February 28, 2010

Choose Your Bible Version

Here’s an update from an earlier post.  Now you can choose the Bible version you’d like to “pop-up” when you put your cursor over the different Scripture references on our website.  I just changed my default setting to the NIV.

Simply go to the Sermon Page and scroll down to the “Bible Options” control panel on the left side and select the version you prefer.

February 28, 2010

The Funny Side of Parenting

It’s often the message behind the words that’s most important in family conversation. See if you can catch the true message in the following exchange between a father and his son.

Dear Dad, $chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can’t think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you. Love, Your $on.

Dear Son, I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh. Love, Dad

From the National Center for Biblical Parenting.

February 27, 2010

Mark Driscoll on Avatar

While I have not seen Avatar, I have read much about it.  And because I haven’t seen it, it’s not really fair for me to offer a critique.  Having said that, I was challenged by this sermon clip from Mark Driscoll.

February 26, 2010

News Flash!

Brian Sullan has just installed an incredible program on our website that turns all Scripture references into hyperlinks with a “hover” window that contains the complete verse! 

Simply put your cursor over any Bible reference (it also puts them in bold) and watch what happens! 

Try it out in the paragraph below.

My life verse is Jeremiah 20:9 and I’m currently memorizing and meditating upon Romans 15:13.  I am so glad that Romans 8:1 is in the Bible and I can’t wait to preach on 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 on Easter.  I want to become a dad like this father found in Job 1:4-5 and I’m living the truth found in Proverbs 18:22.

Pretty cool, heh?

Would you mind clicking around on some of the sermons and let me know if this slows the site down at all?  Any other feedback you may have would be really helpful.  Just leave a comment below or send me an email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

February 26, 2010

Dean Ridder’s Blog

If you haven’t visited Dean Ridder’s Blog recently, do so today.  I love his humble heart, great insight, and his gift of writing.

I’m enjoying his series on Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues.

Here’s part of what he writes (read it all though).

The virtue of temperance wasn’t first on Franklin’s list by accident. He believed it to be the most important. He thought that of the thirteen virtues, temperance resulted in the self-discipline that was necessary to attain the remaining twelve virtues. He believed this because hunger and thirst are human needs. Because of the need for daily food and drink, these appetites are the most basic, and the hardest to control. Franklin would say that “a clear mind and a healthy body are prerequisites to the pursuit of the virtuous life.”

By the way, Dean is leading a three-week class on Worship beginning this Sunday during the second hour.  I encourage you to check it out.  I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

February 26, 2010

Don’t Waste Your Retirement

February 26, 2010

50 is the New 50

Look closely at the face in this picture.  I’ve aged a lot, haven’t I? 

Good work, Paul Eckhart!

February 26, 2010

Understanding Grief and the Real God

Writing about the loss of two of her three children, Nancy Guthrie writes: I interact with many people who are struggling to make sense of significant loss. God has simply not lived up to who they thought he was. He has not done what they thought they could count on him to do—protect them from significant suffering in this life. And so they are confused and oftentimes angry.

She then quotes Abraham Kuyper’s words from over 100 years ago.  I needed to hear them today…perhaps you do as well.

At first what our heart feels is that we cannot square this with our God as we imagined Him, as we had dreamed Him to be. The God we had, we lose, and then it costs so much bitter conflict of soul, before refined and purified in our knowledge of God, we grasp another, and now the only true God in the place thereof . . .

We fancy ourselves the main object at stake; it is our happiness, our honor, our future and God added in. According to our idea we are the center of things, and God is there to make us happy. The Father is for the sake of the child. And God’s confessed Almightiness is solely and alone to serve our interest. This is an idea of God which is false through and through, which turns the order around and, taken in its real sense, makes self God, and God our servant . . .

Cast down by your sorrow and grief, you become suddenly aware that this great God does not measure nor direct the course of things according to your desire; that in His plan there are other motives that operate entirely outside of your preferences. Then you must submit, you must bend . . .

This is the discovery of God’s reality, of His Majesty which utterly overwhelms you, of an Almightiness which absorbs within itself you and everything you call yours. And for the first time you feel what it is to confront the living God. And then begins the new endeavor of the soul, to learn to understand this real God.

February 25, 2010

Parenting Tip

I receive some great parenting tips a couple times a week from Biblical Parenting.  To sign up for free emails, click here.

