tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44118000553566298142024-03-13T20:03:25.473-07:00FollowBeyond BelievingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-46636453634916833652017-07-15T08:30:00.000-07:002017-07-15T08:30:14.493-07:00THE UPSIDE KINGDOM - Part IV<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied…Blessed are
the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Matthew 5: 6 & 8<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These two beatitudes build on each other, as well as on the
other beatitudes, especially the first two. The poor in spirit who understands
how desperately he needs God, and the one who mourns over his own sinful heart
hunger and thirst for the righteousness that can only be found in God. As Paul
tells us in <i>Romans 3:10, “None is
righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have
turned aside; together they have become worthless, no one does good, not even
one.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">It is a miracle of
God’s grace that any of us are saved. In our natural, fallen state we do not
seek God, we give no thought to our deplorable condition, lost in sin,
wandering far from Him. I still vividly remember the moment that I first
realized that I was lost. It was as though a curtain was pulled open and in a
moment I saw it all – a holy God, my Creator, Jesus, my Savior crucified and
risen, heaven and hell. What had been just religious jargon, I heard all my
childhood became more real than the chair I was sitting on. I desperately
needed the righteousness that comes by faith, and in finding it I was
satisfied, and at peace. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">From that time I have
been secure as God’s child, confident in the gift of righteousness that is mine
in Christ. However, even after decades of walking with God, purity of heart
eludes me. As Paul confessed in Romans 7:17, sin dwells within me. Just when I
think I’m doing well, ugly thoughts pop up to ruin my day. Shall I ever know
true purity of heart and the blessing of seeing God? There are glimpses, as
though through a glass darkly, but I the blessing of seeing God face to face
will only come to us in the resurrection. (I Corinthians 13:12) It is a hope
that will be fulfilled. I shall, in that day, look upon the face of the One who
loves me and who died for me. <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-18927107511493658162017-07-08T11:25:00.001-07:002017-07-08T11:25:14.289-07:00THE UPSIDE KINGDOM - Part III<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Blessed are the meek
for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Again Jesus’ words fly in the face of conventional worldly
wisdom: “Nice guys (the meek or gentle) finish last. “ In this dog eat dog
world, it is the top dog who gets the bone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">To be truly meek is to be like Jesus, who called Himself
gentle and lowly of heart (Matthew 11:29). Godly gentleness does not arise out
to weakness. Jesus was not a doormat. He was secure in who He was as the Son of
God, and He was strong. This strength and security, blended with infinite love,
made Him truly gentle. Oh to be more like Jesus, settled and secure as a child
of God, loved by God, loving Him in return, and free to love all those around
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The blessed Inheritance of the meek is the earth. Note that
Jesus does not say, “the meek shall inherit heaven”. He was talking about
planet Earth. But I also don’t think Jesus was saying that the gentle would
inherit the earth now, as it is, amassing wealth and possessions. The truly
meek care little for these things. No, I think Jesus was looking forward to the
Earth as it was meant to be and will be when “the kingdom of this world has
become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ.” (Revelation 11:15)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I love the beauty I see in all that God has made. Yes, it is
marred by sin and it is subject to futility, but that makes me anticipate all the
more what it shall be when, <br />
“creation itself will be set free from its bondage of corruption and obtain the
freedom of the glory of the sons of God.”
(Romans 8:21)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is the inheritance of the meek, a world set free from
sin and corruption, a world as it was meant to be: a world of peace and harmony
under the reign of King Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-12129202175149476582017-07-08T11:21:00.000-07:002017-07-08T11:21:17.618-07:00THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM - Part II<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Blessed are those who
mourn for they shall be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I like funerals. No, I don’t enjoy seeing people suffer grief
at the loss of a loved one. God created us to live and death is our enemy. But
loss and grief can be our friends if they bring us to face the reality of our
own mortality. Those who morn are uniquely positioned to be comforted if they
let grief turn their hearts to God. I love seeing this happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The world, in general, does everything possible to avoid the
whole subject of mourning. Most people live as if death were not the fate of us
all. Death is ignored. We fill our lives so full of activity that we have no
time to think about eternity. We run here and there after the latest thing, we
party and pretend to be happy – anything but allowing ourselves to think about
our true condition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But I think Jesus was also speaking of mourning in the
broader sense of mourning over mankind’s condition. God created this world a
place of beauty and peace, and he declared it to be good, very good. Sin
entered the world through man’s disobedience and the world, all life, was
marred. Strife, abuse, war, death, sickness, hunger, and injustice replaced the
harmony and fullness of Eden. So much that was beautiful was lost. Do I care? Do
I see it? Do I mourn mankind’s loss?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Regularly I find that I am closing my eyes to the destruction
caused by sin all around me. I let my heart become hardened to the plight of
others. But blessing comes in being touched by the pain that others endure, and
reaching out to them in love. When we comfort others, when we reach out to a
neighbor, a friend, a stranger who is hurting, we ourselves are comforted. We
find a blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-5286142883404317752017-06-24T13:38:00.002-07:002017-07-08T11:25:37.897-07:00THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM - Part I<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” –
Matthew 4:3<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Poverty, true poverty, is
something that most of us in America have never experienced. Many that Jesus
spoke to, however, knew the desperation of poverty, the helplessness, the
gnawing hunger, and the total lack of resources. So maybe the multitude that
heard Jesus pronounce that the pour in spirit are blessed, picked up on what
may elude us. Those who are desperate for God, those who know that they are
helpless without Him, those who cry out for true spiritual food, those who look
to God for all that they need are the blessed ones. Why? Because theirs is the
kingdom of God. Their spiritual poverty drives them to find God, to believe in
Him, to trust in Him, and to fully yield to His Lordship. They are willing
subjects to the King, and the King cares for His own. They find true riches in
His Kingdom.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So, in what way is this idea
upside down? It clearly stands in contrast with the world’s values. In Jesus’
day, as in ours, it is the wealthy, the powerful, the gifted, and the famous
who are considered blessed. They don’t have to worry about where their next
meal is coming from. They have everything that they could possibly need or want
and then some. People respect them. They have influence. They don’t think that
they need God – He is irrelevant to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But on a deeper level I think
Jesus was contrasting the poor in spirit with the rich in religion – those who
think that they have all their spiritual ducks in a row. Like the Scribes and
the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, those who believe right doctrine, who go to
church, read their Bibles, pray, tithe, fast, and don’t commit the big sins.
Have you been there? I have. At times I’ve lost that spiritual desperation,
that deep hunger for God. Recognizing that we have strayed from being poor in
spirit is half the battle. God so graciously, so mercifully draws us back to Himself:
renewing our hearts, bringing us again to the place where we can say with the
psalmist, <i>“Whom have I in heaven but
thee, and what is there on earth that I desire besides thee.” – Psalm 73:25<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-85707446229409704022017-06-15T14:08:00.001-07:002017-06-15T14:08:06.800-07:00LISTEN<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The Heavens above
declare the Glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. “ – Psalms 19:1<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once upon a time a family of mice made their home in a piano.
