The BlankenBlog

What's At STAKE? The Promise of Tithing - Part 2

2012-01-26T11:31:00.001-05:00

A church treasurer resigned. The church leadership asked another man to take the position, a man who managed the local grain elevator. He agreed, under two conditions: 1 - that no report from him would be necessary for one whole year - and 2 - that no one ask him any questions during the one year period. The leadership gulped, finally agreed, since he was a trusted man in the community and well known, because most of them did business with him at the elevator.

At year's end, his report indicated that the church debt was paid; the parsonage had been redecorated; salaries had been increased; benevolence giving was paid 200%; there were no outstanding bills and there was a cash balance of $12,500.

How? Asked the shocked congregation.

Quietly, he answered: "Most of you bring your grain to my elevator. As you did business with me I simply withheld ten percent on your behalf and gave it to the church in your name - YOU NEVER MISSED IT!"

"That's stealing!" someone says? What did God say about those who withhold the tithe? This man was simply keeping for God what the Bible said was His! He was doing it on behalf of the people and they were all blessed!

What could we do if every family obeyed in this area?

What's at STAKE? The Promise of Tithing!

2012-01-23T15:33:00.003-05:00

In Revelation 3:8, Jesus had John write to the church in Philadelphia (in ancient Asia), "I have opened a door for you that no one can close ..."

I believe God is doing the same for us at our ministry at New Life Church in Kokomo! I believe God is opening a door for us to the most amazing and far-reaching ministry we have yet seen - and no one will be able to shut the door!

We are not the kind of family that will fail the people who will be looking to us for help, hope and healing! But, in order to walk through the door, we've got to take the steps. We've begun, but we have to keep moving.

Our Small Groups are fantastic and full of life. The CHAMPs ministry is training children to do ministry in several ways in several places. Our StormFront Youth Ministry is growing with 15 new guests in the last 2 weeks. The Upward ministry is already connecting new families to the church this year, and our new Alpha Course is off to a great start with new converts and seekers studying more about Jesus!

We are starting the Extreme Makeover: Worship Center Edition Project this week! Much needed and long-delayed structural issues will be addressed, as well as making the atmosphere welcoming to even more generations.

What's at STAKE? In our last blog, we addressed the Principle of Sacrifice. But there is also a promise from God that is at STAKE - it is The Promise of Tithing.

Malachi 3:10 - "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!"

Wow! What a promise! Did you read that carefully? God has promised to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing so great we won't have enough room to take it in! He challenges us to test Him in this promise!

What is a tithe? It is a Hebrew word (the language of the Old Testament) that describes the first tenth of one's income as property rightfully claimed by God. Originally it was the first bushel out of every ten bushels of grain, the first lamb out of the ten lambs born, etc.

"Should I tithe before or after taxes? Do I tithe on the net or on the gross?" How much did you earn? You're taxed on what you earn - so you should tithe on what you earn - unless the government deserves better than God!

"Should I give the whole tithe to the church where I attend?" Yes. Local churches are the hub of ministry. Other great ministries are the spokes. What ministry would exist without the local church?

In Malachi 3:8 the Lord talked about "tithes AND offerings". They are two separate things. If the tithe is the first 10%, then an offering is not make until we get to 11%! And God promises to bless when we are faithful with tithes and offerings!

Someone says, "I agree that tithing is the right thing to do, but I have already committed my income (other debts) and there just isn't money left over - what do I do?" Good question - don't let past mistakes dictate your present and future decisions! If you have not been tithing, do not continue to make the same mistake! Release yourself, if necessary, from some of the commitments. Do not continue to penalize God's work for past errors. Refinance, reschedule or rearrange your commitments. Begin to tithe anyway and expect God to meet every need! He will!

Someone else may ask, "I have been in real desperate financial straits. I may even have to go into bankruptcy. Can you honestly and sincerely ask me to tithe?" Yes! You need a miracle. The curse is already there. God's doesn't curse us for not tithing. He tells us how to get out from under the curse by tithing! God is the best financial consultant in the universe! He promises to give you wisdom - and 10% is a small fee.

What if you are in bankruptcy now? Make sure that God gets what is owed Him along with the other creditors. How much do we owe Him? How much would our tithe have amounted to since we started earning an income and how much have we given? Isn't that what happens with others we owe? Put God on your team permanently! We need His skill, His wisdom, His inspiration and His blessings!

A number of years ago the news media reported about a family in bankruptcy that wanted to tithe and the bankruptcy court told them not to - they couldn't afford it. They did it anyway and all their needs were met!

What if you would like to tithe but are unsure of your income? Maybe you farm, or run a business and you're really not sure what your income is going to be. Tithe on what you expect you will receive or would like to receive. I've known people who tithed on what they wanted to receive as a raise, and they got the raise!

Someone asks, "What if I tithe and I feel I have made a mistake!" Don't worry - that never happens!

What if you don't agree with the way all the money is spent? On that basis we would give to nothing. The question to ask is, "Is there something happening here that I think is wonderful?" If so, then your tithe is going to that ministry!

"Are there people who give more than 10%?" Absolutely! All the time! The fact is, 100% of everything we have belongs to God. It's not how much of ours we give - it's how much of His we keep.

"What about the fact that Jesus never praised anyone for tithing?" It was simply what they were supposed to do. Jesus only praised one person for their giving and that was the poor widow with two coins who gave them both - everything she had!

"My spouse does not agree with me on tithing - what do I do?" If you have a private allowance or a personal income - give the tithe from that! God will bless you! Many give 20% of their separate household income when their spouse doesn't tithe and the spouse always had a hard time picking up on why things are going so well!

"I lack the faith. I wish I had it. How do I get it?" Romans 10:17 - Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Then when we obey God's word, when we try something that seems impossible, and it works - not only are we sure of our faith, our faith becomes unshakable!

I have a couple of stories I would like to share - but this is already a lot to digest. I may add those stories tomorrow or later this week.

Go for the promised blessing!

What's At STAKE? The Principle of Sacrifice

2012-01-17T14:02:00.001-05:00

The Principle of Sacrifice for the purpose of God is biblical and brings blessing!

The Sacrifices of the Old Testament provide a pattern for us. Under the Old Covenant, God required the Israelites to bring animal sacrifices and those sacrifices were to be the best - they were to be studs, reproducers - so that what was sacrificed was not just that animal, but all that the animal could produce in the future. They were to have no defect - the BEST - not just the REST - is to be given to God.

By the time the prophet Malachi came around hundreds of years later, the people were offering crippled, blind, and diseased sacrifices and they earned a rebuke from Malachi and a curse from God! They respected prestigious people in their culture more than they did God. Do we have greater honor for the things of this world than we do the purposes of God?

Through Malachi, God said they might as well just shut the doors of the Temple.

What are you giving to God - the best? or, the rest?

Obedience goes beyond sacrifice -

The first King of Israel, Saul, disobeyed God when God gave him a battle plan. His disobedience was in bringing some of the enemy's animals for sacrifice when God specifically told him not to. The message was, "Obedience is better than sacrifice" (1st Samuel 15:22).

If obedience goes beyond sacrifice - and if we have not yet reached the point of sacrifice - have we yet reached the point of obedience?

It is not the sacrifice that pleases God - it is the obedience - it is the level of faith. It is putting His purposes as our purposes and His priorities as our priorities.

If a ministry is coming into line with the purposes of God, then we ought to give in obedience, no matter how far that obedience takes us - even beyond the point of sacrifice. That is why we are asking the Kokomo New Life family to pray about their giving to a great cause - an Extreme Makeover of our Worship Center. A much-needed update has been 25 years in the making!

Paul commended the Philippians for their giving in Philippians chapter 4. They were very poor people. We know this because Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the Philippians (2nd Corinthians 8). He bragged on them and said they were an example because they gave out of "extreme poverty". We have gone through some hard economic times, but the fact is that the poorest among us is still wealthier than 90% of the world's population. It's a matter of what we've gotten used to and what we define as our "needs". Paul said that God would supply all of the Philippians needs because of their faithfulness is giving!

There are some blessings we will never experience without sacrifice!

Can it ever be a sacrifice to give to God when He promises to give back to us in proportion to our giving (Luke 6:38)? It only seems like a sacrifice - maybe it is our priorities that are sacrificed - but if we give according to God's wishes, and He gives back, how can any of it be a sacrifice?

Sometimes it is our preferences that have to be sacrifices. Some people have followed Jesus for many years, but they have preferences about how things should be done in church that really don't relate at all to people who need Jesus today. Those who are spiritually mature should be more than willing to sacrifice preferences for the sake of those who are not yet in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Is there something God is asking you to sacrifice for His purpose?

The Year of Invitation

2012-01-11T15:24:00.001-05:00

For many years I've avoided the idea of Annual Themes at the churches I've led. The annual theme tends to be soon forgotten, and it always has to be some kind of rhyming phrase. In the end, so many are really meaningless.

But ... our church family is looking at significant changes this coming year. We have added a second Sunday morning worship opportunity. We are going to undergo an "Extreme Makeover" of our 1987 Worship Center building. As I was wrestling in prayer with these issues and praying about sharing these ideas in our church family (change is always hard), I felt the Lord impress upon me to name 2012 as The Year of Invitation for New Life Church and to encourage the New Life family to invite more people to worship and events with our church family this year than they ever have before!

As I thought of this more, I thought of the times when there was a yearlong observance in the Scriptures. In ancient Israel there was a "Year of Jubilee" that occurred every 50 years. The people were not to plant, or harvest (that's kind of obvious - you can't harvest if you don't plant!), they were not to charge interest to the poor, all slaves were to be freed, and property reverted back to its original owners. Quite a year!

Then there was the time in Israel when King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah issued a far and wide invitation. Azaz had been king and he led the people into worship of false gods. The nation was invaded. Ahaz stole from God's Temple to bribe his enemies. They just continued to invade and attack. He was so crazy he totally closed down the Temple - nearly destroying it and everything inside. Ultimately, Ahaz died and his reputation was so bad he didn't even get buried in the royal cemetery!

Along comes Hezekiah. He opens the Temple back up and starts a restoration project! He sent messengers throughout the nations of both Israel and Judah (they were divided at the time) to call everyone back to worshiping God. Many had never been involved in true worship of God.

There are many in our culture today who have not been to a worship service focused on Jesus Christ in a long time. Face it, church attendance is way down. It's time to send some messengers with some invitations. And, our worship centers are often closed to them - often in disrepair (our place needs some work and updating after 25 years!) - and so many times we look so different and act so different - we even speak a different language that so many in our culture do not understand: "washed in the blood ... saved ... goin' up yonder!" ... and some are so much LIKE those outside the church, our lives are no different, they don't see the point in joining us. We don't seem to have good answers for our own problems either.

We haven't been sanctified ... we've just been "church-i-fied" - God help us.

So ... 2012 for New Life Church is going to be a year to restore our place of worship and issue an invitation to all.

When I read Isaiah's invitation in chapter 55 of his book, I saw 10 motivations he gave as to why we should invite more people to worship this year than ever before ... and if you've never been to New Life Church in Kokomo - consider this your invitation!

The invitation in Isaiah is this - An invitation ...

- to satisfy your thirst
- to receive a free blessing
- to receive strength
- to life
- to receive a permanent love
- while the opportunity exists
- to receive mercy
- to the way of God
- to promised results
- to joy and peace

I invite you ... come ... join us on the journey in this year ... The Year of Invitation!

It's A Wonderful Life!

2011-12-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

Most have seen the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life" starring Jimmy Stewart - and heard the song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Christmas is an awesome time. It can also be the most difficult time of the year for some. Economic difficulties make the season hard. For some, family members once present are now gone. But, the Christian life is a wonderful life because the Christ of Christmas is a wonderful Lord!

The Christian life brings about a wonderful change. Mary & Joseph certainly had to get used to a change! Not only was a baby born to them, but it came earlier than they expected in their relationship, and their new baby just so happened to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world. That would change things!

Change is unavoidable. We don't like change - but just look at some old pictures of past Christmases, and you will see that change is unavoidable. We try to postpone the changes that naturally come into our lives, but God has designed us to change. So many times we miss out on the joy of the wonderful life God wants us to have because we resist the changes He designed for us! We should take joy in changes and see what God is doing in them! When we see what God is doing, it is wonderful!

The Apostle Paul said, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." - Romans 12:2

Think of the change Elwood Haynes brought with his first car! How many who don't like change would rather walk ... without shoes ... or ride horses EVERYWHERE we had to go?

How about the change that indoor plumbing brought to us? I love change!

A survey of clergy and laypeople show that 71 percent feel that churches are losing their effectiveness by being unwilling to change.

Change is happening! Change will continue to happen whether we want it to or not! I contend that the Christian life is a wonderful life full of changes for the positive, changes that bring blessing, changes that God wants to happen in our lives! They may not always be easy! I'm not saying that! But God can see the end from the beginning and when we learn to embrace the change, we find the joy in the journey and we see all the more how "It's a Wonderful Life!"

When we accept the Christ of Christmas our lives are changed from darkness to light, from sadness to gladness, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to dancing, from despair to hope, from death to life!

The Holy Spirit lives inside us and brings us joy!

2011 has been the best year yet for our New Life Church family - 2012 is going to be even better - because God is bringing positive change! Part of the change is new people and new families who have experienced the change that Jesus brings into their own lives!

It's a wonderful life!

Check Your Change!

2011-12-06T16:50:00.001-05:00

Are you a person who regularly checks your change at a restaurant or a store to make sure you are getting "correct change"?

Well, we've been saying that change is constant. We change whether we want to or not, whether we like it or not. When we embrace change rather than fight it, we can help to shape it.

You're changing. But are you checking your change? Are you getting the correct change in your life? Here are some ways the Bible tells us we should be growing and changing:

1. Grow in Righteousness - Isaiah 45:8

Do the right things - love God - love others.

2. Grow in Faith - 2nd Corinthians 10:15

The Bible tells us that when we read, or hear, and understand the Bible, our faith grows.

3. Grow in Grace - 2nd Peter 3:18

Get beyond the entry-level of following Christ. Do the things that please Him, read the manual (Bible), become His friend, do what He wants us to do ... then we'll be growing in grace!

4. Grow in Knowledge - 2nd Peter 3:18

Again - Read the Bible - study it! Love it! Get to know it!

5. Grow in Numbers - Acts 2:47; Acts 4:4; Acts 9:31; Acts 16:5

It's a fact! The Bible says that when we are doing what we should, the numbers of those who are following Christ will grow! We can't get around this truth! If the Church, and local churches, are not growing in numbers, something is not right ... according to the Bible.

6. Grow in Ways - Jeremiah 15:7

How many churches are failing to make a difference in spiritually needy people's lives today because they simply refuse to change and grow in the ways in which they do things?

7. Grow in Glory - 2nd Corinthians 3:9-11,18

Paul said if the God's Old Covenant with the Jews was "glorious" - how much more "glorious" is His New Covenant with all people?

If the "good old days" were so good - the "great new days" should be even better!

Are you growing in Righteousness, Faith, Grace, Knowledge, Numbers, Ways & Glory?

I Don't Like Change!

2011-11-30T10:05:00.001-05:00

Let's face it, it is in our human nature to resist change! Yet, change is irresistible - at least it is unstoppable.

As we grow old, we change ... we don't like that change, so we substitute it with another change. We change our hair color. We change jobs and careers in mid-life. Some change marriage partners. Some move to another place. Then, some go for the BIG change! Before the television show, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," there was a show, "Extreme Makeover." In that show people had radical plastic surgery. People were changing because they didn't like change.

Kokomo has changed! My family moved here in 1965 - from Florida! The reason? No jobs in Florida, lots of jobs in Kokomo. Things have changed!

The fact is, Change is in God's plan - and it is something we should be THANKFUL for!

Here are 3 unchangeable facts about change -

1. If you are a Christian, you have been changed!

Wasn't that a good change? Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

Think of some of the great characters in the Bible - Jacob, Moses, Christ's disciples, Paul - all of them and more experienced great changes in their lives - for the good!

That's why New Life is changing - because God is changing us! He is changing people! He is changing Kokomo! We are changing with God!

In 2012, we are going to have more opportunities for families to worship together. We are going to have an "Extreme Makeover: Worship Center Edition." And, we are going to have 2 Sunday morning worship opportunities in 2012 - at 9:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.

If you haven't changed, you're stagnant - and a stagnant pool breeds death and disease!

God is changing things for good! Look up in your Bible and read Ephesians 2:1-9 & 1st Corinthians 6:9-11.

The second unchangeable fact about change is this:

2. Once in the Faith we must continue to Change and Grow!

When the prophet Samuel was sent by God to anoint a young man named Saul to be the first king of the nation of Israel, Samuel said to him, "At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and ... You will be changed into a different person" (1st Samuel 10:6).

When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, there is change - we have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

And -

3. We must be looking to the Ultimate Change!

Read 1st Corinthians 15:51-57. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is coming back and will change us all! He's gonna change everything! Three times in 2 chapters of Matthew (24 & 25) Jesus said that we are to be keeping watch and ready for His return!

Change is good! Change is wonderful! When we fight it - we lose, we get hurt! When we embrace it, are thankful for it, we help to shape it, form it, and direct it. Then we receive the rewards that it brings!

Develop a mindset of accepting change - it is the transitions of God!

Change Your Circle

2011-11-22T14:14:00.001-05:00

Recently I've had the opportunity to share with some other pastors about the exciting changes our church family is going through. They shared with me their wisdom and insight gained from going through similar changes.

My friend Wayne Murray shared with me some thoughts he called, "Enlarge Your Circle of Love".

Everyone has a circle of love. Some are larger than others. What is a circle of love? Inside your circle of love are the people you make room for ... the people you give grace to ... the people you accept ... the people you show love and compassion for.

The problem with some Christians and some churches is that we draw circles that exclude other people. There are people that we love and people we don't. There are people we will make room for and people we will not. But if we are going to be true to the expression of God's love on the earth then our circle of love must include everyone.

God's circle of love is described in John 3:16 - "everyone".

- Our circle of love should include those who hate and offend us.
- Our circle of love needs to include other generations than ours.
- Our circle of love should include people from other faiths.
- Our circle of love should include people who have different political ideas.

I am challenging our church family to enlarge our circle of love. We are going to actually plan to do that in different ways in 2012 -

1. Fifth Sunday Family Worship

When there are 5 Sundays in the month, the children will worship with the adults during the Sunday morning service. On those Sunday evenings, the youth ministry will lead worship and the adults will then join with the youth in their small groups.

2. Extreme Makeover: Worship Center Edition!

You've heard of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! Well, our 1987 Worship Center building has many issues that need to be addressed - both functional and cosmetic. In 2012 we are going to give the 25-year-old building an extreme makeover! It's going to be great!

3. 2 in 2012

On January 8th, we will be offering two Sunday morning services at 9:30 & 11. We simply can't enlarge our circle any more with the space available - so we're not just going to work on the space, we are going to offer more time! More time for people to worship - more time for people to serve in ministry - more time for more people to come to know the great change that Christ can bring into their lives - more opportunities to enlarge our circles of love!

How many people are in your life that are just like you?

How many people are in your life that are not like you at all?

2012 at New Life will be The Year of Invitation! We're going to invite more people to join in with our church family than ever before!

To hear more about all of this, click here - http://www.newlife4kokomo.org/media.php?pageID=10 - and listen to "Change Your Circle".

God's Charge: Change the World!

2011-11-10T10:09:00.001-05:00

A number of years ago I had a dream. I'm not sure I ever said before that God spoke to me in a dream, but this time I believe He did. In the dream I was led to Genesis 2:10-14 & Joel 2:28-29. If you read those verses you find that there were 4 headwaters in Eden taking life to the area, and the life that God gives is often likened to a river, or water source, as in Ezekiel 47.

I felt that God was bringing a divine convergence of events that would lead to a fresh wave of revival, much like the 4 headwaters in Eden took precious things to the area. The 4 headwaters I felt were streams of change that God was bringing to the Church:

1. Change in Structure
2. Change in Leadership
3. Changes on the National and International Scene
4. Change in Focus

I had the dream in February of 2003. I prepared the thoughts into a message, but never felt released to deliver the message until September of 2003. I delivered the message at New Life Church in Kokomo - but I was not the pastor of the church at that time.

One month after I gave the message, New Life's pastor of 26 years resigned to take another position of leadership. Two months after I gave the message, the Deacons of New Life unanimously invited me to submit myself to become the Pastor and the church family unanimously asked me to become the Pastor.

