LOOKING AT THE BRIGHT SIDE

I wish to report that I set a new personal record today for a 5K run. Unfortunately, it was a new slowest 5K ever. Maybe I have run one slower, but I think I was asleep at the time and can’t remember it clearly. But, even at times like this, I like to look at the bright side. After all, even when we are going through difficult times in life, there is always a lesson to be learned, or some positive element to it all, if we just look for the silver lining. Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” - Philippians 4:8. So, I decided that no matter how slowly I slogged through my run today, I would practice thinking of it in positive terms. Here is what I came up with:

One great thing about the course I selected was that the first half is all uphill. Why is that good? Because being an out and back, it means the second half is all downhill. This course also happens to be one of my favorite places to run in the summer. Karen and I regularly run anywhere from 3 to 6.5 miles on this series of roads and trails. The familiarity of knowing the area well, and having run it many, many times, added to the feeling of near motionlessness as I crawled over the terrain today. It was kind of hypnotic.

Another positive today, was that having done virtually no exercise whatsoever for the last three months, I was well rested at the beginning. For some reason that feeling evaporated kind of quickly though. Also, having gained a significant amount of weight over that same three-month period meant that I was well fed and didn’t really have to worry about bonking. Theoretically, I should be able to run non-stop around the world just burning the calories that my body has efficiently stored away as fat. No need to stop and refuel. Similarly, if I were to collapse from fatigue today, I should be able to make through the entire winter lying there on the trail waiting for rescue. A comforting thought when you are out there on the trail by yourself.

That brings us to another positive, there was no one else out there today. It was suggested that the ambient temperature of 10 degrees at 1 pm may have discouraged some of the less motivated runners, but I think everyone was just Christmas shopping. Actually the temperature was a big plus in my book. No problems with overheating, and the sweat that soaked through my layers on the way out (uphill remember) turned quickly to a sheet of ice that helped block the wind coming back downhill. It was awesome–I didn’t have to carry an extra outer layer, the sweat-ice kept me warm.

My equipment choice provided another place for rejoicing. I decided to break out a brand new pair of winter running shoes today. When I picked up my old pair, I noticed that the outsole was literally pealing off, and that the heel displayed a 20-degree list to the side. Loving my knees as I do, I decided to open up a new pair of North Face 103 Gore-Tex shoes. Having spent the summer in some ultra-light trail shoes the North Face XCR’s were a whole different feel. These shoes are each approximately the same size and weight as a Volkswagen Beetle. I figured that with each stride I was getting double the workout – awesome! However, there is nothing like Gore-Tex for keeping your feet toasty on a somewhat chilly day like today. Not to mention the fact that the sheer size of the footprint kept me floating over the snow.

Oh, did I forget to mention the snow? Yeah, the problem with running this particular course in the winter, is that the BLM closes the road about 100 yards from where I parked the car. After that, the road, which becomes a two-track, which becomes a trail, isn’t really seeing that much use – what with Christmas shopping taking everyone’s time and all. So as I continued, the trail went from hard packed road, to slightly packed two track, to soft snow that mimicked running through deep sand. That was OK with me though, because having not run in three months, I needed the extra workout.

So, all in all it was a great day. To top it off, I am almost assured that my next run will be faster than this one. I now have a benchmark that is so low, that I would have to walk backwards to go any slower. I am virtually positive that, if I get some consistency back in my running program, I will be back in shape by Spring. In the mean time, I am just happy to be out on a beautiful day, in a beautiful place, plodding along at my own pace.

GOD'S WORD MAKES LIFE SO MUCH EASIER

Back in the summer of 1981, Karen and I began attending a local church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For my part, I can take absolutely no credit for this decision. I didn’t even want to go; it was Karen who felt that it was important, as we prepared for marriage, that we start going to church together. Prior to this time, we had both developed the habit of starting each day by simply reading the Bible, getting quiet before God, giving our day to Him, and trying to hear any direction that He might give. Nothing fancy, just a simple devotional time done probably 5 or 6 times a week on average. Over a period of time through our local church, we were exposed to the ministries of a number of different men and women of God. We began to listen to recorded teachings, read good books, and develop better Bible study habits. None of this seemed like any big deal at the time, we were just seeking to know God better a little bit at a time.

Now, 28 years later, I can see that each one of these small decisions was absolutely life-changing. Slowly but surely, in one small dose after another, God has shared His wisdom about life with us. He has shown us simple but practical truths that have made our lives and marriage immeasurably richer, more satisfying, and so much easier. Don’t get me wrong; we have made plenty of mistakes and bad decisions. We have wrestled with the issues of life just like everyone else. But when I look back at all of the small but powerful truths that the Lord has provided for us, I can’t imagine how hard life would be without them.

I have been to hundreds, no thousands, of church services and meetings over the years. A few were in some way amazing and unforgettable. But most were not that remarkable, except for some little nugget that God would drop into our spirits. We would just grab hold of that little truth, and begin to think about it, chew on it, and allow it to produce a change in our thinking and ultimately our behavior. The result has been that we have avoided becoming angry and bitter, feeling victimized by life or people, we have a strong marriage, some wonderful friends, and our life is full of purpose. Again, those of you who know us know that we are FAR from perfect – I’m just saying that God’s word makes life so much easier. With His input, we can all navigate through the difficult times that we are facing without getting off track.

Proverbs 1:32, 33 NIV - “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

These verses warn us against two mistakes that are easy to make, and easy to overlook in our daily lives. Waywardness is going your own way, setting your own course, without taking time to intentionally seek, find, and apply God’s wisdom. And complacency is simply not paying attention, not really caring one way or the other about the direction of your life. The complacent person doesn’t necessarily reject God or His Word, he just doesn’t seek it either – it is a “take it or leave it” attitude toward the things of God.

God says that the end result of waywardness and complacency, is the same as that of rejecting God altogether. My encouragement to you today is to develop the simple, but consistent, habits of reading your Bible, devotional prayer, quiet time before God, and plugging in to a good local church. Your life will never be the same.

FAITH LEAVES A MARK

The other day, Karen and I were running on a trail just up the Ohio Creek Valley from Gunnison. Along the trail, there were dozens of places where people had carved their names, initials, or a date, into the bark of the aspen trees. Over time, the tree will build a black “scab” around the carving, which will contrast sharply with the tree’s white bark. Lots of people seem to like doing this, and it is common to find names that were carved into a tree 30 or 40 years ago. (By the way, as good a spiritual analogy as this makes, carving your name in a tree leaves an ugly mark. The tree looks better without it – just my opinion.)

We see this all the time, but on this particular day, these carvings kept drawing my attention. I could tell that the Lord was trying to show me something, so I started to pay attention and listen for what He might say. At one point, these words bubbled up out of my spirit, “Faith leaves a mark,” immediately followed by Hebrews 11:1, 2 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

God commended our predecessors in the faith, not just for having an occasional experience of faith, but for persevering in faith–maintaining their faith in God over the course of their lives. Hebrews 11:13 goes on to say, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” I think this is a very important principle for us to understand. While the exercise of our personal faith toward God certainly does enable us to receive a great measure of God’s promised provision, our faith is also important to future generations. Believers living in this generation, are by faith pulling on the things that God has planned for future generations. Even if we don’t see the full completion of things we are believing for in our lifetime, the very fact that we are believing for them is drawing them closer and closer to manifestation in this earth. This is just another example of the foundational truth that our Christian life is never just about us. As we continued on our run/hike, I believe that the Lord was showing me that our faith leaves a mark in at least three ways.

First, faith leaves a mark on us. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the personal and spoken word of God. Faith is not something that we work up, or that originates in us. It is imparted to our human spirit by the Holy Spirit through God’s personal communication with us. That interaction with God always marks us forever. We are never the same after we hear Him speak. We may have a new outlook, sometimes fears are eliminated, sometimes our entire course in life is changed, sometimes we just have enough renewed strength to get through the day, but we are never the same. Each intimate interaction with the Holy Spirit builds something upon the foundation of our past interactions with Him. Each time I stand in faith through to the end of something, each time I see God’s faithfulness to fulfill His Word in my life, I am marked with a confidence that the storms of life can’t erase.

