There is an old Indian legend that tells about Indian boys who would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One such youth hiked into a beautiful valley, green with trees, bright with flowers. There he fasted. But on the third day, as he looked up at the surrounding mountains, he noticed one tall rugged peak, capped with dazzling snow. I will test myself against that mountain, he thought. He put on his buffalo-hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders and set off to climb the peak. When he reached the top he stood on the rim of the world. He could see forever, and his heart swelled with pride.
Then he heard a rustle at his feet, and looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke. "I am about to die," said the snake. "It is too cold for me up here and I am freezing. There is no food and I am starving. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley." "No," said the youth. "I am forewarned. I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite, and your bite will kill me." "Not so," said the snake. "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special. I will not harm you." The youth resisted awhile, but this was a very persuasive snake with beautiful markings. At last the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it gently on the grass, when suddenly the snake coiled, rattled, and leapt, biting him on the leg. "But you promised..." cried the youth. "You knew what I was when you picked me up." said the snake as it slithered away."
It’s true isn’t it…we’ve all been bitten by that snake before? James 1:14 says, “We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us.” So how can we sharpen our skills at resisting temptation?
Here’s a winning example Jesus’ provides (Mt. 4:1-11 [check it out]) for beating temptation.
[1] Whenever Jesus was tempted, He always used particular scriptures to combat it. Consistent Scripture memory is absolutely necessary. See 1 John 2:14 right now for proof.
[2] Our free time must be guarded. Determine to love God enough to turn and go the other way…and don’t leave a forwarding address.
[3] Select your friends like your mama would. Keep in mind the warning from Scripture that says, “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
Do you have ideas or things you have done that have worked for you? Share them as a comment.
www.realitychurch.com
Monday, September 14, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Where was God on 9/11
On 9/11, America and nearly the entire civilized world was shocked and in disbelief as we witnessed the calamity of the WTC in NY City. Shocked that the most powerful nation on the planet was attacked and dreadfully vulnerable and how it could be that such evil could take place right in our own “back yard.”
Evils working pervade every culture, every society, and every socio-economic stratum. Sin and evil know no bounds. It’s part of every race and nationality. It’s in every country, city, town and neighborhood. Wars, famine, crime, murder, torture, abortion, infanticide, etc.
Could God have stopped all of these evils and kept the terrorists from attacking and ruining the lives of thousands of husbands, wives, children, parents and grandparents? Yes, if He removed their ability to choose their own will instead of His. But to be totally fair, God would have to strip all of us of our freedom to choose as well. Though we are not terrorists (although I know a few kids who are), we sometimes hurt and crush and harm and ruin other people with our own sinful, evil choices.
Somebody said that this was God’s will. No. It was man’s will usurping God’s will. Man made his choice and it brought destruction. Don’t blame it on God! God told us to choose to do things His way, which always brings life and blessing.
Deut. 11:26-28 – (God) “Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse - a blessing, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; but a curse, if you disobey these commands…"
www.realitychurch.com
Evils working pervade every culture, every society, and every socio-economic stratum. Sin and evil know no bounds. It’s part of every race and nationality. It’s in every country, city, town and neighborhood. Wars, famine, crime, murder, torture, abortion, infanticide, etc.
Could God have stopped all of these evils and kept the terrorists from attacking and ruining the lives of thousands of husbands, wives, children, parents and grandparents? Yes, if He removed their ability to choose their own will instead of His. But to be totally fair, God would have to strip all of us of our freedom to choose as well. Though we are not terrorists (although I know a few kids who are), we sometimes hurt and crush and harm and ruin other people with our own sinful, evil choices.
Somebody said that this was God’s will. No. It was man’s will usurping God’s will. Man made his choice and it brought destruction. Don’t blame it on God! God told us to choose to do things His way, which always brings life and blessing.
Deut. 11:26-28 – (God) “Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse - a blessing, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; but a curse, if you disobey these commands…"
www.realitychurch.com
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
You Can Be Successful
Success is something that everyone wants—you, me…everyone. But how is it that success comes? I mean, how do you get whatever this thing we call success is?
There’s a very cool passage of Scripture that says “As long as King Uzziah dedicated his life to serving the Lord, the Lord gave him success.” 2 Chronicles 26:5
The Bible is replete with promises about God bringing success and prospering those who follow Him closely. For example:
2 Chronicles 31:21—States that “Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.” And Joshua 1:8—“Study this Book of Instruction (the Bible) continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Still not convinced that it’s God’s will to prosper you and make you successful? Even Jesus reinforced this biblical promise by stating in Matthew 6:33—“And He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”
Let’s put it all together. As you read over these passages, what’s the common thread? I like to call it “loving obedience.” And the way we get to the place of obeying God out of love is by [1] learning the bible [2] thinking about its application to our lives and [3] putting it into practice.
Yes, you can be a success!
Share your thoughts back with me. The world wants to know what you’re thinking.
www.realitychurch.com
There’s a very cool passage of Scripture that says “As long as King Uzziah dedicated his life to serving the Lord, the Lord gave him success.” 2 Chronicles 26:5
The Bible is replete with promises about God bringing success and prospering those who follow Him closely. For example:
2 Chronicles 31:21—States that “Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.” And Joshua 1:8—“Study this Book of Instruction (the Bible) continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Still not convinced that it’s God’s will to prosper you and make you successful? Even Jesus reinforced this biblical promise by stating in Matthew 6:33—“And He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”
Let’s put it all together. As you read over these passages, what’s the common thread? I like to call it “loving obedience.” And the way we get to the place of obeying God out of love is by [1] learning the bible [2] thinking about its application to our lives and [3] putting it into practice.
Yes, you can be a success!
Share your thoughts back with me. The world wants to know what you’re thinking.
www.realitychurch.com
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
In The Courtroom
Ever been part of a courtroom procedure like Jury Duty, testifying under oath, or being a character witness for someone? The waiting and the possibility you could be called on is suspenseful.
Recently, I was asked to be a character witness for a friend in a court of law. I thought it might be possible that the Judge would call on me to stand before [her] in this case and testify. So what did I do? Before I arrived, I made sure that I put on my best stuff just in case. Shaven? Check! Right shirt & tie? Check! Cologne on? Check! Shoes shined? Check!
Went thru a whole routine to “look good” in front of a human judge. Funny thing was I never came near. The female Judge never saw my nicely trimmed goatee, my shiny shoes and probably didn’t care about my tie or the small of my cologne; yet I did it to “make a statement” if needed.
I began to think about all that I put into this small proceeding and realized that one day I’m going to stand before the Judge of the universe and I had better have “look my best.” But what is the best way for us to “look our best” before God? What is He looking for when we’re standing before His throne?
The answer lies in a story (parable) Jesus told and recorded for us in Matthew 25:21—“His master replied, ‘Good job! You're a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's happiness.'
The two things I notice here are: [1] the master (God) said that the servant was “good and faithful” and [2] because he/she was faithful, God would give this person more responsibility (I will put you in charge of a large amount) and more privilege (Come and share your master's happiness).
When that day comes to stand before The Ultimate Judge, we can be assured that He won’t be looking at how well we’re dressed or how good we look on the outside. He judges everyone properly when He judges us from the inside…the heart. He will judge us on how faithful or trustworthy we have been with the responsibilities He has given to us in this life.
What are those? Well, for starters, how ‘bout being faithful to Him with everything he has entrusted to us! Like what, Steve? Like our talents or giftedness. These are divine abilities God has enabled you with to serve other people. Another aspect of loving faithfulness to God is our time or our calendar. What am I giving to Him out of the 1,440 minutes I have each day? The final facet of our faithfulness to God and possibly the most revealing too is our giving back to God or our treasure.
These days, I’m thinking more and more about that one special day that I stand before the Righteous Judge and either hear Him say, “Good job! You're a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's happiness” or I will hear no praise at all.
I want the former said of me and the privilege that goes with it. How about you? Feel free to respond with your thoughts.
www.realitychurch.com
Recently, I was asked to be a character witness for a friend in a court of law. I thought it might be possible that the Judge would call on me to stand before [her] in this case and testify. So what did I do? Before I arrived, I made sure that I put on my best stuff just in case. Shaven? Check! Right shirt & tie? Check! Cologne on? Check! Shoes shined? Check!
Went thru a whole routine to “look good” in front of a human judge. Funny thing was I never came near. The female Judge never saw my nicely trimmed goatee, my shiny shoes and probably didn’t care about my tie or the small of my cologne; yet I did it to “make a statement” if needed.
I began to think about all that I put into this small proceeding and realized that one day I’m going to stand before the Judge of the universe and I had better have “look my best.” But what is the best way for us to “look our best” before God? What is He looking for when we’re standing before His throne?
The answer lies in a story (parable) Jesus told and recorded for us in Matthew 25:21—“His master replied, ‘Good job! You're a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's happiness.'
The two things I notice here are: [1] the master (God) said that the servant was “good and faithful” and [2] because he/she was faithful, God would give this person more responsibility (I will put you in charge of a large amount) and more privilege (Come and share your master's happiness).
When that day comes to stand before The Ultimate Judge, we can be assured that He won’t be looking at how well we’re dressed or how good we look on the outside. He judges everyone properly when He judges us from the inside…the heart. He will judge us on how faithful or trustworthy we have been with the responsibilities He has given to us in this life.
What are those? Well, for starters, how ‘bout being faithful to Him with everything he has entrusted to us! Like what, Steve? Like our talents or giftedness. These are divine abilities God has enabled you with to serve other people. Another aspect of loving faithfulness to God is our time or our calendar. What am I giving to Him out of the 1,440 minutes I have each day? The final facet of our faithfulness to God and possibly the most revealing too is our giving back to God or our treasure.
These days, I’m thinking more and more about that one special day that I stand before the Righteous Judge and either hear Him say, “Good job! You're a good and faithful servant! You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount. I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's happiness” or I will hear no praise at all.
I want the former said of me and the privilege that goes with it. How about you? Feel free to respond with your thoughts.
www.realitychurch.com
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Vacillating, Oscillating, and Other Unhealthy Practices
It’s hard to see people hurting in life. I’d rather give them some sort of magic pill that could help them in their life journey, but that’s not the way it works.
Recently, I’ve had conversations with others I care about and I see the struggle they face. Some of the struggles are self-induced, but some are caused by circumstances and power beyond us. But what pains me the most is the fact that there is an answer to many of our heartaches. An answer? Yes, an answer.
Now, to some, I may be naïve, old-fashioned, or just plain “out of touch” with the real world. Could be, but don’t think so. Many years ago, I’ve found to be true the one thing that will overcome all of my stupid decisions and harmful choices that would otherwise pound me into the pavement. That one stabilizing factor is none other than the life altering, mind renewing, Word of God. Sound like a crock? Check these passages of Scripture and see if you agree that God has already given us all we need from His word to be champions over life’s circumstances
Romans 12:2 — “Stop being conformed to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God…”
We must choose to get our noses into God’s Word so that we can see the total transformation of our lives. This happen by renewing our minds with His Word. This is a must, if we’re going to think the way God wants us to.
Ephesians 4:23 — “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”
Psalm 19:7-11 — The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
This tells us what God’s Word can and will do for us when we know it: According to Scripture, it makes me wise, brings joy to my life, gives me insight for living, and so much more.
Decide today…maybe right now as you read this Post—that you are going to stop vacillating, oscillating, or wavering and instead start marinating your mind with God’s Word. It’ll give you the greatest peace of mind you’ll ever know…in every circumstance.
Write me back and tell me about how God’s Word has made a difference in your life.
www.realitychurch.com
Recently, I’ve had conversations with others I care about and I see the struggle they face. Some of the struggles are self-induced, but some are caused by circumstances and power beyond us. But what pains me the most is the fact that there is an answer to many of our heartaches. An answer? Yes, an answer.
Now, to some, I may be naïve, old-fashioned, or just plain “out of touch” with the real world. Could be, but don’t think so. Many years ago, I’ve found to be true the one thing that will overcome all of my stupid decisions and harmful choices that would otherwise pound me into the pavement. That one stabilizing factor is none other than the life altering, mind renewing, Word of God. Sound like a crock? Check these passages of Scripture and see if you agree that God has already given us all we need from His word to be champions over life’s circumstances
Romans 12:2 — “Stop being conformed to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God…”
We must choose to get our noses into God’s Word so that we can see the total transformation of our lives. This happen by renewing our minds with His Word. This is a must, if we’re going to think the way God wants us to.
Ephesians 4:23 — “Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”
Psalm 19:7-11 — The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
This tells us what God’s Word can and will do for us when we know it: According to Scripture, it makes me wise, brings joy to my life, gives me insight for living, and so much more.
Decide today…maybe right now as you read this Post—that you are going to stop vacillating, oscillating, or wavering and instead start marinating your mind with God’s Word. It’ll give you the greatest peace of mind you’ll ever know…in every circumstance.
Write me back and tell me about how God’s Word has made a difference in your life.
www.realitychurch.com
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Why Do You?
It’s not elementary…in fact, it’s downright advanced stuff…at least to most people. It’s a legitimate question that weaves its way through the heads of the multitudes. Preachers even get it wrong; but it should be so easy.Believe it or not, I heard a TV preacher say something in an interview that shocked me. He said something that many of us actually feel but would rather not say; so he said it for you. And it has huge implications. He said, “I serve God because I fear Him; I don’t want to go to hell, and that’s why I serve Him faithfully.”
Wow! Really? I serve God because I fear Him…His wrath, His repercussions? Is that sort of talk foreign to you or not? When was the last time you asked yourself the question, “Why Do I Serve Jesus Christ?”
There are plenty of feelings about the pros and cons of this concept; so allow me to simply offer up something that the Bible says that can put this sort of thing to rest for all concerned.
We see this in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “For I am controlled by the love of Christ.” Noticed it didn’t say, “The fear of Christ” or “The wrath of Christ,” but rather, “The love of Christ.” His love for and toward me and my love back to Him is what controls me. The original language, Koine Greek, spells it out even clearer. It actually means that His love drives me, motivates me, and compels me…but it further means that His love steers me, maneuvers me, directs me, and decides for me.