A bad attitude is a challenge to family life and frustrates many a parent. Furthermore, if children don’t learn how to deal with their attitude, they grow up to be adults with bad attitudes. One way to help children overcome a bad attitude is to take it apart and help them deal with it in smaller pieces.

Children are tempted to have a bad attitude in three prominent areas: when given an instruction, when corrected, and when given a “no” answer. One mom put a sign up in her kitchen listing those three areas with the heading, “Three opportunities for a good attitude.”

Take time to talk about attitude with your children. Discuss the importance and benefits of a good attitude. Help your children understand these three areas and even warn your child when one of them is coming. Coach your children to have a better response.

The next time your child demonstrates a bad attitude, don’t just point out the negative but teach how to respond rightly. When given an instruction, a child might say, “Okay Mom,” in a pleasant tone of voice. When corrected, it would be helpful to say, “I’m sorry.” When receiving a “no” answer, children might say to themselves, “Okay, maybe another time.”

A bad attitude is often a sign of an angry spirit and the groaning, rolled eyes, sarcasm, stomping feet, or disgusted look are all attempts to communicate dissatisfaction with the situation. Gently point out these bad habits and help your children to practice better responses. Be careful of your own harshness in the process and look for ways to break the problem down into manageable pieces.

This parenting tip comes from the book “Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, In You and Your Kids” by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

February 24, 2010

Leaving a Legacy

Jeanne Calmert, at 120 years-old, was the oldest living human whose birth date could be authenticated. When asked to describe her vision for the future, she replied, “Very brief.” When a reporter asked what she liked best about being so old, she answered wryly: “Well, there’s no peer pressure.”

I heard about an elderly man who was filling out an application for a retirement village. He very carefully and deliberately answered all the questions. After filling out his current address he came to the word “Zip” and printed: “Normal for my age.”

A young child asked a woman how old she was. She answered, “39 and holding.” The child thought for a moment and then asked this question: “And how old would you be if you let go?”

I want to propose no matter how old you are, or whether or not you have much zip left, it’s not time to let go. If you’re in the golden years of life, you have more to give. As we grow older, our responsibilities grow with us. Listen to the words of Psalm 92:14: “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.” Or to say it another way: Before passing on, make sure you pass it on by leaving a legacy.

In a special aired on MSNBC a few years back, researchers found that “The most defining social change taking place is the aging of America.” Here are some stats that I’ve pulled together from the Census Bureau, the National Institute on Aging, and AARP.

•Someone turns 50 years of age every six seconds and people over 50 account for 43% of all U.S. households - that will be me in a few days.
•The over-85 age group is the fastest growing segment of the population and the number of citizens over 85 will double by 2030
•The U.S. population age 65 and over is expected to double in size within the next 25 years
•Life expectancy at the turn of the century was approximately 46 years; today it is approximately 76 years

According to the Reveal survey results, 44% of people at PBC are over the age of 50 which means that we are reflective of our culture. Several weeks ago I shared some stunning national statistics about how faith is not being passed from generation to generation. Let me refresh your memory.

Judges 2:10 paints a picture that may be prophetic of the state of the church today: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” These findings from Thom Ranier in his book The Bridger Generation, show the decline of evangelical Christianity among each successive generation. Here’s the percentage of born again believers in each generation:

•Builders (born 1927-1945) 65%
•Boomers (born 1946-1964) 35%
•Busters (born 1965-1976) 16%
•Bridgers (born 1977-1994) 4%

Here’s what strikes me about these numbers. If it’s true that many “Builders” and “Boomers” have a vibrant faith, then it’s imperative that the older generation look for ways to intentionally pass along their faith to “Busters” and “Bridgers.” Before passing on, make sure you pass it on by leaving a legacy.

Friends, the character of our children tomorrow depends on what we put in their hearts today. If we expect the younger generation to grow spiritually, those of us who are older must pass on what we possess.

A Psalm for the Aged

We live in a culture that promotes youthfulness and denigrates the elderly. The Bible calls us to instead honor the aged. Leviticus 19:32: “Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.” Did you know that there’s a passage of Scripture that’s referred to as a “psalm for the aged?” We’re not entirely certain who wrote Psalm 71 but many believe it was David in the latter years of his life. Notice verse 9: “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.” He’s older now and weaker and yet he’s holding on to hope in verse 14: “But as for me, I will always have hope, I will praise you more and more.”

