Letter from Jesus about Christmas

Dear Children, It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folksare taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn'tactually born during this time of the year and that it was some of yourpredecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time ofpagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime. How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easilyunderstood by those of you who have been blessed with children of yourown. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth,just Love one another. Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the townin which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just getrid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene onyour own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any needfor such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them allaround town. Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree aholiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You canremember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: Iactually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation toyou and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, lookup John 15: 1 - 8. If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers awayfrom home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't affordand they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth,and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remindthem that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to taketheir own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since youdon't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warmsmile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping thereon Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd closeand let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary--especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heardMy name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families inyour town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will theyhave any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some foodand a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charitywhich believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that youare one of mine. Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest.

Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whomyou love and remember : I LOVE YOU, JESUS

The following is an excerpt from Krista Petty's newly-released concept paper, Strategies for Investing in Your Community: How Externally Focused Churches are Leveraging Their Impact Externally focused churches pour much of what they have--funds, time and people--into the community. But these congregations don't give their resources carelessly. With solutions to community issues becoming more complex and resources becoming more limited, churches are constantly weighing the risks and rewards of community ministry. Those church leaders must invest prayerfully, strategically, and compassionately--all the while making wise plans that yield results. These churches have discovered the following strategies to guide them as they leverage resources to bring about community transformation: 1. Build and Maintain a Reserve to Meet Emergencies.When vandals set fire to a local school playground in 2006, the people of Hope Church (Oakdale, MN) quickly sprang into action. The church took $3,000 from their externally focused budget to replace some of the charred and damaged playground equipment. When the decision to replace the equipment was announced during a Sunday morning worship service, the congregation spontaneously broke into applause. Within days, volunteers came forward and completed the installation of new parts. Because of their existing relationship with the school and the church's heart for the community, Hope maintains a reserve of finances and manpower they can deploy when a need arises. Church members are motivated to respond—both with financial and volunteer resources—because they have been serving the school through tutoring and special projects throughout the year. 2. Develop an Overall Investment Strategy. When the children's ministry at Bethel Church (Richland, WA) grew rapidly, church leaders considered a capital campaign to raise funds for expansion. But as a growing externally focused church, some leaders wondered, "Are we spending more money on ourselves than we are spending on the needs of the community?" That question caused a change in direction for the campaign. The building campaign expanded to a focus on the three major initiatives they called NOW: Next Generation, Our Community and Worldwide. The total amount to be raised--an estimated $6 million--will be shared among the children's area, a recreation facility, community and world outreach programs. The church is well on its way to reaching the financial goals. But the success of the campaign is measured in more than dollars. "This campaign has really brought our ministry areas together," says outreach director Dave Dawson. "It has broken down silos and we are not competing for funds and attention." 3. Selecting a Minimum Initial Investment Determines the Goal a Church Will Achieve.When LifeBridge Christian Church (Longmont, CO) wanted to be more externally focused, they didn't simply start another ministry area that would create additional competing programs for its existing ministries. Church leaders instead asked each ministry team to weave community service into their programming options—even down to the children's ministry level. In October 2006, LifeBridge staff member Stacey Applen coordinated a Saturday morning elementary school service project called Rock Your World. Thirty children in 3rd-6th grade raked, weeded and cleaned out painful stickers that flatten bicycle tires and stick to shoes. Allison Switzer, a 4th grader, participated in the day of service and has dreams of becoming a missionary some day. "It was good to do this because it was hard and I know being a missionary will be hard, too," Allison says. 4. Expect the Unexpected.NorthWood Church (Keller, TX) has built a reputation for serving in the community and around the world. Because of that reputation, glocal ministry pastor Omar Reyes is often asked to begin new community programs. A local school district and hospital called him recently about remodeling a building that would be used for a health clinic in an under-served area. Omar shares, "The church is not in the business of remodeling either and we certainly did not have the $60,000 needed for the project." While "No" seemed to be the obvious answer, Omar didn't shut the door but prayed about the opportunity. Later that same day, Omar went to lunch with NorthWood's small groups pastor and a local builder who wanted to know more about a Habitat for Humanity project. Omar shared the details of his earlier phone conversation regarding the school and hospital. When all was said and done, the building was refurbished through the partnerships of two churches, the builder and others. Omar says that situation taught him a valuable lesson: "Lead with big vision. Don't get caught up in leading with provision. When the Lord is with us, partnership is not 1+1=2, but 1+1=10."

Church Leaders and Stress





I read in “Confessions of a Reformission Rev.” by Mark Discol that in the early days of Mars Hill Church that Mark was stressed out. While leading this church in the early days, stress had caused him to gain 40 pounds, given him an eye twitch, and very high blood pressure. According to his account, his blood pressure was so high he could have had a heart attack. Mark was only around 28 years old at the time. Now that is some heavy duty stress. Being in church leadership can create a lot of stress on a person; especially if you try to do it all on your own.

My job can leave me stressed out at times. I have even had my own eye twitch a time or two. I hate eye twitches, they are aggravating. I really need to manage the amount of stress I allow in my life. I have a history of mental breakdowns in my family so I try to keep things light. If stress gets higher than I can manage, I go for a hike or walk. Nature has always energized and relaxed me. In the last year, I’ve kept stress down my exercising more. I go to the gym during lunch and either walk the treadmill or ride the stationary bike and after work, I lift weights. This has reduced my stress level, my waist line, and weight. I’ve lost 30 pounds doing this and I have very little stress.

Knowing that God is in charge of the church helps keep the stress level down for me as a church leader. It’s not up to us leaders of the church to grow the attendance. God is the one who adds and takes away. He is the one who builds and destroys. It’s not us doing anything. It’s not God and us doing anything. It’s all about God and what He is doing in the church. If we can understand and accept this truth, more church leaders will not need to be on medications for stress and high blood pressure.

God has given us principles that are designed to help keep stress levels down. There is the office of Deacons so the Pastors can use their time studying God’s word. The deacons are to serve the tables and minister to the needy. The office of the Elders is designed to help Pastors lead the church. If Pastors equip their people to lead, a lot of what causes stress for a leader will decline.

I think the most important thing to remember in keeping stress down is that God will never give you more than you can handle. You don’t have to shoulder the burdens of leadership. Our shoulders aren’t designed to carry heavy weight. God’s shoulders are designed to handle all the weight in the world. Remember Matthew 11:29-30:
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

We don’t see yokes much these days. Jesus’ metaphor in this passage is unfamiliar to us in our time and culture. But in the first century, everyone knew what a yoke was and the purpose it served. Yokes were custom-made by carpenters to fit on the back of an ox so the animal could be harnessed for work. The better the yoke fit, the more productive the ox would be.

William Barclay, a great commentator, wrote that some carpenters in the first century may have hung signs outside their door that said, “My yokes fit well.” Carpenters were highly skilled at making a yoke that would fit an ox just right. Barclay also notes that when Jesus said, “My yoke is easy,” it could just as easily be translated, “My yoke fits well.”

Christ is the head of the church, and He will lead His church. Followers tend to have less stress because they are following the leader. Let’s follower after Christ and He will do His thing. His way of leadership is so much better than ours.

Stressed out? Remember to follow the Leader. Let God carrier the heavy burden of leadership of your church. After all, He gave His life for it.

[NOTE: Italicized taken from “Leadership from the Inside Out: Examining the Inner Life of a Healthy Church Leader’ by Kevin Harney, pages 173-174.]

