Never Inhale

Truth be told, we all have been guilty of inhaling...scripture that is. Whereas inhaling certain substances may result in changing one's reality, simply inhaling scripture will not result in providing sustenance to our lives. The equivalent to inhaling scripture is described in James 1:23,24 - "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

Instead of inhaling scripture, we need to ingest it. Just like we ingest food and it provides energy, sustenance and growth, we are to ingest scripture in our lives. How will we know if we have ingested scripture? We will eventually be changed people. So how do we ingest scripture instead of inhaling it? Here are a few tips.

1. Study the Bible. Read a passage of scripture, more than a verse or two. Understand the context of a verse or passage. We are not called to simply read scripture, but to study and meditate on it. Buy a bible commentary to grasp the true meaning of a passage. This can be work, but we are called to love the Lord with all our hearts and minds.

2. Pray through this passage. Take a passage of scripture and read it regularly for a period of time and then pray through it. Pray to God that the truths of it may be applied in your life. Pray thanking God for the truth of a particular passage. Pray for understanding and greater application of the passage in your life. As you understand a passage and it convicts you, confess your sin to God and even to another.

3. Share it. We as Chrisians can talk plitics, sports, trivia, news and family stuff, but we rarely talk apecifically about what Jesus is doing in our lives. So whenever together, especially in small groups, be sure to share what God is teaching you from his word. However, be careful not to share what God is telling others they must do, rather only share what God is revealin to and doing in you. In other words, don't preach it, just share it.

AS we ingest God's word, may he surgically remove the beams from our eyes so we can see how we can become more like Christ.

Beams Away!

An Object Lesson on Hope

What comes to mind when you think about hope? Usually we think of the term hope in relation to something negative in our lives which we would like changed. Thus our hope lies in an exchange of the negatives to something more positive.

However, what is the object of our hope? One way to answer this question is by asking another one. But first, think of something negative in your life and the subsequent positive that is the object of your hope, it could be a bad marriage, a troubled child, a health issue, a financial crisis. In response to these negatives, often times our hope lies with something positive in exchange for those negative aspects of our lives. So, for instance, in exchange for a bad marriage, our hope can lie with a new and improved marriage.

Now ask yourself this question, "Do I hope for something" or "Do I hope in someone?" How we answer that question can identify what is the object of our hope. If we hope for something, then our hope is in some "thing" in the future. However, if we hope in someone, our hope is in some "One."

What is the big deal? The big deal is that when we hope for some "thing", that thing we hope for is what we can end up worshipping; and that future "thing" we hope for can become an idol. Furthermore, that future thing we hope for, which may serve as an idol, will never provide lasting satisfaction. Whereas, if we hope in someone, that being Jesus, then we end up worshipping Christ alone. Furthermore, when we hope in someone, Christ, we have a hope that is certain and present, not just something in the future to experience. Because Christ is alive and dwells within us, he is our living, present hope who can change our negatives into positives simply by his presence in us.

Lastly, whether we hope "for something" or "in someone" will identify the one for whom we live our lives. In other words, if we live "for something," we may certainly pray to God, but we are seeking God for our own good above God's own glory. We may sincerely want God's glory, but only as secondary to our good being experienced. So, God becomes our Santa Claus who delivers gifts to us and for us. Yet, scripture tells us we are created by Christ and for Christ.

However, when we hope "in someone," we are seeking God first and God's glory in the midst of our negative circumstances. When we hope "in someone," we are declaring to ourselves and all who witness us, that God's goodness and gracious presence is greater than my negative circumstances. We declare that no matter what our circumstances, we will hope in Christ. As we hope in Christ instead of hoping for some imagined and improved circumstances, we declare what the Psalmist said, "The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life." This is why we hope in a Person. Moses illustrated this well when he said to God, if your presence does not go with us into the promised land, then there is no sense in going at all. Can we say in our own hearts and to Christ, "Your presence is more preferred than the promised future I desire."

This Christmas may we blend hope into our holidays by laying our idols of imagined and preferred futures on the altar, surrender them to Christ and find our hope in Christ alone.

Beams Away!

Blending Hope in Your Holidays

This is a rather funny picture and it reminded me of another picture I recently came across in a public, unisex bathroom. We all know public restrooms are not known for their aesthetic beauty, which is why this sign was so funny. It was actually a painting hanging up in the bathroom and in fancy writing it said, "Take time to delight in your surroundings." How odd to find such an expression in a public restroom, where taking delight in our surroundings seems so counter-intuitive.

However, it got me to thinking how we as God's holy people are called to rejoice in all circumstances. Are we able to rejoice in our present circumstances in life? Or are we overwhelmed and our joy seems robbed and hope all but diminished? Can we find hope and delight in our circumstances, no matter where we may find ourselves in life? If we possess Jesus Christ, we most certainly can.

This Sunday I am starting a new series entitled, "A Special Christmas Blend." The first sermon is dealing with how to blend hope into our holidays. One way we can do this is by intentionally delighting in our circumstances, no matter what they may be. The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians and it is referred to as the book of joy. Ironically, Paul wrote it from prison not knowing if he would live or die. In Philippians 4, Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always. I want to encourage us to rejoice and delight in the Lord, no matter what our surroundings may be and no matter how we may feel. Often times, right actions lead to right feelings and praising God when we don't have feelings of praise is not being hypocritical, but rather faithful to the command of scripture.

So take time this week, to intentionally delight in the One who surrounds you, indwells you and protects you. No matter what our surroundings may be, we are enveloped and indwelt by Jesus Christ, our living hope and the only hope for the word. As we intentionally praise God no matter our predicament, I am wondering if we will discover hope and peace come Sunday.

Beams Away!

Brett

What Women Can Do with Their Wiring

Yesterday, I suggested women should avoid dismissing their God-given abilities. Research indicates that women attribute their successes to chance or luck; and they atrribute their failures to their lack of ability. Yet God gives each woman a set of abilities and God believes in accountability for those abilities. So what is a woman to do?

First,take scripture seriously. I Cor. 12:7-11 tells us that we are each given gifts and abilities. So if God says you have ability, be sure to use for God's glory.

Second, take Janet Heim's class immediately. Janet Heim has just begun teaching a class on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM which highlights how God often calls people and uses them based upon the abilities and talents they have been given. This is a tremendously encouraging and enlightening class. Take the class, learn your gifts, live more fully for the Lord and let a greater sense of joy and purpose overwhelm you.

