All I Wanted Was a Haircut

I’ve been needing a haircut lately.  Yesterday I strolled into a new place that’s located within walking distance of my office.  There was a sign outside that said “Walk-ins Welcome”, so I opened the door and walked into the foyer area where I assumed appointments were made.   There were two windows inside, but no one sat behind either.  It was ok though because I heard the typical business door chime as I entered.  They would hear the chime and come up to see what kind of haircut I wanted.  At least I thought they would.  I waited and waited.  I could hear talking in the back of the store.  Two ladies were discussing their opinion of a mutual “friend”.  A man who looked like he was there to do maintenance passed by the front area.  I said hello and he said “hey” in return, but that was it.  He went on his way and I continued to wait for someone…anyone…to ask me if I wanted a haircut.  Soon, I realized that it wasn’t going to happen unless i yelled or led myself to the back of the building.  That seemed like the wrong thing to do so I finally left.  The door chimed again as I walked through it, going the opposite direction this time.

The whole situation bothered me, but after sleeping on it, I decided to try again today.  After all, it could have been an honest mistake.  So I strolled in and the door chimed but again, no one came up the front to ask me if I wanted a hair cut.  But through the service window, I could see two people hanging out in the hair-cutting area.  Today, I was a little bolder, so I walked around the corner to the hair cutting area.  The lady who I assume is the hair dresser was talking to a man who just got his hair cut. They just stared it me. I would need to be the first to talk, so I said, “Are y’all open?”  The lady started with an extremely long.  ”uuuuummmmmm…” and then gave me a prolonged…”yeeaaahh…” (The kind you get when you know that person would really rather continue their conversation than worry about whatever you want.).   So I said, “But not really, right?”  She said, “Yeah, we’re open, but not really.”  I politely said that I would just come back another time.

So before I say why I told you that story, let me repent for lying!  I’ll never go back there. I felt unwelcome.  I share that story because sadly, this is how many churches act. We communicate that “walk-ins” are welcome, but when people come to our church for the first time, many of us don’t even acknowledge that they are there.  Maybe we didn’t notice them.  Maybe we didn’t hear the door chime.  Maybe we were too busy catching up on all the latest gossip with our friend. Maybe we thought the greeters would take care of that stuff.  Whatever the reason, those guests leave disappointed.  They feel unwanted and not welcome to the group.  But let’s say they are patient.  Let’s say, they think about things and decide to give it a second try.  Maybe they thought we were just having a bad Sunday and that it will be different on the next time.  Unfortunately, even on the second time, many of our guests have to look around for someone to talk to.  They have to search out the answers to their own questions because no one cares to communicate with them.  And I hate to say it, but many of us who go to church every week, communicate either verbally or non verbally, that we really don’t have time for anyone else.  Maybe if that’s the case, it should be called a club.

I have a challenge for you.  Tomorrow when you are at church, why don’t you show someone the love of Christ?  Why don’t you include them in your circle?  Why don’t you ask them to sit with you?   Why don’t you ask them to go to lunch after church?  There may just be someone there that is looking for something.  And you can be the one to help them find it.

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:12

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” – Matthew 25:40

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35

How You Love Me

 

I can see it in the evening sky
I can feel it all around me
Your love is deep and wide
more than I can conceive
It’s a mystery

How you love me (in spite of myself)
How you find me (when I’ve lost my way)
How you heal me (and make me new)
Automatically my heart responds
How I love you

Like the scent of summer rain
giving hope to the drought
Your words whisper to me
life-giving truth resounds
All around

How you love me (in spite of myself)
How you find me (when I’ve lost my way)
How you heal me (and make me new)
Automatically my heart responds
How I love you

 

Hot Button Issues: Money

Money…It’s probably the hottest topic of conversation in the world.  And, if there was any one area that Jesus confronted the most, it was finances.  Jesus told a total of 38 parables; 16 of them had to do with money.  He knew that it was important to people.  In fact, if you search the Bible, you’ll find that money is talked about more than Heaven and Hell combined.  You’ll find 500 verses on prayer and faith; 2,000 on money.