Secondly, our faith leaves a mark on those closest to us. The people of Hebrews 11 did not view their faith as something private–something to keep to themselves and not “impose” on anyone else. On the contrary, they lived their lives openly according to their faith, and they unashamedly imparted that faith to their children and grandchildren. When Christians are not just living a religion, but actually living from the impartations of faith that come from time with the living God, people can sense it. Genuine living faith does not need to boisterously prove its existence. It is a rock-solid foundation that upholds the truth with quiet confidence. Is faith sometimes noisy? You bet! But the noise is one of expectant jubilation in God and His greatness. The noise might be one of war against God’s enemies and the victory celebration that follows, but it is not the noise of proving one’s point by shouting the loudest. In quietness and confidence is your strength. Make no mistake about it, when we live by genuine faith, our friends, neighbors, and the toughest sell of all, our families, will recognize the powerful reality of our faith, and of the God in whom we trust.

And finally, our faith leaves a mark on future generations. The whole point of Hebrews 11 really comes out in Hebrews 12. We are told to be aware of a great multitude of witnesses that have gone before us in the life of faith. Witnesses are not just those who sit in the stands and watch, they are people whose lives bear witness to the truth. They are people who stood in faith and left a mark on their generation that still inspires us today.

People that walked along the same path that we are walking today made the marks that we see in those aspen groves. They took the time to stop and make a deep imprint in the bark of those trees that still speaks of their presence. When we walk by, we see their name, or the date that they were there. Our lives have intersected in a shared experience of these woods. In the same way, when I hear of the faith of prior generations of believers, I know that I am a part of something much larger than myself. I am part of a long line of people who have walked this earth with their ears and eyes focused on God. Our lives are richer, and our way is clearer, because those who went before us left their mark of faith.

A DREAM COME TRUE

I am still just a little bit in shock right now. Today at about 10:45 am, Karen and I had the privilege of signing the documents that transferred nearly 7 acres of land, and our church building, to the ownership of Rocky Mountain Christian Ministries. While this did mean that the church is taking on a large debt, it also meant that we now have a significant piece of equity in this property.

We just took a walk together to the back part of the property just to look at it and let God build His plans further into our hearts. It is a very life-changing thing to stand on and touch something that was just a dream in your heart that you believed was from God. Things like this begin with a whisper from the Holy Spirit. That whisper arrives in our hearts with a release of power that pulls us up short. We ask God, “Is that you?” “Are you serious?” Then, over time, that whisper takes on shape and gives direction to our feet. We start to believe that what we are sensing is not just something we made up, but an actual dream from our Father’s heart.

Then come the weeks, or months, or years, or decades, or generations, of holding that dream through thick and thin and defending it against the onslaughts of doubt, fear, and unbelief. We have to learn to love, but not listen to, the naysayers and the critics, as we return again and again to God’s presence for fresh hope, faith and direction. Then one day, there you stand with the dream of God as a reality in your life. It doesn’t matter if it is a financial need, or a need for healing, or wisdom, or a better marriage, the miraculous nature of it is just the same. Whatever the miracle consists of, it is one more confirmation that God is able to bring His dream to pass in your life.

The real kicker is that by the time one dream is manifested in front of you, God has dropped two or three more into your heart. He just never stops! I think that’s because His dream has little to do with land and buildings and all these physical needs that we have. His dream is for a people. This property is only important because it facilitates worship. It is a visible representation of the fact that God loves to interact with people. Every car that drives by this property sees a sign that says that people gather here to worship the living God. God loves to gather with us and pour Himself into our hearts. He is passionate about every man, woman, and child that lives in, or passes through, this valley. He is glorified when we gather together and dare to believe Him–dare to dream with Him.

So we have reached one more milestone in the unfolding of this particular dream–the one we know as Rocky Mountain Christian Ministries. But the biggest dreams and the greatest work are still in front of us. Some of you that read this will just think “that’s cool,” but others will sense God’s call to be a part of moving this dream forward. Jump in with us and participate. God has a role for you to play. That’s what real life is all about.

RMCM FACEBOOK PAGE

I just wanted to invite all of you to check out the new RMCM Facebook page. Bear in mind that we just put it up, and we will be adding functionality as time goes on. This page will primarily be a place to find information about upcoming events at RMCM, and to join in the occasional discussion. Check it out, and if you have suggestions, please click the discussion tab and leave a comment.

TIMES OF REFRESHING

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:38-40)

As I sit here today listening to the rain falling steadily outside, I am reminded of how often the Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit in terms of a refreshing flow of water. In the passage above, Peter is addressing a very large group of people from a wide variety of cultures. He tells them that if they will change their thinking to embrace the open door that God has provided through Jesus, they will all be filled with the Holy Spirit and experience the power and refreshing of His presence.

A short time later, after the Holy Spirit had worked a great miracle through Peter, he said this to the crowd that gathered:

“But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus.” (Acts 3:18-20)

What an opportunity we have! To be filled, and refilled, over and over, with the Holy Spirit. If you are in need of hope, healing, encouragement, vision, strength, or simple refreshing, I encourage you to take a moment right now and receive a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.

STAYING UPRIGHT AND ON COURSE

If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.

Proverbs 24:10 - NKJV

I think this Scripture from the Book of Proverbs holds an especially important message for all of us right now. The word translated “adversity” here is a Hebrew word that means trouble, pressure or distress. Have you noticed that a lot of people are experiencing some adversity lately? Or, if they aren’t, the media is trying to make sure they think they are. Whether it is financial, marital, or even physical distress, trouble seems to be all around us – even on our doorstep.

But this verse implies that there is a strength available to the people of God that will hold us upright and on course through times of adversity. If we believe what the verse is saying—and we had better—we need not faint or falter when adversity comes to call. The word “faint” here means to relax the grip, drop the guard, abandon our post, or withdraw. If, when pressure comes, we grow weary and give up the fight, then what we have been calling strength, is no strength at all.

We Christians talk quite a bit about our convictions and our principles, and rightly so. We are people who have made Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives. We have let go of our old ways of self-interest and self-reliance to partner with God in the expansion of His kingdom on earth. We have realized that, not only are we incapable of achieving eternal life on our own, but we make a pretty big mess of life in general when we try to live it for our own selfish purposes and in our own human power. We have given up that way of living in favor of walking by faith in God. As we walk by faith in God, we are empowered by His Spirit and His Word in every possible aspect of life.

There is another verse that says; “The Lord will give unyielding and impenetrable strength to His people, the Lord will bless His people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11 Amplified Bible) God’s strength is custom tailored for the day of adversity. If there were never a need to resist evil, or overcome temptation, or wrestle with the desire to give up, why would God give us His strength? If adversity comes, and we quit—quit living for God, quit trusting Him to keep His promises, quit relying on His ability to bring His will to pass in our lives, quit standing on the eternal truths of His Word—our “strength” is a small, fragile, human counterfeit of the strength that God possesses and gives—it is no strength at all.

Recently, I have been trying to learn to sail a boat. On Blue Mesa Reservoir, with the winds constantly gusting and changing direction, it has been challenging to say the least. But, my boat is equipped with a large, heavy keel that acts like a pendulum, keeping it on its feet through the changing winds. When a gust hits, this 500-pound keel serves to keep the boat upright, and the shape of the keel works with the sails to turn the force of the wind into forward motion. I believe that God’s Spirit and His Word held deep in our hearts work much the same way. They serve to keep us upright and on course through all the extremes that life can throw at us.

So I encourage you this month to spend more and more time in His presence, and in His Word. Ephesians 6:10 says, …be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him… Don’t give up, don’t faint, and don’t quit. Bottom line, if Christians quit the devil wins. But if we stand, he has no hope whatsoever.

THE WORSHIP THAT IS CHOSEN

Last night, at our mid-week Bible Study, We had a great discussion that centered on the idea that God loves the worship, or devotion, that is chosen. We started by asking the question, why were their two trees in the Garden of Eden? This was before the fall of man and the entrance of sin, and yet God created an environment for mankind that included options. Man had to choose from the very beginning. There was never a time when man existed that he did not have to choose between the life of God and the knowledge of good and evil.