Third, don't take any disparity. In other words, don't let anyone, your spouse, your boss, your kids, your parents, or anyone else disparage your gifts. In Judges 4:8, we see Deborah, a Judge for God's people, summoned Barak and told him it was God's will that he lead the Israelits against the mighty Sisera, commander of the army of Jabin, King of Canaan. Jabin had terrorized Israel for 20 years. Barak accepted what Deborah had told her, but only on one condition - that Deborah must accompany him in battle. Barak felt undermanned, but with Deborah with him, he had confidence. Women don't let anyone disparage your abilities. Seek out people who will affirm your abilities. Seek out people like Barak. Know that CrossPoint is a church where your abilities can be discoverded and developed, but also know that you are expected to be deployed with those abilities for the glory of Christ.

Women, take scripture seriously, take the class immediately and don't take any disparity. Men, may we always affirm the women/girls in our lives. We are always battling Satan, The Accuser, so let us be much more the encourager to one another and affirm the gifts God has given each one of us.

Beams Away!

How Women Are Wired

Alright, you must be thinking that my recent illness has affected my brain, if I think I can tell you how women are wired...and there may be some truth to this. However, although I am still trying to overcome some bad vertigo and a sinus infection, I am sharing with you out of research done by women. So, I speak on their authority in the midst of my infirmity.

This week I will share with you the contents of my intended sermon for last Sunday. (By the way, Great job and thanks Mike Richards for preaching!).

How are women wired when it relates to evaluating success and failure?

Women tend to evaluate their failure as a result of their inabilities. In other words, when women fail, they tend to believe, "I am not good enough." Contrast this with most men, who interpret their failure as a result of not trying hard enough. In other words, when men fail, they tend to believe, "I did not try hard enough." (Maybe this is why men always try to fix things, and are reluctant to ask for directions!)

Conversely, when it comes to successes, women interpret successes in terms of improbabilities. In other words, women believe their success is due to luck. However, men tend to interpret their success as a result of their efforts. So men tend to believe their successes result from their knack. In summary, women feel their success is because of luck, men feel their success is due to their knack. Yet for all Christians,our successes need to be understood as a result of grace, God's grace and mercy to us.

Nonetheless, are women to dismiss their God-given abilities? By no means!! Invalidating our abilities ignores the Almighty who endows. The woman, who ignores the One who endows with ability, is the woman who overlooks the gift of the Almighty. God is the One who endows with ability and God is the One who believes in accountability for what God endows.

Are you a woman who ignores her abilities and thereby dismisses the Almighty's work? What are you doing to discover those gifts of the Almighty? Are you a man who encourages a woman to discover her abilities and employ them for the One who endows? Are we all attributing all of our successes to the work of God's grace in our lives.

Beams Away!

Stay tuned for more about how Women are Wired.

A 3M By-Product for the Basic Point

The Minnesota-based company 3M produces 55,000 products with its nearly 80,000 employees. Perhaps one of its most well-known products is "Scotch Tape." Scotch tape is wonderfully helpful with its transparent ability and adhesive capacity. Who does not appreciate Scotch Tape, especially at Christmas time?

I would like to recommend a new by-product of CrossPoint Church and I am borrowing the 3M concept in hopes that it will stick. The by-product of CrossPoint needs to be an increasing amount of prayer. A church that does not pray is like a person who does not breath. Furthermore, the more prayer there is in church, the more life there is in a church. CrossPoint is experiencing a significant degree of new life and excitment and I know we want this to stick.

So, I am recommending prayer as a greater by-product of CrossPoint, but I would encourage a 3M approach towards prayer so that the popularity of Jesus sticks. Without a 3M by-product, the popularity of Jesus would be about as long as a failed participant on American Idol.

So, what do I mean by the 3M approach? There needs to be three primary prayer foci for the church - The Members, the Ministries and the Mission. However, we must avoid what many churches do. Many churches are highly committed to the first and second "Ms" - Members and Ministries. Then, what I find, is a very distant, and sometimes non-existent category being the third "M" - the Mission of the church, i.e. to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

What happens when churches have only a 1M or a 2M emphasis upon prayer? The church becomes know for and captivated by its Members or its Ministries. This is evident when prayers for the church focus almost exclusively upon member needs and ministry recruitment. Simultaneously, the popularity of Jesus plummets because he is relegated to a God we use, rather than a God who captivates our hearts.

My recommendation for CrossPoint is for us to focus more exclusively upon the Mission of CrossPoint in our prayer lives. Let us be intentnional about carving out time to pray for the Mission of CrossPoint - to make disciples. Let us take time with our family, during our commute to work, before we go to bed, with our spouse or each night before dinner to pray specifically that God's Spirit would enable us to more effectively make disciples. This needs to be the all-encompassing point of CrossPoint. As we make disciples, Christ will be glorified as He remains center-stage and the central point of CrossPoint.

Thank you in advance for your prayers for our Mission. I look forward to seeing how Christ answers these prayers and changes us in the process. Perhaps when 3M prayers become more the by-product of the current 300+ members of CrossPoint, then maybe thousands more can come to know Christ.

Beams Away!

From Accustion to Adulation

Yesterday I spoke how men act congruent with Adam when they see themselves as the victim. After disobeying God, Adam was guilty of leveraging accusations against God for giving him the woman, and against Eve for disobeying God. As a result, Adam was seeing himself as a victim of circumstance, a victim of things occurring outside of his control.

As I look at our country's landscape, I see this same dynamic running rampantly and rabidly affecting both men and women. The President is to blame for our economic mess, Congress is to blame, the Republicans, the Democrates, the CEO's, Wall Street, Banks, etc. I have yet to hear anyone admit that they contribute to the economic problems because they live outside their means.

Are we all victims of our economic situation or any other trying circumstance? If we truly are, then what does this say about God's sovereignty? If we are simply victims, then either God is not completely in control, or God simply wants to victimize us.

Yet, we affirm that God is in complete control and is a good and benevolent God. Since this is true, how are we to respond to the trials of life? How are we to respond when we feel out of control?

Instead of acting like a bunch of little Adams, we can act like Christ. Instead of leveraging accusations against those around us, we can be lifting up adulation and praise to God for being in control, for still being good and for allowing our life's circumstances to circumcise our heart and make us more like Christ.

Can you and I take our accusations and turn them into adulation? Can we praise God instead of persecuting others? Scripture tells us in Philippians 4:6-8 to take our anxieties to God in prayer, but to do so with thanksgiving and the result is the promise of peace which will guard our hearts and minds. Accusations lead to bondage, but adulation and praise lead to peace. The choice is ours. And the fact that God created us with the ability to make this choice shows us that we are not victims. We can choose to live in bondage and anger or in peace and contentment. But we are not victims, we are more than conquerors in Christ and can live in on-going victory in Christ. This is truly good news in tough times. Peace and contentment lies with Christ changing us, not in Christ changing our circumstances.


