Psalm 37:25, 26 "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed."
My three grands-Hannah, Gracie, and Hayden-are my Fountain of Youth. I can't buy what they give me every time I see them. It is in their loving hearts I have found what keeps me feeling young inside.
Hannah is my oldest and will soon be a teenager, but she will always be my baby. Gracie is and always will be my princess, and Hayden is my 3 year old bundle of life. God has been so good to me to allow them into my life.
-They make me smile, laugh, and sing.
-They fill me with joy and fill me with life.
-They bring me closer to God every time I pray for them.
-They keep my soul’s light burning bright-especially Hayden at age 3.
-They fill my spirit with energy, vitality, peace, and happiness.
Yes, my body is getting older day by day but the person I am remains both eternal and forever young because of those three.
Our souls are meant for eternity, but our bodies aren’t. If you want to be young then don’t look in the mirror, but look at your grandchildren. Welcome their love into your heart and let your love for them flow like a fountain out of it. Their love can give you a reason for living.
Yes, you will be worn out when they go home and lament about how you're not getting any younger, but without them life wouldn't be worth living. So enjoy them while you can.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Laws of Life
-Any technical problem can be overcome given enough time and money. However, you are never given enough time or money.
-If you ask your husband to pick up five items at the store and then you add one more as an afterthought, he will forget two of the first five.
-The first place to look for anything is the last place you would expect to find it. It will not be in the last place you expect to find it.
-The less important you are to the corporation, the more your tardiness or absence is noticed.
-The pay raise is just large enough to increase your taxes and just small enough to have no effect on your take-home pay.
-Insurance covers everything except what happens.
-As soon as you start doing what you always wanted to be doing, you'll want to be doing something else.
-There are no answers, only cross-references.
-Any food that starts out hard will soften when stale. Any food that starts out soft will harden when stale.
-The part requiring the most consistent repair or replacement will be housed in the most inaccessible location.
-If there are two possible ways to spell a person's name, you will pick the wrong one. If there is only one way to spell a name, you will spell it wrong anyway.
-The candy bar you planned to eat on the way home from the market is hidden at the bottom of the grocery bag.
-When leaving work late, you will go unnoticed. When you leave work early, you will meet the boss in the parking lot.
-The job that pays the most will be offered when there is no time to deliver the services.
-Some people manage by the book, even though they don't know who wrote the book or even which book it is.
-You never get away, you only get someplace else.
-If you ask your husband to pick up five items at the store and then you add one more as an afterthought, he will forget two of the first five.
-The first place to look for anything is the last place you would expect to find it. It will not be in the last place you expect to find it.
-The less important you are to the corporation, the more your tardiness or absence is noticed.
-The pay raise is just large enough to increase your taxes and just small enough to have no effect on your take-home pay.
-Insurance covers everything except what happens.
-As soon as you start doing what you always wanted to be doing, you'll want to be doing something else.
-There are no answers, only cross-references.
-Any food that starts out hard will soften when stale. Any food that starts out soft will harden when stale.
-The part requiring the most consistent repair or replacement will be housed in the most inaccessible location.
-If there are two possible ways to spell a person's name, you will pick the wrong one. If there is only one way to spell a name, you will spell it wrong anyway.
-The candy bar you planned to eat on the way home from the market is hidden at the bottom of the grocery bag.
-When leaving work late, you will go unnoticed. When you leave work early, you will meet the boss in the parking lot.
-The job that pays the most will be offered when there is no time to deliver the services.
-Some people manage by the book, even though they don't know who wrote the book or even which book it is.
-You never get away, you only get someplace else.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Spiritual Leadership (Part 3)
Jesus established a biblical principle that still stands today with his twelve apostles in response to their concern about who would be the greatest. He explained in Matthew 23:11 that the greatest is "servant of all".
Jesus gave this a different twist when he taught about the judgment day. In Matthew 25:34-40, He explained that those who are granted entry into His kingdom will be commended "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was imprisoned, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "When did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? Jesus responded "Truly I say to you, to the extent you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. "
Therefore, the idea of being aspirital leader and a servant of all has a deeper meaning then than the world's understanding. It doesn't simply mean that we are servants, but it also means that as we serve we are not merely serving men and women, we are serving Jesus Himself.
Paul exhorted us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God". Jesus instructed us to let His light in us "shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify the Father who is in heaven" in Matthew 5:16. God wants His name to be glorified in all the earth through His works of love and power accomplished through His children!
Being a spiritual leader also requires accountability. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul explains how the Body of Christ matures when its members "speak the truth in love" to one another. Then, in the next chapter, Paul exhorts us to be imitators of God by walking in love, putting aside immorality, learning what is pleasing to the Lord, being careful how we walk, understanding the Lord, and giving thanks for all things. In the final chapter, he closes the teaching with a key for doing this when he said,"be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." John adds in 1 John 1:7, "if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin".
In other words, each member of the Body of Christ has the responsibility to:
(a) Walk with transperency as a leader.
(b) Be held accountable as a leader for his or her walk with Christ.
(c) Hold others accountable to their walk with Christ if they seek to be in leadership
Jesus gave this a different twist when he taught about the judgment day. In Matthew 25:34-40, He explained that those who are granted entry into His kingdom will be commended "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was imprisoned, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "When did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? Jesus responded "Truly I say to you, to the extent you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. "
Therefore, the idea of being aspirital leader and a servant of all has a deeper meaning then than the world's understanding. It doesn't simply mean that we are servants, but it also means that as we serve we are not merely serving men and women, we are serving Jesus Himself.
Paul exhorted us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God". Jesus instructed us to let His light in us "shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify the Father who is in heaven" in Matthew 5:16. God wants His name to be glorified in all the earth through His works of love and power accomplished through His children!
Being a spiritual leader also requires accountability. In Ephesians 4:15, Paul explains how the Body of Christ matures when its members "speak the truth in love" to one another. Then, in the next chapter, Paul exhorts us to be imitators of God by walking in love, putting aside immorality, learning what is pleasing to the Lord, being careful how we walk, understanding the Lord, and giving thanks for all things. In the final chapter, he closes the teaching with a key for doing this when he said,"be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." John adds in 1 John 1:7, "if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin".
In other words, each member of the Body of Christ has the responsibility to:
(a) Walk with transperency as a leader.
(b) Be held accountable as a leader for his or her walk with Christ.
(c) Hold others accountable to their walk with Christ if they seek to be in leadership
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Spiritual Leadership (Part 2)
Servant leadership requires the practice of certain disciplines. These disciplines are key elements of "abiding in Christ." They are progressive in nature as set forth below:
-Humility before Him.
-Seeking Him.
-Loving Him.
-Serving Him.
-Exalting Him.
-Accountability to Him.
The key characteristic of servant leadership is "humility". Why? Because, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" according to James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5). What is pride? Pride is simply the belief that I can do anything for God without His involvement. On the other hand, humility is the belief that "apart from Him, I can do nothing" as we read in John 15:5. In a nutshell, it's the heartfelt belief that I cannot do anything that reflects His works, love, and brings Him great glory without God working it through me.
The degree of our "abiding in Him" is dependent upon the depth of our understanding of who the vine is and who we as branches are. In other words, the more we understand "who He is" and "who we are in Him", the more we can "abide in Him." The degree of our "abiding in Him" is dependent upon the depth of our understanding of His love, power, grace, faithfulness, mercy, compassion, patience, peace, and joy. Likewise, the degree of our "abiding in Him" is dependent upon the depth of our understanding of who we are in Christ and what He has bestowed upon us. The greater the depth of our understanding of these things, the greater will be the depth of our "abiding in Him."
Obviously, the beginning point for "abiding in Him" is seeking Him. Hebrews 11:6 vividly demonstrates this principle: "Without faith it's impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. "
The next discipline is loving Him. The Scriptures make it clear that our love for God is demonstrated by our obedience in John 14:15, 23-24; John 15:10; and 1 John 5:3. An obedience problem with God is really a love problem with God. If we are to be Christ-led, we must be willing to obey regardless of the cost. Obedience consists of three components:
(1) Acting or speaking when the Lord indicates, not before and not after.
(2) Understanding that partial obedience is disobedience.
(3) Do what He desire without grumbling, complaining, or whining.
-Humility before Him.
-Seeking Him.
-Loving Him.
-Serving Him.
-Exalting Him.
-Accountability to Him.
The key characteristic of servant leadership is "humility". Why? Because, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" according to James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5). What is pride? Pride is simply the belief that I can do anything for God without His involvement. On the other hand, humility is the belief that "apart from Him, I can do nothing" as we read in John 15:5. In a nutshell, it's the heartfelt belief that I cannot do anything that reflects His works, love, and brings Him great glory without God working it through me.
The degree of our "abiding in Him" is dependent upon the depth of our understanding of who the vine is and who we as branches are. In other words, the more we understand "who He is" and "who we are in Him", the more we can "abide in Him." The degree of our "abiding in Him" is dependent upon the depth of our understanding of His love, power, grace, faithfulness, mercy, compassion, patience, peace, and joy. Likewise, the degree of our "abiding in Him" is dependent upon the depth of our understanding of who we are in Christ and what He has bestowed upon us. The greater the depth of our understanding of these things, the greater will be the depth of our "abiding in Him."
Obviously, the beginning point for "abiding in Him" is seeking Him. Hebrews 11:6 vividly demonstrates this principle: "Without faith it's impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. "
The next discipline is loving Him. The Scriptures make it clear that our love for God is demonstrated by our obedience in John 14:15, 23-24; John 15:10; and 1 John 5:3. An obedience problem with God is really a love problem with God. If we are to be Christ-led, we must be willing to obey regardless of the cost. Obedience consists of three components:
(1) Acting or speaking when the Lord indicates, not before and not after.
