The rest of the story

OK for those of you with about 30 minutes to kill, LOL I now have the rest of the answer to the question I posted recently.

Does Salvation require Transformation?


How many of you remember the old Wendy’s commercial that ran back in the late 80’s? It had three beautiful women salivating over a hamburger that looked really good. It had a big bun, lettuce flowing over the edge,, I mean this thing looked great, it had all the right smells, looks. Remember what happened when they opened the burger? There was this little measly piece of meat that was suppose to pass as a hamburger. And the famous line from that sweet old lady "Where's the beef?"


Well looks can be deceiving can’t they? How long do you think a burger chain selling burgers like that would stay in business? Not long I would imagine. I mean the sandwich looks great on the outside, but on the inside, it leaves a little to be desired doesn’t it?

A few weeks ago, Pastor Gary talked about how we can look good and sound good on the outside, but on the inside we look really bad? Well, in many ways, some of us as Christians can resemble that hamburger. We can say all the right words, like hallelujah, Praise God, Amen, Justification, and Sanctification. We can even look good; going to church every Sunday, volunteering for the nursery or yard cleanup, putting some money in the offering plate, teaching a class or offering to bring the snacks for SS. But if we were to look inside, we might find very little in the way of substance.

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul is urging the Romans he is writing to, to be transformed. He has been explaining to them an opportunity that has fallen into their laps from God, and his instructions to them call for change and transformation.
Now before we get to that part of the story, I want to back up and bring this into context for you, so you can understand this clearly. So we are going to start at the beginning of the book of Romans and speed through it to give you a snap shot of what’s happening.

Romans 1-3 talks about How God is angry with humanity for their sin. This scripture is describing God’s response to humanities sinfulness.

Romans 1:28-32 “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Imagine if your kids acted like this, imagine how angry that might make you. Here God clearly has a reason to be angry.

Romans 3-5 talks about a rescue from God’s anger through believing in Jesus Christ

Romans 3:21-24 “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

There are a few words here that we need to understand. Another way to describe Righteousness is to say that it is, “an act against injustice”, this would be Christ. So you could read that scripture like this, “But now Christ from God…”. The other word here that we need to understand is redemption. This means to recover or to rescue. And the last word is justified. For the meaning of this word, lets’ just break it down. “Just if I’d”, as in just if I’d never sinned. So now hopefully we can read that scripture with more clarity.

Romans 6-8 Talks about being set apart for Christ and His work

Romans 6:8-14 “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

This scripture makes it clear that if, we are bought by the blood of Christ, that is to say, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and rescue, then we are to turn away from or die to our sin. Then we are to offer ourselves to God as tools that He can use. Why should we do this? Because, we no longer live under the law of sin, but of grace.

Romans 9-11 Talks about God bringing the Gentiles into Israel’s inheritance.

Romans 11:17-23 “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

This simply says, Israel was an unbelieving people. Because of that unbelief, God brought non-Israelis or Gentiles, you and I, and allowed us to be part of that family tree. But we should not be proud or arrogant of it. We stand by faith alone, the Israelites are God’s chosen people. We can be cut off from the family just as easily as they were. We are to remain in God’s kindness and by doing so, we will remain in the family.

Now the last section of the book of Romans is where we are going to spend our time. Chapters 12-16 all deal with God’s desire for us to live according to His will. But chapter 12:1-2 specifically, is what I want us to focus in on. Earlier I posed the question to you, “Does salvation require transformation? I want you to find that answer.

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Transformation is a funny word in that we often think of it to mean a physical change. The word transformation when used in Romans and other sections of the bible means something a little more. The Greek counter part of the word transformed is MetamorphaO. What does that sound like? Metamorphosis… it means a complete or total change.

A butterfly is a great example of the word Metamorphosis or transformation. A Monarch Butterfly going through the process of transformation is a neat thing to watch. You can youtube monarch butterfly time lapse and fine some neat videos there.
As a caterpillar, it will eat everything in sight. It waste's no time exploring, or looking at the vegetation, it does what it know's it needs to do, and eats, and eats, and eats. As it eats, it will get bigger and start changing it's color. It’s lines start getting more defined and it grows in size. Once it has anchored itself to the branch of the vine, it will cocoon itself. The cocoon comes from within the skin of the caterpillar. It’s outer layer will split open and it will cocoon itself from the inside. When it comes out of the cocoon, the head will be at the opposite end of the cocoon from when it started. When it emerges, it will be completely changed specimen. It’s color, shape, design, size, function, ability all changed. It will be completely transformed into a new being.

This is what Paul is calling on the Romans to do in chapter 12. He is urging the Romans and Gentiles to be transformed into a new creation in Christ by renewing their minds. But is this transformation necessary? Do we have to go through this process to be saved or rescued by Christ?

I would remind you of the Israelites and what they chose to do. They chose to live life their way, in all sorts of lust, deceit, misdeeds, evil and murderous ways. They didn’t give their bodies to God, nor did they sacrifice anything of themselves for His glory, and they were broken off of the branch because of it. In other words, their inheritance was removed from them because of their actions.

So if we are to receive salvation through Jesus Christ, we must be Transformed into a living sacrifice of service to God.
What does this living sacrifice look like and what does it mean for us. The term “living” indicates that something that is alive, moving, and dynamic. It is not dead, it is not almost dead, it is not restricted. It is rather free to act and react. The term sacrifice means dedication, given to, surrendered. So we could say that a living sacrifice is “a living and dynamic human that is surrendered to God.”

Now when you think of offering something to God, you would generally think of offering something that was of highest quality right? Now think of how we treat ourselves, and our bodies. If God were to walk into your house today, how many of you would be ashamed of your offering? I would be. I don’t take care of myself near as well as I should. I get little to no sleep, I have poor eating habits and I don’t exercise. How good is my sacrifice going to be if I don’t take care of myself. We need to think about such things and be concerned with what we are offering to God.

We need not only take care of our bodies but our spirit and mind as well. We can become very mentally lazy. I didn’t understand this until I went back to school. I never thought my mind could work the way it does now. I never thought I could recall information the way I can now. But it is because I exercise my mind, I read a lot, I think a lot, I get headaches a lot….. My point is we can’t just go home and sit in front of the TV or be entertained. We need to exercise our mind, and we can do so by studying God’s word. In the process of our studies, our spirit will be exercised as well. When we study the Bible, we are tested to put to action what we have read, and we are given great insight into God’s will for our lives. we are stretched to think beyond our preconceived ideas. In doing so we renew our minds, and we start to think differently. Being a living sacrifice of service to God frees us glorify Him. And as we glorify him with our bodies we also glorify Him with our minds, as we are

Transformed into a Kingdom Thinker.

I think through problems, situations, and decisions with a carnal mind. But as I read the Bible and study it’s wisdom and instruction, I find myself thinking through the lens of Christ. How did Christ go about figuring this out? How did Christ handle this situation? How is this decision going to affect those around me? And will it help them to see Christ? In chapter 8:6 of Romans Paul writes, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
When we put the Kingdom and God’s ways before our own, God will bless us and make sure we have the stuff we need. Our tithe or offering is a great example of this, something we can all relate to. Today our stock market and economy looks very bleak. Our pensions and investments are being threatened and the bill from the bailout that we are going to leave our kids is astronomical. Prices at the grocery store are going up it seems almost on a daily basis. Insurance premiums are on the rise, and so is the fear of many Americans for their future and the future of their kids. All of this financial strain, and God wants us to give Him some too. With the carnal mind, it is unfair and impossible to spare the extra money. But looking through a Kingdom lens, God has commanded us to give a tithe or ten percent of our increase, meaning our income, as an offering to Him. And we are to do so with a joyful spirit. Hard to do in today’s economy. But God’s grace is enough and His storehouse is larger than ours. God will supply all your needs when you follow His commands.