From time to time, beautiful music would fill the piano. The mice came to
believe that some benevolent unknown being produced the music. They were content to enjoy its beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One day a curious member of the mouse family ventured forth
to explore the inner workings of the piano. He discovered that vibrating
strings were the source of the music. He also noted that the hammers activated
by keys struck the strings. The mice then decided that the beautiful music was
produced by a machine, and they ceased to think it necessary to believe in the
unknown being as the source of the music.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I love science. I enjoyed being a research chemist for over
three decades. Science is a God given tool, which mankind is using to discover
the mysteries of our universe, the atom, and even life itself. We have learned
much, and there is much more to learn about how God has structured creation. As
we do so, however, we run the risk of repeating the mistake made by the mouse
family. We can become so impressed by what we’ve learned about the machine of
creation that we lose sight of the Creator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The mice enjoyed beautiful music, not because the piano
existed, but because a musician owned and played the piano. The beauty, variety,
and wonder in this creation exists because it was brought into being by a God
of beauty, variety, and wonder. All of nature is playing a song. God is singing
to us in and through all He has made. Enjoy the song. The heavens, and all of
creation, are declaring the glory of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-72086484288145903962017-06-10T11:24:00.002-07:002017-06-10T11:24:26.592-07:00EYES LIKE A FLAME OF FIRE<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “On turning I saw…one like a son of man… his
eyes were like a flame of fire,… his voice was like the roar of many waters…
and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” - Revelation 1:12-16<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is John’s description of Jesus when he encountered Him
during his exile on the Isle of Patmos. John then received from Jesus the
amazing vision we call the book of Revelation. Fascinating as the vision is in
its entirety, it is this passage that grabs my attention. This is hardly the Jesus pictured in most
Sunday School material. There is nothing wrong with the gentle Jesus in a white
robe carrying a lamb on His shoulders. Jesus is humble and kind. This is the
Jesus that draws little children to Himself. I’m grateful for the gentle Jesus
that I learned of in my childhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Today, however, it is the Jesus whose eyes are like a flame
of fire that I need to see, or rather that I need to see looking at me. It is
the voice like the roar of many waters that I need to hear. It is the face that
shines like the sun in its full strength that I need to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Why? I too often lapse into a comfortable, easy Christianity
that is self-serving, long on grace, and short on holiness and godly fear. He
searches mind and heart (Revelation 2:23), uncovering compromise,
unforgiveness, hardness of heart, impatience, unbelief… not to shame, nor to
wound, but to cleanse, to heal, to restore, and to fill afresh with His love
and peace. Don’t be afraid. He can be trusted. Our hearts are safe in the hands
of the one whose eyes are like a flame of fire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-12149517875870992292017-06-03T06:56:00.000-07:002017-06-03T06:56:20.366-07:00KEEP IT SIMPLE - LOVE<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Whoever loves his
brother abides in light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling… Little
children let us love not in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.” - I John 2:10, 3:18 </span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have to admit that for much of my Christian life I’ve
struggled with John’s writings. His letters especially just seem to
monotonously hold to one theme – love. Okay, love one another. I get it! Or do
I?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As a young man, John must have been a real character. Jesus
called him and his brother James “sons of thunder”. (Mark 3:17) They wanted to
call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that failed to receive
Christ. (Luke 9:51-55)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">John wrote his three letters (First, Second, and Third John)
late in life when he was likely in his 70’s or 80’s. What changed him from a
“son of thunder” to the apostle of love? I think it was decades of life in
Christ- all of church life – the good, the bad and the ugly. Early on, he was
in Jerusalem at Pentecost and experienced the powerful outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, conversion of 100’s, miracles of healing, and even the dead being
raised back to life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As the years passed, he witnessed the enemy’s attacks on the
church. <br />
From the outside came persecutions, torture, and martyrdom. From within the
church came false doctrine – leaders drawing Christians after themselves with
twisted versions of the gospel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How could the church keep on track? How could tiny
gatherings, scattered across the Roman Empire, resist the enemy’s attack? Much
of the New Testament was written, but it was not compiled into the Bibles we
hold in our hands today. So John in his short letters gave the believers a
simple test. How can we tell who is of Christ and who isn’t? Love. Genuine
love, the kind that led Jesus to the cross, is the test of a true believer.
Don’t be led astray by Charisma. Don’t trust someone’s new and better gospel.
Don’t trust those who appeal to the flesh. Trust those who love – not in word,
but in deed and in truth. This love kind of comes only from Jesus. Those who
love like Jesus loved us are the true followers of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Keep it simple – thrust love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-70947054375246327852017-05-26T12:19:00.001-07:002017-05-26T12:20:37.367-07:00MY LIFE IS NOT MY OWN<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“And he died for all,
therefore all have died, and he died for all that those who live might no
longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:5<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I decided to retire last December. One morning while reading,
praying, and meditating on the Word it came to me: “It is time to retire”. It
came not as a command from God, but a gift, something good and desirable.
Before this, I could not see myself as a retiree, but now I could. May 1<sup>st</sup>
seemed like a good date to start for an outdoor guy like me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">People’s first response on hearing that news was typically, “So,
what are you going to do?” My stock reply has been that I plan to restore
another antique car and do more gardening, hiking, fishing, and reading. I look
forward to spending more time with my wife, Barb, and slowing down a bit. In
addition, to volunteer pastoral work, I would like to do some inner city
ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A keen awareness has come, however, that my life is not my
own, it belongs to God. There is nothing evil or sinful on my wish list. The issue
is that it is my wish list for how I want to spend my retirement. I am not free
to live my life as I choose. As Paul told the Corinthians, <i>“…he (Jesus) died for all that those who live might no longer live for
themselves, but for him”.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
What does this mean for me? Jesus has full and complete claim on my life. He
has a specific plan for this season of my life that trumps my plans. Exactly
what all His plan entails is not yet clear to me, but step by step, as I seek
Him and am obedient, He will make his purpose clear. I am still thinking about finding
an old VW beetle to restore, but as I hike and garden, my prayer is “Lord lead
me. Show me how to lay down my life for You as You laid down Your life for me. “
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And your life?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-34637415036845494422017-05-20T10:21:00.003-07:002017-05-20T10:21:50.518-07:00GOD MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Have you not read that
he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said,
‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his
wife, and the two shall be one flesh.’? ‘So they are no longer two but one
flesh.’ What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew
19: 4-6<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The late 1960’s and early 1970’s were tumultuous times: the
Vietnam War, anti-war demonstrations, and racial strife. I am part of that
generation. No, I never grew my hair long and took on the hippie look. I did
not burn my draft card. However, I was a Jesus Freak. A group of us met
regularly in the student union of Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, to
pray and study the Bible. We were labeled Jesus Freaks because we were always
talking about Jesus. We chose not to rebel against the establishment and not to
be part of the sexual revolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The sexual revolution has progressed, in the ensuing years,
beyond the “Free Love” advocated by the hippy crowd to the point where sexual
relationships of all kinds and descriptions are not only accepted, but are
being promoted as “normal and desirable”. Gender has been redefined, becoming
more of a personal preference then a biological reality established at birth.
