled back and the games open, that the world will see a wonderful people who need to be free of the bonds of their governments oppressive and inhumane ways. I pray that the Western World, led by the United States would use this as an opportunity to call upon China to act morally and ethically in the treatment of their people and the environment. I pray for the people of China as well that they would know peace and and understanding of the freedom of Jesus Christ, despite their harsh government. I ask that you pray along with me.

For more information on the Human Rights discussion in China:

www.thechinadebate.org

www.hrichina.org

www.hrw.org

A Mile High

2008-07-18T15:25:00.001-07:00

On July 5th at 6:30 in the morning and hoard of us left the Grace Bible Church parking lot bound for Denver, CO the site of the annual youth missions trip. (For those of you wondering, a hoard is strictly defined as 5 white 12 passenger vans consisting of 38 people and luggage). As this was my first trip with the youth I had no preconceived notions on what would or would not happen. I did know that I wanted to impact the people of the city, have our kids impacted by understanding that God cares about the needy, the poor and the afflicted and that Jesus desires for us to be like Him and in doing so will serve those less fortunate and often times forgotten.

During the trip we spent the mornings in two groups, the first doing a Bible kids camp at a park for children living in the projects surrounding the park. The second group spent their time in partnership with Confluence Ministries and their "Extreme Community Makeover". This project consisted of cleaning up trash around the neighborhood and painting homes for people. The afternoons were filled with a variety of various services from preparing food for the homeless and delivering it later that night, to visiting with people in a rest home, to helping a person infected with HIV move. With each service we discussed what God was seeing, if God was there, what impact was this having on people and if Jesus walked on earth would He be here and ultimately were we projecting the light of Christ with actions? Really, can one show the love of Jesus by cleaning trash, painting a house or playing frisbee with a little kid?

The answer to this question came from the most unlikely of sources . . . The Denver Police Department.

Half-way through our week I received a call from a detective with the Denver Police Department, she went on to tell me one of their officers had noticed us feeding and speaking with the homeless and thought it was suspicious so he called it in.

She began to ask me if we were there to "protest the Democratic National Convention?" No I assured her, but wish we could be there to minister to the protestors. "What about abortion clinics, will you protest those or the girls entering those?" she asked. No, I answered again. I told her that we would want the girl to understand that we could never comprehend her pain and confusion and while we wished she would not get an abortion, we would want her to know that whatever decision she made God loved her and Jesus Christ died for her. The detective did not answer, but was silent. I then asked her why we were deemed "suspicious"? Her reply was the answer we had been seeking the entire week . . . . She replied, "because clean-cut white kids do not hang out with homeless people." WOW!!!! There was our answer. I replied with the only words I could summon and that was "Well these kids do." She asked why they did and I was able to tell her that we firmly believed that if Jesus was still here on earth He would be there as well.

What transpired the rest of the week was amazing! The unity of service, the praising of God, little kids coming to know Him and Carson Leslie, our student battling brain cancer ascending a 13,295ft peak!

God was with us on our trip with the homeless, in the rest home, in the dirty alleys and on the mountain top. What a trip! What a God!

One Step Closer to Nowhere

2008-07-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

The following post is from one of my journal entries that I wrote on one of our last nights on our Nigeria trip. These thoughts were scribbled in a notebook after spending 3 hours trying to collect them after a visits to "Bad Boys" and The Mission Hospital

There are no adjectives that could accurately describe the living hell hole of filth and humanity that we went to today. People . . . old, young, men, women, children with no hope. All of them gathered in little dark, filthy rooms drinking and smoking as if tomorrow they may wake up to a better life, only to be duped by their foolish dream and have to start all over again in the same place.

I have seen this up close. The faces I will never forget. The smells will linger long in my memory and yet I seem unable to conjure up much emotion, Why? Am I guarding something? Will I be afraid to be so vulnerable to weep over these people and their plight? I do not know why but my emotions are locked, numb by what I have seen and are either unable or unwilling to move.

This is the first I have been unable to write much of anything for several days and this after sitting in this chair for 3 hours. I have a lot to unpack mentally and emotionally and I am not quite sure how it will manifest itself. I think most of all I feel guilty Why am I so blessed? Why has God granted me all all that He has and does He regret giving it to me due to poor stewardship?