We all live in a struggling economy; we all have limited funds.  Hopefully, this blog will sprinkle a bit of financial wisdom at a time when we can use it. Maybe you are currently trying to decide between a great paying job that you hate and a not-so-great paying job that you love. Maybe you are trying to decide whether or not to keep swiping that credit card or just cut it up.  Maybe you are in debt and need to get out of the hole. No matter your financial issue, I hope to offer Biblical council.

Most of us agree that money doesn’t buy happiness.  But, wouldn’t a little more money would make your life better? If your answer is yes, you are like most of America. Intellectually, we believe money doesn’t buy happiness, but emotionally we believe it does.  Here’s another one — Would say life can be stressful when money is tight? Wouldn’t it make sense that if the financial burden was eased, it would ease stress level? Makes sense to me, but realistically, it’s a mirage. Money doesn’t really relieve stress; we just think it does. According to a recent study at NYU, people with more money are even more stressed.

Here’s the point…money may promise us happiness, peace, significance, or security; but those are things only Christ can provide. It’s so important that we understand that fact because if we rely on money for happiness, we’ll never truly experience it. Solomon, the only gazillionaire in scripture, said “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!”(Ecc. 5:10)  True happiness is found in Christ alone.  We thing we have a financial issue, but really it’s a spiritual issue. Let me ask you this…When a fish flops out on the beach is it happy or not?  What if u gave the fish a big wad of cash — would it be happy then?  What if you gave it a Condo? What if you gave it a Corona & “Playfish” magazine? Would any of those things make the fish happy? And do you know why none of those things would help?  It’s because the fish was not created for the beach; the fish was created for the ocean. The same principle holds true for us. If we try to fill a spiritual void with material things, we will never be happy.            

When it comes to money, most of us fall into 1 of 2 categories: We are either “consumers” who love to spend, spend, spend, or we are “hoarders” who want to save, save, save. Consumers tend to get in debt. Hoarders tend to grip their money so tightly that they don’t give anything to others in need. Both sides can be self-centered & involve greed.  Greed is simply the assumption that anything that comes to me is for me.  Instead of being consumers or hoarders, we should be managers of God’s money.  After all, God owns it all.  If I may, I would like to offer 2 strategies for managing the money God gives us effectively.

The first suggestion is simply to develop disciplined spending habits. It’s no wander ½ of us are in debt and the average balance on a credit card is $9,000. Our country has set the example for us.  According to usdebtclock.org we are currently $15,307,855,900,000 in debt (at the time I’m writing this blog) We shouldn’t copy the financial policies of our government. Romans 12:2 – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world… It’s not about having more and getting further and further in debt.

And there are other benefits to disciplined spending. It could even help our divorce rate. Do you know the #1 cause of divorce?  yep — financial fighting.  Proverbs 15:16-17 says, “Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. 17 Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.”  Modern translation? Better vegetable soup on a paid for table than steak & lobster with divorce because you fought over money.

Ok here’s the other way we can manage God’s money well.  We should live by the 10-10-80 principle. Give God 10%, Save 10%, & live on 80%…in that order. We start with giving God 10% as the Bible teaches. When researching this topic, I found 17 scriptures specifically about tithing. (13 were in the Old Testament; 4 were in the New Testament) Malachi 3:10 says “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’” By the way, that verse is the only place in the word of God that says “test me”.

In case you are wondering, I do practice tithing.  My parents taught me when I was a little boy. If I got $10 in a birthday card, I would give $1.  Since that time, tithing has been the habit in my life, and I have been blessed at every turn. Melissa and I have no debt whatsoever. Last year, when I went through a job transition and did not have steady income for 6 months, we never missed a beat. I believer our financial needs have been provided due to the practice of tithing. People come up with plenty of excuses to avoid this principle. Some say, “I have too little, I can’t give 10%.” Others say, “I have too much, I can’t give 10%.” Still others may say, “What if it comes down to tithing and feeding my family or paying my bills” The simple answer is, it won’t. The whole idea of tithing is to give the first 10% before we begin to budget the other 90%.  Trust God.  He has always provided for my family, and I know He will provide for yours. He can do way more with 90% than we can do with 100%.  And remember what Luke 16:10 says – “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” Basically, if God can’t trust you with $100, how can he trust you w/ $100,000?