At the risk of being again labeled a “Jesus Freak”, I have to take a stand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My stand on sexuality is radical and narrowly defined. Sexual
relations are to be confined to a man and a woman who are married. Period. The
only other option is celibate singleness. Sex before marriage, adultery,
homosexuality, and all other sexual relations outside the marriage of a man and
a woman are wrong. They are destructive. They are a sin against ourselves, our
partner(s), and God. No, I am not homophobic. I do not hate transgender people
and I am not a prude. Sex has been a wonderful and fulfilling part of my
marriage for over four decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I firmly believe God’s ways are the simplest and the best. We
were created male and female by God, created for the lifetime union of a man
and a woman. Any other sexual relationship is less than God’s best for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-11415081045774096622017-05-12T08:13:00.000-07:002017-05-12T08:13:01.526-07:00LISTEN TO HIM<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“This is my beloved son
with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Polarization in politics today in the United States is to a
degree maintained and even intensified by the media. Left leaning Americans
listen to liberal media outlets and right leaning Americans listen to
conservative outlets. People hear what they want to hear and their views are
reinforced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Who do you listen to? Who shapes your view of reality? No, I
am not talking about your political views, but your spiritual. The battle for
the hearts and minds of people in the spiritual arena is even more intense than
the battle in the political arena. And more is at stake than the economy,
health care, and even world peace. The battle raging in the spiritual realm is
for our very souls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On one side we have the deceiver. His message is one that
exalts the self, that appeals to our passions, and that distorts the truth. He
comes as an angel of light with arguments that sound so plausible, even
religious. His message promises the world, but in the end only delivers death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On the other side we have the One, Christ Jesus who is the
truth. His message is one of humility and of dying to oneself. It is one of
grace and forgiveness, peace and wholeness. It always delivers life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Chapter 17 of the book of Matthew recounts the
transfiguration. Peter, James, and John went with Jesus to a mountain top and
there they saw Jesus in a glorified state talking with Moses and Elijah. If His
miracles hadn’t convinced these disciples that Jesus was the Son of God, surely
they were convinced now. The Father then spoke from heaven confirming that
Jesus was indeed His beloved Son. And the Father’s message to Peter, James, and
John, as well as to us, was very simple. Tune out all the other voices, quiet
yourself, and “Listen to Him”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-61420631797853939032017-05-06T16:27:00.000-07:002017-05-06T16:27:09.514-07:00LIVING LIFE TOGETHER<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Though you have not
seen him, you love him…” I Peter 1:8a<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Peter loved Jesus. He talked with Him. He ate with Him. He traveled
with Him. He lived life together with Jesus for three years. Jesus did Peter a
great kindness when He healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus did an even greater
kindness when He appeared to him after his resurrection. Though Peter denied
three times that he even knew Him, Jesus received him back as His disciple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As Peter writes to second generation Christians in I Peter,
who had not seen Jesus before or after his resurrection, He commends them for
loving Him. But is it possible to love someone we have never seen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At age fifteen, I fell in love with a pretty teenage girl,
but that was more infatuation than love. My puppy love grew and matured into
genuine love after we married. Love grew as we shared the joys and sorrows and
the trials and triumphs that the years have brought us. Genuine love came as we
lived life together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Though we have not seen Jesus, we can love Him. He promised
to always be with us. He gave us His Spirit. We don’t need to see Him to love
Him. We need only to invite Him into all of our lives and live together with
Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-16042869895295032462017-04-30T10:59:00.001-07:002017-04-30T11:05:49.793-07:00LIVING HOPE<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I Peter 1:3 – <i>“Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy,
he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead.”<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Peter is writing about thirty years after the death of Jesus
Christ to believers who were scattered across the Roman Empire. They were, like
we often ae, confused and discouraged. They had expected Christ to return
quickly, but now decades later, the reality had begun to sink in that God’s
soon is not our soon.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After his short greeting in verses one and two, Peter gets
right to the heart of the message in verse three. He tells believers then and
now that God is good because, in His great mercy He has given us new birth. The
hopeless condition of our old lives is behind us. Even as we continue to live
in this fallen world, we now have a glorious living hope that is solidly based
on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a living hope because he conquered
death, hell and sin. He came back to life with a glorious, but very real and
tangible body. Many, including Peter, saw the resurrected Christ Jesus.</span><span style="font-family: "segoe ui symbol" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> They walked with Him, talked with Him,
and even ate with Him <u>after</u> His resurrection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "segoe ui symbol" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This gives us hope because, as Paul tells us in I
Corinthians 15:20, He is the first fruits from the dead. My fate is the same as
His. All the troubles and trials of this life, even death itself, shall not
have the last word. I have a living hope. I too shall be resurrected with a
body like His, forever to be with Him.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-3659944495576545572015-04-08T11:32:00.002-07:002015-04-08T11:32:50.979-07:00BECAUSE THERE IS A HEAVEN<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And I saw a new heaven… And I saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… “Behold the tabernacle of God is
among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God
Himself shall be among them. </span></i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(Revelation 21:1a, 2a, 3b)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Revelation
chapters 21 and 22 are the most descriptive passage about heaven in the
Bible. It is plain in the verses above
and the rest of these two chapters that we will not spend eternity sitting on
clouds playing harps, but living in the heavenly new Jerusalem. Notice how much emphasis is placed upon the
fact that God will dwell with His people in this beautiful city. It will be heavenly because God will be
there, and He will outshine all else. It
will be a place of joy, purity, peace, and life, simply because God is all this
and so much more. Heaven is not a place
where everything pleases us, but a place where everything pleases God… and
consequently pleases us if we are His children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And
because there is a heaven, there must be a hell. There must be a place for everything that
does not belong in heaven. God is who
and what He is. He cannot and will not change
to accommodate mankind’s selfish, hard-hearted, and sinful ways. He paid a great price in the death of His Son
on the cross to provide for our forgiveness.