(2) Understanding that partial obedience is disobedience.
(3) Do what He desire without grumbling, complaining, or whining.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Spiritual Leadership (Part 1)
Jesus Christ is the greatest example of spiritual leadership for us to follow today. When most people think of leadership they think of an employer closely supervising his employees, making sure all the work gets done. These aspects can be part of leadership, but they are not the true essence of spiritual leadership.
Spiritual leadership is the exact opposite of what most people think. Spiritual leadership is servant leadership. Jesus Christ Himself taught us in Matthew 20:28, "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus was most definitely a leader. He was the leader of the twelve disciples and a much greater group of followers beyond them according to Luke 10:1-17. Jesus did not lead by giving out orders or by supervising. Jesus led by being a servant and serving alongside of His followers.
Spiritual leadership involves humbling yourself and doing the tasks that no one else wants to do. In Jesus' time, the act of washing feet was to be assigned to the lowest of servants. However, at the last supper, Jesus humbled Himself and washed the disciples' feet. Afterwards he declared in John 13:12-17, "Do you understand what I have done for you? ... You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
-Spiritual leadership, with a spirit of humility and service, will cause people to follow you because they want to, not because they have to. Genuine humility and spiritual leadership is attractive. People want to follow a person who serves alongside them and sets an example for them. Perhaps the Apostle Paul sums it up best in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
-Spiritual leadership requires humility. Humility is the attitude that puts others ahead of you and considers others more important than yourself. It was said of Moses, the leader of over one million Israelites in Number 12:3, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." Thinking too highly of yourself prevents you from genuinely caring for others. Humility enables you to serve others wholeheartedly and thereby set an example that others will follow.
-Spiritual leadership also demands integrity. People do not want to follow a person they do not respect. Speaking to servants, Ephesians 6:6-8 reads, "Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free."
-Spiritual leadership demands honesty. People are repulsed by a person they cannot trust to tell the truth. Proverbs 16:13 teaches us, "Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth."
Jesus began His ministry with twelve disciples. Once He finished training them to be servant leaders, He set them loose on the world. On their first day of ministry, over 3,000 people believed the message about Jesus in Acts 2:41. A few years later it was said of the disciples in Acts 17:6, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." The results of Jesus' leadership can be seen today in the hundreds of millions of people who call themselves Christians - followers of Christ.
How can you develop spiritual leadership in your life?
a. First, pray to God for wisdom on how you can become a spiritual leader-James 1:5.
b. Second, ask God to change your heart and to develop the character qualities in you that are required for spiritual leadership-1 Corinthians 3:4-7; Galatians 5:22-23.
c. Third, rely on the power of God to give you the strength you need to exhibit spiritual leadership in your life. Philippians 4:13 declares, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Spiritual leadership is the exact opposite of what most people think. Spiritual leadership is servant leadership. Jesus Christ Himself taught us in Matthew 20:28, "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus was most definitely a leader. He was the leader of the twelve disciples and a much greater group of followers beyond them according to Luke 10:1-17. Jesus did not lead by giving out orders or by supervising. Jesus led by being a servant and serving alongside of His followers.
Spiritual leadership involves humbling yourself and doing the tasks that no one else wants to do. In Jesus' time, the act of washing feet was to be assigned to the lowest of servants. However, at the last supper, Jesus humbled Himself and washed the disciples' feet. Afterwards he declared in John 13:12-17, "Do you understand what I have done for you? ... You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
-Spiritual leadership, with a spirit of humility and service, will cause people to follow you because they want to, not because they have to. Genuine humility and spiritual leadership is attractive. People want to follow a person who serves alongside them and sets an example for them. Perhaps the Apostle Paul sums it up best in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
-Spiritual leadership requires humility. Humility is the attitude that puts others ahead of you and considers others more important than yourself. It was said of Moses, the leader of over one million Israelites in Number 12:3, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." Thinking too highly of yourself prevents you from genuinely caring for others. Humility enables you to serve others wholeheartedly and thereby set an example that others will follow.
-Spiritual leadership also demands integrity. People do not want to follow a person they do not respect. Speaking to servants, Ephesians 6:6-8 reads, "Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free."
-Spiritual leadership demands honesty. People are repulsed by a person they cannot trust to tell the truth. Proverbs 16:13 teaches us, "Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth."
Jesus began His ministry with twelve disciples. Once He finished training them to be servant leaders, He set them loose on the world. On their first day of ministry, over 3,000 people believed the message about Jesus in Acts 2:41. A few years later it was said of the disciples in Acts 17:6, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." The results of Jesus' leadership can be seen today in the hundreds of millions of people who call themselves Christians - followers of Christ.
How can you develop spiritual leadership in your life?
a. First, pray to God for wisdom on how you can become a spiritual leader-James 1:5.
b. Second, ask God to change your heart and to develop the character qualities in you that are required for spiritual leadership-1 Corinthians 3:4-7; Galatians 5:22-23.
c. Third, rely on the power of God to give you the strength you need to exhibit spiritual leadership in your life. Philippians 4:13 declares, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Saturday, March 24, 2012
What happened to Truth?
I am so tired of people listening to rumors and innuendos and then making speculation. I've heard that one of our area churches is worried because a former pastor may start another church nearby. I've heard that I've forced people to leave our church because they didn't agree with my philosophy of ministry. I've heard more gossip about other situations other than me and mine in the past week and for the first time in awhile don't feel I've got a target on my back.
Let me say this to every person reading this and please get this straight-Truth is the only thing that matters. Not what I say about somebody or you say about somebody, unless you can put truth to the matter. But guess what? Truth really doesn't matter to most people anymore. They want the juicy stuff and usually the truth doesn't have much juice.
What is truth?
-Truth is what you have infallible evidence for in making a declaration.
-Truth is not what you always see with the naked eye or hear in whispered conversations. It is what is exposed out of darkness and brought into the light by proof.
-Truth is not wild speculation brought on because of jealousy or fear on the accusers' part. It is reality that is backed by fact.
-Truth is not your opinion in a letter or behind a telephone receiver, it is a face to face confrontation of level-headed individuals, not hot-headed freaks.
Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
If we spent more time finding out truth before we speak, then things would not affect us so badly because nobody would be using deceit against us. Wouldn't that change the world just a bit?
So if you can't speak the truth, just simply be quiet and let God do what He wants to do about it. Man has already proven he would rather believe a lie than the truth-but God is different. Give Him a chance and you will find out what happened to truth. It's never gone anywhere-you just haven't been looking for it!
Let me say this to every person reading this and please get this straight-Truth is the only thing that matters. Not what I say about somebody or you say about somebody, unless you can put truth to the matter. But guess what? Truth really doesn't matter to most people anymore. They want the juicy stuff and usually the truth doesn't have much juice.
What is truth?
-Truth is what you have infallible evidence for in making a declaration.
-Truth is not what you always see with the naked eye or hear in whispered conversations. It is what is exposed out of darkness and brought into the light by proof.
-Truth is not wild speculation brought on because of jealousy or fear on the accusers' part. It is reality that is backed by fact.
-Truth is not your opinion in a letter or behind a telephone receiver, it is a face to face confrontation of level-headed individuals, not hot-headed freaks.
Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
If we spent more time finding out truth before we speak, then things would not affect us so badly because nobody would be using deceit against us. Wouldn't that change the world just a bit?
So if you can't speak the truth, just simply be quiet and let God do what He wants to do about it. Man has already proven he would rather believe a lie than the truth-but God is different. Give Him a chance and you will find out what happened to truth. It's never gone anywhere-you just haven't been looking for it!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Kids Understand Love
Since a very long time ago, people have searched for the meaning of love. But even the great philosophers, with their profound definitions, could not fully touch its true essence. In a survey of 4-8 year olds, kids share their views on love. But what do little kids know about love?
Read on and be surprised that despite their young and innocent minds, kids already have a simple but deep grasp of that four-letter word.
- "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
- "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
- "Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don't yell at him because you know it would hurt his feelings."
- "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
- "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
- "Love is if you hold hands and sit beside each other in the cafeteria. That means you're in love. Otherwise, you can sit across from each other and be okay."
- "Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redbird."
- "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
- "When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
- "You can break love, but it won't die."
Read on and be surprised that despite their young and innocent minds, kids already have a simple but deep grasp of that four-letter word.
- "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
- "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
- "Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don't yell at him because you know it would hurt his feelings."
- "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
- "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
- "Love is if you hold hands and sit beside each other in the cafeteria. That means you're in love. Otherwise, you can sit across from each other and be okay."
- "Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redbird."
- "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
- "When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
- "You can break love, but it won't die."
For Goodness Sakes-Leave Tebow Alone!
I am so tired of the Tebow bashing in the media, from some of his new Jet team members, and by the Jets fans in general. I was listening on satellite radio this morning and heard more junk said about the man than I can stand. Let me go on record again about how stupid people will look when he wins the starting job and takes the Jets (Yuk! Not a Jet fan!) to the Super Bowl in the next few years. Folks in Miami and Jacksonville are going to continue to look like losers because even with new ownership they still think like losers. Oh yes, and all the experts are going to be scratching their heads saying to themselves, "Man, we're we wrong or what!"
