Do we like crumbs?

I was reading in Mark 7 today and was drawn to the faith of the Syrophonecian woman. The story is short but powerful in its teaching. A non Jewish woman came to Jesus with the request that he heal her demon possessed daughter. Jesus stated "first let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." What are we to make of this statement? Jesus seems a little harsh in His words and He is not usually in the habit of turning down a request from someone. I believe this fact is especially true when we consider how the woman bowed in reverence to Jesus in humility and respect. The simple answer to why Jesus responded the way He did is twofold. First He wanted to test the woman's faith and second He wanted to teach His followers about perseverence in prayer. However, I want to focus on the woman's response because it is there that I learned a lesson to apply to my life. The woman responded to Jesus by saying "Yes Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Jesus honored her request and healed her daughter at that very moment. Many times we consider our situation and say "I would be content if I could just have crumbs from the master's table." We say this with the intent of being humble and saying we are not worthy to eat at his table. We beat ourselves down and try to force humility and say "Lord could you give me some crumbs today?" I know what I am talking about because I have done the same thing in my own life. Satan often times beats us down so low that we believe we can only ask for crumbs. However, I think if we settle for crumbs we are missing out on a great spiritual truth and blessings as well. The Bible states in John 1:14 "Yet to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." In another passage Jesus states that we are to pray "give us our daily bread" not crumbs. Here is the point. Do not let Satan beat you down where you think you deserve only crumbs. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you are a child of the King and you sit at the table with Him eating bread not crumbs. Do not settle for less than what God has planned for you. Have you setttled for crumbs in your spiritual life? Shame on you! You are a child of God. You are meant to feast at His table. I pray today you will enjoy a great meal with your Father. Bon apetite!

Rain Out

Yesterday was a rain out for us. I am not talking about a baseball game that we planned to attend. I am talking about the plans that we had for yesterday that were canceled because of rain. Our plans were not very elaborate as we wanted to just sit out by my brother's pool and take in some nice warm Texas sun. We could get in and out as we wanted to and enjoy everyone's company. However, it rained all day and our plans had to be changed. Unfortunately, unlike a baseball game that makes up a rain out we cannot really make yesterday up. We will just have to move on to the next day. We often make great plans for our day, our week, our month or even our life and they do not always work out the way we planned. We adapt and we change and we alter our plans if not on a daily basis then weekly. There are times when the plans we have for our life does not work out the way we think they should. I do not know how many times I have changed direction or moved in a path that I did not originally plan. It can be frustrating and drive us into depression if we are not careful. One thing I have learned about plans is that they must be flexible enough to allow for change, therefore never write them on stone. Write them on paper with pencil so they can be modified as you go along. However, I want to give you another perspective that might make life a little easier, especially when your plans are a rainout. Psalm 139:16 states "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." In Jeremiah 29:11 God states "I know the plans I have for you. . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." There are many other verses I could share, but here is the truth I want you to grasp. God has a plan for your life and they do not include rainouts are washouts. So here is the advice I would give myself and you as well. Instead of laying down all these elaborate plans for our lives, why don't we try to figure out the plans God has for us and then follow His plan. It would seem to make much better sense to me. His plans are always perfect and always intended for our best. And the good news about God's plans is they include grace and mercy for when we mess up. Why not try it today or this week and see what happens.

Who do you Love?

