Staying in Step

When that walking drum beats differently than the rhythm of the people and media input around us - we have a choice to make. To which drum rhythm will I listen?  To which rhythm do I walk?

We can walk according to the rhythm to which everyone else walks - and see the results that everyone else sees - or we can walk to the rhythm of a drum that beats differently than the rest.  It may mean that we look different, too. It may mean that we do not fit with those that walk the same as everyone else.  But in the end - we are rewarded by the Eternal God of Heaven according to whose rhythm we followed? To whose drum beat did we listen?

They sound very different from each other.   One is comfortable and fits well with our natural gait  -the other, we have to get used to because it causes us to change the pattern of walk.  We discover that the direction that drum takes us does not head down an easy path.

One path may seem more fun and filled with more adventure and the other may seem like it is the safe and secure and (dare I say it?) boring!  But what is incredible is when we follow the rhythm that God sets out there is more adventure, excitement and risk than one could ever imagine because in God's hands you NEVER know where He may take you next but you CAN know that He is there with you and waiting for you at the end!
Galatians 5 tells us about this... it says that our normal nature (our sin nature with which we are born) is constantly in a battle of rhythms with the Holy Spirit that lives in the heart of every believer (which we receive permanently when we yield our lives to Jesus' lordship).

The NIV describes it in terms that are understandable and yet distant enough to not feel personal to me:

Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)
¹⁹ The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But The Message (paraphrase) brings it home to my heart...

Galatians 5:19-21 (MSG)
¹⁹ It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;
²⁰ trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits;
²¹ the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

So what do I do with this?  Read on (I love it when bad and negative information in Scripture is followed with the word "but"):

Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV)
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Even better - look at The Message for verse 25

Galatians 5:25 (MSG)
²⁵ Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.

The drum beat of the drum to which you walk may sound different than your friend's drum beat but if you follow the drum beat that keeps you in step with the Holy Spirit of God - you are on the right rhythm. Choose your rhythm carefully and courageously.  Staying in step with the Spirit is not for the faint of heart.

Marching to a Different Drum

Why is it that the principles of life as we see them through human lenses and logic work so differently than the principles of life as God desires through His lens and logic? God calls us to march to the beat of a different drum than the world in EVERY area of life.   Do it!

We say, "Stand up for yourself" 

God says, "Wait upon Me and let Me make it clear"  (Psalm 37:1-9)

We say, "Take control of your life"

God says, "Stop it - You keep messing things up when you are in control. Trust me to lead in My time." (2 Corinthians 11:30 and 12:7-10) 

We say, "Be responsible. Pay your bills, put money in savings, plan ahead. Then give back to God from a generous heart from the extra that He has given you. Around 10% or so - if you can."

God says, "Trust me first, stop trusting in your own understanding of life. Willingly and joyfully give to Me first, then watch - JUST WATCH - what I can do with the rest. I will supply."  (Proverbs 3:1-10)

We say, "Put your family first and invest in them above all else because they are your legacy."

God says, "Invest time in your relationship with Me first.  Set your heart on Me and my Word first.  Build this relationship first and all the other things will follow."  (Psalm 119; Col. 3:1-4; Phil. 3:7-14)

We say, "Don't worry - your confidence will grow."

God says, "YOUR confidence in yourself and your abilities is a deterrent from My work in your life.  Self Confidence is not a good thing.  Your confidence should be in Me and Me alone."  (Phil. 3:1-6) 

God's plan, His economy, His logic, His empowerment... It is based so completely in our absolute, unquestioning and unabashed trust in Him that it looks completely ridiculous in the eyes of our friends and families and the world around us.  We literally will look STUPID in the eyes of others when we live in an ALL out trust relationship with the God of the universe!

But - there is no better place to be than right smack dab in the middle of the palm of the Hand of God. No better place.  Get there. Start marching today to the beat that is in your heart.

My Kind of Church

I recently heard a challenging message that I borrowed the main points from to encourage my church family.  You see, I love my church family.  We have been through so much together and God has seen us through and strengthened us as a result!  So when I heard this message about the kind of church this man wanted to be able to look back and say that his church was... I thought - wow... that is my church!  And that is what I want to see it continue to be! ( I think that he felt the same about his church, too!)
You see - I grew up here.  When I was 13 or so, I came here because of a girlfriend and then ended up marrying her best friend 9 years later!  I went to youth group here, I was engaged while attending here, I got married here, our family has expanded through four kids here, we have raised them here (although I still have a high schooler - we are nearing the Empty Nest stage), I served here for over 16 years as an elder and now I have been on staff for 9 years!   I do not want to go anywhere else but I also have a burning desire for our church to be what God wants it to be!

But  - what I love is that my church is a place that: 

• has a love for lost people - we pray for, welcome, share with and serve lost people so that they may come to know Jesus as Savior!
• has a pioneer spirit - we just hosted a "Back to School Bash" that team us with B100  country music station to see hundreds of people that need to see the love of Jesus - and they CAME!  Was it a stretch?  oh YES!  Did they play some music that was offensive - a little, yes.  But they worked with us and we worked with them and we all had a great chance to see God work!
• love and grace flourish in abundance - we are not without our problems - oh no!  But we have a spirit from our leadership on down that is smothered in the grace and love of God.  When we let God move - He covers over so many of our imperfections and shapes us through His love and grace into the church family that He desires us to be.
• has the WOW! Factor burning bright!   - God has done some amazing things in the past days of our church but the truly incredible thing is that HE IS STILL AT WORK!  We see Him continuing to use Osceola Grace to His glory and we are riding the momentum and trying new things all the time to connect people to God, people to people and to show the love of Christ to the people in our community!

