Voice as Big as the Sea

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
(Do You Hear What I Hear?) 

This one phrase - voice as big as the sea - just spoke to me this morning as I was listening to this song on the road to Carthage, MO.  The song is referring to the angels singing to the shepherds as the announcement of Jesus birth!  What a night that must have been to be a shepherd hearing the voices of angels sing and honor this baby which was born.  Their voices were so strong their voices must have filled the air in an amazing ways.  

I thought then of the first cry of baby Jesus.  That first breath and that first cry out must have been a sound in the heavens that every angel and every spiritual being must have been amazed at the reality of Jesus voice first being heard on earth!  Voice as big as the sea!

Christmas changes everything! 

Advent - Joy to the Lord

Joy is such an incredible part of the Christmas story.  John the Baptist, before he was born leaped for joy in his mother when Mary came to visit Elizabeth.  ( At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:41) Mary writes this great poem of joy as she reflects on the reality of her baby being the chosen Messiah.  (“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.   How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,   and from now on all generations will call me blessed. Luke 1:6-48)  

Gerald Van Honthorst

Christmas is one of those seasons when I don't mind reliving the past because Christmas was always a great joy to me.  I can remember listening to the old Christmas music - Johnny Mathis and an old country Christmas album my parents had and it immediately brings back great memories and family joy. I am reminded of how fortunate I have been to be raised in a good, stable and loving family.  I know as I am writing this that some of you can relate and some of you have no idea what I am talking about.  Either way, God wants us to remember that JOY is part of the coming of Jesus to the world.  A joy that goes beyond Christmas traditions and Christmas music, but reaches down to the depths of our soul!  Joy because we know that God understands our human condition; joy because God not only promised to be with us but gave us the gift of His Holy Spirit to live within us; and joy to know there is a way to connect with God through faith.  
Don't let the lights, traditions and business of the Advent season steal the JOY of the Lord from the season.  Keep your eyes on Jesus!  Start new traditions that bring joy to your heart.  The realities of Christmas traditions is they are all man made traditions.  If they work to help you and your family celebrate Jesus, join in on them and celebrate.  If they don't help you find joy, start new traditions!

Pursue Love

Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. 
(1 Corinthians 14:1 The Message) 

What are you pursuing everyday of your life?  I mean when you are at work or school or your daily routine - what is your pursuit?  Your future?  Your plans? 

I look at my life and I wonder if I do everything I do for the pursuit of love!  Do I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and strength?  Sometimes I have to admit I may enjoy being loved but my response is not always to love others because I am loved.  

Bankrpt without Love

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
(1 Corinthians 13:3-7 The Message) 

I am bankrupt without love!  How dependent are you on the love of God for your life?  This passage is about the perfect unconditional love of Christ that God says is available to us!  It is our goal!  It is our hope!  Our human love is conditional.  We love others who love us back and are easy to love, but God love everyone completely and unconditionally!

Spiritual Gifts

 Paul writes in his first letter to the church in Corinth - A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.  (1 Corinthians 12:7) Everyone who has the spirit of God living and active in their lives will have some form of a spiritual gift.  It seems obvious when you think of the most powerful force in the universe living inside of us would want to give us some ability that is beyond ourselves.

We all have natural talents and abilities that are also a gift form God!  We have all that we have because of the gift of God.  Life and breath depend on God this very minute.  So we all have talents and abilities that we need to continue to develop and that God can help us develop, but these are different than the gifts the Holy Spirit brings when we allow God to work in us.

Paul list a few examples:  wise counsel, special knowledge, great faith, healing, perform miracles, prophesy, discerning whether something is from God or not, speak and interpret unknown languages.
We can all receive spiritual gifts from God's Holy Spirit!

They are gifts from God and he determines who will have what gift.  God won't be manipulated into giving you a gift you want - you can just seek God and his gifts and then be satisfied with whatever gift you receive,

The gifts are not for our glory, but to build others up!

What is your spiritual gift and how are you using it to build up the body of Christ?