When we accept that forgiveness, we become children of God by new
birth. Something God-like is born in us,
and as it grows and matures, we become more and more like Him. When we die what remains of our sinful,
rebellious old self will fall away, and as children of God we will joyfully
take our eternal place with God. If we
fail to accept God’s offer, rejecting His forgiveness and the new life that can
be ours in Christ, we will be stuck with who and what we are. Just consider this for a minute – do you
really want to live for eternity stuck with yourself as you are, separated from
God and His city of life and light? Think
of the regret, the despair, and the endless replaying of the bitter memories of
this life. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The
longer I live, the more I long to be with God.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">We were made to love and be loved by God.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">We were made to be with Him.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Why settle for anything less, now and
throughout eternity?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-83947367423501055662015-03-18T06:47:00.000-07:002015-03-18T06:47:04.497-07:00RISE AND SHINE<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will
shine on you.” </span></i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ephesians 5:14b<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I read this passage I
hear is the voice of my father saying, “Rise and shine”. Like most teenagers all I wanted to do was
to sleep in on Saturday mornings, especially this time of year. My brother and I slept in a large room over
our garage that was poorly insulated, and had only one small heating vent. Snuggled up in flannel sheets under about 5
blankets it took a lot of will-power to get out of bed and get dressed in our
frigid bedroom. Things looked up as soon
as I got to the hallway, because I would be met with enticing odors of
pancakes, waffles, or Dad’s famous potatoes and eggs. We needed a good breakfast, because it would inevitably
be followed by a day of work outside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This time of year, late
February, we would be making maple syrup.
On our three acre lot, in the woods behind us, and in our neighbors
lot (with their permission) we would tap about 100 maple trees. We hand drilled holes in the trees about
three feet off the ground, tapped in a spout, and hung up a pail. As the weather got up above freezing, sap
would run up the trees in the day time, and then back down as it cooled below
freezing at night. Each time the sap
ran, we got some in the buckets. Maple
tree sap has a mildly sweet “green” taste. I enjoyed taking a sip once in a
while. It takes about 50 gallons of sap
to make one gallon of maple syrup. We
would collect the sap several times during the week if it was running well. Then on Saturdays we would build a wood fire
under the boiler, which was a shallow pan about 3 feet wide and 6 feet
long. You can’t imagine how wonderful it
smelled as it boiled! By Saturday
evening it would be down almost to the bottom, so we would pour it off, take it
to an old stove in the basement, and finish boiling it down to the proper sugar
content. Dad liked to get a high sugar
content, so we invariably had maple sugar candy forming on the bottom of the
canning jars after a month or two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, it was a lot of work,
but no, I don’t look back on those Saturdays as child abuse. It was fun, and those times are some of my
fondest childhood memories. If I had a
large yard with maple trees, I would make it today. But the main reason those times mean so much
to me was that they were times working with Dad. Including my brother and me in his work was
one of my Father’s love languages. He
included us in whatever he was doing. He
loved to teach us what he knew. He
wanted to help us grow up into competent, self-assured men. And Saturdays weren't always work days, we
also got to join him hunting and fishing.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think one of God’s love
languages is including us in what He is doing.
Isn't that what Jesus did with His disciples? He took them with Him as He taught, healed,
and proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom.
He showed them how to fish for men, and He patiently taught them what it
means to be godly. Yes, the work of the
Kingdom is often hard work, just like making maple syrup, but the reward is
that we get to join God in His work, and learn His ways. He teaches us how to serve. He teaches us how to listen and follow the
quiet voice of the Spirit. He gently corrects
our bad attitudes, pride, and self-centered ways. And best of all, we get to be with Him
through it all, and see in His eyes the love of a Father who loves to be with
His children. Rise and shine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-16175941137509677112015-02-09T11:20:00.000-08:002015-02-09T11:20:28.826-08:00DEEP DOWN DARK CHRISTIANITY<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Deep, Down, Dark </span></i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">by Hector Tobar is the true story
about 33 men who were trapped in a mine in Chile (I highly recommend this book). The main entrance to the San Jose’ mine and
all avenues of escape were blocked by an enormous slab of rock the size of a
skyscraper. Realizing that they very
well might not come out alive, the men ask Henriquez, a man they called the
Pastor, to pray. Why did they ask him? The reason was simple. In their words “as soon as he opens his mouth
and begins to talk it’s clear that he knows how to speak of God and to
God.” Henriquez asks them to get on
their knees in a posture of humility before God and he prays. Soon men are asking God to forgive them for
their drunkenness, for cheating on their wives, for their tempers, and for the
way they have treated their children.
Praying together becomes a daily ritual, and after their times of prayer
they ask forgiveness from each other for their sharp words and unkindness’s. In mine disasters, as in fox holes, there are
no atheists. Men in times of crisis
faced with their mortality realize that they will have to answer to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is hard to read a book
like <i>Deep Down Dark</i> and not think about
how I would react in a similar situation.
Would I, like Henriquez, be that solid godly man that others would turn
to? Do my co-workers see me as someone
who knows how to speak of God and to God?
Would I be able to confidently take them in prayer before God? Could I bring them hope day after day as
their meagre food supply of a few cans of tuna and a handful of cookies
dwindled to nothing? Could I stand firm
in faith as death stared me in the face?
God, help me, help us all, to be men and women like Henriquez.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-75778096568004727072015-01-13T09:44:00.001-08:002015-01-13T09:44:37.166-08:00THE IDEAL VERSUS THE REAL<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian
community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal
intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial… Christian
brotherhood is a spiritual and not a psychic reality. </span></i><u><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Life Together</span></u><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, Dietrich Bonhoeffer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have experienced some
wonderful expressions of Christian community.
A group of us at college found such life and joy together that we
gathered every day after classes to pray and study the Bible. God was so present, so real. Likewise while I was serving in the Army Barb
and I found sweet fellowship among fellow soldiers and their families, but God
had even more in store for us. Just days
after moving into base housing, while on our way to buy groceries in a nearby
town, we saw the sign, “Jesus People Meet Here”. We showed up on Sunday and met a group of
Jesus People, complete with long hair, a van painted with flowers, and guitars
(only organs and pianos were considered proper back then in church). We just couldn't seem to get enough worship
and fellowship on base with our Army friends, or off base with our hippie
friends. Our homes were open, and we
gladly shared what we had. There was not
a Saturday that we went to preach in the county jail that someone didn't get
saved, even while men at the back of the cell made fun of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Those times were a gift
from God, and it is right for me to cherish them, but the memory of them has
tripped me up in recent years. I keep
looking for that same beautiful feeling of community. I keep trying to find or create a church
experience that will match what we had back then. Maybe if we were in a small church. Maybe if we held church in homes. Maybe if we did away with bulletins and an
order of worship, and we just let the Spirit lead us. Maybe if…
The reality is, though, I never will find what I am looking for, because
the ideal that I hold is not real and it never was. If I am honest with myself I will realize
that there were undercurrents and problems back then just as there are
now. There was hidden sin. There was gossip. There was competition. There was all that my (now) more mature/
discerning eyes see in every church and every Christian organization that I am
and ever have been a part of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, what is wrong with the
church? Maybe nothing. Maybe church as you and I experience it is
truly the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
After all, what is the church? It
is as Dietrich Bonhoeffer states above a spiritual reality. It is made up of every truly born again man
and woman on earth, and local churches are simply communities of these
believers. When we are born again we
become as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17 a new creation. But if we stop here, we will have an
incomplete picture of the kind of people who make up churches. We will expect every member to always act
like the Jesus of the Bible – after all, are we not born again into His
image? Yes, but that is not all we are. Along with being a new creation in Christ
Jesus, we are also still men and women in the flesh, with an old nature to deal
with. Paul gets very honest about his
old nature in Romans 7:21, where he states that, “evil is present in me, the
one who wishes to do good.” This reminds
me of those cartoons, where someone is pictured with an angel on one shoulder,
and a devil on the other. Keeping this
in mind will help us accept the “real” churches we all attend. Reality is that none of us lives completely
out of our new natures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, as we walk into church
on Sunday, or meet with friends from church, what should be our attitude and
our expectations? Firstly I think we all
need to approach our relationships in church with humility. I’m still very prone to live out of my old
nature, and that means I will need your forgiveness, your patience, and your
understanding. It also means that you
will need to be honest with me from time to time, and tell me when you see
something un-Christ like in my behavior.