18 Inches From Heaven

I’m reading a book about John Wesley’s life and the forming of the United Methodist Church. I’ve heard the name and sung his songs all my life so I wanted to read more about him. The most amazing thing I’ve learned is that John Wesley wasn’t a Christian when he came to the Gravesend colony in Georgia in 1735 to be a missionary. By his own account, he had a head knowledge and the rules of the Anglican Church but not a true conversion which is found only in Christ. On the voyage to America from England, his ship was caught in a great storm. With him on the ship was a group of Moravians (a German Protestant denomination) who did not seem to be afraid if the ship sunk because of the storm. When John Wesley asked why they weren’t afraid, the leader of the group told him that their entire group knew Christ as Savior and heaven awaited them when death does take them. The Moravians believed that faith in Christ alone is the way for salvation. This was too simple for John Wesley. In fact most of England thought this was too simple so the Moravians were on their way from Germany to the new world (America) to preach Christ. Through his friendship with this group’s Bishop (David Nitschman), John Wesley became to true Christian several years later. John Wesley took this new found message of salvation back to England and changed England and the world.

This part of John Wesley’s life reminds me of a phrase I heard my childhood pastor use many times; “Some people will miss heaven by 18 inches.” The meaning to this phrase means that people have a head knowledge of Christ and what He did on the cross, but never have received Him into their hearts and lives.

Test yourselves to see what you have. Do you only have a head knowledge or do you have Christ in your heart? Christ is the only way to heaven and He only is the way into heaven. John 14: 6 says, “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” You can’t work your way to heaven, it’s because of what Christ did for us on the cross that we have access to the Father and salvation. Ephesians 2:8 - 10 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Do you have true peace or just religion? Religion is spelled “DO.” Religion is based on what you think you most “DO” to enter heaven. True peace in Christ is spelled “DONE.” Our salvation is based on what Christ has “DONE” on the cross. Our hope is based on nothing less than Jesus blood and His righteousness. How far are you from entering the peace of heaven? Are you only 18 inches away? Stop putting your hope for eternal salvation on anything but Christ. If you say I have Jesus Christ and fill in the blink, you don’t have true salvation. True salvation is Christ alone. Examine yourself to see where you are on this matter.

In The Image of The Father

I was looking in a mirror the other day and saw my father looking back at me. As I get older I’m starting to look more like my earthly dad. I do have traits of my mom like my red hair, but for the most part, I’m starting to look more like my dad. I know that over the last few years I’m acting more like my father according to my wife; especially if I say or do something weird. She says, “You’re acting like your dad;” where I reply, “thank you.” As a child, I learned how to react to situations by watching my dad. I learned a lot of behaviors from him (good, bad, or indifferent).

I think that same should be said with our Heavenly Father. Since I am a child of God because of what Christ did on the cross, I have His spiritual DNA. As I grow older in the faith, I start to see Him in the way I act and talk. When I’m close to Him, my reactions are the way I see Him react in His Word (the Bible).

Most of who we are is set in our DNA; such as our physical appearance (hair color, eyes color, height, etc.). Our behavior is affected by our environment for the most part. Do I have a quick temper because of my red hair or the fact that over my life time I saw my father react with a quick temper more times than not? I do have a quick temper when not in the spiritual, but when I’m in the spirit I’m long suffering because of what I’ve learned by reading Psalm and Proverbs as a teenager. I’m who I am as a person due to a combination of my DNA and what I’ve learned by watching. The same is said as a Christian. I’m who I am in Christ because of Him rewriting my DNA and what I learned by reading His Word.

As Christians, we should be all about learning to be like Christ. That’s the meaning of the word “Christian;” Christ-like. He has given us His DNA when He drew us to Himself. When Christ saves us, He makes us part of His family. When we read the Bible, we see how He acts and reacts to different situations. He is the ultimate example of what we should be while on earth.

If you are like me, as a child I wanted to be just like my dad. I remember putting on his boots (huge compared to my feet) and walking around the house. I wanted to spend time with him and he with me. I remember dad watching the “Looney Tunes” with me. I truly thought that he loved watching them as much as I did, but years later he told me he wanted to be with me so he watched the show with me. As Christians, we are given God’s DNA and shown how to act in Him. Just as it took years of spending time with my dad for me to have a lot of his mannerisms, it takes time spending time with Christ to start to see Him in us. But before you know it, the similarities are undeniable.

A Battle for Integrity

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, "A Battle for Integrity," Insights (March 2003): 1-2. Copyright © 2003, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used with permission.


I must tell you that I have been troubled regarding the face of things in our country and within the family of God. My major battle has had to do with one word, one concept. My battle has to do with integrity.
In our nation--and in the church--there has been a falling away, a breakdown, and a compromise in integrity. Recent headlines have taught us that the boom of the 1990s was built on a foundation devoid of integrity. But compromise isn't limited to CEOs who greedily sell out their employees or to pork-happy politicians. All too often we find a moral laxity behind our pews and, even worse, behind the pulpit.
Let me define what I mean by integrity. Webster's tells us integrity means "an unimpaired condition."1 It means to be sound. The Hebrew word for integrity, tom, also means to be complete or solid.
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands. (Psalm 78:72)
Integrity is completeness or soundness. You have integrity if you complete a job even when no one is looking. You have integrity if you keep your word even when no one checks up on you. You have integrity if you keep your promises. Integrity means the absence of duplicity and is the opposite of hypocrisy. If you are a person of integrity, you will do what you say. What you declare, you will do your best to be. Integrity also includes financial accountability, personal reliability, and private purity. A person with integrity does not manipulate others. He or she is not prone to arrogance or self-praise. Integrity even invites constructive and necessary criticism because it applauds accountability. It's sound. It's solid. It's complete.
Integrity is rock-like. It won't crack when it has to stand alone, and it won't crumble though the pressure mounts. Integrity keeps one from fearing the white light of examination or resisting the exacting demands of close scrutiny. It's honesty at all costs.
The words of Louis Adamic seem fitting, "There is a certain blend of courage, integrity, character and principle which has no satisfactory dictionary name but has been called different things at different times in different countries. Our American name for it is 'guts.'"2
I like that. Integrity is having the guts to tell the truth, even if it may hurt to do so. Integrity is having the guts to be honest, even though cheating may bring about a better grade. Integrity is having the guts to quote sources rather than to plagiarize.
But there are some things integrity is not. It is not sinless perfection. A person with integrity does not live a life absolutely free of sin. No one does. But one with integrity quickly acknowledges his failures and doesn't hide the wrong.
Now, in addressing this crucial mark of character, I could come across as the "white knight," but you know me better than that. I fail like everyone else. The sooner you remember that, the better we'll get along. But concerning the issue of integrity, I give you my word. You will know if I have failed or if Insight for Living has failed in some way. I will tell you. I will not lead you to believe something is true if it is false. That is the least I can do as a minister of the Gospel.
Integrity is essential in the church, in the marketplace, and especially in the home. When you walk in integrity, you leave it as a legacy for your children to follow (Proverbs 20:7). It's what I call the father's thumbprint. Blessed are you if you had a father with integrity and a mother with guts.
When you work with integrity, you honor the Lord. Regardless of your profession, your character and conduct are methods of ministry. Over 50 years ago, Elton Trueblood wrote,
It is hard to think of any job in which the moral element is lacking. The skill of the dentist is wholly irrelevant if he is unprincipled and irresponsible. There is little, in that case, to keep him from extracting teeth unnecessarily, because the patient is usually in a helpless situation. It is easy to see the harm that can be done by an unprincipled lawyer. Indeed, such a man is far more dangerous if he is skilled than if he is not skilled.3
Do you put wire in walls? Do you repair cars? Do you work with numbers? Do you sell clothes? Perhaps you practice law or medicine. The important thing is not what work you do, but whether you do your work with integrity. Perhaps you labor behind the scenes, and your only thanks is the inner satisfaction of a job done right. Do you cheat on your exams? Are you cheating on your mate? Some have the audacity to do such things and call themselves Christians. No wonder the world is confused!
You want to shock the world? Start here--demonstrating the guts to do what's right when no one is looking. It takes real guts to stand strong with integrity in a culture weakened by hypocrisy. Start today.