Beams Away!

"What's In It For Me?"

In the movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner plays a character who lives in a manner consistent with the type of faith we see in scripture. Costner's character, "Ray," follows a voice by mortgaging his farm, leveling his crops and builds a baseball diamond in the middle of Iowa. Everyone thinks he is crazy and only he and a select few are able to see old time baseball players emerging from a remnant corn field to play baseball every day. At the end of each day the baseball players retreat to the corn field where they gradually vanish into the corn.

On one occassion, Ray's friend is invited to go into the corn field with the players to what appears to be a place like heaven. However, Ray is indignant! He asks one of the baseball players, "Why does he get to go?" "Why not me?!" He objects to this unfairness by self-righteously declaring, "I am the one who built this field! That's MY corn you are playing in!" Notice all of the personal pronouns.

One of the baseball players says to Ray, "But you weren't invited." Ray is incredulous and demands an explanation. The baseball player asks Ray, "What are you asking Ray?" Ray says, "I am asking...what's in it for me?" The baseball player responds, "Is that why you did this Ray? Did you do this...for you?"

Often times people get frustrated with God and disenfranchised with their churches. People don't like their life's situation or their church's direction, especially when their church focuses upon it's non-members. When a church focuses upon reaching other people rather than catering to the church people, often ask people ask, "What about me?" By asking this question people are essentially asking, "What about my needs?" "I give financially, what's in it for me?" "What about my children's programming needs?"

Sadly, even though Jesus said it is better to give than to receive, and sadly even though Jesus modeled laying down his life for us and taught us to think of other's interests as more important than our own, when people don't get their way, they hit the highway and part company with their existing church family. Even more tragic is how often church leadership boards and staff cave in to these consumeristic demands by catering to the cries of "What about me?"

Although most churches spend most of their time, energy and money on internal programming, CrossPoint desires to be different from our consumeristic culture. CrossPoint recognizes we are called to be God's holy church which demands us to be radically different from our consumeristic culture. As we increasingly continue to be focused upon those who are not members, may God supplant any "What about me?" questions with "What about the lost?" and "What about God?" questions. Aren't we glad when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, faced with absorbing our sin and being seperated from the Father, Jesus did not ask, "What about me?" I am so thankful that Jesus essentially prayed, "What about Thee?" This is what he was saying, when he said, "Not my will be done, but Thy will be done." May we all be able, by the grace of God, to say such prayers. Can you and I in the midst of our tough life situation or perhaps church frustration be able to say, "What about Thee?" Or may we in our inevitable frustrations with God and/or church leadership be able to pray, "What do You want to do in me?"

Beams Away!

Life in the Pits

Times are difficult for many of us today. Ironically in the land of the free, many people feel anything but free, they feel their lives are out of control and they can't do anything about it. Life is really the pits.

Life became the pits for Daniel in the Old Testament, and it became such for the sole reason that he chose to obey God. In other words, he followed the rules of God, did what was right and found himself in a literal pit of lions with no perceivable way out. If I were in that pit I probably would have been scratching the walls stuggling to get out. Yet Daniel did not. He was able to be still and realize his Savior amidst his situation.

Oswald Chambers said this "...it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony."

May we stop struggleing and scratching our way out of the pit. May we stay in whatever pit we find ourselves, stand firm and wait upon the Lord. Afterall, he is the One who allowed us to be there and the only One who can get us free.

Beams Away!

This is Only a Test, If This Were Really Important...

Yesterday morning in Sunday School (Faith Journey), Laura and I informed our Jr. High Confirmation class they would be "tested" on the material we had covered. They laughed, then I told them that we were serious. They laughed again. Then, I told them that we were serious. Now they were incredulous. "Why would we be tested on this?" What a great question!

I have heard it said that we only measure the things we deem to be important. This is part of the reason why companies have outcome measures and schools have tests. But if it is true that we only measure the things we deem to be important, then what can we conclude, when we don't measure anything related to what is taught on Sunday mornings?

We don't want the Jr. High students to be stressed out, and so we are going to have a fun review next Sunday via the format of "The Family Feud" game show. In the near future, we will also have them meet with some elders in the church to "test/review" with them the things they have been learning. This is not to find out what they don't know, it is for students to express what they are learning and applying. Now this should be exciting for them.

However, what struck me at the end of the class was a series of questions Laura and I asked. The first question went like this, "Is it at least partialy true that you have tests in school because how well you do in school will in some regard determine how successful you are in life?" They answered "Yes." The next question was, "Do you think the information we share with you in this class about who God is, who we are and how our Creator has created us to live, will determine how successful and content you are in life?" They were silent. Some even said, "No." Laura asked the students, "Do you think this information is relevant and important to how you live for eternity?" They had not thought of that question.

Oh how far we have come. By never testing, nor being explicit that we expect anything from students on Sunday mornings, have we not communicated that the information being shared is secondary and optional? When I mention the "we" in the previous sentence, do you interpret that to mean, "we" -the Sunday School teachers." Or did you interpret the "we" to mean, "us" the parents or "us" the congregation member who made a commitment to help this student grow up in the knowledge of Christ.

If we are going to be guilty of anything in relation to teaching students about God's Word, may we be guilty of expecting too much of them rather than too little. Television has those occassional and annoying test that interrupt programs and say "This is only a test, if this were a real emergency, you would have been expected..." By expecting much and testing periodically with what students are being taught, may we send them the message that "This is a test and because its important there is urgency and continually testing."

Beams Away!

Authority, Humility and The Holy

Recently, I have noticed the utter disrespect children have for adults. I thought this was because I was getting older, but a police officer I rode along with affirmed this as well. "It starts with the parents," he kept saying. I agree. Recently, I told some young kids playing on a playground to stop swearing. They asked me, "Who are you?" I said, "It doesn't matter, now knock it off!" To my amazement, they didn't care what I said. Now when I grew up, if an adult said that to me, I would have been terrified and worried that my parents would find out. There is no respect for authority and no fear either.

Further supporting the notion that respect for authority is evaporating, is the reality that we live in a postmodern world, where people are highly critical and suspect of anyone in authority. In France, very few people aspire to be leaders because there is such rampant disrespect for and constant blame placed upon leaders.

However, as an assistant coach of a 3rd and 4th grade football team, I have noticed a certain quality in the younger head coach. The head coach is a young man in the Navy. He is so different from so many other coaches because he respects the referees, the players, the other coaches and me. (He calls me "Mr. Cushing.") His respect and humility for authority and people in general is really different, it is seperate and set apart from all that is worldly. His respect for authority is rather holy.