I believe that says something about God Himself, and about His design for man. God values relationship that is free-flowing, not coerced or manipulated. God loves worship that comes from a willing heart. When we choose to love and serve God, it says something about our value for God.

During the discussion, a question was raised about why, if God does not select certain people to be saved, and others not to be saved, if it is really a matter of choosing what God has provided, are there not more people choosing God? Why are our churches and Bible studies not full to overflowing? I believe the answer lies in fallen human nature. Choosing God means choosing a way that is not the most popular, and requires a great deal of personal dedication, commitment, and sacrifice. Jesus paid the price for our sin, and salvation is a free gift, but walking with God on earth, while a blessed and satisfying way of life, is not the easiest road to walk.

I think Jesus answered the question well when He said, “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” (Matthew 7:13, 14).

Jesus is an open door that leads to life. In fact, He Himself is eternal life. But if you are going to follow the path of least resistance, or follow the crowd, you are most certainly going to miss out on God’s plan for your life. On this earth, the places that draw the biggest crowds, and the most public approval, are rarely the places that are filled with God’s Presence. So choose well, choose wisely, and choose to worship the only One who deserves it.

TRANSFORMERS

(Ephesians 4:22-24) that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

In the last couple of weeks, I have had several great conversations that all led to the same place; a discussion of the way God can and does change the way we think. The Bible has a lot to say about our thoughts, and our patterns of thinking. We are told that the way a person thinks in his heart so is he. The phrase “thinks in his heart” clearly refers to more than just the thoughts that we think; it refers to habitual ways of processing thoughts coupled with an overall context in which we think. This context through which we filter all the input that comes into our lives is called a worldview.

Jesus directly linked our thoughts and our actions by clarifying for us the correlation between sinful thoughts and sinful actions. He said that thinking about adultery is committing adultery. And of course, the Bible tells us that our lives are transformed to reflect greater and greater degrees of Godliness by the renovation of our minds.

What continually amazes me though is the degree to which a genuine encounter with the presence of God not only affects what I think about, but the way I think. That, my friends, is a real miracle. I can, to a degree, change the things I think about by sheer will power. But only God can change the way I think. Only He can transform the very way I process information and the way I see life. Only revelation from God can change my perspective of things to the degree that I relate to them on a brand new level.

The other day we were out at the lake getting ready to put the sailboat in the water. We had the 27’ mast raised on a boat that sits about 6’ off the ground on a trailer, and we were driving up to the Zebra Mussel Inspection point. To get the boat inspected you drive through the inspection area and then follow the road around a little building to go back down toward the lake. Just beyond the building is a set of powerlines. It looked from where we were sitting in the car as though the mast would not make it under the wires. But from 50’ away, outside the car, it was clear that the lines were much higher than they looked. The point is that in order to see the truth of the matter, our perspective needed to change. When we interact with God, and draw nearer to Him, we begin to see elements of life from a totally new perspective–His perspective. This new perspective transforms our thinking and therefore our actions.

This process of transformation of, not only the things we think, but the way we think, that leads to new behavior has a name–it is called repentance. While we usually think of repentance in terms of sin, and certainly that is a legitimate use of the word. However, repentance describes a process where the way we think is transformed to reflect the way God thinks. That transformation leads to new, Godly, behavior.

I’ll close with one more example. When I was young, before I came to Christ, I thought that if you “loved” a girl, it was fine to have a sexual relationship with her. I could see where one-night stands were probably immoral, but if you “loved” someone, why not sleep together? All the commandments and morality lessons in the world couldn’t shake that belief. Even after I became a Christian, and mentally assented to the fact that the Bible said sex was reserved for marriage, I could obey the commandment, but I didn’t understand it, I couldn’t live it from my own heart-conviction.

Then one day it hit me. I had completely misunderstood what the word love meant. I thought love was an emotion that I felt, any sense of endearment and passion for this other person. When I realized that loving someone means that you are willing to lay down your life for the other person’s highest good, it all became clear. If indeed sex outside of marriage is sin, which I accepted that it was since the Scripture says so, and if sin hinders a person’s relationship with God and produces death in their lives, which the Bible says it does, how could I be loving someone and drawing them into sin? No way, not possible. Once my perspective of love changed, then my behavior toward those that I loved changed.

This particular revelation influenced many areas of my life. How could I continue to go to the bars, or drink socially if I might be causing my brothers and sisters to stumble? The Bible didn’t say I couldn’t drink, but if drinking meant so much to me that I was willing to do it at the risk of hurting other people, maybe I needed to think about how much of a hold alcohol really had on me.

What about criticism, anger, cynical thinking? How could I have negative conversations about people, expect the worst from life, hold grudges and still pray with a clean heart – wouldn’t work. Love said pray, so I had to give up the negativity. I could go on and on. One revelation of God’s character will change the way you think, and many of your actions will change in turn. So, the key to Godliness is repentance, and the key to repentance is seeking God’s face. As we see Him as He really is, we are transformed. Be a transformer – seek His face.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY STARTING AGAIN

I am excited about our midweek Bible study starting up again tonight. We took a break for several months while we prayed about what God wanted to do with it. Karen and I both felt that we still need to have a mid-week study, but we were not sure about the format of it. Starting tonight, and for the rest of the summer, we will be meeting outdoors for a shorter study and plenty of fellowship. We will also have some evenings of worship around the camp fire later in the summer.

We have found over the years that summers in Gunnison are a perfect time for building strong friendships that serve to keep our lives strong through good times and bad. We have seen countless examples of Christian people that do not value connecting with other members of the body of Christ, and in most cases, they feel that they simply don't need those relationships. They feel fine, until a storm strikes their life. At that point they have no one to help them through, or hold them accountable, or encourage them with the Word of God.

There are just no two ways about it, God intends for all of us to be joined to some other believers in our lives and to serve other people with the gifts that He has placed in us. Disconnected people are vulnerable to attack, and often fall where they could have stood strong. So, we need to be intentional about building and maintaining genuine Christian friendships. Believe it or not, as unspiritual as it may sound, coming out consistently on Wednesday nights, studying the Scripture for a while, then walking, or fishing, or roasting a marshmallow with a friend or two, might be one of the most powerful decisions you ever make.

For weekly information on the location of our mid-week Bible Study, please see the summerlife blog link to the left.

LIGHTING IS EVERYTHING!

The first point in the Westminster Shorter Catechism reads: “What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not much of a catechism guy. That’s because the word catechism in my life meant you had to get dressed up on a perfectly good Saturday morning, go into town, sit in a hot old building, and listen to the nuns teaching things you didn’t understand or care about. It turns out that the word catechism is a Greek word that basically describes a question and answer format for learning Biblical truths. A question is asked, an answer is given; another question that builds upon the lesson of the first question is asked, another answer given and so on. Huh. Not so bad after all – who knew.

Anyway, I love the first idea that is brought out in the Westminster Catechism. “The chief end of man, meaning the primary reason for which we were created, is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Let me ask you a question, what kind of picture comes into your heart when you think about glorifying God? Most of us will think of things like obedience, devotion, or maybe good behavior. While these are all good things, I think they miss the real heart of the matter. We need to get these two ideas inseparably united in our thinking–glorifying God, and enjoying Him forever. It doesn’t say just obeying Him although obeying Him is a wonderful and powerful thing. It doesn’t say just enjoying ourselves, or enjoying church, or enjoying worship, or the Bible. Again, all wonderful things, but it says enjoying HIM. That is pretty personal and relational. Glorifying God and enjoying God go hand in hand.

Here is another idea that I have been pondering lately. The primary driving force of the Christian life is not performing for God, but communing with God. I know a lot of Christians that think of “glorifying” God only in terms of performance. If I do all the right things, I glorify God, and God is happy with me. OK, well, one problem with that is that none of us can do all the right things. So given that definition of glorifying God, every time we fail we would “unglorify” Him wouldn’t we? If the chief creational purpose for man is to glorify God, there must be some way for us to do that consistently, don’t you think?

The key is that the word “glory” means the revealed essence of a thing. In other words, something, or someone’s essential core nature put on display is its glory. The Bible says that there are all kinds of glory. Created things have a certain glory while divine things have another. The mountains around Gunnison are glorious in their own way. They emanate a sense of power and stability that makes us stop and look on in wonder from time to time. There is something about that natural glory that points the human heart to the Creator. That’s because there is some degree of the glory of God in evidence there in those big piles of granite.