Unworthy Manner

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. (1 Corinthians 11:26-28)

Paul writes that participation in the sacrament of communion is a way of proclaiming to the everyone Jesus died.  This is mainly a ritual in the church so we are reminding ourselves and those close to us that we need to remember that Jesus died on the cross for us!  Not just an average death, but a sacrificial death on a cross.  Not just a loss of life, but a laying down of a life for the good of all who would trust in His death for the hope of eternal life.  Proclaiming His death helps to keep Jesus at the forefront of our minds and hearts.  

Paul writes that there are ways we can participate in communion in an unworthy manner.  We can start out trying to proclaim Christ and end up sinning against Christ.  Paul addresses a few issues the church in Corinth was dealing with that caused their celebration of communion to be unworthy of the sacrament.

1. Disunity - they didn't participate together

2. Partiality - not only were they not unified they were divided between the rich and the poor.  Some had so much they were gluttons and others were starving from lack of food.  

3. Sin that has not been confessed - disunity and partiality are sins that often go without our recognition or confession.  

Paul warns the church that there are consequences for the people of God and the churches who practice communion in an unworthy manner.  Sickness, weakness, death and judgment are all possibilities for those who take communion too lightly.   

Examine your hearts before you enter the amazing celebration and proclamation of communion!  Confess your sins!  Seek unity in the body of Christ and check your partiality.  Then God can bless us with the spiritual food that we need for our journey!  

Temptation

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13) 

I was in a discussion today that was basically can you sin so many times that God will quit forgiving you.  I think that is an easy question, God's grace is amazing and God is patient with us.  However, the other end of that question comes can you truly be repentant and never change?  If the power of the Holy Spirit lives within us can we really keep sinning?  I believe there should be victory in our lives.  We should learn to overcome some sin in our lives and then God will reveal new things for us to work on to overcome. 

Paul gives us a key verse to help us learn some ways to overcome sin in our lives and to fight against the temptations we face. 

1. Remember you are not alone!  You are not the only one to experience what you are experiencing.  The trick of the devil is to tell you your are the only one who faces this so you are okay to give in to sin.  

2. Remember God is faithful and God wants to help you overcome the temptations in your life.  He is not fighting against you, He is fighting for you!  He wants us to overcome the temptation and not fall to it.  
3. God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can stand.  There is no temptation that is so powerful that you must give into and fail.  There is really no excuse on our part and we like to make excuses for our sin.  We always have reasons why we had to make that decision to go against God and His plan for our lives.  

4. God will provide a way out!  Not that we have to be smart enough or strong enough to overcome temptation.  We can't just will ourselves to overcome temptation.  We must look for God to provide a way out and He will provide.  

Too many people have settled with sin being the normal in their lives and temptation being to powerful for them to overcome when the reality of the Good News is that there is power to overcome temptation. 

Run to Win

I am a big fan of team sports!  I love the idea of a group working together to accomplish a task.  A group depending on each other and bringing out the best in each other.  However, being a fan of the team is partly because I was not very good at individual sports.  I have a second place tennis trophy, but the reality is that there were only two people in the tournament and I got beat badly.  Not sure I even won a single game, but I know I lost in straight sets.  I had some bone issues as a kid and wore correction shoes and even though I wasn't slow, I definitely wasn't fast.  I ran track but mainly did jumping events and goofed off most of the time.  

But even though individual sports are not my favorite, I respect those who can put themselves out there and compete on their own.  No team mates to blame.  Not even really a coach to blame.  It is completely up to you to do your best.  

In the Bible there are great team illustration to the faith.  We are the body of Christ!  We are called to unity!  We are called to love each other and be there for each other.  However there are also some individual sports illustrations.

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!  1 Corinthians 9:24

When it comes to faith we need to run after faith with everything we have in order to win!  To not settle with just getting by and doing okay in or faith.  Not just holding on to finish the race, but actually do all that we can to win the race of faith.  

Paul says if people will punish their bodies in order to win a silly race and get a metal and some recognition in this world, just imagine what our motivation should be to win the prize of eternal life with Christ.  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  (1 Corinthians 9:25) 

Good News!!!