 

This is MY kind of church - Fist Bump to Osceola Grace!

Rescue 2011 - Our Mission: Saving Lives

I love the fact that one of our most successful ministries in reaching kids for Jesus is amazingly fun,  uniquely creative, intensely driven by volunteers and highly organized and effective.  (and - I am responsible for nothing more than eating the daily delicious snacks and enjoying the fun with the kids)

in the kitchen sneaking snacks and getting caught...

Rescue 2011 is all about sharing our faith in the work of Jesus Christ with the kids of our community - we do it differently than most (and we have for almost 20 years)... we choose our own themes, we write our own material, we move the kids from station to station instead of keeping them in one room the whole day - and - we have the best story tellers in the world!  We also see amazing results in kids making decisions for Jesus - Barna Studies says that 43% of all believers in Jesus Christ made their decision before the age of 13!  We are intentional about our desire to reach kids.  We do not boast but we have seen hundreds - literally hundreds of kids that have accepted Christ as their Savior over the years and we see them come back again and again to our VBS and our church.  Many end up bringing their families!

Many of our volunteers are our own Driven Student Ministries teens - serving God with joy!

Yesterday and today - we saw over 90 different kids come in on our two buses!  These people are true heroes!  They are the first team out each day and the last team back each day and they touch the lives of so many kids that are overlooked and need Jesus!  what a ministry of seed planting this is!

Pray for us - pray for strength, energy, passion, unity, protection and continued creativity as the week progresses!  Pray also for open hearts and we'll see God do miracles upon miracles!

A Lament for Joplin

On May 22, 2011, Joplin, MO was hit by an F6 tornado straight through the heart of the city.  Volunteers from all over the country flocked to their aid.  There were 142 killed and countless injured and thousands lost their homes.  We have seen the devastation through photos and videos but this week 16 people from Osceola Grace in Osceola, IN are headed to Joplin to assist in the relief effort.  This lament is framed in the anticipation of what we will see and hear, then it will explain the real images that enter my eyes and the real sounds that enter my ears firsthand.  Finally it will close with a statement of trust in the sovereignty and mercy of God. Joplin is the fourth largest city in Missouri, population 50,000 according to the 2010 census; however, in a 40 mile radius the population swells to 400,000.  The daily commuter count in Joplin raises its population during the daytime hours to 270,000. 

O Joplin, we mourn for you

Even though it may be few, we mourn for your motherless

And for your lost children.

We mourn for lost love-

            Of the newlywed woman whose husband protected her at the loss of his own life.

            Of the father, whose baby was swept from his arms in the gale winds.

            Of the baby rabbits whose mother left them in the protective hole while she perished.

O Joplin, who saw the tragedy of the destructive winds of gale forces

            Who ran to hide from the mighty power of the winds of God.

            Isn’t it enough?  Why do the winds come and tornados pillage day after day?

I see you from afar, via the news broadcasts and the internet videos, but soon I‘ll see you in person.

When that time comes, what will I think?

Will I ask God why?  Would I question the Almighty?

Who can inquire of the Lord regarding His decisions and His purposes to build up or to destroy?

Will we take the good from the Lord and not accept the bad as well?

Could this be the birth pains that Jesus spoke of?  As these tragedies get closer and closer, are we seeing the signs of the end coming?  Does this provoke in my heart a sense of urgency toward the lost?

Joplin, O Joplin, will you turn your heart toward God or turn your back upon Him?  He stands with arms opened wide.

Church, O Church, will you rise to be the hands, feet and voice of the Living God?  His Spirit prompts you to act, to begin the job as ambassador which you have been given. His Spirit gives courage to speak, to move to act and to live out the love of Christ. 

O Joplin, O My Lord in Heaven, the videos, the footage, the photos – they do not begin to tell the story. 

Now I see with mine own eyes, I mourn deeply where I stand amidst the tragedy.

Now I hear with my own ears – the noise of machinery removing debris and the silence of the night – no animal sounds, no breeze in the trees, no sounds of cars moving. The silence is eerie and unnatural to my ears – in a neighborhood which once bustled with activity around the clock.

Now I hear with my own ears the sadness and shock in your voices as you tell the story of your experience.  I hear the hope in your voice as you explain how you protected your daughter with your body and she saw angels holding you down.

Now I smell the stench of rotting debris – it sticks in my nostrils, sickens my stomach – in the midst of this place where thousands of homes once stood.

Where people bought and sold services and goods.

At this broken down fence where neighbors met,

At this decimated deck where friends gathered,

At this windowless and wall-less IHOP where workers once served.

At this shell of a gas station where people filled their vehicles.

And now – it will not happen again – for months – maybe years – maybe never in some areas.

And now what once bustled with life and laughter is a mound after mound of debris and waste. Thousands of lives and millions of dollars reduced to a pile at the curb of their street.

Three miles wide and seven miles long of destruction,

A bomb blast could not have been worse.