Another way to put that is to say, we do the will of God when we put His ways’ before our ways’. It is hard to do that sometimes. Often God’s ways’ will go against what we feel like doing, what we feel is the best way, but learning how to live by the will of God is part of the transformation process. As we surrender our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, and as we start to think through the lens of Christ, we will also be

Transformed to do God’s will.

The transformation process is essential to this point. Without transformation by the renewing of our minds, we will never be able to prove what God’s will is for our lives. Our very character, nature, essence, and our inner being, must be changed to reflect the character, nature, and essence of Christ. Until that transformation begins, we cannot presume to know the will of God.
Doing the will of God requires us to put our own desires aside, push away temptations, to choose even force ourselves to ask God what He wants us to do, and listen to that, instead of listening to our own nature and desires.
How many of us listen to God on a daily basis? How many of us start out our day asking God what He desires that we do that day? Sometimes I do, on the mornings when I get up on time and I’m not rushed to get to work I do. But what about those days when everything seems to start off in a dead sprint? Those tend to be my worst days, because I didn’t take time to stop and ask God what He wanted with my life that day. Imagine if you would, tomorrow morning when we all wake up to start our day. Imagine if we stopped, before we did anything else, and we thanked God for our rest and a new day, then we asked him, God, today I am yours, what do you want me to do today? Who do you want me to speak your truth to Lord? Who can I help today God?
Can you imagine the impact we could have on this community, on this city and world if we stopped each morning and asked God what he wanted us to do, and then went out and did it?
I wonder, how many of us have shared Christ with someone this week? How many of us have taken the time to call a friend that is going through a rough patch in his or her marriage, or in his or her health, or just sat and talked with someone that needed to unload or was lonely? How many of us turned the TV off this week and sat down with our kids and taught them about God’s word? How many of us stopped this week and prayed for our neighbor, family member, friend? Were you Christ to someone this week?

I tell you the truth, unless we remain in Christ, unless we daily submit ourselves to His will, unless we choose to be changed and transformed from the inside out, we will never make a difference in this world, in this city, or even in this community.

If we become ineffective, we are in danger of being cut off the vine and thrown into the fire. We will be of no use to God. The absence of transformation in our lives will have a direct impact and negative effect on this community and in our salvation. The change, the road to recovery so to speak starts today. You, me, each one of us as the body of Christ have a decision to make today. Each one of us, must choose offer our bodies as a living sacrifice of service to God, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds to become Kingdom thinkers, and as we are transformed, we will be able to prove what God’s will is for our lives.

So again I ask the question, does salvation require transformation? I think we can all agree that it does.

Salvation requires transformation into the likeness of Christ. This process of transformation is necessary and imperative for the future of the church, and for our own salvation.

Does Salvation Require Transformation?

We are creatures of our own design, good or bad we have stuck our hands into our evolvement into this thing we call "our life".

Some have, and many others will, come to a point in their life when they recognize that it simply isn't enough. They start asking questions like; "Is this all there is to life?", "Is there a God?", "What is my purpose in life?". Upon asking those questions, some will come to faith in Jesus Christ, and others......well they will bury themselves in something else. For those who choose to follow Christ, they too must bury themselves, but not in just another task or program that will confine time and schedules. They must bury themselves so they can become truly free.

Romans 12:2 tells us to be "transformed by the renewing or our minds", transformed into what, and from what?

I have some thoughts, but to hear them you must continue to check back. As this develops I will post more, and when it is finished, I will post the audio to go with it.

Romans 12:1-2 "I urge you therefore brothers, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice Holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind then you will be able to test and approve the what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will."

Been awhile

It's been a while since I posted last, School has been keeping me very busy, not to mention work, church, the boys and being a husband. Life is busy, but good. I am currently preparing a message that I have to give at church on December 7th for school. My plan is to record the audio, then post it here for anyone interested to listen to.

I must say that I am preparing for this message differently than I ever have before. I guess school will do that for you. Oddly enough, my last post in October was on Romans 12. I have decided to speak on this topic because I think it holds so much truth.

I won't get into it now, I just wanted to let everyone know I am still alive, albeit sometimes I wonder. I will hopefully be posting more regular here soon. I always think of stuff to post during the day, but by the time I get home and get to it, I forget.

Anyway, I hope God is blessing you and that you are letting him lead you where He wants you to go.

An ending verse to remember from Isaiah 7:96 'If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

God Bless

MetamorphoO

I have been studying Romans 12 for the past week or so, because I was asked to teach Sunday school this week. As I have studied and listened to other messages about Romans, and one thing has become evident, Sin must be overcome, and we must be transformed into the likeness of Christ! Chapter 12, verses 1-2 speak about how we are to be transformed from our old selves and become a new creation in Christ. The greek word "MetamorphoO" is used for this description of the word "transformed". Usually in the english language, we use this word "transformed" to relate to a physical change. But Paul uses it in context of a "total transformation" much like a caterpillar being transformed into a butterfly. Everything that we are, is changed, and we start to become more like Christ.

Paul brings this point of view, you are either conformed into the likeness of the world and all that it is, or you become like Christ, it cannot be both ways. When we offer our bodies as "living sacrifices" as verse 1 says, there are also two sides to this, general and specific.

Generally we offer our bodies to God and say, "Ok God here I am, use me, here is my body, lead me.

And specifically, when God says, I want you to be a living sacrifice to the lost and tell them about me and share the good news with them, and I want you to be a living sacrifice and serve the body of Christ.

When we can begin to understand that we are to be transformed (MetamorphoO), into the image of Christ, and not be conformed any longer by this world, then we will begin to live our lives as God intended. Set apart, redeemed, and justified.

"Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, Holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2

Redirected

For those of you who regularly check this blog, I wanted to let you know that I will not be posting here for a short period of time. I will instead be posting on my other site "Sinners Anonymous". Why? Because I believe that addressing the issue of sin, not only in my life, but the church in general is more important right now. On Molded To Worship, my intent is to discuss and dive into topics related to worship, and increase our awareness to what worship is and how God seeks those who worship in spirit and in truth.

The bible says in Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." If we are born into sin, it stands to reason that we ought to learn how to address our sin before we can bring our worship to God.

So I would like to encourage you to join me at Sinners Anonymous as we address sin head on. It is the one thing that keeps us from God, therefore; I want to make sure that on a personal level, I am not ignoring it, but dealing with it. I would encourage you to do the same. Join me!

Sinners Anonymous

I havn't been able to get this off my mind, so today I added yet another blog to my site. I created a site where people can go and anonymously confess what they are struggling with. Granted taking complete ownership of your sin is where healing begins, but I thought I would give people a place to start. Just writing it down and posting it makes me start to own up to the fact that I do things that I ought not to. I believe it can be a step in the right direction if we start talking about our sin. So consider yourself, do you follow James 5:16

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."?

Or do you, like many others, hide it inside and put a mask on it so no will ever know. I want us to begin to own up to what we really are, sinners, only then can we begin the process of healing through Jesus Christ. Join me.

www.christiansinnersanonymous.blogspot.com

or use the link on my front page.

The Why

My last post was kind of a set up. It's true in its entirety, but I didn't tell you why I went to the AA meeting. Yesterday at church someone asked me why in the world I went. I didn't get a chance to give them an answer, but I know they read this, so here it is.

My experience and desire to go to the AA meeting was two fold, maybe even three fold.

First, I work with someone who has struggled with alcohol for quite some time, and has had several legal problems because of it. So in trying to relate to this person, I thought attending a meeting might give me insight to how they think about their addiction, and maybe show me how to help them.