How convinced are you that the message of Jesus is the Good News that can transform the hearts of people and change the world? It really does start with our own heart and our own mindset on how much we believe that Jesus is the Good News.  Have you really allowed God to change your heart or have you always really been a decent person and Jesus is just a part of that life.  For the Apostle Paul, he knew that his encounter with Jesus was completely life altering. He was consumed with hate and Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and completely changed him from the inside out.  Because of that transformation Paul wanted everyone to have the same encounter with Jesus that he had so they could also be transformed.  In chapter 9 of his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul is sharing his passion for reaching the lost and broken people of the world with the Good News!  He says many things in this chapter but I just want to point out two simple phrases:

1.  We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:12b) 
What are you willing to put up with to win with Christ?  Do you have this type of attitude or are you always wondering what it in it for me?  How can we be an obstacle to the Good News?  If we can be an obstacle, the good news is we can also be a barrier breaker for people so they can receive the Good News.  We can be an avenue for God's Spirit to reach the hearts of the lost and broken of the world.


2. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22b)  We won't be the one person that God uses to reach everyone, but we can do our best to be available to be used by God to reach as many as possible.  How do you try and find common ground with people?  Are Christians more likely to find common ground or alienate people with our opinions and our truth?  How do we do everything we can do to save some?  

The Good News - Gospel - of Jesus is good!  We need to share with others how God has changed us with the message of Jesus.  If we don't have a transformation encounter with Jesus - start praying for one so the Good News can also transform your life.   

Giving Thanks Verses Complaining

1 Chronicles 23 - King David is getting ready to give the kingdom to his son Solomon and so he is putting some thing in order.  He realizes the tribe of Levi will no longer need to move the tabernacle from place to place as the new temple will soon be built.  So he assigns roles for the different families of the descendants of Levi and Moses.  

Here is the breakdown - 38,000 total men of age in the tribe of Levi.  24,000 will supervise the work a the Temple, 6,000 will serve as officials and judges, 4,000 will work as gatekeepers, and 4,000 will praise the Lord with musical instruments.  Talk about about a band and choir!  

Verse 30 - and each morning and evening they stood before the Lord to sing songs of thanks and praise to him.

Starting our day and ending our day with a song of praise and thanks to God is a simple way to help all the middle of our day stay in focus with the mission of God in our lives! 

We all have a natural inclination to complain.  When I am around certain people I find it easy to complain about certain things.  I believe we all need some time to vent our feelings and emotions about difficult people and situations; but I also believe there is a line when we cross over from venting to just complaining.  

The power to overcome complaining and bitterness is in our ability to praise and thank God for all the good we have in our lives and all that God is doing. 

Knowledge Puffs Up

The goal of discipleship in the church has seemed to focus on knowledge.  If we can just teach a believer in Jesus all the right concepts, Bible verses, and our churches distinct system of beliefs - then that person will be a true disciple.  

Just like the thinking - if I know better I will do better.  This seems correct, but the reality is that knowledge is not enough to motivate us to change our behavior.  

There must be something beside knowledge that allows us to be true disciples!

Paul says that when dealing with the reality of an issue in the early church - eating or not eating food sacrificed to idols - Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Knowledge puffs us up!  It is not bad to gain knowledge, but to remember that when we gain knowledge without love we end up thinking too highly of ourselves.  What we need to learn most is how to love God and love other people.  Were you drawn to God because He loves you and offers you grace?  Were you drawn to God because you know a lot about God?  

What Motivates Gossip?

Luke 6:45 What you say flows from your heart.

What in our hearts causes us to gossip?

Jealousy? Insecurity? Hurt? Pride?

Gossip

When we think about trusting in the truth of Jesus- I was thinking about the reality that one way people are not truthful is in the way we talk about others - GOSSIP.  I am not sure in my lifetime that I have had anyone call themselves a person who struggles with gossip.

Paul defines gossiping as meddling in other people's business and talking about things we shouldn't. (1 Timothy 5:13)

I think we need to ask ourselves the question before we speak is this sharing of the truth beneficial or gossip?

Spirit & Truth

For God is spirit, so those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.  John 4:24

Truth is important to worship.  Spiritually connecting with God and bringing an offering to God must be based in an understanding of the truth. So our worship cannot just be about physical offerings of time, song, money, or service; it must include our hearts. Heartless worship does not honor our God.  Spiritual worship is also based on truth.  So it is not enough to get emotionally connected to God from our hearts; what we give to God must be connected to our truth in Jesus.  We need to learn to deeply worship our amazing God in spirit and truth!