God’s glory is His essential nature–the core things that make God, God. His eternal life, His power, His wisdom, His Love, His kindness, His justice are all aspects of His essential nature. We believers glorify God when those attributes flow through us and become visible to people through our words and actions. But, if those attributes are coming through us only because we are duplicating them to the best of our ability, and in our own ability, it is not the glory of God that is seen but the glory of our religious works. On the other hand, if we are communing with God, and we come away with a part of Him shining through us, then it is God who is really being glorified. Let me try to give an example here.

Now, I am not any kind of artist, nor am I an art fan. In fact, there is a lot of “art” that I just don’t get at all. If you have to stand back and look at it, and 12 people can give 12 opinions about what it is supposed to be, count me out. I’m just way too literal for that. But on a couple of rare occasions, Karen has dragged, er, invited me to join her in an art gallery in Durango. We walked through and looked at all the pretty pictures and freaked at the price tags. But one thing I do find so fascinating is the way a painting, when properly lit, can look like the colors are glowing from inside it. I love that! Of course I don’t care so much about the piece, or about what goofy statement the artist might have been trying to make, but I am fascinated by the fact that someone can have that picture inside them, and then know how to put it out there on the canvas in such a way that it can look like that.

But if you take that piece out, and put it in your home without the proper lighting, it may look very drab in comparison to what you saw in the gallery. Besides that, you will probably be in debt for years because of what you paid for the thing, but that’s a different subject. My point is that it is only when we Christians spend time in the light of God’s presence that His glory can be seen shining out of us like the rich colors in those paintings. It is that time communing with Him that orients our lives toward Him, ignites the God-given dreams in our hearts, and stirs up His gifts in us. It is His presence that transforms our heart attitudes so that our actions put Him on display without our forcing it to happen. It is His light that is then reflected in genuine living color to the world.

Actually, when His life is impacting us, everything we see looks different too. We see possibilities and opportunities where others only see challenges. We see hope where others find only discouragement. That is because the light of His presence brings out the life-colors that He built into this natural life that we live day to day. So I encourage you to develop a consistent time of communing with the lord. Let Him breath His life into you, glorify Him, and enjoy Him Forever.

THE SMALL BLESSINGS

I have noticed that sometimes it is the small blessings of God that seem to mean the most. I think it’s because, from some instinctive, human standpoint, it seems to us that God must have more important things to do than to take care of inconsequential details in our lives. The things I am talking about are nice, but by no means necessary. And for that reason, they express the love of God toward us in a very meaningful way. The little blessings show that we have His undivided attention, and that He knows our heart’s desire at any given moment.

Right now we are on a ridiculous trip to pick up a pick-up (I just like to say that) in Florida and drive it home. We have a 4WD truck, but his one is better in so many ways that I won’t bore you with it. We didn’t NEED a different truck, but through a series of heart changes and leadings, God brought this one along. Then the thing was in Florida, but God worked all that out too. So now we are driving it back, and along the way seeing several old friends that we rarely get to see. So the whole thing is a blessing.

We are only a few days into the trip, but already we have seen God doing a number of little things that say he is with us, and enjoying the ride too. The first day out, we caught a ride to Denver with a good friend who has a reputation as a bit of a crazy driver. While I know he took it easy for us, it was very evident that the man is actually a very good driver. He may push the speed limit a bit at times, but he does not tailgate, or pass in the mountains on double-yellows or blind corners. Those are the things that scare the tar out of me. The ride was so comfortable and enjoyable, that it made for a great day with a good friend – blessing #1.

When we checked into the motel in Denver, they gave us a nice suite, instead of the bargain-basement room we had requested, for no apparent reason. We would have been perfectly happy with the room we had reserved, but the Lord just gave us a nicer one at no charge – blessing #2. This has gone on day after day. We wouldn’t have noticed the absence of these things, but they have made each day special, and the love of God tangible and that is the point.

I will share some more with you on this, but right now I have to get going. We have a long drive through a state we’ve never seen today. Oh, by the way, Karen just asked what I was doing, and I told her what I was writing. I said I needed to look up the verse about how God perfects the things that concern us. She said, “That’s Psalm 138:8.” I was surprised that she knew it right off. Turns out she just happened to be reading it right then in her morning Bible reading. Blessing #3. I don’t even have to look up my own verses.

Psalms 138:8 NIV - The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Perfect – to complete, or bring to a desired end.

Psalm 145:2 Amplified – Every day [with its new reasons] will I bless you [affectionately and gratefully praise you]; yes, I will praise your name forever and ever.

WHAT MAKES THE CHURCH SO GREAT

Part of what makes the church so great is the multiplied sense of the grace of God that occurs as believers go through life together. Last weekend we experienced the death of a wonderful young woman in our church. Although she moved away a few years ago, her parents are still active members of our congregation, and she was such a part of all our lives, that it feels like she never left. This girl started attending with her Mom when she was about 9 or 10. From the beginning she brought a vibrant enthusiasm to all that she did, and we will all miss her very much.

At any given time in a local church there are people of all ages and all walks of life going through all of the ups and downs that life brings. Some people are experiencing a victory, while others are struggling against adversity. Through it all, God remains the same. He never changes, never waivers, and He is always closer than your next breath. He is there when we are rejoicing and there when we are grieving.

What makes the church so great is that we go through life together. When times are good we rejoice together, when times are hard we uphold one another. When somebody hurts us, or offends us, we make it right and go on. When one is blessed we are all blessed. We don’t quit, we don’t walk away, we don’t turn our backs on each other. Well, sometimes we do, but it is kind of a joke because we will all spend eternity together in the presence of God.

Because of this shared experience, times like this week, while terribly painful, provide an opportunity to see the real Body of Christ in action. Whenever there is a tragedy, an attack, or just a tough time, this group of believers that I am privileged to pastor rises up and takes care of each other in a magnificent way. The grace of God that rests on each life flows like a river from one to another. It is an amazing thing to see, and I think it is what makes the church so great.

LIFE IS SHORT - DO IT WELL

Just finished a visit, the last one for this trip, with my Mom. She is 88 and has Alzheimer's. She is hanging in there, but declines a bit at a time. It really makes you think about how truly brief and fragile life is. My Mom has lived a very good life, raising 5 children, and outliving 2 husbands. She was, and is, a very strong lady, and I appreciate all the things she did for all of us.

It seems like a very short time ago that I was looking up at her, probably trying to hide whatever mischief I was in at the time. Now she is frail, and I have to help her stand. When I came in today, she was asleep in her chair. I just watched for a while, then woke her. She didn't remember I was here of course, but she recognized me right away and was very excited about the visit. I think what brought the biggest smile though was the Dove dark chocolate bar I brought her - big grin! Sound familiar?

Life is very short. We need to be living every moment for God and His purposes. I guess I should say, life on earth is short. Life is actually eternal - another good reason to live every moment for the Lord and His purposes.

IT JUST WORKS

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces corn--first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” 

(Mark 4:26-29 NIV) 

It is spring in the Rockies right now. What that actually means is that one day it is 65 degrees, and the next day there is a foot of snow on the ground. Nevertheless, it is easy to tell spring from winter in Gunnison. Most winters here are marked by sub-zero cold and plenty of snow-cover for several months. Now, even if it does snow (the valley had an inch or two last night) it melts off the next day. Temperatures drop and the wind blows, but the snowline is slowly but surely receding uphill.

On my short daily commute from my home to Gunnison, I can see the land becoming greener every day. It might be only 40 degrees for a day or two, but still the grass is growing and spreading. It doesn’t happen all at once, but seemingly in defiance of any cold-snap, the green of summer is displacing the gray of winter.

The Word of God is the same way isn’t it? Once it is received into the heart, it begins to release its life, and displace the dead refuse of worldly thinking. Our attitudes, our outlook, our entire world-view is slowly but surely being brought to life by the power of God’s Word. It doesn’t happen over night, but if you and I will give ourselves to the Word, and purposely plant and nurture it in our hearts, it will infuse our entire being with the very life of God. I don’t really understand the whole process, but I know this - it just works.