I go home Monday, back to my beautiful wife and amazing children. Back to my air conditioned home, my 2 cars, gas grill and all we cherish in America. This while all of these people get one step closer to nowhere. Why we share with them spiritually, what about physically, economically, socially? Where does it stop? Maybe the better question is where does it start and how can it stop sooner, before hell comes to earth.

After seeing all of this, I am more and more convinced that our role is to bring a little of heaven to earth. To take what we know of God, His goodness, grace, mercy & love and share it and in doing so bring a taste of heaven to them; to their desolate waste and provide a hope amidst the lament, a light among the dark rooms of the slums and a reassurance to a desperate mother who does not know if her new born will live or die. This is our missional work that we are here to fulfill. It is this that I have to believe that God used me for today. If I do not believe this sleep would not come. God make it so.

Sadness

2008-06-25T21:02:00.001-07:00

I received an e-mail yesterday from one of the team members who was part of the team that went with me to Nigeria. The e-mail informed me that one of the orphan boys at one of the centers we visited while there had died over the weekend. He was 15 and on Friday became ill and on Sunday passed away.

I cannot begin to describe how heavy my heart felt at receiving this news. This boy, in the prime of his life given a chance via Gidan Bege and suddenly dies. This is the first death that has occurred in the 10 years of these orphanages.

Please pray for the staff of Gidan Bege and the other boys in the home, I cannot imagine what they are experiencing right now.

Hope

2008-06-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

"We are heading to Blind Town."

This is what I heard one afternoon as we were prepping to go to the next ministry site. It was explained to me that Blind Town & Leper Town, as they have been named, are the places that people who have been afflicted with these infirmities have been assigned to live so that they are not among the other "clean" people. This place was on the edge of town and we piled in the van to go with the regular team from Gidan Bege as they went to administer medical care.

We arriveded at Blind/Leper town and were instantly greeted by approximately 75 smiling and screaming children all anxious to make our acquaintance. The men in our group were then invited to

go and meet the chief of the lepers as he had requested for us to meet him. At his request we made our way through a labyrinth of sun lit, small rooms none of which was bigger than 12 x 12. Some were used for sleeping and one which had a door on either side was used as a kitchen (attached photo).

We then came to a small opening in a wall and another room. No bigger than 10x10 and barely enough room to stand upright and no lighting other than the sunlight peering through. It was there were met the chief. He extended what was left of his hand as he sat on the floor and with each hello and handshake

he pressed his palm to his heart to signify his thankfulness that we were there. Via a translator we were able to speak to him and learned that he does not know how old he is, but has 11 children of which only 2 are still alive (The average life span of a Nigerian is 47). After the team checked his vitals we left and wandered back outside where the rest of our colleagues had been playing with the kids.

I and one of the staff from Gidan Bege sat on a ledge and spoke to some boys in their mid-teens. I asked them their age, what they liked and didn't like, etc. The smiles were gone, there was no light in the eyes and I saw only what can be described as despair. We talked awhile longer and eventually they got up and left leaving me with a very hollow stomach. I asked my friend who comes here weekly, "These children here, they all belong to lepers and blind folks?" He told me they did, they all live here in this place. I then asked, "so do they have any hope?" His response and his honesty shook me while at the same time taught me. "No they do not. Most of the girls will be married off around 14 and a few of the boys if any will try and get jobs, but most will not." He then added this, "so this is way we come back every week to bring medical care and play with them, it gives them something and we get to talk to them about Jesus." HOPE! This is the driving factor behind what we were doing, hope in the midst of chaos and despair.

I learned later from one of the others staffers we worked with that about 6 years ago some of the muslim clerics from the town came to meet with the leper chief and told him that he should not let the christians into his village and demanded that he keep them out. The chief responded with a series of questions . . . "Do the muslims care about us? Do the muslims bring us food? Do the muslims check our health and bring us medicine? No, the christians do, so they will stay in my village and are always welcome."

