Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas 2010!




MERRY CHRISTMAS!

As we were preparing and anticipating the holiday season with Christmas and New Year it has been our desire to have a white Christmas! The past few years both Lesa and I have felt we needed to start our own family traditions and one of those was to stay home for the season since we had traveled so much the first 12 years of our marriage.

With my family in one state and Lesa's in another while we sometimes lived in another far away from either, we had lots of traveling during the holidays. These past 2 years have found us at home and we are grateful for a new home to celebrate in this year not to mention we have a white Christmas and right now the snow continues to fall.

Though we are aware it's not about the snow, the gifts or many other THINGS society has often made it out to be, we are thankful to celebrate with all of these being a part of our Christmas holidays.

We hope you find the joy in life's daily choices even in the midst of what could be a very hectic or crazy time of year. May you experience the wonder once again if you have somehow had it taken from the forefront of your heart and mind.

Sometimes as we walk through life, I find it easy to let the cares of the world to choke out the real life we have in Christ and relationship with the father and others.

Wishing you a Merry (joyful) Christmas and a very Happy New Year !
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Wednesday, July 07, 2010

The Power of the Blessing

This is an article from a guy Lesa and I listened to over 13 years ago in a seminar and she woke this more thinking about the Power of the Blessing so she looked it up.

I thought it might be helpful for some and a good read for all.

Take care,
M

The Power of the Blessing
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Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Not safe but Good!




Several years ago while still serving as a Pastor in Indiana, I read a book titled "Your God is too safe" by Mark Buchanan. The premise of the book (which I would recommend as a read if you're ready) deals with the fact that though God is a loving, caring and compassionate father; He is absolutely not safe. God; though he exudes these attributes in His character is not a safe God calling us to live life without risk, staying on the borderland allowing life to pass by why we watch from a distance because we are too afraid we may fail or worse yet some of us are afraid we will succeed and then what will we do?

"God isn't safe and so we keep our distance. Like Adam, we hide from him. Like Peter we try to send Him away. Like Jonah, we run in the opposite direction. And we end up in "borderland", a strange and safe place that lacks everything we really seek: passion, power and freedom." (excerpt taken from "Your God is too safe").

What causes this in our lives? Why do we who have been created with a sense of adventure, excitement and passionate living turn away from a God who draws us into a life beyond the "borderland" into a life filled with a passionate pursuit of truth, love and freedom? Often we hear things like "the safest place to be is in the center of God's will" I would like to say however when we are in the center of God's will for our lives at any given time it is most likely the most dangerous place to be, yet it is by far the best place we can find ourselves. When we are obediently following after the heart and life of God, it will not be a safe place but it will indeed be a good place.

In one of C.S. Lewis' writings in "The Chronicles of Narnia" he shares a conversation between Lucy and Mr. Beaver concerning Aslan (The Lion who represents Jesus) when she discovers he is not a man but a lion.

Lucy " Then.. he isn't safe"
Mr. Beaver " Safe?" "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver is telling you?" "Who said anything about safe?" "Course he isn't safe, but he's good!" " He's the king I tell you."

"Then He is not safe?" Course He isn't safe, but He is good I tell you"; He is indeed the king and Lord of all! He can be trusted in all things, with all things and through all circumstances we find ourselves in; He is the compassionate, loving, caring and faithful father we hoped that He was but let us not mistake these character attributes with a God who is safe. Let us not confuse these character traits and somehow make God out to be something we want Him to be rather than believing Him for who He is.

God calls us beyond borderland living into the great wild and though it will be a different course for each of us, we are called to move beyond and not sit in the safe zone watching life pass by. God's call's us into the world to be His light, voice, hope, goodness and love but often the places He leads us will be more dangerous than we had hoped. Will we trust He to do through us and more importantly in us those things he desires or will we run, turn away or choose a different course ourselves? We can do these things and we all make the decisions in one way or another every single day. Which will choose?

Check out this short video illustration from Francis Chan.


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Sunday, January 03, 2010

A Big World!

How big is your world?

Matthew 28:18-20 says "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Jesus saw the world and not just a few people sitting in front of Him: The love of He and His father transcended borders, barriers of hate and doubt in order to reach people with truth and love. He then calls us to do the same.

How big is our world? Have we managed to stay safe in the border living and kept ourselves clean from the effects of the world or have we gotten dirty while loving those who have seemed to be unlovable. I would offer that the latter is the life Jesus has called us to live.

Love the world and make disciples (students, learners) in the ways of Christ and not the name of empty religion. Empty religion is doing acts of worship for selfish gain or meaningless repetition rather than out of love for people and the cause of Christ. Trying to please God so He will find us appealing, rather than accepting the fact that He has come for us and made a way for us to come to Him.

How big is our world? Has it been shrunken by our unwillingness to be obedient to the words of Jesus in His call to love people different from us "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father" (Matthew 5:46-48)

Jesus has called us into a new kind of love, a love which puts action to our words and not just saying one thing and living another. "The world is not looking for someone who has all the answers, the world is looking for people who will walk with them in love through all their stuff, until they discover the answer for themselves". Jesus said when we hunger and thirst for His righteousness, we will be satisfied and if we are hungering and thirsting we will be loving those who God has called us in love to care for in His name.

It's a Big World but How big is OURS?

Love those who persecute you is what Jesus says "Love Always Wins" even when the natural outcome says different at the time.

Big love!
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