A war zone without burned out buildings,

Trees swept of their bark and foliage,

Eight thousand homes – condemned as dwellings,

Stores, places of business, a livelihood ended for many.

How were so many saved and so few killed?

Yet there is hope in Joplin, each morning the streets come alive with people helping people,

Neighbors helping neighbors, strangers caring for strangers.

New people from all around the country arriving daily to dig out,

to sort through people’s lives on display through their possessions,

to serve food and water in the streets to work crews and volunteers,

to impart hope and to pray and uplift.

I now see hope infused into hearts that are broken but not destroyed.

I see a new passion for life in eyes where once I saw lifelessness and a downtrodden spirit.

I see a fresh desire to rebuild on a newly cleaned up site that hours before screamed utter despair

I hear hope in those who have yielded to Christ amidst the hopelessness as a result of this tragedy.

I hear the story of one who recognizes now the truth of God.

I see the church coming alive to be what it was meant to be as the bride and ambassador of Christ.

There is hope

There is a future

There is a healing beginning through prayers to the Almighty.

As the Lord moves in hearts in the aftermath of tragedy and the quiet after the storm – we see life eternal.

The Perfect Parent

In the Mother's Day message – the first point was that "There are no perfect mom's" – that was not intended to be a slam on mothers around the world but more of a relief… We can stop expecting our mom's to BE perfect and every mom can stop comparing herself to others or feeling like she should be perfect.

In light of that – I just want to say that I love my mom and she has been the greatest mom for me. I also have learned that there are no PERFECT PARENTS…Mom or Dad. 
Because we know this (deep down) it might cause us to question God as our Father. I want you to see just a few of the promises that God makes to us in Scripture and a few descriptive terms about Him that comfort me. Jesus said this:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.   For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him. --- Matt 7:7-11 (NIV)

If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.   He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.  "All this I have spoken while still with you.  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. --- John 14:23-27 (NIV)

The apostle Paul described God as someone that cares for us and thus we can be encouraged in our spiritual lives:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,  encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. --- 2 Thess 2:16-17 (NIV)

The apostle John wrote:

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him --- 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.  I and the Father are one." --- John 10:25-30 (NIV) 

In this passage there are a couple of things to note – first, Jesus claims to give us eternal life and to offer us the promise of security that NO ONE can remove us from HIS hands and then He includes God the Father in that same picture – NO ONE can remove them from the hand of His Father. In light of the verse before – 1 John 3:1 – God loves us SO much that He lavishes us with His love and offers us the title "children of God"! Then reflect back on the Matthew 7 passage above, also, where God loves us so much that He offers us good things and seeks to give us good gifts. God never forgets and never neglects and never forsakes us. This is a different picture than many people have of God. He is not a God that is out to get us or punish us He is a God that loves us so much that He looks out for us. It does not mean that we are promised wealth or security or a "safe" and healthy life but it DOES mean that when things are not quite right in life and it looks like things are falling apart – that HE is always right there helping us through it.

I love how Isaiah 40 describes Him…

See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.  {11} He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.  {12}Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? --- Isaiah 40:10-12 (NIV)

Look at verse 11! This is the same God that is so immense in verse 12 that we could not fathom it and yet he holds a tender lamb like you and me close to His chest to comfort us.

I hope that your view of God is clearer than what you may see here on earth because there are no perfect parents on earth but God is the perfect parent who knows just what is right for every situation.

Counting the Cost-Comparing the Choices

So many want to just say a prayer and "BOOM!" you are in...  Jesus said, "... anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." -Luke 14:27-33 (NIV)OR 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  -Matt 7:13-14 (NIV)AND Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  -John 14:6 (NIV)I love Johnny Hart's BC comic strips.  Recently someone gave me a book to look through called "I Did It His Way".  It is a compilation of Johnny Hart's comics that are spiritual in nature.   I find them humorous and yet pointed.  It made me realize that this was a man that counted the cost and willingly laid the truth out there for all to see - knowing that he may get ousted from the local papers but in all actuality, it solidified his career and showed his integrity to stand by what he believed - He did not worry about the consequences since He trusted in His God to use his talents to make the Word of God known in an attractive manner.  It is good stuff.  "Prayer is allowing God to have His will in your life on HIS terms." - Johnny Hart (1931-2007)

The Best Easter Ever!

I don't know enough about the Catholic beliefs and, honestly, I am not one for a lot of ritual type behavior but this year I was curious about why? Why Ash Wednesday? Why Lent? Why give up something during Lent? Part of this was driven by the need in my heart to make sure that the Resurrection Celebration on Easter Sunday carried meaning for me this year. It seems like sometimes I have gotten lost in the routine of Good Friday Communion and Easter services being really spectacular and forgotten that I need to reflect on what Christ accomplished in the spiritual battle we all face.

Therefore, I decided to give something up for Lent – but I felt like instead of just giving it up Monday to Saturday and enjoying it on each Sunday until Easter, that I would give it up completely. It was interesting to cause myself to reflect on Christ, His journey, His sacrifice and His victory every time that I thought of having a hot delicious cup of coffee. I reflected more upon Christ throughout these last 46 days than I normally do and it really changed how I was thinking about Resurrection Sunday.