Again, I guess I'm the only one that remembers what was said about Steve Young in his first and second year in the league. Regardless of what people say today about his Hall of Fame career he may have been worse than Tim in his early years. Tampa Bay gave up on Steve and said he would never be a successful NFL quarterback just like the Broncos did on Tim. But thankfully a coach like Bill Walsh saw something in him that others didn't, coached him up, and the rest is history. I'm not sure if Rex Ryan can do that, but we will see.
I wrote a blog about all this before last season because the comparisons between the two in their early years is rather unique.
-The mechanics for both early their careers are about the same, along with all of the skeptics that doubted them. The difference is in Tebow's second pro year he wins a division and goes to the playoffs. It took Steve about 4.
-The intangibles that both Young and Tebow have made them winners throughout their careers in football. And guess what-Tebow will be a winner again even with the NYJ!
-The press nearly devoured Bill Walsh and the 49ers when they traded for Young just like they are doing the management and coaching staff of the Jets for the past two days.
-Every skeptic in the book has come out against Tim for his faith, his passing ability, and his clean lifestyle. Very few have backed him for his work ethic and desire to get better as an NFL player. It just seems like so many are waiting for a scandal to attack him that they are on the verge of creating one.
So listen closely-please just leave Tim Tebow alone. He is a Christian and has the right to be so because the last time I checked this was still America. If he were a Muslim or he were Jewish the backlash wouldn't be nearly so loud, and if you read this blog you know that is true. If he was an alcoholic, drug user, or womanizer it would accepted and okay because he was an NFL player. Yet because he uses his platform as an opportunity to testify of his faith he is unjustly and unfairly criticised by those who disagree with his beliefs.
If you will let him he can become the pro quarterback he desires to be. It's going to be much harder in Jet country than it would have been in Denver, because of the pressure of the media, but I believe in Tim. I know he can do what many seem to think he can't- be a successful starter in the NFL and win a Super Bowl. If Steve Young can do it so can Tim Tebow. Just shut up and give him a chance!
Again, I guess I'm the only one that remembers what was said about Steve Young in his first and second year in the league. Regardless of what people say today about his Hall of Fame career he may have been worse than Tim in his early years. Tampa Bay gave up on Steve and said he would never be a successful NFL quarterback just like the Broncos did on Tim. But thankfully a coach like Bill Walsh saw something in him that others didn't, coached him up, and the rest is history. I'm not sure if Rex Ryan can do that, but we will see.
I wrote a blog about all this before last season because the comparisons between the two in their early years is rather unique.
-The mechanics for both early their careers are about the same, along with all of the skeptics that doubted them. The difference is in Tebow's second pro year he wins a division and goes to the playoffs. It took Steve about 4.
-The intangibles that both Young and Tebow have made them winners throughout their careers in football. And guess what-Tebow will be a winner again even with the NYJ!
-The press nearly devoured Bill Walsh and the 49ers when they traded for Young just like they are doing the management and coaching staff of the Jets for the past two days.
-Every skeptic in the book has come out against Tim for his faith, his passing ability, and his clean lifestyle. Very few have backed him for his work ethic and desire to get better as an NFL player. It just seems like so many are waiting for a scandal to attack him that they are on the verge of creating one.
So listen closely-please just leave Tim Tebow alone. He is a Christian and has the right to be so because the last time I checked this was still America. If he were a Muslim or he were Jewish the backlash wouldn't be nearly so loud, and if you read this blog you know that is true. If he was an alcoholic, drug user, or womanizer it would accepted and okay because he was an NFL player. Yet because he uses his platform as an opportunity to testify of his faith he is unjustly and unfairly criticised by those who disagree with his beliefs.
If you will let him he can become the pro quarterback he desires to be. It's going to be much harder in Jet country than it would have been in Denver, because of the pressure of the media, but I believe in Tim. I know he can do what many seem to think he can't- be a successful starter in the NFL and win a Super Bowl. If Steve Young can do it so can Tim Tebow. Just shut up and give him a chance!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Can The Church Ever Be The Church Again (Part 6)
I watched a movie not to long ago that had a very frightening scene in it. It involved a pack of wolves and one turned on the alpha male, who was the leader of the pack. He quickly lost his battle to the alpha male and was mortally wounded. As he limped off, I watched in horror as the whole pack chased him down and ended his life. Piece by piece they tore into him until he was dead. A pititful sight and a horrible end to such a beautiful creature that just moments before was one of their own.
The church is supposed to be a place where the sick can be healed, the lost found, and the wounded restored. We do pretty good with the first two, but man, we don't do very good with the last one. I have seen the church kill it's wounded more in the past few years with no remorse whatsoever. We seem to be the only organization that does something like that while shedding no tears.
What has happened to us?
Everyone bears scars from wounds of the past. Even though God forgives our past and gives us a new lease on life, sometimes those wounds begin to fester again. The old habits, temptations, and sins grab ahold of us and pull us down. The devil throws something in our path on a weak day and we just cannot overcome it. It's in those moments that some of the greatest men in the scripture were glad for a loving and forgiving God.
Let's be truthful with one another. When we do something wrong we need to correct our mistakes and go forward. If we are in spiritual leadership and have a spiritual failure we need to submit to those in authority over us in the Lord for discipline and direction. We have to face the responsibility of our actions and deal with the consequences. Yet, we also must deal with a brother or sister who has a failure in a scriptural way. If we don't we are subjecting ourselves to the same possibilities that happened to them happening to us.
Paul said in Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
The Message Bible says, "Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out."
1 John 5:16, 17 says, "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death."
I believe if the church is ever going to reach the heights we once did we must become an example of the restoration process and not the demolition business.
The church is supposed to be a place where the sick can be healed, the lost found, and the wounded restored. We do pretty good with the first two, but man, we don't do very good with the last one. I have seen the church kill it's wounded more in the past few years with no remorse whatsoever. We seem to be the only organization that does something like that while shedding no tears.
What has happened to us?
Everyone bears scars from wounds of the past. Even though God forgives our past and gives us a new lease on life, sometimes those wounds begin to fester again. The old habits, temptations, and sins grab ahold of us and pull us down. The devil throws something in our path on a weak day and we just cannot overcome it. It's in those moments that some of the greatest men in the scripture were glad for a loving and forgiving God.
Let's be truthful with one another. When we do something wrong we need to correct our mistakes and go forward. If we are in spiritual leadership and have a spiritual failure we need to submit to those in authority over us in the Lord for discipline and direction. We have to face the responsibility of our actions and deal with the consequences. Yet, we also must deal with a brother or sister who has a failure in a scriptural way. If we don't we are subjecting ourselves to the same possibilities that happened to them happening to us.
Paul said in Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
The Message Bible says, "Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out."
1 John 5:16, 17 says, "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death."
I believe if the church is ever going to reach the heights we once did we must become an example of the restoration process and not the demolition business.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Can The Church Ever Be The Church Again (Part 5)
What made the Church of God special when I was growing up and in my early ministry was the loyalty people had to their church. No matter what happened good or bad they stood committed to their church. They didn't question every little detail or try to find a reason to leave. They stood firmly on the fact that this was the church God had placed them in. If things got bad they would pray and seek the Lord for the proper changes to be made. They didn't fuss or pack up and leave, but they trusted that God would bring something good out of a bad situation.
When the Charismatic movement began it opened up a whole new generation to the power of Pentecost, but in doing so somehow created an atmosphere based more on the personality of the church rather than the person of Christ. Most Mega-Churches today are tied to an individual or a series of events that draws a crowd and becomes the in-thing to do. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, because many of these churches have reached far more people than I will ever reach. However, it has created a system of who can do this better or who can offer this to the public. Basically, what ever is new that brings people in is what is going to be done regardless of the cost or the effort.
In doing this the individual churches seem to have lost their own personal identity. What happened was people from many different church backgrounds congregated together and formed these ministries. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that instead of trying something new and refreshing, they tried to maintain their identities from their previous church experience and mesh them all together with the new ideas and projects. In doing so, personal satisfaction became more important to the individual rather than what was the best for the church family. I believe this is what lead many Xer's and their offspring to begin the process of putting church secondary and their personal spiritual responsibility at an all time low. That plus the fact that many churches overbuilt, overspent, and many under created ways to bring people together and develop that sense of loyalty that the church once enjoyed.
The lack of loyalty from the Xer's and the Mill's to most Pentecostal churches and their heritage dates back 25 + years. Why?
(1) Many of them never received basic Biblical training because since the mid-80's forward Sunday School for many has become an out-dated method of training and discipleship. Maybe it was an unprepared teacher or one that was boring. Maybe it was someone that used that time to downplay everything the Pastor was trying to do in the church. For some reason the majority of Xer's started skipping it and so now the Millennials don't have the fundamental teaching that many of us got (like it or not) in Sunday School. Even today, in the church I pastor, we only have three small Sunday School classes because there were more standing in the foyer during Sunday School time than there were in class. That's the way it was when I got here and it seems to be the same way in most other churches. Those who have strong Sunday School programs ought to be thankful and make sure they continue to work.
(2) The small-group meetings seemed to be the way to go for most churches. These were created with the hopes of building friendships and fellowship by meeting in one another's homes like they did in Acts 2. Well, for some they have been successful and have served the purpose well, but for others they have not. In fact, I have heard and read horror stories that have come again from untrained folks trying to organize and run these programs. Sadly enough, for every successful ministry formed from small groups, you read about another that has caused division and discord in the body. Many of the Xer's remembered more good about the churches they grew up in than they did bad. Yet when some of these small group ministries went bad it revived other memories about what folks did to hurt the church or the pastor in the past. So again the devil presented a plan to divert their loyalty from something good into something negative.