Christians are called to submit to authority and live in humility. Christians as husbands should submit to their wives. Wives should submit to their husbands. Children should submit to parents. Employees should submit to empolyers. Congregations should submit to their pastors and leaders. All Christians should submit to civil authorities and Christians are to consider other's interests as more important than their own. And of course we are all to submit in humility to the Lord.

Do we have a spirit of humility at CrossPoint, with our family, at work, etc.? Does being holy as God is holy require humility and submission? What is at stake if we don't live in humility and submission to those in authority over us?

Romans 13:1-4 says, Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.

God's word tells us that our inability to live in submission and humility to those in authority is rebellion against the holy God. Also, this passage assumes this rebellion is caused by fear of authority and it brings bondage from which God wants us freed. If we struggle with authority, its is because we are struggling with fear. Fear of what? I believe it is the age-old problem of fear of being out of control and under the control of someone else. This fear of being controlled by those in authority is really lack of faith in the holy who has instituted those in authority.

In short, when we do not live in humility and submission to authority, we are rebelling against God, ruining our witness for Christ, failing to live a life that is holy and living in fear rather than faith.

May CrossPoint be marked by our sincere, pronounced and pervasive quality of humility and submission so that others would notice our freedom, desire our faith and also submit to the Holy One. Without such humility is it not as compelling for others to pursue being holy.

Beams Away!

Realizing the Holy and Hell's Reality

Recently there has been debate among professing Christian leaders regarding the Doctrine of Hell. Some uphold the 2,000 year old doctrine, while others object to the notion that God could send people to hell for eternity. Despite scripture's teaching on the subject, those who object, do so because this doctrine seems extreme in its punishment and this doctrine appears to malign God's character as loving and merciful. They object in part as an effort to save God's reputation. But in saving God's reputation, they are abolishing God's essence, which essentially is a dismissal of God as God.

What is important to understand about this debate is what is ultimately at stake. For those who are offended by the doctrine of Hell, they are offended because people's souls are at stake. They object that God could send people to hell. However, for those who support the doctrine of Hell, they ardently and rightly affirm this doctrine because something far more important is at stake. What is at stake is the recognition of the holiness of God. It is God's holy justice in response to our unholy, profaning rebellion that demands a punishment of hell. Holiness is God's essence and the essence of God's holiness demands hell. Therefore, for us to object to this reality is to object to God's essence and character.

John Brown, a Nineteenth-century Scottish theologian once said, "Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervour's, or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God thinks, and willing as God wills." Perhaps when people object to the reality of hell as revealed from scripture its because they are simply not thinking or willing as a holy God thinks and wills. As this debate within Christian dome continues, it might behoove us to remember God's essence of holiness which means, "His ways are not our ways." Also it is important to remember Jesus' words in Matthew 11:6, "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

In short we object to the doctrine of hell, and it is this very objection that proves our sinful nature's objection to a holy God's essence and character. While the reality of hell can speak to the terrifying aspect of God's holiness, we also see that God's holiness is utterly awe-inspiring. Furthermore, because of Christ we are spared the terror and are afforded the opportunity to enjoy the blissful overwhelming Holy One.

Beams Away.

What Do We Burn and Yearn For In Life?

Last Sunday I referred to the Seraphim, who are described in Isaiah 6:1-5 as angelic beings who are in the very presence of God. These angels are magnificent and awesome. Some have suggested the Seraphim are of the highest order of angels because they are in the very presence of God. They are described as having six wings. They flew with two wings and with two they covered their faces and with two they covered their feet. So, despite their magnifence and awesome apprearance, they covered their faces and feet because they were in the presence of Someone far greater and more powerful. Furthermore, they were worshipping this Being by declaring Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty. They were drawing special attention to the glory and majesty of God.

What an image! How does this image affect you and I today? Isaiah was affected by saying, "I am ruined for I am a man of unclean lips." The Hebrew means that Isaiah was describing the affect upon him as being disintegrated in the presence of God. For those who are in Christ, we no longer need to fear this disintegration before the presence of God. We can boldly go into the presence of this awesome Being, because of Christ's shed blood for us. But what affect does this reality have upon us today?

The Seraphim were exstatic about this and praised God continually as they were in God's presence. What is more telling to me is what the word Serpahim means. It means, "Burning ones." Why are they called this? Names of people in the bible describe the person. I believe the Seraphim are called burning ones, because they were burning and on fire for the glory of God and because of the holy nature of God. Perhaps this is the affect of being in the presence of God.

Yesterday a very dear friend of Laura's and mine died after a fifteen year battle with cancer. I had spoken to his oldest son. We cried together and grieved, but we also pondered what it must be like for his dad, Steve. We remembered that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Steve was the long-time worship leader of his church. Now, I can only imagine how he is burning up and so on fire as he is in the presence of the Lord.

May we enjoy and sense the presence of the Holy One even now. May God strip away our attachment and affections for the things of this world, so that we are overwhelmed and overcome with firey passion for this awesome, majestic and Holy Being.

Beams Away!

Only a Transcendent God Can be a Transforming God

Ok, I will admit from the start that I am going a little heavy today. But, as I talk about the transcendence of God versus the immanence of God, please don't be put off by theological jargon but wrestle with its implications for you life. These characteristics of God are vitally important toward understanding and enjoying both our God and our lives.

Yesterday in my Jr. High Confirmation class we discussed the essence of God being described as God's holiness. Holiness means "to seperate, to divide." It refers to God's essence as being so utterly different from us. In other words, God is seperate, distinct from and different from us. This seems in contrast but in no way nullifies God's immanence which means God is with us. Both realities are true of God, yet do we celebrate the immanence of God to the exclusion of God's transcendence? In other words, do we celebrate that God is with us, close, near and identifying with us to the exclusion of celebrating God being different, seperate and different from us?

The question for my confirmation class is the question I have for all of us today, "Why should we celebrate God's transcendence?" "Why should we be thankful that God is so utterly different and seperate from us?" Also, what happens if we celebrate only God's immanence at the exclusion of God's transcendence? Finally, "how would actively celebrating God's transcendence imact our every day lives?"

The answers to these questions can have a significant impact on our lives, if we put in the effort to wrestle with these questions. I would enjoy hearing your feedback.

Beams Away!

I'm Sorry God, But May I Put You on Hold For a Moment?

It is so frustrating to call a customer service representative and be put on hold. When this happens we are frustrated because we have something important to share. But have you ever been disconnected while you were already on hold for quite some time? This can be infuriating. But is this not too dissimilar to what we do to Christ, when we either miss or are disengaged from worship services? God has important things to say to each one of us, but are we putting him on hold, hanging up or simply disconnected?