It’s clear then that God’s will is that we serve Him and follow Him out of a sense of reciprocating love, not fear. Finally, to nail this idea of “I serve God because I fear Him; I don’t want to go to hell, and that’s why I serve Him faithfully” shut forever in your life, we can turn to scripture again when it says, “Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears.” 1 John 4:18 (NCV) Hey, there are few things more freeing this.
As followers of an amazing God, we must choose to believe this just like we believe Genesis 1:1 or John 3:16. And when we do; when we learn to serve Jesus out of a response to His deep love for us, our whole outlook on the character of God will change for the better and bring us true freedom.
Agree? Disagree? Mad? Glad? I’d love to read your thoughts!!
www.realitychurch.com
Wow! Really? I serve God because I fear Him…His wrath, His repercussions? Is that sort of talk foreign to you or not? When was the last time you asked yourself the question, “Why Do I Serve Jesus Christ?”
There are plenty of feelings about the pros and cons of this concept; so allow me to simply offer up something that the Bible says that can put this sort of thing to rest for all concerned.
We see this in 2 Corinthians 5:14: “For I am controlled by the love of Christ.” Noticed it didn’t say, “The fear of Christ” or “The wrath of Christ,” but rather, “The love of Christ.” His love for and toward me and my love back to Him is what controls me. The original language, Koine Greek, spells it out even clearer. It actually means that His love drives me, motivates me, and compels me…but it further means that His love steers me, maneuvers me, directs me, and decides for me.
It’s clear then that God’s will is that we serve Him and follow Him out of a sense of reciprocating love, not fear. Finally, to nail this idea of “I serve God because I fear Him; I don’t want to go to hell, and that’s why I serve Him faithfully” shut forever in your life, we can turn to scripture again when it says, “Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears.” 1 John 4:18 (NCV) Hey, there are few things more freeing this.
As followers of an amazing God, we must choose to believe this just like we believe Genesis 1:1 or John 3:16. And when we do; when we learn to serve Jesus out of a response to His deep love for us, our whole outlook on the character of God will change for the better and bring us true freedom.
Agree? Disagree? Mad? Glad? I’d love to read your thoughts!!
www.realitychurch.com
Sunday, July 26, 2009
It Matters
What’s on your mind lately? Politics, money, food, ballgames, church, cars, God…what is it?
I guess blogging is all about weighing in and then shouting out your two-cents. So here’s my shout for the day.
For far too long now in our culture—Christianity as a whole has been looked upon with great suspicion as being illegitimate because of a lot of talk mixed with little walk. For the last three decades many Americans have had enough of “Sunday Christians, plastic Christians, closet Christians, and preachers who pointed their fingers and yelled about hell, fire, and brimstone, but failed to live up to their own words.
The word hypocrisy became commonplace in the vocabulary of many and was used to denounce Christians and the Christian faith. Society basically turned away from community churches because, although we talked a good game, we talked way too much smack but didn’t do jack and therefore lost enormous credibility.
But in the midst of all that, God was still at work, changing lives. He's been grabbing hold of common, everyday kinds of people and pastors and church leaders who really cared about walking the walk. And today, at the end of the first decade of the new millennium, I think we are on the verge of reclaiming—at least some of what was previously lost because of the hypocritical nature of God’s church.
My two-cents is just this: I question if we, Christ followers, really understand that the way we live our daily lives; the journey we tell others we are on with God has more impact on culture than we might ever believe.
So, I wonder about the “get it’ factor, because sometimes I think we’re oblivious or indifferent to the influence we really exert. In the estimation of Jesus Christ, it’s particularly crucial that we choose to represent God well to the world, if we ever have the hope of reaching them with the message of true life. Representing Him well is about taking the new life God put inside of you…and turning it inside-out so others can have the best seats in the house to see what He is all about.
Understanding that it matters to God what those at work think of you is on the money. It matters to God what your family thinks of you. It matters to God what your neighbors or your waitress, or your boss, or employees, or that new Christian thinks of you! Ultimately, it should matter to you what God thinks of you.
And this is exactly the reason why God placed His Spirit inside of you…so you and I can represent Him extremely well on this blue planet we call earth.
Isn't it time for all of us to step up and become in character, the person God has enabled you to be.
www.realitychurch.com
I guess blogging is all about weighing in and then shouting out your two-cents. So here’s my shout for the day.
For far too long now in our culture—Christianity as a whole has been looked upon with great suspicion as being illegitimate because of a lot of talk mixed with little walk. For the last three decades many Americans have had enough of “Sunday Christians, plastic Christians, closet Christians, and preachers who pointed their fingers and yelled about hell, fire, and brimstone, but failed to live up to their own words.
The word hypocrisy became commonplace in the vocabulary of many and was used to denounce Christians and the Christian faith. Society basically turned away from community churches because, although we talked a good game, we talked way too much smack but didn’t do jack and therefore lost enormous credibility.
But in the midst of all that, God was still at work, changing lives. He's been grabbing hold of common, everyday kinds of people and pastors and church leaders who really cared about walking the walk. And today, at the end of the first decade of the new millennium, I think we are on the verge of reclaiming—at least some of what was previously lost because of the hypocritical nature of God’s church.
My two-cents is just this: I question if we, Christ followers, really understand that the way we live our daily lives; the journey we tell others we are on with God has more impact on culture than we might ever believe.
So, I wonder about the “get it’ factor, because sometimes I think we’re oblivious or indifferent to the influence we really exert. In the estimation of Jesus Christ, it’s particularly crucial that we choose to represent God well to the world, if we ever have the hope of reaching them with the message of true life. Representing Him well is about taking the new life God put inside of you…and turning it inside-out so others can have the best seats in the house to see what He is all about.
Understanding that it matters to God what those at work think of you is on the money. It matters to God what your family thinks of you. It matters to God what your neighbors or your waitress, or your boss, or employees, or that new Christian thinks of you! Ultimately, it should matter to you what God thinks of you.
And this is exactly the reason why God placed His Spirit inside of you…so you and I can represent Him extremely well on this blue planet we call earth.
Isn't it time for all of us to step up and become in character, the person God has enabled you to be.
www.realitychurch.com
Friday, July 24, 2009
Seven Wonders (Part 3)
Incredible, isn’t it; the way God made the Seven Wonders of the Natural World so spectacular? In case you’ve forgotten what they are, I’ve listed them for you:
[1] Mount Everest in Nepal [2] Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe [3] Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA [4] Great Barrier Reef in Australia [5] Northern Lights [6] Paricutin volcano in Mexico [7] Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Google these and what you’ll see is…gorgeous, breathtaking & stunning.
Still more stunning and even awe-inspiring is the Seven Wonders of the Spiritual World. We’ve covered the first four; now let me put a wrap on the last three. [5] God Guides Me [6] God Uses Me, and [7] God Satisfies Me.
God Guides…me, you, us! How cool is that? It’s His desire and delight, and no, He doesn’t play games with our lives—choosing to give us His guidance sometimes and at other times, not. His guidance is always available…we just have to position our lives in such a way so that we can perceive what He is saying. God will speak frequently to us through His Word (the Bible); by the leadership of the Holy Spirit; and sometimes even by circumstances.
The Lord also Uses those willing to follow Him. This is not only the 6th wonder, it’s still a wonder to me to this day! Why would a perfect, holy, all-powerful God choose to use little ole me? I guess the point God wants me to understand is that I don’t have to understand. All I have to do is say, ‘Yes!’ So, how ‘bout it? Let’s just say ‘Yes!’ to God’s desire to use us. Deal?
Finally, the seventh Wonder of the Spiritual World is all about Satisfaction. Many people never seem satisfied, & almost everybody wants more. A little child wants more toys & more television time. A teenager wants more freedom & more popularity. Most of us adults want more possessions & more leisure time. Certainly as we age, we want more health, more friends, & more loyalty from our children.
God is the ultimate satisfier. He satisfies us with His provision, protection, and peace.
When you think deeply, really deeply about the Seven Wonders of the Spiritual World, no doubt you will want to fall to your knees and fall in love with God all over again. How could it be any other way!?!?
www.realitychurch.com
[1] Mount Everest in Nepal [2] Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe [3] Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA [4] Great Barrier Reef in Australia [5] Northern Lights [6] Paricutin volcano in Mexico [7] Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Google these and what you’ll see is…gorgeous, breathtaking & stunning.
Still more stunning and even awe-inspiring is the Seven Wonders of the Spiritual World. We’ve covered the first four; now let me put a wrap on the last three. [5] God Guides Me [6] God Uses Me, and [7] God Satisfies Me.
God Guides…me, you, us! How cool is that? It’s His desire and delight, and no, He doesn’t play games with our lives—choosing to give us His guidance sometimes and at other times, not. His guidance is always available…we just have to position our lives in such a way so that we can perceive what He is saying. God will speak frequently to us through His Word (the Bible); by the leadership of the Holy Spirit; and sometimes even by circumstances.
The Lord also Uses those willing to follow Him. This is not only the 6th wonder, it’s still a wonder to me to this day! Why would a perfect, holy, all-powerful God choose to use little ole me? I guess the point God wants me to understand is that I don’t have to understand. All I have to do is say, ‘Yes!’ So, how ‘bout it? Let’s just say ‘Yes!’ to God’s desire to use us. Deal?
Finally, the seventh Wonder of the Spiritual World is all about Satisfaction. Many people never seem satisfied, & almost everybody wants more. A little child wants more toys & more television time. A teenager wants more freedom & more popularity. Most of us adults want more possessions & more leisure time. Certainly as we age, we want more health, more friends, & more loyalty from our children.
God is the ultimate satisfier. He satisfies us with His provision, protection, and peace.
When you think deeply, really deeply about the Seven Wonders of the Spiritual World, no doubt you will want to fall to your knees and fall in love with God all over again. How could it be any other way!?!?
www.realitychurch.com
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Seven Wonders (Part 2)
Here’s a “pop-quiz” with seven multiple choices and a chance to respond below:
Question: What is authentic spiritual transformation (the 4th of seven spiritual wonders) all about?
A. Trying to be a good person
B. Giving up stuff
C. Committing myself to something better
D. Following through on my word
E. Quitting my bad habits
F. All of the above
G. None of the above
If you answered a, b, c, d, e, or f – you think like most people. But most people are wrong when it comes to the 4th spiritual wonder… how “God Transforms Me.”
Notice the common denominator in all of these… self-effort! But true biblical transformation is never about self-effort.
Instead, biblical transformation is: “A radical, noticeable change that takes place within the human heart, not because of personal effort, but because of an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ.”
We can try to change from the inside on our own – so we will be changed on the outside, but we will ultimately fail. REMINDS ME OF POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN: “I YAM WHAT I YAM, AND THAT’S ALL THAT I YAM!”
• NO HOPE OF CHANGING—“I YAM WHAT I YAM”
• NO DESIRE TO CHANGE—“I YAM WHAT I YAM”
• CAN’T CHANGE—"I YAM WHAT I YAM, AND THAT’S ALL THAT I YAM!"
Transformation always begins from within. It’s “an inside job” that can and should happen in small and sometimes big ways, regularly.
Remember this: Real transformation is always about our yieldedness to what God wants to do in us!
Agree or disagree? Why or why not? Talk back and be heard!
www.realitychurch.com
Question: What is authentic spiritual transformation (the 4th of seven spiritual wonders) all about?
A. Trying to be a good person
B. Giving up stuff
C. Committing myself to something better
D. Following through on my word
E. Quitting my bad habits
F. All of the above
G. None of the above
If you answered a, b, c, d, e, or f – you think like most people. But most people are wrong when it comes to the 4th spiritual wonder… how “God Transforms Me.”
Notice the common denominator in all of these… self-effort! But true biblical transformation is never about self-effort.
Instead, biblical transformation is: “A radical, noticeable change that takes place within the human heart, not because of personal effort, but because of an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ.”
We can try to change from the inside on our own – so we will be changed on the outside, but we will ultimately fail. REMINDS ME OF POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN: “I YAM WHAT I YAM, AND THAT’S ALL THAT I YAM!”
• NO HOPE OF CHANGING—“I YAM WHAT I YAM”
• NO DESIRE TO CHANGE—“I YAM WHAT I YAM”
• CAN’T CHANGE—"I YAM WHAT I YAM, AND THAT’S ALL THAT I YAM!"
Transformation always begins from within. It’s “an inside job” that can and should happen in small and sometimes big ways, regularly.
Remember this: Real transformation is always about our yieldedness to what God wants to do in us!
Agree or disagree? Why or why not? Talk back and be heard!
www.realitychurch.com
Monday, July 13, 2009
Seven Wonders
Some time ago, a guy named Bill Hybels wrote a book called, “Seven Wonders of the Spiritual World.” I loved that book and thought that, if you haven’t heard of it, you would let me share with you, as best as I can remember, what those seven wonders actually are.
The list goes like this: [1] You Matter to God [2] God Can be Trusted [3] God Forgives Me [4] God Transforms Me [5] God Guides Me [6] God Uses Me, and [7] God Satisfies Me.
This fantastic list is just that…almost too fantastic to believe, or better yet, it’s “out of this world.” Well, it actually is.
Go ahead; take a look at that short list again. Did you drop your chin like I did when you first read that catalog of what God is really like toward us? I mean, did you read it carefully, thoughtfully?
You Matter To God: Many people doubt God’s love for them for various reasons. No one told us God loves us…Things go wrong…We think we’re too bad of a person… But the Scripture tells us something just the opposite. It says, “I pray… you be able to feel and understand how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves.” Ephesians 3:17-19
God Can Be Trusted: Whoever told us that God is a million miles away or didn’t care about “our little, petty problems” should read the Bible more. Jesus told us that God cares (about all things that concern us) and that he is near to us rather than far. The bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 for us to “cast on God’s shoulders all our cares and worries because He cares for us.” That’s good news!