DON'T LET YOUR LOVE GROW COLD

Speaking of the days in which we live Jesus said; “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:12).

I have been noticing a trend in our society for a long time now. It seems that everywhere you turn, every product that is sold, every ad you see, in some way promises to reward your purchase with love, or friendship, or the admiration of many. You buy a phone, you are instantly a part of a network, you play a video game, “friends” that enjoy the same game surround you, even eating the right hamburger makes you an instant hit with the ladies.

In addition to our purchases, we can now live in online social societies where “friends” are acquired with a tap on the trackpad. It is instant friendship, instant popularity, and instant status. “Reality TV” allows us to watch and judge as various kinds of relationships are staged before our eyes. We can feel like we are involved, without ever knowing these individuals.

But, in the real world (remember the real world?) we struggle harder and harder to make relationships work for more than a few days or weeks at a time. It seems that as our society embraces more forms of contrived relationship, we grow hungrier and hungrier for real relationship, and become less and less capable of pulling it off.

Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, and God is a relational being to the extreme. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons that enjoy a oneness that is inconceivable to the human mind. The three are one, and yet three – if you figure that out, please explain it to me. God is a lover, and an eternal lover at that. Real relationships do not happen quickly, they can’t be purchased, coerced, or clicked into existence. They are not shallow, or fragile, and they hold such a high value that only a fool lets them go without a fight. Relationship is not a spectator sport.

Jesus said that in our day, lawlessness, a condition of heart that is so self-interested that it rejects all forms of restraint, would cause the love of many people to grow cold. The term “many” can be accurately translated “most.” In other words, the majority of people who give themselves to a spirit of lawlessness will find it nearly impossible to maintain a long-term relationship. Why? Simple really. Lawlessness rejects authority, moral standards, rules, and anything that it perceives as a restraint to it’s own pursuit of self-gratification. Love, God’s love, actively seeks ways to lay down it’s own agenda to make the life of another person better. The two attitudes are antithetical; they can’t exist together.

As long as we view relationships as something that primarily exist to make us happy and fulfill our needs, we will be unable to make them last. Relationships do bring great blessing and deep satisfaction to our lives. But strong ones like life-long friendships, marriages, and deep family ties, are built slowly over time, and tested when we go through difficulties and tragedies, and when we rub each other the wrong way.

I like Facebook a lot. I enjoy a little banter with distant friends. But I never confuse a few lines of text exchanged in a controlled environment, with the nitty-gritty work of maintaining a friendship in real time, in real face-to-face conversation, through days and years of good times and bad. In a shallow, distant “relationship,” you can exchange pleasantries, and keep in touch. But everything you post on your wall, every picture you up-load, can be hand-picked, and washed clean. Unless you want them to, no one sees your bad side, no one knows your hurts and fears, you never have bad breath – that is not relationship.

I encourage you to buy the products you enjoy because you enjoy them. Do all the social networking you want. Stay in touch with friends and relatives on the internet. Watch a “reality show” if you must, but never confuse watching life and relationships happen on the screen, with living them yourself. Take your heart before the Lord, and let Him check it for the invading virus of lawlessness. Let the Holy Spirit teach you the skills of love, forgiveness, and endurance that make for long, strong, deep relationships. Love, serve, be a person of undying loyalty and fidelity. The reward is well worth the price.

EVERYTHING IS PERMISSIBLE

Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under it’s power. 1 Corinthians 6:12 Amplified Bible.

It seems that the Body of Christ continually struggles with the relationship between the amazing freedom that we have in Christ, and the boundaries that are inherent to holy living. On the one hand the Bible declares that the love of God is unconditional; His love for us never waivers, regardless of our behavior. The Scripture tells us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, that we should never again allow ourselves to be brought into the slavery of religious legalism, and that we should not judge one another concerning our peripheral beliefs about what constitutes right and wrong behavior.

But, we also find lists of sins in the New Testament. We are taught that the wages of sin is death, and the believer should flee from such behavior. It seems that many Christians are confused about the lines between freedom and sin, holiness and legalism. And, it’s no wonder that this confusion exists when we live in a culture that worships self, feelings, and personal happiness. Add to that the postmodern idea that words really have no definite meaning, and that each of us get to define truth for ourselves. Mix that with a misunderstanding of what the grace of God is all about, and you have the makings of a lot of bad theology.

I know that it is unpopular in the world, as well as in many Christian circles, to bring up the fact that some behavior is sinful, and that sin has bad consequences, but I want you to notice the verses that precede the ones quoted at the beginning of this article.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11 NIV)

Notice that first line. How counter cultural is that? “The wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Wow. Don’t say that on a Sunday morning in most American churches if you want anyone to come back next week. Now, look again at the last sentence. It declares that the work of Christ at the cross, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit have launched us into a brand new life. A life where we are NO LONGER sexually immoral, bound in homosexuality or any other sexual deviancy, no longer thieves, no longer greedy etc, etc, etc. But the key idea is NEW life a DIFFERENT reality, a BRAND NEW person.

That aforementioned unconditional love of God made this possible. That grace, that free flow of God’s favor, came not so that we could feel better while we live in our sin, but to set us free from sin’s domination once and for all. Paul phrases it this way in his letter to Titus,

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14 NIV)

See, there is no tension between the ideas of freedom and holiness. Freedom, if we understand it, produces holiness. The unconditional love of God compels us to draw nearer to Him and become more like Him. His grace empowers us to overcome the flesh.

Paul nailed it there in 1 Corinthians 6:12. He essentially said, it’s not about the law, or about what is allowable and what is not. It is about the fact that the blood of Christ has given me a freedom to plunge into His presence. It has set me free from the domination of both sin and legalism, and I am not going to be enslaved by either one. I will not allow the passions of my flesh, or the values of this world, or popular culture, or legalistic notions, to take me captive. I will live as a free person and use my freedom to stir up the power of the Holy Spirit with in me. I will do the things that nurture the life that Christ has given me, and I will not do the things that strangle that life, because I am free.

I Love this stuff. Don’t you?

MAKING YOUR MARRIAGE STRONG

Karen and I just finished a six-week small group based on the book, The Love Dare. We cleverly called the group “The Love Dare Group.” Sometimes it is just hard for us to contain all this creativity.

Anyway, we really enjoyed spending a couple of hours each Sunday night with this group of married couples. Each week we would discuss some aspect of the material that we had all (at least in theory) read during the week, and also bring in some other materials designed to encourage strong marriages. All of this led to a lot of time thinking about the various marriages, both good and bad, that we have known through the years. Having been in full-time ministry for nearly 21 years now, we have peeked behind the scenes of a lot of relationships. We have seen the good the bad and the ugly, and there are some things that have just stood out as key elements in strong and lasting marriages. Here are a few things we have noticed:

In so many cases, the difference between a strong and lasting marriage, and one that implodes, can be summarized in one word – priorities. The couples with good marriages consistently prioritized their marriage above everything but their personal relationship with Christ. That meant that if something, anything, else was taking too much time, or focus, or in some way eating away at the relationship, they got rid of the other thing.

These couples would change jobs if the job was going to cause them to be separated for too long. They often chose hobbies and recreation that both of them enjoyed so they could have that time together. They were very, very careful about outside relationships. They guarded themselves against any relationship with the opposite sex that could become too close, and they just didn’t hang out with people that were trying to put ungodly/unbiblical, ideas about marriage, or anything else, into their heads – they chose their friends wisely.

Most of these couples had children, and although the raising of their children was one of their top priorities, (most of these kids are now adults who are married and walking with God) they were very careful not to create child-centered homes. In other words, they always made some time for just Mom and Dad to be alone together. This more than anything else, demonstrated to their kids how important their parent’s relationship was. These kids knew without a doubt that they were loved, but they also knew that the marriage relationship was the central relationship of the home. I think that knowledge is what made so many of these kids so secure in themselves.

In every case, these couples prioritized their relationship with a local church. In fact, one middle-aged couple I know told me recently that if they had to think of just one thing that made their marriage and child rearing so successful, it would be their 20 years of simple, steady, participation in a good local church. They just went every Sunday and every Tuesday night, week after week, year after year. The presence of God, the steady teaching of His Word, and the influence of other believers, brought unshakable strength to their lives.