Less than four months after I gave the message, I became the pastor of New Life, I brought with me the leadership of Sharon Daniel, and together as a church family the structure of ministry began to change in a way that has opened up opportunities for many in ministry through our Free Market Small Groups. Upward has been incredibly successful. Alpha is bringing people to the Lord. We have seen nearly 8 years of almost continuous growth, this past year being our greatest year of growth yet. The church family is larger now than ever in its history, and we gave as much or more to missions last year than we ever have.

I believe the dream and its message was prophetic.

Now, change never stops, but there are times when the dynamics of change increase. We either ride with it, or fight it, but CHANGE HAPPENS! New Life continues to change, and we are getting ready to enter a season where the changes will be great and they will lead to greater opportunities to touch our city, our county and our world for Christ.

I believe God has already spoken to me about 2012 the way He spoke to me in February of 2003, and the way I shared in September of 2003, before I became the pastor here - and God fulfilled that Word.

I believe God is speaking again - and I believe we are going to see great change!

Every change will have at its heart reaching people. If we don't, what will be the perception of those who don't have a relationship with Jesus?

On Sunday, November 20, I will be sharing more about these specific changes.

The Power of Suffering

2011-11-02T13:55:00.000-04:00

We don't sign up to suffer. It is not high on our "to do" lists. However, the term "martyr complex" comes from those early Christian saints who actually had a desire to give their lives (literally) for the cause of Christ because that was considered to be the highest honor. To die for Christ was ultimately to be like Christ; and it is still happening today. If you do an internet search for images of Christian martyrdom or suffering in certain parts of the world, you will see very disturbing images. For those who are followers of Christ, these are our brothers and sisters.

Have we fully identified with Jesus? In Luke 9:21-27 Jesus told His disciples that He would have to suffer and be killed, but that He would rise from the dead. I imagine that after He told them about His suffering their minds were already racing so they missed the part about His resurrection - at least the power of it for the moment. He said He would suffer MANY terrible things. For some descriptions read Isaiah 52:14; Isaiah 53:3-5; Psalm 22; Isaiah 50:6-7.

As if that wasn't enough, He went on to tell His followers that they also must face suffering. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23-25). He said this not just to the 12 - but to the crowd. When they heard about the cross, they weren't thinking of suffering in some sort of figurative way. The Romans would put down rebellions and crucify people by the 1000's - they would line the highways of the day with crosses, and upon those crosses the mutilated bodies of the sufferers who dared to defy Rome. These people knew that Jesus was saying, "If you follow me, you must be ready for this kind of outcome." And they knew that someone carrying a cross was going on a one-way trip. They weren't coming back. They would hear the screams of torture in the night the way we hear sirens or dogs barking. It was a fairly common occurrence.

Someone should have told Jesus a few things about recruiting! Shouldn't He have been focusing on all the good things? Shouldn't He have kind of hidden that stuff about suffering? Kept it quiet? Isn't that what many "recruiters" of people to Christianity do today? Well, actually, there's no need to even hide that truth ... if we don't believe it any more. It's all good ... right?

The problem is - He said it again - in Luke 14:27.

Hmmmm ... makes me think of that old song, "To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, all I ask, is to be like Him. All through life's journey, from earth to glory, all I ask, is to be like Him." Maybe we should rethink that. If you read the passages above describing His suffering - do you really want that?

What are you seeking mainly in life? Getting ahead? Gaining possessions? If you seek to hang onto you life - you will lose it. But, if you give up your life for His sake - you will have a life!

Jesus closes this little encouragement session by letting them know that He will come again for those who are not ashamed to identify with Him ... in this way (suffering). But, in Luke 18:8 He asks a very sobering question, "When the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?"

For an example of one group of followers who were awakened to give a little more one day, see this story - http://thegatheringplacehome.myfastforum.org/archive/when-the-deacon-talked-in-church__o_t__t_1533.html

Have you not only identified who Christ is, but have you identified WITH Christ? What are you giving up?

Worship and the Glory of His Coming

2011-10-31T17:10:00.002-04:00

Some excerpts from the end of Desiring God - Chapter 3 - Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism - by John Piper:

"Don't let your worship decline to the performance of mere duty... Don't let the scenery and poetry and music of your relationship with God shrivel up and die. You have capacities for joy that you can scarcely imagine. They were made for the enjoyment of God. He can awaken them no matter how long they have lain asleep. Pray for His quickening power. Open your eyes to His glory. It is all around you: 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork' (Psalm 19:1).

"I was flying at night from Chicago to Minneapolis, almost alone on the plane. The pilot announced that there was a thunderstorm over Lake Michigan and into Wisconsin. He would skirt it to the west to avoid turbulence. As I sat there staring out into the total blackness, suddenly the whole sky was brilliant with light, and a cavern of white clouds fell away four miles beneath the plane and then vanished. A second later, a mammoth white tunnel of light exploded from north to south across the horizon, and again vanished into blackness. Soon the lightning was almost constant, and volcanoes of light burst up out of cloud ravines and from behind distant white mountains. I sat there shaking my head almost in unbelief. O Lord, if these are but the sparks from the sharpening of Your sword, what will be the day of Your appearing! And I remembered the words of Christ: As the lightning flashes and light up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. (Luke 17:24)...

"I thank God that again and again He has awakened my heart to desire Him, to see Him, and to sit down to the feast of Christian Hedonism and worship the King of Glory. The banquet hall is very large. The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' ... Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Revelation 22:17)"

Highlights from "Desiring God" - Intro

2011-10-27T14:02:00.000-04:00

Recently I've had to make some important changes to my schedule. I've felt like I've been the dog at the end of the leash, rather than the guy holding the leash for quite some time - and let me tell you, my neck was starting to hurt!

We are being blessed with increase in our church family. That is a great thing. I am now at a point that I've heard other pastors talk about - If God is going to continue to bless our church, it needs a different pastor. I believe God is calling me to change so that I can become the pastor our church family needs.

So, some of the changes were changes in my schedule. Weeding out unnecessary, time-consuming duties that others can do just as well. Set more people free to do ministry. Become more trusting of the God-given staff that I am surrounded with. I've needed to spend more time reading and feeding myself so that I'm not empty every time I give out. I've needed to spend more time with my precious wife and allow that time to be more enjoyable for her - which means I've got to be less stressed when I'm with her! She deserves a better husband.

So, I've finally been doing some reading. This may sound strange to some, but I'm still working on doing that which I'm supposed to do and not feeling guilty about it. We get the idea that if it is a "job" we're not supposed to enjoy it, right? So, I have to work hard - like so many others in my church family - and if I'm working hard, then I shouldn't be having fun, right? If I'm working hard, like everyone is supposed to do, then I should be filled with stress, right?

I don't think so. God help us to change.

So, I finished Tim Tebow's book (Go Tebow!). I've finished "Radical" by David Platt - a lot of the younger adults in our church family have been reading it. Very challenging. Everyone read it to the end and don't miss the balance that Platt puts on the entire concept.

This afternoon, starting John Piper's book, "Desiring God". I know, a lot of you read this years ago. What can I say? I'm way behind schedule. I thought I'd post some of what I highlighted just from the Introduction. I'm posting this because these concepts are speaking strongly to me - isn't that what blogging is all about?

He makes a one-word change to the summary of the Westminster Catechism, changing "and" to "by": "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."

Piper says, "When I was in college, I had a vague, pervasive notion that if I did something good because it would make me happy, I would ruin its goodness. I figured that the goodness of my moral action was lessened to the degree that I was motivated by a desire for my own pleasure." Wow! What a revelation! I thought only A/G (All the Guilt) church people were constantly motivated by guilt! At least just the old-time Pentecostals! Who knew that others in the Church Body were right with God, yet constantly riddled with guilt also! Should I be happy about this? I'm actually happier about what I continued to read:

"...it is unbiblical and arrogant to try to worship God for any other reason than the pleasure to be had in Him. (Don't miss those last two words: in Him. Not His gifts, but Him, Not ourselves, but Him.)"

He quotes C.S. Lewis: "If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Piper continues: "It is not a bad thing to desire our own good. In fact, the great problem of human beings is that they are far too easily pleased. They don't seek pleasure with nearly the resolve and passion that they should. And so they settle for mud pies of appetite instead of infinite delight...

"...this persistent and undeniable yearning for happiness [is] not to be suppressed, but to be glutted - on God! The growing conviction that praise should be motivated solely be the happiness we find in God seemed less and less strange.

"My old effort to achieve worship with no self-interest in it proved to be a contradiction in terms.

"The quest for pleasure was not even optional, but commanded: 'Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart' (Psalm 37:4)...

"...the goodness of God, the very foundation of worship, is not a thing you pay your respects to out of some kind of disinterested reverence. No, it is something to be enjoyed: 'Oh, taste and see the the LORD is good!' (Psalm 34:8). 'How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!' (Psalm 119:103)...

"'In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore' (Psalm 16:11)...

"Christian Hedonism... does not mean God becomes a means to help us get worldly pleasures. The pleasure Christian Hedonism seeks is the pleasure that is in God Himself. He is the end of our search, not the means to some further end. Our exceeding joy is He, the Lord - not the streets of gold or the reunion with relatives or any blessing of heaven. Christian Hedonism does not reduce God to a key that unlocks a treasure chest of gold and silver. Rather, it seeks to transform the heart so that 'the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver' (Job 22:25).

"...Christian Hedonism does not make a god out of pleasure. It says that one has already made a god out of whatever he finds most pleasure in. The goal of Christian Hedonism is to find most pleasure in the one and only God and thus avoid the sin of covetousness, that is, idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

"...Christian Hedonism does not put us above God when we seek Him out of self-interest. A patient is not greater than his physician...

"...I find in the Bible a divine command to be a pleasure-seeker - that is, to forsake the two-bit, low-yield, short-term, never-satisfying, person-destroying, God-belittling pleasures of the world and to sell everything 'with joy' (Matthew 13:44) in order to have the kingdom of heaven and thus 'enter into the joy of your master' (Matthew 25:21,23)."

He nears the end of his Introduction by saying that Christian Hedonism is a philosophy of life built on the following five convictions:

1. The longing to be happy is a universal human experience, and it is good, not sinful.
2. We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy, as though it were a bad impulse. Instead, we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction.
3. The deepest and most enduring happiness is found only in God. Not from god, but in God.
4. The happiness we find in God reaches its consummation when it is shared with others in the manifold ways of love.
5. To the extent that we try to abandon the pursuit of our own pleasure, we fail to honor God and love people. Or, to put it positively: The pursuit of pleasure is a necessary part of all worship and virtue.

You'll have to excuse me now ... I've got some more reading to do ...

The Power of Identification

2011-10-25T11:26:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been pulled over and asked to provide "identification?" Have you ever had a friend come to you, point to someone else and say, "Who is that?"

Jesus took His twelve closest followers away from the massive crowds that were following them and asked, "Who do people say I am?" (Luke 9:18-20). The responses were varied. People weren't sure. There was some confusion. But then Jesus wanted to know, "Who do you say I am?" We're not sure what eleven of them were thinking, but Peter said, "You are the Messiah sent from God!" Peter saw Jesus as the Christ, the Deliverer, the Anointed One that had been mentioned by the previous prophets of Israel.

Lots of people followed Jesus and believed in His miracles, but the jury was still out on who He actually was. It still is today. There are lots of opinions and lots of confusion. It is interesting that 2000 years after this relatively poor man walked through a disregarded province of Rome that so many people are still talking, and talking so stridently, about who He is.

On April 22, 2011, Rasmussen Reports reported that 78% of Americans believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God and 74% believe Christ was resurrected from the dead. But what do they mean by that term? There are different definitions to the term "Son of God".

The "orthodox" position (ortho means straight - think orthodontist; dox means doctrine or teaching; so with orthodox we mean "straight teaching") would be that Jesus was in fact God living among men. When we explore deeper we find that many who answered positively to the above questions believe that Jesus was divine only in the sense that he was a man who was uniquely called by God to reveal God's purpose in the world.

Researcher George Barna defines "biblical worldview" as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. His research revealed that only 9% of all American adults held these views. Even among those classified as "born again" Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.

This begs the question - What does the "Church" think of Jesus? After all, Jesus was asking this question of His followers and only one answered the question. My supposition is that at least some of His other followers weren't quite sure yet themselves.

A George Barna report released in 2001 said that most church-going adults reject the accuracy of the Bible, reject the existence of Satan, claim that Jesus sinned, see no need to evangelize, believe that good works are one of the keys to persuading God to forgive their sins, and describe their commitment to Christianity as moderate or even less firm.

I believe that Jesus Christ is fully God. In the words of the Nicene Creed (325 A.D.), "...God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father..." He was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died in our place for our sins, physically rose from the dead, and was exalted to the right hand of God.

Peter and some others believed who He was, but they weren't quite sure what that meant.

With all the discussion and confusion both among those who are church-goers and those who are not, maybe the most important question of all is - What do you think of Jesus?

Again, that's the question He asked His followers. If you were hanging out with him, and he asked that question, "Who do you say I am?" how would you answer? And, what is the basis of your answer? Is the Bible true? And if it is not, what is?

If we identify correctly - there is great power here - a power of a secure future - for eternity!

What do you think of Jesus?

The Power of Your Possession - What do you have in your hand?

2011-10-17T12:19:00.001-04:00

Do you remember the Biblical story of Jesus feeding 5000 men, plus women and children, with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish? It is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all 4 Gospel books, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

We learn from this story and from many others that large crowds always wanted to be where Jesus was. I believe that if Jesus is real, alive and present with us, many people will want to be around us. This is one of the reasons why I believe churches should always be growing! Where Jesus is there is great life!

We also learn from this story that Jesus uses what we have when we give it to Him. He uses the young. Everyone has something in your possession that God can use to help others.

We are told that when this miracle was concluded, there were 12 baskets of leftovers! How many disciples were there? We are told that the disciples questioned whether such a small amount could feed so many people. Yet, at the end, each disciple had a basket of food to take home! I wonder, when those disciples got old, and they were sitting around with family and friends around a table, did they still have the basket? Was their take home basket used for passing the bread around the table? Did they then speak to their family and friends saying, "Did I ever tell you about the time when Jesus gave me this basket?" And did all ears at the table perk up to listen because this man was the only one who had personally been with Jesus?

What do you have in your hand? What do you have that God can use to help others? He has given each of us something. What do you have that reminds you of something great God has done for you?

Ride for Joy by the Numbers

2011-10-12T12:45:00.002-04:00

Here's a look at Ride for Joy by the numbers -

Miles ridden on bike - 371
Number of days riding - 8
Time spent on seat - 34 hours 15 minutes
Numbers of times off the bike to walk up hills - 9
High speed going downhill - 32 mph
Amount of money raised for Joy Bible Institute in Vanuatu - $10,000 and counting
Knowing that we're making a difference in uncounted lives in remote areas - PRICELESS!

Ride for Joy was a project by Kokomo, Indiana New Life Church Pastors Randy Blankenship and Pete Campbell to raise money for the Joy Bible Institute in Vanuatu, South Pacific. This is the ministry of J. Gary & Lori Ellison - Click here to learn about the ministry - http://visionforvanuatu.wordpress.com/

Click here to support the Ride for Joy - https://spreadsheets0.google.com/a/newlife4kokomo.org/viewform?formkey=dGZTWWV6VlMxM3dNY0tkUTFYbWtzdHc6MQ

Click here to learn about New Life Church - http://www.newlife4kokomo.org/

Day 5 - Ride for Joy - 10-1-11

2011-10-01T16:33:00.000-04:00

Today was the day we had fellow New Lifers join us - I logged 10 miles into the church - then Pastor Pete Campbell, Silas Allen, Leighton Hume & Luke Sommers joined in a trip back to my house - stop for lunch - then back to the church - 20 miles for them. Joshua Sommers also logged in 20 miles on his own after a soccer game. So far, Pastor Pete & I have logged 206 miles of the 372 from Angola to Evansville, crossing the State of Indiana from the northeast corner to the southwest corner to raise money for the Joy Bible Institute in Vanuatu. 166 to go. Tomorrow will be a day off to worship with our church family - no bike riding! Then, on Monday, we will start out again from Pittsboro and log at least 40 miles each day until we get to Evansville on Thursday. The weather is supposed to be much better next week. We just need little wind and lots of down hills!

I'll let some pictures tell the story for today -

Day 4 - Ride for Joy - 9-30-11

2011-09-30T22:59:00.001-04:00

Didn't write the blog yesterday. We went from Peru to Tipton. We had no rain, the sunshine was nice, there weren't many hills, but we were fighting the wind most of the way.

Today, we started with rain again. The wind was so bad from the west that I changed our route. Instead of going from Tipton to Pittsboro, we went east on 28 then south on 19 and hooked up with the Monon Trail in Westfield. This was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made in my life!

In the beginning, the wind was pushing us. I had the gears at their highest and was going over 13 miles an hour on flat highway. When we were on the Monon, the trees were blocking the wind. The scenery was beautiful. We complete 49 miles today and are at 176 miles total. We finished in downtown Indy.

Why am I doing this? Because I enjoy riding the bike? Well - riding the bike's not bad for about 10 miles or so - but 40 plus miles a day is not really fun. Especially in cold rain, wind, and pain in the ... well, you know.

So, why am I doing this? Because I like Gary & Lori? Well, I do. They are great missionaries (and cousins). But that's not the main reason.

I am doing this because I believe John 3:16 - For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

I am doing this because I believe what Jesus said - I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

I am doing this because I believe what the Apostle Peter said when he was on trial - in Acts 4:12 - There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

I am doing this because people in Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific 1500 miles from Australia, still has people who have never heard of Jesus - that's right - never heard of Jesus at all. Some of them are still cannibals. Yes, you read that right!

I am doing this because I believe that the churches on the island of Vanuatu need well-trained pastors, and Gary and Lori are doing a great job training them. They need another classroom building. They need a house to live in. They need a place for married students, so pastors don't have to leave their spouses back home on another island while they are in school.

I am doing this because I believe we should be obedient to what Jesus said in Mark 16:15 - Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

So - it's not about me - it's not about bike riding - It's not about personal joy - (It is about the Joy Bible Institute in Port Vila, Vanuatu) - it's about the things I just wrote about above.

It's about doing all we can to take the best news in the world to even the most remote places in the world. It was a privilege to go there this past summer and meet some great people. I hope to go back in February, and maybe dedicate this building, should it be completed.

Tomorrow - a ride with some great people of New Life - then heading from Pittsboro to Greencastle on Monday! Ride on!

Day 2 - Ride for Joy - 9-28-11

2011-09-28T19:20:00.001-04:00

A Pain in the Posterior. 40 miles is about all the rear end can take!

We made it 44 miles today. 84 miles total in 2 days. 288 miles to go!

The day started with a little rain. We only had a few minutes of sunshine in the afternoon. Most of the day was overcast with a light rain, although we didn't have the heavy rain we did yesterday.

Pete was able to use Rob Little's bike today. It was much better than the bike he had yesterday - and even better than mine. There were times he was leaving me in the dust! Because of the better equipment, he didn't have to work as hard today. But because we faced more hills, I had to work a little harder today. Whoever said Indiana was flat has not ridden a bike across it.

In the morning, as it was so obvious that Pete's equipment was better, I found myself thinking of the importance of having the right equipment to do the job.

What is the equipment we need?

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Ephesians 6:10-18 - A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Do you have the right equipment for the Day?

Day 1 - Ride for Joy - 9-27-11

2011-09-27T19:04:00.000-04:00

The Ride for Joy to raise money for projects at the Joy Bible Institute in Vanuatu, led by Missionaries Gary, Lori. Jasmine & Jeremy Ellison began this morning in Angola. Last year I walked 250 miles, the length of the State of Indiana, from Jeffersonville to South Bend and raised about $20,000. This year Pastor Pete Campbell is joining me and we are riding from corner to corner in Indiana - from Angola in the far northeast corner to Evansville in the far southwest corner - 372 miles.

Today the journey took us from Angola to Ligonier. Rain was forecast - and today the weatherman was right. We started in the rain. I have a new bike that has just about 100 miles on it. 3.5 miles into the ride - flat tire! Thanks to Rob Little joining us as our driver today, he helped get a new tube in the tire. Just a little further down the road - flat again! This time we found the tack I ran over.