This is not just about giving 10%, saving 10%, and living on 80%. It’s about rearranging our lives to reflect Christ. Jesus was not selfish, he was generous. Those of us who are Christians should have an attitude of generosity.  It’s our job to reflect Christ in every area of our lives, especially the areas that we hold so dear such as finances. We should be the ones sponsoring children, giving to the poor, and giving generous tips at the restaurants.  God doesn’t prosper us to raise our standard of living, He prospers us so that we can raise our standard of giving.

In Matt. 6:24, Jesus tells us that we can’t serve both God & money. He knows that money is the #1 competitor for our heart. Here’s the thing my friends…All of this talk about money is not really about money. It’s about whether we are going to serve God or serve money. My question to you is this — Are you going to trust God to take care of you or trust you to take care of you? (Hint: Philippians 4:19) The reason we worry about our finances is often because we really don’t believe God has it all under control. I read somewhere that if He cares about the sparrow & the lilies, He will take care of us.

If we get this right…marriages are better b/c money is no longer Lord.
If we get this right…we become more like Christ.
If we get this right…our relationship with God grows stronger b/c there is no struggle for first place.

Don’t try to fill a spiritual void w/ material things. Money doesn’t bring happiness, peace, significance, or security. All of those things are found in Christ alone.

Hot Button Issues: Abortion

Alright guys, it’s time for another hot button issue.  I am talking about the value of life.  Before I go any further, let me say this…if you have ever had an abortion God loves you just as much as anyone else.  If you have ever killed another human through crime or war, God loves you just as much as anyone else.  He offers forgiveness for any of the choices we make. My purpose for this article is to help us value life more today than we have before.  I do not aim to pronounce guilt on someone for their past decisions — that’s the job of Satan.  So with that said, here we go…

In 1857, the US Supreme Court decided by a 7 to 2 majority that black people were not legal persons. (Dred Scott case) They were the property of the owner. He could buy, or sell, or even kill them. Abolitionists objected and said the decision was immoral and wrong. But listen to the argument of those who supported slavery — “No one is forcing you to own slaves.  Don’t force your morality on the slave owner.  He has the right to choose to own slaves if he wishes.”

Just over 100 years later in 1973, the Supreme Court decided by the same 7 to 2 majority, that unborn people were not legal persons. (Roe vs. Wade) They had no civil rights, no human rights and were therefore, legally the property of the owner. The mother had the right to keep or destroy her unborn baby. Pro-life people objected and said the decision was immoral and wrong. But listen to the argument of those who supported abortion — “No one is forcing you to have an abortion.  Don’t force your morality on the mother.  She has the right to choose to kill her developing baby if she wishes.”

One scenario was discriminatory based on color of skin; the other based on age.  Even when a baby has not been born, there is indisputable medical and Biblical evidence that an unborn baby is a human being. The Senate’s “Human Life Bill” summarised the issue this way: “Physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being - a being that is alive and a member of the human species. There is overwhelming agreement on this point in countless medical, biological, and scientific writings.”

In preparation for this blog, I read a little bit about the abortion procedure.  It was hard for me.  It gave me a sick feeling. I would much rather pretend it doesn’t happen.  It’s a terrible thing. And sadly, abortion is not the only way that we devalue human life.  I’ll mention some of the other ways briefly at the end.

The word abortion is actually not in the Bible.  But then, neither is the word trinity.  The Bible does, however, tell us that we are made by God from conception. “For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb….Your eyes see my unformed body.” Psalm 139:13-16.  You can find more scriptures like this one in Ecclesiastes 11:15, Isaiah 49:5, Jeremiah 1:5, Galations 1:15, and Job 10:10-11.

I also think it’s pretty cool that an unborn baby plays a part in a very important story in the Bible by doing some acrobatics! Luke 1:41 (NIV) “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” And check this out, in the original Greek, the word for that baby inside Elizabeth is “Brephos” which means “infant” (not “fetus”). It’s the same word used for little ones who have already been born, such as in Luke  18:15.

