...are met in Thee tonight!

We recently held our Community Christmas Cantata. This the 6th or 7th year we have gathered singers from our community to sing, beginning in late August and practicing each week for our presentations. Many of these people who I casually knew in the beginning have become very close friends. They come from different churches and denominations and they are the people we see every day in our small community at the bank, grocery store, gas station, etc. We had choir as well as an accompanying drama this year. We rehearsed the music each week for 45 minutes and then, as we do with our local church choir, we closed in prayer and invite those who would like to mention prayer concerns to do so. I often forgot to bring a piece of paper to write the prayer needs down, so I would jot them down in the margin of my director's copy of my music book.
As we reached the last few rehearsals, we began to incorporate the drama into the presentation. The script was about a community choir rehearsal where a local newspaper reporter related the story of a young mother and son looking for help with a medical condition and how God used another woman who was in need herself to bring them the help they needed. It was a great story and I remember liking it the first time I read it. However, in all of the business of getting the music, drama, lighting and video brought together, I never fully grasped the significance of the story until the second and final performance of the program.
Since the first program went so well, I actually relaxed and enjoyed the second performance. During one song, God finally got my attention and pointed out to me that for the past six months, our group was living out the presentation in real life. One of the favorite songs was called "Come to Deliver Me." It was a song of the redemption through the grace of Jesus. The words of the song were a cry out to God for salvation. It was absolutely beautiful. The drama echoed the sacrifice of one person in order to help another. I looked out at all of our community members singing and I could see on their faces that so many of them knew exactly what the song was about and has experienced that redeeming grace in their own lives.
Then as the songs continued, I began to notice in the margins of my music book all of the prayer concerns that I had jotted down over the past six months. Prayer requests for the sick, the dying, the lost. Praises for the healed, the restored, unexpected miracles. In other words, real life placed in God's hands to trust in His goodness and wisdom. The drama presentation ended, as they usually do, with a happy ending and all of the loose ends tied up. But there were and will always be things that these singers are going through, at yet they sing! I looked at several singers as I read in the margins about a concern for a young son, a dying father, a single mother in the hospital. The people who had brought these concerns were all singing despite the worries and fears that had been placed in their lives. They had placed them in God's hands and now they stood in His grace, singing praises. They really do understand why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, because it reminds us of the most wonderful gift ever given... the grace of God. The promise that we will not be plagued for eternity with these fears and concerns, but that through Christ, we will spend eternity in heaven. We are once again in a little town of Bethlehem, gazing into a manger, realizing that God has brought an answer to the hopes and fears of all the years....

Wonderbread

I am a bread lover. Ask anyone in my family. I love rolls, breads, you name it. I especially like banana nut bread which is more of a dessert than a bread, but...anyway. I am on the topic of bread today in my Bible study.

In developing countries, bread is a very important part of life. It is made from grains and requires simple technology to create. When the Israelites were in the desert for 40 years, God provided for the needs of a nomadic group estimated to be in the millions by sending bread from heaven every morning, 6 days a week. They couldn't grow their own crops, because they were always on the move. The bread was the daily sustaining food. Without it, there would be trouble trying to keep everyone alive. It was a big part of the Jewish history that every person was taught about long after Moses died and they had entered the promised land.

When Jesus began his ministry and began to speak in the synagogues in Capernaum, he had already gathered a large following due to the miracles of feeding the 5000 and healing the sick. As he spoke, he began to explain to people that He was sent by the Father in heaven. He was now the "daily bread" given to people to bring life. Not physical life, but eternal life. He said that in the same way that our bodies must have food and drink to live on earth, we must consume the truth of Jesus' purpose in order to have eternal life. We must digest it and allow it to become a part of us. Without accepting the gift of God the father, by believing, trusting, and following Jesus, we will not live eternally. The father gave bread from heaven to Moses and the Israelites to bring them to the land he had promised them. God is bringing us to the promised land of eternal life with Him, by sending bread from heaven, Jesus.

Many people who had been following Jesus, left Him when they heard Him saying that He was from heaven and that He is the way to eternal life. Those that had seen him heal and provide miracles in front of their very eyes would not accept the gift from the Father. They would not eat the bread. They would not trust him, despite their eyewitness proof of his power.

There are many wandering in the wilderness today. They are hungry for truth and life. The bread has been sent from heaven and is all around them, yet they refuse to eat. They refuse to trust that it will nourish them and give them life.

You can lead a horse to water...

Today I read the story in the book of John about the Samaritan woman who meets Jesus at Jacob's well. The disciples had gone to town to buy food and Jesus waited by the well. A Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus, a Jewish man, was not culturally supposed to strike up a conversation with a Samaritan woman,..but of course, He did. He told her that he was the source of living water which springs up to eternal life. As their conversation goes on, He tells her things about her life that He knows that are personal and embarrassing. Instead of getting mad, she realized that He has prophetic abilities. They continue to talk and she starts to enter into a religious discussion about worship practices and where people should worship. Jesus cuts right through this debate and tells her that the time is now here when "where to worship" is not important, but that people should worship anywhere in spirit and truth. The woman says that she know the Messiah is coming and will explain all things. Jesus said, "You're lookin' at him!" Because she sees the truth of what He has been saying, she goes to tell her friends and neighbors that she has met someone who may be the Messiah. The people come to meet Him and because of this, they asked Him to stay with them. As they get to know Jesus and hear his words, they believe in Him also. John 4:42 says "and they were saying to the woman, "it is no longer because of what you have said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed "the Savior of the world."

