Yesterday, as I was driving to church to Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ my heart was filled with joy, excitement, and thanksgiving! I was excited to gather together with brothers and sisters in Christ as together we would proclaim, "HE IS RISEN." I was excited to see how God was going to work in the lives of those who did not have a relationship with Him. I was excited! (and the sun and blue sky that finally decided to make an appearance in MN also added to the excitement of the day). Shorty after leaving my house I noticed a car pulled off to the side of the road, and than also noticed the woman with her head hanging out the door puking. In the midst of all my joy, and excitement, and anticipation, I see a woman on the side of the road puking. What was her story I wondered? Long night drinking? Leaving work because she became sick? Leaving church because she was sick? Or many other options that ran through my head. The truth is I don't really know, and probably never will know what her story is, but it made me think. I was joyful, excited, thankful, and very hopeful as I was heading to church. She, on the other-hand, was probably not in the same frame of mind.
I asked myself the question, "what does the easter message offer to this woman puking on the side of the road?" What does the easter message mean for all those who were not able, or willing, to join us in worship of Jesus Christ? The answer that came rushing into my mind was, "hope." The easter message means that as long as someone is still alive there is hope. Hope that does not fade or disappoint, regardless of circumstances. It is a puking kind of hope, because even if we find ourselves pulled over on the side of the road puking we still have hope. Hope for this life and for eternity is found in Jesus Christ BECAUSE of His death and resurrection. My mind was drawn to Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation (including puking), WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THAT IS IN CHRIST JEUS OUR LORD." Praying that wherever you find yourself today, and tomorrow, and everyday, you will realize that the hope we have is an everlasting hope BECAUSE of the Easter message! May you allow that to fill you up, and may you have the opportunity to share that hope with those God places in your life today!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Waking the World One Cup at a Time!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Staying focused in prayer.
Do you ever struggle to stay focused in times of prayer? I know I do! Often times when I enter into a time of prayer it is not long before my mind begins to wander and begin to think on things that have nothing to do with what I was praying about it. Over the years I have done several things that have helped me stay a little bit more focused. I would have to say that one of the most helpful things that I do in regards to this has been using a journal in prayer. It helps me to have items written down on a piece of paper that I am able to look at and recall. It helps keep focused.
This morning I was reading, "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. In one of the letters that he wrote he specifically addressed the issue of wandering during prayer and had something very insightful to say. "One way to recollect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquility, is not to let it wander too far at other times." It really is no surprise that so often I struggle with staying focused in prayer when the rest of my day has very few, if any, thoughts of God. Too often we have moved God to a specific time each day, and that is "God's time." When we get to that time we often leave feeling like it was wasted time, as we are unable to focus upon prayer, and the study of God's Word. However, should we really expect anything different? We spend all day, every day consumed with everything but God, and when we try to enter into our "God time" is should not be a surprise that we can't remove from our minds and hearts those things that consume our life. I know that I need to spend a lot more time throughout my day focusing on God, praying to God, thinking about God, praising God. If I do that, if we do that, I really believe that our "God time" will become so much more beneficial as it is not a break from the rest of our lives, but a continuation of the rest of our lives.
Brother Lawrence lived in a monastery, so you might think that all he had to do was pray, and read his Bible and think about God, but that was not the case. While Brother Lawrence did have set times of worship, that was not all his life consisted of. Brother Lawrence's primary duty at the monestary was to work in order to free up time for the monks to worship God. He was a dishwasher, and it was through doing dishes day in and day out that He learned how to practice the presence of God continually. So it doesn't matter if you are a stay at home mom, a youth pastor, a teacher, a plumber, or a CEO, you too can learn to always be about practicing the presecence of God, regardless of what you do. My encouragement to me, and you, is that today we would think much, pray much, and praise much in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Then the next time we enter into "God time" it won't seem so foreign, instead it will seem very common, we will feel at home.
This morning I was reading, "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. In one of the letters that he wrote he specifically addressed the issue of wandering during prayer and had something very insightful to say. "One way to recollect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquility, is not to let it wander too far at other times." It really is no surprise that so often I struggle with staying focused in prayer when the rest of my day has very few, if any, thoughts of God. Too often we have moved God to a specific time each day, and that is "God's time." When we get to that time we often leave feeling like it was wasted time, as we are unable to focus upon prayer, and the study of God's Word. However, should we really expect anything different? We spend all day, every day consumed with everything but God, and when we try to enter into our "God time" is should not be a surprise that we can't remove from our minds and hearts those things that consume our life. I know that I need to spend a lot more time throughout my day focusing on God, praying to God, thinking about God, praising God. If I do that, if we do that, I really believe that our "God time" will become so much more beneficial as it is not a break from the rest of our lives, but a continuation of the rest of our lives.