For our purposes, we’re going to focus on verses 17-18: “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” David recounts what God has done in the past: “You have taught me.” He then describes the present: “To this day I declare your marvelous deeds.” And he looks out into the future: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me.” His overriding concern is that he wants to live long enough to “declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” Do you see the stages of life here? He remembers his youth, then describes middle age and looks ahead to the golden years. I see two main lessons in these verses.

1. Know God in your youth by learning from the Lord (verse 17a). David writes: “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me.” Parents, it is never too early to teach your children about the Lord. I hope you’re taking every possible opportunity to introduce your kids to Jesus and that you are intentionally instructing them. Sometimes we wonder what it is that they can learn when they are young – it’s more than we think. We see this in verses 5-6: “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.”

An older adult recently asked me how she should share her testimony because she doesn’t have a dramatic conversion story. She told me that as a young girl she trusted Christ and has believed in Him and followed Him her whole life. I suggested she answer this question: How would your life have been different if you didn’t know Jesus when you were young? She immediately shared with me several ways that Jesus has made a difference. I smiled and said, “That’s your story.”

2. Show God in your years by leaving a legacy (verses 17b-18). You must first know God before you can show Him to others: “…And to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” David is declaring God’s deeds and his desire is to proclaim God’s power to the next generation. Do you see that the word “declare” is used twice in these two verses? According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, it’s a word that emphasizes three different things. Let’s unpack it.

•A person who has witnessed something and tells others about it
•A person reports about a matter of life-and-death importance
•A person explains something to someone who lacks knowledge of it

Let’s see if I can pull this together. If you’ve witnessed the wonder and works of God then proclaim God’s power to those who don’t know and do it with a sense of life-and-death urgency. Before passing on, make sure you pass it on by leaving a legacy. That’s what the word declare means.

David is declaring God’s marvelous deeds, His power, and His might to generation next. Because he knows he is going to pass on, he’s determined to pass along God’s actions and God’s attributes. That’s exactly what we should be doing with intentional urgency – declaring who God is and all that He has done. Psalm 9:1 says: “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders” and Psalm 26:7 encourages us to not be quiet about it: “proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.” In Psalm 66:16 we see how purposeful and personal this must be: “Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.”

Old age does not provide an “out” for David, nor does gray hair disqualify him. Actually, it’s just the opposite because the older we get the greater the urgency we should feel to intentionally impact the next generation. Look back to our text in Psalm 71:18 where we see that David’s concern is that God not forget or forsake him. God is greatly committed to those in their golden years as stated in Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Gray hair is a great honor according to Proverbs 16:31: “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” Proverbs 20:29 adds, “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.”

The evangelist John Wesley served the Savior in his senior years. In his lifetime he rode 350,000 miles on horseback and preached some 40,000 different sermons. At the age of 83 he complained because he could only study for 15 hours a day. At the age of 86 he was concerned that he was becoming slothful because he was sleeping in until 5:00 a.m. At 87 he learned his eleventh foreign language. At 88 he was worried because he could only preach twice a day six days a week.

Demographers have recently identified a new life-stage between adulthood and true old age that is referred to as “the third age,” “midcourse” or “my time.” I’d like to suggest another term and call it “prime time for proclamation.” Biblically understood, a longer life is an opportunity for extended ministry.

Would you notice that David is requesting that God would sustain him long enough so that he could leave a legacy for the next generation, to all who are to still to come? He’s not just thinking about himself or his ease. He’s determined to declare his faith to those who will follow him. This theme of one generation passing along a legacy of faith to the next is found throughout Scripture. Listen to salm 78:4-6: “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”

What More Does God Have For You?

Acts 13:36 says this about David: “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.” Are you serving God’s purpose in your generation? In Psalm 71:18 David wants to stay alive long enough to leave a legacy: “…till I declare your power.” How would you complete this sentence? God, allow me to say alive until I . What is it that you still want to do? Fill in the blank. Acts 2:17 says that in the last days, “old men would dream dreams.”

I wonder if there are any Caleb’s in our culture today. He was one of the spies who went into the Promised Land and believed they could conquer the land because God was bigger than the giants who lived there. Unfortunately, he was outvoted and as a result God’s people wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until that entire generation died. In Joshua 14, we read that Caleb continued to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and now, at the age of 85 they are once again at the border of Canaan, and he says in verse 11: “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.” I love what he says next in verse 12: “Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day…”

Referring to the enemies who lived there, he declares: “…but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said.” His concern was not having a condo at Shalom Acres; instead he wanted another whack at the hill country. He was up for a new challenge. What “hill country” do you need to claim? What mountain does God want you to climb? Fill in the blank: God, allow me to stay alive until I .