(Please do it gently and in love.)
You see, I need you, and you need me.
God has given us each a piece of what is needed to make church work and
be a healthy place. Together we have
what we all need. Though at times it
might seem like it would be easier to just go it on our own, that will not work.</span><span lang="EN-IE"> </span><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
life of my Lord Jesus is in you, and that life flows to me when I am with
you. Wow, I better respect, honor, and
value you! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Real church is always a
mixed bag, and if you are in it long, you will be hurt and <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>knocked
around a bit - or maybe a lot. But cheer
up, it won’t be long until Jesus comes and finishes in us what He began. We will leave behind these bodies of flesh,
leave behind what remains of our sin nature, and be fully conformed into His
image. Then “real” church will be really
great, my ideal and yet SO much more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-54734254302063717512014-12-11T09:50:00.001-08:002015-01-13T10:00:55.051-08:00THY KINGDOM COME<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our Father who art in heaven, hollowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth
as it is in heaven. </span></i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(Matthew 6:9b-10 NAS)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have prayed this prayer hundreds,
if not thousands of times, maybe you have too, without giving a lot of thought
as to just how God will answer it.
Certainly there is a sense in which it needs to be fulfilled in me –
God’s will being done in my life. If I
am a follower of Jesus, then He is my King, and I am in His kingdom. God, help me to be obedient in all aspects of
my life. Establish Your kingdom in
me. In a broader sense I pray for Him to
reign over my marriage and over the families of all my children and
grandchildren. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is also a sense in
which this prayer should be fulfilled in our churches. If Jesus is truly the Head of our churches,
then His will is being done in and through us as individuals and as a
community. We will be a kingdom
community, representing Jesus to the world.
People will see in our communities the love, the unity, the healing, the
health, and the life of Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I have recently
meditated on Revelation chapters four and five. It’s the longer term piece of “Thy kingdom
come” that has come into clearer focus.
Chapter four is a beautiful picture of heaven as John saw it in his
Revelation vision. He sees the Father,
the One, sitting on His throne surrounded by a rainbow before a sea of
glass. Angels and majestic creatures
hard to describe sing His praises, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the
Almighty, Who was and who is and who is to come.” (Revelation 4:8b NAS) In this place of beauty, majesty, peace, and
glory God’s will is done – before One so great how could it be otherwise? When we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10) we are asking God to bring
the earth into this same beauty, peace, and Godly order. Given the turmoil, injustice, war, and death
we see all round us, is that possible? How
could it be accomplished?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John’s vision gives us the
answer. Revelation chapter five pictures
the Father on His throne with a scroll in His hand, which is sealed with seven
seals. Ancient wills, contracts, and
other legal documents would be written on parchment and then sealed like
this. No one was found worthy to take
the scroll and open its seals until the Lion of the tribe of Jacob (Jesus)
steps forward. When He takes the scroll
John then sees Him as a Lamb, but a Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, which
could indicate that He carries absolute power, authority, and knowledge. All heaven breaks forth in worship to the
Father and the Lamb. Jesus has conquered
death and hell and sin, redeeming a people for God from every tribe, tongue,
and nation. His victory proves His
worth. He then opens the seals one by
one, and things start to happen on earth.
Over the next sixteen chapters of Revelation God’s judgement is poured
out on all unrighteousness; people, nations and kings are judged; God’s redeemed
people are gathered to Him; and a new heaven and earth appear with their crown
jewel, the New Jerusalem, where the Father and the Son will dwell with God’s
people forever. All tears will be wiped
away, the tree of life will be in full bloom, and the river of life will run
free through the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Wow! That will be “Thy kingdom come". God’s will will be done on earth as it is in
heaven, because <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>heaven has now come to earth. Those of us who follow Jesus, who trust in
His saving grace, have all this to look forward to. What a hope!
What a future! I for one am going
to ratchet up my prayers for the kingdom to come.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-27622663811793523132014-11-10T07:10:00.000-08:002014-11-10T07:10:19.296-08:00THINK KINGDOM<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the
kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is
not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’
For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst (or within your grasp)</span></i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.” (Luke 17:20-21 ASV, ESV)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Pharisees in one respect
were ahead of most of us - they knew that the kingdom of God was coming, and
they were looking for it. They knew well
Old Testament passages like Isaiah 9:6-7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For a child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
and the government will be upon His shoulders; and His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His
government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to
establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and
forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of
hosts will accomplish this.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And who wouldn't prefer
David’s greater Son as King in place of the iron fist of Rome? The Pharisees, however, were wrong about what
the King would look like, and how His kingdom would come. This humble, poor, simple man in front of
them surely could not be He. And where
were the armies that would follow Him into battle as He pushed the Romans into
the sea – this rag-tag group of fishermen following Jesus? A kingdom that would not come with signs to
be observed didn't sound like much of a kingdom. Even if it was in their midst, they didn't
seem to be too excited about finding it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One Pharisees, however,
Nicodemus, really wanted to know how to enter the kingdom of God, so Jesus told
him, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
of God… you must be born again.” (John
3:5b, 7b) So, if you are born again, you
have the privilege of entering the kingdom of God, but what does that
mean? Most of us, I think, just throw around
that term, kingdom of God, without giving it much thought. Let’s take a closer look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">First of all it must mean
that I have a King, and His name is Jesus.