Truth

Kevin Myers - pastor at 12 Stone Church says - to say there is no absolute truth is an oxymoron.
Basically people say there is absolutely no absolute truth.

Jesus said he was the truth (John 14:6).

What Controls You?

As followers of Christ we are no longer bound to the "Law of Moses" to obtain our assurance of a relationship with God.  This transition from a system of rules to a relationship with God caused the early church and us today some real interesting issues.  If I am not bound by the law can I break the Ten Commandments and still be a Christian?  What does it mean to sin if I don't have a set of rules to follow or to break?  

Paul reassures the church in Corinth that there is still a moral standard to live by as we follow Jesus.  (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,  or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.  I added the emphasis on "do wrong" because it is our continued actions that display whether or not our hearts have been changed. 

Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.  (1 Corinthians 6:11)  If we have hearts that are cleansed and we are God's holy people we will not continue to "do wrong."  

 It is not about rule following, but about recognizing if God has changed my heart - my actions will change.  Don't know if something in your life is a sin? Paul says for the gray areas - ask yourself if it helps you keep your relationship with God strong or does it control or enslave you?  I must not become slave to anything.  (1 Corinthians 6:12) 

God's Way

Psalms 119:33-38
Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
    that I may follow it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
    and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
    for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
    preserve my life according to your word.

How do these verse teach us stay connected to God?

Who do we Judge?

1 Corinthians 5:12  It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.

Paul is trying to clarify with the church about some earlier advise to judge people for their sinful behavior.  Paul is wanting all to know we are silly to judge sinful people for acting sinful.  Why wouldn't sinful people act sinfully?  I think this says a lot about the churches response to our culture.

Paul does believe the church must be willing to judge the church.  We seem to be pretty shy about pointing out the sins of other Christians.  Maybe because we are aware of our own sin. Maybe we hear the words of Jesus, those of you who are without sin; throw the first stone.  Why are we afraid to hold each other accountable?

Defined by Grace

You are more than the choices that you've made
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes
You are more than the problems you create
You have been remade  (Tenth Avenue North)

Sometimes we allow our past to define our future and we forget that God's mercies are new everyday.  We sometimes get so beaten down from our sins that we fail to believe there could be any other possible future.  We need to be reminded of Jesus words to the woman caught in adultery - Where are your accusers? Is no one left to condemn you? No she says. Than neither do I condemn you . Go and sin no more. (John 8:10-11)

We can receive graces from Jesus and he will not condemn us if we turn away from our sins and live in relationship with God!  Jesus does not define us by our past!  You are more!

Faithful Leadership

Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 
(1 Corinthians 4:2) 

One of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to be faithful to God.  Even if your leadership is outside of the church realms, if you want to be a good leader of people you need to be faithful.  This word has the meaning of trustworthy, believing and faithfulness.  

Doesn't seem like such a profound statement and in fact it seems like stating the obvious.  Leaders can't lead unless they are trusted.  People will disagree with you as a leader and the direction you try to lead them, but they will still often follow you because they trust you.  Sometimes you can be trustworthy and people will still not trust you or follow you.  This is what Paul was dealing with in Corinth.  People arguing and being divided in the church even though Paul was faithful to lead them.   

Paul couldn't control people he was trying to lead and we can't either.  But what we can do is make sure that we are being faithful and trustworthy in our own life and in our own responsibilities.  Let God take care those who follow well or not so well.  

Spiritual Meat

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 that the people of the church in Corinth were only able to drink spiritual milk and they were not ready for spiritual meat. He says they were still controlled by their sinful nature and it was evident.  What do you we think would be the evidence spiritual immaturity?  How do we know if we are developing maturity in Christ?  UNITY IN THE BODY!

Emotions

We men try and be so in control of our emotions. Women are emotional and men are logical and don't show our emotions.  Stereo types are silly aren't they?  I am emotional during certain sporting events like a KC Chiefs game.  It is amazing how I yell at the television like the refs, coach or players could hear me.  Not very logical...

I am coming to grips with the reality that I am an emotional being!  Created that way by our awesome God!  I want to experience God with my brain and my heart.  If someone thinks I am emotional because I raise my hand in worship (which is asked of us in the Bible 1 Timothy 2:8) or God's presence brings a tear to my eyes - I will not be ashamed or apologetic.  I want to experience all of God possible!