Recently, I was sitting at a local McDonald's overhearing the Monday morning quarterbacks discuss how the Vikings season is going to be. Inevitably I will hear discussions about God and church. This past Monday, I heard one older gentleman, who apparently missed church, ask of a friend, "What was the sermon about yesterday?"

The friend was hesitant and did not know how to respond. I couldn't help but wonder if this man was having a hard time remembering the sermon. (Obviusly not a CrossPointer) But then the friend had a revelation of what to say and responded by saying, "The sermon was about you."

I almost laughed out loud, because the other man was speechless and did not know what to say. But that statement was so true. God's word speaks to each of us right where we are in life. The question is are we listening? Are we regularly going to church with the expectation that God will speak to me. Do we prepare ourselves before worship with the realization that the sermon is not about the pastor, but about me?

If you missed last week's sermon, I will tell you what it was about...it was about you. Does this realization cause us to be speechless? Will you be sure to attend the worship service this Sunday, knowing that the message is about you because God wants to speak to you? In general the service is about God and all he has done. We go to give, but in giving, we will be receiving more from our Lord.

Hope to see you Sunday,

Beams Away!

God Loves Hide and Seek, Because He Loves What He Finds

Do you remember playing hide and seek as a child? I remember sometimes hiding so well that I began to wonder if anyone was still looking for me. Life can feel the same way. In the midst of life's struggles and even our own failures, when we want to hide, we ask ourselves, "Is anyone still looking for me?

The Bible records the first incidence of hide and seek. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they hid from God and from each other. In the midst of their hiding, God came seeking them and calling to them by asking, "Where are you?"

The irony is that, in the midst of their sin against God, they should have been crying out to God. Why didn't they? I believe because their sin was too much for them to bear, their shame to deep for them to acknowledge, their guilt great for them to embrace and their failure too much for them to admit. In the midst of their hiding, I wonder if they felt God would be angry and reject them. Yet in the midst of their hiding, God came seeking and calling.

The Bible records one person who in fact did cry out to God the Father, when filled with sin. Jesus Christ, when he absorbed our sin on the cross, cried out to God, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" In essence, as Jesus became sin on our behalf, he cried out to God, yearning for that eternal relationship to be restored. In a sense, when filled with our sin, he was crying out to God, "Where are you?"

Jesus said his mission was to seek and to save the lost - all who are hiding in sin. Part of his seeking involved absorbing our sin. He knew it was too much for us to bear. Jesus knew our sin, shame, guilt and failure was too much for us to bear, so he sought us out, in order to bear our sin.

Do you feel lost? Are you hiding? Are you wondering does anybody see me? Is anyone even thinking of me, much less looking for me? Be encouraged, Jesus loves hide and seek, becasue he loves what he finds...you. He is calling out to you by name and he has absorbed your shame. He has shown you the way, as he himself called out to God the Father when he took on our sin. Now call upon him amidst your own sin and the damage of other's sins upon you. Even when we hide and fail to call out to Him, He still seeks and calls out to us.

Beams Away!

A Unity for All To See His Majesty

"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." I Cor. 1:10.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was walking in the woods and noticed a magnificent tree. It had to be almost 200 feet tall. I could barely get my arms even half way around it. I stood mesmerized by the magnificence and grandeur of it. I thought to myself, this tree must have existed as a little fledgling tree almost 200 years ago. To observe this tree was to gaze upon something majestic, something wonderful and awe-inspiring.

The next day, I was helping a friend cut up some wood for his fire place by utilizing a powerful wood-splitter. We could take very large stumps, place it in the log-splitter, press a lever and a powerful hydrolic splitter would instantly and seemingly effortlesly divide years of unity in that stump. It was incredible to watch this powerful machine in action. As the splitter would come down, I would consider the rings on the stump which spoke to years of existence. Each of those rings could tell a story of what that tree had endured, but in an instant it was to become undone, because I wanted to use this wood for myself. Once I decided those trees were to be for me, splitting the log and those years of unity became inevitable. The result of my intention was telling. I looked over at a pile of wood that had been split by this powerful splitter. There was nothing majestic about it. There was no longer anything compelling about it. In its divided state, it only spoke to my consumeristic intent.

This same dynamic has been occuring in churches for centuries. The Apostle Paul was addressing the Corinthian Christians who were becoming divided over personalities. However, he wanted them to be focused on one personality, Jesus Christ. Before, he spoke of their need for unity in verse ten, he spoke of the name of Jesus Christ ten times in the previous nine versus. Paul wanted to stress what/Who should be the sole focus of the church.

When the church stays focused on Jesus Christ, then the church can stand tall, majestic and be awe-inspiring for all to see and to be drawn. However, when the church becomes about personalities, facilities, preferences and individual opinions, the church becomes divided because it becomes something which we consume rather than about Someone who consumes us.

May we all be extremely cautious of caustic language and consumerisitc intent in the church. May we continue to stay focused on Jesus, stand tall and majestic for all to watch and see the power of Christ within us and be drawn to Him.

Beams Away!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

On a recent blog, I displayed a picture of a person standing before a mammoth backdrop of water ready to engulf the persson. A number of people reacted to the picture because is aptly captured how they were currently feeling about life. What thoughts, feelings and reactions does this picture conjure up in you?

For me, words like innocence, vulnerability, hope, strife, exhaustion, feelings of compassion and thoughts about recent tornado victims come to mind as I look at the little duckling. Take a moment and be cognizant of the thoughts and feelings the picture evokes in you.

This blog is devoted to helping us look honestly at ourselves and understand our own blindspots. Jesus taught that each person should take the "beam" out of his or her own eye so he or she might see clearly the speck of sawdust in a neighbor's eye. So each of our thoughts, feelings or reactions to this picture can point us to what is going on in our hearts; and these reactions of ours are a greater indication of what is going on inside of us than they are an accurate description of the picture.

Take a moment, reflect upon your reflections about the picture. For instance, what do my reflections about the picture indicate about me today? Why do I see vulnerability of the duck? Why do I see hope? Why do I see innocence and exhaustion? What does this say about me today and how I am feeling in general? What do my words say about me?

This exercise is good for us to get in touch with ourselves, but it also illustrates how we need to interact with others. Many times we react to what we see in others. Those reactions, thoughts and feelings are usually a greater indication of what is occuring within us than they are an accurate description of another person. We've heard it said, that "A picture is worth a thousand words," but our words are worth a thousand insights to the current condition of our heart.

