God never wastes a hurt (Happy St. Patricks Day!)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

It has been said, “God never wastes a hurt.” This truth is illustrated in the life of Saint Patrick. Most people, including the Irish themselves, do not know why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Much to the chagrin of most, St. Patrick’s Day is not about drinking green beer or even the Irish people, but rather, it is the celebration of Saint Patrick bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Ireland.When Patrick was young, he was kidnapped from his home in England and forced into a life of slavery by the Irish. Several years later, he escaped and went home to England. At home in England, he became a dedicated follower of Jesus. During a time of prayer, he felt led to go back to those in Ireland who had enslaved him and bring them the “good news” of Jesus Christ. Needless to say, his work and impact literally changed a people-group. It is amazing that God brought Patrick back to his place of pain so he could use him to grow his kingdom in the same people that had no regard for him years earlier.

Like St. Patrick, God wants to use us to further his kingdom as well. He wants us to use our life experiences to help others in need. God does not require us to have great skills and abilities He requires faith and obedience.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW: BE BLESSED!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7O9OqBd2us

(From "Noblesse Oblige" by Scott Applegate pg. 41-42)

Random thoughts of a hopeful Christian

"I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." Jesus

Statistics seem to indicate that Christianity in the USA is declining at a fairly dramatic pace. Some groups say that in 1990 86% of Americans claimed Christianity as their faith. In 2008 it dropped to 76%. I understand that there is a big difference in someone saying they are a Christian and someone who actually follows Jesus Christ. A follower of Jesus Christ is someone who bases their life, actions, hopes, and dreams on the sacrificial death of Jesus and on His teachings.

The reason I feel these types of statistics are important is because they reveal not necessarily the truth about who are Christians or not but how our culture views Jesus. George Barna points out that the majority of people who say they are Christians are what he calls "casual Christians" and the rest are what he calls "captive Christians". He says: "The lives of Captive Christians are defined by their faith; their worldview is built around their core spiritual beliefs and resultant values." Where as the lives of Casual Christians are marked by: "...balancing everything just right so that they are able to maximize their opportunities and joys in life without undermining their perceived relationship with God and others."

"Liminality" is a word I have just recently discovered. A basic definition for liminality is a state where what used to work does not work anymore and what is going to work in the future has not yet been revealed. In other words, things are ambiguous. Its sort of like a 13 year old boy. He is no longer a little boy, but is not yet a man.

Liminality seems to describe Christianity in our culture. What used to work or the norm is no longer working and what is going to work has yet to be revealed. I realize that Jesus, His truth, and His true followers contiune, but how that looks in our culture is in a state of liminality.

Christianity in the United Kingdom has been on the rapid decline for several decades. As a matter fact, many parts of England and Scotland are considered unreached people groups. How did this happen? First, The church became irrelevant to culture. It stopped answering the questions of its society. The church became a building rather than a living movement of people who followed Jesus with their whole lives. In other words the church became casual in how it influenced culture. It is easy for the church to have a fortress mentality where people are invited in but the people living on the inside have no influence on those on the outside. The church in America seems to be following in their footsteps.

I know Jesus is building His Church no matter what I think or see. I am actually excited that we find ourselves in "liminality" because that means something good is coming. Whenever God makes changes its always good. I talk to people every day who are bored with their faith or disillusioned about what it means to follow Christ. The statistics of how many American Christian kids leave their parents faith behind once they turn 18 is staggering. I think people are hungry for something beyond casual Christianity. They are hungry for something that they can base ALL of their life on. I am banking on it. I am not ashamed to be a Captive Christian. How about you?

Mark 8:34-35 "If any of you wants to be my follower," he told them, "you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life. NLT


http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/268-casual-christians-and-the-future-of-america

What would you say to Tiger?

2 Corinthians 7:10 For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death.

I just finished listening to Tiger Woods statement regarding his "moral failures". It made me think of the Apostle Paul's statement in the book of Romans:

"I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it. It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong." (Romans 7:15-21 NLT)

Tiger Woods, like all of us, has to come to grips with this internal struggle. I can relate. I have found myself saying over and over: "I can't believe I did this again." I want to do what is right, but I also find myself pulled to do what is wrong! Like the Apostle Paul I want to scream:

"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?" (Romans 7:24 NLT)

Tiger said that one thing he was going to do to try and overcome his struggles and behavior was to return to his Buddhist faith.