We made it 20 miles to LaGrange where we stopped for lunch at a local cafe - good food! It wasn't raining while we were in the restaurant - but, of course, as soon as we started riding again - it rained ... harder ... and colder ... and next I had a flat tire on the front tire! Good thing Rob had gone back to the Wal-Mart in Angola to get more tubes!

Pastor Pete's tires didn't go flat, but he didn't have the right bike for this trip. He had to work twice as hard as me - and it began to show after about 30 miles. It's like when Sharon and I take a walk - she has to take twice as many steps as me. Pete was having to pedal just about twice as much as me. My tires have a larger diameter - and are thinner. Other than the flats, my bike worked great! On the downhills I got up to 25 miles an hour! All in all, despite the flats, and the bone-soaking cold rain, I really felt pretty good.

Pete is going to try Rob's bike tomorrow. Hopefully, that will help things go much better for him.

Tomorrow - Ligonier to Peru.

Ride for Joy begins -

2011-09-26T15:53:00.000-04:00

Final plans are being made. The Ride for Joy begins Tuesday, September 27. Please keep Pete Campbell and me in your thoughts and prayers. Forcast for tomorrow in Angola is a high of 60 with 60% chance of rain and thundershowers. Looks like it's going to be a good start!

If you're not sure what the Ride for Joy is - see our Ride for Joy page on facebook.

I Have to Change

2011-09-21T10:41:00.000-04:00

Every living thing changes. When it ceases to change, it dies.

The Church is a living thing. And, if a local church is healthy, it is a living thing. If there is no change, there is death.

Well... our local church family, New Life Church in Kokomo, Indiana, is undergoing change! Some of the change has been instigated by changes we initiated a long time ago. Some of the changes are happening because LIFE is happening! When that change happens, we have to change with it, or else we may find ourselves fighting against the Life God is blessing us with!

Roller Coasters are easier on the body when you stay loose and flexible. Go with the changes! When you grab the bar tight and stay rigid, you are more likely to get a sore back and sore arms from all the movements of the roller coaster that you are fighting against!

In a recent meeting, one of our excellent Deacons reminded usvery well that what we have been doing has been working. We have been loving. We have been accepting. We have been extending grace. We have been doing it so well, that more andmore people are coming. What are wegoing to do? How are we going to lovethose that we don’t have room for?

These are big decisions for churches and leaders to make. To be honest, this is hard for me. When our staff and one of our deacons went to another church some months ago to talk about ministry and gain insight, the pastor told us that every 7 yearsor so he would go to his board and say, “I have to resign. This church needs another pastor to be ableto move it on to the place where God is leading it. I am not that pastor. But, if you’ll give me the chance, I’ll tryto become that pastor, and with God’s help, I think I can be.”

Those are my sentimentstoday. There are some things I am goingto struggle to let go of, but will I let go of them? As our church family gets larger and larger, can I run to the hospital every time the phone rings, and still be effective at all of the growing responsibilities? What ministries will grow as the small group leaders and deacons grow in their opportunities for ministry? Can I continuetoward the direction of my call, Acts 6, to give myself to prayer and the studyof the Word? This will be a struggle forme, but if I don’t change as a pastor and as a leader, New Life will cease togrow. God can send us all kinds ofpeople, but if I don’t change first, and then give the church family a chanceto change, then the great things we have been seeing will end.

I’m going to try tochange. I asked my Administrative Assistant and Office Manager a hard question - but she has been a friend since high school, so she knew she could answer me honestly. I asked, “Am Imicromanaging?” Her answer: “Yes.”

"How long?" I asked. "Ever since you got here!" That was over 7 1/2 years ago! She proceeded to tell me where I was micromanaging and how my stress level was affecting everyone else on staff. (It’s good to have honest friends near you.) I'm a detail oriented person who strives for excellence in everything I do. I believe that is a necessity to glorify God. I want people around me with the same values - and I believe they are here. But God is blessing us so much that each one of us are required to do more and more and more, which means we can't always get to everything that needs to be done in a timely fashion. Change is needed! So, one small step I am taking is to yield my calendar and schedule to her. She will begin to help manage my time, so that it is ensured that I have time for Acts 6 - prayer and the study of the Word. This will not be an easy change, but she will try tomake sure that I have time for study and prayer, that I feed myself so that Iwill have something with which to feed others, so that I can stay healthy andthose around me can stay healthy. Thisis just one small step to developing a different church culture – but one thatcan remove hindrances from more people coming into a relationship with Jesus.

I have to change. If I don't, I die - as a person - as a leader - as a pastor - as a husband - as a father - as a friend. Do you need to change? Are you fighting change? Are you on a roller coaster and holding on too tight? This is not easy for me - but let's loosen up and enjoy the ride!

Power Greater than the Storm

2011-09-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

Those who are from Kokomo, Indiana and are 45 years old or older, have certainly heard of "The Palm Sunday Tornado". It happened in 1965. It devastated the community and the county. My family moved to Kokomo just a couple of months after and it was difficult to find a place to live.

In Luke 8:22-25 we read the story of Jesus crossing the lake with His disciples and the great storm hits. The disciples are scared and they wake Jesus saying, "Don't you care if we drown?" Jesus got up, spoke to the wind and the waves, the storm stopped, He rebuked the disciples, and they were amazed at His power.

The point: Jesus' power over nature proves that He can calm any storm!

Storms come as we are just moving along in life. They come unexpectedly. We don't always have a spiritual, social, family, or emotional meteorologist to tell us a storm is getting ready to hit our lives. Sometimes, however, God has purposes in those storms. Sometimes we need a course correction in our lives, and the winds that come can blow us back on course!

Storms cause fear - and overreaction. The disciples overreacted because they really did not fully understand Jesus' power. Do you overreact to a life storm because you forget about Jesus' power? Fear is evidence of a lack of faith in our lives. Our trust needs to become stronger! When David killed the giant, the entire Israeli army was paralyzed by fear. David had faith.

Jesus power is greater than the storm - than any storm. What is there than He cannot do? What do you need Him to do for you? Will you believe? Will you be consumed and paralyzed by fear? Will you doubt His power - His desire to deliver you and save you?

Will you "wake Him up"? What do you WANT Him to do? What do you EXPECT Him to do? The disciples asked, "Who is this man?" What is your answer?

The Power of the Light

2011-09-13T15:55:00.002-04:00

In his book World Horizons, Cole D. Robinson wrote,“When Benjamin Franklin decided to interest the people of Philadelphia instreet lighting, he hung a beautiful lantern on the end of a long bracketattached to the front of his house. Hekept the glass brightly polished and carefully lit the wick each evening at theapproach of dusk. Anyone walking on thedark street could see this light from a long way off and came under its warmglow.”

What was the result? Cole says, “It wasn’t long before Franklin’s neighbors began placinglamps outside their homes. Soon theentire city realized the value of street lighting and followed his example withenthusiasm.”

Did you know that Wabash, Indiana was the first city to be entirely lit up at night by electric power?

There is great power in great light! Light enables sight. I don't think I'll ever have enough light in my house for my wife! She wants her kitchen and counter-tops bright so she can see well!

Jesus told us to let our light shine and not to hide it! We are to display God's light through our lives, as Ben Franklin did his street light. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world." If you have had a life-changing experience because of Christ, you know that what the Apostle Paul said is true - once we were full of darkness, but now we have light from the Lord (Ephesians 5).

Light also enables more light. The more we receive the teachings of Christ, the more understanding He gives us. We should devote our lives to paying attention to the Bible. It is God's message to us!

The light also ensures that our connection is right. All of us have lived through those stormy nights when the power goes out and we have to find where we stored the camp lantern so we can see. I remember once time my mom was so dedicated to my brother and me getting our piano lessons in, on a stormy night with the power off, she sat on the piano bench beside us with a kerosene lantern so we could see the pages! She never let us miss those practices!

When the lights go out, something has to get reconnected for the lights to come back on! Are you connected? ... to Christ? Is He your light?

There is great power in great light! Are you shining? Who is being influenced by the light that is shining from you?

The Most Essential Power Tool

2011-09-07T13:15:00.003-04:00

Power tools are great! It is a lot easier to saw a log with a chain saw than with an old rusty hand saw. Jesus told a story about the Most Essential Power Tool in Luke 8:4-15. In His explanation of the story to His closest friends we find out that nothing is more important than God's Word, recorded in the Bible.

Jesus tells us that the power of the seed is the power of life. It's a power tool! All life begins with seeds - whether plant life, animal life, human life, or spiritual life. It originates with a seed. If we read this story and focus on the sower and the soil alone, we miss the impact. The sower and the soil are only significant in their relationship to the seed. When the disciples asked the meaning of the parable Jesus said, "Here's the secret - the seed is God's Word!" The farmer wants to see a harvest, but there can be no harvest without the seed being planted first!

The seed is more powerful than the sower. Jesus said, "A farmer went out to plant his seed." He didn't say "THE farmer" - just a farmer. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians "It's not important who does the planing, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow." (1st Corinthians 3:7)

The seed is more powerful than any weeds than anyone can sow in the field. The seed of God's Word will bear fruit! The seed is often sown in solitude. Those that labor in relating God's Word to the culture often stand alone. The seed is more powerful than the soil.

Mark records Jesus saying these words: “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain..." (Mark 4:26-28)

All by itself!! The Word of God will bring results! If we are not seeing growth, then what we must do is remove the hindrances to growth. There is nothing we can do to make the seed grow. There is nothing we can do to make God's Word bring results other than spread it. If it is spread, it will bring results. If we don't see growth, we can't make growth happen, we must remove whatever may be hindering the seed from bearing fruit.

Several years ago Christianity Today published this article by Floyd Shafer: "Make Him a Minister"

“At a time when the world needs to hear God’s word as never before, today’s clergy has retreated behind the breastworks of administrative details and ecclesiastical trivia. Whenever his conscience bothers him he simply runs off to another meeting to make arrangements for succeeding meetings to flee to. What’s the resolution of this ridiculous farce? I say, make him a minister of the Word. How? Fling him into his office. Tear the office sign from the door and nail on the sign that says “Study”. Take him off the mailing list. Lock him up with his books, his typewriter and his Bible. Slam him down on his knees before texts and broken hearts and a holy God. Require him to have something to say before he dare break the silence. Bend his knees in the lonesome valley. Fire him from the PTA. Cancel his country club membership. Burn his eyes with weary study. Make him exchange his pious stance for a humble walk with God and man. Make him spend and be spent for the glory of God. Rip out his telephone. Burn up his ecclesiastical success sheets, refuse his glad hand and put water in the gas tank of his community buggy. Give him a Bible, tie him to his pulpit and make him preach the Word of God. Laugh at his frustrated efforts to play psychiatrist and compel him to be a minister of the Word. Raise a chant, “Sir, we would see Jesus!” And when at last he dares assay the pulpit, ask him if he has a word from God, and if he does not dismiss him and tell him you can read the paper and digest the television commentary. Command him not to come back until he has read and re-read, written and re-written, until he can stand up and say, “Thus saith the Lord.” Give him no escape until he is backed up against the wall of God’s word, and then sit down before him and listen to the only word he has left, God’s Word. When he is burned out by the flaming Word that coursed through him, and when he is finally translated from earth to heaven, then blow a muted trumpet and lay him down softly, place a two-edged sword on his coffin and raise a tune triumphant, for he was a brave soldier of the Word and before he died he became a spokesman for his God.”

God give us your Word, for your Word is the seed that is the power of life, more powerful than the preacher, more powerful than the weeds, often sown in solitude, and more important than the soil. More important than us, our human nature, our cares, our desire for riches, wealth, entertainment, the things of this world, more powerful than the devil. God, give us your Word!

The Pathway to Pardon

2011-08-31T10:42:00.002-04:00

Pardon means kind indulgence, as in forgiveness of an offense ... a release from the penalty of an offense.

Have you ever needed pardon? Have you ever needed to ask for forgiveness? Read Luke 7:36-50 - the story of the woman who came to Jesus when He was having dinner at the rich man Simon's house. The woman is referred to as "a sinful woman". As people, we are all sinners. She approaches Jesus apparently intending to anoint His feet. Custom was for the host to arrange for the guests feet to be treated usually with a cheap, inexpensive ointment when they arrived. But before this woman could begin, she was overwhelmed with emotion. She began to weep loudly and uncontrollably. Her tears didn't just drop on His feet - they washed His feet. She knelt down, began to try them with her hair, then began to kiss them ardently and passionately.

Wow! What an uncomfortable interruption at the dinner party! Can anyone say, "Awkward!"

But this woman is showing us the first step on the pathway to pardon - a humble heart with a sacrifice of praise. Her ointment was not the inexpensive kind. On the contrary, it was very expensive. After her overwhelming emotion, she finally got to her intent of anointing His feet with that perfume.

But then we see Simon scoffing with pride. He thought to himself, "If Jesus knew about this woman and her sins, He wouldn't allow this." Well, Jesus knew what Simon was thinking, and the story of pardon unfolds. Simon's self-righteous reaction would not help him any more than our self-righteousness helps us. Jesus tells him a story illustrating that those who have been forgiven much are those who love the most.

On Bill Clinton's last day in office as President of the United States, he created a huge outcry by pardoning 140 people - some of whom had committed truly scandalous crimes. But think about it for a minute. What is the meaning of pardon? It's not an implication that the person wasn't guilty - they are still guilty. However, they are pardoned from the punishment of the guilt - even the record.

Do we deserve Christ's pardon more than those who received Clinton's pardon?

The famous author, O. Henry, was convicted in 1898 of embezzling $784.08 from the bank where he worked. The May 2, 1985, Kansas City Times report a story about an attempt by some fans to get him a pardon. However, there was a problem - O. Henry was dead. You cannot give a pardon to a dead man. A pardon can only be given to someone who can accept it.

Back in 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. "A pardon is a slip of paper," wrote Marshall, "the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged."

You can’t be pardoned after you’re dead – and you must accept the offer of pardon.

Have you walked the Pathway to Pardon? Have you accepted Christ's pardon?

Doing what we Don't want to do

2011-08-26T11:35:00.003-04:00

We do what we don't want to do so that we can do the things we do want to do.

For example - today I am doing laundry & cleaning house. Not my favorite activity. But, my wife works, Saturday is her only day off, and that is usually consumed with church activities. So, I do what I don't want to do so that she can enjoy her time at home and going places later without having to worry about the condition of the house. I also receive appreciate from her - which I enjoy!

Later this evening, we will meet my parents at PF Chang's for a farewell dinner for Anna.

I think this is true in so many areas of our lives. If we aren't diligent and faithful in doing things that we really don't enjoy, we will often miss out on doing the things that we do enjoy.

Maybe you don't take much joy in your work - but without it, no money, no food, no fun. Maybe their are parts of your work that you enjoy, but others you don't. You have to do the things you don't enjoy so that you can do the things you do enjoy.

Students in school - there are classes and assignments you don't enjoy, but you do them so that you can enjoy the other aspects of school now - and enjoy the benefits of life that education brings later.

So - stay faithful and diligent in doing the things you don't really enjoy with excellence - The trade-off is worth it.

Great Times ... Trailing the Evidence

2011-08-24T10:31:00.002-04:00

Wow. We've had some great times the past few weeks as the New Life family has gathered together for Worship & the Word. The messages of the last few weeks have really been a blessing to many. We've been going through the Gospel of Luke, "The Investigator's Gospel" since the beginning of the year, and now in Chapter 7 we've been "Trailing the Evidence" that Luke is laying out regarding Jesus Christ.

We've talked about The Pathway of Divine Amazement, The Pathway of the Broken Heart, and The Pathway of Wisdom. This Sunday we'll be talking about The Pathway to Pardon. If you've missed anything, you can listen to the messages and read the notes at www.newlife4kokomo.org.

Here's a little window from last Sunday's message from Luke 7:18-35 - We found that an unbiased investigation into the claims of Christ will result in Divine wisdom.

John the Baptist had proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah (Deliverer) that had been promised in the Old Testament. Then, John was thrown into jail, Jesus was NOT physically overthrowing the Roman Empire, and John was a little ... bothered by all this. He was discouraged. He was questioning whether or not Jesus was even "the guy".

To be honest - I've been there. We shouldn't be afraid to ask questions. We shouldn't be afraid or put off by those who ask questions. The fact is, most of us don't believe what we believe because we've studied it for ourselves - we believe it because someone told us. There have been times when I've reviewed my beliefs against the Word of God and found out that I needed to change my beliefs! Other times, my beliefs were only strengthened by the study. So, don't be afraid to ask questions, review the situation, review where you stand, and study according to the Bible - and don't be afraid of those who question everything! That's the way we learn and grow. John did!

Examine the evidence. Read Josh McDowell's "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" - Read Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ". When Lee started studying, he was a lawyer that did not believe the Bible was true. But as he conducted his thorough investigation, he came to the same conclusion as Luke. There is too much that is verified empirically for it not to be true. So, he became a believer and now helps many people understand the Truth.

Listen to the answer - Jesus responded to John's questions by letting him know that everything was running on schedule. God's plan is not always our plan - and we need to realize that sometimes we have to accept the fact that because God is doing things in a way other than what we expected, it does not put His "Godhood" (Divinity) into doubt.

And - look at the message of people's lives. Jesus then turned to the crowd and praised John. He did not rebuke him for his doubts or questions. Jesus said John was a great man - and he said that we could all achieve the same greatness as well!

There were positive and negative responses to this interchange. It is up to us how we respond. No one can force us to respond in a certain way. God leaves the choice up to us what we will believe. I see the proof of wisdom in the claims of Scripture.

I choose to believe. And my belief is not a "leap of faith" that is not based in facts. My belief is not based on feelings. God is not God because I feel Him emotionally at certain times. My belief is based on historical facts presented in a clear, understandable way. The only thing that makes it beyond belief is denying the evidence of the witnesses.

What will your response be?

Endurance

2011-06-14T12:33:00.002-04:00

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment." - The Apostle Paul in Romans 5:3-5

Endurance - an important principle. In high school I ran distance cross country, track & road races. I learned that an excited sprint will not last the long race. In one race, our opposing team had planned to have one of their best runners start the race in a dead sprint, trying to draw out team into a sprint as well. They figured that when we all reached the point of exhaustion so that we could no longer keep up the pace, then their other runners would pass us and they would win the race. We did not take the bait.

I remember times when my sides hurt so bad I was almost doubled over in pain. I remember leg cramps in the middle of the night. I remember foot pain and blisters and losing toenails. I remember headaches and nausea. Through all of that, you kept running until the race was finished.

I'm sure this is why the Apostle Paul often compared both living the Christian life and his experiences in ministry to a race. Statisticians often tell us of the number of people who are leaving the ministry - I've heard 1400 per month for many years now. Sometimes life is hard - sometimes ministry is very hard. Sometimes we fail to see that in spite of many difficulties we face, that we are truly blessed. But that blindness in our vision, the blindness caused by difficulties that makes us not realize our blessings, is enough to make us quit - quit ministry, quit family, quit living joyfully and hopefully, and some even quit life.

I'm committed to endurance. I'm committed to finishing the race - of life and ministry. This means that I won't always be sprinting. I won't always be in the lead. I won't always be "amazing". But - I'm going to finish! "There's a race that I must run - there are victories to be won - give me power, every hour, to be true."

There are times I must slow down - there are times I must back off - so that I can have the strength that is needed at crucial times. The distance race can't be run in a sprint - and those who "burn out" in ministry often do so because they are so zealous they never took time to slow their pace and recover for a later part of the race. There are times when those around them who are very well meaning are cheering them on to the point of exhaustion, rather than encouraging them to pace themselves.

Whatever is going on in your life or ministry, remember to pace yourself. You can't always sprint. Lay back a little - there is more to be run -

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need." - The Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:11

"May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ." - The Apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 3:5

"But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured." - The Apostle Paul in 2nd Timothy 3:10-11

"Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." - Hebrews 10:36

Fasting & Faithfulness Leads to ... Fighting?

2011-05-11T11:36:00.002-04:00

Good Christians should never fight – Really?

Jesus got in a lot of quarrels! Some of them turned violent – such as the one in Luke 4:14-30.

Jesus Himself never responded violently … but His faithfulness led to conflict –

The Apostle Paul said in Colossians 1:29 - To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

And another apostle, Jude wrote - Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that the Lord has once for all entrusted to us, his people (Jude 3).