I have heard this story many times, but never focused on the last verse. The woman led the people to Jesus and let the reality of who He is be the thing that causes them to believe. Her weaknesses and reputation as revealed in the story would make her someone they may not readily believe and trust, but she didn't have to rely on her own righteousness to convince them. All she had to do was to get them to hear Jesus and his words. Introduce them and let the truth do the rest. Today we have the same opportunity. We don't have to try to convince people that Jesus is who He says He is. All we have to do is tell people what our experience with Jesus has been and allow them the opportunity to examine Jesus for themselves.

We can bring people to the well. They are already thirsty. Give them the opportunity to taste the living water and make the decision of whether they will drink or not.

Over My Shoulder

This has been a very exciting adventure. Just when I think I know what my life is all about, God reminds me that He has a much more exciting life for me than I would have ever dreamed up. I was sure I would retire from teaching music in school, but through a series of years, opportunities, decisions, prayer, seeking, passions, and experiences, I have discovered that that was just one leg of my journey. Last year, God brought me to an intersection and turned me in a new direction. I have seen a new horizon and am excited about the new terrain. I see places I have never been before, but am not worried, because He is driving. It would be pointless for me to make the decisions, because I don't know where I am going.
Every once in a while, however, I marvel at the fact that I have been brought along this particular path of life in order to pick up certain skills and knowledge along the way that I would need for later in life. When something new comes along that I need to know how to do, I usually find myself saying, "Hey, I know how to do that because of this unexpected stop I had to make earlier in the trip." Many times, I come into contact with someone, who miraculously has just the knowledge or experience I need to accomplish a task or goal. Why do I continue to fool myself by thinking that I am in charge of my life. I gave it to Jesus. I am now being led along a pre-determined route and I just need to keep making the turns and the stops as He leads. It has brought me on an incredible trip so far. If you don't know what I'm talking about, switch places and let God drive.
The most amazing part is the incredible path that I see when I look back. An amazingly complex and purposeful series of links that brought me to where I am today. So, I am looking ahead for the next part of the journey, but continue to marvel at what I see when I take a few minutes to look back over my shoulder.

Living Church

I attended a conference this weekend which really opened my eyes to some of the ways I have viewed church and the Christian life. Some friends in ministry shared that they weren't sure if they would attend the conference because it seemed like it was going to be a lot of stuff for the new generation. In a way they were right, but the ideas presented were nearly 2000 years old.
The "One21" Forum was an amazing reminder that we can reach 21st century culture if we return to 1st century ways of sharing Jesus. I've heard a lot of talk about "missional" and "convergent" churches and making our message "relevant" to the world today, but I had never really taken the time to understand the whole idea. I am glad I did this weekend. Sometimes we can get so tied up in our church buildings and programs and trying to get people to "come to church" that we forget to go "into the world" to share the gospel, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are discovering more and more that the world is "coming to the church" less and less and we need to meet people where they are. Over and over in the Bible we see people sharing with other people, meeting their needs and sharing the good news of the salvation offered through Jesus.
I especially was interested in those who talked about making connections in the workplace, school, and other places in the culture we live in. How often we place our Faith in Jesus on a shelf when we go to work. God should not be a "big part of our lives," he should be the thing that ties all of the "parts" of our life together. He should be in our work, our play, our worship, our fun, everywhere.... we can't shut Him out of any part of our culture or we won't be able to share His love with everyone we meet.
Our church is our people... not our building. The church is the living, moving, body of Christ. It is difficult to make an impact on the world when the body only gets moving once a week to come and sit in a building. Let's get the body of Christ awake and effective throughout our world to lead as many as possible to a new life and a new eternity.

Great High Priest

We attended a great presentation by Green Valley Baptist Church of a
life-size representation of the Old Testament Tabernacle as it was during the time of Moses. It was built to exact specification and included all of the elements of the tabernacle (or reasonable facsimiles... no actual gold or seal-skin.) It was really a neat way to get an idea of the mindset of the Jewish people in that time as they went to worship. This is a rare picture of the inside of the "Holy of Holies" where only the high priest was allowed to enter once a year. In real life, it was totally dark, only illuminated by the power of God himself.
In my daily Bible study, I have been reading in the book of Hebrews and the passage for today was about Jesus as the high priest. (God seems to work out these "coincidences" in our lives, doesn't he?) Hebrews 4:14-5:10
In the time of the tabernacle, there were Levites who were the tribe of priests, and God would call out one man to be the "Great High Priest." He was appointed to represent man in matters related to God. We was a man, with all of the weaknesses and temptations of human life. He, therefore, could relate to those whom he represented. He also became submissive and obedient to God through his life and through cleansing rituals, and appropriate sacrifices and because of that, was allowed into God's presence to petition God for His mercy concerning the sins of the people.
As they told us at the tabernacle presentation, everything in the old testament tabernacle pointed toward the new testament covenant through Jesus. In this case, God called Jesus to be the Great High Priest, forever. He was appointed to represent man in matters related to God. He was a man, with all of the weaknesses and temptations of human life. He, therefore, could relate to those whom he represented. He also became submissive and obedient to God through his life and through appropriate sacrifices and was able to petition God for His mercy concerning the sins of the people.
God is so great at giving us understanding through examples. The sacrifice has been made by the Great High Priest. Come to Him so that He may represent you before God in the "Holy of Holies."