As we apply this principle to our interactions with others, perhaps we may become more patient and gracious with others. As we reflect more upon our own "beams" and extract them, then we will better reflect the character of Jesus Christ.

Beams Away!

Worried About the Whirlwind of Life

I remember being a "little shaver" at home as my mom took an hour out of her day to watch her favorite soap opera, "As the World Turns." It felt so peaceful watching the the globe on television turn so effortlessly and so peacefully. Yet in reality, as the world turns, a whirlwind of stress is also turning our lives upside down and peace is the farthest thing many of us are experiencing. Here is a response I received to a previous blog where I asked women about what it means to be feminine and how over-stressed they feel. I believe both men and women can relate to this, and am very eager to hear how many us can relate.

"I have really been struggling with this lately, feeling so overwhelmed by all that I feel I should be. I was just telling a friend, I feel like a slave to my job and my house! Having a full time job my house never seems clean enough, my marriage relationship and friendships are not deep enough, my family does not get together enough. I don't study the Bible enough. It feels like I've had to juggle so much that I haven't been the best wife, mother, duauther, sister, friend, caregiver, employee, etc, that I could have been. My husband does a lot as well, so I feel guilty asking for help around the house. It's funny, I always thought I was a perfectionist, so why isn't everything perfect?...It would be so nice to let go of everything and just "be." I'm working on being a child of God first. Learning to lay at Jesus' feet and rest in his presence. It is easier said than done however!"

Is there a solution to this seeming universal problem? In our pursuit to do enough, it appears many of us are overwhelmed and have simply had enough. This beam will be a very difficult beam to extract from out eyes, but we need to extract it so we may be free from the damaging effects of this dynamic.

I look forward to us sharing with one another about this and then sharing some additional thoughts.

Beams Away!

Worry is so Worrisome

There are some within Christiandom who might argue that self-focused teachings on the topic of "worry" only foster a self-focused, narcissistic Christianity. These people make a good point that our focus should not be on ourselves, but rather on helping others, or issues related to social justice. Others might argue that teachings on "worry" are proof how psycho-babble has contaminated the church. These people also argue that we should avoid too much focus upon ourselves, and that the Bible is not a self-help book. However, I am not worried about these objections because the topic of worry in fact is related to how I can help myself become more Christ-like and how others might understand Christ and thereby worship Him.

Consider what is at stake when the world sees Christians captivated by worry rather than faith and worship of Christ. Some one at CrossPoint passed on these words to me by John MacArthur.

"For reason, we think of doubt and worry as 'small' sins. But when a Christian displays unbelief...or an inability to cope with life, he is saying to the world, 'My God cannot be trusted,' and that kind of disrespect makes one guilty of a fundamental error, the heinous sin of dishonoring God. That is no small sin. Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other. Worry, by nature, is the product of a lack of faith and trust in God."

I would add God's word to us in the book of Hebrews, without faith it is impossible to please God.

I believe we want to please God. Yet, I believe we all struggle with worry and anxiety to varying degrees. But, God's reputation is on the line when we worry about our lives. In the Bible, Ephesians 2:14 syas, "Jesus is our peace." Also, Philippians 4 tells us we can have this peace of Jesus and it surpasses all understanding.

We struggle with worry, but don't worry, we don't have to struggle with it. We can surrender the "perception" of control over our lives and realize that Jesus Christ holds all things together and he works for our good. The Bible indicates from page one to the last page that everything God does is motivated by a desire to provide for us and to protect us. As we take seriously our sin of worry, and surrender more fully to Christ, we will become more like Christ and the world will watch how God's people are holy and different because in place of worry, they worship in contentment and confidence in their God.

Keep your thoughts coming. I appreciate them. And let's keep taking those beams out of our own eyes.

Beams Away!

Turning Panic Rooms Into Peaceful Rooms

Jodi Foster starred a popular movie entitled "Panic Room." She finds herself trapped in a panic room in her house which was designed to protect her from any outside threats. However, there came a point in the movie when she needed to confront a certain threat head-on.

This typifies the tragic life of many Christians. We are trapped in our own form of panic rooms as we worry incessantly and are filled with anxiety over potential threats to our well-being. These panic rooms are not actual rooms in our homes, but a room inside our heart where we retreat in order to panic. We panic and worry about many things in our panic rooms, and the tragedy is that we refuse to allow Jesus Christ to come in to these panic rooms. We refuse to allow Jesus Christ, who is our peace (Eph. 2:14)and the Prince of Peace to come into our panic rooms. We have difficulty listening to Jesus' words, "Do not be afraid..." because the potential threats to our well-being or our children's well-being are so great.

The Bible tells us that in Christ, we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding, meaning that we can have peace even when perplexed, overwhelmed and stressed out. However the pathway to peace is not simply prayer, but a certain type of prayer. It is a prayer that is comprised of praise and thanksgiving to God. The assurance of God's Word is that prayers of praise in the midst of anxiety will lead to a peace which surpasses understanding. This is recorded in the Bible in the book of Philippians 4:4-7.

So our lack of praise to God amdist our anxiety results in a lack of peace amidst life's stressors. But the next question is what keeps us from praising God amidst our anxiety? For me, it is control. Ironically, although I feel out of control sometimes, I still want it and refuse to relinquish something I don't really have. This is just another form of pride in my life. My pride prevents my praise and thereby prohibits any sense of peace.

What are you anxious or stressed about today? What keeps you from practicing praise amdist your anxiety and stress? I'd love to hear from you.

Beams Away!

What Does It Mean to Be Feminine?

I have lead numerous Men's groups and talked about what it means to be masculine,but as I turn my attentnion to Mother's Day, I find myself asking,"What does it mean to be feminine?" Many men are looking for a clear definition of what it means to be masculine and I have to believe that many women are trying to determine what it means to be feminine.

Why all the confusion? I believe it is because we define ourselves more by our roles than by God's rules. For instance, many men are confused because their role in society has changed. They used to be the sole-bread winner and the predominant presence in the work force. Now, many women are in the workforce and men are at home, helping with domestic responsibilities. Men used to be the tough, rugged and macho man like John Wayne, but then a softer, compassionate and more emotive man began to be betrayed, like Tom Hanks. As women, rightfully said we want to be equal, this morphed into some women saying they want to be the same. Thus, leaving men asking themselves, "If women are not only equal to men, but the same as men, then what does it mean to be masculine?"

As this has been the case for men, I hear from women some confusion as well. It is less confusion about what it means to be feminine, but more confusion over whether or not they should feel guilty. I hear women struggling with guilt regarding their ability to do all things and be all things to all people. In their wide array of roles, they are trying to be a terrific mom, supportive spouse, successful provider/contributor to the household, deligent in working out and even a responsible church member. Yet, with all of these demands, many women are tired and feel guilty because they don't know if they are doing well enough in all of these areas. They feel as though they are never able to give any of these areas enough attention. Guilt gives way to fatigue and more guilt.