Some people love conflict and love to start conflicts. That's not me. I don’t like conflict …

Yet, Paul wrote in 1st Timothy 6:12 - Fight the good fight for the true faith…

And - 2nd Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

We must be filled and faithful to be prepared for the fight!

How does this happen?

1. FASTING LEADS TO FILLING

Luke 4:14 - Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power…

Where is He coming from? He's coming off a 40 day fast, after which He went through a serious period of personal temptation.

If you have wanted more power – more filling with the Holy Spirit … have you fasted?

Jesus fasted and was filled –

2. FAITHFUL TEACHING LEADS TO FAME

Luke 4:14-15 - Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

There are, of course, those who get famous and they are not faithful teachers –

There are many teachers who are faithful and they never receive fame…

But – in Jesus’ case – for God’s purposes – He began to become very well-known because of His teaching – and this was mentioned because it is a contrast to what is getting ready to happen in His own hometown – the place where He was raised –

3. A FULFILLED SCRIPTURE LEADS TO A FIGHT

He reads a familiar prophecy

Luke 4:16-19 - When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”

He was reading from Isaiah 61 – The audience recognized it – this was a culture of people who knew their Scriptures – There was a teaching system which ingrained God’s Word in them from the time when they were young –

They didn’t always understand it fully – they didn’t always know how to apply it to their lives – but they knew God had a plan for them as a people – and that part of that plan involved sending a Deliverer – they were praying for that Deliverer – they were expecting that Deliverer –

They just weren’t expecting Him to be the boy down the street!

Jesus claims to fulfill the prophecy

Luke 4:20-22 - He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
22Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Can you imagine what happened there that day –

All eyes fixed upon Him –

He must have been a great reader! But – there was another presence in the room – remember, He was filled with the Holy Spirit –

They didn’t recognize this – a holy hush fell on the place –

And – after a great pause … with every eye on Him – Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of the Messianic Scripture! He claims to be their long-awaited Deliverer!

Shouldn't there have been shouts of praise? Hurrah! Jesus is here! Our own local boy is going to be the quarterback of the team!

But there wasn't. It was more like – Who does He think He is? Is He crazy? He’s just Joseph’s son!

Jesus explains a pattern of rejection

Luke 4:23-27 - Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
25“Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”

Bottom line here: Israel rejected God – so God sent His prophets elsewhere –

Nazareth is now rejecting Jesus – He is not surprised –

It seems Nazareth believes its own bad press – “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

The people’s resistance grew even stronger

Luke 4:28-30 - When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.

Who’s crazy now? They’re trying to kill Him!

Maybe they think they are being zealous for the Word of God – but if they would have just thought a little more –

“Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” “Why yes, I remember when he was born … wait a minute … where He was born …” Bethlehem - according to the prophecy!

“I remember those stories that were told when they finally returned home – they were gone in Egypt for a couple of years – do you remember the stories Joseph told?" - Fulfillment of another prophecy.

No – their expectations exceeded their understanding – comprehension – discernment –

Do our expectations get in the way?

How do you read Scripture?

This is why verse by verse teaching through the Bible helps us to understand the Bible better.

If we think of a subject – we’re likely to find a Scripture to back it up –

How about just looking at a complete book of the Bible thoroughly and asking the Holy Spirit what He is saying? If you're reading a novel, you don't read a few lines from chapter 2, then a few lines from chapter 6, then a few lines from chapter 1. You would never understand the message. Yet, that's how much read and teach from the Bible!

They missed it – got way off track –

We must be filled and faithful to be prepared for the fight!

We need to fast and be filled –
We need to be faithful teachers of the Message – the Word of God – not our own ideas – or our own thoughtful answers to difficult questions
We need to realize that being true to the Scriptures can lead to conflict.

Don’t be like the people in Nazareth – don’t reject – accept –

Accept the Good News!

How Necessary is it for us to believe that Jesus' mother was truly a virgin?

2011-05-05T09:25:00.002-04:00

That's a long title for a blog - but if something is too long to be a facebook status, then you make it a blog.

I'm reading a book called "The Good News We Almost Forgot" by Kevin DeYoung. The subtitle is "Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism". My brother, Jim Blankenship (Ph.D. in Early Christian Origins from the University of Pennsylvania; professor at John Brown University), has often stated that people in our church (including our pastors and leaders) often think of the "Early Church Fathers" as those who started our denomination in the early 20th Century, and our understanding of church history only goes back 100 years and mostly only encompasses our particular stream of the universal and historic Body of Christ. (He's right!)

We have a lot to learn from the 2000 year history of the church. In addition to the book I'm reading, I would also suggest "God and His People" by Jim Garlow. But, getting back to my current read, it is a study of the Heidelberg Catechism, which is a summary teaching of the historic, orthodox (small "o" - not limited) Christian belief written by a team of theology professors and pastors, first published in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1563. In the intro, Jerry Bridges states, "A catechism is never out-of-date as it seeks to teach us the eternal truths of Scripture. And a catechism is not a man-made add-on to the Bible; it's instruction in good theology derived from the Scriptures."

Most of our modern church leaders, regardless of affiliation, have done a woefully terrible job of really teaching the Bible to people, as we have become caught up in the ministry of exhortation - which can be good - as long as making people "feel good" is the goal - and you accomplish that goal - but when people stop feeling good - then all you can do is keep exhorting them that they will feel better ... really ... one day ... God wants them to ... so - here's all the ways God wants you to be better and have better things ... Then we get ideas about what to preach or teach - and look for Scriptures to back up what we want to say. Come on, that's not really preaching and teaching the Bible (God's Word).

So - I have already highlighted a lot from this book - and as I've been highlighting and reading I've been thinking of the current Rob Bell controversy. I checked - this book was written before Rob Bell's most recent tome (fancy word for book - are you impressed?).

Well, I just read something that deserves more than a highlight. I put this out for information. DeYoung is writing about a portion of the Catechism reinforcing the historic Christian teaching of the virgin birth of Christ. He says, "one pastor has argued, in what has become a very well-known passage, that the virgin birth may not be all that essential. 'What if Jesus had an earthly father named Larry?' he asks. What if the virgin birth was thrown in to appeal to the followers of Mithra and Dionysian religious cults? What if the word for virgin referred to a woman who became pregnant the first time she had intercourse? He suggests that none of this would be catastrophic to the Christian faith. 'What if that spring [the virgin birth] was seriously questioned? Could a person keep jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live?'"

I wondered who this pastor could be - so I looked up the footnote at the back of the book. It is Rob Bell, and the quotes are from his first book, "Velvet Elvis."

Now, if your understanding of Christianity and it's teachings only goes back a few years, or even just 100 years, you may not having many alarm bells go off. If you're just interested in "peace & love and getting along with everyone" - then you may not have a problem with what he is saying. But think about this -

- What if Jesus had a father named Larry? (Silly - but this is in direct opposition to the Bible - is the Bible God's Word or not? Rob Bell doesn't seem sure - he certainly makes me unsure as to whether or not he believes the Bible is God's revealed, infallible truth - and when you question that, well, I guess we can just decide to believe anything we want to).
- What if the virgin birth was "thrown in" to appeal to those of pagan beliefs? Is he implying that the Biblical authors lied? That they made up the story? Again - this is directly questioning the authority of God's Word - once we do this, we can go anywhere with our thinking! I know we can disagree about interpretation - we can disagree about meaning - but this is not a question of disagreeing about interpretation or meaning - this is saying that the Bible is not God's Word. He is suggesting that it is possible that the author's of the Bible made something up just to appeal to a certain group. (Maybe he believes the DaVinci Code is legitimate also!?!)
- What if the virgin birth is not true? Is the way of Jesus still the best way to live? Yes - the way of Jesus is still the best way to live. But living the way of Jesus does not assure heaven, or eternal life (according to the Bible, if you take it to be God's Word) - you must be "born again". You can't just decide to live like Jesus taught, your old life must spiritually die and a new life must spiritually be born. There has to be a regeneration from Someone that is Divine - and if Jesus wasn't born of a virgin, then he's just another human and can really do us no good.

Come on, give me a break - a father named Larry? Virgin birth doesn't matter? It's a shame this guy is influential - because his influence is obviously dangerous to the historic faith - and has been for a long time. I don't like conflict - so I've ignored this for a while - that was probably a mistake on my part. Paul told us, in what I believe to be the Word of God, that we must contend for the faith. I don't really enjoy that - but as I am getting in touch with historic Christianity, my soul is stirred, renewed, filled with the Spirit. I would encourage everyone to read and study any pastor, author, or teacher today, against the backdrop of what Christian leaders have been saying for 2000 years. These arguments are not new - they've been around awhile - and knocked down before.

Bottom line - Rob Bell's teaching is not in agreement with historic Christian faith - and not just part of it - much of it - and that is dangerous - eternally dangerous - what we believe is essential to who we are - and what we will become - in the next life - unless you believe that you can believe anything and are not sure if the Bible is really a true message revealed from God.

And, on a not so related note - this is a more important issue than what I think of whether or not the U.S. Government should have killed someone, or how I feel about that, or whether or not we should see the pictures.

A father named Larry? Really? It's kind of offensive to me that he's saying to Jesus, "Who Your Daddy?" Sola Scriptura - Sola Fide - Sola Christus - Sola Gratia - Sola Deo Gloria - "I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture…I cannot and will not retract…Here I stand, I can do no other. So help me God, Amen.” – Martin Luther

Need a Therapist?

2011-04-07T15:55:00.002-04:00

Today my daughter was a therapist and her prof was the client - it was a role playing exercise. You can imagine how that might be. I remember in a lifeguard class trying to save our coach/instructor. He fought back hard! I can only imagine the curves the prof tried to throw at her.

Later in the day, he sent her this email:

"I just wanted to give you some feedback. Your skill level has significantly increased from when you first started the semester and now. You were very good today! I hope that you can also see this as well. Keep up the good work!"

Wow - I praise God for His call on my kids lives and for continuing to bless them with the increased skills to do what He is calling them and leading them to do!

Keep praying for your kids! Pray that God leads them and gives them all they need to do what He is leading them to do!

Learning to Love

2011-03-31T10:36:00.002-04:00

An old Morris Chapman song says, "You are so easy to love."

Of course, he is singing to Jesus, not to his spouse! Loving Jesus is often a lot easier than loving our spouse! Our spouse is actually physically present in the house, and seems to irritate us a lot more often than Jesus!

Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III wrote, "Marriage requires a radical commitment to love our spouses as they are, while longing for them to become what they are not yet. Every marriage moves either toward enhancing one another's glory or toward degrading each other."

Katherine Anne Porter wrote, "Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it. Hate needs no instruction, but waits only to be provoked."

And in his book "Sacred Marriage," Gary Thomas really challenges us by saying this:

"One of the cruelest and most self-condemning remarks I've ever heard is the one that men often use when they leave their wives for another woman: 'The truth is, I've never loved you.' This is meant to be an attack on the wife - saying in effect, 'The truth is, I've never found you lovable.' But put in a Christian context, it's a confession of the man's utter failure to be a Christian. If he hasn't loved his wife, it is not his wife's fault, but his. Jesus calls us to love even the unlovable - even our enemies! - so a man who says, 'I've never loved you' is a man who is saying essentially this: 'I've never acted like a Christian.'"

I think that applies to both men and women. And while that may be some tough stuff to digest, the logic is inescapable, if you accept the Bible as truth.

If as Christians, we are called to love our enemies, but we can't even love our spouses, how can we say we are acting as a Christian toward them? Did you get married thinking you already loved and expected this person to just make your life better and better and better? Do your expectations go only one way? Is it all about you and your happiness? What about marriage being a process where our love is far from complete when we begin, and through the trials and difficulties that every marriage faces, we are forced to learn to apply the principles of love that Jesus taught? - And as we learn to love our spouse through difficulties (not dependent upon vacillating, unreliable emotional feelings), then we actually learn how to love others more as well and become the people of giving to this world that Jesus really wants us to become? If we give up on loving our spouse, how can we be the people that Jesus wants us to be?

Don't accept this as a condemnation for the past, but as a challenge for the present and the future.

Marriage is not simply a result of love - but a process designed by God to teach us how to love.

Marriage as a Picture of the Ultimate Reconciliation

2011-03-22T15:20:00.002-04:00

In chapter two of his book "Sacred Marriage," Gary Thomas discusses how marriage has been given to us by God to teach us truths about God. Ultimately, the great message is that God has chosen and desires to be reconciled with humanity as a whole (a humanity that has fallen away from Him), and made that reconciliation possible through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God Himself who came as a human, died on the cross to pay for our sins, and rose from the dead.

How does marriage illustrate this reconciliation? Gary's words:

"In a [self]-centered view, we will maintain our marriage as long as our earthly comforts, desires, and expectations are met. In a God-centered, view, we preserve our marriage because it brings glory to God and points a sinful world to a reconciling Creator.

"More than seeing marriage as a mutual comfort, we must see it as a word picture of the most important news humans have ever received - that there is a divine relationship between God and his people...

"...we cannot discuss with any integrity the ending of 'a relation of enmity' and the dawning of 'peace and goodwill' if our marriages are marked by divorce, fighting, and animosity. Everything I am to say and do in my life is to be supportive of this gospel ministry of reconciliation, and that commitment begins by displaying reconciliation in my personal relationships, especially in my marriage.

"If my marriage contradicts my message, I have sabotaged the goal of my life: to be pleasing to Christ and to faithfully fulfill the ministry of reconciliation... the good news that we can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. If my 'driving force' is as Paul says it should be, I will work to construct a marriage that enhances this ministry of reconciliation - a marriage that, in fact, incarnates this truth ... building a relationship that models forgiveness, selfless love, and sacrifice.

"The last picture I want to give the world is that I have decided to stop loving someone and that I refuse to serve this person anymore, or that I have failed to fulfill a promise I made many years before."

Jesus The Forgiver

2011-02-28T15:18:00.002-05:00

I recently started reading a book that was given to me at a conference last year. The title of the book is "Your Jesus is Too Safe" by Jared C. Wilson. The subtitle is "Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior".

He starts the introduction of his book by repeating the all-important question that Jesus asked His own personal followers - "Who do you say that I am?" The answers to this question are many. He says, "the church itself is guilty when it comes to the marketing of Jesus. We've put our own gloss on him, our own spin. It's no wonder the world doesn't get Jesus, because we've spent decades selling a Jesus cast in our own image."

The author tries to define the real Jesus, according to the Bible (which we know is always subject to interpretation by so many - thus it is a good idea to learn how to interpret - I would suggest the books, "Playing with Fire" by Walt Russell, and "Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind" by Tremper Longman III). The first few chapters are called "Jesus the Promise" - "Jesus the Prophet" - "Jesus the Forgiver".

The issue of forgiveness is always a tough one. We are unwilling to forgive others - there are those whom we feel need to forgive us - and even though Christ promises to forgive us, we often don't believe it or can't forgive ourselves.

I've been through a lot of experiences with this issue of forgiveness, from just about every angle - and it can sometimes be painful. Here are some lines that stood out to me from this chapter:

"Please note the differences between these two states - forgiveness and reconciliation - because the confusion of them has been cause for some to justify their unwillingness to forgive or repent. Forgiveness and repentance are attitudes and actions done by individuals; reconciliation requires two willing hearts. But one willing heart can forgive, and if you're a Christian, your heart should forgive, whether the other person has repented or not.

"Just to hammer this point in more strongly, the moment you make your granting of forgiveness contingent on another person's attitude or worthiness, you're slapping God in the face. Again, this is why: you yourself are not worthy of God's forgiveness. You can never deserve it. You aren't good enough or smart enough - and doggone it, God didn't grant you forgiveness because you're likeable. He did it because he loves you and because grace is the way he shows it.

"So forgive others because you've been forgiven, regardless of the condition or attitude of the person you're forgiving. We love, not because everyone's so lovable, but because God first love us."

These lines stood out as so powerful to me - because of experiences I have had which are way too personal to share here. I believe these lines to be truth. Forgiveness can and must be done by one, regardless of the other person's position. Reconciliation requires two - but forgiveness cannot and should not be contingent upon the other person's actions. Even if they don't repent and don't change. We are required to forgive. It doesn't mean we put ourselves in the position of being hurt again - and again, we are not responsible for reconciliation if they don't participate - but forgiveness is not contingent ...

Often it is appropriate for us to say to God what Elijah said to Elisha - "You have asked a hard thing." But what God asks of us is certainly no harder than what He did for us ... Think about it.

Christ’s Gifts … Working Together

2011-02-28T15:07:00.000-05:00

This past year was my seventh year as Lead Pastor at New Life Church in Kokomo, Indiana. What a tremendous privilege and honor it has been and continues to be for me to serve in leadership of this church family that gave so much to me both in the foundational years of my life and in my earlier ministries.

When I began in this role in January of 2004, I laid out a philosophy of ministry according to Ephesians 4:11-13:

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

In addition to our ongoing Services (times of Worship & Word together) and Missions (our efforts to spread the Good News of Jesus around the world), we immediately implemented a “Free Market” Small Group ministry which opened the door for a vast amount of creativity and gifts to be used throughout our church family. In 2008 we began the Upward Sports Ministry at New Life Church. This ministry has been the most successful in which I have ever been involved in terms of connecting unchurched families to the church.

This past year we implemented the Alpha Course, a 10-week study of Christianity for seekers and newcomers to the church and to the faith.

In 2010 I preached a series of messages entitled, “The Method of New Life.” We know what our Mission is – The Mission of New Life Church is to help people TURN THE CORNER to New Life in Jesus, to help them TOUCH THE FATHER in worship, and TEAM WITH ONE ANOTHER in healthy relationships.

Our Method – Services, Small Groups, Upward, Alpha & Missions – is how we accomplish our Mission.

When I began ministry here in 2004 I stated that all of Christ’s gifts to the Church listed above needed to be operating in every local church in order for the church family to experience the spiritual health that Paul said we could have – “unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son… mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

Now I want you to see how this all fits together with the gifts Christ gave to the Church listed in the Scripture above. The Method of New Life is being driven by Christ’s gifts to our church family!

APOSTLES – Missions
PROPHETS – Services
EVANGELISTS – Upward
PASTORS – Small Groups
TEACHERS – Alpha

These gifts are not limited to these ministries. Apostolic ministry takes place as the Good News goes to new places (Missions), but also as gifts and ministries are structured for their most effective use in our own church family. Prophetic ministry takes place as the Word of God is proclaimed in our Services, but also as Words from the Lord are shared in Small Groups. Evangelistic ministry takes place in all 5 aspects of our Method: Services, Small Groups, Upward, Alpha & Missions. Pastoral ministry takes place with the teaching in our Services, but also through Pastoral Care being given by Small Group Leaders. Teaching ministry takes place not only in the Alpha Course, but also through Small Groups, Services, and even Upward.

But the bottom line is that the Method we have employed to fulfill our Mission is driven by Christ’s gifts to the Church. We see all five of these gifts functioning in and through the ministry of New Life Church! This is why we are experiencing both health and growth. Let us continue to walk together and work together with the Lord, just as the early apostles (“and the Lord worked with them” – Mark 16:20) and we will continue to see people Turning the Corner, Touching the Father, and Teaming with One Another through the ministry of New Life Church!

What To Do When You're Overwhelmed

2011-02-08T13:44:00.002-05:00

What do you do when you're overwhelmed? It happens to all of us.

I learned some lessons from Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Certainly she was overwhelmed when she was told she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Luke 1:39-56 tells us how she responded -

1. Run Away to a Secret Place

Luke 1:39-40 - A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.

I did this a few years ago. I left our church on a Sunday morning BEFORE service. A variety of stresses had just become too overwhelming and I "had to get away"! I could have done an airplane commercial!

Psalm 61:1-4 - O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer!
From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

Bob Sorge, in Secrets of the Secret Place wrote, "One of the best kept secrets of our faith is the blessedness and joy of cultivating a secret life with God…this present world system is … designed to squeeze out your time and energy …"

RUN AWAY TO A SECRET PLACE

2. Receive the Holy Spirit

Luke 1:41 - At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

God has made His power available to us!

3. Recognize God's Blessings

Luke 1:42-44 - Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.

Get away from the situation – even if for only a few minutes – shut yourself in the bathroom if you have to – and count your blessings! Think of all the good things in your life and all God has done for you and given you!

4. Receive Encouragement from Others

Elizabeth said to Mary:

Luke 1:45 - You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Don’t shut others out! Run to them! Let the church family be part of the process of helping you through the overwhelming situation!