Additionally, we hosted a Journey to the Cross during what the Catholic Church would call Holy Week or Passion Week (that week between Palm Sunday and Easter). 
This allowed me to reflect upon the events that filled Jesus' last days. I was fascinated by the choices that Jesus made during that last week to ingrain some events into the minds of His disciples. I remembered that Jesus knew, all along, what was coming and when. In fact, John 13:1 says, "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father." If you KNEW that you had less than a week to live – how would you spend it?
Then came Communion – mind you – two months ago when we started talking about this week and Communion, I was bummed. It did not excite me. So I paused and asked myself, "Why?" and the answer was that it seemed to have lost some of the meaning. So, we simplified, shortened and created a service for Communion that was designed to keep us focused on remembering what Christ accomplished…and it worked!


Then yesterday – WOW! Looking at what the Word of God says about the extravagant love of God! Extravagant - "going beyond what is deserved or justified." The perfect word to describe God's love for man in sending Christ. He loved the whole world sooooooooo much (John 3:16) that He showed it to us by the sacrifice of His Son (Romans 5:8) and purchased us at a very expensive, personal and demanding price (Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 7:23). Now that is extravagant AND that is why my Easter was the best ever! Plus – one of the people that I prayed for to yield their life to Jesus Christ did – at the end of the service yesterday! New life on a day that we celebrate new life!

How could it be any better?

God Sees Behind the Mask!

I love this story of the believing townsfolk in this small Swiss town:

"In Basel, Switzerland each year the good protestant townspeople have a festival in which they all don masks and go through the city doing things and going placed they would never consider doing/going under normal circumstances. The mask, which veiled their identity, emboldened them to do these things. One year, the Salvation Army, concerned about the abandonment of moral standards, put up signs all over the city, which read, "God sees behind the mask."             -- Dr. Kenneth Gangel, Scofield Memorial Church, May 22, 1983."

Psalm 139 tells us several truths about God that makes us see how true it is that God sees behind the mask… It tells us that He knows us inside and out. He knows our actions and observes them. He knows our thoughts and our words we are about to speak! Not the ones that we are speaking but the ones that we are thinking about letting come out of our mouths!

He is familiar with all of our ways – This Hebrew word –sakan- means to be acquainted with or to be so well known as to be useful. In this context, it is a more intense understanding and it means to be "intimately acquainted with". God is not just familiar with us like he recognizes us in passing… He is intimately aware of the details of our ways and our thinking patterns.

Verses 7-12 describe our passion to hide from God compared to our complete inability to even sneak away from Him for a millisecond. It isn't going to happen!

This both comforts me and scares me – I am comforted because of the phrase in verse 10 – "even there your hand will guide me and your right hand will hold me fast." There is security in God intimately being aware of your life and knowing that you are in His hands at all times. It scares me because He knows my thoughts – even when I can hide behind my mask with you. He knows my words – what I want to say – even if I do not say them and He knows my heart. I know what is there but you may not because I hide behind a mask.

When I remember that God sees behind the mask, I have the comfort of knowing that He still loves me and forgives me and desires to be in a right relationship with me anyway.

This enables me to be more transparent with you and to take off the mask and learn to trust that I can be who I am, with my struggles, insecurities and problems while still knowing that I am a work in progress just like you! We should be doing this together and growing and pushing each other to conform to the image of the Savior! Join me! Take off the mask and be who God made you to be!

"April Fool's" Lol!

So, just like every Sunday, I came into the office early yesterday to pray, meet with a couple of friends and work through any final service prep that may need to be done and here is what I find staring in my face -

And attached to his neck...

The meeting table and chairs - topsy turvy... Streamers everywhere along with many many balloons! The vandals even left their balloon trash and streamer trash behind?

Toilet Paper adorning my lamp and across my desk.

Notice the picture askew on the wall along with many other ones that were either upside-down on the walls or bookshelves.

The desk itself is wrapped in cellophane!

Every book on the desk - upside down.

Chairs - turned over.

Worst offense- they touched my M & M container and could have spilled them on the floor! In fact, it is now upside down.

On the white board were a bunch of google eyes with a face drawn around it!

Additionally, a bush was moved in to the room along with Vaseline on my door handle. Multiple other violations... fake bugs hovering all around and my phone and chair "vandalized". However, the cool thing was that I know that someone was thinking about something special for me over the weekend! I feel loved!

PS - only a few people have access to my office - still thinking Chris may be in on it somehow.

It is Happening!

So, our theme for the year is it's Time to Act. In light of recent messages, I have heard several stories of people "acting" out their faith.

One man from church shared about walking out of his office building and encountering a man that needed a buck for bus fare. He did not have anything to give in his pocket so he apologized and moved on. As he was walking to his car, played over in his mind the words of the message, "maybe I don't have any money but what I have I'll give to you" so he thought – "How can I help, what DO I Have?" HE realized that he could not offer this man a ride because he was on a tight schedule so he quickly dug through the seats and cup-holders of his car and found enough change to buy the man bus fare. He ran back in and gave it to the man and helped him on his way!

I love that… someone that remembered to ask themselves "What CAN I do?"