Second, I thought it wouldn't hurt for me to experience something different. It is a blessing for the church, that we can offer the place for them to meet 6 days a week. Lives are being changed there everyday little by little, sometimes in a spiritual way, sometimes just in a way that will keep them from alcohol.

Third, this is the main reason I went. I had heard from several people (folks without an alcohol dependency) that the meetings they had the opportunity to go to with a friend, were very refreshing. Why refreshing you ask? Well for the same reasons I stated in my first post. There is a level of honesty that exists among AA members that is not seen or heard in other places. There is a common goal (a unity if you will) of being delivered from their dependency of alcohol. They have one goal in mind, and they are all committed to helping not only themselves, but others reach that goal. There is encouragement that flows almost every time someone speaks. Before each person speaks, they must state their name and the fact that they have a problem with alcohol. The first two reason I gave were enough for me to attend, however; my desire to experience this kind of atmosphere caused me to finally go.

As I sat there listening and observing REAL life, I viewed the meeting through spiritual glasses. I wondered what the church would be like if we were to admit publicly that we are sinners, (sometimes explaining what we struggle with in detail), and to do so without the fear of being judged from those who think they don't sin.

I thought about how fast we could heal hurts and relationships, if we would freely express and deal with our sin. James 5:16 tells us to "confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Why is it so hard for us to listen to someone without judging them?

Maybe I can explain it better this way, think about this.....

Sunday comes, and you decide to go to church. Having stuggled all week with sin, you walk into church and are greeted by a brother that welcomes you with a hand shake and a smile. He asks you how your week has gone, and instead of giving him the patented "every thing's going great" line of bull, you tell him that you really struggled this week with pornography and lusting.

Instead of the expected reaction, you know "the one that makes you feel like you just fell off some pedestal and you should have kept your mouth shut because now it's going to spread like wild fire; and everyone on the face of the earth is going to look at you differently" feeling, Instead of that, you get a sincere reply from someone that recognizes that they too are a sinner and that they too fall short of the grace of God. You don't get judged, instead you get encouragement and prayer for the week to come. You get teaching and training that will help you overcome the temptation to sin again.

You are surrounded by people who are all pushing for the same goal, to be free from sin, to live their lives in a way that pleases God, and build others up instead of tearing them down.

This is why I went to the AA meeting, because I wanted to see how the church should act toward others, and how, when all are united for the same purpose, lives can be changed.

Hello my name is Chris and I am a sinner! I struggle with lying, lust, pride, greed, and anger. God please forgive me!

Something Refreshing

Today, I experienced something new. Something that I hope to experience more often. I entered a place where the truth was told, where most people were honest with themselves and others. I mean heart poured out, gut wrenching, no holds bared, like it or not honesty. It was a place where every person there was pushing for the same goal; where there was one thing to accomplish, and most all were committed to it. A place where people cared genuinely and sincerely for others success. A place where you could talk about how you felt and what you have done, WITHOUT being judged for it. A place full of encouragement and hope. Today I attended my first alcoholics
anonymous meeting.

Conflicting Views

The knock at the door, or the ringing of the doorbell usually brings excitement as we think, "Someone came to see me, who could it be?" Only to find a salesman or a Jehovah's Witness. Well this happened to us this week. I was up getting the kids to bed, and I heard a knock at the door. Lisa was fortunate enough to answer it and was greeted by two young men from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I came down the steps and stood at the door as they gave their spiel, and then proceeded to ask us some questions. Now usually at this point, I say, I am a Christian and pull the worship pastor card out and they say thanks and leave. This time I wanted to talk to them. I felt a desire to question them, talk with them, explore their mind a little. I stepped out side with my wife, and she made the same move only she went inside and disappeared. Chicken :-) just kidding she had to go finish with the kids.

I talked with these folks for about an hour. Their shared their views, and I shared mine. They quoted scripture, I did as well. They expressed concern for me like I was missing out on something. I expressed concern for them know they were. right before they left, the more confident of the two, encouraged me to pray with an open mind tonight and to ask God to reveal to me the truth. He was confident that God would tell all about Joseph Smith and the Mormon faith and how real it is. I told him not only would I pray to God that night. I would also pray for them. I told them I would pray that if they were wrong, (as I believe they are) that God would reveal himself to them, as only God can do, and redirect their paths to Jesus Christ and a life serving Him only.

After we said our goodbyes and they left, I went in and prayed for them. For the first time in my life, I took an opportunity that was given to me when it came to someone of another faith, and stood toe to toe with them about what the bible says. It felt good to stand up for what I believe in, and to do so without fear of what they thought about me or how they felt about what the bile said. God's word has power, and I believe that if they investigate for themselves the things we talked about, they will find God waiting with open arms.

1 Peter 3:15 says; "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,.."

And Isaiah 7:96 says; "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

Stand firm in your faith, so when the opportunity arises for you to share it, you may do so with the boldness of Jesus Christ. I am still learning this attribute, and I must say, I like it.

Approaching God

Every morning I get up before the rest of the family and get ready for work. With Lisa's new work schedule, I leave before she gets out of bed. She is usually always either sleeping or going back to sleep as I leave, and I always give her a good bye kiss before going. The other morning, I was in a hurry, and as I bent down to kiss her head, my approach was a little quick, and I hurriedly kissed her and started walking out the door. She asked if everything was OK, and I said yes why? She said the way I kissed her didn't seem right and she thought I was mad or something. I assured her everything was OK I was just running late.
She drifted back off to sleep and I headed out for work.

As I was driving to work saying my morning prayers, I thought about what she said and it caused me to think about how I approach God. Do I approach God in a hurry so I can get on with life? Or do I approach with the intent of lingering in his presence for awhile? I thought about how many times I throw up a prayer on the way to work, or right before I go to bed, and I wonder if God ever says, "What's wrong? The way you approached me didn't seem right."

To Lisa it might have been a fairly insignificant thing, but to me it was a lesson. How we approach those we love tells that person something.

What are you telling God by how you approach him?

Controversial Quote

You will disagree with this statement, but I want you to think about it before you judge it. It is a quote I heard on the radio spoken by an author that was being interviewed by Char Binkley from WBCL. Here is the quote.

“The hour on Sunday can be the most dishonest hour of our week.”

What do you think of when you hear that?
How does it make you feel?
What thoughts come into your mind to discredit this statement?

Think back with if you will, to a hard or tough time you have experienced in your life. Health issues, financial issues, belief issues; what did you do during those times? Did you worry, cry in fear, get all knotted up in your stomach. Did you get mad a God?, Did you take it out on Him by not talking to him, or turning away for awhile?
Health issues threaten our existence, so it is a common reaction to take some sort of defensive stand against it.

Now think about what we sing about on any given Sunday morning, we sing songs like:

Forever – Forever God is faithful

In Christ Alone - No guilt in life no fear in death
This is the pow'r of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No pow'r of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand

I’m trading my sorrow - I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying them down
For the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying them down
For the joy of the Lord

Better is one day - How lovely is your dwelling place
O Lord Almighty
For my soul longs and even faints for you
For here my heart is satisfied
Within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of your wings
Better is one day better is one day
Better is one day than thousands elsewhere

Faith – Everything’s gonna be alright I have faith I believe it.

And many others: Here’s my question –

Do we believe the words that we sing on Sunday?
I would contend that we do not as much as we would like to believe we do. This is why I think the quote above, that sounds so strong at first, starts to become clearer to me. If we truly believed the words we proclaim, that God is faithful, that it is better to spend one day in his courts than thousands elsewhere, that we actually release all our worries and sickness to him, then I think we would act much differently outside of the hour on Sunday.

I think we WANT to believe them, but I submit reality is that the words we sing on Sunday are aspirations of our heart, and not something we have actually accomplished; yet something we should always strive for.