If you are still undecided on the issue of abortion, consider this: Everything that determines the individuality of a person is established at conception. The first single cell contains the entire genetic blueprint in all its complexity.

• The heart starts beating between 18 & 25 days.  Abortionist literally take a baby with a beating heart out of the womb and throw it in the trash can.
• Electrical brainwaves have been recorded at 43 days on an EEG.  If the absence of a brainwave indicates death, wouldn’t the presence of a brainwave confirm life?
• The brain and all body systems are present by 8 weeks and functioning by 12 weeks.
• At 8 weeks, the baby will wake and sleep, make a fist, suck his thumb, and get hiccups.
• At the end of 9 weeks, the baby has his own unique finger prints.
• At 11-12 weeks, the baby is sensitive to heat, touch, light and noise. It’s important to note that if an abortion is done at this point or further in the pregnancy, the baby can feel pain.

Many people ask “What about rape or incest?  What if the baby is disabled? What if the mother is mentally unstable?” These are issues that we all have to search our hearts about. My opinion is that we should avoid killing the baby if there are any other options.

Others ask “What if the life of the mother is in danger?” Obviously, when the life of the mother is in danger, it becomes about choosing one life or another. So there is a legitimate cause to save the mother in that scenario.  Just remember that there is a difference in “the life” of the mother and “the health” of the mother.  Pro-choice activists will use the term “the health” of the mother in almost any scenario to rationalize an abortion.

As I said at the beginning, abortion is not the only unnecessary killing that goes on. There are lots of other ways that life is not valued in our country and around the world.  Maybe it’s too many wars.  Maybe it’s ending a life prematurely that seems medically hopeless.  Maybe it’s officials who impose the death penalty too often. There are plenty of ways that we can value life more than we currently do.

Here’s the bottom line: All life was created by God and belongs to Him, so it’s very difficult for me to see any good reason to murder another human being. Exodus 20:13 says “You shall not murder.”  The Lord hates hands that shed innocent blood according to Proverbs 6:16-17. The Bible also teaches that we need to defend the weak and the helpless. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…” Proverbs 31:8-9 

Finally, we know that the issue of valuing life comes up a lot in politics.  I think it’s important to not confuse Christianity with political preference, so vote for whomever you like.  My hope is that you will vote for someone who stands up for the value of life — someone who is not itching to go to war, someone who is not itching to give the death penalty, and someone who is not happy to see more unborn babies be killed.

Hot Button Issues: Homosexuality

Many who read this article will agree with me; others will disagree…and that’s ok.  I don’t claim to have all of the answers. With that said, let’s get to it.

No matter your view on this topic, please read all the way until the end. I’ve posed some questions throughout the blog that I believe provide a very balanced Christian perspective to this hot button issue. Let’s start with a passage of scripture.

Romans 1:21-27 (NIV) “21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile & their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools & exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man & birds & animals & reptiles.  Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, & worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women & were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, & received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

1. Is Homosexuality wrong?

Vs. 24 God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts

Well of course, there are plenty of scriptures that say clearly that it is wrong…but…so is lying, or downloading music without paying for it, or going over the speed limit.  I mean think about it, who’s worse? A someone who is gay or someone who is prideful or someone who is arrogant? Sin is sin. Who has told us that there are levels?  Who has convinced us that one sin should be looked down on more than another?

2. Is it possible to be a a Christian and a homosexual?

Vs. 21 & 25 For although they knew God…They exchanged the truth of God for a lie.

According to this passage, a Christian can be deceived. It is very possible that a Christian could be tempted with, or even fall into the act of, homosexuality.  In fact, Christians make choices that contradict the Word of God all of the time.  Making sinful choices after becoming a Christian is something that happens to the best of us. It’s not that Christians should never fail, it’s that we must get back up and try again, trusting God for His help.  Therefore, the better question would be, “Is it possible to be a Christian and be happy to live a homosexual lifestyle?” I think the answer to this question would be no.  They whole idea of living for Christ is putting OUR way aside in favor of God’s way.  In my humble opinion, we are fooling ourselves if we think we can live for God without living for God.  Remember, 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that anyone who is in Christ is a “new creation”. The old has gone; the new has come.