1. If you’re younger, seek out the wisdom of the older. One senior citizen summed up what many feel today: “You know, as I got older I realized I was beginning to come up with some answers to questions of life that so long had stumped me. And just about then I realized that nobody was asking me the questions.” If you have an older person of faith in your family, intentionally ask him or her to share what they have learned. If you don’t, then find someone in this family of faith and get together with him or her.

2. If you’re older, seek out the younger. Have you done everything you can do in your family to declare God’s deeds to the next generation? What plan do you have to do this? Moses taught Joshua, Elijah impacted Elisha, Naomi taught Ruth about God, Elizabeth mentored Mary, Barnabas believed in Mark, Paul poured into Timothy and Titus. If you’re still alive it’s not too late to leave a legacy. Before passing on, make sure you pass it on by leaving a legacy. Be a legacy leaver.

Consider Yourself “Asked”

According to a report from “America’s Senior Volunteers,” just 17% of adults age 55 and over who were not directly asked to volunteer actually end up volunteering. Among those who were asked, however, 84%—or more than four times as many—volunteered. If you’re a senior saint, consider yourself “asked” by the Almighty to serve God’s purposes in our generation as you pass it along to the next.

I love this quote from Charles Spurgeon: “If, like David, you have slain the lion and the bear and the Philistine when you were young, up, man, and do another deed of daring, for the Lord liveth still, and his people have need of you. Though your joints are rather rusty, and your limbs can hardly bear you to the battlefield, yet limp to the conflict, for the lame to take the prey. He who helped you when you were but a youth and ruddy, will help you now though you are old and infirm, who knoweth what you may do yet? Oh, my honored brethren, revered for your years, show us your metal. Let the young ones see how victories are won…and let us see how he who is washed in the blood of Jesus would not hesitate to shed his own blood in the Redeemer’s cause. Your zeal will stimulate us, your courage nerve us, and we, too, will be valiant for the Lord God of Israel. So may God’s spirit work in you and in us. Amen.” (“The Old Man’s Sermon,” www.spurgeon.org).

February 23, 2010

Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer

Beth played this song for me recently and I can’t stop listening to it.  I love the line that says, “May this journey bring a blessing.”  The journey itself is sometimes very difficult but the end result can lead to blessing.

February 22, 2010

One Way or Many Ways?

A new study released by the Pew Forum finds most Americans don’t feel their religion is the only way to eternal life — even if their faith tradition teaches otherwise.

This quote really troubled me: “Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.”

While we live in a pluralistic country, as believers in Jesus we must teach what Jesus himself taught. He is the only way to heaven: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. There is no other plan but the person of Jesus. There is no way to get to heaven unless we go through Him. Jesus is very inclusive in the sense that everyone is invited to a relationship with Him as John 6:37 states: “…whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” But, His claims are very exclusive in the sense that there is no other way to Heaven except through Him. The exclusivity of Immanuel is emphatic.

How does this mesh in a pluralistic society like ours that values variety and excludes exclusive truth claims? Though Christianity still dominates by sheer numbers, the U.S. now has a greater diversity of religious groups than any country in recorded history. Did you know that there are now more Muslims in America than there are Methodists? It’s helpful to remember that the world of the biblical authors was filled with paganism and pluralism as well. In the midst of all this doctrinal diversity, the Bible makes some rather startling claims that run counter-cultural to the mantra of religious tolerance.

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus made it clear that the way to heaven is pretty restrictive: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Peter boldly states in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5-6: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men…”

1 John 5:12: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

These passages are extremely exclusive and overwhelmingly clear: Jesus is the only way to heaven. His statements of divine authority are incompatible with the homogenizing views of religious pluralists. The claims of Christ are outrageous but they happen to be what G.K. Chesterton called “the wild truth.”

Here are a few observations about John 14:6.

When Jesus uses the phrase, “I AM,” He is once again claiming the name of Yahweh for Himself from Exodus 3:14. He is God in human flesh. He is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Way, the Vine, the Alpha and Omega, and the Resurrection and the Life.

Notice that this verse begins with the word “I.” In fact, eleven times in just six verses, Jesus uses the personal pronoun – I, me, or my. We are not saved by a principle or a force but by a person. Jesus did not say that He knew the way, the truth and the life, or even that he taught these great principles. He declared Himself to be the embodiment of the way, the truth and the life. While answering all of life’s questions, Jesus doesn’t offer a recipe to follow; instead He gives us a relationship with Himself. His plan is wrapped up in a Person.