So why did I bring this up? Through out the bible, God moves his people. Most often times, the initial call is met with resistance and complaints. But God says, “come here for a minute” so we go to him, and he says, “trust me” so we go and try to do things in our own way, and we mess it up. God says “come here for a minute, Trust me” so we go and do it again, and mess it up. It’s a good thing God isn’t a man, he would be like “If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times.” But He is God, he keeps calling us and perseveres and says, “Trust me”.

God has a much bigger picture in view than we do. We can only see what is right in front of our face, and what has already happened, we can’t see what God sees. So when we come up against hard times, instead of asking “why God?” we should be asking ourselves and saying “what is God up to?” there may be something happening that we don’t understand. Something God knows yet we do not. A Long-term treatment for fear or unbelief is to ask the question: “How can I trust in Christ more than I trust in these issues or fears?”

Take Job for example. The author of Job gives us a movie overview of Jobs life. We are privy to information Job isn’t. We know that God and the devil are talking about him and deciding just how far Satan can push him; meanwhile Job is sitting down on earth enjoying life and eating with his family. I wonder if God and Satan ever have discussions about us like this. Scary huh? Sometimes we look at the news from the Middle East and we look at it superficially, thinking “man can’t these people ever get along?” We don’t even consider what is going on in the spiritual realm. There is an interesting scripture in Daniel 10:1-14

Prince of Persia =some contend that this is a demonic being, how can a man on the ground in Persia withhold an angel from coming to Daniel. And it never mentions the Persian kingdom. Insight into this line of thought is given in Ephesians 6:12…Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus…If this is true, it is reasonable to believe that there is a prince of Hollywood and the movie industry, and a prince of Miami where there is a large drug problem. The prince of Las Vegas, and many others. How powerful are these princes?

So all that to say, when we come up against things in this world we don’t understand, we would be wise to know that God knows what is going on behind the scenes. There may be a bigger picture unfolding. Trust God

I think it is important for us to realize as Christians, what we sing about has power. What we sing about has truth. What we sing about is the power of God, the forgiveness, love, and hope of Jesus Christ, and the help and leading of the Holy Spirit. If we merely sing the words, we miss out on a beautiful life. One that others will look at and say, “I want that”

But if we believe with ALL our heart, these words that we sing on Sunday and throughout the week, and the words we read in the bible, we will live life and live it abundantly. Now I do not mean that we will never experience trials or struggles in life, rather; when we do, we will be able to lay our fears at the feet of Jesus, When Satan comes a knocking, we can let Jesus answer the door. When our health is getting poor, instead of fearing death, we can look forward to an early meeting with Jesus.
Saying and believing are two different things. However; confessing with our heart what we know to be true in our lives is another. I want us to confess with our hearts to God and to others, that we believe him to be an Everlasting God, one that will never leave us nor forsake us. I want us to confess with our heart in all truth, that we have faith in God to guide and protect us.

I want this to be true to us.

I heard this said the other day, “What we believe about God when times are tough and life is hitting us from all sides, is what we believe about God”

What do you believe about God today?

Amen!

Verses I like

This week in class, we were asked to look through the letters of Paul, and pick various scriptures that we liked and categorize them. I thought I would post them here as well.

Sin - Romans 5:8; I like this verse because it tells us that we don't need to be perfect before we can be loved by God. I have heard people say that they are too bad for God to do anything with them or love them. This verse proves that theory wrong. While we were still sinners, He sent his son to die for us.

Salvation - Romans 5:9; This verse shows us the extent of Gods love, and give us hope for the day he returns. For those of us in Christ, we have much hope that the Glory of God will be revealed in us.

Grace - Titus 2:11; This verse goes back to what Paul tells us in Romans. the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit is for all men who will receive it. Jew or Gentile, there is no favored group when it comes to the love of Christ.

Faith - 2 Timothy 4:7; I like this verse because it tells me that there are no guarantees that life will be ease, and that through faith I can make it through. It tells me that there will be times when my faith is tested, and I will have to fight to maintain it. Only through the strength of Christ, and my faith in Him will I preserver.

Hope - Romans 12:12; I always tell our congregation, that as Christians we have a hope that Christ will return soon and His glory will be revealed. Our Joy comes from knowing that he will return because he has promised he would.

Love - 2 Timothy 1:7; I love this verse, no pun intended, because it inspires me to be strong in my faith. It inspires me to be full of boldness in sharing the gospel with others. I still struggle with this at times, but them I am reminded of this verse and it encourages me to stand strong and be who God made me to be.

Which ones do you like?

What a Blast

Well tomorrow ends our annual family vacation, and what a blast it has been. We had a fantastic week up at Camp Michindoh, and a great time here in Toledo. Yesterday we checked into a Day's Inn, (this hotel didn't warrant a hyperlink) and checked out just as soon as we walked into our room. It had water damage (you could see it on the walls) the carpet obviously had been damaged and there was standing water inside the little plastic card holder that is on the inside of the door. Not to mention the room was tiny. Now I am usually not picky, but to end such a good week on a sour note just wasn't going to do. We switched hotels (right across the street) and the extra money was worth it. We have had an absolute blast at the Splashbay water park and the Toledo Zoo. Tomorrow we will visit Mainstreet UB church. We are looking forward to coming home, but I must say, this has been a wonderful vacation, and one I will cherish.

God has bless us this week with fantastic weather, good friends, great food, and good health. He has given us time together as a family that I think we needed. The boys have really enjoyed having mom and dad around all day for 7 full days. Thank you God for a beautiful family and a great week.

Vacation time Part 2

Well, I must say thank you for those of you who prayed. Ethan was feeling much better today and back to his very, very cute self. He was playing and laughing a lot today so we all feel better that he feels better, Thank you. OH but what kind of story would this be without a twist in it. Well let me tell ya. As I said, he was feeling much better today, lots of sleep last night and a good nap today, lots of dry foods and water and his stomach is getting back to normal. We were heading up to the gym to play off supper and have fun. I pushed him there in the stroller and as we were walking inside, I went to open the big heavy metal doors to the building, and as I did, the bottom of the door basically skinned his big toe alive. I looked down and he is screaming (with no sound coming out of his mouth) and turning to me in major pain. I looked down and his big toe is bleeding all over the place. I scooped him up (sound familiar?) and just hugged him as he screamed. I can't even imagine how bad it hurt, it looked really bad. I thought I had pealed his toe nail back, might have some.

We washed it, poured peroxide over it and bandaged it up, all the while he is screaming and writhing in pain. All he wanted was his mommy, but she had run to town to pick up a few things. Poor guy, I felt so bad. So we came back to the cabin, got him some Motrin for the pain and now he is sleeping, pretty good actually, I hope this doesn't slow him down too much tomorrow. Did I mention how bad I feel?

Did I also mention, Matthew did about the same thing on a rock or piece of metal under the water in the lake today? Yeah he pretty much acted the same way :-) ha ha just kidding, but they did both injure the same toe, so now they are twins.

Anyway, the week is getting better, thank you for your prayers.

Vacation Time

Ahhhh!! That fantastic time of year when you can say goodbye to responsibility and hello relaxation. Oh wait, I have kids, relaxation isn't really a word yet. It is this oasis in the sand that seems to elude me every time I get close to it. Yes, that Holy Grail has once again dodged my firm grip and escaped me once again. Ok enough drama, We are up at Michindoh for the week, and hopefully some quiet time. We were just sitting down to dinner the Reibers and my family and the Yaney's at another table, when Ethan decided to choke on a bit of a carrot and then proceed to spew his supper/lunch all over his dinner plate. (I know just what you wanted to read right? Well I have to share in the fun!) After he stopped, I scooped him up and rushed him out of the cafeteria and to the bathroom for a quick cleanup. So now we get to decide if it's the flu and should one of us go home with him? Or was it just the teething and a bit of an upset stomach? Who knows, so here we sit in the cabin on our first day with a sick kid. Oh the fun of vacation time.