(3) We all know the Xer's are in personal debt more than any previous generation and it has affected the way they give to the church. I have always disliked fund-raising events to pay the bills of the church and have expressed that from the pulpit. In one church I pastored the WM's wanted to have an invisible cake sale. ?????? I said just ask the people to give you a donation rather than me get up in the pulpit and try and sell invisible cakes. My personal opinion is that if everyone would just pay their tithes regularly every need of the church could be met. Then any fund raising done could be to help the needy, the homeless, and the hungry. However, due to that debt the Xer's have, the church is suffering today because it depends mostly on retired folks to foot the bills.
One more thing-if you don't tithe you don't have a right to vote or to tell the church how to spend it's money. If you're not committed enough to give, it's really none of your business.
I could rant and rave on several more issues, but the bottom line is the Xer's
Sadly, I must confess that some people I have dealt with from that generation, who had great potential, were not committed to the church and I lost them to another house of worship. I usually got the blame for their decision to leave, but these Xer's did not support the church regularly and wanted to tell everybody else what to do or be in leadership. Guess what-it doesn't work that way.
I do believe that loyalty must be restored if the church is going to be the church again. The question is, How can we bring it back into this generation?
When the Charismatic movement began it opened up a whole new generation to the power of Pentecost, but in doing so somehow created an atmosphere based more on the personality of the church rather than the person of Christ. Most Mega-Churches today are tied to an individual or a series of events that draws a crowd and becomes the in-thing to do. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, because many of these churches have reached far more people than I will ever reach. However, it has created a system of who can do this better or who can offer this to the public. Basically, what ever is new that brings people in is what is going to be done regardless of the cost or the effort.
In doing this the individual churches seem to have lost their own personal identity. What happened was people from many different church backgrounds congregated together and formed these ministries. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that instead of trying something new and refreshing, they tried to maintain their identities from their previous church experience and mesh them all together with the new ideas and projects. In doing so, personal satisfaction became more important to the individual rather than what was the best for the church family. I believe this is what lead many Xer's and their offspring to begin the process of putting church secondary and their personal spiritual responsibility at an all time low. That plus the fact that many churches overbuilt, overspent, and many under created ways to bring people together and develop that sense of loyalty that the church once enjoyed.
The lack of loyalty from the Xer's and the Mill's to most Pentecostal churches and their heritage dates back 25 + years. Why?
(1) Many of them never received basic Biblical training because since the mid-80's forward Sunday School for many has become an out-dated method of training and discipleship. Maybe it was an unprepared teacher or one that was boring. Maybe it was someone that used that time to downplay everything the Pastor was trying to do in the church. For some reason the majority of Xer's started skipping it and so now the Millennials don't have the fundamental teaching that many of us got (like it or not) in Sunday School. Even today, in the church I pastor, we only have three small Sunday School classes because there were more standing in the foyer during Sunday School time than there were in class. That's the way it was when I got here and it seems to be the same way in most other churches. Those who have strong Sunday School programs ought to be thankful and make sure they continue to work.
(2) The small-group meetings seemed to be the way to go for most churches. These were created with the hopes of building friendships and fellowship by meeting in one another's homes like they did in Acts 2. Well, for some they have been successful and have served the purpose well, but for others they have not. In fact, I have heard and read horror stories that have come again from untrained folks trying to organize and run these programs. Sadly enough, for every successful ministry formed from small groups, you read about another that has caused division and discord in the body. Many of the Xer's remembered more good about the churches they grew up in than they did bad. Yet when some of these small group ministries went bad it revived other memories about what folks did to hurt the church or the pastor in the past. So again the devil presented a plan to divert their loyalty from something good into something negative.
(3) We all know the Xer's are in personal debt more than any previous generation and it has affected the way they give to the church. I have always disliked fund-raising events to pay the bills of the church and have expressed that from the pulpit. In one church I pastored the WM's wanted to have an invisible cake sale. ?????? I said just ask the people to give you a donation rather than me get up in the pulpit and try and sell invisible cakes. My personal opinion is that if everyone would just pay their tithes regularly every need of the church could be met. Then any fund raising done could be to help the needy, the homeless, and the hungry. However, due to that debt the Xer's have, the church is suffering today because it depends mostly on retired folks to foot the bills.
One more thing-if you don't tithe you don't have a right to vote or to tell the church how to spend it's money. If you're not committed enough to give, it's really none of your business.
I could rant and rave on several more issues, but the bottom line is the Xer's
Sadly, I must confess that some people I have dealt with from that generation, who had great potential, were not committed to the church and I lost them to another house of worship. I usually got the blame for their decision to leave, but these Xer's did not support the church regularly and wanted to tell everybody else what to do or be in leadership. Guess what-it doesn't work that way.
I do believe that loyalty must be restored if the church is going to be the church again. The question is, How can we bring it back into this generation?
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Can The Church Ever Be The Church Again (Part 4)
All of my life the Church of God has been known for it's musical talent. Many of the great Southern Gospel singers of both yesterday and today have come from our churches. Some of the finest musicians and songwriters have also been recognized worldwide that grew up in the COG. Several of us were talking just the other day about how many groups are still recording Brother Charles Wycuff's song, "What A Lovely Name." Horace Mauldin, Tim Hill, and others have had songs that have charted and made our musical recognizable throughout the world of gospel music.
Along with our music, we have always been known for our worship. Shouting, dancing in the Spirit, clapping hands, lifting hands in praise, even foot-stompin' (as we call it in the South) was a regular part of our services. I can remember as a teen-ager wondering about how non-pentecostal folks visiting in churches my dad served would react when the Spirit moved. Sometimes it was funny to see the looks on their faces and even their reaction when the power of God fell on the congregation. We had a full band with drums, while many of the visitors came from churches that barely had a piano and organ. When the anointing would fall people would be blessed in a wonderful fashion.
One thing I can remember about growing up in this church was the balance that we had between music, worship, and the preaching of the Word. My dad believed in the moving of the Spirit, as do I, but he also believed the Word of God was what brought strength to people's lives when the shout was over. I served with two great men, Pastors Bobby Johnson and I. C. Morris, Jr., who taught me the same thing. Sing, worship, praise, but always make sure the people are founded and grounded on the Word.
When the Neo-Pentecostal movement began to make inroads into the traditional Pentecostal churches it basically changed our style of worship. More emphasis was put on praise rather than preaching or teaching because this is what seemed to attract the masses. Sometimes the music and praise goes on for the majority of the service today and little attention is given to the preaching of the Word. We, along with our other traditional Pentecostal denominations, saw the growth many of the entities were experiencing so we began to do some the same things they did. Instead of being trendsetters in music, worship, and preaching we changed our styles to be more acceptable to the Non-Pentecostals just the Neo's did. Instead of seeking God for the proper balance in our services, we tried to emulate what was working elsewhere. In some cases it prospered, but in other cases we are now beginning to see the shattered results of people only founded in a shout rather than on the Word.
Again, these are my opinions and they only matter for what they are worth, but in many situations these things have occurred:
-We have substituted praise for prayer when we need a combination of both. Praise for the most part is enjoyable (except to the people that get tired of standing! LOL!), but prayer is work. It takes a mighty strong effort today to get people to take time to prayer each day to have something to praise God about. However, many have been taught that praise is the key to heaven and not prayer. To me that is just wrong. Prayer is the key that gives you the ability to praise when the music's playing and when it's not. Prayer is the open door into the throne room of God that allows the avenues of praise to be opened unto Him. Without prayer, my praise is pretty much worthless.
-We have the most copied music style in the church world. There's an Independent Baptist church that uses our old songbooks an hymnals in my city. There are countless services that I have visited in non-Pentecostal churches where the music sounds the same (if not better) and the singers are prepared and really seem to be into the music as we were when I was a kid and even as a younger pastor in the COG. Many of these churches have progressed to almost a Pentecostal style of worship (without tongues) because that's what seems to attract the people aged 20-45 in America today. The Gen-Xers and Mills are looking for music that makes them feel good about themselves and for performance as well as presentation. We in the COG cared about the performance for sure. We didn't want it to be unto men, but we wanted it to be unto God. I'm to sure that's the case anymore because we have lost that distinction in so many ways.
-Lastly, many of our churches are out of balance. When shouting replaces the Word and becomes more important, it's easy to get out of balance. You see at age 58 I struggle inside when I pray about music for a service. Not because it is a burden, but because I seek balance. I could get up and sing a song for a certain length of time and wear people out, or I could find that song that people can really prepare themselves in worship for, sing it for a short time, and they be ready for the World. People do not know how hard it is for a person who have served in music as I have for most of my ministry.
I could sing a couple of songs I know for 30 minutes and keep the crowd excited, and if the Spirit is in it I would and will, and it would not affect the preaching of the Word in a negative fashion. However, if I'm trying to work up a shout and drawing attention to myself rather than lifting up praise to God, then I am doing more harm than good. Prayer should lead into praise and praise lead in to preaching. If I'm worn out from standing and singing for an hour, my flesh will no doubt attack my Spirit and keep me from hearing the Word as I should.
The Bible talks about the foolishness of preaching. It also talks about the act of spiritual discernment in the church today. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Worship ushers in the presence of God and even takes us face to face with Him. So every part of our service is special and needs prayer. but on should not override the others. We must have balance if the church is ever going to be the church again.