God Forgives Me: Really? Me and all my baggage? Yes! Actually, He forgave you about 2000 years ago when he died on a cross for your sin and mine. Here’s how God himself put it: “Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin…” Psalm 32:1-2
When you look at the first three of the seven listed, you can see that God is totally “on point” when it comes to how awesome He is toward us.
Next posting, I will wrap us the last four of the “Seven Wonders of the Spiritual World” with Part 2.
Hey, I’d like to hear what you think. Go ahead and post any thoughts, feelings, or experiences you’d like to share. i'm sure you'll be an encouragement to others!
www.realitychurch.com
The list goes like this: [1] You Matter to God [2] God Can be Trusted [3] God Forgives Me [4] God Transforms Me [5] God Guides Me [6] God Uses Me, and [7] God Satisfies Me.
This fantastic list is just that…almost too fantastic to believe, or better yet, it’s “out of this world.” Well, it actually is.
Go ahead; take a look at that short list again. Did you drop your chin like I did when you first read that catalog of what God is really like toward us? I mean, did you read it carefully, thoughtfully?
You Matter To God: Many people doubt God’s love for them for various reasons. No one told us God loves us…Things go wrong…We think we’re too bad of a person… But the Scripture tells us something just the opposite. It says, “I pray… you be able to feel and understand how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves.” Ephesians 3:17-19
God Can Be Trusted: Whoever told us that God is a million miles away or didn’t care about “our little, petty problems” should read the Bible more. Jesus told us that God cares (about all things that concern us) and that he is near to us rather than far. The bible says in 1 Peter 5:7 for us to “cast on God’s shoulders all our cares and worries because He cares for us.” That’s good news!
God Forgives Me: Really? Me and all my baggage? Yes! Actually, He forgave you about 2000 years ago when he died on a cross for your sin and mine. Here’s how God himself put it: “Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin…” Psalm 32:1-2
When you look at the first three of the seven listed, you can see that God is totally “on point” when it comes to how awesome He is toward us.
Next posting, I will wrap us the last four of the “Seven Wonders of the Spiritual World” with Part 2.
Hey, I’d like to hear what you think. Go ahead and post any thoughts, feelings, or experiences you’d like to share. i'm sure you'll be an encouragement to others!
www.realitychurch.com
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A God Blog
What do you do when you are going through hardship? When there are no easy answers in sight? Where do you go when things are beyond your control and you just don’t know what to do anymore? What do you think that God would want you to know?
I’ve been thinking about these very questions because lately I have seen a number of my friends and family going through some very difficult things: Awful family problems, severe health issues, financial turmoil, and even personal demons they are wrestling with.
So I thought that if God had a blog today, He might want just remind us all of what He’s already said in the Bible. So, if you’re personally going through some tough stuff or know of a friend who is, then take a good long look at these passages of Scripture and just let soak in your mind. I’m confident that the Spirit of God will speak to your heart as you give Him the chance. Enjoy!
God is:
- FOR ME
“Since God is for us, who can stand against us?” Romans 8:31
- WITH ME
"When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." Isaiah 43:2 - BESIDE ME
"The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade." Psalm 121:5 - BENEATH ME
"The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you." Deuteronomy 33:27 - AROUND ME
"Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds and protects his people, both now and forever." Psalm 125:2 - BEHIND ME
"Your God will walk before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind." Isaiah 58:8 - WITHIN ME
"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you." Romans 8:11
I'd love to hear what you think and about how this may speak to you. Leave a comment; it might resonate with others!
www.realitychurch.com
Friday, June 26, 2009
The King of Pop, Dies
Could it be any clearer what God says about death?
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. Psalms 116:15
As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live… Ezekiel 33:11
Whichever camp the king of pop (Michael Jackson) was in, we don’t know. It was only he who could ultimately know whether or not he had a personal relationship with the forgiver of sin, Jesus Christ. What we can know is two things: [1] God takes no pleasure when a person to dies without Christ’s forgiveness because of sin’s penalty – what God calls “eternal death” (eternity without Him) and [2] God tells us it is precious in His sight when one of His children leaves this life (they will be forever with Him).
To be sure, Jesus doesn’t see everyone as children of God (John 6:66), nor does everyone possess everlasting life (1John 5:11-13). There will be many who think their way is right, but it only ends in death for them (Proverbs 16:25). Jesus claimed (and ultimately proved it by resurrecting from the dead), that he was the only way to heaven (Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6).
Michael Jackson’s premature death at age 50 proves how vulnerable and frail our physical lives really are. It also shows us that, in the grand scheme of things, life is fast & furious, evaporating before us like the morning mist.My hope is that those of us who know Jesus personally and love people would take any death, but especially MJ’s death, and be stirred more than ever to share the awesome news that God wants to make us His friends through what the J-man (that’s Jesus!) did for all of us on a wooden cross some two millennia ago.
In just 100 short years, nearly all the 6.8 billion people on this rock we call Earth will die. So, why do we as Christ-followers shrink back from sharing the Good News? Is it because we don’t think it’s newsworthy to share or perhaps it's because we are fearful of slight rejection? Or possibly it has to do with the fact that we don’t really believe that people want to hear about Jesus – even though in a recent national poll, the one person in all of history that most people in America would like to meet is none other than Jesus Christ.
Whatever the case, people’s eternities lay in the balance…and you and I get to be used by God to possibly be the “tipping point” that alters their decision to choose Christ as their personal savior.
www.realitychurch.com
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. Psalms 116:15
As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live… Ezekiel 33:11
Whichever camp the king of pop (Michael Jackson) was in, we don’t know. It was only he who could ultimately know whether or not he had a personal relationship with the forgiver of sin, Jesus Christ. What we can know is two things: [1] God takes no pleasure when a person to dies without Christ’s forgiveness because of sin’s penalty – what God calls “eternal death” (eternity without Him) and [2] God tells us it is precious in His sight when one of His children leaves this life (they will be forever with Him).
To be sure, Jesus doesn’t see everyone as children of God (John 6:66), nor does everyone possess everlasting life (1John 5:11-13). There will be many who think their way is right, but it only ends in death for them (Proverbs 16:25). Jesus claimed (and ultimately proved it by resurrecting from the dead), that he was the only way to heaven (Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:6).
Michael Jackson’s premature death at age 50 proves how vulnerable and frail our physical lives really are. It also shows us that, in the grand scheme of things, life is fast & furious, evaporating before us like the morning mist.My hope is that those of us who know Jesus personally and love people would take any death, but especially MJ’s death, and be stirred more than ever to share the awesome news that God wants to make us His friends through what the J-man (that’s Jesus!) did for all of us on a wooden cross some two millennia ago.
In just 100 short years, nearly all the 6.8 billion people on this rock we call Earth will die. So, why do we as Christ-followers shrink back from sharing the Good News? Is it because we don’t think it’s newsworthy to share or perhaps it's because we are fearful of slight rejection? Or possibly it has to do with the fact that we don’t really believe that people want to hear about Jesus – even though in a recent national poll, the one person in all of history that most people in America would like to meet is none other than Jesus Christ.
Whatever the case, people’s eternities lay in the balance…and you and I get to be used by God to possibly be the “tipping point” that alters their decision to choose Christ as their personal savior.
www.realitychurch.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
Titles and Bosses
In case you might forget, Barbara Boxer is a senator.
The feisty California lawmaker felt the need to remind an Army brigadier general of that fact recently during a hearing before her Senate Committee where the military officer testifying had the apparent gall to call Boxer "ma'am."
Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was testifying and began to answer one of Boxer's questions with "ma'am" when Boxer immediately cut him off.
"You know, do me a favor," an irritated Boxer said. "Could say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?'"
"Yes, ma'am," Walsh interjected.
"It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you," she said.
"Yes, senator," he responded.
Sad, isn’t it, when someone has to prop themselves up in front of others. You’d think someone of the mature age of 68 would not be so needy.
Too often and in a similar way, many pastors and ministry leaders enjoy the feeling of power and control that comes from an “I’m in charge … I call the shots … I’m the boss around here,” mentality.
There is a scene that took place in Luke 22 which speaks to this subject. In this account, there was a power struggle going on among Jesus’ disciples. They were discussing who the “greatest” was going to be when Jesus came to power. Knowing this was going on, the Lord began to share some Kingdom lessons about what being great was really all about…and it wasn’t about titles.
Here’s the dialog:
“Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: ‘Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant. Who would you rather be: the one who eats the dinner or the one who serves the dinner? You’d rather eat and be served, right? But I’ve taken my place among you as the one who serves.'” Luke 22:24-27 (THE MESSAGE)
Some may not recognize the difference in values between the worldly “boss” mentality and the biblical “leader” mentality. If someone were to ask me what each typically connotes, I might spell it out like this:
A boss creates fear
A leader creates trust (1 Thessalonians 2:10-11)
A boss serves himself
A leader serves others (1 Corinthians 9:19)
A boss aims to make himself successful
A leader aims to make others successful (1 Timothy 4:6)
A boss says, "I"
A leader says, "we" (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
A boss fixes blame
A leader fixes mistakes (Philemon v.18-19)
A boss knows how
A leader shows how (Exodus 18:17)
A boss makes work a grind
A leader makes work worthwhile (Nehemiah)
A boss drives
A leader leads (John 10:11-15)
A boss wields authority
A leader empowers people (2 Timothy 2:2)
A boss relies on the power of authority
A leader relies on the power of servanthood (Matthew 20:25-28)
If we’re needy of titles or props, we’ll always fall short of greatness in God’s eyes. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Everyone can become great because everyone can serve.” If I could add an postscript to that, it would be “…everyone can serve without the need for titles.”
www.realitychurch.com
The feisty California lawmaker felt the need to remind an Army brigadier general of that fact recently during a hearing before her Senate Committee where the military officer testifying had the apparent gall to call Boxer "ma'am."
Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was testifying and began to answer one of Boxer's questions with "ma'am" when Boxer immediately cut him off.
"You know, do me a favor," an irritated Boxer said. "Could say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?'"
"Yes, ma'am," Walsh interjected.
"It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you," she said.
"Yes, senator," he responded.
Sad, isn’t it, when someone has to prop themselves up in front of others. You’d think someone of the mature age of 68 would not be so needy.
Too often and in a similar way, many pastors and ministry leaders enjoy the feeling of power and control that comes from an “I’m in charge … I call the shots … I’m the boss around here,” mentality.
There is a scene that took place in Luke 22 which speaks to this subject. In this account, there was a power struggle going on among Jesus’ disciples. They were discussing who the “greatest” was going to be when Jesus came to power. Knowing this was going on, the Lord began to share some Kingdom lessons about what being great was really all about…and it wasn’t about titles.
Here’s the dialog:
“Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: ‘Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant. Who would you rather be: the one who eats the dinner or the one who serves the dinner? You’d rather eat and be served, right? But I’ve taken my place among you as the one who serves.'” Luke 22:24-27 (THE MESSAGE)
Some may not recognize the difference in values between the worldly “boss” mentality and the biblical “leader” mentality. If someone were to ask me what each typically connotes, I might spell it out like this:
A boss creates fear
A leader creates trust (1 Thessalonians 2:10-11)
A boss serves himself
A leader serves others (1 Corinthians 9:19)
A boss aims to make himself successful
A leader aims to make others successful (1 Timothy 4:6)
A boss says, "I"
A leader says, "we" (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
A boss fixes blame
A leader fixes mistakes (Philemon v.18-19)
A boss knows how
A leader shows how (Exodus 18:17)
A boss makes work a grind
A leader makes work worthwhile (Nehemiah)
A boss drives
A leader leads (John 10:11-15)
A boss wields authority
A leader empowers people (2 Timothy 2:2)
A boss relies on the power of authority
A leader relies on the power of servanthood (Matthew 20:25-28)
If we’re needy of titles or props, we’ll always fall short of greatness in God’s eyes. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Everyone can become great because everyone can serve.” If I could add an postscript to that, it would be “…everyone can serve without the need for titles.”
www.realitychurch.com
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Hornet Attack
No joke. I ran as fast as I could to get inside the house like a little kid running from a neighborhood bully. Today (Tuesday) was my day off and I’m outside in the back of the yard, power-washing our screened Gazebo. As I’m doing this, I realized that I’m hitting some hornet nests that are tucked away in the corners of the structure.
I should have looked first to see if there was anything hidden in these corners, but after stuff started dropping I thought I would take a look. Stink! There was way too many of them around all sides of the Gazebo for me to safely spray them away, so I took the hose inside the Gazebo and began my assault from there. Problem was, the door had about a one-inch gap the hose made where angry hornets could get in and retaliate.
As I began spraying a huge chunk of their hive came tumbling down and boy were they ticked. In a matter of a few second they were on the screen wanting a piece of me and my power-washer. Long story short, I made a mad dash out of the Gazebo, turned off the machine and the hose as fast as I could and ran to get inside the house as quickly as I could. My adrenaline was cranking.
When I got inside, I was actually shaking. But I’d rather take on the top two neighborhood bullies than mess with angry hornets.
What captures my attention most about this episode is it parallels so well with what Ephesians Chapter 6:10-17 is all about. It says we are constantly assailed and assaulted by the devil and his gang of evil spirits trying to bring ruin and destruction in our lives. What’s protecting us is the spiritual armor that God gives to us. And it’s this armor and this armor only that can’t be penetrated by Satan. When we learn how to apply God’s armor to our daily lives, we are safe from harm. In order to put on His armor, three major life applications must be practiced:
[1] Live life with integrity. [2] Practice right-living. [3] Learn to know God’s Word.
When you start messing with territory that the devil thinks is his, you can be sure that he’s coming after you; but again…he can’t win...he actually loses—as long as you’ve got the armor on that God provided.
www.realitychurch.com
I should have looked first to see if there was anything hidden in these corners, but after stuff started dropping I thought I would take a look. Stink! There was way too many of them around all sides of the Gazebo for me to safely spray them away, so I took the hose inside the Gazebo and began my assault from there. Problem was, the door had about a one-inch gap the hose made where angry hornets could get in and retaliate.