What do you think? Does this resonate? What do you think it means to be feminine? I hope to have some dialogue on this and perhaps alliviate some stress, some guilt and unrealistic expectations.

Beams Away!

Brett

How To Pray When Life Stinks

Have you ever had a string of bad things happen to you? Ever feel like you are cursed for a period of time? Last week we at CrossPoint were reading the story of how Daniel escaped certain death via a lion's den and via King Nebuchadnezzar wrath because no one could interpret his dream. This occurred after he was exhiled to Babylon. What a string of unfortunate things! Yet each event brought glory to God and Daniel remained steadfast in his commitment. Can we accomplish this as well? Can I accomplish this when life is overwheming? Can you? How do we do it?

Daniel's prayer life reflected his perspective which enabled him to endure and accomplish so much. In Daniel chapter 2, verse 17-18, we see Daniel's response to a seemingly unwinnable situation. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the execution of all the wisemen of Babylon. The reason being that these wisemen were unable to know and explain the meaning of the King's dream. When Daniel was taken captive to Babylon, he was identified as gifted and was trained to be one of the King's wisemen.

Faced with this impossible situation, Daniel goes to his friends to pray, but notice what Daniel says to them. He urged them to plead for mercy from God of heaven concerning the mystery of the king's dream. This does not seem like much to comment on, but it reveals everything! Daniel did not go back and say, "Guys we need to pray for God to protect us or else we are going to die!" Instead, Daniel urged them to plead for "MERCY."

When you and I are faced with seemingly impossible situations, overwhelming circumstances and impending tragedy, do we pray for God's MERCY? I am sure we pray, by asking God to help us in our situation and to rescue us from our troubles, but do we pray for Mercy? Do we recognize that God's help is an act of mercy on behalf of God? Often times we complain about situations and pray for a sense of security to our lives, but do we pray for God's mercy on our lives.

By Daniel praying for mercy, he was recognized that God was ultimately in control and could change everything in an instant. He also recognized that God did not owe him anything. When a person pleads for mercy, a person realizes he/she deserves something negative in consequence, but pleads for mercy so that he/she may escape deserved judgment.

I don't know about you, but I would have been praying and complaining about my situation, rather than pleading for mercy. But praying for mercy puts everything into perspective. God is in control and is obliged to no one for nothing. We are not in control, we have rebelled against God and deserve nothing from God. Do we realize that every blessing from God is an act of mercy from God?

This was Daniel's perspective. Is it mine? Is it yours? What do we pray for, but more importantly what is our perspective when we pray? Do we pray for mercy realizing God owes us nothing. Just because God has acted so mercifully throughout history does not obligate God continue. If God were obliged to act always in mercy, then it would not be mercy, it would be obligation and we would feel entitled.

As Christians in America we live in a boat load of entitlement mentality. God save us from our entitlement prayers and instill within us our need to pray and plead for your mercy, so that IF we receive it from you, we can respond with a life of indebtedness that gives you all of the glory.

Beams Away!

Welcome to Fantasy Prayer-Land!

Tonight as a family, we will be watching a Netflix DVD from way back. We will be watching Fantasy Island. Oh to hear the words again, "de plane, de plane!" and "Welcome to Fantasy Island!" I can't wait as this show captivated me when I was growing up. But, let me ask what captivates us today? I believe what captivates us is the same thing that captivated those characters of Fantasy Island and caused them to seek out their life's fantasy. Ultimately what captivates us is ourselves. When people suggest to me that they are not self-centered, I like to ask them "Who is the main character of their fantasies and dreams? Are their fantasies and dreams about themselves or about elevating other people?

As Christians I'd like to ask us a similar question. Who is the main character of our prayers? Is it each of us or is it God? Would it be accurate to suggest that the main character of our prayers is the one who captivates us most and is the main focus of our lives? If the main character of our prayers is ourselves which is often evidenced in our laundry list of prayer requests, then the main character of our lives would be ourselves. But, if the main character of our prayers is God and God's glory, then God would be the main subject of our prayers because God is the one who captivates our hearts.

It is easy to pray for ourselves; and God encourages each of us to pray for our daily bread and about our anxious issues of life. But ultimately and most appropriately our heart and affection should focused upon God's glory. When our prayers are focused upon ourselves we tend to become more preoccupied with our comfort and security over and above Christ's glory.

Notice Jesus' example of praying. In his darkest hour of tremendous turmoil, when faced with the brutality of crucifixion and worse yet, the bearing of all humanity's sin, he prayed for himself, yet ended with a prayer for God's glory. He prayed, "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. yet now what I will, but what you will."

Often times when we pray, it is because of awful and anxious things that confront us. It is easy to pray for ourselves, but let me encourage us, including myself, to pray for God's will and God's glory, for He alone deserves our praise and the preoccupation of our prayers. Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all his righteousness..." Psalm 37:4 tells us "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." This is what Jesus did and it enabled him to endure the crucifixion and worse yet the weight of all our sin. Perhaps, as we keep Christ the focus and main character of our prayers, we will be able to endure all things and bring God glory in everything. Maybe God will prove himself as greater than all of our fantasies.

Who is the main character of your's and my prayers?

Beams Away!

There is Nothing More Counter-Cultural and Christ-Like, Than Christian Forgiveness

In my last blog, I suggested that we are to forgive because we are essentially no better than anyone else. Today, I offer the most counter-intuitive reason for forgiveness. Although it is the most counter-intuitive and counter-cultural, it is the most Christ-like and the most compelling example of what makes Christianity real.

The Christian reason to forgive is not because it benefits you, the offended, but because it benefits the offender. Some of you may react to my statement because I do not understand the hurt you are experiencing and furthermore, my suggestion is even offensive and diminishes your pain. That is not my intention. I do know significant levels of hurt and I do not want to have hurt be the measure line of anything, but instead want to share God's heart as the measuring line of forgivness and the motivating factor for us to forgive those who have hurt us.

God's motivation to forgive us was not for God's benefit. God was the offended, because of our sin. Our sin seriously greives God, and thus God feels deeply as his creation continues to rebel. However, God forgives us not for His benefit, but for ours, the offenders. The world's values system rarely encourages forgiveness, but even when forgiveness is suggested it for the sake of the offeded. God's love and affection for us is so deep, that God forgivess us "While we were yet sinners..."