5. Rejoice! Praise God for His Blessings!

Luke 1:46-56 - Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

St. Augustine said, "They that are godly are oppressed and vexed in the church or congregation for this purpose: that when they are pressed, they should cry; and when they cry, that they should be heard; and when they are heard, that they should laud and praise God."

A 20-Year-Old Miracle

2011-01-24T21:02:00.004-05:00

Twenty years ago, January 25, 1991, in Manila, Philippines, a miracle occurred. My wife was 11 days past her due date for our first child. We had arrived in the Philippines as missionaries in time for our first wedding anniversary and nine months later we were expecting the birth of our first child. But Sharon never went into labor. Sharon had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and the doctor was becoming concerned. She indicated that the amniotic fluid might be running low. She did not want to perform a Cesarean section. She did not want to induce labor. That could be dangerous with little fluid. She told us to come back on Saturday.

It was Friday afternoon and Sharon and I were resting - not unusual in the daily 100 degree 100 percent humidity of Manila. About 4:30 in the afternoon the phone rang. I answered and it was Doctora Mildred Pareja, pictured above. She said, "Are you coming in today?" I said, "No. You told us to come in tomorrow." She said, "I think you should come in tonight."

What made her say that? Doctora Pareja was a Christian woman. She was a person of prayer who believed in God. Something - or Someone - nudged her to call us that day. We prepared quickly for any occurrence and headed to the hospital, along with both of our mothers who had made the trip half-way around the world for this event. When we arrived a test was run on Sharon and Doctora Pareja decided that a C-section was needed. We are in a third-world country. My mother said that the hospital, while one of the nicest in the Philippines, was more like something out of 1940's America. Here we were, heading into a Friday evening, and my wife is having an emergency C-section delivery of our first child. We had made the decision not to know the gender until the birth.

There is no question I began to pray. We had great confidence in Doctora Pareja, but were concerned nonetheless. Fortunately, I was still able to be with Sharon, and at 9:53 p.m. Manila time, Anna Mae Elizabeth Blankenship came into the world covered in her mother's blood. Shortly thereafter I was in a hallway. Doctora Pareja came out to tell me how Anna and Sharon were doing. She let me know that there was a mark on Anna's head, around her left eye. She thought it was a birthmark, but indicated that it could have possibly been caused by the forceps used to take her out (it turned out to be the former). She also said, "It's a good thing we took the baby when we did - THERE WAS NO AMNIOTIC FLUID LEFT." I knew then that it was the Spirit of God that had nudged Doctora Pareja to call us that afternoon. I knew that it was because of His leading that she could not wait until Saturday. If she had not called, and we had not gone in when we did, Anna would not be with us as she is today.

Sharon was wheeled out into a hallway where she spent the night. I guess that was the Philippines version of a recovery room. She remembers very little. Sharon and Anna were in the hospital together for 5 days and the little white China doll baby was certainly the popular one in the hospital - all the Filipino nurses making excuses to come by and see the baby - "Look at her skin - so white!" See, in America we spend all kinds of money to make our skin darker, while those in the Philippines waste theirs on bleaches to try to make their skin whiter. We just can't be satisfied can we?

After 5 days we were home for 5 days. But in that time, Anna lost 20% of her birth weight. She was not eating properly. She was receiving no nourishment. This was very discouraging and even frightening to us. The pediatrician simply wanted us to supplement mother's milk with a different kind of formula. But in a post-natal check that Sharon had with Doctora Pareja, Sharon asked, "Can you take a look at the baby?" Doctora Pareja said, "Of course!" Immediately she called the pediatrician on the phone and said, "Admit this baby to the hospital immediately!" So, back we went to Cardinal Santos Hospital in San Juan, Metro Manila, and Anna was back in the hospital for another 5 days. Her skin was hanging from her baby skeleton body. She had contracted a staph infection. Twice in her first two weeks of life the Lord used Doctora Pareja to save Anna's life.

How grateful we are to God! And how grateful we are that Anna loves the Lord with all of her heart - without shame - and God is going to use her life to benefit many for Him! I'm preparing a message right now on the Biblical "Anna" of Luke 2 - her name means "Favored". We were favored by our Lord with Anna - and she has been favored of the Lord throughout her life because she has yielded her life to Him.

Twenty years ago - January 25, 1991 - God performed one of His awesome miracles for us! It's not a problem for Him! He loves us - and nothing is too hard for the Lord!

Great at Evangelism but Lousy at Discipleship? Really?

2011-01-17T16:27:00.003-05:00

This is my blog - www.RandyBlankenship.blogspot.com - and I have the blog automatically post to my facebook as a note - so, not everyone who reads this on facebook will relate - but I recently read another article that indicates that "we" (I believe the author was speaking more directly to pastors/preachers than to Christians in general) do a great job of presenting the Gospel (Good News of Jesus) so as to see people converted to Christianity, but then we do a bad job of teaching them how to grow in their faith so that ultimately many who have accepted Christ fall away.

I have read and heard this accusation for years - various statistics are used to back it up. Are we really doing a great job of helping people come to know Jesus and follow Him - and are there so many falling away because we are not doing a good job teaching them to grow in that faith? If a person really came to know Jesus - really came to know Him - would it be that easy for so many to walk away from a relationship with Him?

Now, I know this could lead to a huge theological debate that has raged for centuries about whether or not anyone can "fall away" after they have come to faith in Christ. That is not the argument I am wanting to start here. My theology is that people don't "lose" their "salvation" like they lose a pair of glasses - but my child could decide to disinherit himself from me (not that he would lose that much materially). Very few children do this. Most children stay related to the people they were born and raised with.

But, back to the accusation and quandary - are we really doing such a great job bringing people into a relationship with Christ? Why the high numbers of people who say they are "converting" (or the high numbers that pastors and churches seem to be reporting) - and the lower numbers of those who seem to be following through on that faith relationship? I don't think we (preachers/teachers/pastors/the church in general) are doing a great job of presenting the Gospel (Good News) for salvation. I think we're not even preaching/teaching the whole Gospel. We often just preach the "good parts" - like a salesman who knows there may be some hardships with his product, but he doesn't want to tell the potential buyer. When the buyer learns there is some trouble that comes with the product - then there is trouble! So, we only emphasize the good parts - the blessings - we don't talk about the sacrifice - about giving up your life and your "rights" and what you "deserve" to accept the grace of God (grace would imply that we recognize we don't deserve anything).

No, I don't agree that we are doing a good job at "evangelizing" - and I don't accept the guilt that comes with the accusation that we are doing a lousy job at following up on those who start a real relationship with Jesus Christ. I don't accept the numbers of those supposedly "falling away". No, the number I don't accept is the number of conversions that are reported! Not every supposed conversion is genuine. (Keep in mind, I'm not the one who decides on the individual salvation issues - I'm talking about general statistics here - God has reserved for Himself the right to decide who really is connected to Him and I have no desire to vainly attempt to circumvent His authority there.)

I think Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., stated it pretty good in his book, "Nine Marks of a Healthy Church". He said, "The lack of spiritual growth in people who call themselves Christians is often an evidence that they have been wrongly evangelized. We have taught people who are not Christians to think of themselves as though they are...

"...it is not our duty to convert anyone but simply to faithfully tell the news. There is a wonderful freedom in that. I don't have to feel that I have to answer every person's every question. I just have to tell them the truth about Jesus, and love them and pray for them. I'm called simply to be faithful in the message, and that brings a wonderful freedom. As I more fully understand God's work in regeneration, it encourages me to trust God."

I guess I get frustrated when those who seem to be well-meaning in their attempts to encourage us are really just pouring on more guilt. We are told we're doing a lousy job in a certain area. Hey - you don't need to tell me that! I know I'm doing a lousy job - in more than one area! But don't attempt to heap even more guilt on me - that doesn't motivate me - especially when the premise of your argument is so faulty to begin with it's like trying to float a boat full of holes!

Just some thoughts - where are we really failing - at evangelism - or at discipleship - and if our real call is to simply and faithfully share the Good News as best we can, and continually try to improve upon that - are we really failing at all? Are any of these results really up to us? Doesn't the Sovereignty of God and the individual's freedom to accept or reject have more to do with the results than our performance?

The Dope on Doubt

2011-01-16T20:57:00.003-05:00

The story of the angel Gabriel coming to Zechariah to tell him that he and his too-old wife, Elizabeth, are going to have a son and that the son will be John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is a story of doubt (Luke 1:5-25). Zechariah doubts the Word of God even though it is delivered by a phenomenal appearance of the angel Gabriel, coming straight from the presence of God to tell him this good news. What does this teach us about our doubts? For all who struggle with doubts - even the greatest of God's servants can be paralyzed by fear and doubt.

- Righteous is not a cure for doubt (verses 5-7)
- Involvement in ministry is not a cure for doubt (verses 8-10)
- A vision from an angel is not a cure for doubt (verses 11-13
- A supernatural revelation is not a cure for doubt (verses 13-17)
- A desire for tangible proof feeds the temptation of doubt (verses 18-20)
- The persistence of doubt will bring faith paralysis (verses 21-22)

BUT - the initial doubt does not always mean that God denies the promise! (verses 23-25) -

- "How kind the Lord is!"

Wagon Train - heading to a New Life

2011-01-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday - January 1, 2011 - an old Western channel on television was showing old reruns all day of a 1950's show called "Wagon Train". It starred Ward Bond as the head of the Wagon Train. He co-starred in a lot of John Wayne movies. I watched a couple of the shows. It was fun. One character in one of the shows summed up the entire idea of the folks who travelled to America's untamed West in those days. He said, "I'm heading for a new life." I couldn't help but think of the name of our church family and our purpose. We are heading to a New Life - not just a church - but a life that God has planned for us. It doesn't just begin later, in eternity, it begins now.

Do you need a new life? Not a trip West - not a big move or change of location - not just church involvement in a particular church, even ours - but do you need a new life? There is opportunity for new life and new beginning when we give everything we have to Christ, surrender our lives completely to Him, believe completely what the Bible says about Him, and begin to use that Book as a guide to a daily, living, real relationship with the living person of Jesus Christ.

I love the new life! I don't have to go West in a wagon train for it! I don't have to move to Florida for it! I simply have to walk with Christ as my guide!

Many blessings!

Day 10 - Walk for Joy - Complete

2010-10-29T21:36:00.002-04:00

The Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of them that bring good news..." Well, I haven't studied the original language, but I wonder if "beautiful" means "colorful" - because boy are my feet sure colorful right now!

But what a privilege! What a privilege to be able to serve such great missionaries like Gary & Lori Ellison. Gary was concerned that we were doing too much for him - in part because we are related. But to me, our relationship verifies even more the confidence I have in their ministry. I have known him my entire life. I was a groomsman at their wedding. I have watched and admired his ministry from up close for so many years. I know their integrity, their honesty, their ethics, their commitment to the Gospel. Gary & Lori are not in this for themselves. Gary is a scholar and could be a professor with a comfortable position at any number of institutions of higher learning here in America. Lori is a gifted artist, writer and publisher. There are many other things that this extremely intelligent and gifted couple are capable of doing other than spending their lives on a mostly forgotten and unknown rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean - but they do it because of the call.

On the way to South Bend today - on the final leg of the journey (although I still have two legs) - I was interviewed for a local South Bend newscast. I was asked, "Is this the ultimate call?" I said, "Walking across the state? No! The ultimate call is the call of Christ to go into all the world and proclaim the good news about Him to every person. To tell everyone, everywhere what Jesus Christ has done for them. That is the ultimate call." That is what Gary and Lori are fulfilling. How do they do that? How will they reach even the people on 86 islands that make up the nation of Vanuatu? They can't get to all the islands themselves. They do it by training pastors at the Joy Bible Institute. Then those pastors will go to the islands and the people will hear the Good News! They need this classroom building. I am so thankful for everyone who has given - the Walk For Joy to date is closing in on receiving $20,000. But we still need $60,000 to complete the building (http://www.bit.ly/WalkForJoy). They still need $100,000 for housing for married students. Pastors come to study and leave their wives in tribal areas, very dangerous, and the wives are often attacked. This happens to at least one pastor's wife each year. For $100,000 they could purchase an excellent facility right next door to the campus so the wives could come with their husbands. And $150,000 for a mission house on campus, saving rent money for the ministry. So much to do. I believe God can do it! I am going to continue to believe that somehow hearts will be touched and these needs will be met. I may not be walking any more, but I am still going to be working for Vanuatu - and for Kokomo!

My feet aren't very beautiful, but they are in much better shape than the feet that took the nails on a hill called Calvary so long ago. He did that for me ... and for you ... I owe Him everything ... and I will continue to walk and work in joy so that others can have joy also.

Day 9 - Walk for Joy

2010-10-28T21:52:00.002-04:00

After a 2 day delay due to weather which also proved to be life-saving for my feet and ankles I was back at it today. Up just after 5 a.m. to meet Andy at the church, drive to Rochester, wait at the McDonald's until sunup, then start walking 31 north at about 7:50 and 46 degrees. The wind made it feel at least ten degrees colder and by 10 it had dropped to 42. The cold wind out of the west was steady all day, broken only by stands of trees. The pace was very quick and I was feeling very good. Dan Rayl met me for lunch in Argos, then back on my way. I arrived at my destination, 31 & 30, early. Ray Randolph was to pick me up and host me tonight. I kept walking. Probably got in an extra couple of miles at least, so tomorrow will be shorter. Praises running through my head. So thankful for all the support and encouraging words from so many. Thankful for the hospitality of the Randoplh's tonight. My doctor even called to see how I was doing ... and offered me 2 tickets for the Notre Dame game on Saturday! I've never been to an ND game in South Bend, so Dad & I will enjoy that!

One. More. Day. Nite all!

Day 8 - Walk for Joy - Burrs, State Police & Almost Done

2010-10-25T20:30:00.002-04:00

Day 8 began at 500 South in Miami County and I needed to get to Rochester. My plan was to walk on the right side of the oncoming traffic. 31 is 4-lane here, so I can still face oncoming traffic for safety but have my feet and ankles walking at a different angle. The roads are slanted for water drainage - sometimes banked steeply on curves, and walking on the far left all the time is taking its toll on the ankles and feet due to the slanting. So, on the right side I can be a little more level, or walk at a different slant, giving those muscles a break. Well, not ten minutes into the walk this morning an unmarked State Police car coming toward me pulled over. The officer rolled down his window and asked if everything was all right. I said yes, that I was walking the length of the State for charity, heading to South Bend, and that we had sent my itinerary to the State Police posts all along the way. He said that was OK, but that I should probably walk on the left side of the road where the margin is much wider (it is). He thought the margin on the right side was too narrow to be safe. I tried to explain how I was trying to give my ankles a break. He said, "Yeah, but it's safer over on the other side." Message received - I had to get over. So ... continued walking at the same slant. Painful. I did that until I was well into northern Miami County, which has a lot more north-south geography than Howard County. When I figured I was out of his jurisdiction and wouldn't see him again, I moved back over to the right side - got a little relief!

Sometimes the asphalt gets so hard I try to walk on the margin where there is gravel, grass, weeds (and burrs), because it is much softer on the feet. Later in the day today, the choice became: hurt the bottom of the feet on the asphalt, or endure the burrs and dried grass sticks sticking me in the feet and ankles. Most of the time I chose the sticking burrs in the ankles and feet!

In the middle of the day I was really tempted to quit. I know I will finish this, but I was tempted to quit for the day - the first real - and big - temptation to do that since I started. I really wasn't sure I could go much past the half way point today. Just as I was determining whether or not to quit for the day, call for a ride home, and plan how I would finish by extending the days, Dan Rayl and Paul Tobey drove up. Deneen had sent them to check on me. There was no lunch stop check point today. Only highway all the way to Rochester. (There was one potential stop, but way too early for a lunch stop.) Hmmmmm... I really thought about getting up in Dan's big truck, just coming home - but I really wasn't sure if I quit when I would start again - and I really don't want to extend this past Wednesday. So, we talked a very short time, they didn't want to slow me down (I couldn't get much slower), and I continued on.

The last few miles were very slow. I made it to the Rochester exit where Andy Neuzerling works. He picked me up - brought me home - and I'll get up way early tomorrow to ride with him back to Rochester. I'll eat at McD's and read the papers until it gets light enough to walk, then head to the Valparaiso exit. I think today was actually at least 26 miles. So, tomorrow will at least be a little shorter. We'll keep taking it one day at a time - one step at a time. We are not just believing for the completion of this walk - we are believing for the completion of the new classroom building for the Joy Bible Institute in Vanuatu. The need is greater than the pain!

Day 7 - Walk for Joy

2010-10-24T21:00:00.002-04:00

Another great day. Started out in Tipton County south of Kokomo. I had thought of walking thru New Life during the service but did not want to do it if I was going to interrupt our guest speaker, Larry Stephens, missionary to Africa. It became clear that's exactly when I would arrive at the church, but Larry thot my coming thru would enhance his message. So, a little after 11 I arrived at New Life, visited a children's class, then interrupted his message by walking right down the center aisle to the platform and gave the church family a little update. They were very gracious. As I was leaving Gary Ellison, the missionary in Vanuatu leading the Bible school that this classroom is for, joined me for the rest of the day's walk - about 14 miles. Sharon also joined us for a couple miles. That was great. Made the destination - day done - 3 days to go.

Day 6 - Walk for Joy

2010-10-23T20:41:00.002-04:00

Day 6 - Saturday - of Walk for Joy - started in Carmel with 56 degrees. I was not at all concerned about pace today - just making it. I've been going about 3 miles an hour. However, I still ended up keeping a good pace because I was joined by some friends today - they not only kept me going, but kept me going faster than I probably would have if I was by myself. One of my friends from Indy, who was a teen when I pastored there, is now a Coast Guard veteran and Tri-Athlete. Even though my pace was a little faster than I had planned, I'm sure he felt it was kind of slow. He had a friend with him also. Then at my lunch stop I was joined by my wife, her sister, and my friends Dale & Deneen Sommers and their daughter, Joy. Dale joined me for the afternoon - about 14 miles. He also kept the pace a little higher than I would have done - but that's ok.

I wrapped my left ankle with an ace bandage this morning as I have had a muscle really balling up just above the Achilles. The help it gave me was incredible! So - tomorrow I'll have Ace bandages on both feet & ankles and knee braces as well!

It's great to be at my own home tonight. Hospitality everywhere has been great - but there's no place like home! Just finished a great dinner of my wife's spaghetti!

Listen - if you've ever thought - "If someone walked the length of the state of Indiana for a great charity, I think I'd support it." - then you'd better get in on this now. Because - I'm not likely to ever pull a stunt like this again!

These missionaries are worth it - they are people of integrity. They have been faithful for many years. The school is absolutely necessary. Please check out -

http://visionforvanuatu.wordpress.com/

and

http://www.bit.ly/WalkforJoy

Day 5 - Walk for Joy

2010-10-22T20:26:00.002-04:00

Day 5 - Friday - started in Greenwood at 7:40 a.m. and 36 degrees. The walk took me thru construction in Greenwood & then thru the heart of Indianapolis. As I got to the Circle I realized Greg Garrison would be on the radio. He was the lawyer who prosecuted Mike Tyson for rape in Indianapolis. No one gave him much of a chance to win the case against Tyson's highly paid Washington, D.C. lawyers, but Garrison with cowboy boots and down home Hoosier straight talkin' convinced the jurors that Tyson was guilty and he put him away. For a while he was a legal correspondent with CBS News on the O.J. Simpson case. Mike Pence, now the 3rd ranking Republican in the congress had a local radio program. When Pence went to Washington, Garrison took over the program, but still practices law in Indy. I stopped in at the studio, told him that I was walking the length of the state for our missions project and he agreed to have a picture taken with me.

I also passed by the Indiana Governor's mansion today. I've thot on these days about Daniel Boone crossing the state of Indiana. How did he do it without $100 shoes? The asphalt gets really hard and the grass gets uneven and rough... I wonder how many miles ol' Dan'l was able to cover when Indiana was all forests and meadows?

I'm doing a good pace in the mornings - but about 2 pm or so I begin to struggle, slow down, and pray a lot! I appreciate everyone's support and prayers. as much as you pray for me, pray that God would move the hearts of people anywhere and everywhere to give so that the classroom building will be a reality. It will be 4 lane the rest of the way & I'll be looking for good surfaces to walk on.