Rev up for Ministry!

Ok, that title is pushing it a little.

This past Sunday I was ordained into the gospel ministry during a wonderful ceremony which followed an ordination council. To clarify for some of my friends on the meaning of the ordination, I thought I would talk a little about it on this blog.

I shared with our church several years ago that I felt God was stirring my heart in a big way to be more involved in ministry. Shortly after that, our church voted to make me a licensed minister which let me know that they agreed with what I was sensing as a call to full-time ministry. At that point, I began to more fully seek what my specific call to ministry might be. God continued to bring people along my path to help me mature spiritually and I continued to serve in a ministry position at my church.
God continued to stir my heart and change my passions toward ministry as well as beginning to open and close doors in my life. Our church's growth caused them to open a position for part-time minister of education to emphasize our Bible study classes and sunday school. At that point, God gave me a push to speak up again and the church created a position of minister of education and music. I felt He was calling for me to stop my school teaching position and take the ministry position, so I did. I was very comfortable with that decision and with the help of my pastor as a mentor, I began to prepare to be ordained into the gospel ministry.
Being ordained into the gospel ministry has nothing to do with getting a job at a church. It is only a recognition by church and other ordained men that they agree with what I felt God was doing in my life and that that direction was as a minister sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was not ordained as a "music minister", or a "pastor", or an "education minister", but into the Gospel ministry to be used wherever God takes me throughout my life. I am serving now as Minister of Education and Music at First Baptist Church of Maysville and will be as long as God wants me to. Another aspect of being ordained is that if God moves me to minister in another place, people will know that a southern-baptist congregation, along with other ministers have examined me and found my beliefs and spiritual walk to be in line with what they believe the Bible says. In that way, another congregation may be more comfortable allowing me to minister among them. I am excited to serve the Lord where I am now, and wherever He wants me to serve. I am thankful for the outpouring of love that was shown to me and my family on that day as well.

I hope that explains where I am in my life of ministry.
Please continue to pray for me as I try to serve Him!
Kyle

The Hands and Hearts of Christ

We recently had a funeral in town concerning a family not related to our church, but became aware of the fact that they had a need to gather and eat together with out of town relatives on the day of the funeral. Our church members rallied around this family and provided a meal in our facilities as well as showing up to greet and talk with them. Over 80 people attended the meal and we still had food to send home as leftovers with three different families. God blesses those that live according to his teachings. We are a group of people who love our neighbors, even though parts of this family have opposed our church publicly and privately, a Spirit of love was thick in the room because of the obedience of those who put God first. Our hope is that members of this family will be able to become a part of God's family and have a life-changing relationship with Jesus. This was definately the first step of being able to share with them. Sometimes we forget that although our goal is the spiritual redemption of our community, their physical needs are often a place where we can start to show them our love and compassion for them in a way they will understand.
I thank our people for not only going to church, but for BEING the church, the body of Christ, reaching out with His hands and His heart.

"I Do"

I made a lot of promises when I got married. "Love, honor, cherish,.. in sickness and health..."
I made these promises in front of my family, friends, church, and God. I intend to keep them "until death do us part." I know there are days when I have not honored my wife and when she is sick, I am a terrible caregiver. I still love her and am still married to her. She is caring and forgiving and understands my limitations, although I am committed to constant improvement. I want to be the best husband I can be, but I do not always succeed. This is not a blog entry about my marriage, though. It is about promises and committment.
I made a similar committment to God in front of other people, family, friends, church...etc. I meant it with all of my heart and still do. I promised to live my life for Him. To love, honor, cherish, ... in my sickness and health.. until "never" do us part. I didn't use those words, exactly, but that is the committment I made in my heart. Yet there are days when I do not honor Him, and there are days when I make choices that break the promises I made. In my heart, I feel regret, I feel shame, I am truly sorry. I go to Him and express these things to Him. He has always loved me and forgiven me. This does not make me feel like it is OK to continue to make these bad choices, as a matter of fact, it makes me want to be more committed. I have read in the Bible what He went through in order to take me as his own. I am continuing every day to make each and every choice in a way that honors our relationship.
"Lord, I pray that the choices I make will be honoring to you and our relationship that is based on choosing to love each other every day." -Amen

Revive Us Again

Upon a suggestion by Melissa of "Mel's Quiet Thoughts" blog, I am writing about revivals.