HOPE

That is what we bring in the form of medicine, in the form of food, in the form of laughter, playing, and through the Son of God. I guess my question as well as my friends answer was flawed, these children do have hope, I just had defined it incorrectly

People

2008-06-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

We left for Nigeria on June 1 from Dallas and eventually made our way to Abuja(Nigeria's capital city)around 4:30 am on June 3. By the time we cleared customs, got our luggage and got loaded and underway it was about 6:30 and we had a 4 hour ride ahead of us. As we wound our way through the city and on our way to Jos (capital city of the Plateau State) the one thing that was inescapable was the number of people. Nigeria is a country about the size of Texas yet is the most populated country in the entire African continent with more than 130 million people.

They were everywhere, walking along the streets, in huts as we passed, in fields working, riding the Chabahhs (little moped taxi's). I remember looking at my watch as it was only 7:30 and the sheer number of people that were up and down the roads was staggering. This many people in such a state of poverty . . . amazing. I was so tired yet did not want to sleep as I was afraid there was something I may miss.

What I did not miss was how quickly the Nigerian people were to smile. There is one thing about being in a city like Abuja or Jos that is different than our cities. In any big American city we see such a diverse population and various people groups. In Nigeria, being a white person, we stood out like a red wine stain on a white carpet. There was no missing us even behind the windows of our van. As we would slow to pass through a town or by a rail road crossing (this is a popular spot for street merchants) we would usually receive a wave and a smile. Everyone we met our two weeks there extended their welcome and a smile.

It all made me wonder, here these people are truly destitute, most of them hungry and without running water or electricity in their homes. The poorest of the poor, yet they smile, they welcome and want us to know they are glad to see us.

Here we are with all of the opulence the world could offer (today I sat at a restaurant with two of my Nigerian Trip teammates and we all commented on how many menu choices and how this concept would not sink in to one of our Nigerian friends) and yet we can barely summon up a smile for our neighbor or the cashier at the grocery store.

During one of our conversations with one of the elders at a Nigerian church we brought up the topic at how warm and friendly the people of his country were. He then smiled a great big smile and said "Nigerians love to smile because we know we have much to be thankful for!"
I wanted to ask "Really? You can't be serious!" I mean after all does he not see what is around him? Does he not understand all the stuff he is missing? And I guess that is what they get that we don't . . . its just stuff and it can never really make one happy.

More to come soon . . . still processing

Africa

2008-06-19T08:32:00.001-07:00

I have recently returned from a 2-week trip to Nigeria, Africa to see some missionary friends of ours who are supported by our church. It was quite an experience and one that I am still in the process of unpacking mentally and emotionally. in lieu of sending a novel of an e-mail, I will be using this blog and my personal blog to share my thoughts and observations over the next several weeks. This will allow me the ability to write when new thoughts come in and the ability to process over time. All in all it was an incredible trip and one that I was thrilled to make. I am afraid that despite my attempts, I will not be able to accurately describe all we saw or experienced, but over the next several posts I will do my best.

Thanks to all of those who held us in prayer during that time, we felt it most definitely.

Opportunity

2008-05-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Recently I have found myself in the middle of several discussions about outreach. The discussions have been wide and varied but have all had a central theme of:

- How do we reach our community?

- What is the best way to do outreach?

- What has the most impact when it comes to outreach?

These discussions have been rather frustrating because I think we are all looking for some magic answer, a golden ring that will lead us to a wonderful height that we can scale and declare we are doing outreach!

When I think of Jesus and His outreach, I think of one word: RELATIONSHIP

Jesus had no outreach agenda or program, He simply built relationships with people and He did so by meeting them where they were. Could you imagine Jesus going to the tax collector Zaccheus and saying "come down from that tree and come to my church tonight for Bible study?" Nope, Jesus went to where he was - his house - and sat with him and dined with him and built a relationship with him and this is the model.

We want to reach out to the lost and we are running around and trying to figure out the right methods, the right opportunity to engage. Well, we know how to talk right? We know how to eat? We know how to help someone carry something to the car right?

So what are we waiting for?

The Mystery & The Madness

2008-05-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

I love the disciples. These guys who spent all of their time with Jesus, watching Him, desiring to be like Him and wanting to learn from Him continually missed the point and were continuously in amazement over their Rabbi. Even in His final hours they truly did not understand the full mystery of Jesus and who He was and what He intended to do.