The Buddhist teach that a person overcomes their struggles by "The Four Noble Truths":
1. Life is suffering 2. We suffer because we desire the impermanent 3. The way to liberation from desire is to eliminate desire 4. Eliminate desire by following the eight fold path:(Have a right understanding of the four noble truths, Have right thought, Have right speech, Have right action, Have the right occupation, Have the right effort, Have mental self-control, Have right concentration)

I believe Buddhism has it partly right. Life is filled with suffering. Regardless of one's beliefs, all people agree that life is painful. And I would agree that most suffering does come from a desire of things that are impermanent, things that cannot ultimately satisfy the longings of the human heart.

However, the remedy is not found in self-effort or religion. Humanity has always had two ways of trying to achieve happiness & peace: Self-righteous religion (if I follow the rules, if I try harder, if I shape up I will be ok), or Self-centered rebellion (I am going to live it up, I am going to get mine, I will do what ever brings me pleasure). I believe both are an attempt to remedy the inner struggle common to all. I believe neither work.

I am a follower of Jesus because only He makes sense of the struggle and only He can set me free from my selfishness. Scripture teaches that only Jesus can set us free from self, sin, and death. Scripture teaches that the harder I try to keep the rules the more aroused my sinful self gets (Romans 7:5). Jesus taught that selfish sinful behavior comes from what is inside of our hearts (Matthew 15:19). We always try to change the outside first. But that never works. Religion is about humanity conforming outwardly to a set of ideals. True Christianity is about God changing us first on the inside, inside our hearts and the outside then follows. To me, this separates Christianity from all other faiths. Religion is man trying to gain God's favor and forgiveness by climbing the ladder of do's & dont's, and rules & regulations. Christianity is God coming to man. It is Him extending favor and forgiveness not based on works & effort but on faith in Jesus. Therefore, I agree wholeheartedly with the Apostle Paul once again:

"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 7:24-25 NLT)

Jesus died to free us from the penalty of sin (Romans 3:23, 6:23), He gives us the Holy Spirit when we believe to free us from the power of sin (John 8:34-36, Romans 8:9-11), and He will ultimately free us from the presence of sin in eternity with Him (Revelation 21:4).

Hopefully Tiger Woods will be back playing golf soon. I pray nothing but the best for Tiger Woods. I certainly am no one to judge him. Jesus paid the price for his sins and mine. I think it would be a great story for him to make a full recovery and find himself back doing what he loves soon. My prayer is he would put his faith and hope in the one person who always delivers on His promises, and that is Jesus Christ.

Viva Las Vegas

I had the privilege last week of being the guest speaker for the DTS (discipleship training school) at the Youth with a Mission (YWAM) Las Vegas base. I had the responsibility of teaching 12 lectures Monday through Thursday on the "Noblesse Oblige". It was a lot of work but very worth it.

Las Vegas: aka "Sin City" or "Lost Wages", as some like to call it is an interesting place. It is a crazy place somewhat like the New Testament city of Corinth where the apostle Paul encountered all sorts of debauchery and hedonism. There really is nothing new under the sun. Mankind has always had two paths to fulfillment: Self-Centered rebellion or Self-Righteous religion. Las Vegas just prides its self on its openness to feeding the Self-Centered hedonistic ways of humanity. Las Vegas is a place that is the antithesis of 1 John 2:15-17:

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." NIV

On the other hand is there not a more strategic place for a Christ-follower to be than in the middle of a place where broken people are looking for God in all the wrong places? If Jesus would have lived in our day I'm sure he would have found his way to Vegas to talk to the outcast, the broken, the rich, the stripper, the gambler, and the drunk (Matthew 9:10-13, Matthew 11:19). Jesus was always found with the broken and the broken were always attracted to Jesus.

As my wife and I drove the first day we got to Vegas we were shocked at 50 or so homeless people living under the under pass a block or so from the base. People were sleeping on the sidewalk. What an eye-opener. The base is located in a rough part of town.

The students have signed up for 12 weeks of daily discipleship that consists of communal living, Bible lectures, outreach to locals, much prayer, and servant hood. At the end of the 12 weeks the students will have formed a team that will go and share the love of Jesus to people who are less fortunate and spiritually lost without Christ. But even more than that, they will be marked for life by the bonds of unity Christ will form in each of them by them pursuing and living out their "Noblesse Oblige" (French for Noble obligation).