As I began spraying a huge chunk of their hive came tumbling down and boy were they ticked. In a matter of a few second they were on the screen wanting a piece of me and my power-washer. Long story short, I made a mad dash out of the Gazebo, turned off the machine and the hose as fast as I could and ran to get inside the house as quickly as I could. My adrenaline was cranking.
When I got inside, I was actually shaking. But I’d rather take on the top two neighborhood bullies than mess with angry hornets.
What captures my attention most about this episode is it parallels so well with what Ephesians Chapter 6:10-17 is all about. It says we are constantly assailed and assaulted by the devil and his gang of evil spirits trying to bring ruin and destruction in our lives. What’s protecting us is the spiritual armor that God gives to us. And it’s this armor and this armor only that can’t be penetrated by Satan. When we learn how to apply God’s armor to our daily lives, we are safe from harm. In order to put on His armor, three major life applications must be practiced:
[1] Live life with integrity. [2] Practice right-living. [3] Learn to know God’s Word.
When you start messing with territory that the devil thinks is his, you can be sure that he’s coming after you; but again…he can’t win...he actually loses—as long as you’ve got the armor on that God provided.
www.realitychurch.com
Monday, June 15, 2009
Offended
I had someone walk out on me this past Sunday at Reality Church as I spoke on a very touchy subject (part 5 in the Life Swap Series). This person was ‘hot’ to say the least…offended at what I had said and from the front, stormed out of the building briskly walking down the middle aisle uttering, “I’m not listening to this.”
But should we actually be surprised if this happens if we’re proclaiming God’s Word? And, still a bigger question is, “what if the person offended is another believer…should we be stunned then?” I don’t think so.
You see, we need to remember that we’re all on different levels of maturity in our journey with God. So it should come as no surprise that a person—even a believer in Jesus—will be offended at different stages and occasions in their Christian walk. It even happened to Jesus, recorded for us in [John 6:60-66] when his followers were offended at what he said. Many of them left him and never followed him again.
One of the things we must be careful of, though, is how we’re presenting the message of God to others. It’s possible and even easy to offend someone in about 10 second just by the way we say things.
Why am I writing about this? Because you will undoubtedly have an opportunity to share God’s truth with both those who believe and even those who don’t. And, sometimes, people get offended—even if they love God. What’s important is that we don’t add any unnecessary offense to the message of Christ. It’s imperative that we learn to “speak the truth in love” to our friends, family, and co-workers, but we make sure we are not compromising what God says for the sake of keeping everybody happy.
We’re not in a popularity contest, so keep speaking the truth in love to everyone every opportunity God gives you and don’t be surprised if some are offended or worse. Sometimes the truth hurts!
http://www.realitychurch.com/
But should we actually be surprised if this happens if we’re proclaiming God’s Word? And, still a bigger question is, “what if the person offended is another believer…should we be stunned then?” I don’t think so.
You see, we need to remember that we’re all on different levels of maturity in our journey with God. So it should come as no surprise that a person—even a believer in Jesus—will be offended at different stages and occasions in their Christian walk. It even happened to Jesus, recorded for us in [John 6:60-66] when his followers were offended at what he said. Many of them left him and never followed him again.
One of the things we must be careful of, though, is how we’re presenting the message of God to others. It’s possible and even easy to offend someone in about 10 second just by the way we say things.
Why am I writing about this? Because you will undoubtedly have an opportunity to share God’s truth with both those who believe and even those who don’t. And, sometimes, people get offended—even if they love God. What’s important is that we don’t add any unnecessary offense to the message of Christ. It’s imperative that we learn to “speak the truth in love” to our friends, family, and co-workers, but we make sure we are not compromising what God says for the sake of keeping everybody happy.
We’re not in a popularity contest, so keep speaking the truth in love to everyone every opportunity God gives you and don’t be surprised if some are offended or worse. Sometimes the truth hurts!
http://www.realitychurch.com/
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A No-Hitter
On this date (June 11, 2009), exactly 19 years ago, one of baseball’s greatest pitchers, Nolan Ryan, pitched his sixth “no-hitter” in his career as he and the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland A’s 5-0.
As a former “pitcher” with a semi-pro team, I know just a little about how difficult it is to throw that all-elusive no hit game. Ryan got the best of his opponents for a number of outstanding reasons…one of which is the fact that he worked at being the most effective pitcher in the Major Leagues. He went on to retire with 5,714 strikeouts and 52 additional major league records in his twenty-six years in the big leagues.
One thing I know; whenever you work exceedingly hard at something or for something, usually, that hard work…that diligence, pays big dividends. It’s like the person who asked an amazing concert violinist in New York’s Carnegie Hall how she became so skilled. She said that it was by “planned neglect.” She planned to neglect everything that was not related to her goal.
Maybe for you, there are some less important things in your life that could stand some planned neglect so that you can give yourself to the purposes and plans of the God who holds your future in His hands.
So, what will it be; business as usual for you, or is there something for which you know you were created and that you must pursue?
I think Nolan Ryan would say, “Go for it!” I think that accomplished violinist would say, “Go ahead and neglect the myriad of things that don’t propel you to your goal.” But most important of all is what God would say to you. And what do you think that would be?
www.realitychurch.com
As a former “pitcher” with a semi-pro team, I know just a little about how difficult it is to throw that all-elusive no hit game. Ryan got the best of his opponents for a number of outstanding reasons…one of which is the fact that he worked at being the most effective pitcher in the Major Leagues. He went on to retire with 5,714 strikeouts and 52 additional major league records in his twenty-six years in the big leagues.
One thing I know; whenever you work exceedingly hard at something or for something, usually, that hard work…that diligence, pays big dividends. It’s like the person who asked an amazing concert violinist in New York’s Carnegie Hall how she became so skilled. She said that it was by “planned neglect.” She planned to neglect everything that was not related to her goal.
Maybe for you, there are some less important things in your life that could stand some planned neglect so that you can give yourself to the purposes and plans of the God who holds your future in His hands.
So, what will it be; business as usual for you, or is there something for which you know you were created and that you must pursue?
I think Nolan Ryan would say, “Go for it!” I think that accomplished violinist would say, “Go ahead and neglect the myriad of things that don’t propel you to your goal.” But most important of all is what God would say to you. And what do you think that would be?
www.realitychurch.com
Kids at Every Stage
What are you learning these days? That terrorism is real and close to home, or that government intrusion in our lives is happening more and more, or perhaps you’re witnessing the truth God tells us in the Bible…that we must not trust in the uncertainly of riches…especially in these harsh economic times. We dare not hide and say it’s not true…it is, but it’s also hard to swallow.
There is another thing that’s hard for me to swallow, maybe you too; and that’s the training of our kids. To do it well and to do it consistently is hard work. But it’s more complicated even than that. These days, I’m learning that wisdom from God is at a premium. Sometimes, I’m at a loss as to know how to do it. Thank God for my wife. Without her insight, input and practical wisdom, I’d have ruined most everything by now.
As my kids are getting older, I find that I have to deal with them in new and unchartered ways; ways that I’m unfamiliar with. And I’m having to rely on insight from God’s Word more than ever.
My point is that parenting is certainly rewarding, but it’s also difficult to do well, especially without divine guidance. Maybe that’s why God made it so complex. Maybe it’s because He wanted us to finally call on Him and draw from His vast resource of wisdom, and do it often.
So, go ahead, if you have kids, no matter their age – admit the difficulty of it and then just call out to God for help. If you’re serious, He’ll probably surprise you with helpful truths from the Bible (just make sure you’re reading it!), as well as from other more experienced people.
www.realitychurch.com
There is another thing that’s hard for me to swallow, maybe you too; and that’s the training of our kids. To do it well and to do it consistently is hard work. But it’s more complicated even than that. These days, I’m learning that wisdom from God is at a premium. Sometimes, I’m at a loss as to know how to do it. Thank God for my wife. Without her insight, input and practical wisdom, I’d have ruined most everything by now.
As my kids are getting older, I find that I have to deal with them in new and unchartered ways; ways that I’m unfamiliar with. And I’m having to rely on insight from God’s Word more than ever.
My point is that parenting is certainly rewarding, but it’s also difficult to do well, especially without divine guidance. Maybe that’s why God made it so complex. Maybe it’s because He wanted us to finally call on Him and draw from His vast resource of wisdom, and do it often.
So, go ahead, if you have kids, no matter their age – admit the difficulty of it and then just call out to God for help. If you’re serious, He’ll probably surprise you with helpful truths from the Bible (just make sure you’re reading it!), as well as from other more experienced people.
www.realitychurch.com
Monday, June 8, 2009
Your Gig
Let me set the stage. Every Monday happens to be the day when we as a staff spend a few hours on the creative programming aspect of an upcoming series. Our next major series is one we’re calling “Joosey Froot.” We pray, and then jump in; sharing our thoughts from a media perspective on the big idea I want to communicate on a particular Sunday. No idea is sacred. Every idea is potentially viable.
But this particular Monday was to be different; maybe just for me to see the power of God at work. Here’s what happened. Our Media Director, Dave, hooked four of us up on TokBox , a video chat tool that connects people online no matter where they are located. Anyway, what normally would take us many hours to determine the kind of video to shoot and how to pull it off, took us only about an hour… and that’s for a nine week summer series! It’s going to be hot stuff too. And here’s the reason: The primary giftedness that God gave these “creative types” were being used. It’s the main gig God has for them. And they were making the most of it.
Can I ask the question, “What about you?” Do you know your primary giftedness that God has blessed you with? If you do, please utilize it for His purposes. Don’t wait to be asked personally, just do it. God tells us this in the Bible: “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” –Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)
If you aren’t sure or don’t know what it is that God has wired you for, begin by [1] asking God to show you, [2] ask others who walk closely with God what they see in you, and [3] roll up your sleeves and get involved with something good and you will start to see what you like and dislike. Eventually, you will narrow the choices down to doing something you love and are made by God to do. Kind of like those creative types I began writing about in this blog.
You were created for so much more than you know or realize. Do the three things I mentioned and your result will be intense joy and a purposeful life.
www.realitychurch.com
But this particular Monday was to be different; maybe just for me to see the power of God at work. Here’s what happened. Our Media Director, Dave, hooked four of us up on TokBox , a video chat tool that connects people online no matter where they are located. Anyway, what normally would take us many hours to determine the kind of video to shoot and how to pull it off, took us only about an hour… and that’s for a nine week summer series! It’s going to be hot stuff too. And here’s the reason: The primary giftedness that God gave these “creative types” were being used. It’s the main gig God has for them. And they were making the most of it.
Can I ask the question, “What about you?” Do you know your primary giftedness that God has blessed you with? If you do, please utilize it for His purposes. Don’t wait to be asked personally, just do it. God tells us this in the Bible: “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” –Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)
If you aren’t sure or don’t know what it is that God has wired you for, begin by [1] asking God to show you, [2] ask others who walk closely with God what they see in you, and [3] roll up your sleeves and get involved with something good and you will start to see what you like and dislike. Eventually, you will narrow the choices down to doing something you love and are made by God to do. Kind of like those creative types I began writing about in this blog.
You were created for so much more than you know or realize. Do the three things I mentioned and your result will be intense joy and a purposeful life.
www.realitychurch.com
Sunday, June 7, 2009
A Powerful Drug
God’s Word seems to always prove itself right. Time and again it’s on the cutting edge of what modern man is finally figuring out. What I’m talking about is the medicinal effects laughter has on the human body and psyche as a whole. Solomon, the wisest and probably the wealthiest king in the history of the world wrote about laughter. Here’s what he said: “A cheerful disposition is good for your health…” (Proverbs 17:22)
Today, after getting home from an awesome church service, each of our three kids invited a friend over the house. After lunch, Joy, my youngest, was upstairs in her room with her friend and all the while they are playing, they are giggling…basically non-stop. I got such a kick out of it. It was awesome to listen to them have so much fun.
But what happened to us adults? Why don’t we laugh like we did years ago? Care to guess what percentage adults laugh as compared to younger kids? Half? One quarter? How ‘bout 4.5%. Kids laugh on average per day about 400 times. The average adult, a meager 17 times per day.What I’m getting at is that we should laugh more—far more than we do. Whatever keeps you from letting loose with laughter (busyness of life, tiredness, taking yourself too serious), has to go.
Check out what laughter can do for you:
Laughter strengthens the body’s ability to fight disease; it’s a natural stress-buster; it can lower your blood pressure, increase energy levels, help us bond better with other people and is even a way to exercise. Laughing 100 times roughly equals 15 minutes on an exercise bike? Vigorous laughter increases the heart rate deepens the breathing rate, and uses muscles in the face, stomach, and diaphragm.
Think about it. If laughter does all these things and it’s free, why not choose to laugh more and laugh at yourself more. Choosing to laugh instead of acting all dignified or stuffy will really help the quality of your life improve.
Ha!
http://www.realitychurch.com
Today, after getting home from an awesome church service, each of our three kids invited a friend over the house. After lunch, Joy, my youngest, was upstairs in her room with her friend and all the while they are playing, they are giggling…basically non-stop. I got such a kick out of it. It was awesome to listen to them have so much fun.
But what happened to us adults? Why don’t we laugh like we did years ago? Care to guess what percentage adults laugh as compared to younger kids? Half? One quarter? How ‘bout 4.5%. Kids laugh on average per day about 400 times. The average adult, a meager 17 times per day.What I’m getting at is that we should laugh more—far more than we do. Whatever keeps you from letting loose with laughter (busyness of life, tiredness, taking yourself too serious), has to go.
Check out what laughter can do for you:
Laughter strengthens the body’s ability to fight disease; it’s a natural stress-buster; it can lower your blood pressure, increase energy levels, help us bond better with other people and is even a way to exercise. Laughing 100 times roughly equals 15 minutes on an exercise bike? Vigorous laughter increases the heart rate deepens the breathing rate, and uses muscles in the face, stomach, and diaphragm.
Think about it. If laughter does all these things and it’s free, why not choose to laugh more and laugh at yourself more. Choosing to laugh instead of acting all dignified or stuffy will really help the quality of your life improve.