People of God

I just finished reading a book I started 6 years ago; the auto-biography of Billy Graham. It was great to read how God has used this man throughout most of the 20th century. The best part of the book was him giving all the glory to God. After years of preaching and serving presidents, royalty, and the like, he still refers to himself as the farm boy from North Carolina. God can use the humbly to move mountains. I can remember my parents taking me to see him preach way back in the 1970’s when he first came to the Hampton Roads area. I only remember that there were a lot of people at the Norfolk Scope. I couldn’t have been older than 7 or 8, but I remember God using him back then. I’m sure Billy Graham will be written about in the centuries to come (if Christ doesn’t return soon).

I shared with the men who attend the weekly Men’s Bible Group that God had used and is using Billy Graham, but there are people who do the same thing every week that the world as a whole will never read about.

For those of us who serve God everyday, we do so not for notoriety. We do so because God served us from an eternity of damnation and we are thankful. God has used Dr. Graham greatly, but God also uses the average Christian everyday to reach out to the world with the love and giving of Christ.

If you are serving God and feel that people aren’t giving you thanks, don’t worry yourself about it. God, Himself, will honor you with crowns. And with great joy, we will be able to give those crowns back to the One and only Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord.

Keep doing what God has called you to do; to love and serve others.

The Right Foundation

In order to have a solid and safe building, the foundation must be done right. If the foundation isn’t laid properly, the building will not be level or balanced developing into major issues in the future.

Jesus referred to Himself as the “Chief Cornerstone” when talking to His followers. A cornerstone is used to make a building level in all sides. God the Father is the foundation in which Jesus built His church. God is the perfect foundation to build anything. We can rely on Him to make everything level and balanced in our lives.

Without God in our lives, we aren’t balanced. Since there is no foundation, cracks form and our lives just fall apart. God as our foundation gives us something level to build upon and Jesus as the cornerstone makes everything balanced.

If you want your live to matter and be solid, build it on “The Rock” and not just sand. If you build on solid ground, the trials and storms of live will come but not destroy. If you build on the sand, the trials and storms of live will destroy what you build.

Make sure you foundation is solid. The most solid foundation to build upon is the One who created us.

Waiting


I had a dream the other night that caused me to be uneasy. The dream was me waiting in a checkout line at Sears. I’m waiting for a very long time. When it was time for me to be next the clerk walked about to retrieve what I was trying to buy. When the man returned, he apologized for the delay but explained it would be a little bit longer. He handed me 2 pieces of what looked like machine parts. He told me to be patient and the other needed parts will arrive shortly. I awoke uneasy because I knew the meaning of the dream.

I see that the dream is about me waiting on God to open the door to the next step of my walk with Him. I feel that I’ve been waiting forever to start the next level of church planting but I know that God’s timetable is not the same as mine. I know that while waiting for God to move, this is the time I should be listening to Him through reading His word.

I have had an opportunity to meet a gentleman in Montana who shared with me that he waited 8 years for God to open the door for him and his family to move to Montana to pastor a church. His testimony reminded me of men in the Bible who waited on God. Abraham waited on God to give him a son. Abraham was over 100 years old when God gave him a son. Joseph waited on God to fulfill the dream He gave him when he was a teenager. Joseph waited 20 years. Moses was given the assignment to free Israel from Egypt but had to wait 80 years before God could use him to do so. There are many examples of people waiting on God to fulfill what He wanted them to accomplish.

I feel God uses the time between our calling and our fulfilling the call to mold us to the people we need to be in order to complete the task. I know when He opens the door for me to move through, I will be who I need to be in order that God will get the glory.

Life as a Book


This past Sunday, Common Ground Community Church said good journey to two of our members. One young man is a Naval Medical Officer and is transferring to Jacksonville, FL. The other young man has been blessed with a promotion in the company he works for and is moving out west. I will miss both men, but plan to keep in contact. Reflecting on the memories of ministering with and working along aside both men, I can’t help but think about how our lives are like books. We are living books and God is our author.

Most books have units and/or chapters. The units in our lives would be age groups, such as unit 1 is childhood, unit 2 teen years, unit 3 young adulthood (ages 18 – 25), unit 4 adulthood (ages 26 – 36), unit 5 middle-age (ages 37 – 55), and unit 6 seniors (ages 56 and up). Within each unit can be any number of chapters. I just finished reading a novel that had 133 chapters; however, each chapter was no longer than 5 to 6 pages. I’ve read books that had only 10 to 15 chapters, but each chapter had 30 to 40 pages. Just as books vary in their lengths and number of chapters so are each individual lives. God is the author of each book. He writes our story and He creates the beginning and conclusion of each chapter. Some chapters smoothly transition from one chapter to the next so nicely we fail to notice the change. With other chapters, when they end you know that the beginning of the next chapter the story will have a different feel to it (i.e. death of a family member, the beginning of a marriage, an end to a friendship, a birth of a child, etc.).

Charles F. Stanley in his book, “Walking Wisely: Real Guidance for Life's Journey” talks about (in part) about the seasons (or chapters) in a Christian’s life. He talks about how there are some people who are meant to be in your life for only a season and then God removes them (by death, moving away, or just a change). God is the author, and thus has the right to write the book as He sees fit, good, bad, or indifferent. We are to bring Him glory with our lives.

Just as a good novel is planned out before the author writes it, God planned our book or life. In Ephesians 1, Paul writes that God knew us and predestined us to be His children. Even before God said, “Let there be light.” He planned our story. When your life changes for the good, bad, or indifferent it’s just the conclusion of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. When all is said and done, your life will be a masterpiece because God is the author of it. You’ve trusted you eternal soul to Him, trust that He knows what He is doing in your life. After all, your life isn’t yours it belongs to Him who created you.

Religious Buffet

Below is an article a co-worker of mine wrote several years ago talking about her journey of seeing if what she calls the "church" is true and fulfilling. She gave me permission to share this with you. The only disclaimer is that I have never heard her say that Christ is all you need for heaven. She is a Catholic and may feel that the "church" has a part of eternal salvation. In our conversations, she is , in my opinion, still seeking. The article is a point of view that we need to see if we are to understand what society may think is a 9 lane highway to heaven. Thank you.