As cynical as I sound, I am sure everything will wok out fine and he will be better by tomorrow. If not, then we will take him home and go from there. SOOOOO.... I guess it is really, goodbye responsibility, sprinkled with a pinch of hello relaxation, with a twist of frustration, and maybe a dash of disappointment.

What fun!!

Well, fair week is over. Man was that fun or what? Wednesday night and Friday night were the nights we had signed up to run the booth. We had a blast talking to people those two nights. We witnessed to several people through out the week, and I had two, really good, hour plus long conversations with people about church, Christ, salvation, and religion in general. During Sunday morning adult class, we de-briefed about how the week went and shared stories about our conversations. That was neat to hear all the conversations that took place, we even got some of the fair conversations on tape, which will be put into a montage with music within the next few weeks. (gonna put the mac to the test.)

We had a ton of gospel tracks to hand out and they went fast. We had million dollar bills, books with the title "Everything men know about women" (which is nothing, the book was blank, filled with white pages and a gospel message on the back.) Frisbees, brochures from the church, information about the carnival in Sept......... It was just a really neat thing.

During our S.S. de-brief, one gentleman said what he thought was neat, was that you could go anywhere on the fair grounds and see one of our tracks somewhere. He said even in one of the 4-H pig stalls, there was a big million dollar bill hanging right above the stall. How cool!!

Anyway, I am looking forward to the Sept. back to school carnival that we always have at the church. We expect about 600-800 people to visit that day and that will give us another opportunity to share the love and message of Jesus Christ with our community. Come join us! Sept 6th

Make sure you share the love and message of Jesus Christ with someone today!!

A Night at the Fair

Well, tonight we spent about 4 1/2 hours at the fair, being available for God to use how He saw fit. My wife and I prayed before we went in, asking God to give us strength and opportunities to share about him. We had a good night, talking to people, planting seeds, listening to people and making friends. Our booth is modest and not flashy, but it seemed to come to life after dark. During the day it's a white tent with two tables. After the sun goes down, our patio string lights light up the tent, the music we are playing seems to get a little louder, and the evening becomes a little more personable. I enjoyed tonight, even though I was a little out of my comfort zone at first, the more I talked to people, the easier it was to talk to them about Christ.

We are going back on Friday night (usually one of the busiest nights), and I am looking forward to spending time there again. There are many seeds to plant, so that is what we will do.

Calling All Fisherman

This week, Union Chapel Church will have a booth at the Allen County 4-H fair grounds. We will be handing out information to those who walk by, and some of us will be sharing our faith and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. We are excited about this opportunity to be light in a dark world, and are looking forward to meeting and talking with people from all over Allen county and the state. If you are not signed up to come out and help at the booth this week, we ask that you would devote yourself to praying for this time of evangelism. Pray that those who are serving, will be strengthened by God's power and be given the spirit of boldness that can come only from Christ. We will look forward to sharing our stories of those that God placed before us with you soon.

God Bless,

Chris

A Dead Vine

Yesterday, I went out and trimmed up the grape vine in the backyard. I think I have blogged about this before, but it pruning the vine always reminds me of John 15:1-3.

As I pruned the vines that had no fruit, I watched myself as I had no mercy for the vine that bore nothing. I lopped it off without a second thought, set it aside to dry so it could be burned in the fire later. My concern was for the vines that had clusters of grapes on them, getting the extra nutrients to them instead of growing pretty green vines that did nothing for my grape jelly.

I thought about God and how quickly He must cut off those dead or non producing vines. Does He think about it or does He do it with only the healthy ones in mind? I'm not sure, I would think that His concern would be for the vines that are producing fruit.

As Christians, we are called to bear witness of Jesus Christ to the world, thereby making disciples of all nations (fruit). If we are not doing such things, we risk being cut off and thrown into the fire.

What are you today?

What A Joy

Have you ever had one of those days that you were reminded just how blessed you are?

Today was one of those days. The day started off with the opportunity to go to another church and worship. It was nice to go and not be responsible for anything but my family and my connection with God. The service was good and I enjoyed my time there. The afternoon was filled with getting last minute things ready for a Ward family reunion here at our house. As everyone started to show up and fill the house and backyard, I found myself standing at the grill cooking. I listened as brothers gathered in a circle, talking and catching up with each other. I heard the sound of laughter from the kids playing in the pool and moonwalk. People enjoying themselves in the house and yard that God blessed me with, that I so often take for granted. I silently thanked him for giving me such a big home and a wide open yard for games and running and playing. It was truly a gift to be able to host our family get-together today.

What has God blessed you with today? What is it that you take for granted that is truly a blessing from God?

Take time to thank Him, and tell Him how much you love Him.

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all. I had the chance today, to listen to a talk show while I made some deliveries for work. They were talking about the history of the Declaration of Independence and what it meant. I have to admit that I didn't remember exactly all that it said, so tonight I sat down and read it line for line. I found it to be very inspiring that a group of people that had been oppressed, ignored, and pushed down, found it within themselves to stand for what they believed to be right and in their best interest. They rallied together and drew up the Declaration of Independence thereby separating themselves from the world super power Great Britain.

I think about where we are as a nation, and how we seem to loose sight of where we came from and what this country stands for. Although at times we feel oppressed (allbeit in small ways compared to the start of this great nation) but when you look at what is happening, we are slowly loosing our civil liberties, and we are being forced to pay outrageous prices for fuel. Obviously these are just few, but I did not intend this to be a rant. Rather, I intended to encourage us in this, That we are the United States of America. We are a free nation founded by men that feared God and knew how to stand up for what they thought to be right. I believe that this is still part of the American DNA. I have faith that this great nation will continue to be a free nation, a nation that sometimes strays from it's roots, but will ultimately come back to what it was meant to be. I believe that this can happen when the free people of this nation continue to stand up for what is right, true and just; and continue to be a God fearing nation

I would encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence, if for nothing else, to remind you of how we came to be, and from where we get our great resolve and tenacity.

Rest at last

Well, it has been a long five weeks. I have been taking my Old Testament Survey class, and it has been interesting. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class, because it has given me a better understanding of the O.T. and God's plan for humanity. I have never really spent much time in the O.T. just due to the cultural differences. It has always been hard to understand the practices of the culture and symbolism, but now I have gained an appreciation for what the O.T. can teach us. I usually spend most of my time in the New Testament, but I feel now I will have a better understanding of it and what it means for humanity and our relationship with God.

I am now enjoying a week off of school and other responsibilities just being a dad and husband. God has blessed me with a great and supportive family, and it is good to be able to enjoy them during this break. Maybe I will finally be able to figure out how to beat my 5 year old in baseball on the Wii.

A biblical toy

A biblical toy
OK so it has been a while since my last post. School is proving to be very informative, go figure, and very time consuming. Ha Ha I had to go to school to figure that one out. :-) I am loving my time of school and diving into the bible and and all it's rabbit trails. God is blessing me and I thank Him for it.

Fathers day was a week or so ago, and I was given a Wii as a Fathers day/birthday/Christmas/any other celebration excuse we could think of, as a gift. It has been a blast playing with Lisa and the kids when I get the chance to. I never really wanted to get a gaming console due to the fact that I can become a avid gamer.

I didn't like the idea of becoming a couch potato as a result, but the Wii has 2 great features.

#1 it is very active. We were at our friends house a few weeks ago, and I decided to take the challenge of their seven year old and play boxing. Needless to say, after 5 minutes, which included 3 rounds, I had been KO'd three times in a row by a 7 year old and I had rivers of sweat poring off my head, and my pulse was racing, far from the thumb callousing days of Donkey Kong.