Along with our music, we have always been known for our worship. Shouting, dancing in the Spirit, clapping hands, lifting hands in praise, even foot-stompin' (as we call it in the South) was a regular part of our services. I can remember as a teen-ager wondering about how non-pentecostal folks visiting in churches my dad served would react when the Spirit moved. Sometimes it was funny to see the looks on their faces and even their reaction when the power of God fell on the congregation. We had a full band with drums, while many of the visitors came from churches that barely had a piano and organ. When the anointing would fall people would be blessed in a wonderful fashion.
One thing I can remember about growing up in this church was the balance that we had between music, worship, and the preaching of the Word. My dad believed in the moving of the Spirit, as do I, but he also believed the Word of God was what brought strength to people's lives when the shout was over. I served with two great men, Pastors Bobby Johnson and I. C. Morris, Jr., who taught me the same thing. Sing, worship, praise, but always make sure the people are founded and grounded on the Word.
When the Neo-Pentecostal movement began to make inroads into the traditional Pentecostal churches it basically changed our style of worship. More emphasis was put on praise rather than preaching or teaching because this is what seemed to attract the masses. Sometimes the music and praise goes on for the majority of the service today and little attention is given to the preaching of the Word. We, along with our other traditional Pentecostal denominations, saw the growth many of the entities were experiencing so we began to do some the same things they did. Instead of being trendsetters in music, worship, and preaching we changed our styles to be more acceptable to the Non-Pentecostals just the Neo's did. Instead of seeking God for the proper balance in our services, we tried to emulate what was working elsewhere. In some cases it prospered, but in other cases we are now beginning to see the shattered results of people only founded in a shout rather than on the Word.
Again, these are my opinions and they only matter for what they are worth, but in many situations these things have occurred:
-We have substituted praise for prayer when we need a combination of both. Praise for the most part is enjoyable (except to the people that get tired of standing! LOL!), but prayer is work. It takes a mighty strong effort today to get people to take time to prayer each day to have something to praise God about. However, many have been taught that praise is the key to heaven and not prayer. To me that is just wrong. Prayer is the key that gives you the ability to praise when the music's playing and when it's not. Prayer is the open door into the throne room of God that allows the avenues of praise to be opened unto Him. Without prayer, my praise is pretty much worthless.
-We have the most copied music style in the church world. There's an Independent Baptist church that uses our old songbooks an hymnals in my city. There are countless services that I have visited in non-Pentecostal churches where the music sounds the same (if not better) and the singers are prepared and really seem to be into the music as we were when I was a kid and even as a younger pastor in the COG. Many of these churches have progressed to almost a Pentecostal style of worship (without tongues) because that's what seems to attract the people aged 20-45 in America today. The Gen-Xers and Mills are looking for music that makes them feel good about themselves and for performance as well as presentation. We in the COG cared about the performance for sure. We didn't want it to be unto men, but we wanted it to be unto God. I'm to sure that's the case anymore because we have lost that distinction in so many ways.
-Lastly, many of our churches are out of balance. When shouting replaces the Word and becomes more important, it's easy to get out of balance. You see at age 58 I struggle inside when I pray about music for a service. Not because it is a burden, but because I seek balance. I could get up and sing a song for a certain length of time and wear people out, or I could find that song that people can really prepare themselves in worship for, sing it for a short time, and they be ready for the World. People do not know how hard it is for a person who have served in music as I have for most of my ministry.
I could sing a couple of songs I know for 30 minutes and keep the crowd excited, and if the Spirit is in it I would and will, and it would not affect the preaching of the Word in a negative fashion. However, if I'm trying to work up a shout and drawing attention to myself rather than lifting up praise to God, then I am doing more harm than good. Prayer should lead into praise and praise lead in to preaching. If I'm worn out from standing and singing for an hour, my flesh will no doubt attack my Spirit and keep me from hearing the Word as I should.
The Bible talks about the foolishness of preaching. It also talks about the act of spiritual discernment in the church today. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Worship ushers in the presence of God and even takes us face to face with Him. So every part of our service is special and needs prayer. but on should not override the others. We must have balance if the church is ever going to be the church again.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Can The Church Ever Be The Church Again (Part 3)
No matter how much we try to hide it there is still a huge difference in the traditional pentecostal and neo-pentecostal movements today. In fact, I believe this is why so many young people and young families are turning from our traditional pentecostal churches to the neos or to non-pentecostal churches.
Traditional pentecostal churches are the hardest to turn toward reaching the Gen-Xers and Millennials. Most have a great heritage and history, but they are leaning more on reputation than they are ministry. It is harder to bring in new methods and new techniques to those churches because it takes an effort to make changes. Many still believe it is their accomplishments of the past that will take them into the future, but in reality it is causing them to die rather than to live.
Many traditional Pentecostals still talk about the glory of God in the old days, yet this generation doesn't see the move of the Spirit as the Boomers saw it growing up. As with anything the Xer's and Mill's want to see what we're talking about, not just hear about it. They are tired of excuses and the reasons why God doesn't move like their parents and grandparents talk about. They not only want to see it, but they want to experience something real and genuine.
Yet even still today many under a certain age are put off or turned away from the church because they don't look like the traditionalists want them to look or they like a different style music than they do. How many of us have forgotten that we looked rather different when we were younger to the generation that proceeded us? How many of our musical tastes had a different twist on it than that of our parents? Could this be the reason why the majority of folks attending the traditional pentecostal churches in America are over the age of 55?
I have determined in my heart that even at age 58 I still can be relevant with the times I live in. My sole purpose in my ministry from this point forward is to somehow reach the Xer's and the Mill's with a gospel that is life-changing and fulfilling. I also believe that we in the traditional pentecostal churches can change our methods and not our message and reach those that need to be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is still the answer and He is still able to build the church.
Traditional pentecostal churches are the hardest to turn toward reaching the Gen-Xers and Millennials. Most have a great heritage and history, but they are leaning more on reputation than they are ministry. It is harder to bring in new methods and new techniques to those churches because it takes an effort to make changes. Many still believe it is their accomplishments of the past that will take them into the future, but in reality it is causing them to die rather than to live.
Many traditional Pentecostals still talk about the glory of God in the old days, yet this generation doesn't see the move of the Spirit as the Boomers saw it growing up. As with anything the Xer's and Mill's want to see what we're talking about, not just hear about it. They are tired of excuses and the reasons why God doesn't move like their parents and grandparents talk about. They not only want to see it, but they want to experience something real and genuine.
Yet even still today many under a certain age are put off or turned away from the church because they don't look like the traditionalists want them to look or they like a different style music than they do. How many of us have forgotten that we looked rather different when we were younger to the generation that proceeded us? How many of our musical tastes had a different twist on it than that of our parents? Could this be the reason why the majority of folks attending the traditional pentecostal churches in America are over the age of 55?
I have determined in my heart that even at age 58 I still can be relevant with the times I live in. My sole purpose in my ministry from this point forward is to somehow reach the Xer's and the Mill's with a gospel that is life-changing and fulfilling. I also believe that we in the traditional pentecostal churches can change our methods and not our message and reach those that need to be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is still the answer and He is still able to build the church.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Can the Church ever be the Church again? (Part 2)
The paradigm shift in today's church world has become very distinctive. You have the mega-churches with plenty of people, money, and ministries along with the little country churches that are about the same as they were 50 years ago. You have the congregations in which every service is a huge production and then the regulars that are so unorganized you wonder how they survive.
I have served in both settings. I served on staff in 3 churches that were mega before the term was born. In two of those we broke every attendance record held by our state churches at that particular time. We had more people than we really knew what to do with and the other evangelical churches in the area tried to match what we were doing to grow as we did. That was the day when the church was the focal point of our society rather than an after thought.
Then I have pastored churches in small towns and out in the country where we touched sinners and backsliders almost every week. Thankfully we were on a main highway or at least close to one on most of those occassions. But in most of those situations people that came in wanted to see what they could do to make the church better in every way possible.
Today going to church seems to be nothing more than something people do out of habit, rather than because it is important to have fellowship with God and with other believers. The philosophy today has become what can the church do for me rather than what can I do for the church. It's the same in small towns and cities as it is in metropolitan areas. People today are looking for ministries that can provide for them instead of trying to figure out how they can minister and help others. Because of this pevailing attitude many churches are busy trying to figure out what to do to keep their heads above water. Again, in trying to fulfill this attitude of me first we have almost lost sight of casting out nets to bring in the harvest.
As I said in my blog yesterday these are my opinions. An opinion is only worth what you let it be worth, but hopefully I will write something that will stir up your thinking.
(1) Why have people in general lost faith in the church?
They have heard so much from us vocally, but have not seen it physically put into practice. People have heard politicians and world leaders talk about reformation and change, but have never seen it with their own eyes. That's the same way with the church. We know how to talk a good game, but we seldom ever put it into practice in today's society.
The church I grew up in cared for people of all ages and showed it. We didn't have much money or a lot of training, but we knew how to love people and help them through the transitions they needed to make when they became a Chrisitan. We weren't perfect and yes, we had a few judges back then as well; but the majority of people cared about seeing the lost changed and church was all about them or what they needed. It was about reaching those who couldn't reach up and rescuing those that were sinking. We also cared about discipling them into becoming workers and leaders in the Kingdom.
The difference today is that most churched people say, "What are you going to do for me? I pay the bills, I've been here a long time, so I have certain rights. I should be the one that matters most!"
The church today has become like the complainers in Matthew 20:1-16. If we are going to change the world, we must change the church back to what it is supposed to be-a hospital for the sinsick and a healing station for the wounded. It's not about what we want within the church, it's about changing the opinion of the unchurched by the life that we live in a sin-cursed world.