I still have a long way to go in embracing my emotions - except for during sporting events.  We need to open our hearts to all God has for us!

Who is Giving You Directions?

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  Galatians 5:16

When we are the guide to our lives - we walk straight into what our sinful nature craves.  This leads to worry and anxiety because of where we are going in life; we tend to participate in destructive or wasteful activities.  We over eat, we over drink, we play video games until late in the morning hours... add to the list of things you might do when you are stressed out.  

But when the Holy Spirit guides us we can live as God desires for us to live and we can live in freedom.  Free to encourage others, free to live in healthy relationships, free to worship God, free to ministry to others... add to the list what God leads you towards when you trust in God's leading.  

Stressed out?  Full of anxiety?  Could it be that you are in charge of the direction you are headed in life instead of trusting in God's Holy Spirit?  

Our Future

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,  and no mind has imagined what God has prepared  for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

There is a future coming with Jesus that is far beyond anything that we can imagine!  Why does it matter?

- when I think things are tough here I can focus on the future!

- when it looks like people who don't follow God seem to have it easy; I can remember what is at stake..

- when my brain cannot comprehend how good God is: I can know a God who has prepared a great future for me must love me!

- if I give up time, money, relationships, comfort or anything else for the cause of Christ: it will be worth it!

I am Fine and My Friends are Fine

Bipolar and depression disorders have a powerful impact on our lives, our communities, and our nation.  Around 14,000,000 people in the USA suffer from some sort of depression every year which is   6.7% of the population. (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance)  8,000,000 ambulance calls a year are diagnosed that depression was the major cause of the illness. (Huffington Post) Teenagers and college students are also majorly impacted by depression issues.  These disorders cause many people to believe that life is not worth living anymore and they attempt to take their own lives because of those feelings.

For years the church responded with:  "There must be a spiritual issue in your life!"  "You need to just pray more!"  "I will pray for you!"  The church approached it as simply a spiritual issue when it wasn't completely a spiritual issue.  I guess we can make the case that everything is tied to our spiritual being so everything is a spiritual issue, but there is a lot going on here besides just spiritual issues.   There are many causes of depression - stress, hormones, trauma, etc. and they start in the brain and impact the physical body.  As the church we need to understand and help people find help to overcome depression in their lives.  Up to 80% of people who get help for their depression are able to be cured.  But around 50% of people with depression never seek help.  We need to pray for people and help them find help!  You may need to find help in your own journey instead of being ashamed of the reality you are facing depression.

There is a very short verse in the Bible that reminds us that Jesus was able to experience great emotions because of grief and suffering in this world.  John wrote that at Lazarus funeral that "Jesus wept."  We need to embrace the realities of our emotions and the God created us as emotional beings.  Being emotional beings means there may be times we need some help dealing with those emotions.  Let's quit believing that we are always okay and that all our friends will be okay.  Let's be willing to ask the tough questions of ourselves and the people we love.  

United With Jesus

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
 1 Corinthians 1:30

Jesus makes us right with God!
You know what it means to have a relationship that feels right? When you feel connected and in tune with another person.  And you know what it feels like when a relationship is not right? You can't always explain it but there seems to be some tension that separates you from the other person.  Sin separates has from a right relationship but Jesus makes us right with God!

Jesus makes us pure and holy!  There is only one way to purity and holiness!  It is not through our religious efforts.  We can maybe be good with a lot of work and self-control, but never pure and holy.  Our only hope for purity is through our trusting in Jesus holiness to cover us!

Jesus frees us from sin!  Sin is what keeps us bond by guilt and shame!  Enslaved to regret and hopelessness!  But when we are trusting in Jesus we can be free and if Jesus sets us free we can be truly free!

We are the ones who benefit when we trust Jesus!  That doesn't mean it is always easy. This doesn't mean life will always go your way.  But even if we lose our lives and gain Christ Jesus we have benefited!