I just heard another story last night, a couple from Osceola Grace has spent the last several years being part of a club where they know they will rub shoulders with some people that need Christ. The husband of one of the couples from this group has pancreatic cancer and just recently found that he has a year to live. The wife of the Osceola Grace couple delivered a meal there and then sat down and asked if she could share the "Life's Most Important Question" tract with them. They listened and then asked if they could keep the tract. She planted a seed! Let's pray that God will use that to draw them to a saving knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ.

With all of the tragedy in the world around us, I cannot help but think that the time is closer and closer when Jesus returns. Remember: It is not about ME getting across the finish line but it is about how many others can I bring with me!

It is Time to Act! Here are four things to pray specifically about today:

1. A love for lost people like God has
   
2. Courage to speak when the time is right
   
3. Opportunities to speak – people to talk with
   
4. Eyes to see the people that God brings to you.

Excerpt from Jesus Freak Devotional

I was searching on line today for some ideas for illustrations for my upcoming message and discovered www.JesusFreaks.net with some great stories. I own the Jesus Freaks V1 and have read some of the other stories. I also get the "Voice of the Martyrs" magazine and hurt over those believers in other countries that are oppressed. At the same time – I am impressed with the zeal, fervor and passion with which these brothers and sisters in Christ faithfully serve and share Christ even when it is not safe. Read this excerpt from the Jesus Freak Devotional – think it through today with YOUR life situations.

The Good Life

Everybody wants a good life. We even joke about living "the good life." But Jesus promised His followers not necessarily a good life, but an abundant life. Webster's defines abundant as "more than enough; amply sufficient; bountiful."15 Translated into Jesus Freak terminology, that means God promises to give us not only everything we truly need but also an endless well of peace and joy to draw from. If you are a Jesus Freak, the life God has planned for you goes beyond even your wildest dreams. He wants to take you on a wild ride that centers on trusting Him, obeying Him, and following His lead. What will it cost you? Everything—your heart, your time, your willingness, your money, your reputation, maybe even your life. But remember: In exchange for "losing your life," you get a major upgrade. You gain His peace, His joy, His supernatural power, His perfect plan here and now, and a never-ending future with Him in heaven.

Jesus knew when the time had come for Him to die. During one of His last conversations on earth, He told His disciples:

I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught . . .

I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.

— John 14:25-27,15:9-13, The Message

Excerpted from:

Live Like a Jesus Freak by dc Talk

Copyright © 2001, Bethany House Publishers

ISBN 157782089

With what are you willing to trust Jesus? All of it – or just the convenient parts of your lfe?

Six Ideas to Try to Apply

I love Proverbs – it is always full of timely and face-slapping advice. Here are a few of the thoughts that I collided with today.

1. Trust God for today and today alone – even though I need to plan ahead, I cannot live for tomorrow! (Prov. 27:1)
   
2. Just do the right thing – if others notice… fine. If not, know that God saw it. (Prov. 27:2)
   
3. Only a friend can burst a friend's prideful bubbles when they need to and still do it in love. (Prov. 27:5,6 and 17)
   
4. Taking advice can help you avoid painful consequences of poor choices. (Prov. 27:9,12)
   
5. Sometimes you just can't help – it takes someone taking responsibility for themselves to change. (Prov. 27:22)
   
6. Pay careful attention to what God has given you of His treasure to manage and you will have enough, just enough! (Prov. 27:23-27)
   

When you read the Word of God – do you take the time to reflect upon how you should respond to it?

My mom once told me "Gregory, stay on our block until you learn to ride your bike better." I road down the into the next block and saw someone weaving their bike from side to side and thought how fun and cool that looked. The next thing I remember is being carried home with the side of my face covered in road rash because I tried it.

Once again, my mom knew what she was talking about. She could talk until she was blue in the face but unless I chose to take her advice – I would continue to make poor choices with painful consequences. Often – those who have been around the block know the right choices to make. You do not always have to experience the pain to know it is worth avoiding.

A Walk in Love

Last weekend I was invited to a retreat by a friend that was being run by his rather large church. In retrospect, I had a preconceived notion of what was going to happen because he said, "Greg, I think this would be great for you because you could really use this time to be refreshed and renewed in your ministry." I thought it sounded good because I could be gone a few days and take a couple of books to catch up on and refresh my mind some.

Little did I know that this would be one of the most amazing weekends of feeling the extreme and extravagant love of Jesus Christ through His body that I have ever known. This was amazing. Although, I admit, when we arrived and the guy opened up a notebook to read the intro I wondered what I was in for but I soon learned that, read it or not – this was for real and these people were for real! We had an uproariously great time in parts of the weekend and a challenging soul-searching time for parts of the weekend but the entire weekend except for a few short intervals, was completely designed to walk me through a process of introspection, challenge and soul-searching all under the umbrella of over 30 men committed to showing the love of Christ in real and tangible ways. I made some friends so quickly that it almost broke my heart to leave on Sunday knowing that many of them I may not see again this side of heaven – but they impacted me and helped me grow and change in just a few short hours together.

It was funny (an unbelievable) that the leader would say that "Today is good, tomorrow will be better and the next day will be even better and by Sunday, you will not want to go home." I thought, "No, dude, by Saturday I am pretty sure I am gonna be refreshed enough to want to leave. By Sunday I'll be chomping at the bit."

So – seriously, come Saturday morning, I was thinking, "What is next. How far can this go? What is the next talk going to be? What in the world are these Kleenex for?" Well in the next twelve hours or so I found out the answer to all of those questions and more. And, no, I was certainly not ready to leave yet. What was Sunday going to be?