Brother Lawrence lived in a monastery, so you might think that all he had to do was pray, and read his Bible and think about God, but that was not the case. While Brother Lawrence did have set times of worship, that was not all his life consisted of. Brother Lawrence's primary duty at the monestary was to work in order to free up time for the monks to worship God. He was a dishwasher, and it was through doing dishes day in and day out that He learned how to practice the presence of God continually. So it doesn't matter if you are a stay at home mom, a youth pastor, a teacher, a plumber, or a CEO, you too can learn to always be about practicing the presecence of God, regardless of what you do. My encouragement to me, and you, is that today we would think much, pray much, and praise much in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Then the next time we enter into "God time" it won't seem so foreign, instead it will seem very common, we will feel at home.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Hall Pass- What is your reason for doing what is right?
The movie Hall Pass, which comes out this Friday, is about two married men who are given a "Hall Pass" from their spouses. A hall pass is a one week break from marriage where they can do anything they want with no consequences. The idea behind the movie, and sadly probably right on, is that if there were no consequences we would quickly, and excitedly engage in activities that we knew were wrong. I think that most people would. Even us as Christians, because often times the motivation for why we do what we do is simply this: We don't want to get caught and suffer the consequences. We don't want to ruin our image. We don't want to ruin our family, or marriage, or education, or athletic career. For many Christians the reason we avoid sin is because we fear the consequences. Yes, this way of living for many of us will cause us not to fall into "major sin" but tragically it will lead all of us into living "luke-warm" lives. You and I both know that is the last thing this world needs more of.
The truth of the matter is that fear of consequences might lead us to avoid cheating on a spouse, committing murder, and on and on, but fear of consequences won't make us, "deny ourselves and take up our cross." Fear on consequences won't lead us to love our enemies. Fear of consequences won't lead us to forgive those who have hurt us. Fear of consequences won't lead us to live in humility. Fear of consequences won't cause us to love the, "least of these." Fear of consequences leads us to do the minimum. We do the least amount of work we can do to "get by" and stay out of trouble. Fear on consequences does not change us on the inside, only on the outside.
Thankfully, we are not called to live life out of fear on consequences, we are not called to be obedient out of fear of consequences. We are called to live life out of a love for God. Out of a love that cannot comprehend that the God of this universe would have his Son murdered, tortured on a cross, to restore a relationship that WE have broken because WE have sinned against the God of this universe. When we get grace, when we get that we can't earn it, deserve it, or pay it back, our only response is great thankfulness and love. While fear of consequences causes us to do just enough to get by, love will lead us to begin to live the way Jesus has called us to live on the inside and outside. Love changes us, love motivates us to do anything! Are you motivated by love or fear? I pray that you take time today reflecting on the amazing gift of grace that we have been given, and as you do that your whole being would rise up in love and adoration for the God of the universe who loved you more than we can EVER comprehend, and as a result you begin to live, look, act, and talk more like Jesus, because you WANT to, not because you HAVE to. If God gave you a hall pass, I hope that nothing would change in your life because you are living for God out of love, not out of fear of consequences. Ask yourself this question (as I also ask myself this question). If God gave me a Hall pass for the next 7 days, how would I (honestly) live the next 7 days. The answer should reveal a lot about why you do the things you do! Rest in the amazing grace and love of God today.
The truth of the matter is that fear of consequences might lead us to avoid cheating on a spouse, committing murder, and on and on, but fear of consequences won't make us, "deny ourselves and take up our cross." Fear on consequences won't lead us to love our enemies. Fear of consequences won't lead us to forgive those who have hurt us. Fear of consequences won't lead us to live in humility. Fear of consequences won't cause us to love the, "least of these." Fear of consequences leads us to do the minimum. We do the least amount of work we can do to "get by" and stay out of trouble. Fear on consequences does not change us on the inside, only on the outside.
Thankfully, we are not called to live life out of fear on consequences, we are not called to be obedient out of fear of consequences. We are called to live life out of a love for God. Out of a love that cannot comprehend that the God of this universe would have his Son murdered, tortured on a cross, to restore a relationship that WE have broken because WE have sinned against the God of this universe. When we get grace, when we get that we can't earn it, deserve it, or pay it back, our only response is great thankfulness and love. While fear of consequences causes us to do just enough to get by, love will lead us to begin to live the way Jesus has called us to live on the inside and outside. Love changes us, love motivates us to do anything! Are you motivated by love or fear? I pray that you take time today reflecting on the amazing gift of grace that we have been given, and as you do that your whole being would rise up in love and adoration for the God of the universe who loved you more than we can EVER comprehend, and as a result you begin to live, look, act, and talk more like Jesus, because you WANT to, not because you HAVE to. If God gave you a hall pass, I hope that nothing would change in your life because you are living for God out of love, not out of fear of consequences. Ask yourself this question (as I also ask myself this question). If God gave me a Hall pass for the next 7 days, how would I (honestly) live the next 7 days. The answer should reveal a lot about why you do the things you do! Rest in the amazing grace and love of God today.