In the original, the words way, truth and life have the definite article in front of them so that the verse should read, “I am the way (that is, the only way), I am the truth (that is, the only truth), and the life (that is, the only life).”

All three concepts are active and dynamic. The way brings to God; the truth makes us free; and the life produces relationship. Without the way there is no going, without the truth there is no knowing, without the life there is no living.

The context indicates that the idea of “the way” predominates. We could put it like this: “I am the way that reveals the truth about God and gives life to those who believe.”

There is only one avenue to salvation. With Christ removed there is no redemptive truth, no everlasting life and no way to the Father. While other religions offer systems of thought that try to bridge the gap between man and God, Jesus is the only one who has succeeded in bridging the divide.

Since every word of this astonishing statement challenges the fundamental beliefs of our culture, let’s look at this verse a little more closely.

1. Jesus is the way. Jesus does not merely show the way; He is Himself the way. This has a twofold meaning. He is the way from God to us in that all divine blessings come down from the Father through the Son. He is also the way from us to God. The only way to get to God is through Jesus. He spans the distance between God and sinners.

A story is told of a missionary traveling to a remote village. He was given a guide to take him there because they had to walk through the jungle. As they started their journey, the path was clear and easy to follow. But then it vanished and the guide had to cut through the vines and the thick undergrowth with his machete. The missionary got nervous and asked, “Where’s the path?” To which the native replied, “I am the path. Just follow me”

2. Jesus is the truth. The word “truth” in Scripture is used in two ways: true as contrasted with false, and genuine as opposed to fake. Jesus is authentic and trustworthy. When we look at Jesus we come face-to-face with certainty and reality. The Bible describes truth as not just something that is simply intellectual; it also has a moral dimension to it. John 3:21 refers to doing the truth: “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light…” Jesus reveals God and exposes guilty people.

Truth is the scarcest commodity in the world. We hear people say, “that might be true for you, but it’s not for me.” Researcher George Barna has discovered that nearly 75% of Americans do NOT believe in absolute truth. Here’s the sad part of that. Without the clarity and consistency of absolute moral truth, we are reduced to doing what seems right, what feels good, what produces the least resistance, and what provides the greatest personal fulfillment.

Jesus rises above our cultural confusion and shouts out, “I am the truth. Get to know me and you will discover that which is totally true and transforming.” Truth is a very exclusive thing because it implies an objective standard. It is not something that changes with the whims of emotion or time or culture. What was true 100 years ago is true this year because, as Hebrews 13:8 states: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

In 1992, some Christians at Harvard University organized the Veritas Forum. Their purpose was to explore the truth and relevance of Christ by “raising the hardest questions of the university, society, and the human heart.” They were convinced that if Jesus was the Truth, He could stand up to thorough examination. They prayed and planned and invited people to their first discussion expecting about 100 people. Amazingly, 700 truth-seekers showed up. Now the Veritas Forum has emerged on over 70 secular campuses with over 200,000 participants. (Discipleship Journal, Issue 120).

Friend, if you’re searching for truth, ask your questions. Research the relevance of the Bible. Seek after truth. Winston Churchill once said, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.” Jesus is offering you a personal relationship with Himself.

Do you remember that scene from “A Few Good Men” when Jack Nicholson said to Tom Cruise, “You can’t handle the truth?” Can you handle the truth? Don’t run away when it’s right in front of you. Pilate voiced the question on many minds today. Even though Jesus was standing right in front of Him, he queried in John 18:38: “What is truth?” He didn’t take the time to find out. Friend, you will find what you’re looking for in Christ as John 8:32 declares: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

3. Jesus is the life. All through the gospel of John life describes the principle of spiritual vitality. Just as death spells separation from God, so life implies communion with Him. We are dead without Him. We become alive when we surrender ourselves to Him. John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” Since Jesus is life we will only find meaning when we commit to His lordship. John 1:4: “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

I can think of three ways we can put this powerful passage into practice.

1. Place your faith in Jesus. He is the only way! Look again at the last part of verse 6: “…No one comes to the Father except through me.” That little word “except” means that apart from Jesus there is no way to be saved. You cannot get there by trusting yourself. And you cannot come to the Father by jumping through any religious hoops either. The only way to come is to go through Jesus, the way, the truth and the life. 1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Are you ready to do that right now?