Yesterday I arrived in Texas to perform a wedding of some dear friends that Gabbie and I have grown to love as if they are our own children. As much as we love them and are excited about them, we were more excited about seeing each other and of course our children. I have not seen Gabbie, Madalyn and Abbie for almost a month and it was great to see those whom I love the most. I like spending time with my wife and children. I love them more than any other person in the world. My wife knows me better than anyone knows me and she still wants to be with me. WOW what an incredible woman!! I am so lucky or perhaps I should say that I am so blessed. She is a blessing to my life as are each one of my children. The truth is that we should want to spend time with those we love. They are a part of our life and we should express our love to them by spending time with them. I know that spending time with my wife makes me a better husband and father as well as a better person. When I am not with her it makes things much more difficult. I have discovered the same thing in my spiritual life as well. I am much more capable of handling life, when I spend time with the One who loves me most, my Heavenly Father. The truth is that we spend time with those we love. How can say we love God and not spend anytime with Him? Our words contradict our actions. If I told Gabbie that I loved her and then said I will see you Sunday do you think she would really believe that I loved her? The same truth applies to God as well. If you say that you love God and only meet with Him on Sundays then maybe you should evaluate your love for Him. God wants to spend time with us and if we truly love Him we should spend time with Him. I want to encourage you to take time out from your busy schedule to spend time with God. If you are not taking time for a quiet time, why not start today. Perhaps it is hard to find time. Get up 30 minutes earlier, put on a pot of coffee, set down with God's Word and read a chapter. Then allow God to communicate through His Word how much He loves you. Start small, don't try to read the whole Bible or even a whole book in one setting. Take baby steps, focus in on a small section. Write down your thoughts and write down what God said to you. It will draw you closer to Him and you will be stronger for having spent time with Him. What you will discover is that the more you do it the easier it will become and the more you will want to do it. Spend time with the One you love. I love to spend time with God, my family, and my church. How about You?

Enthusiasm is contagious

I was reading a very familiar passage this morning during my quiet time. The story is of Jesus feeding the 5000 people. It is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels, so it must have made an impression on the disciples. However, this morning something jumped off the pages at me as I read this story once again. I have missed it before, or maybe I just did not pay attention. Whatever the reason, this morning God revealed something to me in this passage. Most of us know the story, but if you do not look in Mark 6:30 - 44 so you can become familiar with it. The context is after Jesus had sent his disciples out to minister in pairs. They returned and reported to him all they had done and taught and Jesus noticed that they were tired and needed rest. They got in a boat so they could find some rest. John's gospel states that they went to the far side of the Sea of Galilee. We do not know exactly how far they traveled to get to the other side, but they set sail in their boat to reach the other side. The interesting part is that many who saw them leave ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. They ran around the lake on foot and beat Jesus to the other side. Typically sailing is faster than walking and the shortest distance between two given points is a straight line (See Mom I did pay attention in Geometry). But here we see people defying both of these truths. Why? They were excited about Jesus and what He had to say. They wanted to see Him and hear more from Him. I can imagine these people running along the shore and hollering "look it's Jesus!" Others chime in "I see Him too! Look there He is!" As they run along the shore pointing him out to others the excitement increases and before long there are 5000 men gathered on the shore waiting for Jesus. This number does not include the women and children that came as well. Enthusiasm is contagious. These people were excited about Jesus and it impacted the others as well. Is your excitement for Jesus contagious? It should be and I would also say that your excitement for His church should be contagious as well. If you are not excited about Jesus or about His church, then chances are others will not be affected by it either. But here is the central idea: if they had not been excited about hearing and seeing Jesus, they would have missed one of his greatest miracles, the feeding of the 5000. What are people missing because we are just not that excited about Jesus or about His church? Enthusiasm, excitement is contagious. Next time your in a store, tell someone about Jesus and invite them to church. Tell them that you are a part of the fellowship of excitement and that God is doing great things in your life and the life of others. I believe they will see people made right with God, marriages restored, relationships healed and above all God glorified. Sounds like God can still work miracles. Oh by the way one more thing about this passage. Mark 6:33 states "But many who saw THEM leaving recognized THEM and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of THEM." Did you see the emphasis? Why did they recognize THEM? For the simple reason they had been out preaching, teaching and ministering in Jesus' name. Do people recognize YOU and get excited about what God is doing? Get all excited and go tell everybody that Jesus Christ is King. It is contagious.

Is Jesus amazed by us?