True enough, I was anxious to see my wife and family on Sunday when I left but I really did not want to leave – He was right.

God challenged me. One BIG thought that I walked away with: "There is NOTHING in this life that compares in any way to living sold out for Jesus."

Ministry may be hard – but my reward is not here, not now. Living in the moment of my mission, doing what I am called by God to do and discharging the duties to which I have been called is hard. I have never, never done anything harder or more frustrating or more discouraging. BUT, I also have never done anything more uplifting (by my brothers and sisters), more simple (keep it that way), or more rewarding and encouraging (living life day in and day out with this body of believers that I love) as we see God glorified together through His work in us.

I will walk in love and remember how I was loved completely and selflessly last weekend and for eternity through Christ.

My All for His Glory

Everyone always quotes Paul saying in Philippians 1:21 "For me to live is Christ but to die is gain." I fully believe that Paul meant that – but I ask myself time and time again – do I believe that? Do I live like every waking moment is about Jesus? Is living MY life really about living for Christ?

And the second part of that – do I really feel like physically DYING would be advantageous to me?

I had someone ask me recently why we do not teach more about heaven at our church. I thought about it some and realized we really do not teach specifically on that topic very often at all. In fact, when we do talk about it it is because it is in the text and we give it an "honorable mention" at best. It made me start thinking, "do I really feel like heaven would be a better place for me than earth?" and when I honestly answer that question, I find myself thinking – "I don't want to go there yet but I do want to end up there". So how do I get to the point where I can say…"to die is gain."?

I consider the verse before that in Philippians:

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." -Phil 1:20 (NIV)

Paul expected and hoped (with anticipation that it would happen) that he would not be ashamed by his life on earth as he stood before the Judge of the universe and his actions in life were considered. How could he say that? Because for Paul – he lived with the motto that "NOW as ALWAYS Christ would be exalted" in his body whether it was while he was living or through his death. It causes me to reflect upon me… can I say that right now – in this moment – I am living, responding, acting in a manner that exalts Jesus?

Paul could.

He was so passionately in love with his Savior that he lived every day in order to please Him! To exalt Him! To promote Him! To enjoy Him! When I live that way then I cannot wait to be in heaven together with Him. There is no fear in death when life is lived with a white hot passion for the One with Whom we desire to spend the rest of our lives (in heaven). It so changes my perspective when I think about it that way. (however, when I am neglecting my love relationship with Jesus – I sometimes am not excited about being with Him in heaven because I am afraid of being embarrassed, even though there is no need for that feeling – it still nags at me).

So – live all out for Him. Bring Him honor through your life actions.

I pray that God will give me "sufficient courage" to live "now as always" to exalt Jesus Christ. Will you pray with me?

The Real Result of Grace

I recently read David Platt's book, Radical, regarding the way that American church has been affected by our "me first" culture. It was eye-opening and very challenging to me. However, what really struck me most was the way he explained God's grace and its ultimate purpose.

A couple of thoughts stood out to me…

• Grace for salvation is not the end – Salvation is NOT the complete purpose of God's grace.
  
• If the purpose of God's grace is simply to bring an otherwise unreachable reconciliation of God and man – then it is actually about "ME" and not really about God.
  
• Grace is not the end – Grace to glorify God with the rest of my life IS!
  
• God's ultimate purpose for extending His grace to mankind is so that we can live the transformed, Spirit-filled life He intended and thus, return glory and honor to Him.
  

So here is a good question to ask yourself:

How can I live my life and lead my family and others that I influence for God's glory in Osceola, Mishawaka, Elkhart or wherever I find myself?

If we seek to answer that question through the lens of God's Word and His commands for us then we begin to realize that we serve Him as our Master and Savior instead of serving ourselves.

Isaiah seemed to get it straight from the Lord:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah 6:1-3 (NIV)

I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. Isaiah 42:8 (NIV)

For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off. 10 See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. Isaiah 48:9-11 (NIV)

I’m Adopted

I do not think that it is any secret to those that know me but I am adopted. When I was born, my biological mom (possibly a teenager in the early sixties) gave me up for adoption. This was known before I was born and at just a few days old I was officially given to my adoptive mom and dad (the only parents that I have ever really known). Even though the official adoption papers were not signed by the courts for another 7 months – I was officially theirs to raise as their own.

• For as long as I can remember, I have known that I was adopted.
  
• For as long as I can remember, I have loved my adoptive mom and dad and never ever, ever thought of myself as someone else's child – only theirs.
  
• For as long as I can remember, I have not wanted to ever know who my biological mom was (or dad for that matter) because for some reason they were not prepared to raise me and thus the only parents I have known and loved have been those who raised me.
  
• For as long as I can remember, I have felt loved, cherished and cared for by my mom and dad. They have done extraordinary things to care for me, provide for me, love me and teach me.
  
• I have always known I was theirs. In fact, many people who have no idea I was adopted tell me that I resemble my dad who raised me. They tell me that we have similar characteristics in both physical features and mannerisms, even in patterns of speech!
  