3. Can someone be born a homosexual?

Vs. 26-27 Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women & were inflamed with lust for one another.

Contrary to what the amazingly talented Lady GaGa may convey, people cannot born homosexuals.  That word “natural” that you read above comes from the Greek word “physikos” which means “inborn”. In other words, from birth God intended sex to be between a man and a woman. Having said that, I do believe that people often grow up in atmospheres that make homosexuality a much more likely path for them.  And that’s all the more reason that we should not judge one sin more harshly than another.  We don’t know their story.

Now go with me to another scenario…Let’s say some very smart people somehow find scientific proof that people are born gay…Should we give them a pass on that part of the Bible?  No.  Just because we are inclined to do something doesn’t make it right.  I may be inclined to have sex with lots of women, but that doesn’t make it right. Again, the whole idea of being a Christian is putting our desires aside and allow Christ to be the Lord of our lives.

4. What if I’m a Christian who is dealing with homosexual desires?

First, you need to ask God for help.  Ask Him to give you a heart that wants to live by His principles.  Ask Him to give you understanding to know that His ways are perfect.  Secondly, you should find a trusted Christian friend that you can be honest with about your desires.  I believe that you should choose someone of the opposite sex to talk with about this particular issue. Ask that person to pray with you and provide accountability for you as you try to follow Christ in every area of your life.

5. How should Christians treat homosexuals?

The OPPOSITE of how most Christians have treated them in the past.  Listen,  Jesus hung out with sinners.  Did He approve of their sin?  Did he support them and say, “If that’s what works for you, that’s cool.”?  No, He just showed them a better way to live.  He certainly didn’t express any type of hate toward them.  He loved them in spite of their choices.  Christians actually need to be friends with people who are gay.  There is absolutely no chance of helping them consider God’s perspective on the subject if we act with hate or judgment.  I mean this is common sense stuff.  The Bible says that people will know that we are disciples of Jesus by our love.  As we act like Jesus taught us, others will be more interested in his message.  But even if they don’t want to change, we simply continue to be their friend & pray that the Holy Spirit will change their heart.

So in conclusion, Jesus loves homosexuals. He died for homosexuals. He offers them hope.  If you are a Christian, I challenge you to love homosexuals also. And, if you happen to be dealing with this issue in your life, I challenge you to talk with God about it today.

A Plan for a Healthier Body

3 John 1:2 – “Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.”

The past year has been a bit frustrating for me — I’ve put on some poundage.  Today, I spent the early part of my off day perusing the aisles of Kroger, planning for change.  I’m starting a new diet that will restrict my caloric intake to 1400 calories per day.  I’m blogging about it for two reasons. (1) Saying it publicly gives me accountability. It will help me turn good intentions into reality. (2) Maybe this diet will help someone else get healthier as well.

I’ve listed my plan below. If I stick to it, I should lose 12 – 14 lbs. per month.  If I do that for 3 months, I’ll be where I need to be.  So without further adieu, here it is.

For lack of a more clever name, we’ll call it the “1400 Calorie Diet”. 5 meals a day, 1400 calories. That’s it.

Here’s the schedule:
9am   – 200 cals
12pm – 400 cals
3pm   – 200 cals
6pm   – 400 cals
9pm   – 200 cals

Mix up the 1400 however you like, but the plan above is what I think will be most effective for me.

Helpful tips:
- If you go out to eat often, download an app to your phone that lists restaurant calories.  There are plenty of them out there.

- Theoretically, you could eat all unhealthy foods and master this diet.  That might help you lose weight, but you’ll feel terrible.  Not worth it.  Eat as many healthy foods as you can.

- Don’t waste your calories on drinks.  There are plenty of options of good-tasting, no-calorie drinks out there like propel zero, diet stewart’s orange & cream, or bottled water with mio drops.

- I only buy things that list servings in increments of 50 calories. I want to spend as little time as possible adding up calories. I also only buy things that don’t take a long time to fix.  It’s not the best case scenario, but I don’t have time for cooking. (I’m guessing most of you don’t either).