If this is the case with this band of men who spent three years with Jesus how come we have a hard time coming to grips with the mystery of Jesus for ourselves?

This past week I was with my brother and he was telling me of two instances where good friends of his (people whom I also know) have been dealt with harshly by other "Christians" because they have raised questions about Jesus and the Bible. These questions were deemed as some by questioning truth and therefor dangerous.

How can that be? I mean, the disciples asked questions didn't they? The disciples even doubted (see Thomas). So why do we seem afraid to wrestle with Jesus and God and what is in the scriptures? I am not sure how one can claim to have cornered the truth when those who were closest to Messiah were still questioning, doubting and exploring after three years.

God help us if we ever stop

Hallowed Be What?

2008-04-21T09:18:00.001-07:00

This last week I was introduced to a band that I had never heard of, but later learned have been around since the early 90's. The band is a Christian group that paraody's rock songs from the 70's-today and set's them to what they have deemed as Christian lyrics. The song parody's range from Eminem (Will the Real Sin Savior Please Stand Up), to Gun's & Roses, to the Beatles and Elvis. All of the lyrics changed to put these tunes to a catchy little spiritual message that will appeal to just under 100,000 people, this according to their fan club counter on their website. What is even better is on the site they talk about how their songs have been written to speak to people, yet when you go to find the lyrics on some of their newer albums, you have to sign-up to their fan club before you can get access!

The same day I was subjected to ApologetiX, I saw a girl with what I thought was a Reeses Peanut Butter t-shirt. As she approached I noticed that the shirt was actually made to look as such, but in reality an advertisement for Jesus with some tag line talking about God and Jesus etc.

I am not sure this is what God had in mind when He talked about His greatness and His holiness. Somehow I think we have lost the sense of what God has called us to and whom it is that we serve. We serve a Great and Holy God whom we should fear and yet we have diluted Him down to t-shirts and bad parody songs?

At the same time we do this, we look at the world around us and wonder why won't they listen to our message? Well, maybe they have, maybe they have listened to us tell it via our clothing and our "christian" music and maybe, just maybe the delivery was what turned them off.

Did I Do OK?

2008-04-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Over the last two months we have discovered that my youngest son Luke is far sighted and has some visual learning issues. In the entire scheme of potential health issues that we could be facing, we realize this is minimal and will take it. However, due to this fact it has meant that over the last month I have brought him to the eye doctor to do a series of tests.

Today was our third appointment over the last month and at this appointment they were testing him to see how much improvement had been made since getting his new glasses a month ago.

Today I watched as he worked through a reading test he has done the previous times we have been at the doctors. As with the other times you could tell that as he went further in the test his eyes were getting tired and he was losing steam and began to struggle. When he finally finished he looked at me, smiled slightly and asked, "dad, did I do ok?"

What a question . . . . . . I assured him he did great.

As his dad, I hate siting there and watching him struggle. I wanted to get up and finish the reading for him, but also knew that him doing the test and finishing it struggles and all is what is best for him in the long run. It also made me think if this is how sometimes we appear to God. We try so hard to do what He calls us to, we struggle, we try harder but at the same time grow weary and when we are done we ask,

"God, did I do ok?"

It is in that moment that God smiles at us and assures us that we did great.

I Wanna Talk About Me!

2008-04-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

I am selfish! There, I got it out and I said it, I am selfish. I am just like the person that Toby Keith describes in his song, I Wanna Talk About Me! (except I am not a lady).

My thoughts, my wants, my driving, my work, my relaxation, my entire life . . . they all revolve around me and what makes me happy and makes me satisfied.

The trouble with all of that is I also lump my relationship with Jesus into that. It is soooo much better when it revolves around me and I get to decide how and where it goes (or so I have allowed myself to think). However, that can't be if it is really going to work and be a true relationship.

Paul talks about dying to self. Jesus asks me to follow Him in true discipleship which means, its not about me. It is about Him!

It is amazing to me how I have made my relationship, my christianity about me . . . .