Day 4 - Walk for Joy - Not About Me

2010-10-21T20:08:00.002-04:00

Day 4 began on the north side of Columbus - just south of the famous Edinburgh Outlet Mall at 48 degrees. The Lord has given me great weather for the trip but today was pretty windy. Also the traffic got heavier as 31 became 4 lane. This helped as I was able to move to the other side of the road, still face oncoming traffic & have my feet balance out by walking on the road slanting the opposite direction.

I am receiving fantastic support and encouragement on this journey by more people than I can name. I have been updating on facebook for those who are interested and for those who want to be sure I have not been run over by a semi - but I want to remind everyone - this trip is not about me. It's not about walking the length of the state. It's about much needed finances for the Joy Bibile Institute in Vanuatu. Did you know that the school is named for Lori Ellison's mother, Joy, who passed away while the school was being built? Lori was a child - some of her childhood friends are now pastors in Vanuatu. More need to be trained to pastor. They need a classroom building. In our economy it's hard to raise the money so I wanted to come up with a creative and realistic way to do it. Any amount will help.

Our press release was published in the Hendricks County paper and my Dad's neighbor came over and donated $50. Even a dime a mile would be great - and a $1000 a mile would be wonderful! :) Seriously - any gift will do. It's not about me or the Walk. It's about the classroom building. Together we can do it.

I walked right by the local TBN studios today and they filmed me walking and I stopped to tape a segment that will be aired tomorrow. Thanks to Mark and Ginger Crouch for their help.

Staying at my parents tonight with a hot tub & steak dinner! Tomorrow is Day 5 - after a walk thru Indy I'll be half way thru the state!

Day 3 - Walk for Joy

2010-10-20T21:21:00.002-04:00

Day 3 began in Seymour at 8:08 and 41 degrees. It wasn't very long before I was plenty warm. I took my jacket off at mid-morning instead of noon as I have the other days. About that time also I had my first offer for a ride. An older gentleman pulled his car over to the side of the road and asked where I was going. I said "South Bend." He said, "I can take you as far as Columbus." I said no - that I was walking for a missionary project. He said, "Oh, that's a good thing! That's a good thing!" It is a good thing!

Another thing about Southern Indiana - and probably lots of rural places in America - there are lots of tiny churches in these small towns. Lots of churches with just a handful of people - probably just a few families - some in the same family - LOTS of these small churches. Most probably think they are insignificant. Just tiny churches in tiny places. They'll never have tv ministries. Their pastors will never be big authors. But people's live are being changed in these small places. I have heard some of their testimonies this week - dramatically changed lives in small, forgotten, insignificant places - but not insignificant to our Lord. He loves these people as much as He loves the folks trapped in the big cities - and He's here - doing a work.

So much of missions and ministry today is focused on the big places - the big cities - and there is a need. But the Lord hasn't forgotten about the small places - the rural places - and the forgotten islands of the sea - like Vanuatu.

Day 2 - Walk for Joy

2010-10-19T19:58:00.002-04:00

Random thots from day 2 - started out just south of Scottsburg with temp at 45. Pretty brisk. 3 large - VERY large toads among the roadkill - struck me as strange - and a turtle. There is some soreness and pain today but I think of Paul and how he bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus and this does not compare. Paul said his pain did not compare with the glory that will be revealed. The eternal glory for the souls of people of the islands is why we are doing this. There is a lot of missions emphasis on the large cities of the world & rightly so - but we can't forget about the souls of those in rural and remote areas - forgotten areas - like Vanuatu. There souls were worth the price of the cross also. So we walk - with feet sore - legs sore - and spirits soaring! May His name be proclaimed in the islands of the sea! Thanks to all who are supporting. Go to the Walk for Joy facebook page - click the links and pray about supporting us. $1 per mile to train the pastors of this & the next generation for the forgotten islands of the sea!

Day 1 Walk for Joy

2010-10-18T20:41:00.002-04:00

Doing this on my phone so pls forgive errors. Started Walk for Joy today (see fb pg of same name). An effort to raise $ for Bible School classroom bldg in Vanuatu (look it up). Gary & Lori Ellison - AGWM Project #5619. New Life Church in Kokomo is giving $20,000. Gary & Lori have raised $23,000. How to get the additional $80,000 needed to build the bldg? Walking the length of Indiana from Jeffersonville to South Bend- 250 miles - 25 miles a day- get 320 people and/or churches to pledge $1 per mile ($250). So far over $15,000 is committed. Still need $65,000 more. I'm now walking for $60 per mile! Need 260 people or churches to "step up"!

Today was a good day. Great weather. Great help from friends. A great host family in Scottsburg. Tomorrow on to Seymour. Follow me on fb & Twitter!

Stickin' Yer Foot In It

2010-08-24T15:34:00.000-04:00

You’ve heard that term before. It’s usually used for making a mistake that really gets you in trouble.

Well – we’ve got so many things going on, it’s incredible!
- Gordon Hayward at New Life Church
- Auction for Vanuatu
- Improving the Encounter Café ministry
- Getting ready for our second Alpha Course
- Getting ready for our 4th Upward season
- Keeping up with the regular ministry of services and pastoral ministry, etc.
- Getting ready for fall Small Group season
- And besides that – I’m going to walk the length of the state of Indiana to raise money for the classroom building for the Joy Bible Institute in Vanuatu! 250 miles from Jeffersonville to South Bend and asking people to pledge just $1 per mile - $250 – if 320 people do that we will build the building next summer – if just 600 more pledge, we will build a house for the missionaries on campus.

Besides this, my son is entering his first year of college – 2 states away – and my daughter is beginning her second year. Life is wonderful! Opportunities are abundant! I was talking with my cousin, Gary Ellison, about all this and he quoted the late missionary Charles Greenaway – “I’ve got so many irons in the fire that if just half of them turn out all right, it’ll be incredible!”

Well, I’m not sure how all these things will work out. Sometimes we feel like if they don’t, we’ve “stuck our foot in it”! But, we have to “put feet to our prayers” – do some work, and trust the Lord for the results.

As I was walking one morning I was thinking about this and was reminded of when the people of Israel, after leaving 400 years of slavery in Egypt and spending 40 years in the desert, they were finally getting ready to go into Canaan, which the Lord had promised them for their nation. To do this they had to cross the Jordan River – no boats. The Jordan River was above flood stage. But here’s what God said – “Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’” (Joshua 3:8)

Here’s what happened: It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.
Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground. (Joshua 3:15-17).

Sometimes stickin’ yer foot in it means messing up. But sometimes, you’ve got to stick yer foot in it in order to give God an opportunity to work!

That’s what I’m going to continue to do …

Join me?

What are you Digging For?

2010-07-22T10:41:00.002-04:00

This morning I started to read Joshua Harris' book "Dug Down Deep". Many are familiar with his book on dating versus courtship, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" - or the story of how he met his wife, "Boy Meets Girl". Joshua has become the pastor of a church in Maryland and in "Dug Down Deep" he shares the story of how he moved from superficial Christianity to really longing for the deep bedrock of truth upon which lives that are built can withstand some awful storms of life. He talks about how theology and doctrine matter. What do we study? What is important to us? What do we need? What are we digging for?

He shares about how he was raised in a large church that was "seeker-sensitive" and a youth group that was always trying to "entertain" - but he confesses that he really didn't learn much about God or his ways. He is careful to take responsibility for himself and not blame the church harshly, yet he feels there could have been more ... there should have been more ... there was more ...

Some may be surprised that part of Joshua's journey took him to a charismatic church which was a great blessing to him. The church fed his soul, took him deeper, and introduced him to the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit. But then Joshua writes something that should challenge all of us - and I especially encourage Christ-followers who have had wonderful experiences with the Holy Spirit to consider his words carefully. He writes, "...over time the continual focus on looking for a fresh move of the Spirit began to wear thin. I couldn't shake the sense that something was missing... I still hadn't uncovered the value of finding and building on bedrock...
"...in some sense my focus at the [charismatic] church was on the latest spiritual experience. I had begun to measure my relationship with God in terms of emotional euphoria and encounters with the Spirit. I wanted to get knocked over or slain in the Spirit. I had merely gone from theology-lite, seeker-sensitive evangelicalism to theology-lite, experience-driven Pentecostalism."

Several paragraphs later he writes, "I didn't need to be entertained. I didn't primarily need to fall over at a prayer meeting. And I didn't need lifeless information. I need to KNOW God."

Hmmmm ... think about this. Are you constantly on the search for another "experience" - is your relationship with God based primarily on "experience". Experience matters - trust me - I know walking with God is more than head knowledge - but if you have always said that, have you become guilty of failing to realize that it is also more than just "heart knowledge". Do you realize that it is both?

Are you measuring your spirituality or the spirituality of others or the success of a church service based merely on some outward emotional response that you can see? Is that the primary goal? Or is that goal more shallow than seeing people's lives truly changed ... their daily lives ... the lives that walk in the streets, not on the church carpets ...

Hmmmmm.....

Resentment & bitterness

2010-05-27T07:59:00.002-04:00

I'm doing devotional readings from a Bible with notes called "Every Man's Bible" in the New Living Translation. The notes and readings are directed specifically toward challenges that men face. Here's what I came across this morning - I think it's a good reminder for all of us:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. - Ephesians 4:31-32

Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison. - Hebrews 12:15

Turn from your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitterness and held captive by sin. (The Apostle Peter to Simon, a sorcerer attempting to become a follower of Christ, but a little confused!) - Acts 8:22-23

A foolish child brings grief to a father and bitterness to a mother. - Proverbs 17:25

The lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But the result is as bitter as poison, sharp as a double-edged sword. - Proverbs 5:3-4

For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness ... Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong? ... Then I realized how bitter I had become, how pained I had been by all I had seen. - Psalm 73:3,13,21

Are you allowing bitterness and/or resentment to ruin what would otherwise be a joyful day - a joyful life - with joyful relationships? Let it go! Forgive! Move on! Have a great day!

Busy ... updating

2010-05-18T22:09:00.002-04:00

Been extremely busy lately and will continue for a few more weeks... getting ready to move ... prepping the new house ... packing the old house ... son is graduating ... prepping for an open house at the current (old) house ... ending my time on the school board ... lots to do ... lots to do ...

In all this, keeping up on regular duties ... family ... ministry ... rolling out a new church website ... that's really why I'm updating. There is a link to this blog from the new website ... if anyone sees the new website and wants to go to my blog, I don't want them to see that I haven't blogged in a while. This one's not too spiritual, but here I am. What do you do when you're so busy? How do you keep up on your relationship with God? Do you pray in the car? Sing in the car? Do some quick devotional reading? Do you let your relationship with God slide?

It's a challenge. In June, we're having special times on Sunday nights at 6 p.m. called "Challenging Lifestyle." That ought to apply to everyone.

If you have been to newlife4kokomo.org before, you might want to check it out again. If you bookmarked the old site or had it in your favorites list, delete that and type in the address again - then bookmark that. We've still got some work to do, but we've got a start on something that we think is much improved. Feel free to give your input.

Well, I've got to get on the treadmill before the day is over. The real treadmill that is - the one in the family room. Then tomorrow I get up and get on the other treadmill that all of us are on! Remember - don't get too busy to continue to develop your relationship with Jesus Christ!

21 Years

2010-04-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

Twenty-one years ago today I married my best friend. I am more thankful for her today than I ever have been. What a woman! She's the best! First, her godliness is her beauty! She loves Jesus like no one else! She is faithful to Him! She is faithful to prayer! She is a woman of worship! She is the kind of woman I want my daughter to be and the kind of woman I want my son to marry. She has been the best example for both of them that anyone could be!

She is the pinultimate pastor's wife! That's not just my opinion! When we left our previous pastorate, one of the deacons said, "We want a pastor who has a wife like you!" That was one of their chief criteria!

She has put up with me! She has endured my failures and shortcomings! She has endured my mess-ups and flops! She has endured days that she didn't deserve! When I have failed to be godly, she has continued to be an example of His tremendous grace and love!

Besides all of this - she's gorgeous! When I was single I remember praying, "Lord, there are so many gorgeous women in this world, surely one of them is for me!" Yes - and not only one of them - but the best of them!

Anyone who knows her loves her. Anyone who doesn't love her, doesn't really know her.

Twenty-one years ago today - the best day of my life - and today I am more thankful than ever and love her more than ever before and am more thankful to God that He showed me such marvelous grace and mercy by giving her to me! Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Sharon!

T4G - 2

2010-04-14T23:23:00.002-04:00

Second day of Together for the Gospel Conference. This is probably the most cerebral conference I've been to - and the most generous. We have already had over 30 books given to us! Not small pamphlets or booklets - deep, good books!

While I'm not agreeing with everything that is being said, these speakers are wrestling and causing us to think about deep, yet basic, issues. Mainly, justification by faith - staying true to the Gospel - the absolute key to salvation, forgiveness and being made right before God. They are not interested in the performance of preaching - they are not interested in being pulpiteers - they are not competing with one another over who can give the best delivery and get the greatest emotional response - they are simply contending for the Gospel. They are being open about what they themselves are wrestling with.

This is a "different crowd" than I usually run in... which is very good for me! It's like I've been playing on the same golf course for years ... the same holes, over and over again, and I know them so well ... This week, I'm on a whole new golf course --- I have to think about my shots ... and it's fun! Thanks to Gary Ellison for inviting me along!

T4G - 1

2010-04-13T22:44:00.003-04:00

Great first day at Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville. Check it out at www.t4g.org. Great message today from Mark Dever, R.C. Sproul, & Albert Mohler. The messages by Sproul and Mohler were especially good. The entire challenge here is to stay true to the truth of the Gospel - as it is recorded in the New Testament - not to add to it with anything that contemporary man might add - or take away from it because we might be embarrassed or it might not fit into contemporary thought. Once the messages are online, I would encourage you to listen. You will be challenged. If you listen to Sproul, be prepared to think!

In their generosity they (the leaders of the conference) have also loaded us down with gifts of books! I think they have given us almost 20 books already - one new study Bible alone sells for about $50! They tell us we will receive more (books) tomorrow.

Attending the conference with cousin and missionary Gary Ellison, and fellow pastor Troy Trout. May the Lord help us to stay true to the true Gospel, as presented in the New Testament, and not adjust it or adulterate it. When presented with the help of the Holy Spirit the truth alone will bring the right results - as nothing else can - when it is received - forgiveness and freedom from judgment.

From Mansion to Mud Hut

2010-03-16T17:56:00.000-04:00

From Mansion to Mud Hut: Tonic's Exclusive Interview with Jon Pedley

By Liz Corcoran | Tuesday, March 16, 2010 7:15 AM ET

The British businessman who is selling all his earthly possessions to move to Uganda and start a charity opens up about his life — and what drove him to give it all up.

ugandafeb2010002.jpgMost of us would dig deep in our pockets to donate to a good cause: witness the millions of dollars raised and the outpouring of goodwill in the wake of Hurricane Katrina or the devastating earthquake in Haiti. But how many of us would sacrifice everything in the name of charity?

Wealthy businessman Jon Pedley is about to do just that. The Essex, England-based telecommunications professional has put his idyllic 16th century farmhouse, complete with landscaped gardens on the market (for about 1.5 million dollars), along with his successful consultancy and marketing businesses and his top-of-the-line Range Rover (approximately $112,000).

In return, he will set up home in a traditional mud and wood building in rural Uganda, using funds raised from the sale of his assets. From there, he will kick off a charity which he hopes will benefit the desperately poor local community by improving health, water and education facilities as well as transforming the lives of hundreds of young people in the UK who will be offered the opportunity to support the project on the ground.

It is a remarkable turnaround for the 41-year-old who describes his life until recently as “totally and utterly self-centered,” and he credits this change of heart and desire to give something back to the world to his new found Christian faith.

“I’ve led a very colorful life,” Pedley, the oldest of six siblings, tells Tonic. “At thirteen, I turned my back on my safe and very decent parents and brothers and sisters, and started living pretty much for me. It was a downward spiral from there, where as long as I was all right, I didn’t care who I was hurting.”

353561679789img00.jpgThere were brushes with the law (Pedley was convicted and given suspended custodial sentences for theft and deception), times spent sleeping on the streets of London, and a spiraling addiction to alcohol which saw Pedley drinking up to eight pints of beer and two bottles of wine a night on a regular basis. His marriage failed as did countless other relationships and affairs and he regularly lost contact with his two kids.

Even a near death experience, a 2002 car crash which left him in a coma for six weeks and a wheel chair for longer, failed to be the wake up call he so desperately needed. “I got into my car at 5 a.m. after no sleep and lots of alcohol,” he recalls. “I drove under a van at 90 mph after I had fallen asleep.” The other driver had both legs broken. Pedley wasn’t expected to live but, to the bafflement of doctors, pulled through with the loss of sight in one eye and countless screws and plates holding his body together.

“I didn’t learn anything from this crash,” says Pedley, who returned to his old life a vengeance. He split up with his girlfriend, had an affair with another woman and continued to drink himself into oblivion. “In fact, I came back worse because I thought I was indestructible. Nothing could beat me, not even death.” Pedley pauses and reflects: “It’s arrogance that takes my breath away.”

A random recommendation to attend a local church service set Pedley’s life on a different tack. “There were 500 people at the service. It was different to anything else I had ever seen,” he says. “There was a confidence about [the congregation]. I was sure I had more money, I was sure I drove a bigger car and had been to more places and done more things. But they were more at peace.”

In 2004, Pedley embarked on an Alpha course, a ten week program exploring the Christian faith, which has been championed by TV adventurer Bear Grylls. For Pedley it was a life changing experience.4239174961_7c28cd151d.jpg

“The last thing I wanted to do was become a Christian!” he laughs. “For men, surrender is not easy!” But a week later he was with his then 6-year-old son. “He took my hand and said, ‘Happy new you, Dad.’ I said, ‘What son?’ And he said, ‘You’re like a brand new person.’” Shortly after he got sober, Pedley began devoting his spare time to charitable works including nightly sessions as a street pastor.

“For a long time, I thought I could do what God wanted me to do by earning a fortune and giving away a reasonable amount of that,” says Pedley who donates 15 percent of his earnings to the church. “Some years that’s been an immense amount of money.” But increasingly Pedley felt there was more he could be doing.

He first thought of setting up a charity in 2007 after a trip to Uganda with a friend from church who is still working there. “I was just blown away by Uganda,” he says. “As a society, it is so much more familial and spiritual than we are in the UK. I worked there for a few days and these people who have nothing were stopping and giving me sacks of potatoes [in thanks] which is a fortune for them. There is a morality there which comes naturally. You feel so unbelievably humbled. And I wanted kids in the UK, especially those who are on a downward spiral of addiction and self-hatred, to experience this.”

Pedley’s charity, J1010, (which takes its name from a verse from the Gospel of St John: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full") is already taking shape in the village of Kigezi in South West Uganda, near the border with Congo and Rwanda, a poor rural community of mostly subsistence farmers.

The focus for the charity will be on regular month-long camps — called Turn Them Around Camps (TTA Camps) — which will bring troubled teens and young adults from the UK to the region to immerse them in community work and the Christian faith for four weeks at a time (though Pedley stresses that there is no agenda to convert the young people, “because that is not the way faith works”). This year’s camp will start on July 24 and run until August 23 for eight young people. By 2011, Pedley hopes to be running ten camps a year.

ugandafeb2010017.jpgVolunteers will live with local people helping to build desperately needed water tanks, school rooms and medical facilities. Villagers currently have a 2-hour walk to the nearest medical center. "It will be a demanding program,” says Pedley. "Culturally very different — there’s no electricity or running water — but I believe that during the process, the young people will be transformed. What I hope they will get more than anything is self esteem, to know that they can genuinely make a difference and that they are part of a family, a team and not powerless."

Pedley is excited about the possibilities and future prospects for the Kigezi community. “I’ve got some ideas about solar power, about getting electricity and even the Internet into the village,” he says. “And I would love to import the components for the solar panels and have the men of the village assemble them, create micro-businesses which can be taken into other communities.”

The project, he knows, is daunting. "I have my moments of self-doubt," he admits. "Not in terms of what I’m doing, but my ability to do a good enough job. But psychologically, I believe in this 100 percent."

Donations to Jon Pedley’s charity can be made here.

His Essex home is for sale through Mullucks.