#2 It is a biblical gaming system. I didn't realize this at first until I remembered the song I learned as a kid. It goes like this.
Zacchaeus was a Wii little man and a Wii little man was he.......

I couldn't resist!!

A Different View

I wanted to share something with all of you. Tonight as I sat looking over my classmates assignment submissions, I ran across a conversation between my prof and another student. They were talking about God's sovereignty and how when Sarah and Abraham were told they would have a child, Sarah laughed. My classmate said the following,

"Sarah's reaction to God's promise is a wonderful example of humans looking at their inability instead of God's abilities."

I really like how this was worded. How many times have you been challenged with something, a problem, a hard question, a situation you just would rather not go through, and laughed or veered away from it because you looked at your inabilities instead of looking at God's abilities?

The next time you are presented with something that is beyond you and you know it. Stop, and redirect your eyes and your heart to the one who can provide, strengthen, comfort, and direct. God can provide all you need and more. Let Him be your everything.

A Once In A Lifetime History Making Event

Another history making event happened today. I must preface this by saying that it is my hope that this rare event happens again in my life time and I am blessed to have witnessed and even lived it. The chances of this happening again are slim, however; would be welcomed were it to reoccur. As I logged onto to my school porthole today, I witnessed the history making event of Chris Kuntz receiving an a+ in English class. I know, I know, after such a build up, you would have thought that man landed on Pluto (even though it isn't considered a planet anymore) however, this crowing achievement is something that I am pleased to announce to the world. Just thought I would share :-)

A New Frontier

Today I watched as we finally landed on the planet Mars. Today at approx. 7:55pm, the spacecraft Phoenix landed on the polar ice cap of Mars. It was a neat experience to watch this unfold live on NASA TV via the Internet. I gathered up the boys, and we watched mission control as they anxiously awaited telemetry to beam back to earth announcing the arrival of Phoenix. This has been 5 years in the making and just under one year in flight heading for the final destination. I guess I am in awe as to how we can build and navigate such a craft through such a long distance and land right where they wanted it to. If you think simple odds it seems impossible. Mars, at it's closest is approx. 33,900,000 miles away. At it's greatest distance, it can be as far as 249,000,000 miles away. Can you imagine trying to use Google maps for that.

Anyway, I thought this was a neat day for NASA and America as we conquer new frontiers and explore this wonderful and complex universe that God created.

In My Sons Hands

A few weekends ago, my wife and I took our three boys out to the local airfield to watch some planes take off and possibly get one of them a ride in a small plane. The Young Eagles were there and offering rides for kids 8-17. Long story short, my oldest just made the cut off and I learned that I could chip in some cash for fuel and ride a long, so I did.

We loaded up the plane, with my oldest in the co-pilot seat and me in the back with my other son, (he got lucky and got to go as well.) After we took off, the pilot asked if my oldest wanted to fly the plane and of course he said yes. So here I am, helpless in the back seat, making sure my seatbelt is secure, watching my son push and pull and twist the yoke of the plane. Thrusting us down then pulling us up. Surprisingly, I wasn't all that nervous, most likely because I new the real pilot was right there ready to grab the yoke were something to go awry.

I thought about this the other day and thought about how I too often try to steer my life as though I know what I'm doing. I can go this way, and go that way, but that doesn't mean I know what i am doing or what is best for me. Just like my son could fly the plane for a short while, I can direct my life. However, given the plane for too long, we would have surely crashed. If I try to control my life for any given length of time, I will ruin it. I need to remember to let God, the real experienced pilot, steer my life in the direction that is best for me. I need to be the co-pilot not the pilot.

Something New

This is by no means a spiritual post. I just wanted to say that I finally joined the MAC world, and I love it.

Hopefully I will be posting again soon, but until then you can enjoy this great pic!

Peace

In the life of....

Life seems so busy right now. Of course everyday is spent at my full time job, but each evening holds something different. Monday nights are always spent picking out songs and various items for Sunday morning services. Tuesday nights are Tyler and Aidens baseball practice / game night and Tyler's piano practice. Tuesday also starts a new week of school, so I am usually down in the office reading or writing a paper. Wednesday evenings I go straight to the church from work for Band practice. Thursday night I am back downstairs studying. Friday night I usually try to have all my initial homework done so I can spend a night up out of the basement and with my wife. We usually watch TV or a movie, so needless to say, I look forward to Friday nights. Saturday is catch up day around the house and finishing any homework and going over last minute things for Sunday morning. Sunday is church, lunch, a nap if were lucky, maybe having friends over for dinner, then we start all over again.

My nights are getting longer as well. I believe it has been three months now since I have been to bed before 11 pm. AHH but it will all be worth it when I have a degree to hold in my hand or hang on the wall, or get lost in a box somewhere. I do have to say, I am enjoying my life right now, even if I am looking at it with one eye shut.

School has been interesting so far. I have learned a lot, but the one thing I have definitely learned is that I have a lot to learn. I get to preach on Mothers Day in a few weeks, I am looking forward to putting to use the things I have learned so far. God is taking care of us each day that he blesses us with. He is making sure we have what we need and even some stuff that we want.

Thank you God for being so good to us. Thank you for your previsions, and for your blessings. I love you Father and want to honor you with my life. Amen.

I know much of this is just blabbering, but It felt good to get some of it out. Now maybe I can sleep without my mind going 100 miles per hour.

I hope you all have a fabulous week. Where ever you may be, whatever you may be going through, always remember that God loves you, He knows you inside and out, and he still loves you.

Peace

The Choice

“The question is not whether hired day care should exist (it always will), or whether it should be made as good as possible (of course it should). The question is whether everyday middle-class Americans should produce children without the intention of nurturing them. There is a difference between a compromise made in reaction to some crisis of fate, and an arrangement made simply because one wants to maximize one’s own position while ignoring serious costs to others.” Society would have us believe that in order to provide for our children, both parents should work full time to make as much as possible to insure that our children are well taken care of and have a future that is better than ours. Unfortunately the one thing most children want and need, most desperately, is the one thing that we as parents fail to give them, our time.

The work force is full of women who have children. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that “70% of women with children under the age of 18 are in the labor force.” If this is true, than it stands to reason that these children spend the majority of their time in some type of childcare outside the home. According to Child Care Statistics, “… approximately 12 million children are being nurtured and cared for outside of the home by individuals other than their parents, for over thirty-six hours a week…”. One must question why our society has come to accept the practice of letting someone other than the parents raise our children. Sure many people believe that structure, the interaction with kids of the same age and providing a learning atmosphere is what is best for children. So why can’t this be accomplished at home? I believe it can and should be.

I think of my own children and how they spend the majority of their day away from us and in a daycare so we can work and provide a good future for them. As I think of their day, I wonder what kind of future we are actually providing. Monday through Friday, we use a well-established Christian childcare facility close to our home. The staff is great and they do a fantastic job with the kids. However, I struggle with something that I think most parents that use childcare struggle with; but are unsure how to handle or approach, and that is the amount of time we actually get to spend with them.

My kids are in childcare for approximately 10 hours a day. On an average, after picking them up, we are able to spend an hour and a half with the boys before they go to bed at 8:30 p.m. An hour and a half to instill responsibility, teach love and respect, and build that trust relationship so they can feel like they can talk to us about anything. One and a half hours each night to ask them about their day; help them with homework, listen to them as they talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a kid. I ask myself, how am I suppose to raise my children the way I believe they should be raised when I see them for such a limited time every day? The answer is obvious, I can’t. It’s not fair to them or to me as a parent.