- Christ makes ME better

- I can bring all MY cares to Him

- He will give ME peace

- I led someone to Him (like the Holy Spirit had nothing to do with it)

and the list goes on.

Jesus was pretty clear that His first priority on earth was glorifying God, His Father. He was also pretty clear that my loving His Father and my neighbor were the two most important things I could do.

Does not sound like a lot of room for me in all of that does it?

ME!

2008-03-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

I think more often than not, we make the cross and the tomb about us. We look at it about everything that Christ did for us and how it gives us eternal life. To be honest, it is hard not to look at such a gift as revolving around us, but if we really look at the text and view what Jesus said we will know that while we receive tremendous benefit from the cross and the tomb, it is not about us.

Over and over before His crucifixion we see Jesus speaking about the glorification of the Father and that as He was glorified that the Father would indeed be glorified. So what does this mean?

It means, the first and foremost the cross and the empty tomb was intended to bring glory to God the Father not for our benefit, however it does also mean that God loves us so much that He chose to share in the glory with us as benefactors or as Paul states as heirs!

Pretty amazing isn't it, the God of this universe who is insanely jealous of His name and glory chose us to be partakers in that. No words can describe that kind of love!

Faith In A Box

2008-03-04T18:15:00.001-08:00

A group of us have been meeting weekly and reading the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. We have met for the last 4 weeks and discuss each chapter over bagels, muffins and coffee. This last week we were discussing faith and what that looks like. We were all going around the table and discussing what we thought it was to live out our faith. As we each took our turn in an attempt to describe faith, it started to become apparent to us that faith is not something we could necessarily affix a description to.

We began discussing different folks we knew and were reading about in the book who loved Jesus and wanted to desperately follow Him, but looked and did things so differently than us. At the end of the breakfast I am not sure we had any more clarity on what faith looked like, but I know we did have a greater understand the freedom that Christ gives us to serve Him and live out our faith.

Noise

2008-02-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

The other day I was driving my car, late to an appointment with my BlackBerry vibrating informing me of another e-mail, my radio on listening to whatever was playing at the time, I had a taco in my hand trying to eat and was driving well over the speed limit. As I sat at a stop light, my foot tapping to the music and just waiting for the light to turn green so I could get moving again, I remember thinking, what am I doing with all this noise? What am I allowing to drive me to such a panicked, breakneck speed of life? How could I possibly hear anything that God was trying to say to me or teach me when I was simply running from one thing to another

and then another

and another

and still another

with my radio blaring, my blackberry buzzing, my taco and whatever else I tried to put into the precious hours of the day.

In Psalm 46:10, we see God telling us to "be still and know" that He is God. How can we be still with all the noise? And I am talking about more than just being in the car. It is the scheduling every last minute with some activity, the video games, the constant internet chat, the more,

more

even more

and yet even more noise we put in our lives.

In Psalm 23 we see that God has to make us lie down in green pastures. He knows that when we are still, when we are in His green pastures that then, we can know.

Take time to be silent, to be still

To Know!

WOW!

2008-01-31T20:41:00.001-08:00

We have spent the last few weeks studying the miracles of Jesus. We started with the miracle at Cana and turning the water into wine, then focused on the feeding of the 4,000 and this week will look at Jesus walking on the water.

As we have studied these I cannot help but think that the disciples had to continually be blown away by what they were experiencing. I am not just talking about the miracle itself, but the significance of each miracle and the multiple messages that Jesus was sending with each and every one. The disciples must have been floored. I can almost picture these young guys, wide-eyed and speechless and asking themselves just what were they into? Who was this Rabbi that they had chosen to follow and were they really living this life?

The real question in all of this study though that has occurred to me over and over as I have studied is does Jesus have the same affect on me? Am I continually floored by Him, by being chosen to be a partaker in His Kingdom, to be used by Him. Am I blown away by His truth and His love?

It is easy to study, read and walk away with a better understanding of Him, but I believe Jesus is calling us to so much more just like He did His disciples. I pray that none of us grow content with a "just" attitude, but that as we continue to uncover who Jesus is that He rocks our world and that we come to be awed by Him.