Do not let the title of this posting deceive you as you might not like the response. I was reading in Mark 6 today about Jesus ministering in his hometown. It is a familiar story, but like many stories in the Bible we often overlook some of the important truths revealed. Jesus taught in the synagogue of his hometown and it states that the people were amazed by what they heard. However, then they began to question where Jesus received his wisdom and ability to perform miracles and they took offense at him. They were amazed at what they heard, but they did not really take him seriously. I wonder how many pastors experience this in their lives and ministries. There are probably a lot of preachers who amaze their congregation, but they do not really believe anything they say. Wow what a humbling thought. But my blog is not about amazing people it is about our ability to amaze Jesus. The story goes on to state that Jesus could not do many miracles in his hometown except heal a few sick people. Even though the people had heard about his previous miracles He could not do them in his own home town. Mark then states that Jesus was "amazed at their lack of faith." So consider the title of this post again "Do you amaze Jesus?" I had to honestly evaluate my own life and actions as I was confronted with my own ability to amaze Jesus. How many times has he asked me to step out on faith and I was cautious or waited for the timing to be right? How many times have I failed to step in faith and miss the chance to see God do something amazing? Too many to count. But you can ask the same questions as well. I wonder how this question affects the church? How many times has God wanted to do something amazing, maybe even a miracle, but He was amazed at our lack of faith? I don't have an answer, but I know that "it is not really faith until we step out on what we believe." I would love to hear your thoughts. How have you amazed Jesus? Better yet how has He amazed you?

Where do I live?

It may not seem like a big deal to you, but I finally got mail last Friday. I have been living in Illinois since July 2, but was unable to get mail delivered to my house until July 17th. Because I did not have proof that I lived in Illinois I was unable to open a bank account and I was unable to register my car or get a driver's license. I really felt bad becasue I was not even getting junk mail that said resident or occupant. I kept telling everybody I was a real person who had a real address, but no one would believe me. They should have beleived me after all I am a pastor. But that fact did not seem to have much weight with them. I even had a paycheck from the church saying that I was a real legitimate person with a real job and everything. But no matter what I said or did no one would believe that I was really a resident of Illinois. I guess I was not really official until the US Postal Service said I was official. But then on Friday all of that changed and I got real mail. And to top it all off it was mail from wife with a bunch of mail from my home in Texas. But I don't live in Texas, I live in Illinois! And of course what was in the mail from Texas? Bills! Isn't that the way it always turns out. I did not live in Texas nor did I really live in Illinois, but they still wanted my money. I guess some things never change. But where do I live? Part of me is still in Texas because that is where my wife and precious girls are. Yet the other part is here in Illinois with my son and my new church family. I have one foot in Texas and the other one in Illinois. I am a man without a home. But I think I am in good companty for Jesus one time said that "foxes have holes and birds have nest, but the son of man has no place to lay his head." Elsewhere, the Bible states that we are just passing through this world in which we live and that our home is not in this world. We are in this world, but we are not of this world and it does not matter what the post office says. So even though I may now be official in the eyes of the government in the eyes of God I am still not of this state. My home is in heaven and my temporary residence is here in Illinois. My heart is on things above and not on the things of this world. I fix my eyes on what I cannot see and look for a city that is not made by human hands. Where do you live? Is your home here or is your home elsewhere. I may recieve mail here (and in Texas), but my address is in Heaven. I hope that is where yours is as well.

How much for one person?