Conflict is Key to Great Story

I have avoided conflict most of my life.  I avoided fights because I thought I was too weak to stand up for myself or others.  I avoided difficult conversations because of an overwhelming fear that would rise up within me.  I just wanted peace in my life and for everything to be comfortable and easy.
I can look back on my life and see the ways God was trying to bring out of me the courage to stand up and fight.  Sometimes it would help and I would gain courage and rise up, but other times I would shrink back and feel like a failure.
I took some steps in courage in sports.  I found myself sitting the bench in 9th grade basketball when I had been a guy who played a lot the year before.  I went to the coach to talk about the situation and he had one of those tough conversations where he told me I just didn't show the effort or the heart that some of the other boys were showing.  If I wanted to play more I would have to play harder and not be such a nice guy.  I wanted to play so I started working harder and playing harder and it paid off in time on the court.

I was watching Donald Millers video on Right Now Media - "Let Story Guide You" and Donald talks about the fact that conflict is an essential part of our story.  A story has to have: 1. Lead character, 2. Objective, 3. Conflict, and 4. Resolution.  Every great story has great conflict.   If we want to the story of our lives to be a great story we have to realize we must overcome great conflict.  So when I live my life to avoid conflict I am really saying I want an average life with an average story.  If you want to live out a great story we need to have a great objective and then to overcome the conflict it takes to have a great story.
God often says to people in the Bible - Do not be afraid!  I must keep my fear of conflict away from having a life of conflict and truly having a great story.

Quick Text

I sent a text message to a worship team member this week that was short and to the point.  A few minutes later I felt the Spirit convict me and so I sent another text message that was longer and hopefully more kind. I was worried that maybe my text might have been received differently then what I intended.  Some days my communication skills can be found lacking clarity!  I received a response that the short and to the point message was fine and received positively!  "Good deal" I thought, but why did God check me on that?  God went on to communicate to me that in my busy schedule my communication with God had been a little too much like my brief text.  It was there but was lacking clarity and depth. Planned prayer retreat was postponed because plumber was needing to talk about new building.  I had found time for golf but not for more personal time with Jesus. So this will be a short and to the point blog post while I spent some quality time with Jesus!

God Speaks Through Birds 2

I came up to the stop light at Broadway and Atkinson Rd in Pittsburg, KS the other day.  This is a busy intersection for Pittsburg.  And I soon notice two cars pulled over to my right.  I noticed the cars because there where two men standing at the back of the cars looking intently into the intersection.  When I say looking intently, I mean you could tell they were into the moment and trying to make a decision of whether to enter into the intersection or stay safely on the side of the road.  I took a quick glace into the intersection trying to figure out what had these two grown men so intrigued.  I saw nothing in the intersection at all.  I looked back at the men and they continued to be animated about the events that I couldn't see.   I thought, maybe this is one of those hidden camera things; what would you do if... So I took another look into the street and just then they caught my eye.  Three small killdeers running across the road.  One adult bird and two tiny little baby birds.  I watched as they miraculously made it to the other side of the street and the men who where watching cheered with excitement. 

It reminded me of the scripture in Hebrews that reminds us there is a great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us as we live our life of faith.  Heaven is cheering you on and hoping and encouraging you on until the race is over.  (Hebrews 12:1) God is on your side!  He is fighting for you and not against you!  God wants you to succeed and not fail in your journey of faith!

At times in my life when I have failed and completely felt like I was a useless and hopeless person.  When I wondered why God even created me.  I must have been a cosmic joke.  When I was ready to give up and quit trying... God continued to reach out and offer me hope!  God continued to call me and see my potential instead of my failures.  God was cheering me on to the other side when all I could see was the disaster and chaos all around me. 

God, unlike the men along side of the road, is not helpless to intervene in our lives.  He is able and willing to act on our behalf.  Not always in the ways we expect of anticipate, but in ways that will always help us develop faith. 

God knows you and likes you!     

God Speaks Through Birds

God has used birds to speak to me this spring.  I have always been a bit of a bird watcher.  My brother, sister and I use to count different species of birds we would see on our family vacations to pass the time in the car.  If I remember right my sister got board of this activity first and then we would use it to annoy her as she tried to read. 
Maybe it is bird's ability to fly and to be free that draws my attention.  Maybe it is just their natural beauty.  Maybe they remind me of God's creative ability. 
Anyway, I was having a not so good mental day a few weeks ago.  Dealing with some things that were just beating on my heart and wearing on me mentally and spiritually.  I was making my normal drive to Girard to Living Faith, kind of lost in my own world.  Grumbling and complaining to God about this situation and that situation that were on my mind, when I looked up and there on the power line was a bald eagle.  Right there off of 47 highway, sitting hanging out on top of a pole was a beautiful eagle. 