I cannot help but think of a second adoption that took place in my life. One that was even more precious to me than the first one. God willingly adopted me as His son. He paid an enormous price to adopt me through the blood and suffering of His own Son, Jesus Christ. And just like my physical adoption – He is the only spiritual Father that I have ever had that cared for me unconditionally.

Since I have been adopted by God, the Father, and I am now part of a universal adopted family of brothers and sisters who have yielded their lives to Jesus, I have been changing and becoming more and more like my heavenly Father every year. It is my goal to resemble Him and to begin to have those mannerisms and speech traits that reflect Him.

In the same way as my physical adoption – my spiritual adoption leaves me with some striking similarities:

• I am so content in being adopted my heavenly Father
  
• I am glad that after this adoption I have never felt as though I am someone else's child – Only God's.
  
• I do not ever want to know the master that I served in slavery before I was adopted by God as His child.
  
• I feel loved, cherished, cared for, provided for and comforted by God at every turn in my life.
  
• I have learned so much of what He wants me to be as I have had a chance to be taught by His written Word.
  
• I want people to look at me and realize that I must be a child of God because of how I act, speak and live. I want to be associated with my adoptive heavenly Father in every way!
  

Adoption is such a great picture of how God accepts us with all of our flaws, problems, baggage and imperfections but willingly helps to "raise" us under His strong, protective and lovingly gentle hand. I am so glad I was adopted – both here on earth and into heaven.

A Day in the Life

Since I became employed by a church ministry, I have had to learn some new approaches to gift giving and gift receiving. ( first, I say "since I became employed by a church ministry" because many say "Since I was called into ministry" as though they were not called to do ministry before even though other employment demands do not excuse us from being "called into ministry" in everyday life already.) So, what did I have to learn?

First, I had to learn that as much as I wanted to help people financially when I saw a need, I was no longer able to do it so freely. (Not that I don't do this but my income changed enough that I could not be as "generous" as I used to think I was.) Instead, we had to think creatively. I learned to consider how a time investment instead of monetary investment might help. Networking with those that had the means to give and did not know of the need while I knew of the need and did not have the means. This has been good for us. It has broadened my scope of what it means to give gifts and share with others in need.

Second, I had to learn how to receive gifts graciously ( I am still learning this one because I tend to make jokes or try to be funny when I feel like I am in an awkward place of receiving a gift) and simply thank the giver. It is uncomfortable for a person who has enjoyed giving to others in need to become the recipient and to handle that with grace. I have found that many people are blessed to be a giver and some are blessed to be able to receive.

I think that God has challenged us (me and my family) to learn to be good givers and to learn to be good receivers, too. God has blessed us in so many ways as we have found ourselves in need these last 8 years. Through God's prompting, through prayer, through His working in the hearts of godly people and through some incredible circumstances – God has allowed us to be recipients of two vehicles (used yet reliable), three computers over the years, many special little gifts and many events that have blessed our lives tremendously. For those things and those events – we are most grateful.

But what amazes me the most is in noticing how He has blessed us in ways that we normally never even consider. Example, 18 years ago, God allowed us to build a home that we have enjoyed raising our children in and hosting many people in their times of need. When we built this home we purchased new appliances for it (all from Sears) and this was the first time in our lives that we owned new appliances. It was a pretty exciting time and yet here we are 18 years later and we still have those same appliances. Yes, we have had to repair a couple of them from time to time but they have lasted. My wife just let me know today that the dryer was not working properly and it may be something that we have another repair on but it still works!

Take the time today to thank God for the blessings that we never really consider – the blessing of appliances or things that do not wear out! How many times do you thank Him for the fact that you DO NOT have to replace and appliance? It makes me think of Nehemiah 9:19-21  "Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen." (also testified to in Deut. 8:4; 29:5)

Surprisingly, this care by God for His people was not a result of a reward for them. In fact, it was in spite of their hearts, their stubbornness and their horrible attitudes that He sustained them. Why? For His glory! To show HIS might and power! To bring attention to what He has done!

So… to God be the glory that the appliances and furnace in my home are still going strong (8 items in all)! He is truly a God who is worthy to be praised!

It Changes Everything

What changes everything? Well, think about it, there are events in our lives that become "watershed" moments that completely change the course of our lives. When we decide where to go to college, when we decide we are REALLY getting married, when we decide to have kids or buy a house or change jobs. Those are the types of things that are usually within our control. Real "watershed" moments are those events that are unexpected that change or alter us from that moment on and we have no control over what just happened.

Like what? A car accident, a war injury or a choice to help someone in danger and you are hurt in the process, a death in your family, a bad doctor's report, a fire, a robbery or a disaster (natural or man-made). Think about it… depending on how old you are you probably remember right where you were and what you were doing when JFK was assassinated, when the space shuttle, Challenger, exploded, when President Reagan was shot, when the Berlin Wall came down, when the World Trade Center Towers fell, when New Orleans flooded. Those are watershed moments – they probably changed your world forever. What if…

What if, instead of waiting for those moments to occur, you could do something to spark "watershed" moments in your own life? Or in the life of your family? Or in the life of your friends? Or your co-workers? What would you do?