Good marriages are not rocket science, they are not a matter of luck, and they are not just the result of finding that perfect mate who will never irritate you. Healthy marriages are the result of the steady application good, Godly, common sense principles. So I encourage you, whether you are currently married or not, build strong foundations in your life, and be intentional about building and protecting your marriage.

LIFE-SOAKED

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

This morning, what the NWS calls a "vigorous early spring storm," is dumping several inches of snow on Gunnison County. Currently I have about 5 inches on the deck, and it is coming down hard in big wet flakes. This snow won't stay long. It will melt quickly when the vigorous early spring sun returns. But every square inch of the ground will be soaked with the moisture contained in that snow. In a few days or weeks, all kinds of vegetation will begin to show the signs of new life. Eventually, the land will be covered with an almost unimaginable profusion of grasses and wildflowers that mark a western Colorado summer.

God revealed to Isaiah that His word works the very same way in our hearts. The Bible encourages believers to take some time every morning, before the thoughts and cares of the new day even have a chance to crowd our minds, to read and meditate on a little bit of God's word. That word, invisibly, and often imperceptibly, soaks our inner man with the life of God. That word, whether we can feel it at the time or not, acts upon our hearts just as surely as that snow outside is making the ground wet. The word cleanses, refreshes, rejuvenates, and redirects our hearts.

I believe that consistently taking just a little time early in the day to soak in the life of God through His word, His presence, and some two-way communication, is the single greatest key to living a long, healthy, stable, Godly life. Go ahead, let His life soak in today. You will never be the same.

GOD'S UNREASONABLE LOVE

God’s love is so unreasonable. I have been thinking about the parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15, for a couple of months now. This is one of those passages that many of us are so familiar with, and have heard preached so many times, that it is easy to read through it without gleaning any new insights.

Back in January, this story suddenly began to speak volumes to me again. Some of the truths are the same ones that have impacted my heart in the past – the unconditional love of the father, his unabashed joy at the return of his son, the sense that with God every transgression is forgivable when we come back to Him through sincere repentance. But a few new revelations have surfaced from this story. I won’t write about all of them here, but I will begin to talk about them this Sunday. One of them is found in a line that I have often simply read over: “The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them” (Luke 15:12).

This Father had the power to withhold the son’s inheritance if he wanted to. Obviously, since this is the younger son and not the elder, the father had already told him at some point that he was going to inherit a share of the estate. That wasn’t always the case. The norm was for everything to go to the oldest boy, and for that boy to have the power to share or not with his siblings. But, even though the father had at some point promised the younger son a share, certainly he would have been justified, given this brazen display of disrespect and plain foolishness, to withhold the inheritance. He wouldn’t even have to do it out of spite; it could be the best tool at his disposal for influencing the boy to change his mind about leaving the family.

How many of us would have tried to coerce, or manipulate the younger son into staying home and doing his chores? He could have been spared a lot of anguish if the father would have simply forced him to do the right thing. Why didn’t the father take that action? I believe it is because this father knew that you can force or manipulate behavior, but not relationship. It is the very same reason that God does not always intervene in the affairs of men on earth. It is why He has chosen to allow us to make both good and bad choices, even though those choices often cause pain on earth and in Heaven. God loves relationship, and relationship must be freely chosen.

Certainly love will confront, correct, discuss, encourage, and pray, but it is important for us to know where loving confrontation ends, and manipulation and coercion begin. The Father, in love, let this son have the space to make a mistake, which led to him having the space to choose to return forever; something to think about, and something to pray about. “Holy Spirit, we need your wisdom daily to walk that line.”

IMAGE COMMUNICATES OWNERSHIP

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:15-21)

I love to read about these exchanges between Jesus and His opponents. They really thought they had Him on this one because Rome was clearly not using their funds to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. They were in fact using their resources to dominate the world, and closer to home, to keep Israel subject to their rule. To say that you should pay taxes to Rome, was to say that you should support a Godless agenda – hmmm, sounds familiar. But, Jesus did not tell the Pharisees to withhold their tax money from their Roman oppressors. He essentially turned the question inside out and told the Pharisees to keep their priorities straight – give to God what belongs to Him, and don’t worry so much about the non-eternal matters. With April 15th just around the corner, I will leave you to prayerfully sort through both your attitude and your conscience where your taxes are concerned. Actually, the tax issue is not at all what I wanted to address out of this passage today.

Instead, I want to point out a subtle truth that is communicated in these verses. Jesus answers the question with a question, as was often His habit. He said, “Show me the money!” (my paraphrase), and then, “Whose image is this?” Everyone there agreed that on the coin was a picture of Caesar. Jesus rightly pointed out that the image that the coin carried identified its rightful owner. Did you get that? Image communicates ownership. The logical argument was that since Caesar’s picture was on the coin, the coin obviously belonged to Caesar. Because the coin belonged to Caesar, only Caesar had the right to say what you could do with it. So give it to Caesar, but be sure that you also give to God what belongs to Him.

I don’t know about you, but that makes me wonder what belongs to God. According to this passage, what belongs to God must carry His image. What is the only thing on this earth that is made in His image and His likeness? You and I. Isn’t that amazing! We are made in God’s image, and according to the logic of what Jesus said in Matthew 22, that means that we belong to Him. God and God alone has a rightful claim on our lives. When Jesus said give to God what belongs to God, He didn’t just mean a portion of your income such as the coin represented. He meant give to God that which carries His image; you – all of you.

The Bible says that we are bought with a price and we are not our own. We belong to Him. Our time, our money, our dreams, our relationships; it all belongs to Him. As we give ourselves to Him afresh each day, we have the priceless privilege of being the image bearers of God in our generation. Wow! What does that say about your worth, your value, and your destiny? You are His and His alone. In His plan for your life you will find the freedom, the meaning, and the satisfaction that your heart seeks. So, render to Caesar what belongs to him, it’s no big deal. But render to God what belongs to Him – that is the biggest deal of all.

SEEDS OF A BRAND NEW LIFE

"(Mark 4:26-29) He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces corn--first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

I have been thinking a lot about seedtime and harvest lately. This is one of those Biblical principles that is so foundational that it affects virtually everything we do. Everyday we are sowing seeds with our words and actions – some intentional, some accidental – but all powerful.

Seeds are nothing less than miraculous little containers of life. God established a principle during creation that says that every seed on earth will produce after its own kind. That means that the fruit of the seed will be a form of the life that is in the seed, which in turn means it is a form of the life that produced the seed. So apples (fruit) carry apple seeds. Apple seeds produce apple trees (life) which can’t produce anything other than, you guessed it, apples. The same is true of love seeds, and faith seeds, and generosity seeds, as well as hate seeds, and bitterness seeds, and greed seeds – which also happens to rhyme.

We are living in a time in this nation where seeds of rebellion, disdain for authority, reckless selfishness, and rejection of God, are really starting to produce their inevitable crop. We are feeling the loss of God and godliness on an unprecedented level in our culture and economy. This is one reason that I don’t believe a true “recovery” can come quickly. Some foundations in the fear of God, and a fresh application of the Word of God to our lives, will have to precede any genuine change in our nation.

Be that as it may, I want to focus closer to home for the remainder of this post. In the verses from Mark’s Gospel that are quoted above, Jesus made it clear that if we want to see a harvest of any particular fruit in our lives, we must become very diligent about planting the right seeds. We will be planting something, so it may as well be the right things. We are going to eat of the fruit of whatever we plant. So, what do you want to be eating in six months, or a year, or two years?

Jesus also pointed out that there is always a time element involved in this process. That means a couple of important things. First, you don’t get everything you want instantly. In fact, most truly great things take time to came to maturity and require patience on our part. Secondly, we can use the “due season” element of seedtime and harvest to our advantage or to our disadvantage. If you have been planting bad seed, use the time-lag to dig as much of it up as you can through genuine repentance. If you have been planting good seed, water and nurture that seed through prayer and fight the weeds that inevitably try to choke out what you are planting.