I’ll finish out this blog with some examples of foods I bought today.  If you decide to hop on this journey with me, I hope it is a big success for both of us!

-Nature’s own whole wheat bread. (50 calories a slice)
-Sandwich Thins bread (100 calories per sandwich)
-popcorn (plenty of 100 calorie options)
-Soup (100 calories & up)
-Hormel Completes Chicken Marinara (250 calories)
-Bananas (100 calories each)
-Minute Maid soft frozen lemonade (50 calories each)
-Lean Cuisine Meals (200 – 400 calories) There are other low calorie meals available.  It doesn’t have to be L.C.
-Grilled or Rotisserie Chicken (lots of options)
-Healthy Ones Rotisserie Chicken sandwich meat (6 slices = 50 calories)
-shrimp cocktail
-microwave steamed vegetables

Let’s Talk About Feelings

Basic truth: If you do the right thing, you are going to feel better right?  In the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend…”  That theory is no where in the scripture.  Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things together for our good when we love Him (or when we do the right thing).  But it never says we’ll feel better.  It never even says we’ll be better off for doing the right thing…at least not right away.  It communicates that the end result will be for our good when we love the Lord, when we make the right choices.

The fact is, you may do the right thing and feel worse about it.  You may make the right choice and have everything blow up in your face.  Does that mean that what you did wasn’t right.  Of course not, it just means you are living a thing we like to call life.

We don’t operate by feelings.  If we do, as soon as the world comes crashing down on us, we will bail and leave our faith in a cloud of dust.  Instead, we should operate by faith and be led by the Holy Spirit.  It’s not about what we can see, and it’s not about what we feel at the moment. It’s about choosing to follow Christ. Period.

So the question is, will you feel better when  you do the right thing?  Sometimes, but not always.  How about this one…Will you feel worse when you do the wrong thing?  Not necessarily.  The Bible says our conscience can be seared. (1 Timothy 4:2).  People can make sinful choices and feel no conviction about them whatsoever.  Nonchalant feelings don’t make sinful choices any less wrong.  And fuzzy feelings don’t make positive choices are anymore right.

So what am I saying here?

I’m saying “Live by faith, not by feelings”.

I’m saying, “Live sensitive to the Holy Spirit, not sensitive to your conscience.”

I’m saying, “DON’T follow your heart; follow Jesus.”

Centerpoint Update

Today my blog will be dedicated to Centerpoint Church.  I am very thankful to God for the opportunity to lead this church and meet so many new friends!  Thanks also to everyone who supports Centerpoint in anyway.  Here is a report on how things are going after only 4 months:

Salvations – Our first priority as a church is to help people make Jesus the center point of their lives.  Since we began, we have seen lots of people raise their hands and pray prayers of commitment to Christ.  As far as we can tell from connection cards that have been turned in, we have had around 15 decisions for Christ since we began.  This includes first time decisions and people recommitting their lives to Christ.  We had our first baptism on October 30th, and another one is planned for January 29th.

Life Groups – Our second priority as a church is to help people grow closer to God and to each other.  That’s why we have life groups.  During the fall we experimented with 3 life groups, and in 2 weeks, we are going to double our number groups and do a big roll out!  We will give people the option of participating in any of these groups: married life, teen life, community life, deeper life, men’s life, & women’s life.

Dream Team – And finally, our third priority as a church is to help people find their gifts and use them for God.  I think this step in the process is when people begin to really thrive in their walk with Christ.  During the fall, we had about 30 Dream Team members. This year we have grown to 40 weekly Dream Team members.  They serve in areas such as: ushers, greeters, hospitality, kids team, nursery/preschool team, youth team, tech team, worship band, set up, and tear down.

Other updates:

-We are thankful to God for providing for all of our financial needs.  We strive to always honor him with our finances and we always give 10% of our tithes and offerings to missions.

-We broke 100 in attendance again this past Sunday.  We are averaging around 85 in attendance on a regular basis.

