What a Friend We Have in Jesus!

Have you noticed the change? It’s the weather I’m speaking of this time: the cooler mornings and shorter days. Here in the country the change of season has been quite pronounced. The bean fields neighboring the church have been harvested; the trees behind the church surrounding the prayer path have hints of yellow, red, & brown. I guess it won’t be long until the snow flies! There is a change that many can experience in their spiritual walk as well. We find ourselves drifting from our routine, be it prayer time or Bible reading/study, because of time constraints or any number of outside influences. Most of you know that I am “Mr. Change is Good” but you also need to know this. We are to “set our minds on things above.” Don’t let satan trick you into thinking you don’t have time for a daily devotion or prayer time or Bible study, or that it’s not that important…that’s exactly what his goal is. In the midst of constant change, whether it’s the seasons, stages of life, or change in the church, there are some things that must remain unshakable in our lives and one is our personal time with our Creator. If we neglect our time with God, the change we will notice is a lack of relationship where once we had a cherished friend.

Cockleburs & Doctrine

We have told the girls since we moved here to stay away from the sheds, the machinery, the fields…to stay in our yard because of the many dangers ‘out there’…whatever those dangers may be. Last evening when I got home Jill told me that earlier in the evening Anna came running into the house screaming that Bella was going to die. Shortly behind her was Bella screaming at the top of her lungs that she had been poisoned and was going to die. After she finally calmed them both down, Jill asked them what was going on, to which they replied that Bella had gotten poison all over her. Jill looked at Bella only to find cockleburs all over her pant legs. They were sticking her and somehow she or Anna concluded (or someone had told them) that cockleburs were poison. It was funny to me, and Jill even said she had to smile when it happened, but it reminds me that we will sometimes get all excited over some little thing, giving the wrong impression to others. This is especially so with new believers. There is an issue or doctrine that we either struggle with or feel passionately about and we let on as if that is the only doctrine central to the faith, instead of the side issue it really is. Like Bella and Anna, some new believers might become traumatized when they first encounter it, but let’s face it, many of our self-expressed doctrines are much like cockleburs: they are a gift from God, deserving our attention, and at times a nuisance, but they are not poison!

We Gotta Focus!

My bubble was burst Sunday afternoon as I realized (again) that we are engaged in a war and some (perhaps many) of us do not really know the rules of engagement. I attended a workshop for rural churches that was little more than people whining about other people in their church or community and why they won’t come to their church. I am sorry…I don’t think God ever intended for us all to go to your church (or to mine). We need to focus on the task at hand: preaching Christ crucified. Too often we think we are competing with school, ballgames, television, social clubs, civic organizations and even other churches. One person shared a story of how one church in a town attracted all the youth and then finally another church started a youth program. The first church was so thankful because it couldn’t handle all the ‘church kids’ who showed up, let alone go after the unchurched in the community! It’s okay to try new things, we all should be changing with the times, but we need to remember that our God is bigger, more powerful, and more enticing than any program or organization the human mind can contrive. If we will preach Christ crucified, God will draw people to himself…people of all ages. If we will not be His witnesses, it doesn’t matter what we do…or how many people attend our church…we will fail.

Our God is an Awesome God!

I’ve said this before…and I will proclaim it until the day I receive my reward…God is good! This has been one of those days that blesses the soul. Earlier today I had a committal service for a woman who came back ‘home’ to be buried beside her husband and parents after she had lived all of her adult life out of state. This evening we had a wedding rehearsal for a young couple whose wedding I have the privilege of performing tomorrow. Then on Sunday morning the church will receive two new adult members on profession of faith…it’s back out to the pond! God is so good that I am not sure I can fully comprehend how good God really is. I say that because we, okay, I all too often sell God short. I can conceive of good things and they routinely fall way short of the good that God has in store for me. For instance, for God to allow me to experience the ‘cycle of life’ is such a privilege and the fact that God allows me to play a small part in the celebrations…whether celebrating a faithful life, consecrating a marriage, or performing a baptism…it is just awesome. Rich Mullins was right; our God IS an awesome God! Praise his holy name!