Jesus is the way that must be followed; He is the truth that must be believed; and He is the life that must be lived. Be like Thomas and ask your questions and then when you find what you’re looking for, instead of being a “doubting Thomas,” be a “decisive Thomas.” When he looked at the overwhelming evidence as he put his hands into the wounds of his Savior, Jesus saw into Thomas’ soul and said, “Stop doubting and believe.” I love Thomas’ response in John 20:28: “My Lord and my God!” Can you say the same thing? Will you stop doubting and believe?

2. Tell others about Jesus. Brothers and sisters, we don’t have to make Jesus more palatable to people. He is truth and can stand up to thorough investigation. Our job is to tell others about Him. By the way, the exclusive truth claims of Jesus do not mean that we should demonstrate an exclusive spirit. Ravi Zacharias captures this well when he writes: “Without the undergirding of love, the possessor of any conviction becomes obnoxious, and the dogma believed becomes repulsive to the one who disagrees with it. The early church also lived in an intensely pluralistic culture in which it had to deliver an exclusivistic message, but the believers were distinguished and recognized by their love…being possessed of a conviction is a necessary part of following God, but doing so with love and patience are necessary handmaidens.” (“Deliver Us From Evil,” p. 83).

3. Live your life for Jesus. Because Jesus is the great “I AM,” those of us who know Him should have our lives shaped by Him. Are you living for Him right now? Do you need to come back?

Bobby Fong, a former Harvard student, puts it this way: “Truth is not only that which awaits discovery but also that which was once known but is now threatened by forgetfulness.”

Let’s not forget.

February 21, 2010

Caregiver Guidelines

Have you ever wondered what to say when you’re face-to-face with another person’s pain?  Ever been speechless when speaking to someone who is suffering?  Or maybe you’ve been on the receiving end of some well-intended but insensitive comments like these:

“I know just how you feel.”  You don’t.  Plus, this shifts attention to you, not them.
“God will give you another child.”  This is insensitive.
“God must have needed him in heaven.”  This feels empty.
“God told me that he’ll heal you.” Really?
“Time heals all wounds.”  Not always.
“God must be trying to teach you something.”  This is patronizing and arrogant.
“If you do what I did then you’ll be better.”  Who made you the expert?
“My aunt Mildred had the same problem…” Every situation is different.

Our maxims and cute sayings to those who are suffering are not only empty, they can be excruciating.  Friends, let’s resist trying to “package people’s pain.”  Let’s cut out the clichés and jettison the jargon.

In Job 2:11-13 we learn that three friends come to comfort Job in his pain.  They do a number of things right – at least at the beginning.  Here are some lessons we can learn from this passage to help us help others when they’re going through tough times.

• Hear the hurting.  Job’s friends “heard about all the troubles that had come upon him.”  The first step for us is to actually listen when someone is speaking so that we pick up on their problems.  When you hear that another person is in pain, write it down so you can follow-up.
• Sacrifice your schedule.  The next thing they do is “to set out from their homes.”  If we’re going to care for the hurting, we’re going to have to sacrifice our schedule.  If we wait to care until it’s convenient, it will never happen.
• Partner with people.  Catch what happens next – they “met together by agreement.”  It’s always a good idea to take someone with you when you hear of a need.
• Go with grace.  Their goal was to go “and sympathize with him.”  This is the word “nud” in Hebrew, which means to rock back and forth.  When people go through tremendous pain they often rock themselves back and forth – we’re to join them in that.
• Come with comfort.  This is a similar idea and carries with it the idea of coming alongside.
• Expect a change in appearance.  When people grieve they often look different, sickness may cause other changes, and they may say shocking things as well.  We see this in verse 12: “When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him…”
• Exhibit your emotions.  When they saw Job in his distress they started to cry: “they began to weep aloud.”  Don’t be afraid to express your emotions.  Romans 12:15 says, “Mourn with those who mourn.” One author writes: “We can forget those with whom we have laughed, but we can never forget those with whom we’ve cried.”
• Respond with rituals.  After weeping aloud, they “tore their robes.”  That was a cultural way of demonstrating that they were all tore up on the inside as Joel 2:13 says: “Rend your heart and not your garments.”  I’m not quite sure what that looks like today but it probably involves doing something tangible like cleaning the house, bringing a meal, etc. 
• Honor with humility.  In that culture pouring dust on the head was a sign of humility: “and sprinkled dust on their heads.”  This carries with it the idea of looking for ways to enter into someone’s pain.
• Sit with the sufferer.  The first part of verse 13 says: “Then they sat on the ground with him…”  It’s important to get on the person’s level and get as close as possible.  I know of a chaplain who has actually lain down next to a person who was dying because the individual was cold. 
• Take the time needed.  These three friends were in no hurry to leave.  Amazingly, they were there for “seven days and seven nights.”  This is called “sitting sheva,” which means “sitting sevens” and has become part of Jewish life.  While we shouldn’t overstay our welcome, it’s important to spend time with people when they’re in pain.
• Be silent in the face of suffering.  Sometimes silence is the best response we can have.  That’s what they do in the last part of verse 13: “No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”  I’ll never forget a hospital visit from a deacon in our church in Rockford after one of our daughters was born.  She had stopped breathing several times and I was afraid.  As I was pacing around the waiting room, Jay Forsyth showed up and gave me a big hug.  He then sat next to me and didn’t say a word.  It meant the world to me.