Monday, February 21, 2011
A Love Letter
I was given a love letter this morning! (Don't worry Heidi, it was from a sweet old lady). Most Monday mornings I spend about an hour at Rendezvous Coffee Shop reading. This morning while I was waiting for my drink to be made I was asked by a sweet old lady, Mona, if she has given me one of her love letters. I said that I have not and she gave me one. We talked for a few minutes about faith, and God before she left. It was a great love letter, that reminded me of the greatest love that I, or anyone, can ever receive. That is the love of the God of the universe reaching out to us, sinners. The story of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, truly is a story of love. A story that shows God's for us. A story that shows from the beginning God's endless pursuit to deal with our sins so that our relationship with Him might be restored. A love story with an amazing sacrifice, because the only way that our sins could be dealt with was through the perfect sacrifice. That perfect sacrifice was God's own son, Jesus Christ. It was amazing love that drove God to sacrifice His son, for us. And the thing that makes it SO incredible is that there is absolutely nothing that we can do to earn or payback the Love of God. We can't. That is why it is called grace. We have been given something we can't deserve, can't earn, can't payback. I am no more deserving of God's grace than the worst person I can possibly think of, and neither are you. Grace is a gift, and amazing gift, that came from the amazing love of our amazing God! Romans 5:8 states, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" What a great love letter the Bible is! I hope you are reading God's love letter, because it is God's amazing love for you and me that gives us the motivation, and ability, to live out this Christian life. Spend some time reading God's love letter today, and I pray that like sweet Mona, we will be sharing the love letter with those who God brings us in contact with!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lada Gaga- Born this Way. A little truth, a lot to be concerned about.
I recently read the lyrics to Lady Gaga new song, "Born This Way." Lady Gaga has the audience and the potential to speak for an entire generation of young people, and that is why this song concerns me so much. Yes, there is much in the music scene that at first glance would seem to be much more concerning than "Born This Way" but what concerns me so much is the element of truth that is found in Lady Gaga's song. With lyrics such as...
"There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are"
She said, "'Cause He (God) made you perfect, babe"
"So hold your head up, girl and you you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say"
I'm beautiful in my way,
'Cause God makes no mistake"
There is much truth in those lines. Truth that speak about how each person has been created by God and as a result there is much "worth" and "value" in each and every person. Psalm 139 makes this abundantly clear. "For You created me in my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place." So Lady Gaga hits on an element of truth in her words, but she misses another element of truth. She misses the truth that while God has created each one of us, we have all been corrupted by sin.
Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Yes, created perfectly by God, however each of us have been corrupted by sin. Lady Gaga fails to acknowledge that and this is what scares me. This "anthem" for young people is simply this. God created you perfectly, so just do what you want to do. Here are some more lyrics from "Born This Way"
Don't hide yourself in regret,
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Lady Gaga arrives at the dangerous conclusion that since God created you, just be yourself and you are on the right track. That is scary because this song is calling millions of young people to live life being who they are, which sadly is not perfect, but sinful. Who we are, however are humans with a ugly sinful nature that affects everything about who we are. So while Lady Gaga says being yourself is putting you on the right track, in reality it is the wrong track that has devestating consequences for this life,and for eternity.
Yes, we have been created perfectly by God, however we have all been corrupted by sin. The only way we can recover "perfection" is by admitting our desperate need for Jesus to heal us of our sin, and one day, when this earthly life is over, we will be restored to perfection. Born this way- sinful. The only remedy is the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Praying that the whole truth will be revealed to all of us! WE HAVE BEEN CREATED BY GOD! WE ALL ARE SINFUL! WE ALL NEED JESUS! WE ALL NEED GRACE! WE CAN ALL RECEIVE IT!
"There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are"
She said, "'Cause He (God) made you perfect, babe"
"So hold your head up, girl and you you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say"
I'm beautiful in my way,
'Cause God makes no mistake"
There is much truth in those lines. Truth that speak about how each person has been created by God and as a result there is much "worth" and "value" in each and every person. Psalm 139 makes this abundantly clear. "For You created me in my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place." So Lady Gaga hits on an element of truth in her words, but she misses another element of truth. She misses the truth that while God has created each one of us, we have all been corrupted by sin.
Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Yes, created perfectly by God, however each of us have been corrupted by sin. Lady Gaga fails to acknowledge that and this is what scares me. This "anthem" for young people is simply this. God created you perfectly, so just do what you want to do. Here are some more lyrics from "Born This Way"
Don't hide yourself in regret,
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
Lady Gaga arrives at the dangerous conclusion that since God created you, just be yourself and you are on the right track. That is scary because this song is calling millions of young people to live life being who they are, which sadly is not perfect, but sinful. Who we are, however are humans with a ugly sinful nature that affects everything about who we are. So while Lady Gaga says being yourself is putting you on the right track, in reality it is the wrong track that has devestating consequences for this life,and for eternity.
Yes, we have been created perfectly by God, however we have all been corrupted by sin. The only way we can recover "perfection" is by admitting our desperate need for Jesus to heal us of our sin, and one day, when this earthly life is over, we will be restored to perfection. Born this way- sinful. The only remedy is the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Praying that the whole truth will be revealed to all of us! WE HAVE BEEN CREATED BY GOD! WE ALL ARE SINFUL! WE ALL NEED JESUS! WE ALL NEED GRACE! WE CAN ALL RECEIVE IT!
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