The Father of All Lies

Last night during Bible study we had a good discussion about the god of this world. For those of you who weren’t there or who were there, but maybe didn’t get it, I want to reiterate some of the things that were said. First, satan is the god of this age, not of this world. To call satan the god of this world is to give him recognition and power he does not deserve. Yahweh is Creator and God of this world…it is His alone. He is the one who cast satan from the heavens and allows him to operate here on God’s earth (Isaiah 14). Secondly, we need to realize that satan is absolutely powerless over us. I’ve said this before, “Greater is he who is in me, than he who is in the world.” Then you ask, “Why is it satan troubles us so?” The answer is that he is the father of lies…and we are possibly the most gullible creatures God ever conceived. Not only can and does satan trick us, too often we so want to believe his lies! Finally, the question of evil surfaced, “Why would God allow satan (evil) to operate in our world?” Let me restate this carefully. Evil is nothing more than the absence of God. Just as darkness is defined as the absence of light, and cold defined as the absence of heat, evil is simply the absence of God. If you agree that we (humanity) were given a free will by God, and acknowledge that we (humanity) at times will choose options contrary to God’s will, then are we not the ones responsible for evil? We hate accountability and want to avoid responsibility, but aren’t we the ones to blame for evil? The good news is that there are those of us who do choose God’s will (or at least we try to) for our lives…and a little God goes a long way!

What If We Did Our Part?

I received a blessing yesterday (Tuesday) when I went out to the Wal-Mart distribution center with a church member to pick up items that were donated to local food pantries like Sign of the Kingdom and other agencies to help those struggling in today’s economy. We only received 6 pallets of food, which is less than a drop in the bucket (or more appropriately ocean) when compared to the tons and tons of food at the center, but praise God they give! I have seen some companies that destroyed food, unwilling to donate because of possible litigation, afraid someone will misuse the product and injury or illness results. My blessing came from the knowledge that if we all would give…just a little, we could meet most every need. God doesn’t ask that you or I do it all alone…we are all to pitch in and do our part. I think this is the reasoning behind the tithe. First of all, let me say that God doesn’t need our money, he already owns it all, but in order to teach us stewardship and the exponential effect of working together, God gave us the tithe. When we all tithe, that is give 10% back to God, the church has more than enough resources to meet the needs that come to us. In fact, if we all tithed, and if churches worked together, I am one of those who believe the Church could put the government welfare agencies out of business…and we should if I understand God’s intention for the church in reading the Acts of the Apostles. What do you think?

Praise Jesus!

Praise God for the mighty ways in which He works! Jesus said in John 12:32, “If I am lifted up above the earth, I will make everyone want to come to me." Beulah takes this text seriously and while Christ was speaking of his own crucifixion, we also understand it to mean that others will be attracted to Christ because we lift him up. Yesterday morning, when I got out of the house and realized it was so damp and gloomy, I actually said to myself, “What a good day to sleep in and miss church…attendance will surely be off today.” Oh, me of little faith! I believe God is trying to tell me something, or at least get my attention, because when worship was over we experienced what I understand to be a record for worship at Beulah with 155 in attendance. However, that fact is dwarfed by the fact that the Spirit moved in such a mighty way! In so many ways I felt the Spirit, beginning with the prayer at the altar, continuing in Ollie’s song, and concluding with some of your remarks after the service. So, I just want to offer you advance warning of the Spirit’s presence next Sunday…we have another family joining the church with two adult professions of faith and baptisms…come prepared to meet God, He will be here! Oh, by the way, in addition to those who were here, I noted eleven “regular attendees” who were not here for some reason or another (hope they didn’t mistakenly think it would be a good day to sleep in).

GoD and DoG

This video doesn’t change my stance on whether or not animals go to heaven, however Wendy Francisco gives us (okay me) an opportunity to realize that all creation (even dogs) are created in the image of the Almighty…and at times they surely do a better job of imitating God than we do! As you watch it, please don’t gloat, I don’t think I’ll change my position anytime soon…she could be wrong, but I don’t think so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY

Ouch!