The Religious Buffet
By Sarah Albertini-Bond

“Any boys who have made their First Communion and would like to be an altar boy please see Monsignor Conrad after Mass.”
Sitting in the pew of St. Matthias, the church I attended with my parents, I had an epiphany: I’ve just made my First Communion. I can be an altar boy.
It wasn’t until after Mass, when my parents and I were standing outside talking with Monsignor Conrad that the reality of the situation became clear. “Sarah, you can’t be an altar boy,” Monsignor Conrad said.
Undeterred, I stood as straight as I could and announced, “I could be an altar girl, then.”
My parents said nothing at this point but I do remember them touching me -- as if to brace me for what they would know would come.
“No, you can’t be an altar girl,” Monsignor Conrad told me. “There is no such thing as an altar girl.”
“But why not?” I asked.
“Because girls aren’t allowed to be altar servers.”
“That’s stupid,” I said.
Msgr. Conrad had the reputation of being one of the nicest priests and looking back on it I could tell he was sad at having to disappoint me. “You might think it’s stupid, or silly, but that’s the way things are and it’s not going to change soon,” he said. “The Church doesn’t change, at least not that much.”
I grew up in a Catholic family. Social events were rooted in religious events -- Christmas, Easter, weddings, baptisms, and funerals. There was always a logical progression to our observations of these events -- first would come Mass, and then would come the gathering afterwards at either a hall or someone’s home. You never went to one event -- Mass or the party -- without going to the other. It was just somehow expected in my family that the celebrating of the spiritual would coincide with the celebrating of the secular. In home, my family kept a statue of St. Francis of Assisi in the front vestibule along with some holy water; St. Joseph guarded the back yard; and a crucifix watched over the living room. Saints were invoked regularly -- if something was lost, my grandmother would walk around the house praying, “St. Anthony, St. Anthony something’s been lost and must be found.” If we couldn’t immediately identify a saint for a cause, my mother dragged her Book of the Saints out to look it up. My father kept a cross in his armoire and looked at it everyday as he got out his clothes for the day.
I attended Catholic school from kindergarten through college. I’ve never had a school year and not taken a theology class. It was always very clear to me that the development of the mind, via classes in mathematics, science, literature, and history, were just as important as the development of my soul, via my theological instruction. In grammar school we got guilt trips for not doing our homework as well as not sitting still in church. In high school, cliques were as much as about wearing the right lipstick as it was assisting the nuns with Mass. By the time I started college the fact that my dorm was next to the church didn’t faze me like it did my roommate.
However, by the end of my college days I felt a restlessness in my soul. I kept wondering if this was all there was to my spiritually -- dipping my hand into a holy water, making a sign of the cross, sitting through an hour-long Mass and leaving until the next week.
In the years since that conversation with Monsignor Conrad, the message of the Catholic Church being an unyielding organization and that I had to accept my place, or lack thereof, was a message that I felt was reinforced. By the time I hit my early twenties, I realized that my own philosophies about life and faith were becoming quite different than that of the Catholic Church’s. I did not understand, for example, why the nuns who ran my high school, were not allowed to say Mass. Their insights into faith helped me tremendously, and their devotion to God was in my mind unparallel. In spite of that, because of their gender, they were relegated to only being allowed to set up Mass but never celebrate it. I could not understand, additionally, why people in my family who had long and loving relationships with a partner and with God could not get married, because the person that they loved was of the same sex that they were. However, all I felt like I was hearing from my Church’s hierarchy was that if I wanted to be a “good” Catholic then I had to do what the Church decreed. The Catholic Church, from what I experienced, seemed to be fulfilling Msgr. Conrad’s words -- it did not change, or what change there was I disagreed with.
So I signed up for some spiritual counseling and was assigned to a man who was studying to be a Jesuit. Every week I went to visit him to discuss my spiritual longings. The sessions were long, and draining on me emotionally, because for the first time in my life I had to explain my faith rather than be a receptacle for teachings about the faith. During one of my sessions I came up with an analogy that explained how I felt. It’s like all my life I’ve only had one thing to eat. It used to taste good, but it’s all I’ve eaten so I don’t know anymore. I can’t taste what I’m eating -- I just fill my mouth with the food. I know it’s nourishing but it’s not fulfilling me. Then I see this big buffet off to the side but I’m being told, “No, be happy with what food you’ve been given."
My counselor about jumped off the couch when he heard me say that. “That’s it! You need to go to the buffet. Sarah, go to the big buffet that you see.”
I remember sitting in my chair, feeling as rooted down as my counselor felt freed. “You do realize that my bland meal is a metaphor for Catholicism and the buffet is other religions.”
“I know,” my counselor said, “and I want you to put down Catholicism and try out the other religions you see.” I must have looked disbelieving because he continued on, “You need to try the rest of the buffet. But I think in the end you’ll come back to Catholicism -- you’ll find it’s the most filling.”
I never officially left the Catholic Church; I never took that step to join another religion. I simply stopped going to Mass and no longer identified myself as a Catholic. Sunday mornings were no longer consumed with making sure that I made it to the holy water in time to make the sign of the cross. In the meantime I ran right to the religious buffet will little aim. I divided my time between reading about religious beliefs and attending services.
I sat in Jewish temples and listened to rabbis say the same words that I had heard all my life -- talking about Abraham, Moses, the Psalms, the major and minor prophets -- but with an intensity that came from a historical link that I had never experienced before. In most, if not all, of the Masses I had attended in my lifetime, readings from our Old Testament were mostly treated as a platform for supporting the New Testament, and as such had seemingly less importance. However, when sitting in a temple, all I heard were readings from the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, the focus then was only on these readings and as such I found myself studying them more intently. Additionally listening to rabbis expound on these accounts, by supplementing their points of view with the teachings of other rabbis that were thousands of years old, put for me the very questions of God that I had been struggling with in a larger historical context because I realized that I was thinking about the same thing that people had been pondering for thousands of years. I listened to wise men with the souls of poets speak about the beauty of submission to Allah. I danced and sang with an abandon during a revival. I learned the difficulty and joy of staying still in silent meditation at a Buddhist center. Talking with Quakers about the meaning of employing religious beliefs for social activism gave me much to think about during their silent meeting. Wiccans I met eloquently linked my feminist philosophies and environmental beliefs with spiritual practices. Atheists happily debated with me whether it was possible to be morally good and not believe in God.
I went far and wide. I went into any religious house that would have me. I read just about any book and website that I could find. People who I talked with about religion had to put a halt to marathon-long conversations about the meaning of faith and religion to a person as well to a society because I exhausted them with my questions. But most importantly I spent a long time soul searching.

I never doubted that there was a God. At one point I wished I could have -- it would have been far easier for me to deny God. To deny that God existed and that religion was nothing more than a product of cultural and sociological heritage would have made my life easy, and I wanted things to be easy. It would have solved things neatly -- I could then not have to worry about disobeying dogma since I would no longer believe in a God and church.
But I couldn’t. To deny God, to deny His love and power in my life would be as difficult as denying myself breathing. Just as surely breathing I knew there was a God. What was left was trying to figure out the best way to acknowledge God.
I didn’t think that God cared what name I called Him. What mattered here was what I believed -- what religion best expressed my views of God’s relationship with me.
I loved the history that went with Judaism. But if I were to acknowledge that history is a part of my faith then I believed that Jesus came down from Heaven to save me. That Jesus, a Jewish man, walked amongst other humans and linked a shared history with a future of acting out to care for those less fortunate and standing up in the face of those in authority who would have had him do otherwise. The ultimate reflection of His teachings he gave us in His final days of Human life. In caring for those less fortunate than Him, Jesus died, not for crimes that He committed but for the sins of all, and then rose from the dead days later -- that was someone I believed in.
So my acknowledging of God and his son, Jesus, pointed me in the direction of Christianity. And if I were to continue to think about history then I had to stay with Catholicism -- it was the oldest religion within Christianity. Catholicism had endured throughout history for a reason, but in my mind I wasn’t sure if that was enough of a reason for me to continue believing in it. The question I asked myself was -- was there another denomination that I felt was more inclusive -- inclusive enough for me to fit in.
That’s where I hit a stumbling block. I couldn’t figure it out. History pointed me to Catholicism. My own personal philosophies and intellectual leanings pointed me to the more liberal Christian denominations. For a while I tried doing both -- one week of Catholicism and then one week of Christianity. That arrangement, while sounding practical, left me more confused. I railed inside against the priests who stood in the pulpit and told the congregation that Catholicism was nothing more than a blind acceptance of dogma and catechism with little room for questions. I felt despair the next week when I felt that religion had been boiled down to nothing more a series of logical steps with little passion.
Sitting in the pew of St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Washington, D.C., I stared up at the altar after Mass. This was one of my Catholic weeks, and I had found the Jesuit church that I was in to be as close as I would want my Catholic experience to be. Yet, I knew that Catholicism was more than what was in these four walls. The Pope and the rest of the hierarchy within the Catholic Church reminded of how very different I was from what the teachings of what a Catholic should be.
I felt myself becoming more and more irate by the second. Finally I had hit my boiling point. I got angry with God, asking Him what kind of God He was that he created such divisions in people. Not only in me, but also worldwide. The war I felt in myself was nothing compared to the religious fighting that consumed people across the globe. Who was He to demand that His people tear themselves apart all so we could worship Him?
If prayer is meant to be a conversation with God, I can’t honestly say that was what I was trying to accomplish. My soul was screaming, anguished with my dilemma. Exhausted I sat in the church, staring up at the altar, mute with sorrow as tears trailed down my face.
Despite my anger, or perhaps because of the pain that it caused me, I experienced a small part of the divine that afternoon in St. Aloysius. I felt the Holy Spirit moving in my soul and with that a flash of insight. Then there was peace as I felt the joy of surrendering to something greater than I. God doesn’t demand that we tear ourselves apart -- we do that to each other. We, in our attempt to understand He who is greater than all of us, assigned labels and divisions. And in spite of this, in spite of the fighting and labels, God has faith in us.
Faith isn’t a blind adherence to dogma and catechism. Faith isn’t a logical progression through facts and figures. Faith is love. Love is a profound movement in the soul that defies logic. Love does not imply agreement or like, although those help. Love is the act of belonging completely to another; complete trust and adoration of one who completes you while you aspire to be better than you were before because of that person.
I don’t agree with the Catholic Church on many social issues. I think women are just as a capable to lead mass and that sexual orientation has nothing to do with serving God. I believe a respect for the Earth, a gift from God, is fundamental to giving thanks to God. I believe that people have as much right to decide what is good for them in their personal lives, who and how they should love, and it would not weaken their devotion to God.
But there was much to love. I loved the history. I loved the mystery that was incorporated into the faith, that to be a Catholic was not just a purely logical decision. I felt humbled standing in the shadows of saints and using them as guides to being imperfect but still loving God. I loved that part of being a Catholic was not only having faith but also performing good works.
I found the wisdom of using history as a guide from Judaism. I found peace when I finally understood the beauty of submitting one’s self to God just as the Muslims I had met told me. There was a joy in my soul when I could express myself merrily before my God much like I had at a revival. And I knew that patience was rewarded when I allowed myself to quiet down and open my soul for meditation and for that I could thank the Buddhists. My atheist friends were right -- God didn’t give me the authority of being moral; but with God I could find a path that makes it easier for me to live what I believe is an ethical life.
Faith is love. I don’t always like and agree with everything I hear at Church. And the Catholic Church, as an institution, doesn’t always like what I do. But the Church and I need each other -- without each other we are incomplete and with each other we inspire the other to do better while reaching out to the other.
I have faith in the Catholic Church -- not only for what it is now but also for what I hope it will be. And I believe the Church feels much the same about me.
A few months after my experience at St. Aloysius, my mother called me on the phone. “Sarah, I have to tell you something you’ve always wanted is happening. But I’m sorry, it’s too late for you,” she told me.
“What is it?” I asked.
“St. Matthias is allowing altar girls,” my mother said.
Yes, it was too late for me to actually be an altar server at St. Matthias. However, perhaps finding my place in the church wouldn’t be as difficult as I’d thought. Things can change; it’s just a matter of time, and having faith.