In rural northwest Missouri where I now live, revivals are alive and well. If you are not familiar with the term, it is a series of meetings with music and preaching for the purpose of renewing and refreshing the relationship we have with God through Jesus. It is also a time to share God's love and the message of salvation with others. In fact, many people will testify to the fact that they gave their heart and life to Jesus at a revival meeting. Some "senior saints" have reminded me in the past that revivals used to last two to three weeks back in the old days, but today a week-long revival is a long one. Usually 3-4 days and sometimes a weekend.
I have, over the past 10 years or so, led music for several revivals (I would guess 20-25.) They are always different depending on the church and people involved. Some churches are mostly young people and some mostly old. Some churches have a new pastor, and some have a seasoned veteran at the helm. Some have revivals several times a year and some haven't held a revival in a long time. There are several thing that they all have in common though. They are all seeking to be closer to God. They are all hoping to have people experience salvation. Some other elements of a revival that I have noticed is that some people understand the importance of prayer before a revival. It is easy to see that those churches who embrace this idea and that especially pray for weeks before a revival, really experience great things, supernatural things. I think it is because it brings them to the realization that revival does not come from the music or the preaching but from God himself and our willingness to submit our time and efforts to Him.
If there is not a revival meeting near you, have your own revival. Pray for God to renew your relationship with Him, praise him through singing, seek understanding by reading the Bible. You will be renewed! You will have revival in your own heart.

Maybe this will get you going...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJaU5-OdBaA

New Prescription

I have never worn glasses or had contact lenses. I am sure I will eventually need them because our eyes tend to lose strength over time like the rest of us. I am still blessed with great vision, but one of my daughters recently began saying that it was getting harder and harder to see. We attributed it to lack of sleep or too much time on the computer, but finally took her to the doctor who thoroughly tested her and got her a prescription for glasses. She was stunned by what she could now see. All it took was a small piece of glass to change her perception of what is around her. Actually, it took her dad changing his willingness to take her to be tested. I actually made the statement, "Why is it that everyone who goes to the eye doctor leaves needing glasses? They must just tell people that so they can sell glasses." Once I gave in and put down the money, I was able to realize that she really needed glasses. My attitude and stubbornness was getting in the way of my daughter's ability to see.

I see and hear a lot of people give reasons why they do not attend church. They seem to have it "all figured out" and understand that churches are just another group of people who want to take advantage of them for monetary gain. They have some music, have an inspirational speaker who tries to make you feel good, and then they ask you for money. They cannot understand how so many people are so gullable. I wonder how long they have seen the church this way?

Did they even have a parent who made cynical statements like I had done about the eye doctor?

I pray that they would have the experience of sitting down for a thorough examination of the church, close up. I think they would be amazed at the change in their vision.

Who's at the Door?

I stumbled across a writng today from Mark Ashton in Cambridge, England and a story he shared shed a new light on a universal situation. Here is an excerpt of a sermon he shared in Feb. of 2000:

There was a Baptist minister once who went to the house of a poor and elderly lady in order to give her the money to pay for her rent. It had been granted to her from the church’s Poor Relief Fund. He knocked repeatedly at her door but he got no answer, and eventually he had to leave again. He discovered later that she had been in the house all the time. And when she’d heard that knock on the door she had refused to answer because she had been certain it was the rent man coming to demand the rent and who might even evict her from the house.
And when you and I hear, as it were, the knock of God on the door of our hearts, we think He has come to demand a moral payment, to ask how good I’ve been – and there’s a huge moral debt that I know I have to pay. And we feign deafness to that knock: I don’t want to face God, He’ll interfere with my life! He will condemn so much of it. I don’t want anything to do with Him. We pretend therefore that He isn’t there, and that that isn’t a knock. I remember it so vividly from my own life, that sort of a knock at the door of my heart was exactly how I felt when as an undergraduate student I first faced the demands of God on my life. But He does not come to demand a moral payment. He comes not to demand the payment, but to provide the payment: He comes to say, “It is finished. I’ve dealt with Mark Ashton’s sins once and for all. And Mark Ashton can now be a son of God as he was always meant to be.” And that is how He comes to you today. That’s what these seven verses of the New Testament are saying to you and to me at this moment. (Gal. 4:1-7)
I’m going to say no more about them now, but I want to invite you, if it would be appropriate (and I may just be talking to one person here at this moment) when the service ends I’m going to be sitting down over in that bottom left hand corner for a few minutes. And if you would like to come, I would like to try to explain to you how you can respond to God if you sense He’s knocking at the door of your life at the moment, and your instinct is to pretend He’s not there because you think He’s come to make moral demands of you. I want to share with you how very simply you can respond and, as it were, open the door and invite Him in into a real relationship – maybe for the first time in your life.

Have you heard the knocking? Are you afraid to answer the door? He has already made the payment, you just need to answer.