Finally, Galatians 6:9, 10 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” So develop a never quit attitude about your life. The term “become weary” means, to get tired, faint, give up, quit – essentially to wimp out. Don’t let your current crop make you think that it is all you will ever see. Don’t give up because you don’t like what you have now. Get to work with God and plant a new crop. Sitting in the field crying isn’t getting you any closer to that new harvest is it? If you don’t like your harvest, start today; dig up that soil, plant new seed, and watch patiently and vigilantly, as it grows into something fresh and new. Before you know it, new things, living things, things that will reproduce themselves again and again will be popping up in your life. Then we can talk about your new, increased responsibilities that are related to all the new growth in your life.

THE POWER OF ACCEPTANCE

I wrote this article for another blog that is connected to a small group that Karen and I are leading right now based on the book, The Love Dare. I thought it was also applicable to a wider audience, so I am sharing it here. If you want to look in on The Love Dare blog, you can find it at - http://lovedaregroup.blogspot.com/

As I sit staring at this screen, I am not at all sure that I will be able to put what I am feeling into words. I remember thinking about this the first time I read today’s dare, # 16, Love Promotes Intimacy. There is something about the love and acceptance that comes from only your spouse, that gives you the security and courage to be all that God has designed you to be. I'm not saying a single person can't get there, because that is absolutely not true, but there is something about that safe place of intimacy, the place where someone sees the good and the bad in you but still loves you and believes in you, that enables you to change for the better.

When I met Karen (as an adult, we had known each other as kids), I was in my early 20's, had been born again, but was not really walking with God. I was wrapped up in hang gliding culture, which was a very self-centered and all consuming lifestyle. I had always wanted a relationship with just one woman. I was never interested in dating a lot of girls, I was just made to be a one woman man. Don't get me wrong, I wanted lots of girls physically, but what I craved on the deepest level, I now know was intimacy with just one. Luckily, I was such a klutz with women, that I was rejected by nearly every girl I ever pursued. I wasn't glad then, but I am now.

All that rejection had really shaped a lot of how I perceived myself. I thought I was ugly, (some of you may agree) unlovable, and destined for eternal singleness. I was good at some things, flying, my job, I had good friends, I wasn't stupid and could pick up about anything I decided to learn, but deep inside I felt like a reject. Then Karen came into my life. Her love and acceptance completely transformed me. It was like the good qualities that were in me became stronger, and I had a new confidence to address the things that needed to change.

With her, I could be completely myself. See, that is what I did with everyone anyway. I have never been any good at faking it, or playing social games - that's why I was such a dating failure, I just couldn't stand the whole game, it made me sick. Hence I was just myself from the first moment, and that drove women off like crazy. But where the others rejected the real me, Karen loved the real me. It wasn't that she embraced or encouraged the negative things in me, but she loved me anyway. She didn't nag me and set out to reshape me into what she thought I should be. She knew that it was God’s role, not hers, to change me, but her love simply made me want to be more of a strong and Godly man. I could fail and she loved me anyway. She actually believed in me, and that was the most empowering (I hate that word) thing I have ever experienced apart from the presence of God himself.

I am saying all of this today for two reasons. One is that the process I am describing is exactly how the revelation of God's unconditional love and acceptance for us works. It creates a place of total acceptance (not to be confused with approval of all our behavior) that enables us and empowers us to embrace the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. His love is a safe place in which to be challenged to grow and change. The kind of acceptance I am talking about, never becomes an excuse to stay in our sin, or accept our own shortcomings. It just provides a crucible of safety in which the dross of our old nature can be slowly but surely purged.

Secondly, I want all you wives to know that your love for your husband can be one of the most powerful tools of transformation in his life. Your love brings an inner courage to stand up and face any enemy (even those in his own heart) to overcome any challenge, to do anything in the world that needs doing, and to lay his life down for you and your family.

The world will tell you this kind of loving acceptance is feeding his ego, it's not that at all. Again, I am at a loss for words to tell you how it feels to be a man who knows the love of a wise and Godly woman. But it changed my life. When I say that I could not possibly be who I am today without Karen, I mean it with all my heart. I still have loads of problems, and will always need to grow toward Godliness like everyone, but I have the advantage of doing it in the safe place of intimacy with my wife.

I think this works both ways, although I have to write it from a husband’s perspective. There is a wisdom for all of us to learn about how to love people, particularly those of our own household, into greater and greater displays of Godliness, and God’s purposes for their lives.

WORSHIP NIGHT

Tonight is one of our monthly Worship Nights. This is a time when we get together for a couple of hours to just worship and press into the presence of God. We come with no real agenda other than ministering to the Lord, and allowing Him to minister to us in any way He wants to minister. Each of these nights has a different flavor. Some are more rowdy, some more quiet, but each and every time, the Lord shows up in a powerful way. We almost always spend some time flowing in the gifts of the Spirit.

While we always have wonderful worship on Sunday mornings, I think these nights are different because there is no time limit. We just begin, and we stay as long as it seems to us that God is still ministering. I love it. It is always like taking a big, refreshing drink of water. Where ever you are right now, what ever you might be doing, I hope that from time to time you take the opportunity to simply soak God's presence. There is nothing quite like it.

THE GOD WHO SEEKS YOU

I remember distinctly when the idea of seeking God first became a reality in my life. I was 17 years old, and one of my older brothers had been “born again.” I didn’t know exactly what that meant. We were not-so-good Catholics at the time, and although we believed in God, and prayed from time to time, around my house there was never any real life in those things. But suddenly this brother of mine had found something real. When he and his wife would visit for the weekend and talk about God at the dinner table, you could feel what I now know is the presence of God. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and tugged on my heart.

Although I was more interested in girls and partying at the time, something awoke on the inside of me. I believe the Bible is the Word of God, so I believe that God created us for a relationship with Himself, because that is what the Bible says. I believe that every man, woman, and child among us is created with in innate sense of the eternal, and an internal homing beacon that points to God. I believe the words that my brother shared around our family table, coupled with the prayers and faith of my Mother, ignited that desire to seek God in my heart. It wasn’t too long before instead of sneaking off to my room in the basement to smoke a joint, I was sneaking down there to read the Bible (Actually there was a significant period where those two activities overlapped in my life. I was always careful to read first and smoke after, thinking that was the proper way to do it - oh my - but that’s another post). I didn’t need to hide my faith, my parents would have been thrilled, but I was still in stealth mode about the whole thing.

What I want to get at today is that while our seeking after God is a wonderful and foundational part of what Christianity is all about, there is something even more amazing to consider. In nearly every kind of “religion” on earth, at least those that portray God as a living being, there is some doctrinal concept of seeking God, or taking actions to appease a god or the gods. But unique to Christianity is the portrayal of a God who seeks after us. Jesus taught us that the Father is pleased to share His Kingdom with us (Luke 12:32). In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells three stories in a row designed to convey the idea that God thinks of us in terms of having great value, and that He is willing to work hard to search for us until He can have us and hold us again.

All the while, most of us have been spending our time avoiding God for a variety of reasons. Even most Christian people have no idea how high a value God has placed on them, let alone people who don’t know Him. Many Christians still see themselves as an embarrassment or a disappointment to God. They spend their time trying to achieve a level of morality, or a position in the church, that will make them feel acceptable to God. The truth is that God the Father gave Himself up in the person of His Son as an exchange for you and I. God not only said, but demonstrated the fact, that you are as valuable to Him as Jesus. I know, it’s hard to grasp, but that is the message of the Bible.

But wait, there’s more… what would you pay for… sorry, never mind, too many infomercials. God did all of this while we were still rejecting Him with all our might. He paid the price of our redemption, then started to chase after us, and woo us to Himself. Wow! We do serve an amazing God. Once you really get this, there is no need, and no room for all of the cheap substitutes for this relationship.

–Now go make some great choices!

FACEBOOK? ME?

So, some of the younger and far more in touch, members of my leadership team have suggested that doing the facebook thing is a great way to introduce this blog to more people. We were talking about effective ways of getting the Gospel message out to the greatest number of people, and it was said that more and more people communicate through online social networks. While I know that, I have never had any interest in getting involved in one. It was actually Duncan Callahan that convinced me that, especially for communicating with younger people, something like facebook can be very effective.