Paul talks a great deal about praying and requests prayer for himself a few times but they are interesting prayers. Paul does not ask for prayer for his safety or his protection (although in Romans 15 he does ask to have them pray that he is rescued from the unbelievers so that he can continue his mission trip). He doesn't ask that God remove the oppression or that God would give him all that he needs. You see, Paul knows and trusts God enough already to know that He will provide for the needs and that His will is accomplished in His time, but look at what Paul asks people to pray about:

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel," - Eph 6:19 (NIV)

"And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should." - Col 4:3-4 (NIV)

He wants to boldly and fearlessly speak about Jesus. So do I! He wants to see an opportunity develop for him to share the message of hope in Christ. So do I! So let's pray that way. Let's make these prayers our prayers. Write them down. Memorize them and use them as reminders. Pray them aloud back to God. In addition to these two prayers – here is another one that Paul prayed to ask God to pave the way.

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." - Eph 1:18-19 (NIV)

Do you want to see a watershed moment happen in your life? Begin praying like Paul prayed and expect God to do something great! When you pray these prayers and begin to see people as God sees them – your watershed moments will happen again and again! When you pray like this – your heart will begin to break for the same things that break God's heart and it will change you forever!

What's next – pray and pray and pray - (P.U.S.H. – Pray Until Something Happens) then click here and tell me about it – anonymously, if you want.

One person can make a difference

I like inspirational stories. They inspire me. I guess that is what they are intended to do but I long to be an inspirational story someday and I think that watching the real ones really gets to me.

What I begin to realize is that I actually may be an inspirational story to someone and I do not even know it. Watch this and realize that making a difference happens one person at a time. Boom.

This is what makes "good" movies great and what makes an "average" novel superior. The idea that one person can inspire change, momentum, a movement or a ground swell is the idea that YOU could be that catalyst.

Think about it – Spartacus, Troy, Gladiator, Invictus. Great movies that revolve around a key character motivating legions or teams to act. Lord of the Rings and the humility of Frodo Baggins changed the course of Middle Earth. John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan – all people that were wildly popular regardless of your political preferences and changed the course of the known world through their leadership.

But what about you? What about me? What can we do to make a difference in this world. Well, it starts with a commitment to a cause and then, secondly, by choosing to act. Choosing to do it even if all the details are not final, even if the outcome is not certain, even if failure is too real of an option but by not acting you KNOW you are doing wrong.

Does it have to have a huge impact? No – as long as it has an impact it will be huge in the one person that it impacts. YOU can make a difference – read about this man that did with almost no budget – Click Here.

It's Time to Act. Whom will you serve? Whom will you obey? When will you take the chance? For me it is Jesus Christ and NOW! Will you join me?

My Field Trip this Week

I know that I do not write often so if no one reads this – I will live on still!

On Monday, January 3, Jay Bell, a friend of mine in ministry in Winona Lake, and I went to lunch together and then to visit a new local Sikh temple. What? A LOCAL Sikh Temple? Wait a minute…. What's a "Sikh" Temple?

I know… I had all of those same questions so here are a couple of places to find out more about what in the world this is. (www.sikh.org and www.gurunanakdarbarsahib.com ) First, Sikh (said "seek") is a religion that has some very unique beliefs (they worship a "Holy Book" and treat it as though it is alive physically). Second, when I say local I mean that is less than six miles from our church located on Day road just west of Bittersweet (12800 Day Road, Mishawaka, IN 46544). Third, we went in and spoke with the priest that leads this congregation of thirty families in our area. He was dressed in traditional garb with a turban, the appropriate metal wrist band and a long beard. You can search out the "articles of the Sikh faith" and learn more.

The Sikh faith seems to be a combination of the monotheism and Hinduism and is the 5^th largest world religion today. There is a Sikh temple in Merrillville, Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo and Chicago. Now there is one that is almost complete, after a $1,000,000 renovation, here in Michiana. Jay and I were invited from the entry hall into the main temple worship area and were allowed to see their holy book. We were even invited to come back this Sunday to worship with them.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because they will arrange a "field trip" for up to 30 of us to come and hear about the Sikh religion and to ask questions that we may want to know about their religion. Let me give you ten great reason why this is a great thing for us to do.

1. It's one thing to listen to a lecture on world religions, it's quite another to be able to ask questions of one who practices the religion.
   
2. It's one thing to try to wade through a world religion textbook, it's quite another to talk to a devotee in person.
   
3. It's one thing to study the "official" or "orthodox" version of a world religion, it's quite another to experience it at the popular level.
   
4. It's one thing to read in the Bible "Love your neighbor," it's quite another to practice love to those who hold to such vast religious differences.
   
5. It's one thing to try to strike up an initial conversation with an adherent of one of the world religions, it's quite another to say, "I've visited your place of worship (temple, center, mosque), can we talk?"
   
6. It's one thing to read the statistics about the number of adherents in a world religion, it's quite another to engage them personally.
   
7. It's one thing to read about idolatry in the Bible (like Isa. 44: 9-20 or Psalm 115:1-8), it's quite another to see it up close in person.
   
8. It's one thing to visit a religious establishment while on an overseas short-term missions trip, it's quite another to be able to drive to one. No plane fare necessary! No U.S. passport necessary! No inoculation shots necessary!
   
9. It's one thing to hear about the number of unreached people groups "over there" (41% of the 16,000 nations), it's quite another to meet them here.
   
10. It's one thing to know they are lost in their darkness, it's quite another to walk into their lives as light.
    

Are you in?