Eyes Wide Open

I have loved many aspects of my new position, but the best is the time I spend before starting the day in regular personal Bible study. I have done a lot of different approaches to Bible study, but I have a very simple procedure at this time. I have been reading with legal pad and pencil in hand. I read a little and then try to re-state on the notebook what I read. I sometimes expound upon the passage if I have had additional thoughts, but doing this type of study has helped me to dig as much understanding as I can from the books I have read. I have been through 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and am in Galatians now. I believe that God has led me to these books because they show a lot of the struggles Paul had in ministry and how he reacted to them. People did not accept everything he said as "gospel truth." (that's kind of funny now that I have written it) He was persecuted by non-Christians, but also by the churches that he was ministering to and teaching. Through these hardships, God revealed to us through Paul, many truths about our faith and how to handle hardships. I believe that if we will do the things we are told to do, God will lead us to what he wants to tell us. As a new minister, these lessons are exactly what I need to study and God led me right to them. I also read a blog from a friend of mine that has time and time again been the ideal message I needed at the time. I can count three friends who shared with me things I needed to hear this week to address an area of concern that I was praying about. God brought them to me. If anyone wants to know how God speaks to and guides me, it is by the Holy Spirit on the inside, and if we keep our eyes wide open and focused on Him, he leads us through his word and through fellow believers on the outside.

Well...... You've got trouble my friend.....

Let's face it.... we all have weakness in our life. It is part of our make-up. There are things that we cannot do. There are things that we dare not do for fear of falling into temptation and away from God. There are personality traits that we wish we had and those that we do have and wish we could get rid of. There are physical limitations that keep us from easily pursuing life's daily events. There are addictions, injuries, allergies, family situations, enemies, and more that require us to overcome. Why?
There is probably a different answer for each situation. Some have asked why God, who loves us, would allow us to have these troubles. I believe that without these troubles and things to overcome, we would not realize our need for God. God sent Jesus to earth so that we would be spiritually saved for an eternity with Him. In the short 75 years on earth, we need to reach out to God and build a relationship with him. I don't know if many of us would reach out to him if we already had a perfect existence. Troubles remind us that this is not heaven and that we need to know God in order to get there. Troubles draw spirits together. Troubles draw us to the power of God.
The apostle Paul says in 2 Cor. 12: 7-10 that he has been given a "thorn" in his flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment him. Although he pleaded with God for it to be taken away, God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Thereafter, Paul said he delights in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties because when he is weak, then he is in God's strength.

Meet the Author

I had a new experience today. I went to the Children's Literature Festival with my daughter and members from her class. My wife and daughters are avid readers and my daughter's teacher has truly "inspired" the class this year to learn about several authors and to read their books. My daughter was approaching "rock-star" worship over one author and we planned to hear a talk by the author at the festival. My daughter made a shirt with the author's name and woke up 3 hours early to get ready to leave. She had saved her money to buy the author's latest book and hoped to be able to have it autographed. I began to wonder what kind of writer could inspire such a following. As we loaded the school bus at 6am, I noticed 3 other home-made "fan club" shirts and listened to elementary students discuss authors and books as though they were talking about sports teams and statistics or songs by the latest pop star. Needless to say, I was impressed!
My daughter was giddy as we entered the room and the author was casually talking to event coordinators as cameras flashed and kids pointed to the stage. He gave a very enjoyable talk, inspiring each of them to pursue their own dreams in writing and held their attention for nearly an hour before sending them off to meet the next author. Despite the fact that he was not greeting people individually, my daughter and a few others got to shake hands and quickly speak to him (where he actually discussed an email that my daughter had sent to him.) Once again, I was overwhelmed and I got a picture of the interchange between them and we purchased a book from the bookstore that he had signed. A great day for my daughter and class.
I started contemplating what had made this event such a success. Although the authors were good and the books were good, I have never seen kids respond so strongly to literature. They were expecting exciting things to happen before they got there. I realized that the main thing that made this experience unique was the expectation they had. The teacher had shared her passion for reading and writing books with the children on a personal level. She had exposed the kids to the literature by walking through several books with them in class, sharing insights and personal reactions along the way, and by giving them a set of goals in literature to achieve in order to attend the trip. In that way, those who went to the festival had a solid understanding and appreciation for what was going to happen that day, as well as a group of friends to share the experience.
I began to relate the experience to our Bible study efforts. The material (the Bible) is the best, the author is first rate (God.) The stories are captivating and share experiences that we all can relate to. The drama is "real life" and the implications for our lives are eternal. Why, then, do we not see a similar reaction in our Bible study groups. I wonder if we need to make sure we have the same approach. A teacher who will share a personal passion, insights, and reaction to the literature. A set of goals to achieve in our study so that we are prepared for continued growth, and a set of friends to share the experience. After our quarterly Sunday School teachers' meeting last night, this experience spoke to me as a roadmap to a more exciting study time together. We should approach this time of preparation (life) as we discover everything we can before the day comes when we get the opportunity to .... Meet the Author!