Several years ago I was a pastor at a church and we purchased a drum set to use in our contemporary worship service. We had budgeted the money in the church budget and we found a reasonable price on an electronic drum set for slightly over $500.00. Even though we had the total amount budgeted, my wife and I went ahead and donated half the amount to defray the cost to the church. We began using the drums and it enhanced the worship experience considerably and enabled us to do more than we did before. The best part about using the drum set is that it enabled a new person to use their talents for the Lord. Eventually the young person that played the drums left and we were in need of a new drummer. One of the church members said he had a teenage neighbor who played the drums so we invited him to play the drums for us. His family was a member of another church in the area, but they did not attend. Nick became a fixture at our church youth group and the worship service. A few months after Nick started playing the drums, on one Sunday morning during the altar call he stopped abruptly, placed his sticks down and came up to me and told me he wanted to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. What a day of excitement that was for me and for those worshipping with us during that service. We loved Nick and for him to come to that point in his life made everything worthwhile. Later I thought it only cost us a little over $500 to see him come to Christ. How much will it cost to see others come to Christ? However, the story does not end there. Remember I told you that we had budgeted the money for the drum set and that we actually only had to use half of the budgeted money to do so. Yet there were individuals who were upset that we used budgeted church money to purchase a drum set. They were upset and a little bit angry. Even after the story of Nick was shared, they could not let go of the fact that we purchased a drum set. Flash back almost 2000 years ago to a small town on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus arrived in a town where a demon possessed man confronted Jesus and the demons cried out "what do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" Jesus discovered that the man had numerous demons in him, possibly as many as 6000 and they called themselves Legion because there were many of them. Jesus commanded the demons to leave the man and they entered into 2000 pigs who immediately ran off the edge of the cliff into the sea. 2000 pigs was a lot of money in those days and it probably was a huge economic loss to the owners and even to the people of the area. Yet here is where the story gets interesting. Mark 5:14 - 17 tells the rest of the story. The people tending the pigs ran into town and reported what had happened. The townspeople came out and saw the formerly demon possessed man sitting with Jesus, dressed and in his right mind. Exciting news, they should celebrate and throw a party because of this one man who was now restored. Yet listen to the words of Mark "Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon possessed man - and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region." After hearing about the pigs the people asked Jesus to leave. It was all economics. Typically we are more concerned about money than we are about people being restored. The question that begs to be answered is "How much are you willing to give to see someone come to Christ?" How much does it cost? I pray that we as believers will realize what it cost God to restore us and never look at people the same way again. I hope we will always consider them worth everything it may cost to see them come to Christ. What do you think? Are people worth the price of a drum set or maybe a herd of pigs?

Praising God for little ones

We had a great night at Vacation Bible School as we had 10 children express interest in accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior. We have two more that are also interested but have not had an opportunity to talk with them. It is hard to determine if everyone of these children really understood what they were doing so I am careful to record the numbers just for numbers sake. However, sometimes I think we as adults want the children to understand like we understand before they actually make a profession of faith. Yet when Jesus was pointing to people that we should emulate about being in the kingdom of God, he did not point to Peter or the disciples, but he pointed to the little children who came to Him. The Kingdom of God belongs to those who have simple childlike faith in Jesus. What we must do as adults and as a church is follow through and help them truly understand what they expressed. Nevertheless I am praising God that He allowed us to have a small part in instilling in these children a desire to at least know more about Jesus. I pray that we will all have such simple faith as the children. They know several things that were taught to them last night. There is a heaven and Jesus lives there right now. They also know that because our hearts are full of sin that we cannot live with Jesus in heaven. But they also heard that Jesus can help them get rid of their sins if they ask Him to forgive them and come and be their Savior and live in their hearts. In the words of VBS they were told to admit they were a sinner, to believe in Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord. Have you learned your ABC's as well. Perhaps we as adults need to remember this truth as well. I pray that you are praising God with me for what He has done in the life of these children.