People

2008-01-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

Throughout Matthew chapter 5 Jesus gives us examples of how He is fulfilling "setting it straight" the law and in each one of His examples that He gives runs the common thread that there is something sacred about the human life, the person itself and that it is to be respected and held in high esteem. The question begs why? The why can be found in Genesis where God says that "man is made in His own image and likeness." So therefore people should be held in high regard.

Jesus then brings this thought full circl at the end of the chapter when He commands us to love our enemies and then in verse 45 He says we should do this so that "we may become like our Father who is in heaven." By showing this love we begin to take on the attribute, and more of the "likeness" of our Father. Already made in His image but becoming more like Him!

Whats in A Name?

2007-12-30T05:13:00.000-08:00

I remember when my younger brother was enrolling for classes his freshman year of college. His entire life we called him Michael, not Mike, but Michael. As he went through the various lines and such he got his ID card which said Mike on it, no big deal right? Well, my father was not real thrilled about it and much to my brothers embarrassment brought it to the attention of the registrar and several others.

I remember thinking, "you have me as a son, whom you have called 'Bumper' for well over 20+ years now and you are worried about Mike versus Michael?"

Names are funny things aren't they? Think about couples who are expecting work through a list of names before they finally find the right one.

In the Hebrew , names are incredibly important. It was much more than what sounded good, or whether or not it is popular, names signify something about the person's character and was a reflection of who they were. This is one of the reasons we see in Scripture where God will change the name of a person as after their encounter with God, they need a new name as they are now reflecting, they are now something new, something different.

Think about the name of God! We could think about that for a very long time and still not reach the end. The Jews had such reverence, such respect, such fear for His name that they dared not even utter it, because they understood the weight that the name carried. They understood that the name meant holiness, justice, power, love, judgment, jealousy and so much more.

The "Name above all Names!" carries some big weight doesn't it?!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at Mercy Street putting on the Joy of Sharing Christmas and being able to share the Christmas Story. I was asked to run sound for the shepherds scene so manned the control booth for that scene. As you can see we had a great time and Andy, our pastor, even stopped by to pay me a visit as I worked diligently!

The True Meaning

2007-12-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Last week I was walking down our church hallway with my head down and was greeted by a very jovial voice that said "Good Morning Bumper!" I looked up to see our head custodian Roberto standing there with a huge smile on his face. He came up to me, put his arm around me and asked me how I was doing? I replied I was fine and in turn asked him the same, his smile got even bigger and he responded by saying "I am so happy, we all are, because we have Jesus!" and then he got back to doing whatever it was he was doing before I walked down the hallway.

That brief conversation has stuck with me for several reasons. The first is because I know how genuine Roberto's happiness and joy is. I know this is not a happiness born from wealth or prosperity as some would have us believe, but it is because as he said "he has Jesus!" It also stuck with me because to be honest it was a tad convicting. I claim the same Jesus that Roberto does, but do I let it permeate and impact every facet of my life? Do I let the love of Jesus flow so freely and abundantly that I can not help it that it makes me happy?

We are coming up on Christmas, one of my favorite times of the year. I hope we are happy!

In The Image

2007-11-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have spent this entire last week in Colorado. What a remarkably beautiful state with its rivers, mountains and wildlife. One cannot drive through Colorado and not notice the Rockies and their expanse. Driving up I-25 after a snowfall and watching the sun light up the mountain tops and the brightness gleam off the snow is more testament to God's incredible creation and this is just the beginning of what you see here. However, as I was taking this all in the one thing I could not escape was the fact that no matter how beautiful this all is, no matter how breathtaking it is to view, it is I who am made in the image of God!

We, the human race are the only ones to be made in the image of God! How amazing is that?!? No matter how beautiful, how stunning a scene we see in creation, God looks at us as what is most precious and beautiful as we are an image of the creator Himself. This is indeed breathtaking!

Community

2007-11-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

It is so easy in our world today to be isolated, to stay to ourselves and to be impersonal. Instant messaging, text messages, e-mails . . . why they all have their place and can be beneficial, it makes it awfully easy to stay behind a screen and to ourselves.

Is this what God intended? Does God want us to be in community with each other? Does he want us to share together, hurt together, study together, rejoice together and simply be together?