Mechanic's Gospel

I’m sure you have all had one of those weird dreams where you wake up and say "Where did that come from?" Last night I had a dream that put me in a mechanic’s shop (those who know me realize how weird that is.) In the middle of the dream, a mechanic came up to me and asked me about God. I started to share the gospel with him, but found myself trying to relate the good news to him using mechanic’s frame of reference. It started of pretty well, but of course I woke up and spent about an hour trying to come up with the rest of the message in my head at 2:00 in the morning. So I am going to try it here. Bear with me…..
When God created the world, he created everything in standard measurement (holy) and saw that it was good, just like him. God is perfect and God is love. Perfect love has free will and God made man from desire to love them. Man had the standard measurement also and also free will. Man (Adam) chose not to honor God by living according to his standard measure, but used his free will and changed his measurement to metric (sin.) Once he did this, he realized that he did not fit in God’s holy standard measurement world. God was forced to put man into a metric (sinful) world because of his choice. God could not interact with man as perfectly as before. Man’s choice separated him from God, because their natures did not match anymore. Standard (Holy) and Metric (Sinful) do not work together. Metric men and women multiplied across the earth until it was well populated with metric people, yet God desired to have a relationship with them.
One day, God revealed himself to a man who strived to live by the (Holy) standard measurements even though he was a metric man and could never achieve the measurements. Abraham showed his desire to live by God’s standards so closely, that he was willing to give up his most precious possession, his son, in an act of love. When God saw the man’s willingness to love Him above all else, God in His love reached out to Him and made a promise. God’s love and power was able to overcome the difference in their natures, but only through a supreme act of love, a blood sacrifice,… the giving of the most precious thing in the metric earth.… life. Abraham and his descendants were able to relate to God through this promise, but they had to offer animal sacrifices of the best of their flock to make up for the difference in their natures. A continuous renewing of the ultimate sacrifice which demonstrated love for God. Free will choice of selfishness had torn them apart, a free will choice of love had brought them together. Through this covenant or promise, God continued to reveal his Holy nature to those who chose to live according to His standard measure and lovingly sacrifice to make up for the difference in their natures.
Still, there were many things God could not reveal to man because man’s heart did not fully understand God’s heart. God wanted to restore the fellowship they had in the beginning. Man needed a total sacrifice to bridge the gap between them. Man needed a perfectly Holy sacrifice. Man did not possess the Holy standard and therefore could not give a totally Holy sacrifice in a sinful metric world. Man was condemned to separation from God. Having revealed all of this to man through prophets, God set in motion a plan to provide the sacrifice that man could not provide. God sent Jesus to earth. Jesus was fully Holy standard yet could also exist in the metric world, although he was not born into the metric inheritance of sin and its consequences.
Jesus was sinless and was therefore not condemned to require a blood sacrifice. His holy standard meant that if he made the sacrifice anyway, it would be the ultimate act of love… giving everything to someone else when there was no requirement to do so. This perfect sacrifice and act of perfect love would bridge the gap between the two natures.
When Jesus made that sacrifice, a new promise or covenant was set in place between God and man. By giving in love our life to Jesus, our lives fall under the holy sacrifice given in a sinful world. God has promised to apply that sacrifice to our lives, so that when we leave this sinful metric world, we will be able to be re-united with Him in his Holy standard world. We will be re-forged with the holy standard measurement in our heavenly bodies and fit in with God’s world in order to perfectly relate to Him.
As we continue to live in this world of sinful measurements, in our hearts, the Holy Spirit, reveals the holy standards to us and we strive as Abraham did to draw close to God and learn his ways until the day that we are re-united in love with Him.

Ambassador's Charge

Ambassador
(a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another.)-"Webster's Dictionary"


I have been doing personal Bible study in the book of 2 Corinthians with a new understanding of the apostle, Paul. These letter to the church at Corinth seem to be in response to a lot of complaints that the church has about him. We don't have a copy of the complaints from the church, but by the many issues he addresses, we can figure out that they are not sure what to make of Paul and Timothy's ministry. They seem to question everything including their motives of ministry. Paul's feeling are hurt by this and he tries to explain in this letter that they are not in ministry for self-promotion or prideful reasons, but that they are trying to do what the Lord has for them to do.
When the world looks at Christians, we are sometimes accused of being hypocritical, or acting "Holier than thou." Hopefully we are not, but from the world's point of view, someone striving to live a Godly life may come across that way. Paul explains that any success in living a Godly life is an honor to God, not the person living it. We are no longer living our own lives, but serving as ambassadors for Christ.
What is the work of an ambassador for Christ? Here is my paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. (All this is from God, He reconciled us to Himself by what Christ paid on the cross. He gave us the ministry responsibility of spreading the word and bringing others to be reconciled to Him. The message is that because of the payment for sins by Jesus, God is not holding us accountable for our sin. Therefore, we are ambassadors as though God were speaking to people through us. We carry the message for Him.)
We are a diplomat of the highest rank, accredited as a representative from God to the people of the world. The salvation given to you through Christ is your letter and credentials authorizing you to spread the gospel. Proclaim the words of the King with His authority.

Run Away! Don't Look Back!