Photo courtesy of J1010, photo by Mullucks, photo by Kristi611 via Flickr, photo courtesy of J1010.

Alpha News

2010-03-16T16:12:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday night we had our first night of the Alpha Course with the groups formed. We received a lot of great feedback on the interaction and discussion taking place in the groups around the tables.

A lady stopped by the church today and spoke with Deneen. Here's the story from Deneen: "I had a lady stop by the office today. She was at the unemployment office and someone there asked if she knew of food pantries in the area. She said that she noticed the food coming into the church and wanted to stop and see if we had a pantry. When she pulled into the parking lot she saw our sign advertising Alpha. She had just heard about Alpha on God TV and had thought that would be great to be involved in and then there it was on our sign. I gave her the information and registration form and invited her Sunday evening. She felt that God had brought her here."

I certainly hope I get to meet her! This Sunday night - "Why Did Jesus Die?"

THE PURPOSE OF MENTORING

2010-03-02T13:02:00.001-05:00

We are really excited about the beginning of our Alpha Course this coming Sunday night! We have already reached a main goal! Several people who have been a part of our Upward Outreach from both last year and this year have signed up to learn more about Jesus and Christianity through our Alpha Course!

Now, continuing previous thoughts on mentoring, let me talk about THE PURPOSE OF MENTORING:

REPRODUCTION AND MULTIPLICATION

I wrote about reproduction earlier as a blessing, but it is also the PURPOSE of mentoring. Every believer is called to reproduce all that God has done in our lives to another person. In the mentoring process we transfer values, character, priorities and spiritual fruit. Jesus reproduced His life and ministry in His disciples and then delegated the work of the Kingdom to them – including His miracles.

Jesus said in John 14:12 - “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

Reproduction and multiplication is essential for life. Without reproduction, any family, group or church body is one generation away from extinction. We reproduce the life and vision of New Life through multiplying leaders, small groups, and new converts to the Body of Christ.

Businesses strive for growth to stay viable. They must continue to meet the needs of the buying public. The same is true for the church and our small groups. People are searching for what we have to offer. Growth is essential to our survival and our ability to meet those needs. Developing followers is good, but developing leaders is even better because it can lead to explosive growth.

Add ten followers to an organization and you have the power of ten people. Add ten leaders to an organization and you have the power of ten leaders times all the followers they influence. The potential to carry out the work of the Kingdom and change lives is immeasurable!

Who are you mentoring? Do you have a person in your life to whom you are purposefully transferring your leadership skills?

Grace for Living

2010-02-24T10:46:00.003-05:00

This is from the book "Extraordinary" by John Bevere, which my daughter gave me for Christmas:

"...what role does grace play from the time we receive salvation until we stand before our King? ... grace for living is still God's favor, which cannot be earned. It doesn't change after we come into a relationship with God.

"Unfortunately, many view their life in Christ after conversion through the lens of the law. Instead of depending on God's grace to receive favor and blessings, they rely on their self-efforts. In frustration, Paul asks, 'Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?' (Galatians 3:3, NLT).

"...If we attempt to maintain our right standing with God by keeping the rules, regulations, and requirements of the Old Testament laws, we actually risk losing our fellowship with Christ and the benefits of grace! ... We must always remind ourselves that it is by grace we are saved, and by grace we continue to receive the benefits of salvation.

"For this reason, Paul writes in almost all of his New Testament letters, 'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.'

"The apostle James wrote to believers, 'He gives us more and more grace' (James 4:6, AMP).

"Peter takes it to another level by writing; "Grace and peace be multiplied to you' (2 Peter 1:2).

"...many believers struggle with thoughts that they messed up so severely after making a commitment to Jesus Christ that God might have taken back their salvation. This is not true! We are told: 'If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. (1 John 1:9, NLT)."

John goes on to make clear that we cannot sin presumptuously, asking the question, "How much can I sin and get away with?" The point he makes is, many believe they are forgiven and made new by grace, but then they believe they can only STAY in a right relationship with God by what they do ... doing right things and not doing wrong things. But that won't keep us "saved" any more than it will get us "saved". Grace continues ... There is right and wrong (in both actions and thoughts), but the grace that forgave us and gave us new life in the first place enables us to continue to live a right life and receive forgiveness when we fail. Don't live in the trap that you are saved by grace but "stay saved" by works. Let your life be full of acts of Thanksgiving for God's continuous gift of grace to you!

The Practics of Mentoring

2010-02-23T15:36:00.001-05:00

Here’s a good study on “The Practics of Mentoring.” Get your Bible to look up these Scriptures and see how they relate to your ministry as a Small Group Leader:

What do you do as a mentor?
How do you train someone to continue the ministry God has given you to others?

- Begin with people you already have a good relationship with – or people that you would like to have a relationship with because you see potential in them.
- Find people that have a need and you have the ability to meet that need.
- Mentor them privately – Matthew 11:1
- Teach them on a privileged level – Mark 4:10-11
- Show them how – Luke 8:1
- Share your life with them and be open with them – Matthew 20:18 & 26:21
- Spend time with them – Matthew 26:20
- Delegate the responsibility of leadership to them – Mark 3:14
- Give them authority to do the work – Luke 9:1
- Help them anticipate setbacks – Luke 9:5
- Hold them accountable – Luke 9:10
- Ask for commitment and sacrifice – Luke 18:28
- Ask for loyalty – Mark 8:35
- Serve them – John 13:13
- Forgive them – Luke 22:31-32

More on the Power of Mentoring

2010-02-11T08:55:00.001-05:00

Well, since you’re checking the blogs and notes and have a little time, I might as well continue my thoughts on THE POWER OFMENTORING. Last time I talked about

- REPRODUCTION

Now, let me mention some other traits that gives power to mentoring others as leaders –

- ACCOUNTABILITY

“Never do ministry alone.” When you are mentoring, you are not just teaching someone to do what you are doing. You are providing accountability for yourself. The presence of another keeps you on your toes, keeps you prepared, and keeps you studying and prayed up for the purpose. Having someone with you at all times during ministry protects you from temptation to fall as well as false accusation. The process is a blessing to you as a leader!

The mentor develops a relationship with the one they are training that accepts them, even when they make mistakes. What a blessing this is to someone who is just beginning to step out and be used in ministry! This goes both ways. The fact that the leader has opportunity to give into someone else’s life is an acceptance of their value as a leader!

- CHALLENGE

To be challenged to be more than we are and do more than we are doing is a blessing. If we are not challenged we become stale and sterile. We become fruitless when the harvest is ripe! Take up the challenge of mentoring someone to carry on your ministry – you will be challenged as you challenge them and as “iron sharpens iron” you both will become stronger and more effective!

- RELATIONSHIPS ARE DEEPENED

When you walk in a mentoring relationship with someone, you spend a lot of time with them. That is a relationship that usually continues long after the original mentoring period is over and the one who is trained is launched out into their own ministry. Make sure that the mentoring relationship is with someone of the same gender.

- STAFF NEEDS ARE LOWER

When a congregation gets involved in mentoring one another for ministry, they do not have to keep adding to their pastoral staff. Ministry is carried out effectively by the Body and finances can be used for other purposes increasing outreach.

LEADERSHIP REPRODUCTION

2010-02-02T16:30:00.001-05:00

Last week I wrote about Principles of Mentoring. This week I would like us to begin to think about the Power of Mentoring. Let me talk first about REPRODUCTION –

It takes a leader to reproduce a leader. As you mentor the potential in someone else you prepare the way for all that you are to be reproduced in their life and ministry. You can only give away what you have. Develop your leadership skills and you will attract potential leaders who want to learn from you and be mentored by you.

John Maxwell conducted a survey and asked leaders what prompted them to become leaders. Five percent said they became a leader as a result of a crisis. Ten percent said they became a leader due to natural gifting. Eighty-five percent said they became a leader because of the influence of another leader. More than four out of five leaders became so because someone mentored them!

ARE YOU DELEGATING OR “DUMPING”?

Delegation is important, but if we delegate without equipping we are really just dumping! Are you training the one you are mentoring to do the job and then giving them the authority that goes with it? When this happens under your guidance and supervision, you are mentoring!

Here’s a simple, practical example of how it works: Bob has a ministry of visiting people in the hospital. He takes Joe along with him. Joe shares the burden. After a few visits, Bob begins to let Joe take the lead in conversations and lead in prayer. Before too long, Joe is going on hospital visits taking Terry with him and Bob is now taking John along and the ministry is reproducing! Bob has mentored Joe and as a result Joe is doing more ministry than Bob and he could do alone. In addition, he is mentoring someone else! It all began with Bob, but it will continue to increase as the leaders mentor others! You can apply this to any ministry!

Jesus gave His disciples the responsibility to proclaim the message of the Kingdom of God. He also gave them the power and the authority to go with it. These were the keys to their success!

CHANGE

2010-01-30T13:51:00.000-05:00

Once again we’re enjoying a great day of Upward. I have the privilege of being the speaker at all the half times of the games today.

I’m wanting those that are here to think about the concept of CHANGE. Many of you know that I was raised in New Life Church. I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and I began my journey of attempting to follow Him at the age of 6 years old. For me, it wasn’t too difficult. It was all I knew.

I was raised in a great family – but someone had to make the change before me. That was my Dad. My Dad was raised in a great family, but he did not go to church on a regular basis. In many way, his growing up years were very hard. However, when my brother was very young and had a severe disease, Mom & Dad took him to a church service. He was prayed for and was miraculously healed. From that time on, my Mom & Dad made a renewed commitment to follow Jesus. That was a change that has made a huge difference in me and that change is affecting my children today.

Just a few years ago, Sharon & I went to a YMCA in Indy to watch Randy play basketball. In a few months, he will leave us for college.

Has someone made that change in your family and are you reaping the benefits? Or, are you the one who needs to make that change for the sake of your children and grandchildren.

Part of the change for my Dad was going to church. He was not raised to go to church, but when he made the decision to follow Jesus completely, church was not something that was missed. It was not an option. Even when he was ill or could have been doing other things, going to church and being faithful to worship the Lord and hear the teaching of the Bible was something that we would not miss. Again – that has made a huge difference in our lives.

Yesterday, we honored the life of Cloyde Tressler. He left his last words to be placed on his memorial handout. He said, “On August 7, 2009, standing in my driveway wondering if I would ever work again, or see my grandchildren grow up, I asked God to forgive me for being the prodigal son so long, and asked him into my heart. I’m trying my best to surrender my will every day…
I am extremely thankful to have the undeserved privilege to serve Him…
The biggest miracle of all has already happened in the fact that Christ forgave me because of his mercy and righteousness …
Some of you have asked if there is anything you can do for me. Just one simple request – take some time out of your busy life, and take a good, hard look at where you are at, and at where you are going.”

Cloyde made that change. I am confident that many will benefit from that.

PRINCIPLES OF MENTORING

2010-01-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

Last week I started writing about Leadership being Mentoring. Remember that one of the keys to being a great leader is mentoring someone else to be a leader. The more leaders = the more groups = more people receiving ministry! Here are some principles of mentoring:

Principle #1 – EVERYONE IS A POTENTIAL LEADER

Do you see everyone as having leadership potential? If leadership is influence, and if influence flows out of relationship, then simply a relationship with someone gives the opportunity for influence and leadership. Everyone is a potential leader!

1st Samuel 22:1-2 - So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.

2nd Samuel 23:18-23 - Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three. Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three.
There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. Once, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it. Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors. He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

Notice in the first passage the kind of men that gathered around David. His influence turned them into leaders!

Principle #2 – EVERYONE CAN DISCIPLE

You can take your experience with Jesus and His Word and pass it on to others!

Principle #3 – EVERYONE IS MINISTERED TO AND THEN MINISTERS

Paul instructed Timothy - You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. – 2nd Timothy 2:2

Principle #4 – INFLUENCE INCREASES WHEN THE ONE YOU ARE MENTORING LEADS A GROUP

Then you are not only influencing one person, but your influence passes on to everyone they are leading!

Principle #5 – EVERYONE SHOULD INTRODUCE PEOPLE TO CHRIST AND DEVELOP POETENTIAL LEADERS

The Great Commission is for everyone –

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. – Matthew 28:19-20

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. – Mark 16:15

Principle #6 – LIKE ATTRACTS LIKE

It is easy to mentor in the context of similar interests. Relationships develop around common experiences, hobbies and callings.

Principle #7 – THOSE YOU MENTOR ARE YOUR ASSISTANTS

Don’t do all the tasks of ministry yourself! Your ministry is multiplied when you allow others to carry out the work of the ministry!

Leadership is Mentoring

2010-01-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

I had a great first night in my new study of the Wednesday Encounter Small Group last night. I’m praying that our small group leaders will have a great start to your Small Group season. Trust me … spring is on the way … don’t look outside!!! Spring is on the way!

Let me encourage you some today with the beginning of the third chapter of Team With One Another – Leadership is Mentoring –

Do you want to have a ministry that produces loyal followers, people you can influence and easily control? Or, do you want to have a ministry that produces results that will be far beyond what you will even be able to measure? The difference is mentoring.

One dictionary’s definition of “mentor” is “a trusted counselor or guide; also tutor, coach.”

Do you want to just attract loyal followers and make them your personal disciples? Or, do you want to influence people in such a way that they will in turn influence others so that your ministry will spread even farther than you could do on your own? This is the example of Jesus. He did not just leave disciples. He left apostles who did what He did. They mentored other leaders as Jesus mentored them.

Ministry is not complete only when our job is done or our gift is exercised. Ministry moves beyond what we do when we train and empower others to also exercise the gifts God has given them. We help them discover, develop and use their gifts under our guidance, and then we set them free to change other lives!

In upcoming notes I will look at some PRINCIPLES of mentoring, the POWER of mentoring, some PRACTICS (“how to’s”) of mentoring, and our PURPOSE as leaders who mentor others.

Have a great day – and don’t slip on the ice!

Better than we Deserve

2010-01-19T15:44:00.002-05:00

From Every Man's Bible - notes on Genesis 30:25-43 - "God always treated Jacob far better than he deserved. God blessed him in spite of his trickery and deceit. Often God works that way with us, too. He blesses us when we don't really deserve it. None of us really deserves God's love; all of us have failed in many ways. But God still reaches out to help us when we look to him in faith."

Just found out my daughter's summer job is secure - at Spring Hill Camp near Seymour, Indiana - we are blessed far more than we deserve!

A LEADER MUST BE SECURE

2010-01-14T09:35:00.001-05:00

In my past several notes I have been writing about Leadership Being Practical from Chapter Two of my book, "Team With One Another". I have said that A LEADER MUST BE TEACHABLE and A LEADER MUST BE STABLE. Now let me conclude these thoughts by saying that A LEADER MUST BE SECURE.

In Romans 8:31-39 the Apostle Paul wrote, "What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one - for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one - for Chirst Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will eever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

If a leader is insecure, the followers will be insecure. Leadership magnifies our flaws so if we struggle with insecurity before entering into a leadership position, we must realize that the insecurity can increase as we attempt to lead.

Leadership is about influence, not about gaining personal validation from others. The purpose of leadership is to influence others in a positive way, not to make us feel better about ourselves or look better in the eyes of others. We don't become leaders to cause people to admire us or love us. Leaders have to give more than they receive while insecure people usually need to be on the receiving end to feel they areadvancing.

If an insecure person is in a place of leadership, their influence on people will be very limited. When others are successful, they are threatened. For example, pastors who cannot celebrate with another pastor when their church experiences growth, or pastors who hire ineffective staff members so that they will not be overshadowed are insecure leaders. Even worse are those who take personal credit for the accomplishments of those they are leading.

If we undermine those we influence and don't celebrate their victories, they will cease advancing and growing themselves, or else the relationship will be broken off. This causes the entire team to suffer.

John Maxwell has written that there are few things worse than an insecure leader. In an article, "Why Insecure Leaders Are So Bad," (taken from Ministry Group Resource Pac, Leading Elders and Deacons, compiled by Indiana District Assemblies of God, Ministry Development Office, David Delp, Director) he lists characteristics that insecure leaders have in common that make them so ineffective. I will not copy his elaboration of each point, but shine a light on yourself as you consider this list:

1. They want control.

2. They fear public failure.

3. They avoid risk.

4. They are closed in their relationships.

5. They do not hire 10s.

6. They resist change.

7. They fail to affirm and empower others.

8. They stay in their comfort zone.

9. They view people and situations through their insecurities.

10. They create an environment of insecurity.

When we are secure we are able to bring out the best in others. Our security is in our relationship with Christ. Secure leaders know their weaknesses and gather others around them who are strong in those areas to supplement their ministry and do not feel threatened. Secure leaders love to see followers advance and take their own place of leadership. That is the greatest victory for a secure leader.

Build people up! Encourage them! Enable others to perform at their highest level!

Randy Blankenship

STRONG FAITH LEADS TO STABILITY

2009-12-09T13:38:00.001-05:00

We must continue to grow in our faith. Romans 10:17 says So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. We must continue to keep the Word of God in our hearts, minds and mouths. As our faith grows our stability strengthens. We are not shaken by the storm winds of emotion that tear others down.

In Matthew 7:24-29 Jesus said “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
When hurricane winds blow, some houses stand and others fall. The difference is often in the foundation and construction. The Bile, the Word of God, builds faith. Strong faith maintains stability in the storms. Leaders will stand strong when others around them are falling. Leaders will remain calm when others around them are distressed. This comes from a strong faith.

Let us not allow the events of life to defeat us or drag us down. When we develop this strong, stable, faith-filled character, God uses us in mighty ways to powerful influence others.

KOKOMO IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

2009-12-02T13:32:00.001-05:00

Wall Street Journal
December 1, 2009
Pg. 7

In Indiana Town, A Call To Win
By Douglas Belkin

KOKOMO, Ind. -- With a 22-year-old son serving in Afghanistan, Denise Young knows what she wants to hear President Barack Obama tell the nation Tuesday night.

"That he is going to let the generals make the decisions," Mrs. Young said. "They have asked for more troops. They should get them. There is safety in numbers."

Her sentiment echoes throughout this farm-and-factory city of about 46,000, where thousands of families are connected to the military -- and some have paid the ultimate price. Since 2003, six men from the Kokomo area have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fifth-highest ratio of casualties to residents of any U.S. community with five or more dead, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Defense Department data.

About 9,000 veterans live in surrounding Howard County, and the names of 277 soldiers killed in the Vietnam War are inscribed in black marble on Kokomo's war memorial. A field on the outskirts has been the site of a Vietnam Veterans reunion for more than two decades; this year it attracted 40,000 people.

Recent military deaths have made many people here more willing to support a harder push in Afghanistan, and have created a keen interest in Mr. Obama's speech.

"Obama needs to give them a clear mission...and he needs to let them fight," said Mrs. Young, whose son Richard is an Army sergeant seven months into his first deployment in Afghanistan. "The politicians need to get out of the way."

Indiana was a Republican stronghold for decades before Mr. Obama narrowly defeated Sen. John McCain in the presidential election last year. But Mr. Obama's three-month deliberation over how to proceed in Afghanistan has grated on some residents here.

Although Indiana is only the 16th most populous state, it counts the fourth-highest number of people serving in the military, said Bob Ladd, the state commander of the Disabled American Veterans of Indiana. Attitudes about strategy are grounded less in global politics than obligations to stand up for friends and family.

"People want to hear how we can win," said Mike Karickhoff, a Republican city councilman. "There is a strong sense that [Mr. Obama's] decision has to reflect well on the sacrifices that have already been made."

Kokomo has long defined itself as a city of builders and fighters. Generations of families helped manufacture cars in plants that built the regional economy. But the industry's decline has hit hard. Unemployment in Kokomo is 13.4%. More than a third of the homes sold in the past year were in foreclosure. Almost a quarter of the 3.5 million feet of factory floor space in the city is unused.

The military has emerged as a stable source of jobs. Enlistment is understood as a way both to serve the U.S. and build a career, said Rick Hagenow, principal at a local alternative school. "This is middle America and there is a strong sense of duty. There is also a sense that the military offers career training that you can't get anywhere else."

The last military funeral procession here extended eight miles and wound through rain-soaked roadsides packed with residents holding American flags. To the extent it exists, antiwar sentiment here largely reflects anger at politicians for not clearly defining the mission in Afghanistan or for not giving troops the tools to succeed.
Mrs. Young's husband, Rick Young, says the U.S. is more focused on minimizing civilian casualties than winning battles. He and his wife -- who is president of the North Central Blue Star Mothers of Indiana, a support group for families with children serving in the military -- plan to watch Mr. Obama's speech on TV.