Ha!
http://www.realitychurch.com
Friday, May 29, 2009
Consumer Christianity
It’s the easiest kind of powerless, feeble living to fall into. It has no nerve, no spirit, no backbone…no adventure. It’s called, consumer Christianity…always taking but rarely giving.
CC takes the guts out of meaningful living because the true meaning of life, according to Jesus, is to totally and fully give ourselves to His will while we’re still sucking air. We were meant to give our very lives away for the sake of pointing others to Him. Ugh. I don’t think I’m doing so well.
So, today, I began asking myself a different kind of question. “What Does God Expect Of Me?” Is my Christianity just about going to church on Sunday, praying for others, reading the Bible, and steering clear of the biggest kinds of sins—or does God have a bigger, better, more grandiose plan?
Isn’t it true what Jesus really intended for us is to have a mindset, a philosophy of life, which routinely practices making godly differences in the lives of others [near-and-far] with the investment of our resources—our time, our talk, our money, and our abilities?
Sometimes, maybe too much of the time, I get caught up in the busyness of my own life and forget the more significant things I should be practicing. Yes, I love God and yes, I’m serving Him; but I wonder if I could be serving Him better by thinking more about what He expects from me right now! Today and tomorrow too.
Maybe the time is ripe for you to consider the way you’re spending your time, money, and abilities as well. Maybe, when you go to bed tonight, God will have you think and stare at the ceiling wondering what you’re really missing by living the powerless consumer Christian lifestyle.
If you’ve been noticing an empty feeling or a void in your soul; do what I’m doing. Ask Him what He wants you to do and then press toward it. That’s when the adventurous life really begins.
http://www.realitychurch.com/
CC takes the guts out of meaningful living because the true meaning of life, according to Jesus, is to totally and fully give ourselves to His will while we’re still sucking air. We were meant to give our very lives away for the sake of pointing others to Him. Ugh. I don’t think I’m doing so well.
So, today, I began asking myself a different kind of question. “What Does God Expect Of Me?” Is my Christianity just about going to church on Sunday, praying for others, reading the Bible, and steering clear of the biggest kinds of sins—or does God have a bigger, better, more grandiose plan?
Isn’t it true what Jesus really intended for us is to have a mindset, a philosophy of life, which routinely practices making godly differences in the lives of others [near-and-far] with the investment of our resources—our time, our talk, our money, and our abilities?
Sometimes, maybe too much of the time, I get caught up in the busyness of my own life and forget the more significant things I should be practicing. Yes, I love God and yes, I’m serving Him; but I wonder if I could be serving Him better by thinking more about what He expects from me right now! Today and tomorrow too.
Maybe the time is ripe for you to consider the way you’re spending your time, money, and abilities as well. Maybe, when you go to bed tonight, God will have you think and stare at the ceiling wondering what you’re really missing by living the powerless consumer Christian lifestyle.
If you’ve been noticing an empty feeling or a void in your soul; do what I’m doing. Ask Him what He wants you to do and then press toward it. That’s when the adventurous life really begins.
http://www.realitychurch.com/
Monday, May 25, 2009
The 'B' Word
It’s been about 25 years and I’ll never forget the statement. When I was in Bible School, I had a professor who would often say to us: “If you have a chance to do the talking or do the listening—choose to listen. The reason, he said, was that you can’t learn anything new by talking since you already know everything you’re going to say.”
Good advice, given that most of us wants to become smarter and wiser in life. Still, there is something that’s potentially even more powerful than listening to others doing most of the talking. I’m referring to the ‘B’ word…the lost art of book reading.
If I haven’t lost you yet, that could mean you’re either interested in what I have to say or you want to see how out-of-touch I really am to suggest reading books. But here’s the skinny: Reading books typically benefit the reader far better on a particular subject that the best advice from others because of the amount of research and expertise invested in it.
So, even if reading books are not your specialty, it can be equivalent to sitting down with an expert advisor or counselor and getting you questions answered for a only a few bucks. Makes you wiser and smarter too.
Let me list a few of my favorite books that you might want to read:
- Creation/Evolution and the Bible—The New Answers Book 1 & 2, by Ken Ham (this is one of the books I’m reading now)
- Marriage—Making Love Last Forever, by Gary Smalley
- Parenting—How to be Hero to Your Kids, by Josh McDowell
- Finances—Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey
- Knowing God—30 Life Principles, by Charles Stanley
If there is a subject or theme that you are interested in, write a comment to this blog and I’ll be sure to contact you via email. In the meantime, you can become increasingly wiser by picking up the titles listed.
Life Change?
Right now at Reality, we are doing a series of talks called “Life Swap.” Our intention in this five-part series is to introduce people to the truth about what actually happened in and to them once they put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Our goal is to show them all the “perks & benefits” they have as a result of their new relationship with God.
Today, we did something different in our church services. Instead of the typical approach to communicating God’s truth…you know, the “I talk, you listen” format, I introduced a three-panel team to answer questions about how they deal with things like worry, unanswered prayer, adversity, personal sins and others. The approach was received well and seemed to answer questions people want to know about. But there’s a question I wonder about that wasn’t answered. Well, actually, it was never asked.
Let me explain. After we were done, people told me things like “It was good for me to hear this today” and “it was awesome” and that in a good way it “really hit them hard.” I love hearing things like this. But, I still have a gnawing question that eats at me every time I hear someone say how much one of the talks meant to them. That question is: “How much will really change in that person’s life.”
Now, I’m not trying to be cynical. I’m simply wondering about whether the experience was simply an emotional one—or a true spiritual one. Was it merely informational or did it go beyond that to become transformational?
So, my thoughts in answering this run two ways. [1] Yes, it has to be emotional and informational before it can be transformational. In other words, it has to both move the person and provide knowledge before life-change can happen. But [2] more than this, there has to be a personal decision made by the individual within like a 72 hour period to act on that emotion/information if lasting change or transformation is to be experienced.
Maybe this will be a talk I share in the near future, but for now, my hope and prayer is that each person who is moved in some way by God’s word will determine to take action steps so that what I call life-change can and will happen.
www.realitychurch.com
Today, we did something different in our church services. Instead of the typical approach to communicating God’s truth…you know, the “I talk, you listen” format, I introduced a three-panel team to answer questions about how they deal with things like worry, unanswered prayer, adversity, personal sins and others. The approach was received well and seemed to answer questions people want to know about. But there’s a question I wonder about that wasn’t answered. Well, actually, it was never asked.
Let me explain. After we were done, people told me things like “It was good for me to hear this today” and “it was awesome” and that in a good way it “really hit them hard.” I love hearing things like this. But, I still have a gnawing question that eats at me every time I hear someone say how much one of the talks meant to them. That question is: “How much will really change in that person’s life.”
Now, I’m not trying to be cynical. I’m simply wondering about whether the experience was simply an emotional one—or a true spiritual one. Was it merely informational or did it go beyond that to become transformational?
So, my thoughts in answering this run two ways. [1] Yes, it has to be emotional and informational before it can be transformational. In other words, it has to both move the person and provide knowledge before life-change can happen. But [2] more than this, there has to be a personal decision made by the individual within like a 72 hour period to act on that emotion/information if lasting change or transformation is to be experienced.
Maybe this will be a talk I share in the near future, but for now, my hope and prayer is that each person who is moved in some way by God’s word will determine to take action steps so that what I call life-change can and will happen.
www.realitychurch.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sporks
Okay, I was at KFC the other day having some lunch (I like their hot & spicy boneless wings), when I asked for a plastic fork, cause I didn’t want to get my hand full of the extra hot sauce I requested. They said, we don’t have forks anymore—we have “sporks” instead. I laughed. “Really? Okay, I’ll take one.”
Boy, what a mistake that was. The “spork” should never have been invented or patented. At least this particular make and model. What a joke! I couldn’t poke or lance anything. This piece of plastic was masquerading as a useful tool. I thought it was a total waste of perfectly good plastic.
Which leads me to a thought I just had to write about: It seems to me that too many of us are pretending to be something we’re really not. That spork was a poor imitation of the real deal. Hey, give me a spoon or a fork, but please, no more stinkin' sporks! I can’t take it anymore; and if you had the same experience I did that day trying to eat my hot and spicy boneless chicken wings, you would come to my corner in this big matter.
Nuff said. Be who you are, not some cheap recreation of another person or personality, or even what you do for God in this life. Move on. Be true to yourself. If you’re not who God made you to be and become, who will? It’s time we quit being sporks!
www.realitychurch.com
Boy, what a mistake that was. The “spork” should never have been invented or patented. At least this particular make and model. What a joke! I couldn’t poke or lance anything. This piece of plastic was masquerading as a useful tool. I thought it was a total waste of perfectly good plastic.
Which leads me to a thought I just had to write about: It seems to me that too many of us are pretending to be something we’re really not. That spork was a poor imitation of the real deal. Hey, give me a spoon or a fork, but please, no more stinkin' sporks! I can’t take it anymore; and if you had the same experience I did that day trying to eat my hot and spicy boneless chicken wings, you would come to my corner in this big matter.
Nuff said. Be who you are, not some cheap recreation of another person or personality, or even what you do for God in this life. Move on. Be true to yourself. If you’re not who God made you to be and become, who will? It’s time we quit being sporks!
www.realitychurch.com
Jerks, Grief, and Grace
Sometimes things trigger other things and they trigger other things and you wind up thinking about something you had no intention of contemplating. For instance, tonight as I was driving home from my last counseling session, I begin thinking about how much God puts up with stuff from people like me!!
I began to think about how much of a jerk I sometimes am to God and how much I must grieve Him at times. Then I just told Him what I just told you and praised Him for His goodness and grace toward me. I wound up just smiling in my car as I talked with the Lord and as I did, I was trying to tell Him just how good I thought He was…even when He disciplines me. The word I came up with that meant the most to me tonight was ‘lovely.’ Lovely in every way. Every single way.
This passage of Scripture from the Bible describes what I mean:
“The loyal love of the Lord never fails! His mercies never cease, otherwise, we would have been destroyed. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23
Yep, that’s exactly how I feel about my God. The more I get to know Him, the more I love Him. The more I love Him, the more I want to get to know Him.
Next time you’re out driving alone, go ahead and turn off the radio or CD and instead, take some much needed time to just think about how good and gracious God is to put up with people like you and me without flicking us into oblivion.
www.realitychurch.com
I began to think about how much of a jerk I sometimes am to God and how much I must grieve Him at times. Then I just told Him what I just told you and praised Him for His goodness and grace toward me. I wound up just smiling in my car as I talked with the Lord and as I did, I was trying to tell Him just how good I thought He was…even when He disciplines me. The word I came up with that meant the most to me tonight was ‘lovely.’ Lovely in every way. Every single way.
This passage of Scripture from the Bible describes what I mean:
“The loyal love of the Lord never fails! His mercies never cease, otherwise, we would have been destroyed. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23
Yep, that’s exactly how I feel about my God. The more I get to know Him, the more I love Him. The more I love Him, the more I want to get to know Him.
Next time you’re out driving alone, go ahead and turn off the radio or CD and instead, take some much needed time to just think about how good and gracious God is to put up with people like you and me without flicking us into oblivion.
www.realitychurch.com
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda!
Recently, I’ve been a little uptight…bugged might be a better word, about the needless and stupid choices so many of us make—even though we know it’ll cost us. In the past month, I’ve talked to way too many people who are willing to take their chances and probably lose than to make the wise decisions and rack up numbers in the ‘wins’ column.
So, I find myself asking “why?” Why do we still choose it? Why risk the pain, the embarrassment, and the failure when it could all be avoided.
I guess it’s kinda like death…we all know it’s going to happen; we just never think it’s going to happen to us. Yes, the odds are against us, but we don’t think we’ll lose. It’s a Las Vagas mentality. Too bad that Vegas has the highest suicide rate per capita in the country. “Who, me pay the price? Never!”
But how many times have you already lost because of bad choices? How many instances have you experienced where you wish you could do it all over again? You might call it the coulda, shoulda, woulda factor. It would be safe to say that there’s not a person alive who didn’t wish they would have made better choices along life’s journey. Life has a way of demanding that we look for wisdom in our decision making.
Enter the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Written by the wisest and richest man who ever lived (apart form Christ)…it’s practical wisdom for daily living. The book of Proverbs deals with everything from our finances to coworkers and bosses to relationships and friendships. In short, it deals with our choices in extremely practical and pragmatic ways, so you and I can live a regret-free life.See for yourself. Read and begin applying what you just read from the book of Proverbs (there’s 31 chapters—one for each month) and you’ll never again have to say, “If I only coulda, shoulda, and woulda.”
www.realitychurch.com
So, I find myself asking “why?” Why do we still choose it? Why risk the pain, the embarrassment, and the failure when it could all be avoided.
I guess it’s kinda like death…we all know it’s going to happen; we just never think it’s going to happen to us. Yes, the odds are against us, but we don’t think we’ll lose. It’s a Las Vagas mentality. Too bad that Vegas has the highest suicide rate per capita in the country. “Who, me pay the price? Never!”
But how many times have you already lost because of bad choices? How many instances have you experienced where you wish you could do it all over again? You might call it the coulda, shoulda, woulda factor. It would be safe to say that there’s not a person alive who didn’t wish they would have made better choices along life’s journey. Life has a way of demanding that we look for wisdom in our decision making.
Enter the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Written by the wisest and richest man who ever lived (apart form Christ)…it’s practical wisdom for daily living. The book of Proverbs deals with everything from our finances to coworkers and bosses to relationships and friendships. In short, it deals with our choices in extremely practical and pragmatic ways, so you and I can live a regret-free life.See for yourself. Read and begin applying what you just read from the book of Proverbs (there’s 31 chapters—one for each month) and you’ll never again have to say, “If I only coulda, shoulda, and woulda.”
www.realitychurch.com
Something Crazy Pays Off
Okay, the crazy stuff we did at Reality this past weekend was worth the risk and paid-off well. We also took a chance as a church to do something out-of-the-box on another occasion which made the news…at least locally.