Keeping on Track

When you want to go hiking in the wilderness and don’t want to get lost, you take a map and a compass. This helps you keep going in the right direction. Without a map and a compass, it’s easy to get lost. The map gives you the big picture and a compass will tell you what direction you are heading.

In this life we live, it’s easy to get off track. We are in a wilderness (the world) that unless we have the map and the compass, we will easily get off the correct path. The map is God’s Word (the Bible) and the compass is Christ.

As a map gives you the big picture, God’s Word gives you what you’ll need to live a fulfilled live in Christ. Just as a compass helps you keep track of your direction because it always points North, Christ is our point to determine our direction in our lives. Just as north never changes (it’s fixed), Christ never changes. He is the “Great I Am.”

Without staying in God’s Word, and keeping out eyes on Christ, this world will make it easy to get off track. Christ-followers who aren’t using the map and stop looking at the compass find themselves off the correct path. They have no clue that they are lost in the woods until they look at the map and see the compass and discover that aren’t even close. They use the map and the compass to find the right direction. This is great when they are back on the correct path but they loss time in their journey.

We should always make time to look at the map and keep our eyes on the compass to keep us going the right direction. God has given us His Word for instruction. Christ has given us Himself so we will always know the right direction to go. Don’t let the beauty of this world distract you from the true beauty of God.

Make time to read God’s Word and always keep your eyes on Christ. You will never go the wrong way as long as you have the map and the compass.

The Need

God is working on us to move to Montana to share the good news of Christ. We are looking to move in the spring of 2008. We are moving to Bozeman, MT that is part of the Treasure State Baptist Association of the Montana Southern Baptist Convention. The need is great for churches that preach Christ only to heaven. In a world that is increasingly spiritual but lost in their sins, the true way to heaven must be shared. Here are some statistics for the ministry area the Treasure State Baptist Association is working:

Over 240,000 people live in eleven counties covering nearly 40,000 square miles in the Association. There are only 28 churches/missions that have reached less than 1% of our population with the gospel.

The need is great in Montana as is the need great throughout the world. The methods of reaching people with the gospel change but not the message. Jesus is the only way to heaven and eternal life. Think about what you can be doing to reach your family, friends, co-workers, and your community with the gospel.

“Then He [Jesus] said to His disciples, ‘“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”’
Matthew 9: 37 – 38 (NASV)

Seeing Through God’s Eyes

Just before Teresa and I went to Bozeman, MT, I started asking God to allow me to see through His eyes; to see the needs of the people in this city. God allowed me to see through His eyes toward the end of our week of activities and praying. There is a 9 mile section of Bozeman that will have 1500 houses built in the next couple of years. We drove through this stretch of road coming back from whitewater rafting. God showed me the areas that could be connection points (what I call possible places to meet people and introduce them to Christ). Seeing people through the eyes of our Savior will give you the right perspective.

We walk through our day most of the time just doing what we need to do. We seldom look at the people around us. We have Living Water and are surrounded by people who need this Water. They are dieing without it. We need to start seeing people like God see them. People who are in need of true life and not the counterfeit one they have now.

Ask God to allow you to see your family members, co-workers, friends, and neighbors through His eyes. You will see people for who they really are. You start seeing the happy go lucky co-worker who “plays the field” as who he/she really is, a lonely person looking for true love. You start seeing the rude neighbor who no one likes, as a person who just wants someone to talk with them and listen to them. Jesus saw through the facade, and if we ask He will give us the ability to do so as well.

We need to get over ourselves and get out of the comfort zone and start looking at the real world. We live in a world full of people looking for something to fill the void in their hearts (i.e. traditions, spiritualism, church, sex, drugs, etc.) instead of Who truly can fulfill them; Jesus Christ. It’s about a relationship with Christ and not attending church.

If we had a canteen of water and found a person dieing of thrust and didn’t share our water with them and they die, we will be guilty of murder. Well, we are surrounded by people dieing and are in need of the true Living Water. We have the Living Water living in us. If we don’t share Him with our family members, co-workers, friends, and neighbors, wouldn’t we be guilty of far worse than murder? People are dieing in their sin in this world, and we are called to go and share with them the Living Water. Ask God to allow you to see through His eyes, so you can share the Living Water with them.

Thanks for reading and until next time grow where you are planted.

The Practice of Seclusion

Every week, I receive an article from ChurchStaffing.com. These articles cover any topic that will help people in the ministry. On Monday, 6/25, the article that came to me dealt with making time to be alone with God. The article was written by Whitney Hopler and is titled “The Practice of Seclusion.” Take a few moments and read through it. This article may help you in making more time to be alone with God.