He is rightful King in the kingdom of God, because, as the angel told
Mary in Luke 2:32, “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” Jesus was born the King of the kingdom of
God, just like any earthly king is born into a family of kings. Secondly if I am in His kingdom, I am
expected to live under His authority, His rule, and His law. But as with all
good kings, I am also under His protection, and His care. I can trust Him to provide all that I
need. Bottom line: my life is not my
own, nor is any of the stuff I call my own – it all belongs to King Jesus. I trust myself fully to Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-IE" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Being Americans in the
kingdom of God requires some adjustment in our thinking. We love our independence, our democracy, our
freedoms, our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is all about us. In the kingdom of God, however, it is all
about Jesus. So, do we lose or gain upon
entering the Kingdom of God? We lose
bondage to sin, and gain life and true freedom; we (hopefully) lose our
stubborn self-will and independence, and gain simple faith and trust in good
King Jesus; we lose control of our lives (control is an illusion anyway), and
gain a Good Shepherd to lead us; and we avoid the eternal suffering and regret
of all who remain outside the kingdom of God, and gain a place with King Jesus
ruling and reigning with Him forever. Sound
good? <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>Think
kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-77956043567986547212014-10-07T10:23:00.001-07:002014-10-07T10:23:07.514-07:00DID JESUS REALLY SAY THAT?<div class="yiv2915794301MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412702153276_4105" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412702153276_4104" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Some of Jesus’ parables just don’t sound right the first time you read them. Take for instance the parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16:1-9. The manager of a rich man’s estate heard that he was going to be fired. While he still had control of his master’s accounts, he went to several people who were in debt to his master, and reduced the amount of their debt. His reasoning was that by doing so they would owe him favours, which he could cash in on after he was let go. Now for the puzzling part – the steward’s master praised him for acting shrewdly! At this point I’m expecting Jesus to condemn the steward for his dishonesty, but instead he says, “the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:8b-9). Think on that for a minute…</span></div>
<div class="yiv2915794301MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412702153276_4101" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412702153276_4100" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Here is my take on it: The point of the parable is not “the dishonest get ahead”, but be smart (shrewd) about how you handle money. People in the world, the sons of this age as Jesus calls them, use money to their advantage to get ahead in this life. All they have is this life, so they are acting wisely in that respect. Of course from an eternal perspective they are acting foolishly, but that is addressed in some other parables. Jesus then shifts to us, the sons of light, and tells us to use money, the mammon of unrighteousness, wisely. Handling money wisely is using it to make friends who will receive us into their eternal dwellings. Those of us who are followers of Jesus have a place prepared for us by Jesus in the Father’s house. I think that when we get to heaven we will recognize each other, and remember aspects of our life as it now is. I plan to get together with those in the church I've known and loved, and celebrate all that we did together. There are specific people that have invested in my life, who have helped me at a difficult point in my life, that I want to thank and bless for all that they did. Our actions do matter, and that includes how we use resources (money and other resources) that we have at our disposal. The more we give, the more we invest in others, the more we will have to celebrate with them in heaven.</span></div>
<div class="yiv2915794301MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412702153276_4103" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1412702153276_4102" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We as Christians can invest our money in our churches, missionary work, and good local ministries like Youth For Christ. We all have a certain amount of money at our disposal, the question is, how are we using it? But let’s not stop there, we all have time, talents, and skills that can be used to bless others. The men of Hope House, a local inner city ministry to those dealing with substance abuse, found out that I regularly go backpacking. “Oh, we sure would like to do that some time.” I then had a choice to make, would I take the time and make the effort to take them or just tell them, “well, maybe someday you will get the chance to go.” So I pulled all the equipment down from the attic, set up five backpacks for them, and off we went for a three day hike on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. They had a great time – so great that they want to hike the whole 2000 mile trail, and use it to help raise money for their ministry. What can you do with what you have at your disposal? What’s in your wallet? What’s in your attic? </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-60441691755598124142014-09-08T17:45:00.001-07:002014-09-08T17:45:34.117-07:00LESSONS FROM GROWING BLUEBERRIES A few years back I bought three blueberry bushes. I did a little research and found out that blueberry bushes are acid-loving, so I got some <i>Miracid</i> fertilizer, and they responded well. I also gave them a good covering of mulch in the fall, and then again in the spring. In the hot, dry days of July and August I watered them, and by even the second year I had a few blueberries starting to ripen. However, a robin that frequents our backyard also noticed that the blueberries were ripening, and the next day some of them were gone. So, I got some netting to keep the birds off. A few weeks later the Japanese beetles found the blueberry bushes, and i had to head off to Home Depot to get some beetle traps. The bushes have grown, and we now get about two gallons of blueberries between late June and early August., but only because I have continued to be diligent with fertilizer, mulch, watering, netting, and beetle traps. I could just buy blueberries at the store, but these berries are special, because they are ours. We raise them, we eat them fresh, and we enjoy blueberry pancakes all winter long from the ones we freeze - but only because we nurture and protect our blueberry plants.<br />
Paul instructs husbands in Ephesians 5:28&29 to "love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ also does the church." When I follow Christ's example, when I love my wife, I nourish and cherish her. She knows when I am loving her in a self-sacrificial manner, and it blesses her. Our relationship deepens, she responds in love back to me, and the fruit of this mutual love is sweet. But it doesn't just happen. I have to work at laying down my life for her as Christ did for the church. I have to work at nourishing the relationship if I want to enjoy the fruit. I also have to work at nourishing the relationship from the enemy's attacks. If I just leave a small opening in the netting around my blueberries, that pesky robin will find his way in. He comes back every day looking for a hole in my defenses. His is relentless, just like sexual temptation, but I am determined to win both battles, the one for my blueberries, and the one for my marriage.<br />
My relationship with Jesus is likewise a relationship that must be nourished and protected. I nourish my relationship with Jesus as I spend time with Him - unhurried time that communicates my love and devotion. Being with other believers in fellowship and worship also plays an important part. What I have to guard against is just going through the motions, both in my morning times with Him and my desires (and deserves) my whole heart. Do I cherish Him above that this world offers? Have I allowed the cares of this life to erode my faith in Him? Have I allowed the cares of this life to steal away my passion for Him? He is my life, my hope, my future, and my eternal inheritance. So much is at stake that I cannot afford to do anything less than all that I can to nurture and protect my relationship with Jesus.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-66416357817656297982014-08-15T12:09:00.001-07:002014-08-15T12:09:25.161-07:00GODLY SEXUALITY<div class="yiv4541489501MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2267" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
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<div class="yiv4541489501MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2213" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