First, my staff and I usually meet weekly for about two hours to focus our thoughts on the creative aspect of an upcoming series of talks. By praying, talking, and just throwing things out on the table as ideas, we think God gave us the idea of having a six week series of talks on how to build great relationships. We called it “My Lame Relationship,” and went to build a basic, but fun website dedicated to relationships. The domain name www.MyLameRelationship.com was purchased for about $10 and we began to work on the look, layout, and content and then had it go “live.”Then, we got another idea. We thought that creating a few hundred signs to place around the city would be an inexpensive way to promote the series and had a host of people come out to put them all over town in one evening. It worked. People started hitting the website and visiting the church for the series the week it was launched
A local news station, WTKR NEWS CHANNEL 3 got wind of it and came out to do a story on the series and we got 2 minutes and 47 seconds worth of free air time on the 11 o’clock news. All because we listened to God and took a risk to color outside the lines.
Then last Sunday (Easter), we decided (in our creative planning meeting weeks before) that I would make Salsa on stage…in front of the Easter crowd…for both services…even though I don’t cook…and somehow make it all correspond to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Well, it happened…we took the risk, stepped out of our comfort zone and did the deal. The result? Fifty-three people chose to put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal forgiver. Can you imagine? How cool is that?!?!?
My reason for blogging about these two incidences is to somehow inspire you to pursue what God has put in your heart by taking some risks. Risks don’t always work out well; but after you pray and follow the Spirit’s prompting, step out…do the deal…choose the unknown…and watch the results!
www.realitychurch.com
First, my staff and I usually meet weekly for about two hours to focus our thoughts on the creative aspect of an upcoming series of talks. By praying, talking, and just throwing things out on the table as ideas, we think God gave us the idea of having a six week series of talks on how to build great relationships. We called it “My Lame Relationship,” and went to build a basic, but fun website dedicated to relationships. The domain name www.MyLameRelationship.com was purchased for about $10 and we began to work on the look, layout, and content and then had it go “live.”Then, we got another idea. We thought that creating a few hundred signs to place around the city would be an inexpensive way to promote the series and had a host of people come out to put them all over town in one evening. It worked. People started hitting the website and visiting the church for the series the week it was launched
A local news station, WTKR NEWS CHANNEL 3 got wind of it and came out to do a story on the series and we got 2 minutes and 47 seconds worth of free air time on the 11 o’clock news. All because we listened to God and took a risk to color outside the lines.
Then last Sunday (Easter), we decided (in our creative planning meeting weeks before) that I would make Salsa on stage…in front of the Easter crowd…for both services…even though I don’t cook…and somehow make it all correspond to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Well, it happened…we took the risk, stepped out of our comfort zone and did the deal. The result? Fifty-three people chose to put their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal forgiver. Can you imagine? How cool is that?!?!?
My reason for blogging about these two incidences is to somehow inspire you to pursue what God has put in your heart by taking some risks. Risks don’t always work out well; but after you pray and follow the Spirit’s prompting, step out…do the deal…choose the unknown…and watch the results!
www.realitychurch.com
Friday, April 10, 2009
Something Crazy
Doing something crazy, something rad, something new for Easter. It’s totally out-of-the-box…at least for me, but I can’t say what it is yet or the news will get out before its time. So, here I am, at the church offices at 2 o’clock in the morning, practicing this crazy stuff for this weekend when I speak. Thought I’d write a post about it…but not just about “it,” but why I’m doing “it.” That’s probably more important.
I gotta tell you, I'm really scary to try this…especially on the biggest Sunday of the year! I’m not sure of myself -- not even sure of the decision to do it. I guess the worst I could do is mess everything up and it become a total flop. But at least I’ll have tried…and people will have something funny to talk about for the rest of the week.
So, why put myself in such a vulnerable position anyway? Well, the “why” behind the attempt to color outside the lines this Easter, is because I think God inspires us to make the biggest impact possible to reach others with the greatest message the world has ever known.
I'm not sure, but isn't it possible that the reason so many of us are uninteresting people is because we live uninteresting lives? But I think God calls us to go on an adventure with Him. And if that’s true, then there will be times (like this Easter Sunday) when the adventure He has us on will seem crazy, risky, and radical.
So, go ahead. Why not ask God for the next adventure He has for you? I can probably guarantee you one thing...it’ll be off the pavement…but isn’t that where the real buzz begins?
www.realitychurch.com
I gotta tell you, I'm really scary to try this…especially on the biggest Sunday of the year! I’m not sure of myself -- not even sure of the decision to do it. I guess the worst I could do is mess everything up and it become a total flop. But at least I’ll have tried…and people will have something funny to talk about for the rest of the week.
So, why put myself in such a vulnerable position anyway? Well, the “why” behind the attempt to color outside the lines this Easter, is because I think God inspires us to make the biggest impact possible to reach others with the greatest message the world has ever known.
I'm not sure, but isn't it possible that the reason so many of us are uninteresting people is because we live uninteresting lives? But I think God calls us to go on an adventure with Him. And if that’s true, then there will be times (like this Easter Sunday) when the adventure He has us on will seem crazy, risky, and radical.
So, go ahead. Why not ask God for the next adventure He has for you? I can probably guarantee you one thing...it’ll be off the pavement…but isn’t that where the real buzz begins?
www.realitychurch.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
What Do I Do?
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? What happens when you have the facts you need or the information at hand, but you don’t know what to do with it? For example, you know your kid has a substance abuse problem or your marriage is hitting the skids or your investments are tanking. What do you do? Really, what do you do?
Recently, I have needed to pursue wisdom for things I’m facing. I may have all the facts concerning the matter, but still lack the insight I need to proceed.
Here’s a quote I’ve heard many times before. “Knowing about something is one thing; knowing what to do with what you know is something entirely different.” The idea is that knowledge, by itself, isn’t enough to cause you to make right decisions. What’s far more valuable is knowing what to do with the knowledge you have. The former is of course called knowledge; the latter is called wisdom. Wisdom trumps knowledge every time, which begs the question, how does one acquire wisdom?
Earlier this week I met with my staff and posed this question, “How do you get wisdom for the inevitable circumstances of life?” Here were our answers: [1] Go first to God in prayer. [2] By reading after and listening to godly people. [3] Keep your nose in The Book (the bible). [4] Learn from the past. [5] By developing the art of observation.
I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”Stop scratching your head wondering what to do next. Instead, adopt these five amazing ways to get wisdom!
www.realitychurch.com
Recently, I have needed to pursue wisdom for things I’m facing. I may have all the facts concerning the matter, but still lack the insight I need to proceed.
Here’s a quote I’ve heard many times before. “Knowing about something is one thing; knowing what to do with what you know is something entirely different.” The idea is that knowledge, by itself, isn’t enough to cause you to make right decisions. What’s far more valuable is knowing what to do with the knowledge you have. The former is of course called knowledge; the latter is called wisdom. Wisdom trumps knowledge every time, which begs the question, how does one acquire wisdom?
Earlier this week I met with my staff and posed this question, “How do you get wisdom for the inevitable circumstances of life?” Here were our answers: [1] Go first to God in prayer. [2] By reading after and listening to godly people. [3] Keep your nose in The Book (the bible). [4] Learn from the past. [5] By developing the art of observation.
I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”Stop scratching your head wondering what to do next. Instead, adopt these five amazing ways to get wisdom!
www.realitychurch.com
Saturday, March 28, 2009
I.Q. of Zero
I just got my butt kicked by something that has an I.Q. of zero! No, it wasn’t some idiot driver on the road; that would be easier to defend myself against. For a few moments, I got beat up by my emotions. Doesn’t happen often, and I know why…but this time I did.
During my bout with these criminal feelings that attempted to rob me of my joy, I immediately began asking, “Why…why do I feel this way?” And if you’ve ever let negative feelings…with a zero intelligence quotient get the best of you, then you know depression is next.
Some wonder why these crazy feelings seem to just come into our heads without an invitation and then take over…a sort of coup d'état, ganging up on us all-at-once. To keep this post from becoming too lengthy, I’ll quickly share with you what I’ve learned over the years in my journey with Jesus.
I’ve learned that I’m susceptible to all kinds of negative emotions if I’m fearful, fatigued, frustrated, or sinning. And here’s the cool thing…I can control all of these. With fear, I can trust God. Fatigue, I can get rest. Frustration, I can turn to others and God for help. Sin, I can submit to God. Check out Isaiah 41:10 and James 4:7 for Scripture that supports this.
Now, how about you? What do you do when you feel bummed out, beat up, or burned out? Instead of losing your perspective and rationale, why not pause and assess your situation? Do you need to trust God, get rest, ask for help, or submit to God?
That’s what I’m going to do as soon as I’m done writing this. You? You can win over the oceans of emotions by doing any or all of these beginning now!
www.realitychurch.com
Garlic Knots
It was a good choice. Scratch that...it was a great choice. I got to take my wife on a date last night to an Italian joint. Good food, but the best part of it all was their unbelievable Garlic Knots. They totally rocked! Freshly baked, with loads of fresh garlic and parmesan cheese doused in olive oil. Makes my mouth water just writing about it. How 'bout yours?
Bad thing though about those garlic knots. They give you bbbbbad breath. I could have stopped a train with as much as I had. I won't speak for Julie, but she likes the garlic too! It's unfortunate that garlic repels people. And when you eat lots of it, people run the other way if you get near them. It's just the affect that it has.
Funny thing is, there's something worse than strong garlic breath that drives people away when they encounter it. No, it's not onion or milk breath, or even coffee breath. It's not a food and it's not because of poor oral hygiene. No, the thing that repulses more people and causes more of us to turn and run in the other direction is the human tongue and the poor choice of words that come out of it.
The tongue has done and can do unthinkable damage to even the best of friends and lovers. As bad as strong garlic breath is--what's worse is strong words used to do damage to others. This is especially true of those we want most in our lives...our spouses, kids, parents, and friends. Our garlic-knot-bad-breath-of-words is killing the relationships we really want to thrive. So, I recommend a few things.
First, realize you have a problem. Second, ask Jesus Christ to help you overcome the prob. Third, start reading the Book of Proverbs in the Bible; you'll be surprised at how practical and good it is. Four, determine to practice what you find out in Proverbs. Five, do the third and fourth thing again and again and again.
Go ahead; do it and you'll be amazed at the results...and the relationships that get healed up. Oh, and if you've never had garlic knots with all that stuff on them - the stinky, smelly breath is worth it!
Bad thing though about those garlic knots. They give you bbbbbad breath. I could have stopped a train with as much as I had. I won't speak for Julie, but she likes the garlic too! It's unfortunate that garlic repels people. And when you eat lots of it, people run the other way if you get near them. It's just the affect that it has.
Funny thing is, there's something worse than strong garlic breath that drives people away when they encounter it. No, it's not onion or milk breath, or even coffee breath. It's not a food and it's not because of poor oral hygiene. No, the thing that repulses more people and causes more of us to turn and run in the other direction is the human tongue and the poor choice of words that come out of it.
The tongue has done and can do unthinkable damage to even the best of friends and lovers. As bad as strong garlic breath is--what's worse is strong words used to do damage to others. This is especially true of those we want most in our lives...our spouses, kids, parents, and friends. Our garlic-knot-bad-breath-of-words is killing the relationships we really want to thrive. So, I recommend a few things.
First, realize you have a problem. Second, ask Jesus Christ to help you overcome the prob. Third, start reading the Book of Proverbs in the Bible; you'll be surprised at how practical and good it is. Four, determine to practice what you find out in Proverbs. Five, do the third and fourth thing again and again and again.
Go ahead; do it and you'll be amazed at the results...and the relationships that get healed up. Oh, and if you've never had garlic knots with all that stuff on them - the stinky, smelly breath is worth it!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Falling Asleep in the Wrong Places
I just got up... it's 3:11 in the morning. Fell asleep on the most uncomfortable couch in the US of A. I don't remember what I was watching and don't know if I dreamed about anything. What I do know is that I missed out on snuggle time with my wife. Bummer. I'll make that right in a few!
As I was climbing up the stairs to get ready for bed, I started to think about how much I hate falling asleep on that couch. Then another thought struck me. I really seriously wondered how many good, normal, fun-loving people fall asleep in life on couches they just as soon wished they had never dozed-off on!?!?
What I mean is "Have you fallen asleep on the dream you had for your life? Have you fallen asleep at being the kind of husband, wife, parent, or friend you really wanted to be? Have you dozed-off at the things that matter most in life...the important things 'cause you were watching some stupid thing on TV that didn't really matter?"
Maybe it's time for you to say, "I hate falling asleep at (fill in the blank) _______." Why not redirect you decisions by doing something about what really matters before it gets too late [in life].
Right now...it's 3:29 in the morning and I'm going to do something about what I missed out on before. Time to snuggle!
www.realitychurch.com
As I was climbing up the stairs to get ready for bed, I started to think about how much I hate falling asleep on that couch. Then another thought struck me. I really seriously wondered how many good, normal, fun-loving people fall asleep in life on couches they just as soon wished they had never dozed-off on!?!?
What I mean is "Have you fallen asleep on the dream you had for your life? Have you fallen asleep at being the kind of husband, wife, parent, or friend you really wanted to be? Have you dozed-off at the things that matter most in life...the important things 'cause you were watching some stupid thing on TV that didn't really matter?"
Maybe it's time for you to say, "I hate falling asleep at (fill in the blank) _______." Why not redirect you decisions by doing something about what really matters before it gets too late [in life].
Right now...it's 3:29 in the morning and I'm going to do something about what I missed out on before. Time to snuggle!
www.realitychurch.com
Friday, March 20, 2009
Running on Fumes
I ran a red light today...on purpose. Looked all around for cops as I sputtered through the intersection hoping I wouldn't get busted. Fortunately, they were busy elsewhere catching real criminals or something.
Why'd I run the red? Because awhile back, ABC News' John Stossel, reported that automobiles are made to go extra miles, sometimes 40 or more extra miles, when your tank reads "empty." So I put it to the test...and lost. I knew I needed to put gas in my car soon, but thought that, based on Stossel's report, I had more miles left. I was wrong.