“And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.’” -- Mark 6:31 (NASB)
One day years ago while I was listening to a book on tape in my car, the cassette’s thin tape caught on a tiny wheel inside the machine and began playing the same few sentences over and over again as it looped around. Try as I might, I couldn’t eject the tape from the player. Neither could I turn the player off, no matter how many times I pushed the “on/off” button. I was trapped inside a car filled with incessant chatter, and I had at least one more hour of driving to go before I reached my destination.
My pulse increased and my concentration decreased as I began to panic, trying in vain to override the tape by switching the player over to the “radio” setting. Finally, in desperation, I turned the volume down to its lowest level. Yet I couldn’t escape the tape’s muffled droning in the background while I drove. A wave of relief washed over me when, at last, I reached a parking lot and was able to shut off the tape by turning off the car.
Do the tapes that play in your life cause you stress sometimes? Maybe it’s the buzz of technology that clamors for your attention every waking moment – your cell phone, e-mail, fax machine, and pager. Perhaps it’s the static of people who place constant demands on you – young children, difficult co-workers, ailing parents, or a friend in a crisis. Do you wish you could turn off your schedule, only to find that it keeps you looping around in a frenzy of activity?
If so, God invites you to come away with Him to secluded place. There, in the embrace of solitude and silence, you can turn off the world’s voices and tune into the voice of the One who made you. You’ll never hear all He’s whispering in your ears until you meet Him in seclusion.
No one who has ever walked the Earth had more important work to do than Jesus. He was confronted with crowds, demands, noise, and interruptions nearly everywhere He went, and He could easily have been constantly busy. Yet He made seclusion a priority: “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there,” (Mark 1:35, NASB). After He had spent time away in quiet, Jesus returned to His work renewed.
God will recharge your batteries, too, if you make seclusion a daily habit. Here’s how you can do so:
· Give yourself permission to enjoy a daily time of seclusion. Realize that seclusion is a vital habit to have in order to gain the perspective, clarity, and peace God wants for you. Recognize that God designed life’s natural rhythms to include times of aloneness as well as relationships, and times of silence as well as sound. Don’t feel guilty about making time for seclusion. Don’t worry that a habit of seclusion will impair your relationships or make it harder for you to get things done. Trust that, in your time of seclusion, God will strengthen you to deal more effectively with every person and situation in your life.
· Choose a specific time and place for seclusion. Realize that if you don’t schedule a daily appointment for seclusion, the shouts of urgent tasks will overpower the whispers of important ones. Choose a time of day that works best for you, such after you first wake up in the morning, during your midday lunch break, or in the evening before going to bed. Plan to spend a set amount of time – even if only a few minutes – in solitude and silence. Go to a regular place for your solitude: a corner of your bedroom with a cozy chair, your backyard, a break room, or even your car. Whenever you can manage a longer time of seclusion (such as on a weekend or during a vacation), schedule it and go to a special place (such as a park or retreat center) for it.
· Break away from distractions. Don’t compromise your seclusion by carrying your cell phone with you, answering the doorbell if it rings, or sneaking a peek at your “to-do” list or a newspaper. Make a conscious effort to break away from all distractions. Ask God to help you break free of your daily pressures and quiet your spirit.
· Bring vital supplies. Take a copy of the Bible, a notebook, and a pen with you. Have a particular Scripture passage in mind to read and meditate on during your time of seclusion. As you pray about it and other topics, ask God to speak to you, and write down the insights you receive.
· Be honest. If people ask where you’re going when you break away for seclusion, don’t be ashamed to tell them the truth. Simply say you need some time to think and pray about things. They will likely respect your decision.
· Be patient. Expect it to take at least a few moments for echoes of the world’s pressures and noise to stop reverberating in your mind. Relax and sit still. Listen to the silence around you. Anticipate hearing God’s voice speaking to you when the time is right.
· Do it when you need it. Whenever you’re facing a particularly stressful situation and feel the need for some time in seclusion, make time for it however you can. Just excuse yourself and pull away so you can return in greater strength later. Make use of the downtime stuffed into the pockets of your day by turning it into extra seclusion time. For example, while you’re sitting in a line of minivans waiting to pick your kids up from school, turn off the radio and sit alone in silence to clear your mind, then pray.
· Reengage with enthusiasm. After withdrawing for your times of seclusion, be enthusiastic as you reengage with people and activities. Celebrate your newfound peace, strength, and clarity. Thank God for the gifts He has given you during the times you’ve accepted His invitation to “come away” with Him.

Who’s the King or Who’s the Leader?

In the Men’s Bible Class I teach, we are starting a study on 1 and 2 Samuel. The study is on David, but I’ve been reading the first part of 1 Samuel as a backdrop of the events leading to David being chosen King and why. In the early chapters of 1 Samuel where Saul was chosen to rule over Israel, Saul hesitated when first approached by Samuel feeling not worthy of the office. He wasn’t confident in his own ability. In fact when it came time to crown him king, Saul was hiding (1 Samuel 10:22). Saul had the ability to be king only after God’s spirit came on him to enable him to be king.

Years later, Saul was so full of himself that he chose do what he thought was right and wise and disobeyed God’s command of killing everything (people and animals) in a campaign against an enemy. Because of that disobedience, God chose David to rule over His people. Saul started out so strong with him knowing that he needed God’s help to rule Israel. As God blessed Saul with victory after victory, Saul forgot that it was God who was giving the victory and not Saul winning the day.

As leaders in the church, we must never forget that God is the true King (King of Kings and Lord of Lords) who rules the church. He is the true leader of the body of Christ. We as leaders (Pastors, Elders, Teachers, etc) are stewards of the abilities, gifts, and experiences God has given us to lead His people. The church is His people and not ours. Jesus shed His blood and we didn’t. We must remember the error of Saul in thinking that his way was better than God’s way. Saul thought that his wisdom would work just as well as God’s wisdom. Everything we have and are has been given to us by our Creator and King. We march to His plans and not to ours. Remember what Samuel told Saul after Saul tried to point the blame on to his army (I Samuel 15: 22 – 23):

“Samuel said,
‘Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He has also rejected you from being king.’”

As leaders of Christ’s body, we follow what Christ has commanded us. He is the true King. He is the true Leader of the church. He has given us His trust to lead His people. Let’s remember who the King is and who is the Leader of the church and do what He wants us to do and not reply on our own wisdom.

Thank you for reading and until next time grows where God has placed you.

The Phalanx

We are called to be part of what God is doing. We are called to go where He wants us, so He can bless us. It is God who is doing; we are simply called to go. As we go, we are promised that we are not alone. God is with us in the form of the Holy Spirit. God also sends us partners to work with in the tasks He has called us. Paul never worked alone as he went to the cities of Asia Minor. Paul always had another person or a group with him.

As we are called to tell others about what Christ did on the cross, we have partners in the ministry. We serve with a body of other Christ-followers (the church). Even as a body or a church, we aren’t alone in the work. God has other like minded churches we can partner with to reach the community around us.

As one person or one church, we can only do some much for Christ. As we partner with others, we can do more. A great picture of this is the Greek Phalanx.

The Phalanx was used by the Greek army in battle. There have been few military units as devastating in their time as the Greek Phalanx. Heavily armored and insanely well trained, these soldiers were capable of standing against any and all challengers. Phalanx units were funny things. Each man depended on every other man to hold the formation. If enough of your fellow soldiers lost their courage, your unit would be lost. It was an interesting practice for phalanx commanders to divide their very best soldiers among the front line and the very last line of their units. The front line fighters needed to be strong because they were slamming headlong into their opponents. But the back line warriors needed to be experienced because they needed to keep all of the other soldiers from running away. They would shout encouragement, push against the lines ahead of them and, if necessary, threaten the other soldiers to make sure they kept their minds on the business at hand. Running from a fight was considered cowardly, not just because you lost your nerve, but also because you doomed your mates to a horrible fate. It was said that a Greek should never die with a wound in his back.

Just as a Greek soldier depended on his fellow soldier in the phalanx, we as Christ-followers depend on one another for encouragement as we serve Christ. God sends people our way to equip us (Pastors). God sends people our way to encourage and assist us (mentors/teachers and friends). One person can only do so much for the cause of Christ. We need to help each other to grow in the Word and encourage one another as we do what God has called us.

Take the time to encourage a friend and fellow Christian. Ask them how you can pray for them. Be the one to encourage because one day, the person you just encourage will be the one who will encourage you.

Thanks for reading and until next time grow where God has placed you.