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<div class="yiv4541489501MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2211" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2210" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Why am I, why are we as Christians so hesitant to talk about sex? Maybe it’s because “godly sexuality” sounds like a contradiction in terms. But sex is not ungodly, and it absolutely can be pleasing to God. Jesus freely talked about it. The Pharisees once came to Jesus looking for a way to trip Him up on the finer points of the law. They asked about divorce – when it was permissible to divorce their wives (Matthew 19:3-9). He avoided responding immediately to their question about divorce and instead went back to basics. I find this approach in talking about sex helpful, because there is so much confusion about sex in our society, and brokenness in our sex lives. When we lay out the basics first, it really helps to put questions about sex into perspective. So what are the basics?</span></div>
<div class="yiv4541489501MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2261" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2260" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">We need to start like Jesus did with the Genesis account of creation. God created mankind male and female. I see this as more than just a matter of necessity – the sexes being needed for the procreation of mankind as it was for animals. Mankind was unique in creation, because God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,” and “in the image of God He created them male and female.” When God was done making man He said that what He had made was very good. I take this to mean that Adam and Eve were a very good reflection of His image. (Genesis 1:26-27, 31) I have been taught that being made in the image of God means that like Him I have intellect and will, I am a moral being, and I am a spiritual being. But beyond this I now think that something about being a male, and my wife being a female reflects the image of God. Something of God’s nature and beauty is reflected in my maleness and her femaleness. And our being together as one flesh, united in marriage “till death do us part” also reflects the image of God. As Jesus told the Pharisees, “a man shall cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh,” and “what God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:5, 6) The unity of a man and his wife reflects the unity of God. Jesus said, “I and the Father are One,” and this is a oneness that has been unbroken in the Godhead from eternity past. It is a beautiful relationship of love, harmony, and fellowship. (John 10:30)</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2262" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">So, these are the basics, the original design for mankind from creation. A man and a woman are joined together as one flesh for life, reflecting the very nature of the Godhead. Marriage between a man and a woman that includes healthy sexual intimacy, and endures “till death do us part” pleases God. So, what offends God? Sexual intimacy in any other shape or form, including sexual activity before marriage, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, sexual addictions, prostitution… I’m hesitant to speak so plainly and be so pointed, but I believe that this is Biblical. God is not cruel. He has our best interests at heart. His best is always His design. Our ways are not only offensive to God, they are destructive to us and to others. Paul told the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 6:18 that when we commit immorality (and I would take that to mean all sexual intimacy outside of marriage between a man and a woman) we actually sin against ourselves. Sexual sin is destructive. Specifically in this passage Paul was talking about prostitution. He stated in verse sixteen that when a man sleeps with a prostitute he is one flesh with her. What happens when he goes his own way? That oneness is torn, and his heart grows scar tissue - it becomes hardened. And what about the prostitute? He sins against her because in using her he is helping to ruin her life, and more broadly, he is financing human trafficking.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408123441952_2264" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Again, God really does have our best interests at heart. The best life we can live as a married partner is to keep our heart and body only for our spouse, “drinking water from our own well” (Proverbs 5:15-20 ). The best life we can live as a single is to keep ourselves from immorality, keeping ourselves pure for our Lord. This is pleasing to God, and it is the best we can do for ourselves and for others. It is certainly not a popular stand to take, but just maybe by doing so we will be salt and light in this dark and confused world. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-25318649809236906222014-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:002014-07-28T09:00:05.027-07:00GRACE AND PEACE<div class="yiv2435750220MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1406555944683_4692" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1406555944683_4691" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m a backpacker. I took my first backpacking trip with my sons, then ages eight and ten, and have not missed taking at least one trip every year since. My sons loved our yearly adventures, which continued into their college years. Now they have children of their own to pass on a love for the outdoors. For several years I went out alone, and more recently I started taking out my grandchildren. This year I will take my oldest daughter and her oldest son on the Appalachian Trail (AT) to Mount Rogers in southwest Virginia. Early in the fall I will take out five men from Hope House, an inner city ministry, to southern Pennsylvania on a “beginners” section of the AT.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1406555944683_4774" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> I love the solitude that I experience while backpacking solo. Although I camp at shelters on the AT, and millions of people use the trail each year, most of my days are spent alone - just me and Jesus. We’ve shared the beauty of seeing Mount Washington blue on the horizon from the top of a mountain in southern Vermont; of waking up in the middle of a moon-lit night to hear the hauntingly beautiful call of the loon; of watching shafts of sunlight stream down through the forest in the early morning after a night of rain… And there have been my encounters with God’s little creatures like beavers, raccoons, deer, wild ponies, and that bear that just stood on the trail looking at me. He moved… after we had a little talk. I’m sure he was hoping for a Snickers bar out of my pack, but I don’t give up my Snickers bars without a fight, or at least a good scolding.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1406555944683_4776" lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> Three years ago Barb’s mother came up to visit us for a few weeks, so I took the opportunity to take a longer solo trip (not to avoid her, she was a great mother-in-law, but because Barb would not be alone). I met a taxi driver in northern Massachusetts, and he dropped me off in mid-Vermont. I was ready for a glorious trip of 11 days down through the Green Mountains. Hikers told me the first day out that it had rained 19 of the previous 21 days, and after hiking a few miles, I believed them. The AT was a series of peat bogs separated by rocks and a few hilly sections. I was carrying all of my food for the 11 days, which was more weight than I am used to packing. By the end of the first day I was wet, I was sore, I was beat. Seventeen miles of slogging my way through the peat bogs had taken their toll. “God, I can’t do this. I’m over 100 miles from my car. I just can’t keep up this pace.” I was up at first light, I made my coffee, and I sat down to read my little backpacking Bible. I must have read it 100 times, but that morning the little phrase used by both Paul and Peter in their letters to the New Testament Christians jumped out at me, “grace and peace to you.” If Jesus were standing there He could not have said it more clearly, “Gary, I will give you the grace each day to do the miles, and you will know My peace.” I had calculated that the next day would be another long 17 miles, but when I stopped mid-day to take a look at the map, I realized that I had calculated incorrectly, and it was only a moderate 13 miles. I slowed down, ignored my watch, stopped often to meditate and enjoy the beauty around me – such peace flooded my soul. I was still hurting – sore feet, that pain in my side that kept coming back, the aching shoulders - but each day I made it to my designated shelter in plenty of time for a relaxing dinner. Each day the mountains, the beaver dams, the sunlight, looked more beautiful, but what sticks with me from that trip, as glorious as it was, was not the scenery, it was the words of Jesus to me, “My grace will give you strength each day to keep going, and My peace will be with you.” May grace and peace be yours in Christ Jesus.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-87406650811618126392014-07-14T12:29:00.001-07:002014-07-15T19:19:55.490-07:00GOD STILL SPEAKS<div class="yiv5197778068MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1405358284134_5922" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1405358284134_6055" lang="EN-GB">While I was an associate pastor on staff at North Coast Church, I was active in helping to start and build a local chapter of Love INC (that is love In the Name of Christ – it is <u>not</u> a dating service). Love INC is great ministry to families and individuals who needed help with housing, food, utilities, and other basic needs. Love INC was part of World Vision at that time, and they were a very supportive parent organization.