In other words, when we were at our very worst, God gave us His very best. But what is remarkable is that God did so even thought we never asked for it, nor did we express any desire to turn towards God. However, God and God's kingdom, embodies forgiveness that is motivated by the benefit of the offenders.

This is radical, but this is our God and I am a gredious sinner and offender against God, yet I stands completely forgiven because God had my best interest in mind when He forgave me.

The video below is an unbelievable true story of this type of forgivenss in action. God wants us to forgive as He forgives, but God also gives us Himself to enable us to forgive others, if we simply surrender to God.

Beams Away!

http://www.perrynoble.com/#ooid=pzNjIxMjovA-Lbzs_yR5ICjmREPiR7ZG

(Copy the URL above and paste it as a URL. Then scroll down the page to the third video. It is about nine minutes long, but well worth every minute.)

We Are Michael Vick and Big Ben

In my most recent post I suggested that true followers of Christ ought to forgive "evil" people like Ben Roethlesberger and Michael Vick and even people like King Mannasseh from the book of 2 Kings, chapter 21 in the Bible. King Mannasseh even sacrificed his own son! One of the reasons we are to forgive is because Christ forgave us. I would like to suggest an additional reason.

Our hearts are capable of the same evil as their hearts are or were.

Am I suggesting that you would start a dog-fighting ring and abuse innocent dogs, or sexually abuse someone? I am not suggesting you or I "would", but I am suggesting that, given the right circumstances we each "could" do something of that nature. In other words, our hearts have the same capacity of evil as anyone else. Just because we don't do certain things, does not mean we are better. The biblical notion of humanity's sin is not that certain actions make us sinful. Instead, our sinful actions only illustrate an inward reality and capacity that is always there. This inward reality and capacity is what makes us sinful, not our actions.

Furthermore, sin is degenerative. In other words, similar to the notion that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It can be said that "sin corrupts and any sin corrupts absolutley." Sin has a systemic and destructive effect. Just because I don't sin like Michael Vick and Big Ben and King Mannaseh, this does not mean I do not have the same capacity.

The reality of the capacity of my own sin confronted me at one period in my life and I wrote these words,

"To learn of and be left to the base of who I am
would lead me to the bane of my existence and
leave me in an irrevocable rebellion against God
With a chronic unrepentant heart.
I would be a brute beast before the Lord, reviling God in utter rebellion
likened to that of Satan and other fallen angels."

When I realized this capacity of my own heart, I finally understood how fallen angels and Satan himself would revile against a great God, because sin is degenerative and continually corrupts us. For this reason, I have to continually remind myself that I am no better than anyone else, thus I must forgive all others, lest I be a hypocrite and exempt myself from receiving God's forgiveness. For Jesus instructed us to pray, "forgive us, AS we forgive others."

Tomorrow, I will suggest another reason to forgive...because it is in the best interest of the offender, not necessarily the offended.

Beams Away!

Forgive The Michael Vicks and Big Ben's

Ever find someone who is difficult to forgive? I mean someone who has either hurt you or someone else that is absolutely regugnant to you? Two people I have heard a lot about this past football season are Ben Roethlesberger and Michael Vick. Are they really worth forgiving? Big Ben, of the Pittsburg Steelers was accussed of sexual abuse and Michael Vick was guilty of running a dog-fighting ring. Both of these types of behaviors are abhorrent and should arouse anger and cries for justice.

However, they have seemingly cried out for forgiveness. Do we give it to them? And if we do, are we suggesting that they get a free pass from their behaviors? Just because someone asks for forgiveness are we, as Christians, obliged to give it to them. Absolutely!

In the book of 2 Kings chapter 21 in the Bible, it is recorded that a king named Mannasseh did evil in God's eyes. He had rejected God by worshipping other false gods, he shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, and he even sacrificed his own son in fire. This makes Big Ben and Michael Vick's sins look like little sins. God said that Manasseh's sins were detestable to God. So God humbled Mannaseh and brought such disaster upon Mannasseh that anyone who hears it, their ears will tingle.

Then in the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 33,verse 12, the Bible records that Mannasseh, in his distress sought the favor of the Lord and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fahters. Notice God's response. Verse 13 records that God was MOVED by Manasseh's prayer and thus brought Mannasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.

What!?!? God was "moved" by the prayers of THIS man?! What does this say about God? What are the implications for us?

I believe this tells us that God has a heart that will enact justice and that God's heart is ready to move towards mercy and forgiveness in response to true humility. I believe this means we are to do the same, if we call ourselves followers of Jesus. Not only because we profess to be followers of Jesus, but also because our hearts are filled with the same capacity for evil as that of king Mannasseh, Big Ben and Michael Vick. We are to forgive because we have been forgiven to the same extent as Mannasseh and because we possess the same heart of God if His Spirit lives within us.

So can you and I still forgive that person who is so repugnant to us? Jesus offers forgiveness to us and he tells us that to whom much is given, much is required.

Thanks Jesus for my forgiveness.

Beams Away!

What Do You Doubt About, and Why?

This week I have been reading about one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament, Elijah. What a stud! He challenged hundreds of other prophets, who believed in another god, to a show down. He had himself and the other prophets each build altars to their god. Then who ever could invoke their God to bring down fire upon their altar would be declared the real god. This took a lot of faith.

After taunting these other prophets and making fun of their god's fire-lighting impotence, he then has people completely saturate his altar with water. Then he confidently calls upon his God, Yahweh, and fire comes down from heaven and completely burns up his altar. What a remarkable and spectacular victory! What faith and fearlessness!

However, notice how quickly the faith had turned to fear and how almost instantaneously Elijah defaulted to doubt. When Elijah had returned from this mountain top experience, (it truly occurred on a mountain) he hears that the queen of the land wants to kill him. Eliah's response was one of fear not faith. Elijah doubted that God would save him. Elijah took off to run and hide. What a remarkable transformation! What fear and faithlessness! How did this happen?

There does seem to be a default to doubt in all of us. What contributes to such a tendency to doubt so quickly? Even Peter, who was at one moment walking on water with Jesus began to doubt and subsequently sink. Jesus, was heavy-hearted and asked Peter in Matthew 14:31, "...why did you doubt?"

In one sense Jesus' question is rhetorical, and yet it demands an answer. Why do we so quickly doubt? Are you doubting today? What do you doubt about? More importantly, why do you and I default to doubt so easily and so quickly? I doubt, not because I question God's ability, but because I question God's intention for my life. Is God's intention always for good in my life? I doubt because I question God's goodness. In light of this default to doubt in my own life, I have to ask myself, what would my life be like, if I never doubted God's goodness.

I welcome your thoughts. Beams Away!