Here’s something I read and wanted to pass on…I’ve intentionally left out the church name and denomination. At a Sunday morning service (perhaps in your church), a man wearing a very large hat was seated in the very front pew! An usher hurried from the back, moved to the man and discreetly asked him to please remove his hat. The man replied, “No, thank you.” The usher almost ran to the head usher, who in turn, after being made aware of the situation and response, made his way to the man with the same request of the man and received the same answer. About that time the president of the women of the parish arrived to overhear the conversation of the head usher in regards to the rude man in the front row. She offered to be of assistance. She made her way to the front of the church, leaned in and as graciously as she could, she asked the man to please remove his hat. She received the same dismal response, “No!” Finally, only two minutes remained before the opening hymn and the senior warden (doesn't this person sound welcoming!) of the parish was summoned. He had the solution! He carefully tip toed up beside the man and reached out to grab the hat, but the man saw him and his tactic in time, and was able to nimbly dodge and the hat remained firmly in place. Now the service was about to begin. As the opening hymn began and the choir made their procession into the church, the man stood with the rest of the congregation, removed his hat and did not put it on again until the service concluded. Afterwards the four frustrated persons waited for the man at the rear of the church. The senior warden approached him and said, “Sir, about the hat. Perhaps you don’t understand, but in our church men do not wear hats at worship.” The man replied, “Oh, but I do understand. In fact, I’ve been coming to this church regularly for over two years and I’ve never met a soul. But this morning I’ve met an usher, the head usher, the president of the church women, and the senior warden, thank you all.” Ouch! Another reminder to do what we know we should do in church!

I've Felt It!

Have you felt the Spirit move lately? I have! I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit at the Fall Festival last Friday night and Saturday. I found myself conversing with complete strangers there who sensed it too…now I have new friends. Then Sunday with Gerson & Betsy Tejeda sharing their ministry with us I felt its presence. Sunday evening in a videotaped message of Bishop Violet Fisher many of us felt the Spirit move in a powerful way! I’ve spent Monday & Tuesday in Springfield at the final session of the Congregational Development Leadership Institute and God’s Spirit was present there in a powerful way. Even on my ride home Tuesday, I was overwhelmed by the unmistakable presence of the Holy Spirit in my car with me. I guess the point I am trying to make is that if you expectantly search for the Holy Spirit, you will not be disappointed. However, if you do not actively search hoping to finding the Spirit active, you will miss it. Even great revelations will be missed if you aren’t expecting. Yeah, we are temples in which God’s Holy Spirit resides, but that does not automatically guarantee an awareness on our part. We must seek, and when we do Scripture repeatedly tells us we will find (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7 to name just a few). So have you felt the Spirit move lately? If not, why haven’t you been expecting?

PRAISE GOD! (I feel better now)

Is it me…or is satan the prince of darkness and of persistence? I mean, there are so many distractions to continually deal with, even in the church…Fall Festival, float for the parade, parsonage committee, meet with the District Board, CDLI homework, audio for website, pictorial directory…the list goes on and on. This stuff is all good, but it’s not the Main Thing! Then you add family and personal distractions…some days I just want to scream! But then I remember a saint who once told me that when the Spirit builds a fire…that’s when demons show up with their water buckets. So I scream out: PRAISE GOD! There is a fire here at Beulah (must be hotter than I first realized!) cause satan seems to be working overtime. What a privilege to be a part of God’s plan and see his hand move! My prayer is that we (each of us) would be given strength to stand firm against the enemy; a determination that would cause satan to scream; eyes to see the needs of those around us; a holy boldness in sharing our faith with every person we encounter; and that God would use us to encourage those believers who satan has beaten down and distracted from their calling…Lord, help us to keep the Main Thing the main thing! Amen.

Name That Tune!