I am proud to know each one of them. They picked a difficult place to do their training. I am even more proud of their leaders who serve them and serve with them everyday. My prayer for all of them is found in Romans 15:5-6:

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. "NIV

Thank you YWAM Las Vegas. You taught me more than I taught you. You reminded me what its all about.

Abba Father

My dad had a total knee replacement recently. He is in a ton of pain and the rehab is going to take several months. However, when all that is over I think he will be pleased with the change.

I am very close with my dad and to see him in pain is difficult. He has enjoyed good health the majority of his 72 years of living. He still plays baseball, swims, and golfs. He is very active for his age.

My dad has always been a good example to me of what God the Father is like. I know so many people who have warped images of God because of their earthly fathers. That is not the case with me. My dad has always showed unconditional love to me. When I was far from living the life God intended for me my dad always kept a close relationship with me.

Obviously, my dad has flaws. But what he does have is a tender heart towards his kids and his 12 grandkids (plus 4 great grand kids). Everyone of us know how much he loves us. The love of God the Father is tender and unconditional and for that I am grateful. My prayer for my dad is that he would continue to know the love of His heavenly Father and thus let that shine through his life.

Jesus called God "Abba". Which simply means daddy. It is a term which oozes with closeness. The New Testament tells us that because of Jesus we can call God "Abba" as well:

Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. NIV

My prayer for all of us is simple, that each one of us would know and live in the unconditional perfect love of our heavenly Father.

P.S. I also pray my dad heals quickly, we have a lot of baseball games to go to soon...

What song would you want played at your funeral?

"...Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." King Solomon

As a pastor I have officiated numerous funerals. A constant at most funerals is picking the right songs to sing or play the songs that best represent the life of the person who passed away. I have heard everything from Jimmy Buffet, tons of Country, Christian contemporary, and many hymns.
I do not plan on dying anytime soon, but if God has a different plan for me the song I want played at my funeral is "These are the words I would say" by a band called "The Sidewalk Prophets." Here are the lyrics:
Verse 1
Three in the morning, and I’m still awake So I picked up a pen and a page And I started writing just what I’d say If we were face to face I’d tell you just what you mean to me Tell you these simple truths
CHORUS
Be strong in the Lord And never give up hope You’re gonna do great things I already know God’s got His hand on You So don’t live life in fear Forgive and forget But don’t forget why you’re here Take your time and pray These are the words I would say
Verse 2
Last time we spoke you said you were hurting And I felt your pain in my heartI want to tell you that I keep on praying That love will find you where you are
I know cause I’ve already been there So please hear these simple truths
Repeat CHORUS
Say… from one simple life to another I will say… come find peace in the Father
Be strong in the Lord And never give up hope You’re gonna do great things I already know God’s got His hand on You So don’t live life in fear Forgive and forget But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray And thank God for each day His love will find a way These are the words I would say
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fpKwja0j50&feature=related

Where would we be without CHRISTmas?

Luke 2:11-12 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." NIV Revelation 21:5 "...I am making everything new!..." NIV

It is hard to believe that Christmas is already upon us. Christmas really is a wonderful time of year. The sights the sounds, and the smells are truly amazing. One thing that I love the most about Christmas is that it precedes the New Year. I'm not sure if Jesus was really born on December 25th or not and truthfully I don't really care to the accuracy of His birthday, I am just glad He was born. I am glad that God chose to become one of us so that He could become our empathetic, triumphant Savior and Lord.

It is so brilliant that we celebrate the birth of Christ so close to the New Year because it provides the opportunity to finish the year with reflection on Who Jesus is, Why He came, and How His person and work affect our lives. Regardless of how the year went Christmas provides reflection on what is most important in life. In a sense it refocuses our priorities and purpose when we stop and celebrate the birth our Savior. Without His birth we would not be able to celebrate the salvation that His life, death, resurrection and ascension has provided. We have none of that if He had not first chose to become flesh and make His dwelling among us.

Christmas at the end of the year also provides the opportunity to have a fresh outlook on the New Year. Regardless of the failures of the past year, regardless of the heartache, we have experienced, Christmas is a perfect illustration of the heart of God for us. At the birth of Christ God was ushering in the beginning of His kingdom of which there is no end. Of which we are invited be part of. "Behold He is making all things new." That includes us. For that I am thankful. As you celebrate the birth of Christ this year celebrate the newness of life that Christ not only offers but delivered and will fulfill at His return.