One Connection Point

The number of people seeking spiritualism has risen in America, where Christianity is on a downward trend. People are seeking enlightenment, but finding darkness. The idea that there are many ways to enlightenment or eternal life is a lie. People think the way to heaven is a 9 lane paved highway. There’s the Muslim lane, the Hindu lane, the Christian lane, the Buddhism lane, etc. All these ways lead to heaven or enlightenment, right? That’s a lie right out of the mouth of Satan himself. John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

There is only one connection point to God the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. The people who are seeking spiritualism only find a lie that Satan has been telling since the beginning of time. The lie he tells is that we can achieve enlightenment in ourselves and not in God. We can make ourselves happy and fulfilled. The truth is that we enter this life empty. The fall of Adam and Eve caused mankind to be born dead in sin. We are born with a hole in our heart that only God Himself can fill in the person Jesus Christ.

Jesus has called Christ-followers to let people know that the 9 lane paved highway leads only to death and destruction (Matthew 7:12-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”). As Christ-followers, we are to tell people what the truth really is, and the truth is that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father and to true enlightenment.

Jesus Christ is the only connection point that mankind has to reaching the forgiveness of God the Father. As Christ-followers, we are to connect people to Jesus Christ. God has placed us where He wants us for His purposes. One of these purposes is to connect people to Jesus. We aren’t the connection point. We serve only to point people to the true connection point to God which is Jesus Christ. We are called to go and tell what we know, and God draws people to Himself. The only true way to God the Father is through what Jesus did on the cross.

It’s time that we as Christ-followers get over ourselves and get out of our comfort zones and do some “going.” We have the truth, and this truth we have has set us free from bondage. Go and show your neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers the only true way to enlightenment and eternal life is through the man Christ Jesus.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, grow where God has placed you.

As You Are Going

In the book “Breaking The Missional Code,” the author points out an interesting view of the phrasing of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). In many Bible versions, verse 19 of Matthew chapter 28 states, “Go.” According to this author and others I’ve read, the phrasing in the Greek is best stated, “As you are going.” So basically, the Great Commission is stating, “As you are going, make disciples of all [people groups], baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” In this passage, Jesus is talking to His followers just before He goes to heaven. Up to this point, Jesus has been telling them that they will face persecution, and be spread across the known world. So Jesus is telling His followers, “as you are fleeing for your lives and moving to other places preach the good news of Me.”

In our lives today, we are charged to tell others about Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for mankind. The word “preach” means to proclaim, so we are all preachers in God’s eyes because we are to claim the good news of the cross. With knowing the correct phrase of the Great Commission (As you are going . . .), we are to constantly be preaching (proclaiming) Jesus. If you are a stay at home parent, verse 19 means, “As you are going to stay with your children, make them disciples of Jesus. If you work in the corporate world, verse 19 means, “As you are going to the office, make disciples of your co-workers.” If you are in the military, verse 19 means, “As you serve in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard, make disciples of you fellow servicemen and servicewomen.” Or if you are a student (grade school, middle school, high school, or college), verse 19 means, “As you are attending school, make disciples of you fellow students and teachers.”

Let me inform you of this fact (if you don’t know it already) that we’re not the ones making disciples. It’s God who is making the disciples. We are the vessels He chooses to use to spread His love to the world. He is the One who is doing. We are told to follow Him. As you live the life God has given you, be mindful of opportunities to share Jesus with those He puts in your path.
Thanks for reading and until next time, grow where God has put you.

Life Song

I connect best with God through music. I enjoy all styles of Christian music. There have been songs throughout my life that have struck a chord with me. The newest one is the song “The More” by Downhere. It echoes my desire to serve God all my days. Below are the words to the song. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.


I met you like a little child
Wide-eyed and mystified
That you could love even me
So I'm here to testify
That's been an amazing ride with you
And I have never walked alone
Wanna give you every moment, every minute
It's takes a lifetime to know you, to know you

And the more you show me, the more you grow me
The more your glory becomes all there is
And the more I know you, the more I need you
The more I love you, the more you become to me

Fast-forward to the golden years
A smaller pride and a bigger fear
But still, no way are we done yet
I pray that you would keep me mystified,
In every way that I will still abide in you
Till you come to take me home

Wanna give you every moment, every minute
And take a lifetime to know you, to know you

And the more you show me, the more you grow me
The more your glory becomes all there is
And the more I know you, the more I need you
The more I love you, the more you become to me

God Is My Protection

I’m reading through Psalms, and today I read Ps. 7. God had verse 10 pop out, “My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.” What struck me about this verse is that David was being surrounded by his enemies. God had judged him for his sins with Bathsheba, and God has restored him to his thrown. David was basically saying to God, “You are my protection from my enemies. I don’t need a shield or physical protection, because you are my protection.” David knew that he could count on God to protect him, because God had been faithful to David for years leading up to this point in his life.

Our God is so faithful to us (His children) even we aren’t faithful back. As a loving Father, He disciplines those who practice sins. He did so with David (read Psalms 6). Since God is faithful to us, He will prevent any harm that may come our way unless He has a purpose for it. Yes, God did use harm in the Bible to both punish and develop His people; however, He also protected His people. As a Christ-follower, we are His people. We are His children. He will be faithful to be our shield. He will be faithful to protect us from harm.

When God gives a task to one of His children to accomplish (which He has already completed in Himself), He will protect that child. I’m sure as David was writing this Psalm; he was remembering how God protected him from the bear and lion when he was a teenage shepherd. He could have been remembering the day God had Goliath fall at his feet. He could have been thinking about all the times, he saw God protect him. And he knew that God would continue to protect him because of the God’s faithfulness.

When God gives you a task to complete, rely on Him who has given the task to you. He will complete it. He will protect you as you go about doing “your Father’s task(s).” Because of Christ’s payment for our sin, we are “the upright in heart.” Whatever maybe going on in your life, remember this God is faithful to His children and He will be your protection. God is our shield. Rest in HIM.

Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has placed you.

Faith and Open Doors

As we seek God’s direction and discernment, we must truly rely on God’s wisdom and not our own. God’s wisdom is great, and ours is so small. I heard a preacher recently who echoed this statement regarding seeking an open door. He spoke about the children of Israel when they we entering the “Promised Land.” In Joshua 3, God instructs them to walk with the ark on their shoulders into the water of the Jordon River and He would part the water so the children of Israel can enter the land He promised their fathers. I’m sure as He was talking with Joshua about what to do, Joshua must have been wondering why this way? When God parted the Red Sea, He did so in the dark of night so when the sun rose they saw dry land. It took little faith to walk on dry ground to the other side to safety from the Egyptian army. This time, the people had to trust that the water would divide. There were only 2 men left from the previous generation who witnessed the parting of the Red Sea. All others only heard about it from their fathers and mothers. They had to trust that God would do as He promised.

Let's put “Flesh and Bone” on these people (as my college Bible History professor all ways said). Just imagine, you are one of the 12 men with the ark on your shoulder. Just imagine you are one of the 2 men in front. As you step into the water, it starts to recede away from your feet. As you go forward, the water starts moving to the right and left of you. The soft muddy bottom of the river floor becomes dry before your eyes. God is faithful. He does what He said He will do. Since God has kept His promise with this, He’ll do what He has promised regarding in giving us this land. You’re energized and ready to do your part in His plan.

When people seek God’s direction, we want to see an open door. Sometimes you must believe in faith that a door will open as you move forward. Just as the children of Israel had to believe God would part the Jordon River, we must believe God is faithful to His word. The only constant we have in our walk with Him is that He is always with us. He wants what is best for us. Sometimes that means we are stretched and molded to fulfill His calling.

As we continue to seek God’s wisdom, I’ll keep my eyes on Him who saved me. He knows what’s best for me and for Teresa. We are right where He wants us to be.

Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has placed you.