My Top 10 Worship Songs

10.”You Are For Me” by Kari Jobe

9.”Moving Forward” by Israel Houghton

8.”Holding Nothing Back” by Jesus Culture

7. ”Lord Almighty” by Kristian Stanfill

6. ”How He Loves” by Kim Walker

5.”Give Me Faith” by Elevation Worship

4. “Overcome” by New Life Worship

3. “Always” by Kristian Stanfill

2. ”Forever Reign” by Hillsong Live

1. “Great I Am” by New Life Worship

Train Wreck

“What a train wreck!”…Maybe you’ve heard the common phrase used describe something that has gone wrong. When we call something a train wreck, usually it’s  hyperbolical. “That exam was a train wreck”, “that rehearsal was a train wreck”, etc.  If I misspelled every other word in this blog, it would classify as a “grammatical train wreck”.  The phrase gets the point across doesn’t it?

I think if we are breathing, we will experience little train wrecks on a regular basis.  Things go wrong. Bad stuff happens. It’s part of life. But what about when real disaster strikes?  What about when it your world really is wrecked?  What do you do then to get things back together and how does it happen in the first place?

Well to answer the first question, we can’t get things back together on our own.  We can’t put the train back on track by trying really hard.  Heavy machinery is required to get a derailed train back on its track.  For us, we have to ask God for help and realize that He is the only one that can put our life back together.

Now to the other question.  How does it happen in the first place?  How does our life begin to derail? The enemy’s tactics are subtle and his process is gradual.  He knows that if he can just get us off track long enough, the train wreck will eventually happen on it’s own. We can learn about his tactics through studying some of the causes of literal train wrecks.

Causes of a Train Wreck

1. Excessive Speed – Gradual derailment can happen through going too fast. It’s called “wheel climb”.  It’s a term used to describe the wheels gradually being lifted off the track because the friction between the flange and the gauge face of the rail is too great.  It causes the wheel flange to climb outwards over the head of the rail.  In other words, Satan would like to make our lives so fast and furious that we eventually derail.  That’s why it’s so important for us to say no.  If you haven’t read it, check out my “joy stealers” blog on “hurry”.

2. Obstacles – When obstacles are on the track — a fallen tree limb, an animal, a bicycle — there is a risk of derailment.  The simple fact is, our lives won’t always be smooth and obstacle-free.  When we understand that challenges will come, we have a better chance of trusting God in spite of those challenges and staying on track.

3. Distraction – In 2008, a 15-year old was texting the engineer of a metro link train in California when the train crashed and killed 25 people. The driver ignored 3 warning red lights, and smashed into a stopped freight train. It seems that this crash was due to being distracted by text messaging. The engineers’ distraction not only killed him, but caused widespread property damage and the deaths of 24 others.  Some Christians think that getting distracted with sin is no big deal. No one’s perfect right? But the fact is we should give it everything we’ve got not to be distracted by things of this world.  Our spiritual train wrecks don’t just affect us, they affect lots of people around us.

4. Miscommunication – Unfortunately it happens — cmmunication is not clear, routes are not adjusted, and a moving train meets another train on the same track.  It’s always ugly, but it could have been avoided through better communication. I wander if many of our “train wrecks” could be avoided through better communication. I wander if we would have fewer train wrecks if we made it a point to communicate daily with God. I wander if we would have fewer train wrecks if we remembered to always communicate thoroughly with people.  Some of my toughest battles have to do NOT WITH what people are actually thinking, saying or doing, but with WHAT I THINK they are thinking, saying, or doing.  When I write and e-mail or send a text and there is no response, I automatically tend to think the worst. To me, a “no response” is a bold response.  But the fact is, the worst is not usually the case, the enemy just uses those things to try to derail me.  Point is this: keep the lines of communication flowing.

5. Earthquakes – Some of you were desperately hoping I would get to this point.  The fact is, some train wrecks cannot be avoided.  Sometimes tragedy strikes such as: a death of a loved one, a house fire that burns up memories, a young person who has been raped or abused,  family member diagnosed with cancer, etc.   When that happens, it’s like an earthquake and our train is off track before we even know what has hit us.  If you are picking up the pieces of a personal earthquake, there is nothing I can say to reverse time.  Let me just remind you that we serve a God who is faithful and sees more than we can see.  Please trust Him and know that there are some things that we will understand better one day in Heaven.