I guess we could summarize these caregiver guidelines this way: Show up and shut up.  Don’t stay away and when you come, silence may be better than speech.  Incidentally, if you can’t visit, a phone call, email, a note on Facebook, or a card in the mail is the next best thing. 

Henri Nouwen, in his book “Out of Solitude,” writes: “When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand.” 

We may have some insight, but we don’t have all the answers.

 

February 19, 2010

Humbled by God

“It is delightful to worship God, but it is also a humbling thing; and the man who has not been humbled in the presence of God will never be a worshiper of God at all.” (A.W. Tozer)

February 18, 2010

More on Lent

Today is Day 2 of Lent.  Here’s another post that helped me understand more called Why I’m Participating in Lent.

February 18, 2010

A Prayer for Our Children

In the weekly prayer email this week, Vera Wahls included a wonderful prayer for our children.

1.  That they will respect the authorities in their lives.  (Romans 13:1).
2.  That they will desire right friends and be protected from wrong friends.  (Proverbs 1:10-11).
3.  That they will be kept from the wrong mate and will be saved for the right mate.  (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).
4.  That both they and those they will marry will be kept pure until marriage.  (2 Corinthians 6:18-20).
5.  That they will actively resist Satan in all circumstances.  (James 4:7).
6.  That they will be single-hearted - willing to be sold out to Jesus Christ.  (Romans 12:1,2).
7.  That they will be hedged in so they cannot find their way to wrong people or wrong places - and that wrong people will not find them.  (Job 1:10)

(From Dr. Kep Hay and Dr. Wendell Heller)

February 17, 2010

Prodigal Son Suite

After listening to Pastor Jeff’s super sermon from Sunday, my mind went back to a song by Keith Green called, “The Prodigal Son Suite.”

Check out the passion and the heart in this song…and if you’ve drifted, it’s time to come home.  The Father is waiting and will run to greet you.

February 17, 2010

Lent Lessons

Growing up Catholic, Lent was a really big deal.  The ashes on the forehead served to remind me of my mortality but I didn’t really dig not eating meat on Fridays, though I do like fish so the trade wasn’t so bad.

As an evangelical, I’ve not giving much thought to Lent but this year I want to use these 40 days before Easter to prepare myself in anticipation of Resurrection Day. 

Ray Pritchard offers some helpful background information about Lent: “Note that in the Western tradition, Lent starts today with Ash Wednesday and continues until Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Sundays are not counted as part of the forty days because each Sunday is meant to be a mini-Easter remembrance. In the evangelical wing of the church, we’re never sure what to do about Lent. Mostly we have ignored it. But there always something to be said for preparing our hearts for big events. And Easter is the ultimate Big Event.”

Because Jesus gave up his life for me, I’m giving up something for Lent so that I will be more focused and faithful during these days.  Anyone care to join me?

If you’d like to do some pondering during Lent, check out Pastor Ray’s series of questions that he’ll be posting every day.

February 14, 2010

There’s Still Work to Do

February 14, 2010

Father’s Love Letter

Pastor Jeff did a super job helping us capture the Father’s love for us.  Here’s a link to the closing video.

February 13, 2010

Asleep in the Light

I had this song in my head all day today.  I think its from contemplating the Nepalese believers walking 7 hours to get some training.

Check it out.  It’s one of the first Christian songs I heard as a new believer.  Very convicting.