Knowing Purpose

Below are comments by Dr. Jack Allen in a newsletter he sent out to his contributors. He has some good insights.

We commemorate the saddest and happiest days during the same week every year. The Day of the Cross and The Day of Resurrection when Jesus redefined life. He completed His task against all odds because He knew His purpose. He taught us that finding ultimate success depends not at all on money or education, but on sacrificing one's personal comfort to the Father's will. Easter reminds us that knowing what one is supposed to do (purpose) can get him or her through the darkest day. It seems that most of Christ's followers have no clue as to their purpose, and opt instead for mediocrity.

Not too sure about that? OK, take a quick test: in your opinion, considering all the Christians you know, how many live either defeated lives, mediocre lives, or victorious lives? Let's define "victorious" as: relative freedom from anxiety; freedom from substance abuse (including alcohol, drugs, sex, materialism, and gluttony); and freedom from the negative tendency to let someone else spread the Gospel.

One of my classes recently concluded that only 3 percent of the Christians they know can be observed to live victorious lives. Three percent on Victory Lane, that's it. At least, that's what we figured. We estimated that 10 percent of all Christians live defeated lives, and the rest (a whopping 87 percent) live in mediocrity. Lukewarm, on plateau, declining, purposeless, yuck. Sounds like . . . failure.


In The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow tells Dorothy that it makes no difference which road she's on because she does not know where she's going. Life without purpose is like traveling a road without knowing your destination. Yogi Berra, a relatively intelligent catcher for the Yankees, once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else." I could not agree more.

Jesus gave humans a clear purpose: love God and love people (Mk 12:29-31). How exactly does one do that? Can't I just as easily love God and people by mowing grass, building houses, fixing cars, clerking at a grocery store, teaching school, starting churches, selling cars, or just about anything else that's legal and moral. Maybe I need some refinement.

It might help to ask yourself where you want to go. More important, where does God want to take you? Someplace boring or exciting? Someplace fast or relaxed? Edgy or safe? The end of the earth or the end of the block? Let me give you four things to think about while you're trying to decide.


Leading.What draws you? What makes you think, "That's me"? For now, let's assume that God put that leading in you. Get advice and follow it. See if God's develops a passion for it.

Passion.What gets your heart pumping? What task causes you to sit on the edge of your chair when you tell others about it? What would you do even if no one paid you to do it? It's fairly normal that if you get really good at something about which you are passionate, someone will pay you to do it. We can call passion your hearts desire. The Bible indicates that if you follow God closely, He will give you your heart's desire (Ps 37:4). He will also confirm whether or not your passion is from Him.

Confirmation.Start reading the Bible anticipating that God will give you a verse, a passage, or a story that confirms your leading and passion. It's very important that you get advice from a someone who has a good track record making wise decisions. You may consult parents, your Pastor, or a trusted teacher. There will be someone in your life--a leader that God gave you as a blessing. Once you find a biblical confirmation and your advisors confirm your understanding of it, memorize it. Then let God's Word build your faith.

Faith. Faith is what we need when we start second guessing our purpose (Heb 11:1). Most days, you and I need to remember that God's word settles our second-guessing and fears of failure. Like Abraham (Genesis 11-26), we just need to start off in a general direction doing what we've been told to do. If you're a preacher who can't get a church to preach to, start a new Sunday School class or a Bible study group with your neighbors. If God told you to create art, but you have no canvas, draw on cardboard. Do something. My wife, who is often smarter than me, notices that Bible heroes are usually doing their best to obey God while working at something--then God gives them a special assignment. Be productive and have faith that God will send you an assignment. That's the story of Noah, Moses, Jonah, Peter, Paul, John and a few others best I can tell.

With those four thoughts in your pocket, you should be set to find your God-given purpose. Once you know God's purpose for your life, it's time to make a big decision. Ask yourself, "will I trust God, or will I go my own way." If you trust God, you will be headed for success.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


“Quiet is bliss” is a term that is uncommon in our society. From the moment we wake up to the time our head hits our pillow, we are surrounded by noise. We have radios in the shower, morning T.V. news while eating breakfast, car radio while driving to work, the work noise, the car radio driving home from work, evening news while eating dinner, and T.V. for the rest of the evening. We have no quiet time to speak of. In order to have quiet, most people have to put it in our day planner.

I personally have never thought about how much noise is in my daily life until this week. While reading Experiencing God this past weekend, the Spirit of God laid it on my heart to fast this week. There are different types of fasting so I’m fasting from different things (food, caffeine, T.V./radio, etc.) this week. On Monday, I choose to fast from T.V. and radio and man it was awesome. Instead of watching morning news, I read some additional chapters in Proverbs (my book of choice when seeking wisdom and discernment), and I drove to work with no radio or Worship CD playing. Instead, I spent my time praying. During lunch, I started to read a book I bought last month, but haven’t started yet. After a day of work, the silence driving home was like a breath of fresh air. I was able to think about what Teresa and I am seeking wisdom and discernment for. There was no noise to distract me from talking with my heavenly Father. After eating dinner and talking with Teresa, I went into the bedroom and read more of the book. I read up until bed time. I spent a whole day with unless noise in my life; it was awesome.

Monday showed me that we need to go back to the basis of quiet time. Our quiet time is when God is able to talk with us. How is he suppose to talk with us (in His still small voice) if we constantly have noise? I enjoyed the quiet time so much that I’ve stopped watching morning news so I can spend a few more minutes reading my Bible. I’ve stopped listening to the radio in the morning and talk with my heavenly Father while going to work. And I enjoy the quiet on my way home. I’m limiting my T.V. watching in the evening so I can read more. Some of you who are reading this maybe thinking, “Duh!”. You may have already been doing this. If so; good for you. If you’re like I was, you hit the ground each morning with radio, T.V., and general noise until the time you go back to bed for a night of sleep. And you lie there trying to turn off your brain so you can fall asleep but can’t because the noise (T.V., radio, etc.) has given you things that won’t go away.

God has designed us for having quiet time. He wants us to spend this time with Him. This is when we can talk with Him, and through His word talks back. In quiet, there is peace. Nothing to distract you from the One who created us and loves us.

Try to spend some time in quiet. It will leave you refreshed. Thanks for reading, and until next time grow where God has planted you.

Diamonds In The Rough


When you read the gospels and see what a motley crew the disciples were when Jesus called them to follow him and see how rough around the edges the founding fathers of the church were, it’s amazing what has been done throughout the ages for Christ. Jesus saw something in these men that most of their families didn’t see. He saw leaders where others saw followers with no direction of their own. Jesus saw men of valor; where there were only men who were fearful. What men saw with their human eyes were dumb, rough men with no direction, but Jesus saw through His heavenly Father’s eyes men who will turn the world upside down. He saw diamonds in the rough, where others just saw stones.

Since Jesus is the Great I Am, He exists outside of time so He knows the future. When He called His disciples, He saw what they will become and not what they were. He saw men who would lead His church to all the world to proclaim Jesus as Lord of all and Savior to those who accept the gift He offers. He saw men who would stand before councils of men desiring their deaths with no fear. He saw what these men would be through His power and His resurrection.

When God draws us to Himself, He takes us as we are at that time. He takes a person where they are and turns them into something beautiful in Him. He takes a raw diamond and shapes it and polishes it into a beautiful glowing jewel. There is no way a diamond on its own can turn itself from a rough unshaped rock into a beautiful polished shaped jewel. It takes a gifted artisan to chisel the rough parts off and shape it into its potential. God is the One who shapes us into what we will become. We can’t do it on our own. He uses the valleys in our lives to shape us into the beauty.

When people don’t see in you what your Father sees, rely on what He will do to make you what you are meant to be in Him. All the beautiful polished diamonds all started out as rough dirty rocks until the One found them and shaped and polished them into something beautiful. He is at work in your life. Rely on Jesus to complete what He started.

Until next time, grow where God has placed you.