Difficult times

It was interesting that I read Mark 4 today in my quiet time as it not only spoke to my heart but was right in line with a sermon I am preparing for Sunday evening entitled "How to rise above difficult times." Right now our family is going through some difficult times as my son Jameson and I are living in Illinois, while my wife and Abbie are living in Texas trying to sell our house. Madalyn is there as well, but she will be staying in Texas as she makes a move to Baylor University in the Fall (SIC EM BEARS). As a result we find ourselves long on difficulty and short on faith. There is no doubt that we are doing what God has called us to do as we left Texas to start a new ministry here in Illlinois. Even though we affirm this truth, it is still hard to be separated from your love ones. Gabbie and I really like one another and it is hard when your best friend is not with you. When we consider our situation I admit that there are times that our faith is weak. I think I am in good company as the disciples felt the same thing as they made their way across the Sea of Galilee. In Mark 4:35 Jesus told the disciples that they needed to leave the crowd and go to the other side of the lake. They got into some boats and immediately a furious squall came upon them. Their boats were nearly overcome with water and Jesus was asleep in the boat. The disciples were afraid and woke Jesus up saying "don't you care if we drown?" Stop right there. Have you ever been in a situation like that? If you have not, guess what you probably will be. None of us are impervious to the difficulties of life. Storms are an inevitable part of life. They come in many different ways and at multiple times and you may often ask "God, don't you care that I am drowning here?" Remember the disciples were being obedient to what Jesus told them to do, but they still faced difficulties. The Scripture states Jesus calmed the seas and said to his disciples "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Okay Lord I get the message, but help me believe. Do you sound like me? Perhaps we like the disciples forget an important lesson during the difficult times, Jesus is in the boat with us. I need to be reminded of this daily and perhaps you do too. Difficult times are not easy, but we need to remember that as children of God, Jesus has promised to never leave us. Let me encourage you wherever you are to trust in Jesus to get you through the difficult times. If you are around on Sunday evening, July 19th drop into the church as we share a message from God's word on rising aboving the difficult times. I look forward to sharing with you and remember we are all in this boat together.

I love KIDS!

I think the title says it pretty clearly, I LOVE KIDS! I have four kids that I love more than others, there names are Jaclyn, Madalyn, Jameson and Abbie. Of course two of them are already young ladies, but they are still my kids and I love them immensely and cannot imagine my life without them. But I love other kids as well. Our church is in the midst of Vacation Bible School and I love to see the kids in church, running around the church, laughing and having a good time. I like them to have fun in church. I do not apologize for that either. I think children should have fun in church. There I said it and I will probably be attacked by some blogger somewhere saying that I believe church should be enjoyable and fun. So, what's the problem?? However, there are several reasons that I want them to have fun. First, if a child is not having fun in church, they might not want to attend. Of course they might attend because their parents will make them attend. But is that really the best alternative? By the way I think that parents should make their children attend, but that is another blog for another day. Yet the truth is that if children are having fun at church it will not be a chore to get them to come. Second, if children are having fun in church, they will be more prone to invite their friends to come as well. Kids like to have fun and they like to have fun with their friends. Third, if children are having fun in church, then their parents will more likely want to attend where their kids are having fun. Fourth, when children are having fun I believe the adults are having fun as well. After all who ever said boring is fun? Finally, when children are in church having fun, that means they are hearing the gospel presented to them and they are learning important truths about God. To me this fact is the most important of all. We do not want children to have fun just for the sake of having fun, they can do that elsewhere, but we want them to have fun with a purpose. That purpose is to communicate to them the love of Christ and help them to someday come to know Him as their personal Savior and Lord. I cannot think of anything more fun than seeing children come to know Jesus personally. Here is an interesting fact that shot out at me recently "83% of people who receive Christ do so before they reach the age of 18." Another interesting fact, "70% of church kids leave the church before they are 22." These facts tell me that we must put forth every effort to make sure that our children enjoy church and also learn the truth. We should make it a priority as parents and as church leaders. What do you think? Should church be fun? I hope that whatever church you attend and wherever you worship God that you enjoy doing so. I always have Fun with the Son. See YOU in church.

Are we with Jesus?