Since our mission is to bring God's Word to as many people as possible, it seemed like a no-brainer to take the plunge and learn another new technology. This is no different than going to a coffee shop, or mall food court (something I try to avoid like the plague) in order to connect with people. We Christians have to be where people are so that we can win some - right?

So as of today, I'm a facebooker, or a facebookee, I've been facebooked - you get the idea. So if you want to see my face I guess, there is a link over to your right. Gosh, we could even be friends!

A CLEAN FRESH FLOW

I felt like a second-grader walking home from school. My feet were wet and cold, my pants covered with light brown silt from the muddy water. The sounds of trickling snowmelt were all around me, and the shy was leaden gray. The problem was, I was not a second-grader walking home from school, but a pastor trying to keep the church parking lot from being flooded by runoff from the adjacent highway.

Our church property sits pretty low, and its drainage is barely adequate for the snow that falls in our parking lot. It may be the middle of winter, but the temperatures went from single digits to 40 degrees overnight, causing some serious melting to begin. Today, we discovered that a stream of water was flowing into our property from both Highway 135, and the bike path that runs in front of the church. So, Karen and I broke out the shovels and a pick, and went to work creating a trench to channel the water off the parking lot and into the drainage ditch where it belongs. We know these temperatures can’t last forever, and we don’t want to become Gunnison’s newest ice rink.

So there we were making little channels in the ice and snow and encouraging the water toward the drain. Little by little, the water would soften the ice on which it was running, and we could make the channel a little deeper, and a little longer. Finally we reached the actual drainage culvert that exits our property. All at once we broke through the final ice barrier, and the water started to move freely. Now the task was to widen and deepen the trench until we could confidently turn our backs and let physics do the rest. Occasionally, tiny chunks of ice and slush would create little dams that would impede the movement. A quick stab with the shovel was usually sufficient to get the water moving freely again.

As we worked, I began to think about how this process paralleled that of keeping a clean fresh flow of God’s life in our hearts. Just like water wants to flow downhill, God’s own desire to flow in and through us creates a “positive pressure” from Him to us. I think Christians waste a lot of time trying to convince God to speak to them, or to work in their lives. I know, I know, you are saying, “but sometimes it doesn’t feel like God is paying attention, or that He necessarily wants to communicate with me.” Well, even though we may not “feel” it all the time, God’s Word is filled with His assurances that he will never turn His back, doze off at a crucial moment, or neglect us in any way. Consider just these two passages:

I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you--the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore. (Psalms 121:1-8 NIV)

God lives in a state of sleepless vigilance over the lives of the people He loves so much. We have to remember at times to lift up our eyes and ask ourselves the question, where does my help really come from? It comes from the Lord, and I will trust in him today!

He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax my hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5 Amplified Bible)

What an assurance! God is active and vigilant, and you can take that to the bank.

Draining the parking lot that day, we discovered three things: First, it only takes a small channel to get things moving the right way. All we had to do was scratch a line in the ice, and the water started its natural downhill movement. In the same way, it only takes a small effort on our part, basically making a place for God in our day and our thinking, to start the flow of His life to and through us. Jesus described Himself as, not only standing at our door, but knocking. He said all we have to do is open up and let Him in, and He will come and eat supper with us. He shows up with takeout, and we just open the door – what a deal.

In the same way, once things were flowing the right direction, the water itself expanded its own channel. We did some digging later to help that process, but as soon as the water started to move, the flow began to increase. Once we open the door to the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives, He will begin to soften our hearts, and encourage a stronger and deeper flow of life, revelation, and the love of God.

And finally, we noticed that it only took a small blockage to begin to plug things up and slow the whole process. After a short time, our job consisted mostly of keeping an eye out for little piles of slush that would gang together and impede the flow. A quick jab with the shovel was all it took to get things moving freely again. Spiritual parasites like unforgiveness, fear, and apathy, must be eradicated quickly, and on a regular basis. It doesn’t take much effort if you catch them early. It just takes genuine repentance.

So be encouraged. God loves you, and He is constantly working to make Himself known to you. Open the door for Him, and quickly remove any blockages that He points out to you. Your life will be flowing like a river in no time flat.

More R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Today I want to try to sketch a picture of respect. How does respect look in a home or other relationship?

Respect is all about value. We know that God Himself has ascribed an unsurpassable worth to every human being. How do we know that? Because God, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was willing to lay aside the expression of divinity, become one of us, then die a gruesome death on a cross to elevate us into relationship with Himself. In covenant terms, He exchanged His life for ours, or fully and eternally shared His life with us on an equal basis.

So we are valuable in God’s sight, but we don’t always treat each other as valuable. As we enter into various levels of relationship, we have various opportunities to express the value that we hold in our hearts toward one another. Respect is the expression of value in practical terms. I can express value to a stranger by allowing them to pull up to the gas pump ahead of me. I can stop my car and allow someone to cross the street on foot, or pull through the intersection. I can hold a door, or pick up something they dropped. All of these actions say, “I see you, I know you are there, and you deserve my attention at this very moment.” Not doing things like this says something too. It says, “I am only aware of myself, my needs, and the pressing concerns of my day, which are clearly more important than your needs and concerns.”

This is the underlying truth behind actions that communicate either respect, or disrespect – while they may seem insignificant to you, they communicate with the utmost clarity what you really feel toward the other person at that moment. You might as well have put a billboard that says, “You are my greatest treasure”, or “on my radar screen, you are a flea on a dead porcupine’s belly.” Well, you might use different words there.

Respect gives full attention. Respect does not continue to do other things, even though one might be able to, while conversing with the object of respect. Respect might put down the sports page, turn down the music or the game, set aside the financial report, or hang up the phone, just to listen to the object of respect.

Respect makes eye contact. Respect squares the shoulders, and looks into the eyes. Respect does not stand or sit half turned away from the person you are interacting with. Respect doesn’t slouch or roll the eyes. Respect knows how to give a firm handshake.

Respect listens to what another says. Listening is not just hearing. Listening is giving value to an opinion. A listener goes on to consider and weigh what another person has said. A listener often asks questions to make sure that one has understood the words of the object of our respect. Even when you decide you disagree with someone, respect will not respond with a personal attack, or resort to name-calling.

Respect speaks politely. Respect uses words that do not demean the other person. Respect never talks behind the other persons back, or causes public humiliation. Respect does not make jokes with friends at the other person’s expense.

I could go on and on, but this is a blog, not a novel. The point is that we are constantly communicating respect, or disrespect, to one another with words, eyes, and body-language. In our culture of self-centered individualism, respect is a dying art form. It is up to those of us who understand its value, to practice it and train our children in it.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

This morning, Karen and I were talking about respect. We were discussing the fact that it is very important to have some people in your life that you really respect. People we respect often become the role models, and depending on the level of relationship, the coaches in our lives. The opinion of a person you respect matters to you. You value their insight and perspective.

Sometimes, I find people that seem to care about everyone’s opinion. They really struggle in life if someone disagrees with them, or Heaven forbid, doesn’t like them. That is a very hard way to live. You simply can’t please everyone, and while everyone does deserve a basic level of respect as a person and a creation of God, not everyone deserves your respect where their ideas or lifestyle is concerned. For example, I really don’t care about what a person who does not know or walk with God thinks about my Christianity, my lifestyle, or this church. Don’t get me wrong, I care about these people, I want them to experience all the wonderful things that God has for them, but I don’t care what they think of me. I may even be interested in their opinion as a means of understanding and better reaching our culture. But I will not change the way I live to suit them, or lose any sleep over their words.

Karen and I thought about what causes us to respect someone. We decided it was mostly about a person’s character. I highly respect people that demonstrate Godly character. I especially respect people that I know have gone through hard times, rejection, or unfair treatment, but have maintained their integrity through the whole thing. I respect people that in the face of chaotic and stressful circumstances, have kept their head, and continued to live by their principles. These are the people I want to emulate, and it is the opinion of these people that I really care about. I want to know what makes them tick, and I value their input into my life.

Now, respect should be the default attitude between a husband and wife don’t you think? So, what does that look like on a daily basis? Well, that’s a great question, and will make an interesting article. Maybe tomorrow or the next day.

- Now go out and make some great choices.