(To be continued)
I have served in both settings. I served on staff in 3 churches that were mega before the term was born. In two of those we broke every attendance record held by our state churches at that particular time. We had more people than we really knew what to do with and the other evangelical churches in the area tried to match what we were doing to grow as we did. That was the day when the church was the focal point of our society rather than an after thought.
Then I have pastored churches in small towns and out in the country where we touched sinners and backsliders almost every week. Thankfully we were on a main highway or at least close to one on most of those occassions. But in most of those situations people that came in wanted to see what they could do to make the church better in every way possible.
Today going to church seems to be nothing more than something people do out of habit, rather than because it is important to have fellowship with God and with other believers. The philosophy today has become what can the church do for me rather than what can I do for the church. It's the same in small towns and cities as it is in metropolitan areas. People today are looking for ministries that can provide for them instead of trying to figure out how they can minister and help others. Because of this pevailing attitude many churches are busy trying to figure out what to do to keep their heads above water. Again, in trying to fulfill this attitude of me first we have almost lost sight of casting out nets to bring in the harvest.
As I said in my blog yesterday these are my opinions. An opinion is only worth what you let it be worth, but hopefully I will write something that will stir up your thinking.
(1) Why have people in general lost faith in the church?
They have heard so much from us vocally, but have not seen it physically put into practice. People have heard politicians and world leaders talk about reformation and change, but have never seen it with their own eyes. That's the same way with the church. We know how to talk a good game, but we seldom ever put it into practice in today's society.
The church I grew up in cared for people of all ages and showed it. We didn't have much money or a lot of training, but we knew how to love people and help them through the transitions they needed to make when they became a Chrisitan. We weren't perfect and yes, we had a few judges back then as well; but the majority of people cared about seeing the lost changed and church was all about them or what they needed. It was about reaching those who couldn't reach up and rescuing those that were sinking. We also cared about discipling them into becoming workers and leaders in the Kingdom.
The difference today is that most churched people say, "What are you going to do for me? I pay the bills, I've been here a long time, so I have certain rights. I should be the one that matters most!"
The church today has become like the complainers in Matthew 20:1-16. If we are going to change the world, we must change the church back to what it is supposed to be-a hospital for the sinsick and a healing station for the wounded. It's not about what we want within the church, it's about changing the opinion of the unchurched by the life that we live in a sin-cursed world.
(To be continued)
Can the Church ever be the Church again? (Part 1)
I will be 59 years old 5 weeks after our General Assembly in July. I have served in just about every ministry position on the local level and even had a chance to do state work years ago, but turned it down. I have always felt that the church lives and breathes by what it does on the local level. Yet I have seen a change in the atmosphere regarding church in the past 25 years that really frightens me for the future should the Lord continue to withhold His return. I will try to address these things over the next few days, but here are some of my concerns:
(1) We have seen a total shift in people's faith in, attitude about, and allegiance to the church in general. The word "loyalty" doesn't mean much anymore.
(2) There is still a huge gap in doctrine and style between the traditional Pentecostals and the neo- pentecostal/charismatic groups that seem to be growing by leaps and bounds.
(3) Most evangelical churches have adopted our style of music and now even do it better than we have in the past, which has either eroded or enhanced pentecostal worship
(4) Worship is becoming an undiscovered country due to the diversity concerning worship that people have been taught through their years in various church organizations.
(5) Heritage and honor have been replaced with men's tradition and what's hot at the time.
(6) We kill our wounded more today and make light of the fallen, when we should be in the business of restoring them.
I am not only concerned about our denomination, but about the church in general. I've tried to be sensitive to the Lord in all areas of my ministry as a pastor and have even changed some things hopefully for the better. I have had some fellow ministers brand me as a heretic because I don't have Sunday night service every week and others because I have tried to help minister's that have fallen. I guess there are some things that will never change.
However, I have seen out and about 100's of young people that I served during youth camp as a State Youth Board member that are away from God and also out of church today. In fact, the numbers are staggering to me and this causes me great sorrow. I often ask myself, "Where did we mess up when it comes to this generation?"
Hang on with me the next few days. What I will write are my opinions and mine only. Some will agree and some disagree, but I got to get this out of my heart.
Just maybe somebody will read this, change their opinion, and join me in prayer for a return of our heritage in a generation that has become selfish and self-centered. If ever we need Jesus, we need Him today!
(1) We have seen a total shift in people's faith in, attitude about, and allegiance to the church in general. The word "loyalty" doesn't mean much anymore.
(2) There is still a huge gap in doctrine and style between the traditional Pentecostals and the neo- pentecostal/charismatic groups that seem to be growing by leaps and bounds.
(3) Most evangelical churches have adopted our style of music and now even do it better than we have in the past, which has either eroded or enhanced pentecostal worship
(4) Worship is becoming an undiscovered country due to the diversity concerning worship that people have been taught through their years in various church organizations.
(5) Heritage and honor have been replaced with men's tradition and what's hot at the time.
(6) We kill our wounded more today and make light of the fallen, when we should be in the business of restoring them.
I am not only concerned about our denomination, but about the church in general. I've tried to be sensitive to the Lord in all areas of my ministry as a pastor and have even changed some things hopefully for the better. I have had some fellow ministers brand me as a heretic because I don't have Sunday night service every week and others because I have tried to help minister's that have fallen. I guess there are some things that will never change.
However, I have seen out and about 100's of young people that I served during youth camp as a State Youth Board member that are away from God and also out of church today. In fact, the numbers are staggering to me and this causes me great sorrow. I often ask myself, "Where did we mess up when it comes to this generation?"
Hang on with me the next few days. What I will write are my opinions and mine only. Some will agree and some disagree, but I got to get this out of my heart.
Just maybe somebody will read this, change their opinion, and join me in prayer for a return of our heritage in a generation that has become selfish and self-centered. If ever we need Jesus, we need Him today!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Deleted
If your name is deleted from someones Facebook or Twitter account don't take it personally. However, there is probably a reason behind it. It could be:
-That there is a difference in philosophy about life in general with the person who owns the account and you.
-That some of your posts were too suggestive or had sayings that were very off-color that reflect negatively on the other account owners beliefs.
-That your ideas were considered too radical or your social commentary to far-fetched for others to be associated with.
-That the person behind the posts and the person in life is nowhere as perfect as you appear to be as a poster online.
-That you know half the things you are posting about are based on untruths and others get upset when they read them because they really know the truth about what happened.
-That you used that forum to express your opinion as fact and sought to defend your failures by appearing to be honest and truthful online.
So here's a radical idea for the SN account holder who gets frustrated everyday by the things they see posted by their "friends" on their home page. You have two choices as far as I see it.
-First, you can choose to delete your Facebook account or Twitter account and just stop with this social network stuff entirely.
-Second, you can quit getting upset about what people say or post on your page by hitting the delete button. In the social network game, "Unfriend" is not a bad word if it keeps you from being stressed, defeated, agitated, aggravated, or upset everyday.
Delete is not defeat in the SN game. In fact, it might be the first step to real victory for someone who allows it.
-That there is a difference in philosophy about life in general with the person who owns the account and you.
-That some of your posts were too suggestive or had sayings that were very off-color that reflect negatively on the other account owners beliefs.
-That your ideas were considered too radical or your social commentary to far-fetched for others to be associated with.
-That the person behind the posts and the person in life is nowhere as perfect as you appear to be as a poster online.
-That you know half the things you are posting about are based on untruths and others get upset when they read them because they really know the truth about what happened.
-That you used that forum to express your opinion as fact and sought to defend your failures by appearing to be honest and truthful online.
So here's a radical idea for the SN account holder who gets frustrated everyday by the things they see posted by their "friends" on their home page. You have two choices as far as I see it.
-First, you can choose to delete your Facebook account or Twitter account and just stop with this social network stuff entirely.
-Second, you can quit getting upset about what people say or post on your page by hitting the delete button. In the social network game, "Unfriend" is not a bad word if it keeps you from being stressed, defeated, agitated, aggravated, or upset everyday.
Delete is not defeat in the SN game. In fact, it might be the first step to real victory for someone who allows it.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Is God Dancing On Your Potato Chips?
A friend of mine shared this story with me and I thought I would pass it along to you:
Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine.
By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan "B", which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed the Tupperware container from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.
Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty.
It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!
I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced. Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.
So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess.
What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.
Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping:? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance he's dancin' with my needs in mind? I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.
Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine.
By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan "B", which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed the Tupperware container from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars.
Really frustrated now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty.
It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process!
I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced. Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.
So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess.
What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way he did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.
Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping:? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance he's dancin' with my needs in mind? I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Joyful Living (Part 2)
What really brings you joy? Do you commit to doing something fun and joyful every day or at least a few times during your week.?
You have to make joyful activities a priority. They must become the most important things you do every day because if you want a more joyful life you must choose to live that way. You must choose to have more fun and to slow down and enjoy life's gifts. You have to notice the world around you as you pass through the day. Find joy and happiness in every moment and appreciate it. The more joy you experience and share will bring you even greater happiness than you can imagine.
A fellow blogger suggested that you take these steps to begin practicing more joyful living:
-Do your higher purpose activities first.
-Schedule in a fun activity that you enjoy 3-4 times a week.
-Do something new once a week.
-Practice finding joy in even the most mundane tasks.
-Every hour (or as often as you think of it) stop and find something joyful, wherever you are.
-Every morning or evening write down all the wonderful joy you experienced and give thanks!
Lamentations 3:22-24 "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."