Man was made for relationship wasn't he?
What does community mean and how should we live in it and be actively part of it?

Being Active

2007-10-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

It is fun to be around people who are passionate about something, because it is infectious, it is contagious and you can feel it. They move, they are a part of it and they live for it, actively!

Over the last few days I have had a running conversation with a friend of mine about being passionate. We have been discussing that being passionate is more than just being excited about something, but that being passionate is actually active, it is doing, it is being a part of something and taking an active role. It is the exact opposite of being passive.

Jesus in His call of discipleship is calling for passion - action, being, doing. He is calling for more than excitement, He is calling for us to be a part of something that He has planned and wants our active participation.

The other thing about passionate people, is they are anything but boring. Kind of sounds like Jesus!

Action

2007-10-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

We have been studying the life of Jesus as a group and getting in depth into the Beatitudes. The more we study the more and more it becomes apparent that Jesus wants action, He wants us to do and it is then where we will receive true blessing and happiness.

Sometimes music says it better then print. God wants action, He is there, working and we should be as well.

Are We Sure?

2007-10-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Last night during 7:22 we discussed the purpose of life. Why Am I Here?

The answer was quickly given - "We are here and were made to glorify God." After that someone jokingly stated "there you have it, let's go home."

Why the comment was funny and well timed it got me thinking if that is how we treat our purpose. I think from a cerebral sense we know that we were made to glorify Him and for His pleasure, but does that follow with action or do we state it and then move on i.e. "go home?"

Imagine what changes would be made and how different we would be if within every moment, within every action we consciously focused on doing it for His pleasure.

You say you want a revolution?

From The Back of A Starbucks Cup

2007-10-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

On my latest Starbucks cup the following statement from Bishop Carlton Pearson who is listed as an authors, speaker, spiritual leader and recording artist (that is quite a lot of things to be all at one time but good for him!) said the following:

"In reality, hell is not such an intention of God as it is an invention of man. God is love and people are precious. Authentic truth is not so much taught or learned as it is remembered. Somewhere in your pre-incarnate consciousness you were loved absolutely because you were. Loved absolutely and in reality you still are! Remember who you are!"

It is hard to think about hell, what an awful image it conjures up, yet is that image one that is accurate? Do we really think God could create such a place and while we are at it, could heaven really be all that we think it is?

We will discuss more of this on Sunday night @ 7:22

The PA System

2007-09-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is tempting to view God as a PA System. Kind of like the voice that comes over the loud speaker at school in the morning as we make our way through the hall and gives the announcements the upcoming activities.

What an impersonal way to communicate.

There is just a voice . . . no face, no form, nothing, just a voice that gives the morning update.

Is that God? Sometimes it can feel that way.

No?

Why when we pray do we sometimes feel like we are playing the role of student in the hallway interacting with a faceless, impersonal voice that even if we yelled back could not and would not give us a reply?

So if we feel this way then why even pray? Why do we continue to petition the PA system if we get no results?

Love, Evil . . . . . I am Confused

2007-09-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

We all know that God is love. I mean that is what His word says right, that God is love? The God sent His Son, His only Son to die because He loved us. Thats what the Bible says, right?

So if that is what the Bible says then why does so much evil exist in the world today?

The BlackEyed Peas song "Where is the Love" asks the same question? If God is love, where is it in the world today?

Join us this Sunday night at 7:22 for this discussion . . . . If God is Love, Why Does So Much Evil Exist?

Where is the love?

Passion

2007-09-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

The television show Arrested Development had as one of its characters a woman named Lindsay who was known for always taking up a new cause. It seemed like each show her "cause" was something different and she would defend herself by proclaiming how passionate she was about this cause. Inevitably, by the end of the show, she was tired of supporting that cause as it did not fulfill her selfish ambition and she was off to the next thing.

While this made for great television and humor, it is not too different then many of us today.

Several of us were sitting around discussing what is means to be passionate about Christ and to truly be in discipleship to Him. We quickly discovered that we are not too different than the television character. We get all charged up and ready to go in following Jesus and then something happens and it knocks the enthusiasm right out of us. Is this true passion?