“One liberal professional who has devoted her entire working life to overseeing municipal day care programs warns that the shuffling of millions of middle-class children into day care is creating a new kind of underprivileged child in America. We are, she says, “duplicating the sort of developmental deprivation that used to be suffered only by the poorest and most disadvantaged.”… In her work “Opposing viewpoints”, Elena Neuman says that “A 1991 Washington Post poll found that 55 percent of Americans believed a child is likely to suffer if his mother works outside the home, up from 48 percent in 1989. A 1990 Gallop poll for the Los Angeles Times showed that 73 percent of the public believed children fare best when they have a mother at home. And a 1990 Times-Mirror poll found that 73 percent of respondents believed too many children are being raised in day care, up from 68 percent in 1987.”

I believe that we know what needs to happen, and I think it comes down to a choice, we as parents must wrestle with and make on our own. There are many who suggest that having one parent, usually the mother, stay home and raise the kids through their adolescent years is the solution, and I agree. This is actually the scenario my wife and I currently find ourselves in. This is a hard decision because it usually involves losing out on income, and making sacrifices in order to rearrange the budget and take the big step of faith hoping that God will honor the decision and that everything will work out in the end. It would be an understatement for me to say that I think the positives out weigh the negatives in this debate. To make this kind of decision, many go to friends and family to get their opinions. Some go to books and web sites, however, there is one resource that speaks to this issue that I trust, the bible.

Titus 2:3-4 says, “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and subject to their husbands”. (NIV) In this verse, we find that Paul is encouraging women to take care of the household, and to watch and care for the children. Proverbs 14:1, say’s “the wise woman builds her house…” (NIV) Nowhere in scripture does the bible command the woman to stay home and raise the children, however it is implied and encouraged. This is what I believe would solve several of the issues that kids face today. I believe our children would learn to build better relationships, and they would have that confidence needed to face the hard things in life that many of our kids today are ill equipped to face. I am not implying that every mother should stay at home with her children. I am not naive enough to assume that this is a practical situation for everyone; however, I want to encourage you to think about the well being of your children. If there were more parents willing to do what it takes to raise their kids at home, I firmly believe that our world would be a much better place, now and in the future.

Intellect verses Conscience

In an article written for the Los Angeles Times titled “How many really don’t believe in God?” John Allen Paulo, who is a mathematics professor for Temple University in Philadelphia, contends that there are more atheists and agnostics in the United States than most would believe there to be. He takes a percentage approach when it comes to reporting the numbers, which I believe makes the truth sound worse, or better, than it is.

In his article, Paulo uses a poll that was conducted by the Pew Forum on the religious landscape of America. Two thousand randomly picked people were asked questions of their faith and of their beliefs in God. One particular question asked, “…whether they would disapprove of a child’s wish to marry an atheist?” Roughly 952 of the 2000 polled said “yes”. Although this number sounds low in my opinion, I had to ask where this poll was taken and in what context the inquiry was given.

Upon study of the location in question, I learned that the 2006 survey was from the University of Minnesota. Upon visiting the web site for the university, I quickly came to the understanding that the University of Minnesota supports, rather strongly, “an equitable and welcoming environment for people of diverse gender and sexual identities and expressions…”. There are multiple links to gay and lesbian student help sites and housing. One link even discussed how the university strives to work against all forms of oppression. For me this was a disturbing discovery. To poll a university that prides itself on sexual diversity and expressions of such practices, on subjects of religious matter seems rather dubious. Not to mention that Paulo uses surveys that throw the argument in his direction. I am certain there are comparable surveys that have been conducted elsewhere that would indicate a different outcome.

The second question posed to the respondents asked if they would disapprove if their child wanted to marry a Muslim or black person. The numbers respectively went down on this question, but I fail to see how this inquiry has anything to do with believing in God. This is more of a racial question than a religious one, and I believe he was simply stretching for some more statically supporting references.

Let’s visit the idea of the unbelief of God. I believe that when we discuss the choice of atheist or agnostic stances, we are dealing strictly with the intellectual side of the argument. Believing in a God you cannot see or touch goes beyond intellectual reasoning and enters the area of the conscience. Humans have a great gift (or curse) of explaining away anything they don’t understand. We present arguments as to why we should or shouldn’t believe in something, then stand firmly by our decision as though our life depended on it.

By reading Paulo’s article, I can clearly see that he has only dealt with the intellectual side of the issue of religion, and has failed to enter the conscience where our moral and ethical values reside. I do not recall it being written anywhere in the Ten Commandments, Thou shalt use only your brain and not your conscience. Paulo writes, “Some non-believers, it seems to me, are likely either to lie and say they belong to some established creed or to fudge their responses by saying they’re spiritual and believe in a nebulously defined God or are simply unsure.” As I read this statement, I got the mental picture of the intellect doing all the speaking and the conscience yelling out, HEY DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME! Other than the guilt they feel about ignoring their conscience, why else would people feel the need to lie about their belief or lack there of?

To summarize what I have learned from this article, allow me to say the following. There is no doubt in my mind that Paulo is a highly intelligent individual who desires to know all he can and use his gift of mathematics to help people understand what can be explained by numbers. However, to use this simple solution on an entity that is beyond understanding seems foolish. One can only begin to grasp who God is and decide for themselves if he exists, when they allow their heart to join in the discussion and balance out what the intellect has to offer. God created us with both a mind and a conscience for a reason. We can either allow fractions and percentages to decide our eternity; or we can use our whole being, which God designed, to help us discover the gospel truth.

A Dark Shadow

Have you ever felt like you were standing in the shadow of Goliath, and wondered how you were going to make it out alive? I did, on August 27th of 2006. I had just started a new position at a church across town as the Worship and Arts Director. I was in about my fourth or fifth week and was just starting to get used to the job, when I received a letter from the Bishop of our denomination asking me if I would consider being the point person for Worship and music for our first ever National Conference. Confusion set in first, as I tried to make sense of the letter. I couldn’t understand why they would be asking a guy like me, who leads a church of 120, to head up and organize an event, that had never been done before, for over a thousand people.

Then honor poked its head in the door. I felt very flattered that they would seek me out, and at the same time I was still confused, and asking “why me”. Ultimately, I agreed to the position and task at hand, and dove in headfirst. I knew nothing of stage lighting or Image magnification, which were two of the major components they wanted to be a part of the event.

It took nine months of planning, brain storming, banging my head against a wall, organizing music teams, drama teams, dance teams and being afraid of it all, to help me realize that I was in over my head. Instantly, fear stood up and cast a shadow over me. I came to the realization that I was not big enough, smart enough, or wise enough to do this job. After all, I was just the guy who leads a small group of people in worship across town.

It was at this point, I felt like I was standing in front of Goliath and looking for my way out. Then one day, I received a post card in the mail from a former bishop. It was a note telling me that he was praying for me and wanted to encourage me with a scripture. On the bottom of the handwritten card, was this passage. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (NIV)

This prayer card was quickly followed by another prayer card from another former bishop. His hand written note also told me of his prayers for me and included this passage at the bottom. Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (NIV)

These passages of scripture, I considered messages from God. I felt Him telling me, that in spite of the shear size of this giant, He would sustain me. He would give me the strength to persevere if I would only seek Him first and wait on Him.

The remainder of the planning from that point on, fell into place almost on it’s own. God handed me the things I needed on a silver platter. There were over 1000 people from over 200 churches from across the country, and some from over seas, who gathered together in a room in northern Ohio, and found themselves worshipping together as one large family of God. Overall the conference was a huge success and went off without a hitch.

Through this experience, I realized that we don’t need to be strong enough or smart enough or even brave enough to look a giant in the face. We just need to be willing to let God use us as He chooses, working from His strength and resources. Sometimes when I don’t’ expect it, fear still stands up and cast it’s shadow over me, but being reminded of the scripture’s and God’s goodness, the giant of fear has no place to stand.

Being stretched and stretched again

Well, I have arrived at my fourth week of class and thus the end of my first course. I have read more this month than I ever have, but that's good.

