Remember

This weekend is of course a holiday weekend.  It's 2:30 on Friday and I'm sure many people have snuck out early to enjoy the long weekend.  It's great to have these breaks from the normal routine and to be able to spend some time relaxing with family and friends.

However, I found it ironic that many people forget the reason for this holiday.  A holiday created to help us remember the great sacrifices of so many men and women to secure and protect our way of life.  While I hope we all enjoy our break, don't forget to take time to remember.  I would encourage you to also thank God for the blessings we enjoy and for those who have and continue to sacrifice to maintain those blessings.

You're A Winner

My postings recently have been based on questions.  Today, however, I stumbled across an article I wrote a couple of year's ago and for some reason it struck me as one I needed to share again.  I don't know why, but maybe God does.

I was standing in line at the convenience store the other day where the man in line in front of me was redeeming some lottery tickets.  The clerk took the tickets and put them in the machine and the computer declared, “You’re a Winner!”  The man responded, “at least somebody thinks so.”  The clerk smiled and handed him $5.

When I first heard the man’s response, my reaction was to chuckle.  As he walked away, however, I began to think to myself how sad it was that so many people are reliant on things like gambling to be able to see themselves as a winner.  How sad to be dependant on chance to have any sense of self worth.

The truth of the matter is that we are very valuable.  We know how valuable we are because Jesus Christ the Son of God died for us and through that death we have a tremendous victory.  In Romans 8, Paul tells us that those who are in Christ are more than conquerors because nothing can separate us from God’s love. 

The most important victory one can attain is the victory over death and Jesus Christ has done that.  Paul writes in Romans 6 that those who are baptized are joined with Christ in that victory and will gain the reward when we rise to meet him in heaven some day.

The question is, “Are you really a winner today?”

Question of the Day: What are you Chasing?

If you have spent any time at all reading the Gospels then you know that Jesus asked a lot of questions.  In fact more often than not he would respond to questions with a question of his own.  He did this to get us thinking and to come to the answers on our own.  He knew that they mean more that way and we are more likely to both accept the answer and remember it.

The question I'm sharing with you today comes from Mark 8:36, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?"  Come on admit it, it's a great question.  It is one that should quickly return us to a proper perspective on life.

So what are you chasing today?  What will you chase after tomorrow?  Where do you pour out your time, energy, talents, abilities, and strength?  Are you trying to gain the world or are you building treasures in heaven?  It really is a great question.

New Resource

Our Tech guys have done it again.  Now we are able to post recordings of sermons onto our website.  If you miss a lesson or there is one you want to hear again, all you have to do is go to the church website (see link below) and look for the "sermon" link in the menu on the left.  There you will find a table with sermons going back to March of this year.  The hope is to have each new sermon uploaded by the end of each week.

A special thanks to David Wilhite and Leon Foust for getting this up and running.  We hope this will be a useful tool for everyone.

Today's Question - Am I Your Enemy?

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? - Galatians 4:16

The familiar saying is often true, "the truth hurts."  Our normal reaction to pain is to get away from what's causing the pain and if someone is responsible for that pain then we may not like them very much.  When someone speaks the truth to us and it is a truth we don't like or hurts us, it can be very natural to then dislike that person and dismiss anything they say.  It is our way of keeping ourselves from being uncomfortable.

As a minister I have encountered this on a few occasions.  Sunday after Sunday someone will smile, shake hands, offer encouraging words and thanks for a "good lesson".  Then the week comes when the lesson hits a little too close to home.  Suddenly  instead of smiles there might be scowling glances, in place of warm hand shakes their are cold shoulders and if words are shared they aren't compliments but mumblings about how I shouldn't have said that.

On one such occasion someone approached me with their face all twisted up, shoulders up around their ears, hands clenched and all they said was, "You just don't know how much that lesson offended me."  I quickly offered an apology for any offense because that is certainly never my intention with a lesson.  As much as I hate to admit it, I am capable of making a mistake so I also asked what I had said that was in error and in conflict with God's word.  I was met with a blank stare, a long pause and then finally the short reply of, "well, not everyone sees it that way and it was very offensive."

I felt very confident that what I had said that morning was in line with scripture because it was so clear, but in order to be sure I later prayerfully went over the lesson again and also discussed the matter with others I consider wiser than myself.  Still, I could find no error only validation of what I had said.  My only conclusion was that this person had been offended by the truth.

Here is a harsh reality all of us must face, just because we may not like the truth does not invalidate it as truth.  When it comes to Biblical truth we often want God to align with us instead of seeking to align ourselves with God.  We must be careful and understand that when it is God's word that offends us it is not the Word that is wrong but us.  It is also not the messenger sharing that truth who we are opposed to but God who is the author of all truth.  For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.  Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. - 1 Thess. 4:7-8

So many people saw Jesus, witnessed the miracles he performed, and heard his teaching but rejected him.  Why?  Because he didn't always say what they wanted to hear but what they needed to hear in order to inherit eternal life.  I encourage you not to be one of those people.  Be open and receptive to the truth no matter how painful it might seem and do not live in opposition to God.

Comments Welcome

I know that the posts to our blog have been sporadic, but there is something you can do to encourage us.  You can comment!  Below each post there is a small link that you can click on to add a comment to that post.  It is very easy to do.  Here you can ask questions or give insights on that post.  Your feedback encourages us by letting us know someone is reading and it will improve the overall blog experience for everyone.

Right now you do not have to be registered with blogspot to post, so your comments will show as "anonymous".  As long as we don't start getting inappropriate comments from someone who stumbles across the blog and just wants to cause trouble, then it will remain that way.  If you choose not to register and leave comments it would be appreciated if you would sign your first name at the bottom of your comment.

I'll have a fresh post tomorrow, so check back then.  In the meantime, feel free to comment :)

What's Your Purpose?

Here's the question of the day:  What's your purpose?  I have known many people who go through life without knowing the answer to that question.  Their lives are chaotic because they have no understanding of their purpose.  While the answer may be a little more complex than one line, let me share what Paul wrote to the church in Colosse. "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Paul sounds to me like a guy who had a very clear understanding of what he was trying to accomplish in his life.  Imagine if your purpose in life was something like this.  How would it change you.  How would you be different at home, at work, at play, and in line at Wal-Mart?  What is your purpose and is it reflected in the way you live your life?

My Apologies

Just days after vowing to do better about posting to the blog I up and go on a week vacation followed by a week at the Pepperdine Lectureship.  Needless to say I didn't do any posting during the last 2 weeks.  But, I'm back now and will be posting regularly again, at least that is my plan.

There is a lot going on and so much to do over the next few weeks.  We have several ministries gearing up for summer activities, graduation is around the corner, pictures are being taken for the new directory, Community Care is just weeks away,  a group will soon be headed to Roundup at York, new biography and involvement forms are being circulated and filled out, and I have heard whispers that a new bus may be on the horizon.  That's not nearly half of what is going on and doesn't include next month!

How great it is to be a part of this family.  I love watching what God is doing here and can't wait to see what else he has in store.  Another post tomorrow Lord willing and the creek don't rise (or in our case a tornado doesn't blow us all away).