To me a bald eagle should be up at Yellowstone Lake swooping down to grab a trout out of the crystal clear water.  They should be souring above the pine forest of the Rocky Mountains keeping an eye on the world below.  But on this ordinary day, the majestic bald eagle was sitting on a pole along the highway I was driving. 
I realize that this is not all that uncommon.  I realize that eagles do come through this area and we get to enjoy them here and not just in the mountains.  But, I also know that on that day I needed a reminder of God's continued work in the world and for me it was there in the eagle sighting.  For me it was a simple reminder that God still cares for me and is still at work in my life.  For me it was a reminder from God that He can help me mount up on the wings of eagles and soar spiritually above the grumblings and complaining I was caught up in on that day.  God spoke to me through a bird!

Freedom in the Truth

As I driving to work this morning I heard an advertisement about a sports gambling opportunity that would make me so much money.  They make it sound like it is so easy for you to win big money because Larry from Mississippi won 63,000 when he played.  That got me thinking;  there should be a requirement on all advertising like the possible side affects of prescription drugs.  Here are the possible side for an unnamed drug:  

Side effects may include mood changes, muscle strain, 

extraordinary thinking, dermal gloss, impulsivity induced 

consumption, excessive salivation, hair growth, markedly 

delayed sexual climax, inter-species communication, 

taste perversion, terminal smile, and oral inflammation. 

Very rarely users may experience a need to change 

physicians. 

I do not what to take that drug if those are the possible side affect!  So just think if all groups had to be completely honest in advertising.  

Come to our casino where slot machine odds are ranging from a one in 5,000 to a one in about 34 million chance of winning the top prize when using the maximum coin play. In 2009 the casinos in the USA grossed 57 billion dollars where the box office movie revenues were only 10.6 billion.  (Casino Stats: Why Gamblers Rarely Win, by Chris Neiger) 

Eat at our fast food restaurant - you would have to walk for seven hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fry and Big Mac (Super Size Me Website) 

My focus is not to bash on gambling or fast food as much as to address the issue of truth.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) 

I wonder if I really want to know the truth and do I really believe their is freedom in the truth.  Freedom is in the truth when we believe that freedom is the ability to do the will of God in our lives.  If we want freedom we will seek God's will and God's truth.  

Planning on Peace

I have been challenged recently to continue to look at a vision for my life in the areas of family, church and personal development.  Our men's prayer group has worked through a series called Step Up and it has challenged us to have a vision and a plan for our families.  We won't become a patriarch and impact our family for generations to come if we don't have a vision for the future.  At Living Faith I am always challenged to have a vision for the church and for the future of the church.  We are looking at a new building, starting new churches and developing better ways to reach and disciple people.  None of those things just happen!  The church must have vision and leadership to accomplish these objectives.  In my personal life I am challenged to have a personal vision statement and God is working on me in the area of complaining and having more faith in God's power in my life. 

Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil;    joy fills hearts that are planning peace! (Proverbs 12:20)

I don't believe that too many people who are reading this blog are really plotting evil in the world.  If we are, we can be assured that our hearts will be filled with deceit.  There are definitely some evil people out there that are plotting evil, but most people are just not plotting anything.  They are simply running the race of life with goals of finding some love and acceptance in their lives.  But God wants us to plan on peace in our lives.  He wants us to look for opportunities to bring peace into our troubled world.  God wants us to be agents of peace! 
I think most people want a heart of joy, but we have been looking in so many wrong places to find joy.  We think if we can have moments of happiness we will be full of joy.  But the moments of happiness seem fleeting and fading at best.  The wisdom of the Bible says there is one way to find a heart of joy and that is by planning peace.  Not just experiencing peace, but planning peace.  Jesus simply said, "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God."  (Matthew 5:9) 
What are planning on happening in your family, church and personal life this year?  Are you planning on peace or just hoping to struggle through another year?