I have typed more in my online course than I have in a long time, but that's good.

I have learned more in the past month about learning than I ever have, but that's good. I am sleep deprived, swimming in information that I hope I can retain. I am getting to know 15 other class mates that I have never met in person and never seen, and I am starting to understand myself a lot more, and it's all good.

I still have my worries about school , about how I will do, about being a good classmate and not holding anyone back. About spending enough time with my family and on my school work and on my responsibilities at the church. But I also know, God led me here, and He will sustain me.

I am learning this in a variety of ways, God is pushing me out of my box and calling me to expansive horizons, and that is an awesome feeling. As I am stretched, I know it is God that is doing the stretching, and so I pray for patients as He teaches me and as I learn to be mold-able.

Be mold-able today and let God expand your horizons!

Render unto Caesar

Today I had the pleasure of going and getting my taxes done. I watched as my accountant sorted through all the appropriate paper work and filled out all the right forms. It took about and hour to sort through it all and I sure am glad I didn't have to do it myself.

The bible tells us to "render unto Caesars what is Caesars and unto God what is God's", (Matthew 22:21) I have only one thing to say;

The government requires a multitude of forms and paperwork for us to square up with them. Fortunately God only requires one thing, our whole heart. I sure am glad God isn't into politics.

Priorities of Worship

As we think about Worship, most people think about music. However, Worship is a verb, an action word, not something to be obtained but rather something to be given. How we live our lives can be an act of Worship. This can be done by placing God first in everything we do, and allowing Him to direct our decisions and actions. We honor God when we choose to follow His direction for our lives and submit to His authority and not our own.

Psalm 86:11-12
Says:

“Teach me your ways O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; grant me purity of heart, and I will honor you. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.”

National Conference '09

Today we had a meeting for the United Brethren In Christ National Conference for 2009. I am excited as I think about what we talked about and how we will once again watch God move within this denomination. I cannot discuss details but I can tell you that it will be good!! For those of you that know how well last year went, I want to encourage you to start praying about this conference. I know it is a year or so off, but prayer is a vital for any good event and a requirement for the church.

Week Two

Life has just gotten busier. Thus starts week two of my college journey. The first week was prety interesting, with lots of reading, and I don't mean text books. With online learning, I have to post my discussion's in an online forum. I then have to watch for my classmates posts and respond to them. there were 5 forums in all this week and we have roughly 12-14 students. That makes for alot of reading and responding. I liken it to blogging on steroids. Anyway, I am looking forward to what I will be learning, and I am sure I will most lkely share some of it here.

A New Life Style

Well I started school this week. I am now an official student of Indiana Wesleyan University 16 years after graduating high school. Days filled with reading text books, writting papers, dreaming about homework, getting no sleep, AHH the good ol' days. Oh wait those are these days. Seriously, I am excited as I begin this new journey of my life. It will be challenging and stressful, but at the same time I know God has lead me here for such a time as this. My desire for returning to school is so that I can pursue my Pastoral Liscense through the United Brethren Denomination. I lead Worship and Arts at Union Chapel Church and want to have the discipline and knowledge to be able to teach people about it as well. I feel God's call on my life and want to do my best to honor Him with it.

Who Do You Look Like?

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales
convention in Chicago . They had assured their wives that they would be
home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with
tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a
table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without
stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for
their nearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE !!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his
feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple
stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying,
tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time
helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her,
no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples,
put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did
this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he
set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl,
"Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She
nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil
your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl
called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into
those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"
He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his
way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about
in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love,
life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would.
Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church.
It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.


(Resourced from E-mail sent by Dave Ward)

Good Butterflies

Well after lambasting the church in my last blog, I should tell you that good things are beginning to happen. AT UCC we are starting an 8 week study using material from "Way of the Master". It is a tool for evangelism which is something that our church could use some of. Our pastor has been convicted that 2008 will be a year of decision for our church. If we are not an evangelising church then what do we exist for? As I sat there and listened to him explain how this class works, and how we will not only learn about it (which is where it normally stops) but how we are going to put it into practice, I got butterflies in my stomach, I turned white, and got tingles up my spine. After the initial feeling of total fear subsided, I got excited about actually sharing Jesus Christ with others.


I have spent a lot of time in the church from childhood on up, and I have only led two people to Christ and they are my children. As proud as I was about that, I realize that they were young and I will most likely have to explain thing again. I am ashamed that I have not had more conversation with people about Christ especially when I claim to be a Christian. This is our central task, to go make disciples of all nations. These were some of Christ's final words to those standing there with Him before He ascended to Heaven. Usually when someone is leaving, or in human cases dying, they say the most important things last. I am looking forward to the class and to the conversations I will have with people about Christ. I am also excited about the seeds we will plant and hopefully the harvest we will see.

What Has The Church Become?

I have been very fortunate to have been raised in a Christian family. My grandparents were Christians and my folks as as well. While I was young, my dad served as a pastor for several years at a small country church in Ohio. I have been around churches for pretty much all my life, and so the cycle continues. I am going to school to get my degree in Christian Ministries and get my pastoral license in Worship. So all that to say this........Sometimes I really despise what the church has become.

WOW you say where did that come from??

It comes from here...... Christ set out a pretty simple command for us and it was to go to all the ends of the earth and tell others about Him and to show love. Don't get me wrong I love Jesus and serve Him with a humble heart, but sometimes, I really dislike what the church has become. WE (myself included) have taken a very simple message and turned it into this complicated, tightrope walking, circus trick that is nearly impossible to do. Someone once told me that ministry would be easy if it weren't for people. I have seen interviews and heard it said that you can ask many people if they are OK talking about God, and they will say yes. Ask them if they are OK talking about Jesus, and they will say yes. Ask them if they want to talk about church, and the answer is no. So I ask myself why??

Why is it that so many people today are turned off by the "Church"?
is it because of the message? is it because they don't want to sit for an hour or an hour and a half on a Sunday morning when they could be sitting at home watching TV or sleeping in? I don't believe so. I believe that just about anyone would do just about anything to hear the truth and to live it. HOWEVER, I also believe that far too often "church people" are the ones that get in the way of that happening. Why? Because we are hypocritical, we gossip, we act different on Sunday then we do the rest of the week, we act better than those around us, we have double standards that say we love you because Christ loved us but your not good enough to come into our church dressed like that. We love you because Christ loved us but I don't want to hang around you because I'm better than you. I love you and so does Christ, but I would rather hang with my Christian friends than have you over for dinner. WHAT IS UP WITH THE CHURCH??
NO WONDER MOST OF THEM ARE DECLINING IN MEMBERSHIP.


I often talk with my wife about church (since I work for one) and a long time ago she said to me, "The church is one place we should be able to go and not have to worry about people backstabbing, gossiping, or treating each other like we hate one another." The bible tell us that people will know we are Christians by our love. Well if one of the biggest things keeping people out of the church is the Christians, what does that say about how we are acting toward one another?

I think it's time we start taking a look at ourselves in the mirror and ask the question's,
Am I a hindrance to those around me coming to Christ?
Do I show unconditional love just as Christ does?
Do I have double standards when it comes to my Christian and non Christian friends?
Am I living the way Christ intended that I live, or have I taken over?

Sorry, for those of you that read this blog, I know this is coming out of left field, but I get really tired of all the bickering and complaining and complacency I hear about and see in the church. I have to wonder at some point why we go to church? Wouldn't we be better to just stay home, invite some non Christian friends over for breakfast or lunch and develop a relationship in which we could show true love and a Christlike attitude? I know, I know we are suppose to do that anyway, AND go to church, but for crying out loud.

I guess I'm getting tired of playing church and I'm ready to see the church become what Christ always intended it to be, ALIVE,GROWING and AUTHENTIC.