You have to make joyful activities a priority. They must become the most important things you do every day because if you want a more joyful life you must choose to live that way. You must choose to have more fun and to slow down and enjoy life's gifts. You have to notice the world around you as you pass through the day. Find joy and happiness in every moment and appreciate it. The more joy you experience and share will bring you even greater happiness than you can imagine.
A fellow blogger suggested that you take these steps to begin practicing more joyful living:
-Do your higher purpose activities first.
-Schedule in a fun activity that you enjoy 3-4 times a week.
-Do something new once a week.
-Practice finding joy in even the most mundane tasks.
-Every hour (or as often as you think of it) stop and find something joyful, wherever you are.
-Every morning or evening write down all the wonderful joy you experienced and give thanks!
Lamentations 3:22-24 "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."
Monday, March 12, 2012
Joyful People (Part 1)
How do ordinary people become joyful people in a world like we live in today?
They pray, meditate, and study God's Word. They love to talk about the spiritual side of living and fulfilling God's calling in life. They have achieved earthly success, raised their children, and fulfilled most of their goals in life. Yet, as they grow joyfully in God's Spirit they take time to reevaluate their contribution to a lost and dying world. By examining the past, refocusing their natural talents, and listening to their heart's true desire, they find joy in what God has for them next.
It's through that discovery in Christ they find wisdom and inner peace. Each time they face a new challenge, they learn, grow, and they deepen their understanding of God's purpose and plan for their lives. They are not without bumps, bruises, scars, and discouraging moments. In fact, they are not above asking the question "Why me?" I suppose all of us have been in that position.
Yet, despite momentary frustrations and regardless of unpleasant past experiences they take responsibility for their own happiness. Sometimes they do this gracefully, and sometimes they do this by kicking up a little dust. Either way, their desire to fulfill God's purpose can enable us all to prosper in a world that challenges, but has the potential to bring tremendous joy.
Joyful people know the value of living in the now. They take time to appreciate the simple things like a good conversation or a well prepared meal. They make their relationship with themselves and others a priority. Their future is secure in Christ so living today is not filled with worry about tomorrow.
That I believe is the first step to joyful living.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
"If I’m happy with my life, why do I need Jesus?"
I hear that from a lot of folks who have been burned by the church. They say to me, “I just don’t feel the need for Christ or getting involved in a church.” Christianity is not something that we package and sell at Wal-Mart, Belks, or Bi-Lo. It's not some commodity that’s going to add just a sparkle of happiness to our lives. It's developing a relationship with the Creator of the Universe that can last for all of eternity. The church is just a facilitator of this message to a world that is looking desperately for answers. It is and always has been filled with people that are there changed by the grace of God. As with anything that men are involved with it's not perfect, but that should never reflect on the need for every individual to have a personal relationship with Christ.
If the only reason a human being ever needed Jesus was to be happy with their life and a person is already happy without Jesus, then they certainly don’t need Jesus. The Bible indicates, however, that there’s a reason you need Jesus. There is a God who is altogether holy, who is perfectly just, and who declares that he is going to judge the world and hold every human being accountable for their life. As a perfectly holy and just God, he requires from each one of us a life of perfect obedience and of perfect justness. If there is such a God and if you have lived a life of perfect justness and obedience then you certainly don’t need Jesus. You don’t need a Savior because only unjust people have a problem.
If God is just and requires perfection from me and I come short of that perfection and he is going to deal with me according to justice, then I am looking at a future punishment at the hands of a holy God. If the only way I can escape that punishment is through a Savior and if I want to escape that, then I need a Savior. Some people will say that we’re just trying to preach Jesus as a ticket out of hell, as a way to escape eternal punishment. That’s not the only reason I would commend Jesus to people, but that is one of the reasons.
I think that many people in today’s culture don’t really believe that God is going to hold them accountable for their lives and that God really does not require righteousness. When we take that view, we don’t feel the weight of the threat of judgment. If you’re not afraid to deal with God’s punishment, then be happy the way you are. However, I would be living in terrible fear and trembling at the prospect of falling into the hands of a holy God without knowing my sins had been covered by His blood.
If the only reason a human being ever needed Jesus was to be happy with their life and a person is already happy without Jesus, then they certainly don’t need Jesus. The Bible indicates, however, that there’s a reason you need Jesus. There is a God who is altogether holy, who is perfectly just, and who declares that he is going to judge the world and hold every human being accountable for their life. As a perfectly holy and just God, he requires from each one of us a life of perfect obedience and of perfect justness. If there is such a God and if you have lived a life of perfect justness and obedience then you certainly don’t need Jesus. You don’t need a Savior because only unjust people have a problem.
If God is just and requires perfection from me and I come short of that perfection and he is going to deal with me according to justice, then I am looking at a future punishment at the hands of a holy God. If the only way I can escape that punishment is through a Savior and if I want to escape that, then I need a Savior. Some people will say that we’re just trying to preach Jesus as a ticket out of hell, as a way to escape eternal punishment. That’s not the only reason I would commend Jesus to people, but that is one of the reasons.
I think that many people in today’s culture don’t really believe that God is going to hold them accountable for their lives and that God really does not require righteousness. When we take that view, we don’t feel the weight of the threat of judgment. If you’re not afraid to deal with God’s punishment, then be happy the way you are. However, I would be living in terrible fear and trembling at the prospect of falling into the hands of a holy God without knowing my sins had been covered by His blood.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
You Know You Love Dogs When . . . .
- You have a kiddie wading pool in the yard, but no small children.
- You have baby gates permanently installed at strategic places around the house, but no babies.
- The trash basket is more or less permanently installed in the kitchen sink, to keep the dog out of it while you're at work.
- You can't see out the passenger side of the windshield because there are nose-prints all over the inside.
- Poop has become a source of conversation for you and your significant other.
- You refer to yourselves as Mommy and Daddy.
- Your dog sleeps with you.
- You have 32 different names for your dog. Most make no sense, but she understands.
- Your dog eats cat poop, but you still let her kiss you (but not immediately afterward, of course).
- You like people who like your dog. You despise people who don't.
- You carry dog biscuits in your purse or pocket at all times.
- You talk about your dog the way other people talk about their kid
- You sign and send birthday/anniversary/Christmas cards from your dog.
- You put an extra blanket on the bed so your dog can be comfortable.
- You'd rather stay home on Saturday night and cuddle your dog than go to the movies with your sweetie.
- You go to the pet supply store every Saturday because it's one of the very few places that lets you bring your dog inside, and your dog loves to go with you.
- You open your purse, and that big bunch of baggies you use for pick-ups pops out.
- You get an extra-long hose on your shower-massage just so you can use it to wash your dog in the tub, without making the dog sit hip-deep in water.
- You don't think it's the least bit strange to stand in the back yard yelling, "Emily, pee!" over and over again, while Emily tends to play and forget what she's out there for (but what your neighbors think of your behavior is yet another story).
- You and the dog come down with something like flu on the same day. Your dog sees the vet while you settle for an over-the-counter remedy from the drugstore.
- Your dog is getting old and arthritic, so you go buy lumber and build her a small staircase so she can climb onto the bed by herself.
- Your license plate or license plate frame mentions your dog.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The Power of Forgiveness (Part 2)
-Forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The act that hurt or offended you might always remain a part of your life, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life.
-Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.
-Forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life.
Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for compassion, kindness and peace.
-Forgiveness is a commitment to a process of change.
a. Consider the value of forgiveness and its importance in your life at a given time
b. Reflect on the facts of the situation, how you've reacted, and how this combination has affected your life, health and well-being.
c. When you're ready, actively choose to forgive the person who's offended you
d. Move away from your role as victim and release the control and power the offending person and situation have had in your life
As you let go of grudges, you'll no longer define your life by how you've been hurt. You might even find compassion and understanding.
-Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.
-Forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life.
Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for compassion, kindness and peace.
-Forgiveness is a commitment to a process of change.
a. Consider the value of forgiveness and its importance in your life at a given time
b. Reflect on the facts of the situation, how you've reacted, and how this combination has affected your life, health and well-being.
c. When you're ready, actively choose to forgive the person who's offended you
d. Move away from your role as victim and release the control and power the offending person and situation have had in your life
As you let go of grudges, you'll no longer define your life by how you've been hurt. You might even find compassion and understanding.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Holding A Grudge (Part 1)
I've heard it said that, “Holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” The only person you hurt is yourself. When you react to negativity, you are disturbing your inner space and mentally creating pain within your life.
When people initiate negativity, it is a reflection of their inner self expressed externally and you just happen to be in front of that expression. It’s not personal, so why do you take it personally? In short: Because your ego likes problems and conflict. People are often so bored and unhappy with their own lives that they want to take others down with them.
When you respond impulsively, it is a natural and honest response. However, is it the smart thing to do? What can be resolved by doing so? The answer: Nothing but feeding your ego’s need for conflict.
Have you noticed that when you fight back, it feels really satisfying in our heads? But it doesn’t feel very good in your soul? Your stomach becomes tight, and you start having violent thoughts?
When you do respond irrationally, it turns the conversation from a one-sided negative expression into a battle of two egos. It becomes an unnecessary and unproductive battle about who is right and who is wrong?
Rarely can any good come out of reacting against someone who is in a negative state. It will only trigger anger and an additional reactive response from that person. If you do respond impulsively, you’ll have invested energy in the defending of yourself and you’ll feel more psychologically compelled to defend yourself going forward.
However please remember this-the angrier your thoughts become, the angrier you become. It’s a negative downward spiral.