I was reading in Mark 3 this morning and saw how Jesus called people to be with Him. I want to be with Jesus. I want to be with Him not just in the future, but today as well. I also noticed that there were at least three groups of people who were not with Him. The first group are those that knew Him as the Son of God, they even acknowledged it, but they chose not to believe in Him or to follow Him. The demons that Jesus cast out of individuals should have known Him better than anyone. They knew Him before He walked this earth, but they still chose to reject Him. The second group that was not with Him is revealed in the religious leaders. From their understanding of Scripture, they should have recognized Him, but instead they believed He was controlled by a demon. The last group is represented by those closest to him, which is His family. They knew Him better than anyone else on earth. They had lived together for 30 years. He shared meals with them, played with them, laughed with them, probably cried with them. If anyone should have known Him it should have been them. But yet the Scripture states that they believed He was out of His mind and they came to take charge of Him. Three groups of people that should have known more about Jesus than anyone, but yet each one in their own way rejected Him. Who were those that were with Jesus. According to Jesus those who are with Him are those who do God's will (Mark 3:35). So how do we know if we are with Jesus? Is there something that we must do? According to Jesus there is something we must do. Jesus states in John 6:40 "My father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life." He also states in John 6:29 "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." So in order to be with Jesus we must first believe that He is who He said He is. We must believe that He is God's one and only Son sent to earth so that we might have a right relationship with God through faith in Him and His finished work on the cross of calvary. All three of the groups in Mark rejected this premise, thus they were all guilty of denying the work of the Holy Spirit. They saw the evidence that He was who He said He was, but still they attributed His work to someone or something else. So I ask the question "are we with Jesus?" Remember from yesterday that our actions can often deceive us. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Jesus then goes on to mention several good activities that people do in His name, but He will state that He never knew them. I just wanted to give you something to think about this morning and this weekend. Ask yourself "Am I with Jesus?"

Legalism can kill you

I think at any moment pastors can fall down the slippery slope of legalism. Legalism is a form of christianity that basically applies a legal standard to everything we do. It is a way to illicit obedience from people that have a tendency to wander astray from God's Word. Is it bad? Not necessarily, but it usually leads to bad habits. The problem with legalism is that it becomes subjective to one's opinion and interpretation. Of course legalists will always say that they are just trying to live according to the clear teachings of Scripture. However, by making such a claim they are immediately stating that if you do not adhere to their understanding then you are not following the clear teaching of Scripture. As a result you are open to rebuke and judgment from those who are more spiritual, in their opinion. My remarks are not meant to downplay the importance of obedience. Jesus clearly said that if we love Him we will obey Him. So obedience is important and we should live our life by certain standards. However, the danger comes when we make obedience to certain standards a criteria for salvation. Many legalists will say that if we do not live by their standards then it is a sure sign that we must not be saved. If we were saved then we would live the way they say we should live. It can get fairly wild as to what they believe is a demonstration of true obedience. I will not get into the many ways this fleshes itself out. In Mark 2:18 - 3:6 Jesus confronted the legalists of His day. Basically what had happened is that the religious leaders had made certain outward displays of obedience more important than the heart. The religious leaders were more concerned with how we do something than the why we do something. Jesus confronted their faulty interpretations of fasting and the sabbath day. Here is the crux of what I see is important. As a pastor I want people to come to the worship service. I want to see the auditorium full of people every Sunday. However, I do not want them to come because they believe it is a duty they are to perform. I want people to come because they love the Lord. I do not want people to give their tithes and offerings because they feel it is a duty to do so, but because they want to demonstrate their love for God. Perhaps I am arguing semantics here, but I think it is important that our motives are right. Jesus said what it is in our hearts will be revealed by our actions. Yet the fact of the matter is that actions can sometimes be deceptive. All the right actions in the world will not make our hearts right, but they can deceive us into thinking that if we just do certain things, the right way, then we will be alright. My thought is that instead of trying to do what Christians are to do, why not try being what a Christian is suppose to be. As Jesus confronted the religious leaders with their faulty understanding, they plotted to kill him in 3:6. The interesting thing is that legalism made strange bedfellows, the Pharisees plotted with the Herodians to kill Jesus. These groups were on the opposite ends of the spectrum and did not like one another. The Pharisees were concerned that Jesus might upset their religious control over the people and the Herodians who were strong supporters of Roman rule were afraid that He might upset the political control they had over the people. The two had nothing in common except one thing, they wanted to control the people. The warning to us is to be careful that in our desire to conform to His standards we do not become legalists and as a result destroy the very witness we are to have. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn, merit, or deserve grace. It is all of faith. If there is something we can do then we will begin to boast about our achievements over those of someone else. We like to measure ourselves against others because we make the standards. But when we measure ourselves against Christ we all fall short. Serve God out of love and devotion to Him not because you are on a guilt trip. You will be a much better follower if your heart has the right focus. Be to others what Christ would have you to be and then you will do what Christ wants you to do.