There are a lot of directions and ideas that God is exposing me to lately that have not been a part of my life before. It seems that I have come across a lot of people lately that have dealt with or are dealing with substance addictions. Growing up, my first response, thankfully, was always to avoid such situations at all costs. I have never had a desire or temptation to use alcohol or other drugs in my own life. (Like everyone, I have other areas that demand my personal discipline to avoid.) I am happy that recently I have come into contact with several people who have walked through that valley and come out the other side with their eyes focused on the Lord.
In speaking with them, I have realized that "addiction" in itself is another way to say "an irresistible temptation." It is something that we know we should avoid, but is so desirable to us that being around it is so enticing that it results in us giving in to it.
How can we say that there is such a thing as an irresistible temptation? Can't we pray that the temptation will be taken away and that God will deliver us from it? I believe that the answer is "yes." I have spoken to many people who attest to that, but they also point out something that we often overlook. The successful ones seem to be the ones who realize that when they ask God to deliver them from an addiction, they are putting that tempting area away as a sacrifice of honor to God. It is giving up something that gives them earthly pleasure in order to honor God. That level of committment is what God honors.
So many times, people bring back an addictive situation and talk themselves into believing that it is a test to see if the temptation is really gone. It is not a test, it is another temptation and it is revoking the dedication to God that replaced the addiction. In other words, it is giving the Lord that part of your life as a sacrifice and then taking it back. Flee the evil desires of youth... it says in 2 Tim 2:22. It doesn't say see how close you can be to them and still not participate. Flee... Run... Move away.... Build a wall... Get Away... Replace the addictions with righteous things. Spiritual addictions... The rest of that verse says... but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
I believe that there are times that God completely removes an addiction and the person does not have to worry about being around the addictive substance any more, but it seems that most times He maintains that sacrificial covenant of the recovering addict and uses it as a way to keep the person involved with Him on a daily basis. We become reliant on Him and at that point, He can expose us to a deeper relationship that we otherwise would probably not have embraced.
I hope that in the areas of struggle and temptation, we can give up our feeble efforts to resist it with our own strength and make a sacrifice of that part of our lives to God, burning down the bridges behind us, fleeing with all of our might and developing new habits that create barriers between ourselves and our areas of temptation.

Can I Get a Witness............?

We have had a lot of emphasis on "outreach" efforts during the last couple of months and we are about a month away from our Spring revival which will be an outreach effort to our community. We have seen quite a few new faces in our congregation since the start of the year and many of them have come to be with us because of one common thing. Someone invited them, spent time with them, or brought them along.
I have been attempting to become more familiar with our Southern Baptist Convention and other related entities in the hopes of being a positive part of the process for the future. This week it has sent me into a conversation with some friends about how far we should go in trying to expose people to the gospel and the love of Jesus. It has been very open and surprising discussion in which I believe I have settled into a few positions.
First of all, I believe that we should talk about Jesus with people whenever the opportunity arises. I also believe we should go out of our way to create an opportunity to talk about Jesus. By going out of our way, I also believe we should be careful not to take a step off of "the way." I believe it is appropriate to build a friendship with someone that may be a vehicle to also share a witness to the love of Jesus, but that relationship must be built on truth and honesty. In addition, I must remember that I am not trying to impress them with myself or my church or to try to represent myself as someone I am not. My goal is to be a "good witness." To tell what I saw happen with my own eyes, in my own life. To tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me, God.

"Tis So Sweet..."

"I believe..." we sang these words as part of a praise song today, and it was impressed upon me to think about them. When we say "I believe in Jesus," what are we saying. There are so many times that that phrase is used in the Bible and I often wonder if there is a more accurate word to use. I think there is so much more to believing than believing. I have often wanted to replace that word with "trust." It seems to fit better. To believe "in" something means to trust it. I remember hearing a speaker at a Billy Graham crusade tell a story..(it may have been Billy Graham himself) about a man who was the worlds best tightrope walker. He could even do tricks like take a wheelbarrow across the wire without having any trouble. He asked a friend, "Do you believe that I could carry a person across the wire in the wheelbarrow?" The friend replied, "Oh, yes. I have no doubt that you could do it.... I believe you can." The tightrope walker found out the extent of the friend's belief when he asked him, "Do you want to go first?"
Believing in Jesus means believing "in" Him to the point that you will place your life in His hands. You will do what He asks and trust Him for the outcome. You will sacrifice your ability to control your destiny and "trust" him to take control of the "wheelbarrow" of your life. Are you a believer..... Are you a "truster?" Faith is the action of trusting Jesus... Faith is "getting into the wheelbarrow" not out of blindness or stupidity, but because you trust the one in control.



....To trust in Jesus.

From the Ashes

I have recently changed from being a full-time music teacher and bi-vocational music minister to being a full time music and education minister. Music has always been one of the main driving forces of my life, but I must admit that I noticed after 14 years of 7-8 hours a day of teaching music, I began to "not listen" to music for fun. Maybe my ears were full! I enjoyed music that I knew from years ago, but as far a enjoying new music, I just seemed to be "burned out." I have always enjoyed making music and songwriting music of my own, but grew less and less able to appreciate the music of others. One blessing that I am seeing grow from my new opportunities and schedule is the gradual return of the enjoyment of listening to the music of others. I heard the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church Christmas program and the choir sang an arrangement of Mary Did You Know that grabbed my heart like it hadn't been grabbed in a long time. A friend of mine turned me on to www.pandora.com which plays music according to the style of artist you type in. I am enjoying it as I type now. I still don't totally understand why I developed a "burned out" deadness to new music, but the flame is returning. They say fire needs three elements: fuel, heat, and air in order to burn. I would have to say that with all of my classes in the past, my passion for music had plenty of fuel, and heat of the love of music was there, but I was under too much pressure to let my passion breathe. Now that a little air is in my schedule, there are puffs of smoke and little flames that are rising up in my fire for enjoying music again. Thank you God for letting a little breathing room into my life to stoke the fire from the ashes.