Driving home from work, I started sputtering pretty badly and was still about a mile from the nearest station. Not wanting to get stuck, I was hoping that I could make it while running on fumes. That's when I broke the law (sorry) and ran the red. I needed to fill the empty tank.
The implication is clear: If you and I keep using up fuel without refilling we're gonna gas out! It's just a matter of time. It's crucial that we refuel our lives with some spiritual nitro, like God's Word. Why? Because we're giving out everyday to our spouse, kids, work, school, boyfriend, girlfriend, church, community, etc.
If you keep giving yourself away without filling your emotional and spiritual tank, you're going to start running red's in your life within a year's time.
If you want some high-octane fuel for your soul then decide now to invest at least 15 minutes a day, say, Monday thru Friday to fill up your mental and spiritual tank with God's word (the Bible). Need wisdom for daily living? Begin in Proverbs. Have big problems and need encouragement or comfort? The Psalms are for you. Want to know all about God? Start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
www.realitychurch.com
Why'd I run the red? Because awhile back, ABC News' John Stossel, reported that automobiles are made to go extra miles, sometimes 40 or more extra miles, when your tank reads "empty." So I put it to the test...and lost. I knew I needed to put gas in my car soon, but thought that, based on Stossel's report, I had more miles left. I was wrong.
Driving home from work, I started sputtering pretty badly and was still about a mile from the nearest station. Not wanting to get stuck, I was hoping that I could make it while running on fumes. That's when I broke the law (sorry) and ran the red. I needed to fill the empty tank.
The implication is clear: If you and I keep using up fuel without refilling we're gonna gas out! It's just a matter of time. It's crucial that we refuel our lives with some spiritual nitro, like God's Word. Why? Because we're giving out everyday to our spouse, kids, work, school, boyfriend, girlfriend, church, community, etc.
If you keep giving yourself away without filling your emotional and spiritual tank, you're going to start running red's in your life within a year's time.
If you want some high-octane fuel for your soul then decide now to invest at least 15 minutes a day, say, Monday thru Friday to fill up your mental and spiritual tank with God's word (the Bible). Need wisdom for daily living? Begin in Proverbs. Have big problems and need encouragement or comfort? The Psalms are for you. Want to know all about God? Start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
www.realitychurch.com
Fast and Furious
Today I sat with my wife (Julie) and my youngest daughter (Joy) and looked at a large photo album from 10 years ago. It was when Joy was just born and then the next few years as she became a toddler. Laughter, some tears too, and thoughts of where the time went flooded my mind.
Saw my other two kids in the album too. Now one of them is driving. Time...where'd it go? Then I wondered if I'm parenting well as a dad. You know... lots of love, affection, fun, acceptance, guidance...the works.
Then I did some figuring and concluded that I only have 65 more Saturdays until my son turns 18. Sixty-five! And only 145 more Saturdays with my oldest girl until she turns 18.
If you're anything like me, you realize that time waits for no one, so we better be spending and investing many precious hours with our kids while we still have them around to love on and demonstrate God's love to. So how 'bout you? Has time gone by too fast and furious for your taste like it has mine? By-the-way, why don't you find out how many more Saturdays you have left before yours turn eighteen and then do something about making it all it can be.
www.realitychurch.com
Saw my other two kids in the album too. Now one of them is driving. Time...where'd it go? Then I wondered if I'm parenting well as a dad. You know... lots of love, affection, fun, acceptance, guidance...the works.
Then I did some figuring and concluded that I only have 65 more Saturdays until my son turns 18. Sixty-five! And only 145 more Saturdays with my oldest girl until she turns 18.
If you're anything like me, you realize that time waits for no one, so we better be spending and investing many precious hours with our kids while we still have them around to love on and demonstrate God's love to. So how 'bout you? Has time gone by too fast and furious for your taste like it has mine? By-the-way, why don't you find out how many more Saturdays you have left before yours turn eighteen and then do something about making it all it can be.
www.realitychurch.com
Overtaken
In a few days, my wife, Julie and I are coming up on our 22nd wedding anniversary. I know we don’t look that old. I think it’s because we got married when I was nine and she was seven. That puts me at 31 and Julie at 29. A number she will remain at indefinitely.
Joking aside, I planned ahead of time to take Julie away for a few days to a hotel on the beach. Call it an early anniversary surprise. Got an pretty nice room reserved and off we go. We arrived, checked in, and then pulled the car around to the underneath parking garage. As I’m unloading the luggage, out comes one of the hotel manager/supervisors briskly walking toward us while calling out our name from about a half of a football field away.
For no apparent reason, this lady holds out her arm with a new room entry card in hand and passes it to Julie saying that they are moving us up to the top floor Penthouse Suite. What?!? Really?!?
With no explanation and no additional cost, neither Julie nor I took the time to find out if this was God’s will. We gladly accepted and took the elevator up to the top floor, opened the door to our huge penthouse suite that was overlooking the ocean, kissed and just gave God thanks. A $499 room for less than $100 a night. What a cool anniversary gift from the Lord.
I cannot help but think of that passage of scripture found in Deuteronomy chapter 28 that says, “God’s blessing will overtake his people” if his people would follow Him closely. When that supervisor came almost running toward us with the news of the “upgrade,” Julie and I knew that God’s blessings had literally “overtaken us.” I can’t wait to experience His next surprise. Go God!
www.realitychurch.com
Joking aside, I planned ahead of time to take Julie away for a few days to a hotel on the beach. Call it an early anniversary surprise. Got an pretty nice room reserved and off we go. We arrived, checked in, and then pulled the car around to the underneath parking garage. As I’m unloading the luggage, out comes one of the hotel manager/supervisors briskly walking toward us while calling out our name from about a half of a football field away.
For no apparent reason, this lady holds out her arm with a new room entry card in hand and passes it to Julie saying that they are moving us up to the top floor Penthouse Suite. What?!? Really?!?
With no explanation and no additional cost, neither Julie nor I took the time to find out if this was God’s will. We gladly accepted and took the elevator up to the top floor, opened the door to our huge penthouse suite that was overlooking the ocean, kissed and just gave God thanks. A $499 room for less than $100 a night. What a cool anniversary gift from the Lord.
I cannot help but think of that passage of scripture found in Deuteronomy chapter 28 that says, “God’s blessing will overtake his people” if his people would follow Him closely. When that supervisor came almost running toward us with the news of the “upgrade,” Julie and I knew that God’s blessings had literally “overtaken us.” I can’t wait to experience His next surprise. Go God!
www.realitychurch.com
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Evolution versus The Human Body (Part 4 of 4)
If you are wrestling with whether or not you're the creation of a loving Creator or the accident of bacteria that evolutionists say came into existence all by itself, then may I suggest that you read the previous three posts and wrap up with this one?
The human body consists of about 75-100 trillion cells, and each cell has about 10,000 times as many molecules as the Milky Way has stars. Three hundred million cells die and are replaced in the human body every minute. All of the DNA in an adult human body could fit inside one ice cube, but if unwound, stretched out and joined end to end, it would reach from the earth to the sun and back again more than 400 times. Scientists estimate that they could fill a 1,000-volume encyclopedia with the coded instructions in the DNA of a single human cell if the instructions could be translated to English.
The epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin, sheds itself at a rate of about a million cells every 40 minutes. Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour, about 1.5 pounds a year, and grow all new outer skin cells about every 27 days, almost 1.000 new skins a lifetime. The skin is only about as deep as the tip of a ballpoint pen but the sense of touch is more refined than any device ever created. A human can detect the wing of a bee falling on their cheek from a height of one centimeter. There are 45 miles of nerves in the skin of a human being. When we touch something, we send a message to our brain at 125 mph. In one square inch of skin we have nine feet of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, four yards of nerve fibers, 1300 nerve cells, 9000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors, 75 pressure sensors, 650 sweat glands, 60,000 pigment cells, 100 sweat glands, 3 million cells, and an average of 32 million bacteria.
The last four blogs have made it abundantly clear that we [humans] are wonderfully made. With the information we now know about the human body, it would seem comical to the highest degree, that one would propose humans are the product of non-living matter that [somehow] just randomly came to be alive and then evolved into the magnificant beings we are today. From non-life to a simple single cell bacteria to someone who writes and reads blogs and makes and uses computers.
To me, it screams "NOT A CHANCE!"
www.realitychurch.com
The human body consists of about 75-100 trillion cells, and each cell has about 10,000 times as many molecules as the Milky Way has stars. Three hundred million cells die and are replaced in the human body every minute. All of the DNA in an adult human body could fit inside one ice cube, but if unwound, stretched out and joined end to end, it would reach from the earth to the sun and back again more than 400 times. Scientists estimate that they could fill a 1,000-volume encyclopedia with the coded instructions in the DNA of a single human cell if the instructions could be translated to English.
The epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin, sheds itself at a rate of about a million cells every 40 minutes. Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour, about 1.5 pounds a year, and grow all new outer skin cells about every 27 days, almost 1.000 new skins a lifetime. The skin is only about as deep as the tip of a ballpoint pen but the sense of touch is more refined than any device ever created. A human can detect the wing of a bee falling on their cheek from a height of one centimeter. There are 45 miles of nerves in the skin of a human being. When we touch something, we send a message to our brain at 125 mph. In one square inch of skin we have nine feet of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, four yards of nerve fibers, 1300 nerve cells, 9000 nerve endings, 36 heat sensors, 75 pressure sensors, 650 sweat glands, 60,000 pigment cells, 100 sweat glands, 3 million cells, and an average of 32 million bacteria.
The last four blogs have made it abundantly clear that we [humans] are wonderfully made. With the information we now know about the human body, it would seem comical to the highest degree, that one would propose humans are the product of non-living matter that [somehow] just randomly came to be alive and then evolved into the magnificant beings we are today. From non-life to a simple single cell bacteria to someone who writes and reads blogs and makes and uses computers.
To me, it screams "NOT A CHANCE!"
www.realitychurch.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Evolution versus The Human Body (Part 3 of 4)
Ah, Lake Tahoe. A gorgeous vacation paradise located in both Nevada and California. My wife and I got to go there a couple of years ago for free. What a place. God is good! For a city boy that grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, FL it's a world of magnificant spendor and design. The best vacation my wife and I ever had! Anyway, that's not my point. My point is the design of it all. Everywhere you look, you just have to stare and gawk.
The spendor and design of the human body is without equal anywhere in the known universe. Evolution says that we all evolved from - get this - "non-living matter." In other words, if you choose to believe in evolution, you must accept the fact that you...every part of you...as complex as you are, became living from non-living matter. And somehow, all your genetic code sort of just gathered together and kept evolving over time to make you what you are today...all from something that was never alive to begin with. Sounds far-fetched to me.
Now consider the magnificant spendor and design of the human eye:
As you focus on each word in this sentence, your eyes swing back and forth 100 times a second, and every second the retina performs 10 billion computer-like calculations. The eyes can perceive more than 1 million simultaneous visual impressions, are able to discriminate among nearly 8 million gradations of color, can distinguish about 500 different shades of gray, and take in more information than the world’s largest telescope. Each time the eye blinks, over 200 muscles move and you blink 25 times a minute or over 6 million times each year. The retina inside the eye covers about 650 square millimeters and contains some 137 million light-sensitive cells; 130 million rod cells for black and white vision and 7 million cone cells for color vision. To focus all this, the muscles of the eye move 100,000 times a day. An eye weighs 1.25 ounces. By the age of 60, our eyes have been exposed to more light energy than would be released by a nuclear blast. Sight accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all sensory perceptions.
You're smart. You tell me: Does it seem logical that all this detail and genetic code randomly came together from non-living matter and somehow kept gaining more genetic code (from where?) to produce your eyes which can do all the above says and more? Honestly, I don't think so.
www.realitychurch.com
The spendor and design of the human body is without equal anywhere in the known universe. Evolution says that we all evolved from - get this - "non-living matter." In other words, if you choose to believe in evolution, you must accept the fact that you...every part of you...as complex as you are, became living from non-living matter. And somehow, all your genetic code sort of just gathered together and kept evolving over time to make you what you are today...all from something that was never alive to begin with. Sounds far-fetched to me.
Now consider the magnificant spendor and design of the human eye:
As you focus on each word in this sentence, your eyes swing back and forth 100 times a second, and every second the retina performs 10 billion computer-like calculations. The eyes can perceive more than 1 million simultaneous visual impressions, are able to discriminate among nearly 8 million gradations of color, can distinguish about 500 different shades of gray, and take in more information than the world’s largest telescope. Each time the eye blinks, over 200 muscles move and you blink 25 times a minute or over 6 million times each year. The retina inside the eye covers about 650 square millimeters and contains some 137 million light-sensitive cells; 130 million rod cells for black and white vision and 7 million cone cells for color vision. To focus all this, the muscles of the eye move 100,000 times a day. An eye weighs 1.25 ounces. By the age of 60, our eyes have been exposed to more light energy than would be released by a nuclear blast. Sight accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all sensory perceptions.
You're smart. You tell me: Does it seem logical that all this detail and genetic code randomly came together from non-living matter and somehow kept gaining more genetic code (from where?) to produce your eyes which can do all the above says and more? Honestly, I don't think so.
www.realitychurch.com
Monday, February 9, 2009
Evolution versus The Human Body (Part 2 of 4)
Why do you think it is...that when we watch something on the discovery channel about our so-called, pre-historic, ape men ancestors, the producers of the show get all excited about an archeological find like a plate or some sort of crude tool? Among other things, it's at least partly because they've discovered an object that reveals how advanced intellectually they were. Yet, whenever it is mentioned that the incredible makeup of the human body with all of its complexity has to have been made by an author with an intelligence far beyond ours, many simply dismiss it. So I'll ask you a second time..."Why do you think it is?"