February 13, 2010

Weighty Words

“Weighty preaching will cause people to have to chew and digest so you may not see instant results. In order to really preach a text with weight you will have to feel that text—and that often hurts. Not to mention to really feel a text means to know it, so this means more time. There really is no “big secret” to preaching weighty, so you may not be seen as cutting edge. Creation, fall, and redemption might get a little old. People may get sick of hearing that the only remedy is the gospel. It will be tempting to offer other solutions, to not beat the same drum. You might lose a few people.

“People will flock to flashy; but what they really need is weighty. We cannot afford to entertain, merely inform, and make certain that the people enjoy our sermons. I am not calling for boring sermons where lazy or unbroken and untouched men “preach the text” but refuse to let themselves be broken under it. I hunger to be broken by the sermons that I preach, to preach them passionately, and to preach as a dying man to dying men and women.”

- Mike Leake

February 12, 2010

The Walk is Worth It

Pastor Ray passed along an email a few weeks ago that I posted on my bulletin board right above my desk.  A pastor in Nepal is using Pastor Ray’s The Leadership Lessons of Jesus to train pastors in the Himalaya Region.  He translated this book into Nepalese and taught around 20 pastors, leaders and students.

This pastor sent an email giving some details of how everything went.  This sentence really hit me: “THEY WALKED FOR 7 HOURS TO GET TO THE TRAINING.”

Seven hours?  Walked?  Oh, why am I so lazy?  Why is that we don’t always see this kind of commitment in America? 

It’s time for us to get serious about our walk with Jesus! 

Men, there’s a breakfast tomorrow morning at 7:30—will you drive seven minutes to come?
Colin Duncan is leading a brand new discipleship class on prayer at 9:00 a.m. beginning this Sunday—will you get up earlier and come?

February 11, 2010

Drifting?

People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

D.A. Carson, Reflections, Christianity Today, 7-31-00.

February 10, 2010

Dual Fidelities

Here’s one more winner of the Jenkins Awards for writing at Moody. 

Here’s part of what this students writes…

“After mulling over the data with Glenn and later on my own, the following became clear: there are aspects of romance that elude explanation. However, God clearly gives ink to a certain intoxication, an intrigue (Proverbs 5:19; Song of Solomon) that renders “love is a decision” as incomplete. And when those aren’t present in the final product, marriage, there are harsh words for such a cerebral union in Proverbs 30:21-23.”

February 10, 2010

Air Conditioning Hell

This provocative post by Albert Mohler is spot on.

February 08, 2010

Father/Son Moment

I love it when dads are tender with their kids!

February 08, 2010

Celebrate Family

This ad was short and very simple.  The brilliance of it is that it directs people to this site where they can hear more and be exposed to other ministries of Focus on the Family.

While it may not convince Planned Parenthood, it’s my prayer that someone watching my end up choosing life.

February 06, 2010

Grandpa’s Last Lesson

Here’s some more great writing from a Moody student who received a Jenkins award at Founder’s Week.  This one is called, Grandpa’s Last Lesson.

It’s a bit long so I won’t quote it all here but it’s worth reading in its entirety. 

February 05, 2010

How to Watch the Super Bowl

I know, I know the Packers aren’t in the big game so maybe I’m just chewing on sour grapes but this advice from C.J. Mahaney is good stuff…

DRAW ATTENTION TO THE ETERNAL

Sometime after the game—that same evening or the next day—it’s helpful for a father to draw his child’s attention to the game in light of eternity. It’s also helpful for us as fathers to be reminded of an eternal perspective.

Apart from those few who listen excessively to sports talk radio, this game will be quickly forgotten. Let me ask you this—who won the Super Bowl even five years ago?

The day before the 1972 Super Bowl, Dallas Cowboy running back Duane Thomas said, “If it’s the ultimate game how come they’re playing it again next year?” Some players seem to get it. Sadly, many fans don’t.

More recently Tom Brady, quarterback of three Super Bowl championships, is quoted in a 60 Minutes interview saying,

Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, “Hey man, this is what is.” I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, “God, it’s got to be more than this.” I mean this isn’t, this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.

I anticipate that in a week or two, after the Super Bowl has been won, the champions will experience this same dissatisfaction. As Augustine said, “You [God] made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you.”

We must impart this eternal perspective to our children.

February 05, 2010

10 Temptation Truths

Mark Driscoll is always worth reading and listening to.

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