When people initiate negativity, it is a reflection of their inner self expressed externally and you just happen to be in front of that expression. It’s not personal, so why do you take it personally? In short: Because your ego likes problems and conflict. People are often so bored and unhappy with their own lives that they want to take others down with them.
When you respond impulsively, it is a natural and honest response. However, is it the smart thing to do? What can be resolved by doing so? The answer: Nothing but feeding your ego’s need for conflict.
Have you noticed that when you fight back, it feels really satisfying in our heads? But it doesn’t feel very good in your soul? Your stomach becomes tight, and you start having violent thoughts?
When you do respond irrationally, it turns the conversation from a one-sided negative expression into a battle of two egos. It becomes an unnecessary and unproductive battle about who is right and who is wrong?
Rarely can any good come out of reacting against someone who is in a negative state. It will only trigger anger and an additional reactive response from that person. If you do respond impulsively, you’ll have invested energy in the defending of yourself and you’ll feel more psychologically compelled to defend yourself going forward.
However please remember this-the angrier your thoughts become, the angrier you become. It’s a negative downward spiral.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
But I Still Feel Guilty!
What does it mean to confess sins and repent?
-Confession means to agree with God. He already knows you’ve sinned, so you might as well be honest!
-Confession means freely admitting our sin and accepting God’s attitude about our sin.
-Confession does not mean begging God for forgiveness.
Jesus already paid the penalty for all of our sins, and God’s forgiveness is available to all when we confess them. The reason God can make this forgiveness available to you instantly is because of Christ’s death on the cross. When you confess your sin(s) His blood covers them and they are forgiven and forgotten.
Repentance means to change your actions concerning your sin. It involves agreeing with God that you were wrong and that you do not want to continue to commit that sin.
However, there will be times when you still feel guilty even after you’ve confessed your sin. It somehow seems spiritual to demean ourselves for committing such an awful sin, and some think that if they lower themselves in their own eyes, God will be pleased with their humility.
But that’s not the way God sees us. Part of confession is praising God that all of our sins have been paid for by Christ. On that basis God says in Hebrews 8:12, “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” By faith you respond to what God’s Word says about His mercy you instead of worrying about the sins of your past. To berate yourself focuses on your sin rather than on Christ, His mercy, and His forgiveness.
Sometimes we do mistake temptation for sin, but keep in mind that everyone is tempted. Even Jesus was tempted, but He didn’t give in to His temptations and He didn’t sin. If you are being tempted, don’t chastise yourself. You can choose not to dwell on tempting thoughts and you can ask God for the strength to avoid the sin. Don’t feel guilty about being tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a great verse to bring to mind when you battle temptation.
Remember again, God has completely forgiven you of all the things you have done. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” He doesn’t look back now on your sins or your failures with condemnation, and neither should you. Again God says in Hebrews 10:17, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Accept God’s complete forgiveness and realize the cloud of guilt is gone!
Paul said in Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Your Christian life is a life of freedom. It is freedom from guilt and freedom to live as God intends, which is ultimately the most satisfying life. It is a process of growth, of becoming like Christ, and reflecting Christ-and it takes time to grow!
So stop holding on to your past. If God has forgiven you, then forgive yourself and move on. Don't let guilt hide what the Son (of God) has done within you.
-Confession means to agree with God. He already knows you’ve sinned, so you might as well be honest!
-Confession means freely admitting our sin and accepting God’s attitude about our sin.
-Confession does not mean begging God for forgiveness.
Jesus already paid the penalty for all of our sins, and God’s forgiveness is available to all when we confess them. The reason God can make this forgiveness available to you instantly is because of Christ’s death on the cross. When you confess your sin(s) His blood covers them and they are forgiven and forgotten.
Repentance means to change your actions concerning your sin. It involves agreeing with God that you were wrong and that you do not want to continue to commit that sin.
However, there will be times when you still feel guilty even after you’ve confessed your sin. It somehow seems spiritual to demean ourselves for committing such an awful sin, and some think that if they lower themselves in their own eyes, God will be pleased with their humility.
But that’s not the way God sees us. Part of confession is praising God that all of our sins have been paid for by Christ. On that basis God says in Hebrews 8:12, “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” By faith you respond to what God’s Word says about His mercy you instead of worrying about the sins of your past. To berate yourself focuses on your sin rather than on Christ, His mercy, and His forgiveness.
Sometimes we do mistake temptation for sin, but keep in mind that everyone is tempted. Even Jesus was tempted, but He didn’t give in to His temptations and He didn’t sin. If you are being tempted, don’t chastise yourself. You can choose not to dwell on tempting thoughts and you can ask God for the strength to avoid the sin. Don’t feel guilty about being tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a great verse to bring to mind when you battle temptation.
Remember again, God has completely forgiven you of all the things you have done. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” He doesn’t look back now on your sins or your failures with condemnation, and neither should you. Again God says in Hebrews 10:17, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Accept God’s complete forgiveness and realize the cloud of guilt is gone!
Paul said in Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Your Christian life is a life of freedom. It is freedom from guilt and freedom to live as God intends, which is ultimately the most satisfying life. It is a process of growth, of becoming like Christ, and reflecting Christ-and it takes time to grow!
So stop holding on to your past. If God has forgiven you, then forgive yourself and move on. Don't let guilt hide what the Son (of God) has done within you.
Why People Don't Like Church Anymore (Part 3)
At one time the church was a thriving part of most America communities. It has now been relegated to something seen as outside of normal society, or something that offers no living, vital fellowship to people. In the past, when people were in need they would look to local churches for assistance. In reality they looked to the church for ways to help them cope and live every day life. The simple fact is that this is no longer true. The church has lost its value to people who still seek for reality and truth. One recent study found that about two thirds of Americans do not value the church for any direction in their life, or feel that the Church could possibly offer them any value in directing their personal decisions or life goals.
Many people have a positive attitude about Jesus, but for them church is another matter. As American demographics shift and move neighborhoods are changing and reforming. At the same time it seems the Church has lost touch with those in the most accessible area–their backyard. Entertainment venues and anti-Christian religions are buying up old church properties and replacing moral and spiritual values with other alternatives in those buildings that once were filled with people changed by the Word of God.
The church has become for many just another organization competing for people’s sense of community. Other community organizations can and do integrate people into their fold allowing people to truly feel like they belong. Once accepted into that fellowship, it becomes even more difficult for the church to reach these folks. In fact, the number of young adults leaving their childhood spiritual roots is now nearly 90 per cent. Their number one reason is that their spiritual needs are not being met by the churches of today.
Most of our churches are seen as judgmental and exclusive by those outside our walls. Yes, it is true that we should discipline those inside the church as the Bible commands, but we forgot that our front door policy should be as large and inclusive as possible. We have to change the perception that the local church is just a special club for the religious elite. The lost, prodigals, and backsliders already think we are all hypocrites based upon what they are told by the media and see with their own eyes every day from the lifestyle of so-called believers. We have to change that perception by being real with ourselves and real with Christ in our every day lives.
I do believe we can alter this growing perception about the church if we begin to live out the love of God rooted in the commission of Christ-"Go into all the world and preach the gospel". Our mission must include an invitation to all people in our community regardless of their present sin, lifestyle, or their past. God always intended for the church to be a hospital for sinners, never just a haven for saints. The problem is that many have forgotten this fact and our local church leaders are not doing a lot to help the their congregations regain this sense of our calling to reach the world.
J. Lee Grady said in a recent article in Charisma magazine that he still believed in the church. I do as well, and pray daily that God will help me to show others we can still be a vibrant part of our community. I'm sure that I'm not the only pastor that feels this way. So let's all do our part to help those folks that don't like church anymore to realize there's somebody that cares and wants to help them.
Many people have a positive attitude about Jesus, but for them church is another matter. As American demographics shift and move neighborhoods are changing and reforming. At the same time it seems the Church has lost touch with those in the most accessible area–their backyard. Entertainment venues and anti-Christian religions are buying up old church properties and replacing moral and spiritual values with other alternatives in those buildings that once were filled with people changed by the Word of God.
The church has become for many just another organization competing for people’s sense of community. Other community organizations can and do integrate people into their fold allowing people to truly feel like they belong. Once accepted into that fellowship, it becomes even more difficult for the church to reach these folks. In fact, the number of young adults leaving their childhood spiritual roots is now nearly 90 per cent. Their number one reason is that their spiritual needs are not being met by the churches of today.
Most of our churches are seen as judgmental and exclusive by those outside our walls. Yes, it is true that we should discipline those inside the church as the Bible commands, but we forgot that our front door policy should be as large and inclusive as possible. We have to change the perception that the local church is just a special club for the religious elite. The lost, prodigals, and backsliders already think we are all hypocrites based upon what they are told by the media and see with their own eyes every day from the lifestyle of so-called believers. We have to change that perception by being real with ourselves and real with Christ in our every day lives.
I do believe we can alter this growing perception about the church if we begin to live out the love of God rooted in the commission of Christ-"Go into all the world and preach the gospel". Our mission must include an invitation to all people in our community regardless of their present sin, lifestyle, or their past. God always intended for the church to be a hospital for sinners, never just a haven for saints. The problem is that many have forgotten this fact and our local church leaders are not doing a lot to help the their congregations regain this sense of our calling to reach the world.
J. Lee Grady said in a recent article in Charisma magazine that he still believed in the church. I do as well, and pray daily that God will help me to show others we can still be a vibrant part of our community. I'm sure that I'm not the only pastor that feels this way. So let's all do our part to help those folks that don't like church anymore to realize there's somebody that cares and wants to help them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)