As I read the devotion today on the Upperroom.org (you can connect to this from our homepage… just click on the Daily Devotion link on the menu), I immediately connected with the author’s image that a band playing together equates to them having a conversation. When it sounds good, they are listening to and talking with one another. When it sounds bad, it is as if they are having an argument. My thoughts immediately drifted to the tones coming from some churches. Sadly, instead of emanating angelic tones employing others to join them in singing the chorus of Handel’s Messiah, many churches sound much like an orchestrated fight! Squabbling and fussing, struggling for power and prominence; it’s no wonder the Kingdom is not being advanced! The author goes on to quote Psalm 18:21, “What you say can preserve life or destroy it.” Church, those are true words on a personal and even more true a corporate level. There are spirits that have been crushed by churches who do not consider that others are watching, or listening to them. I come across them all the time…"I won’t go to church because of what I saw years ago"…the story is too familiar and distressing. If we will not learn to harmonize here on earth, we may well find that we have not been invited to be a part of God’s heavenly choir.

The Real Difference Between the Sexes!

An email today from a friend whose daughter had a baby reminded me of the on-going discussion (yeah, it’s really an argument) with someone I love and respect about the differences between men and women. Brad Stine, a hilarious Christian comedian, might just sum it up best...I love this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDrOUjfrMRo

Thanksgiving...Already!

I love this time of year…it’s cooling off slightly and you can anticipate the change in the air. Fall is a gorgeous season that is climaxed with harvest time: a reward for our efforts and an indication of God’s faithfulness. I think my favorite American holiday is Thanksgiving. It is unfortunate that Madison Avenue has decided its greatest attribute is to be the start of the Christmas shopping season, which actually seems to begin these days in mid October…but that’s okay. Thanksgiving cannot be contained in only one day…if it is, you’ve missed the point. Thanksgiving is not a day or a season…it’s an attitude…a lifestyle. Psalm 95 says we are to "come before the Lord with thanksgiving." Why? Not because of the bountiful harvest, but because “the Lord is a great God!” Psalm 100 says we are to “shout for joy” as we “enter his gates with thanksgiving.” Again, why? Because “the Lord is good and his love endures forever!” We are to be thankful, not because of what we’ve accomplished or what God has given us…we are to be thankful because God is good…because he loves us…who we are or what we have has absolutely nothing to do with it. Last night the men’s group did an exercise where they wrote down all the reasons each person had to praise God for. I missed most of the meeting because of a meeting, but if we would all work a little harder recognizing our reasons for praise, there would be a lot less grumbling and discontent in our world.

Praise God!

Want to remember what’s really important in life? Check out this newscast from WKRN in Nashville. It was sent out on a prayer blog that I am a part of; Claire’s dad is a member. It reminded me of how our thinking is often skewed by insignificant stuff…and that so many things we take for granted are the things that are most dear to us. Put up with the commercial and get ready to prioritize some things…also know that Claire is proof that God answers prayer!

Here's a new link to the video at WKRN: http://www.wkrn.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=4095679&at1=News&h1=Franklin%20teen%20hit%20by%20car%20released%20from%20hospital&flvUri=&thirdpartymrssurl=&rnd=83937593

To Know Him & Make Him Known!

We are reading thru the New Testament, a chapter a day, and I gotta tell ya…I just love Paul. In his writings several things become apparent: his burden for the souls of the recipients of his letters (or for that matter of all people); his dedication to the cause of Christ (at any cost); his fervent desire to spread the gospel (in your face!); and his ability to address both doctrinal & personal issues with tact (at least most of the time). I long to be like Paul. Fact is, I am much more like Peter…now to have many of Peter’s traits would be a tremendous honor…but I’ve mastered his least desirable traits: stumbling along like a bull in a china shop with my foot in my mouth, focused on what I want or think is right instead of what God wants. The good news is that I know it’s not about me or my abilities; it’s about Christ and his love for me and for you. You see it’s true; Christ’s power IS made perfect in my weaknesses (2 Cor 12:9). So as I journey thru this life, trying my hardest to grow in my relatinship with Christ, becoming more like Jesus, often times looking less and less like him, it’s good to know that God has given me wonderful examples (like Paul & Peter) to spur me on…'cause that’s all I really want to do: help others to know Jesus.