Sparks

I agreed to give lessons to a couple of teens on guitars that they got for Christmas. They are great kids and I know they will use the opportunity well and study hard. It is amazing that if you are looking for chances to share with others, more opportunities will come. After our lessons last night, the kids told me about other kids who might be able to add to our musical endeavor and create a band. Immediately, though, the focus of the teens was not so much to create a band, but to get their friends involved in their church. These kids really kept the main idea in focus as we talked about the possibility of adding a drummer and bass player to our group. Music ministry is first and foremost a ministry of the gospel. Music is just the means to begin the communication. I can't wait to see how the sparks that these kids start can be used by God to fan into flames of revival in a few or many lives in our town. A heart that burns for Christ will give off a lot of sparks! Keep the fire burning.

B-I-B-L-E

I received several Bibles over the past few months. None one of them new, in fact they are pretty old and written in and nearly falling apart. They are some of the neatest things I have received in a long time. The first one was from my grandmother's house. One of the places that I loved to be because it helped define my family background and the loving way we interact with each other. Every Sunday we were there, playing, hearing the grownups laugh, sometime sleeping over to extend our visit if school was not in session the next day. So many stories that I share with my brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles who were a consistent, regular part of my growing up. The Bible contains a few scraps of paper from weddings, funerals, pictures, etc. It hold some of the tradition of Grandma Lee's family, although most of the traditions were lived out regularly among the lot of us. The last few holidays she shared with us included anywhere from 50-75 guests including several great-great-grandchildren. The Bible is a reminder of the legacy of love and joyful living that flows through my family to this day.
Another Bible is one of the many Bibles owned by my aunt Elsie who also passed away this past year. Aunt Elsie was my dad's sister whom I didn't really know a lot about growing up, except that she had been overseas as a missionary. The past 15 years or so I got to know her and a lot more about her amazing life of service to God in Bangledesh and in the US. Her Bible is written in from front to back. It has been studied tirelessly. There are also a few scraps of paper in this Bible, but some have been left there in the midst of its use and do not necessarily relate to our family at all, but to whomever she was talking to with her Bible open. It is marked with the "Roman Road" plan of salvation so that she could lead others to an understanding of God's eternal love and had things jotted in the margins and in the front and back cover. I look forward to reading it and discovering her thoughts on many subjects. I also received one of her Bibles written in the language of the people of Bangledesh. Although I will never be able to read it, it was no doubt ready for her to give away to someone during her missionary years. This Bible is a testimony to the focus of God that was always evident in the lives of my father and his family and one that I am striving to continue today.
I have two girls and therefore will most likely not have a son to carry on the "family name," but I have realized that more importantly, I would like to pass along the "family tradition and the family faith" that was entrusted to me by the owners of these Bibles. My wife got me a Bible for a wedding present 17 years ago. I hope when someone looks at it long after I am gone, there will be to them a reminder that I kept the tradition and faith alive and passed it on as a legacy to the generations to come.

Penny in the Hedges

When I was about 9 or 10 years old. I remember walking to the store to buy some candy with some money I had and I knew I had just enough to buy one piece of gum. As I was walking, one of the pennies in my hand fell out just as I was walking next to a large row of hedges in front of one of the houses on my street. I stopped, knowing my trip was in vain without the penny. I looked for several minutes without results and started back home.
After a few steps, a thought entered my head that I should pray to find the penny so I did. Then I went back to the hedges and within seconds spotted it. I realized even then that this could have been just a coincidence, but I also knew immediately that it wasn't. That's probably the reason I still remember this minor incident very vividly even today. I knew that it was God working in my life. I don't know exactly why I knew it. I think it had to do with the fact I recognized that the "thought" that came to me about prayer, was not a thought at all, but was somehow different. I understood it as a clear direction given to me.
Maybe I was too young to analyze it away as a psychological abnormality, or a crazy trick of the mind and instead of forgetting about it, I decided to follow it. It's a good thing, because now I realized that it was one of the first times that the God encouraged me to trust Him and I did it. I took action based on the leading of the Holy Spirit. God did it on level that I could understand. I was blessed by my obedience to God. I am still learning that lesson today. Yes, I can recognized that still, small voice. And yes, I have a lot more of an ability to explain it away now than I did when I was 9. But if I am true to my understanding, and true to the real leading of the Holy Spirit, I am blessed in the tiniest of things in my life as well as in the major events. The more I listen to and follow that voice, the more I recognize it. Like the sheep that recognized the shepherd's voice, I am forever trying to follow and trust Him through my actions.

New Beginning

It is a new year and a lot of changes have taken place over the past 12 months. I know the next year will be just as exciting. As I have begun a new chapter in my life as music and education minister at our church, I have wanted to start a blog where I can share some of the things that God is doing in my life as well as some of the thoughts He is giving me. I hope these may help others to be inspired or encouraged to seek God in every minute aspect of their daily lives. Here comes 2009. Let's jump right in!