What am I willing to do?

I often wonder how far I am willing to go or what I am willing to do to bring my friends to Jesus. There have been times in my life when I have been more aggressive than other times. I remember in one particular church in which I was pastor, we were raising money for a mission trip we were going to attend. I told them that I would take a pie in the face to the highest bidder. The staff all pitched in to throw a pie in my face and it was all done in good fun. I think it was like $75 that we raised. Someone was offended that I would do such a shameful thing and I stated that if receiving a pie in the face will help bring someone to Jesus then I will take two pies. Needless to say I did not have to receive a second, but the money was put to good use as it helped to send our team on a mission trip to the Rio Grande Valley to introduce people to Jesus. I have not been as intentional in bringing people to Jesus in recent years, but I was inspired in my quiet time this morning to ask 'What am I willing to do to bring people to Jesus?" In Mark 2:1-12 there is the story of four men who brought their crippled friend to Jesus. They could not get in the door because of the crowd, so they went up the outside stairs, tore a hole in the roof and lowered their friend to the floor in front of Jesus. Think of the effort they put forth to bring their friend to Jesus. Most of us might have walked away if we saw there was too big a crowd. We might say we will come back another day when it is less crowded. But not these friends, they were determined at all cost to bring their friend to Jesus. In digging up the roof it would have required time and hard work, but they were willing to do anything that was needed. The Scripture states that "When Jesus saw their faith" he forgave the man of his sins. The question arises, when was the last time Jesus forgave someone of their sins because of my faith? It is a pointed question, because it means first off that I believe Jesus can forgive them and second that I believed it so much that I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. In the next story in Mark's gospel we see Jesus setting an example for us as well. Jesus called Levi (Matthew) to follow Him and then He went and had a meal with tax collectors and sinners. He was willing to do whatever it took to meet people and share His message. To eat a meal with individuals was a sign of friendship and was the most intimate thing you could do with people. Jesus took a great risk of angering the religious establishment as well as some of his allies, but He took the risk. In the end Jesus said "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." There is much to say about these word, but I will leave that for tomorrow. For right now I must ask myself what am I willing to do to make sure that I bring people to Jesus and share His message with them? What are you willing to do? Let me give you two suggestions that will work wherever you are. First, invite a friend to church, better yet, bring a friend to church. You probably will not have to tear a hole in the roof to do so. Second, have a friend over for a meal and help them meet Jesus. Sounds like it might be something right out of the Bible. The question is do you have enough faith to do what it takes? I pray that we all do.

Evil in the church?

I was reading in Mark 1:21 - 45 today and was drawn to a particular event that happened in the synagogue that day. I have read this passage many times before and even remember this particular event, but for some reason or other never was compelled to ask the questions I did today. Verse 23 states there was a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit that cried out against Jesus. This event struck me as strange. I had two questions that came to my mind. First, why would the evil spirit allow the man to come and worship in the house of God and receive instruction? Second, why was the house of God powerless over this evil presence? I thought about these two questions and decided that the evil spirit was probably allowing the man to attend to be disruptive in the worship service. And second, the synagogue was powerless over the evil spirit because their religion was one of ritual and not heart. Does this event have any equal today? Is it possible that there are disruptive forces in our own churches? Are there people that could be attending services, participating in the ministries of the church, but in reality they are like a cancer in the church? It is possible and in fact I have seen it in action. However, the greater concern for me would be why is the church powerless against such evil? There may be a lot of different reasons, but for me it comes down to the presence of God. If the presence of God is alive and active in the church, then evil cannot reign in our midst. It might have some influence, but it cannot have dominion. So what can we do? Jesus might give us some wisdom as we look at verse 35, "very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." There it is for us to emulate. If Jesus needed time with His father to prepare for spiritual battle over evil how much more do we as followers of Jesus need to do the same. We as individuals and as a church need to spend time in prayer early in the morning so we can confront evil that will seek to distract us and drive a wedge between us. Prayer is vital and without it we do not have any power to live the Christian life, much less to combat evil. What do you think? Am I way off base or right on target? I would love to hear your insights. Remember it is on our knees that we are made strong.