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1405358284134_6018" lang="EN-GB">A couple came to minister at North Coast Church one weekend whom I had never met, but they were well spoken of. The pastors and a large group of leaders, over 50 of us, met with them one evening for prophetic ministry. I was hesitant about attending, and not particularly interested in being an active part, so I sat in the back, hidden behind a gentleman who was well over six feet tall. After a time of worship the couple began to call out people in the crowd and speak prophetic words over them. If you have never seen this kind of ministry, it is fascinating, but also a bit intimidating. Thoughts go through your mind like, “Is this for real? Are they just making up general words that could apply to anyone, or do people like them really hear from God?” There is also the fear that if God does speak He might expose some hidden sin. Is that why I was hiding?</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1405358284134_6020" lang="EN-GB">The husband spoke the first word to someone near the front, but while he was speaking his wife kept looking toward the back of the room, trying to get a better look at me - as I slid lower in my seat. She then said something to the effect, “You there in the back, are you involved in ministry to the needy?” “Yes,” I said, but thought, “Maybe one of the other pastors told them that I work with Love INC.” She then said, “I believe that God is giving you a blank check, and whatever you need to do this ministry, God will give it to you.” “Great,” I thought, “another God-is-going-to-bless-you prophecy. But I’m sure she means well, so God bless her.” She finished with, “I’ll go further, and I see millions of dollars passing through your hands to the poor.” This was too much. I was polite and smiled, but millions of dollars? Really!!</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1405358284134_6022" lang="EN-GB">About two weeks later World Vision contacted all the local Love INC chapters, and said that they were starting a new program to help us multiply ministry in our cities. They were being given donated goods from major manufacturers, and they would make them available in semi-load quantities to chapters like ours if we had suitable warehouse space. I just happened to know a businessman who had a warehouse, and he gave us about ½ of his space. We found a tow motor and shelving for next to nothing. Semis started to arrive full of women’s clothing, jackets, shoes, toys, medical supplies, house hold goods, and office supplies. We contacted ministries to the poor and the homeless, as well as inner city churches who could use our goods, and passed them out by the van and pickup load. They held neighbourhood fairs in their church parking lots, passed out clothing to the homeless, and helped immigrant families arriving in our city. It was simply amazing. I stopped counting after the total value of goods donated topped 3 million dollars.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1405358284134_6024" lang="EN-GB">So you decide. Does God still speak? And when He does, why does He do it – not to tickle our fancy or make us rich, but to accomplish His purposes, to answer the prayer He taught us, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-37234633596098033192014-07-01T07:55:00.001-07:002014-07-14T12:31:11.324-07:00A DYING WISH<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1404219689313_5317" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1404219689313_5307" lang="EN-GB">Barb and I were leading a small but growing church here in Berea in the late 1980’s. We were especially happy when Kevin started to attend. He was creative, musically gifted, and a magnet for teens and young adults. At six feet, seven inches tall Kevin was also our gentle giant.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1404219689313_5310" lang="EN-GB">Kevin invited me out for coffee a few months after he joined us. He told me that before coming to our church he had left a long term relationship with an older man. He told me that he knew that this was not pleasing to God, that he had repented, and that he was leading a celibate life. I never saw myself as being judgemental towards homosexuals, but Kevin was the first gay person that I had come to know personally. I was out of my comfort zone. So I prayed, “God, how do I relate to him?” The answer was clear, simply love and accept Kevin as I would anyone else that walked into our church. God loved and accepted Kevin as much as any other sinner (me included) who looked to Him for forgiveness and life in Christ. But Kevin was a special member of our church, he was a gift to me. God had used him to set me free from a hidden fear and judgemental attitude towards people who have lived, or are living a gay lifestyle. I’ll always be grateful for our friendship.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1404219689313_5320" lang="EN-GB">Kevin and I went out for coffee again about a year later. He had visited a gay bar in a moment of weakness, and he had contracted AIDS. This was early in the AIDS epidemic. No medications to fight the disease were yet available, and life expectancy was frighteningly short. Within a few months he was in the AIDS ward of St. Augustine hospital, and he was rapidly losing ground. One day while I was visiting him Kevin pleaded with me, “Gary, there are so many in this AIDS ward who need to hear about Jesus’ love. Promise me you will come back after I am gone and start a ministry here.” Kevin died within a few weeks.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1404219689313_5323" lang="EN-GB">I struggled with the idea of regularly visiting the AIDS ward. Little was known about the disease, and how it was contracted. What if I got AIDS? I had a wife and four young children to think about. But I felt that this was an invitation from God. Was I going to cower in fear, or take action and simply trust Him? I went. I befriended many patients. I laid hands on them and prayed with them. I fully expect to see some of them in heaven. It became a very rewarding ministry, possibly the most important that I have ever served in.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1404219689313_5326" lang="EN-GB">Jesus was speaking to me through Kevin. He was inviting me to do what He would do if He was here on earth – to do what Jesus did while He was here on earth – reach out to the hurting and lonely with God’s love. Is God inviting you to reach out to someone? Is He nudging you to move outside of your comfort zone? Will you go? Will you cower in fear, or be obedient and trust God?</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411800055356629814.post-4852679922529064002014-06-07T09:12:00.001-07:002014-07-14T12:31:23.495-07:00JACKI<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Both of our daughters got married in the summer of
1992. Later that same year Barb and I left the Christian community which
we had been a part of for many years, but our one daughter, Missy, stayed, and
is still there today. Our leaving created a strain in the relationship,
and after a few years Missy and her husband, Bob, completely cut us off.
We have had no contact with members of the community, with Missy and Bob, or
their 4 children – no cards, no calls, no visits, no birthday celebrations, and
no holidays together. The Amish might say that we were shunned. For
13 years we have prayed. It was all we could do.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Two days before this last Christmas an old friend called and said, “Jacki is on
Facebook”. Jacki is now 20. She is Missy and Bob’s daughter and our
oldest grandchild. Barb cautiously asked to be her friend, and Jacki
enthusiastically responded. She and her fiance, Lee, are now out of the
community. They are cut off from both of their families, but free to
reconnect with us, her uncles and aunts, and her nine first cousins that she
has not seen in 13 years. Dozens of Facebook messages flew back and forth
between us all in just the first few weeks of re-connecting. Jacki is an
RN, and Lee is working on his doctoral degree in nursing to become a nurse practitioner. They came up to
visit us early this spring, and it seemed like we talked for two solid
days. I was so pleased to see the fun they had with their aunts, uncles
and cousins. She and Lee were married May 2, and we were there, tears of
joy running down our cheeks. They are the cutest couple, and so full of
life. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I have barely been able to contain my
joy. The first few weeks it seemed that all I can do was cry and
worship. However, we still have more to pray for – reconciliation with
Jacki’s 17 year old twin sisters, her 15 year old brother, and of course, her
parents.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">What are you praying for? Is there a
broken relationship in your life, a wayward son or daughter, an estranged
family member? Please don’t give up, keep praying. Even it takes 13
years or longer it is worth every prayer and every year that has passed when at
last in God’s perfect time our prayers are answered.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217292469575110039noreply@blogger.com0