Isn't passion, really true passion, something that cannot be tamed, something that cannot be extinguished?

May it be this way as we continue to pursue Jesus and understanding more of who He is.

Moments

2007-09-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes as followers of Christ we can fall into the trap of waiting for the next big thing. We expect that our life will be full of these great moments that we can point back to and say "it was there that Jesus did ." This is flawed thinking. We need to think of God as a God of every moment.

What does this mean?

Last Sunday after 7:22 there was a group hanging around and talking, we all ended up at Chilies. There we sat, 12 of us in the back of the restaurant, laughing, telling stories, seeing if we could get just one of us to spit out our drink and having a great time. I looked around the table and thought "this is awesome, God is here." At that moment, God was there with us, enjoying the sight of His children, His creation, His 12 images enjoying the company of each other and enjoying His gift of laughter.

God is a God of moments both big and small.

He is here

The Beggar In Me

2007-08-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

The old band Arrested Development had a song about a bum named Mr. Wendell. The song for its time was catchy but I always liked the lyrics that went "Mr. Wendell has a freedom, a freedom that you and I think is dumb, a freedom to be without the worries are quick to this society, for Mr. Wendell's a bum . . . "

I could not help but think of this song when we looked at the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus said "Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is Jesus here saying that when you are nothing more then a beggar from a spiritual perspective, when you have nothing to offer spiritually and come to that understanding the only thing left is to accept my free access to my kingdom, for you are a bum.

How great and paradoxical is that? I as a beggar get an inheritance in the Kingdom of Jesus!!! WOW!!!!

I am not sure that Arrested Development ever intended for their song to be connected to the Beatitudes, but we are bums that within the kingdom have a freedom!

?

2007-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

I think Thomas gets a bad rap. You know, the disciple Thomas, who has now earned the name doubting Thomas. Think about it, he sees Jesus, whom he followed for three years get beaten to a pulp and then nailed to a cross and buried, then three days later he is supposed to believe that all of the sudden He cam alive again? I am in Thomas' corner on this one and can completely understand his reservations and doubt's.

I think anyone who is being completely honest would still say that they have doubts, questions and reservations. Frederick Buechner once said that
"Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith, it keeps it alive an moving." However, for some reason, having doubts usually has attached to it something negative, something bad and pointing to a lack of faith. I believe that doubt shows someone who is searching and wanting to know more. Doubt leads to questions, questions lead to searching and searching can also lead to answers which in turn leads to more questions. This is how we grow, this is how we get to learn more about the spirit of God and His Son, Jesus.

As we pursue Him, we get to ask "Why? We get to ask "How Come?" We get to ask Him "Why He feels so far away?" David did it, Job did it, and even Jesus did it. Each of them had their doubts and their questions. We do to.

Starting September 2 on Sunday Nights at 7:22 we will begin welcoming all doubters and discussing our doubts. Together we will question, probe, poke and prod and hopefully come away with answers and then have more questions.

See you there!

If You Can Dodge a Wrench!

2007-08-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was a kid we used to play Dodge Ball in gym class. We would line the balls up at the half-court line, the gym teacher would blow the whistles and we would run like mad to the line in hopes of getting a ball and hitting the person on the other side of the line.

Nothing brought more satisfaction then a well timed hit and even though head shots were not allowed, whenever a ball would strike an unsuspecting person upside the melon it brought raucous applause and cheers.

Relive this moment with me on Friday, September 14th as we get together for a Dodge Ball Tournament and Lock-In at the Town North YMCA. Click here to sign-up!

Welcome

2007-08-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

It is only fitting that the first post be a welcome to The Group Blog message.

We are a group of mostly teenagers (I say mostly because there are some leaders who are adults that are also part of The Group) who are seeking to know more about Jesus and pursuing the reality of what it means to be in discipleship to Him.

On this blog, we will post photos of The Group, links that we have found useful and random other thoughts and information as we find our way through the truth, doubt and enlightenment that one, or a group of ones, experiences when they get to know someone in a more intimate way.

We look forward to getting to know you and drop by for a visit any time either here or to our church, we would love to have you along either on the blog, our website or in person to join us in our journey.