Going Fishing

Yesterday was my first official day as pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church in Oswego, Illinois. After the services we had a fellowship down on the Fox River in downtown Oswego. As we were visiting and getting to know the church family I noticed some people fishing in the river. There were many different people fishing with a variety of fishing gear. One person was very sophisticated as he was fly fishing. Never really been a fly fisherman, but it was interesting to watch him go through the motions of casting toward the deeper part of the water. Another fisherman was using a small rod with a bob on it and was not casting as far as the other. One individual used a Barbie fishing rod, but I did not actually see them fishing, but I would guess it belonged to a new fisher woman. There were others there as well with many different kinds of bait to attract whatever fish they were trying to catch. It is interesting that I witnessed these fishermen and women yesterday because my daily quiet time today was chapter 1 of Mark's gospel where Jesus called his first disciples to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. These hardened fishermen knew a lot about fishing, but they probably knew little about fishing for men. Yet Jesus promised that He would help them be the kind of fisherman that can make a difference in someone's life. As I thought of the fishermen and women at the river and the story of the early disciples I wondered what it will take to be an avid fisher for men here in Oswego. Being from Texas what worked there may not work here. The bait might need to be different depending on the fish you are trying to catch. The style of fishing might be different in a lake than it is in a river. The equipment could be different depending on what you are trying to catch. I certainly would not want to use a Barbie fishing rod to catch a large Catfish or to do deep sea fishing. I have to know my fish, the location and how best to attract them with the bait. I asked myself this morning and asked God in prayer to show me how to be a fisher for men here in Illinois. I have the right bait, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but what must I do to help others be attracted to the bait. Think about your own situation. What do you need to do to make the gospel appealing to those you meet? What works for your neighbor may not work for your coworker or other friends. What might you need to do to be an effective fisher for men and women? In order to be a good fisherman it will require the right bait, the right equipment and patience. But most of all it requires a close connection to the master fisherman, Jesus. He is the one that calls us to be fishers of men. Have you answered His call? If you have I would love to hear your fishing stories.

No room at the Inn

Well Jameson and I made it to Oswego after over 1100 miles of driving, numerous stops for gas and other necessities and one overnight stay in Blytheville, Arkansas. It was quite a trip and I am so thankful that my son was with me. Even though he does not say a whole lot, it was great to have him with me the entire time. We learned many lessons on our way here from Texas. Probably the first lesson is that we learned the way that we should not travel. Not being familiar with the roads made it interesting to say the least. Another thing we learned is that driving a 26 foot moving truck with a car in tow does not make for easy access at the Inn you want to stay at. Several times we tried to stay at a hotel and were unable to find parking adequate for our vehicles. There was one place where we went and we could not even get out because the hotel parking exit was blocked. I tried several times to back out, but I am not licensed to back up in such large vehicles. Someone finally came and moved their vehicle so that we could turn around and make our way down the highway to another town. There are some similarities to our little escapade and the Christian life. There are some things that do not fit in our Christian life. We may find that some attitudes and characteristics make it difficult to live the life God has called us to live. There just is no room for them in our lives. Paul mentions some of them in Galatians 5:19 - 21. Peter mentions some in 1 Peter 2 when he states that we are to "rid ourselves of malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." These things have no place in our Christian life and when we bring them with us it makes it difficult to live the life we are called to live. When we become followers of Jesus we become a new creation and the old things are passed away. Learn a lesson from my travels: some things make it impossible to live the way you need to live. While living the Christian life get rid of those things that will make it difficult for you to live the abundant life. There is no room for them. I still have a long way to go in getting rid of some of my past habits and attitudes. I am glad I do not have to do it alone. I hope you are not trying to live your Christian life alone as well.