Check this out. The heart of an adult beats about 70 to 80 beats per minute, 100,000 times every day, 40 million times a year and in 70 years it will have beaten 2½ billion times. As a pump it produces enough energy in an hour to lift 2000 lb. 3 feet off the ground, and efficiently circulate over 50 million gallons over the average lifetime. In one year, the average human heart circulates from 770,000 to 1.6 million gallons of blood through the body. There are enough tiny blood vessels called capillaries that if placed end to end they would stretch over 2 times around the earth. All this is done with just over a gallon of blood which circulates 1,000 times in a single day through the body on a daily 60,000-mile journey, 168,000,000 miles in a lifetime. A child has 60,000 miles of blood vessels, in an adult there are 100,000. Red blood cells live for a period of only four months and travel between the lungs and other tissues 75,000 times before returning to the bone marrow to die, being replaced by the bone marrow at the rate of 2 to 3 million a second.
Hey, maybe archeologists and other fields of sciences should get all pumped up about how magnificently complex we are. And recognize that just as a crude tool of the pre-historic past had a designer...an architect, so too, we, have an infinitely greater architect in the person we call God.
www.realitychurch.com
Check this out. The heart of an adult beats about 70 to 80 beats per minute, 100,000 times every day, 40 million times a year and in 70 years it will have beaten 2½ billion times. As a pump it produces enough energy in an hour to lift 2000 lb. 3 feet off the ground, and efficiently circulate over 50 million gallons over the average lifetime. In one year, the average human heart circulates from 770,000 to 1.6 million gallons of blood through the body. There are enough tiny blood vessels called capillaries that if placed end to end they would stretch over 2 times around the earth. All this is done with just over a gallon of blood which circulates 1,000 times in a single day through the body on a daily 60,000-mile journey, 168,000,000 miles in a lifetime. A child has 60,000 miles of blood vessels, in an adult there are 100,000. Red blood cells live for a period of only four months and travel between the lungs and other tissues 75,000 times before returning to the bone marrow to die, being replaced by the bone marrow at the rate of 2 to 3 million a second.
Hey, maybe archeologists and other fields of sciences should get all pumped up about how magnificently complex we are. And recognize that just as a crude tool of the pre-historic past had a designer...an architect, so too, we, have an infinitely greater architect in the person we call God.
www.realitychurch.com
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Evolution versus The Human Body (Part 1 of 4)
The human body is nothing short of spectacular. The proponents of evolution claim that we happened to evolve...over time into what we are today. Their premise is: Time + Chance = Life.
To them, Shakespeare was wrong… “To be or not to be” is NOT the question. The question is, “Did God create man, or did man create God?” In other words, “Is man created in the image of God, or is God created in the imagination of man?”
In this four part blog, I want to take you on a journey where you can determine for yourself...with a simple dose of common sense, if you, I, the human race simply evolved over time or was purposely created by a being we call God.
Let's begin this by providing for you the complexity of the human brain:
The human brain is the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter known in the universe. It controls over 100 billion nerve cells and generates more electrical impulses in a single day than all of the world's telephones put together moving at speeds from 150 to 250 miles per hour (and if you’ve got Starbucks in you, the rate of speed quadruples).
At least 100,000 different chemical reactions occur in the brain every second. The number of possible different combinations of synaptic connections among neurons in a single human brain is larger than the total number of atomic particles that make up the known universe. The storage capacity is estimated to exceed 4 terabytes (terabyte = 1000 billion bytes). It can store, recognize and remember 10,000 different odors and differentiate between up to eight million colors and 500 shades of gray.
Can one really believe that we simply evolved by random chance?
www.realitychurch.com
To them, Shakespeare was wrong… “To be or not to be” is NOT the question. The question is, “Did God create man, or did man create God?” In other words, “Is man created in the image of God, or is God created in the imagination of man?”
In this four part blog, I want to take you on a journey where you can determine for yourself...with a simple dose of common sense, if you, I, the human race simply evolved over time or was purposely created by a being we call God.
Let's begin this by providing for you the complexity of the human brain:
The human brain is the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter known in the universe. It controls over 100 billion nerve cells and generates more electrical impulses in a single day than all of the world's telephones put together moving at speeds from 150 to 250 miles per hour (and if you’ve got Starbucks in you, the rate of speed quadruples).
At least 100,000 different chemical reactions occur in the brain every second. The number of possible different combinations of synaptic connections among neurons in a single human brain is larger than the total number of atomic particles that make up the known universe. The storage capacity is estimated to exceed 4 terabytes (terabyte = 1000 billion bytes). It can store, recognize and remember 10,000 different odors and differentiate between up to eight million colors and 500 shades of gray.
Can one really believe that we simply evolved by random chance?
www.realitychurch.com
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A Four-Pack
I sat across the table at a coffee shop from a young man in his mid-twenties who asked if I had some time to meet with him; he deperately wanted to get a fresh start in life. His past had been marred by using and selling drugs, bad company, and a home-life so dysfunctional that I could only imagine what it was like.
As he talked about what God was beginning to do in him, I just listened--hoping that he was truly ready...and willing to make the right moves in the right direction. After he shared his story, I began to share with him something I knew could help him in his journey to wholeness...something we could call a "Four-Pack of Success"
I told him that this "Four-Pack" is about laying the right kind of foundation that will produce real success in all of life's ventures. That if he regularly acted on these four principles, he would basically be guaranteed true success. As we wrapped up our time together, I prayed for him and challenged him to live out the "Four-Pack" as he began a whole new life.
The "Four-Pack:"
1. Get tight with Jesus Christ [He is the key to everything good].
2. Hang with the right kind of friends [They will define you].
3. Get your head on straight [Learn what the Bible says].
4. Find a godly mentor [He/she will help you become all that God destined you for].
Question. How are you doing with your "Four-Pack?"
www.realitychurch.com
As he talked about what God was beginning to do in him, I just listened--hoping that he was truly ready...and willing to make the right moves in the right direction. After he shared his story, I began to share with him something I knew could help him in his journey to wholeness...something we could call a "Four-Pack of Success"
I told him that this "Four-Pack" is about laying the right kind of foundation that will produce real success in all of life's ventures. That if he regularly acted on these four principles, he would basically be guaranteed true success. As we wrapped up our time together, I prayed for him and challenged him to live out the "Four-Pack" as he began a whole new life.
The "Four-Pack:"
1. Get tight with Jesus Christ [He is the key to everything good].
2. Hang with the right kind of friends [They will define you].
3. Get your head on straight [Learn what the Bible says].
4. Find a godly mentor [He/she will help you become all that God destined you for].
Question. How are you doing with your "Four-Pack?"
www.realitychurch.com
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Please, No Religion! (Conclusion)
Okay, let's wrap this up with a few passages from God's Word that makes clear this catch-22:
Romans 3:20 - “No man can justify himself before God by a perfect performance of the Law's demands - indeed it is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are.” In other words, God says, being good enough is impossible.
Galatians 3:10-11 - And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: "Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law." The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. Is it clear? No one can have a relationship with God based on being "good."
God's plan has NEVER been that good people go to heaven or that bad people can't go. His plan has always been that FORGIVEN people go to heaven. Here, last verse and we're done:
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law." Romans 3:23-25, 28
You see, this is why Jesus came... to collide with religions that say, "be good and you'll get to heaven." No. Jesus says, "I am the way" to heaven. It's my sacrifice on the cross rather than your good deeds that'll get you eternal life.
Put your total faith in Jesus right now and what he did for you on the cross. You'll be forgiven, have a personal relationship with God, and you'll have a place secured in his Kingdom in the afterlife. It's the reason why Jesus came.
www.realitychurch.com
Romans 3:20 - “No man can justify himself before God by a perfect performance of the Law's demands - indeed it is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are.” In other words, God says, being good enough is impossible.
Galatians 3:10-11 - And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: "Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law." The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. Is it clear? No one can have a relationship with God based on being "good."
God's plan has NEVER been that good people go to heaven or that bad people can't go. His plan has always been that FORGIVEN people go to heaven. Here, last verse and we're done:
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law." Romans 3:23-25, 28
You see, this is why Jesus came... to collide with religions that say, "be good and you'll get to heaven." No. Jesus says, "I am the way" to heaven. It's my sacrifice on the cross rather than your good deeds that'll get you eternal life.
Put your total faith in Jesus right now and what he did for you on the cross. You'll be forgiven, have a personal relationship with God, and you'll have a place secured in his Kingdom in the afterlife. It's the reason why Jesus came.
www.realitychurch.com
Friday, January 16, 2009
Please, No Religion! (Part 2)
Here’s the video trailer playing in our heads: “There’s this good God who lives in this good place called heaven who saves a place for all the good people on earth after they die. But they all have to DO something… or more like a series of things that are considered good, so then their good will outweigh their bad and when they finally die, they head straight to this place called Heaven." If that makes sense to you, pause and think again. It really shouldn’t make sense and here's why:
[1] The theory that "good people go to Heaven" is untested. We have to actually be dead to prove this theory is legit. No one I know, except Jesus, can say they tested this out.
[2] We don’t know exactly what "good" is, do we? Is your standard of good, good...or someone else's? Who determines?
[1] The theory that "good people go to Heaven" is untested. We have to actually be dead to prove this theory is legit. No one I know, except Jesus, can say they tested this out.
[2] We don’t know exactly what "good" is, do we? Is your standard of good, good...or someone else's? Who determines?
- Those who attacked America on 9/11 thought they were being "good" according to allah and the Koran. My definition of good is far different. Is yours?
- If we did know what "good" was, we couldn't pull it off consistently.
[3] If there is some sort of heavenly scoring system, the Bible never says anything about it. You'd think if God wanted us to be good so we could get to heaven, He'd have something to say about how the "goodness factor" is measured. Problem is…He doesn't. Next Week: (Conclusion)
www.realitychurch.com
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Please, No Religion!
Does the phrase "NO RELIGION" interest you like it does me? I've been thinking about it quite a bit lately...especially around the Christmas season.
You see, I think religion is a monster AND I dare say a murderer. Its tentacles are far-reaching, digging deep into the heart and mind of people all around the globe. Still more, I see religion as a cold, dark prison that breeds religious people who become addicted to attitudes of superiority, arrogance, and pride. But more than this, religion is a place where the foulest of lies are born.
Believe it or not, Jesus’ birth and life was God’s bold declaration that He came to COLLIDE WITH RELIGION. Why? Because the most damning lie that religion has taught the world is that good people go to Heaven. Jesus came to say that it ain't so!
It’s interesting to me that smart and talented people form every walk of life are banking their eternities on a theory that buckles under even a minimal amount of scrutiny. Maybe people hold this theory because it's the way they see things happen around them. For example, good employees get the raise or promotion and good students get the good scholarships from the good schools so they can eventually get the good jobs.
Because we’re all preoccupied with life in general, few have the time to give thinking about the afterlife…so they just don’t. Until one day when they look in the mirror and see age creeping up on them; or they notice another birthday has come and gone; or their little tykes are now teens and nearing college age. Then, at least for a few moments, we consider eternity and possibly, how we will arrive there. Next Week: (Part Two)
www.realitychurch.com
You see, I think religion is a monster AND I dare say a murderer. Its tentacles are far-reaching, digging deep into the heart and mind of people all around the globe. Still more, I see religion as a cold, dark prison that breeds religious people who become addicted to attitudes of superiority, arrogance, and pride. But more than this, religion is a place where the foulest of lies are born.
Believe it or not, Jesus’ birth and life was God’s bold declaration that He came to COLLIDE WITH RELIGION. Why? Because the most damning lie that religion has taught the world is that good people go to Heaven. Jesus came to say that it ain't so!
It’s interesting to me that smart and talented people form every walk of life are banking their eternities on a theory that buckles under even a minimal amount of scrutiny. Maybe people hold this theory because it's the way they see things happen around them. For example, good employees get the raise or promotion and good students get the good scholarships from the good schools so they can eventually get the good jobs.
Because we’re all preoccupied with life in general, few have the time to give thinking about the afterlife…so they just don’t. Until one day when they look in the mirror and see age creeping up on them; or they notice another birthday has come and gone; or their little tykes are now teens and nearing college age. Then, at least for a few moments, we consider eternity and possibly, how we will arrive there. Next Week: (Part Two)
www.realitychurch.com
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Beating the Money Crunch
I've been thinkin' about this financial crunch many people find themselves smack in the middle of and what they can do about it. Check it out. God has something to say to you and me:
The Bible records for us what God said in Genesis 8:22 (MSG) "For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop."
Okay, quick. I've got 40 seconds left. Look at that first phrase: "Planting and Harvest...will never stop." Let's apply what God established back then to our current money problems now. Notice:
1. You always reap WHAT you sow.
2. You always reap LATER than you sow.
3. You always reap MORE than you sow.
This is the law of the harvest. If we choose to sow our money into the work of God in our local churches first and then around the world, God will see to it that [1] I reap what I sowed (money) [2] I'll reap later, not right away and [3] I'm assured to reap more (money) than I sowed.
There you have it. We're guaranteed God's enormous harvest when we sow our finances to advance His Kingdom on this earth.
Question. Are you tanked financially? Trust God and then prove it by doing what He says... "Bring Him your tithe" (10% of your income). He promises to miraculously fulfill His end of the deal. Isn't it time to follow His wisdom for your finances?
www.realitychurch.com
The Bible records for us what God said in Genesis 8:22 (MSG) "For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop."
Okay, quick. I've got 40 seconds left. Look at that first phrase: "Planting and Harvest...will never stop." Let's apply what God established back then to our current money problems now. Notice:
1. You always reap WHAT you sow.
2. You always reap LATER than you sow.
3. You always reap MORE than you sow.
This is the law of the harvest. If we choose to sow our money into the work of God in our local churches first and then around the world, God will see to it that [1] I reap what I sowed (money) [2] I'll reap later, not right away and [3] I'm assured to reap more (money) than I sowed.
There you have it. We're guaranteed God's enormous harvest when we sow our finances to advance His Kingdom on this earth.
Question. Are you tanked financially? Trust God and then prove it by doing what He says... "Bring Him your tithe" (10% of your income). He promises to miraculously fulfill His end of the deal. Isn't it time to follow His wisdom for your finances?
www.realitychurch.com
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