"Richard told me he's over there to protect what is behind him, not what's in front of him," Mrs. Young said. "They need the support of the country to do that right."

—Maurice Tamman contributed to this article.

STABLE AS A ROCK

2009-11-03T15:13:00.001-05:00

Jesus is the “Rock of Ages.” It is wonderful to have a personal relationship with a God who is so stable and never changes.

Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. – James 1:17

He is our example! We strive to be like Him! “God is good … all the time!” His love is an unfailing love!

Long ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” - Jeremiah 31:1

That is the love He has for us today! We need to follow our Lord’s example and strive to be as stable in our emotions, unchanging in our love, trustworthy in our words and dependable in our actions as is He. With the Holy Spirit we can do this!

Instability causes lack of certainty. When you sense this struggle, remember the example of the Lord. Rely on the Holy Spirit within you and maintain your stability. Stay the course. Do what you are called to do. Keep going forward because there is no place else to go! Don’t be sidetracked or distracted by minor issues. Keep your eyes on what is major and important – and always – do it with excellence.

The Emotional Stability of a Leader

2009-10-29T09:36:00.001-04:00

A LEADER MUST BE STABLE

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. – Hebrews 13:8

A. EMOTIONAL STABILITY

We cannot ride an emotional roller coaster of our own and be an effective leader. Emotions are an important aspect of our personality and they are God-given. However, we must control our emotions; we should not be controlled by them.

A popular song said, “It can’t be wrong if it feels so right.” Yes it can! A leader and influencer will do what is right and shun what is wrong regardless of how it feels. The principle of the student not rising above the teacher applies here as well. Emotionally stable leaders influence others to be able to be in control of their emotions and live stable lives.

From Galatians 5:22-23, one aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit is self-control. We must control our moods and our mouth. Once something is said, it cannot be grabbed out of the air and put back. Forgiveness can be asked for and granted, but the pain of words spoken in anger from emotional instability can take more time to heal. This can disrupt the leader’s ability to build into the life of the one they are influencing and hinder their personal as well as spiritual growth. Our words and our actions must be kept in check. We set the example by living according to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives and not our sinful nature. This comes from dying to our natural desires daily and living to the plan of God for our lives.

A LEADER MUST BE TEACHABLE

2009-10-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

A LEADER MUST BE TEACHABLE

In order to continue leading, we must continue learning.

Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it is written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. – Romans 15:4 The Message

Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:11

A. PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL

We may hate to admit it, but we don’t know everything. We don’t want to admit that because we don’t want to look bad. We want to appear as experts in the eyes of those we are influencing. We hate to answer a question with, “I don’t know.” That is pride. If looking bad is a greater concern than learning, the leader will fail or lose a following. Leaders need to be comfortable in saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll try to find out!”

Don’t be defensive about not knowing everything. Be teachable. Continue to learn and study. Lead with humility. Lean on the Holy Spirit, and not your own knowledge. Don’t be narrow-minded. Even with the knowledge we have there are often more way of doing things and looking at situations than our own.

B. LEADERS CONTINUE TO LEARN AFTER EXPERIENCING “SUCCESS”

Often, when a leader achieves “success” – receiving an award, getting a degree, or reaching a certain position – they believe they have “made it.” For them, learning is a thing of the past. They have already achieved. We need to remember that the day we stop growing and learning is the day we give up continued future potential.

Whatever gets us to the place we want to be is not always what keeps us there. Great leaders always see opening doors and new opportunities. Someone said, “As long as you are green you are growing; as soon as you are ripe, you rot.”

C. LEADERS LEARN FROM MISTAKES

We make no progress if we keep making the same mistakes over and over again. We need to

learn from our mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, so that they are not repeated.

Watch other leaders and influencers. Listen to their stories. It’s better to learn from someone else than to have to learn the hard way ourselves.

LEADING WITH PASSION

2009-09-22T13:07:00.000-04:00

Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:11 NLT

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. NIV

Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. NASV

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master. The Message

Someone has said passion is being zealous on the inside.

A. PASSION IS THE FUEL THAT DRIVES THE LEADER

There are many who may not have been successful in a school classroom setting, but they had passion about their gifts, their call, their vocation in life and have become great leaders.

- More than 50% of all Fortune 500 CEO’s had “C” averages in college.
- Nearly 75% of U.S. Presidents were in the bottom half of their class.
- More than 50% of all millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college.

Ordinary people achieve great things – when they are passionate about what they are doing. Passion increases willpower. Passion will keep you going when you don’t feel like going on! There is no substitute for passion in a leader’s life and ministry. You must love what you are doing!

B. PASSION IS THE FIRE THAT OTHERS WILL FOLLOW

Have you ever wanted to follow the fire truck to see the burning house? It has been said that someone asked John Wesley how he got so many people to come to his meetings. He replied, “I set myself on fire and the people come to watch me burn.” He was talking about the passion and fire of the Holy Spirit!

When a leader loses their passion, they begin to lose their influence. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you cannot lead anyone there. When passion is present, it is contagious. It is like a wildfire that causes what is around it to catch on fire as well. This kind of passion ignites that faith that makes the impossible possible!

C. PASSION CAN ALSO BE DANGEROUS

Passion without knowledge is like heat without light. It is possible to be over-zealous. It is when we do not have the proper knowledge or training for what we are passionate about that it becomes dangerous. Great leaders will always seek continuous training so that they can always become more efficient and effective at what they are passionate about.

Leaders are responsible to keep their fire under control. We must add to our passion wisdom, knowledge, discernment, prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

How's Your Serve?

2009-09-15T13:38:00.001-04:00

The U.S. Open Tennis Match recently ended. On the women’s side, the favorite was knocked out on the last play because of her attitude (she physically threatened an umpire!). On the men’s side, the favorite was upset by a relative unknown. “HOW’S YOUR SERVE?”

I have been writing the last few weeks about Leadership being a Heart Issue (from a book I wrote called Team With One Another). We have talked about Leadership involving Character and Servanthood. Last week we said

A. SERVANT-LEADERSHIP IS AN ATTITUDE

Now –

B. SERVANT-LEADERSHIP PUTS OTHERS FIRST

When we put our own agenda on hold for others, we are serving them. We must be aware of the needs of those we are leading, or those with whom we share relationships. We must be aware of their needs and be ready to help them. They must know that we see their needs as important.

A servant-leader doesn’t wait to be asked. A servant-leader see the need and jumps into action. They don’t have to be compelled or coerced, but they look forward to seizing the opportunity to be a blessing, especially in times of crisis. They also expect nothing in return.

C. SERVANT-LEADERSHIP IS FROM THE BOTTOM UP

On many organizational flow charts, the leaders will be listed at the top and those who are under them will be … well … under them! But in Christ-like servant-leadership, the serving leader will put himself under others and serve them. This earns the respect of those the servant is leading … and they will follow!

Read Paul’s attitude about himself in 1st Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8; and 1st Timothy 1:15.

ARE YOU SERVING SOMEONE TODAY?

2009-09-08T11:16:00.001-04:00

So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:42-45

A. SERVANT LEADERSHIP IS AN ATTITUDE

Servanthood is not about position or skill; it is about attitude. Manipulation or self-promotion does not motivate the servant, rather love is the motivating factor. The extent of a leader’s influence depends on the depth of concern for others.

In a magazine article I read years ago, Guy BonGiovanni told of an old Dutch tradition where an empty chair and setting were placed at the dinner table. The unoccupied chair monitored the family’s attitudes and actions while also serving as a reminder that Christ was the unseen guest at the table. BonGiovanni told of sitting at the dinner table of Joel Oliver, a pastor in St. Louis. At the table a family argument broke out over who should sit in a special chair at the end of the table. Feisty six-year-old Caleb insisted it was his turn to sit in the “servant’s chair.”

Pastor Oliver said each person takes turns sitting in the servant’s chair when they eat together. The person sitting there is responsible for anything needed during the meal, whether someone needs another teaspoon, napkin, or if the telephone rings. Pastor Oliver said, “I want my family to develop a caring spirit, to be concerned and quick to serve others. What better place to do that than in one’s own home during family dinner?”

In Pastor Oliver’s house, the children were actually fighting over who would get the privilege to serve! What would happen in the Body of Christ if we all had such a great desire to serve one another! This must be modeled by leadership.

PURPOSEFULLY SERVE SOMEONE THIS WEEK!

#2 LEADERSHIP IS A HEART ISSUE - CHARACTER #2

2009-09-01T14:42:00.001-04:00

CHARACTER

TRUE CHARACTER WILL BE REVEALED BY OUR ACTIONS

CHARACTER IS REQUIRED TO INFLUENCE OTHERS

“If you think you’re leading but no one is following, you’re just out taking a walk!” The only way a Christian leader will be able to influence others is by maintaining Christian character. Charisma, giftedness, or a great personality may gain a short-term following, but only true Christian character will be able to keep people with you so that you can influence them for the good. When the leader’s character fails, the trust is broken and the positive influence is eroded.

CHARACTER SETS THE LIMITS

“A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master. The student shares the teacher’s fate.” - Matthew 10:24,25a

You will never be able to lead someone where you have not gone. You will never be able to take them beyond where you are. As leaders, we must maintain godly character and continue to grow!

Your character will also set the limit on yourself! Some fall after achieving a high place of leadership because their place of leadership was beyond their character. There are 4 A’s that can ring down any leader who is short on character: Arrogance, Aloneness, Adventure-seeking, Adultery.

NEXT: SERVANTHOOD

LEADERSHIP IS A HEART ISSUE - CHARACTER

2009-08-26T09:02:00.001-04:00

CHARACTER

Character has become a point of issue in many campaigns for elected office. There are those who argue that an individual’s personal life should have nothing to do with their ability to lead. Others counter: “Character matters!” From a Biblical standpoint, there is no question that character matters and that it affects our ability to lead and influence others.

Watch yourselves carefully so you do not get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You cannot keep your true self hidden forever; before long you will be exposed. You cannot hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You cannot whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day is coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town. – Luke 12:1-3 The Message

TRUE CHARACTER IS REVEALED BY OUR ACTIONS

“Actions speak louder than words.” A person can say they have character, but what do the actions of their life reveal? What kind of character do they have? If we intend to lead people in Christian living, yet the actions of our life do not personify Christian character, then we tear down with one hand what we are attempting to build with the other.

“Character is who you are when no one else is around.” Some may think they can hide their true self from others, but it is never hidden from God and eventually what is done in the darkness comes out into the light. Don’t let secret sin destroy the effectiveness you can have. Your character can make or break those you are trying to lead. Many have fallen away due to the failure that has been revealed in leaders.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the Scriptures. So practice and obey whatever they say to you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show.” - Matthew 23:1-5a

What a terrible indictment – and from the Master of character Himself! Let’s never let this be said of us!

Befriend Your Emotions

2009-08-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

Befriend Your Emotions

by Henri J.M. Nouwen

It can be discouraging to discover how quickly you lose your inner peace. Someone who happens to enter your life can suddenly create restlessness and anxiety in you. Sometimes this feeling is there before you fully realize it. You thought you were centered; you thought you could trust yourself; you thought you could stay with God. But then someone you do not even know intimately makes you feel insecure. You ask yourself whether you are loved or not, and that stranger becomes the criterion. Thus you start feeling disillusioned by your own reaction.

Don’t whip yourself for you lack of spiritual progress. If you do, you will easily be pulled even further away from your center. You will damage yourself and make it more difficult to come home again. It is obviously good not to act on your sudden emotions. But you don’t have to repress them, either. You can acknowledge them and let them pass by. In a certain sense, you have to befriend them so that you do not become their victim.

The way to “victory” is not in trying to overcome your dispiriting emotions directly but in building a deeper sense of safety and at-homeness and a more incarnate knowledge that you are deeply loved. Then, little by little, you will stop giving so much power to strangers.

Do not be discouraged. Be sure that God will truly fulfill all your needs. Keep remembering that. It will help you not to expect that fulfillment from people who you already know are incapable of giving it.

From his journal published as the Inner Voice of Love – A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom

Moles!!

2009-07-13T11:32:00.001-04:00

I’ve got moles in my yard! I tried a mole trap – that didn’t work. I’m told that if I kill the grubs in my yard, then the moles will go away. So – last Friday I put some fertilizer with grub killer on the yard. That is supposed to be activated by rain within 24 hours to kill the grubs and send the moles away. I hope it works!

It reminds me of something – evil feeds on evil. Just like the grubs aren’t good for my yard – and they attract the hungry moles – which are even worse for my yard – evil feeds on and follows after evil.

I can’t see the grubs unless I’m digging (and I’ve seen them). We spent some money this year to put in some nice landscaping – I sure would hate the moles to mess that up.

We invest in our lives. We spend time in prayer with God – we spend time (a tremendous valuable resource) in worship and with family and friends. We enrich our lives. Let’s not let things that seem small, little, insignificant, even unseen – mess up what we have invested in our lives. Do you have some “spiritual grubs” in the yard of your life? If you do not address these small problems, they will draw bigger problems – the moles – then what you have invested in your life can be lost!

Solomon said it is the little foxes that spoil the vines and vineyards. Let’s not let temptations and sins that seem to be “no big deal” – such as missing times of worship for a week or two – letting little arguments invade our relationships with our spouses and kids – small grudges that destroy our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ – areas of dishonesty – a little bit of lust or disobedience here and there – let’s not let the little foxes spoil the fruitfulness and life the Lord wants to bring to us!

Let’s put some fertilizer on our life! Let’s let the rain of the Holy Spirit activate and germinate the Word of God which will destroy those small killers!

Faith - Not Emotion

2009-06-30T09:34:00.001-04:00

This morning I picked up a devotional book that I hadn’t read in a while. Before I found today’s passage, the book opened to May 1 and the title caught my eye. Our youth ministry went through something difficult yet educational last week at camp and this devotional addresses an issue that all of us get caught up in at one time or another in our journey of seeking after God. This is Oswald Chambers, from his devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Please read this fully – especially the second paragraph!

“We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

For a while, we are fully aware of God’s concern for us. But then, when God begins to use us in His work, we begin to take on a pitiful look and talk only of our trials and difficulties. And all the while God is trying to make us do our work as hidden people who are not in the spotlight. None of us would be hidden spiritually if we could help it. Can we do our work when it seems that God has sealed up heaven? Some of us always want to be brightly illuminated saints with golden halos and with the continual glow of inspiration, and to have other saints of God dealing with us all the time. A self-assured saint is of no value to God. He is abnormal, unfit for daily life, and completely unlike God. We are here, not as immature angels, but as men and women, to do the work of this world. And we are to do it with an infinitely greater power to withstand the struggle because we have been born from above.

If we continually try to bring back those exceptional moments of inspiration, it is a sign that it is not God we want. We are becoming obsessed with the moments when God did come and speak with us, and we are insisting that He do it again. But what God wants us to do is to “walk by faith.” How many of us have set ourselves aside as if to say, “I cannot do anything else until God appears to me”? He will never do it. We will have to get up on our own, without any inspiration and without any sudden touch from God. Then comes our surprise and we find ourselves exclaiming, “Why, He was there all the time, and I never knew it!” Never live for those exceptional moments—they are surprises. God will give us His touches of inspiration only when He sees that we are not in danger of being led away by them. We must never consider our moments of inspiration as the standard way of life—our work is our standard.

Wow! I believe that with all my heart! Stay balanced! Seek God, not emotion! Know that His presence is always with you whether you feel it or not. The feelings are wonderful, but that is not what we seek. We seek to know the Word and be people obedient to His Word! Then our lives will be stable examples to an unstable world!

Have a great week!

Randy Blankenship

P.S. By the way, in addition to more people making the decision to begin a real relationship with Jesus Christ this weekend, we had an incredible physical miracle of healing happen this week. The individual who received this healing left on vacation, and they will be back in a couple of weeks to tell the story! This is confirmed by “before and after” doctor’s reports! There is no end and no boundaries to God’s goodness and kindness!

2009-06-17T14:36:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we honored the life of Nellie Thieke – member of New Life since 1962 – 93 years of age – and ready to leave the land of the dying for the land of the “really living”!

You know, before I ever heard anyone talk about “Small Groups” Nellie was a part of small groups! She was a vital part of ministries in our church that have been giving life to others for years – the Women of Purpose Group (formerly Women’s Ministries) – the Joy Fellowship Group (Just Older Youth!). Nellie gave to others through her life and relationships and she received from others as they blessed her in so many ways! We walk together in our friendships and relationships to give life and receive life as we need it.

Leaders are really just facilitators. I know from Ephesians 4:12-13 that one of my key roles is to give people an opportunity to serve others. My goal is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to serve others in as many ways as possible! Isn’t it liberating to know that we don’t have to do it all? In the next couple of weeks watch your group of friends. Can’t you see them serving one another … helping one another … “giving life” to one another? They are not all “leaders”. They may not even realize they are doing it. But through their lives and relationships they are serving one another, encouraging one another, comforting one another, teaching one another, blessing one another, giving life to one another! Let it happen!

I received an e-mail last week from a small group leader in our church – he leads a Basketball Group along with another leader and friend:

Just a little follow up info regarding our Upward and Thursday evening basketball guys. We now have 7 individuals and couples coming to New Life as a result of Upward and Men’s Basketball. I have said for a long time that we can never change the Gospel Message, but we need to be open to changing the method of sharing the Message. Upward and Men’s Basketball are proof of that. We are developing ongoing relationships with these people, and the Alpha Program might be a good tool to help in doing this. Last year our Men’s Basketball numbers dropped off to 4 or 5 by this time of year, and Doug and I talked about stopping this year at the end of June. This year is different, there has not been a week that we haven’t had someone new to this group, and that’s what it’s all about. Basketball is just the tool to get new people into this small group. We always have 20 or so and probably if all were there at a given week, we would have 40. Not too bad of an outreach small group, and they think its all about basketball, but we now have 7 attending church here, and get this, it’s very exciting to me when our new people start bringing new people. [Someone] brought his brother-in-law … this week. I invited him to come Sunday and he said he and his family would be there (they were in church this past Sunday). I think as we get new people of all walks of life that will open up new groups or nucleuses of unchurched people that possibly can be led into the Alpha Program.

Uh …. I think that’s the definition of “REVIVAL!” And it’s happening! Let it happen!

For Luke & Kristina - Oh how the Lord loves His bride!

2009-05-30T21:25:00.001-04:00

Twenty-five years ago a young 20-year-old pastor was asked to perform a wedding ceremony. It would be his first “solo flight” officiating a wedding. The wedding was at a small Methodist church in Greentown, Indiana (on an extremely hot day with no air conditioning). The church was the home church of the bride, the groom was the pastor’s friend since the 8th grade and the bride was literally the girl next door (grew up next to the groom). She said, “I married my best friend.” The pastor still has the newspaper clippings, the program, and the notes from that wedding service.

Their first son was named Luke Randall Sommers, the middle name being that of the pastor-friend who married them. Today I (that pastor) performed the wedding of Luke Randall Sommers and his beautiful bride, Kristina Maurer. With Luke & Kristina’s agreement, much of the service was exactly like that of their parent’s 25 years ago. Following the lead of my mentor, Pastor John Walker, I typically write a new personal wedding message for each couple that I marry. But this was different. We went through the vows, the rings and the Scripture, 1st Corinthians 13, then I got to the point where I said, “Luke and Kristina, what I’m about to say are the exact words I said to your parents 25 years ago.”

Then, out of nowhere it came. I lost it. I choked. I began to weep. It took me a few minutes to gather myself together. (If I did that today, what am I going to do when my daughter gets married?!?!?) I really can’t express in words what was going through my mind. Here we were, 25 years later, still friends, still close, still leaning on one another in times of exhilarating blessings of God upon our families, and leaning on one another in times of great tragedy. Just a few years ago I stood by the side of my friend as his father crossed the threshold of heaven, and in the last couple of years he has stood by me through some of the darkest moments and deepest attacks in my life. Now we stand together with great joy sharing the next step of greatness as his family is joined with another great family, and remembering 25 years ago.

I got it back together, went on with the ceremony, and as I ministered communion privately to the couple while Michael W. Smith’s I’m Desperate for You was playing, I shared with them a Scripture that came to my mind this morning:

I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God!
For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
or a bride with her jewels. – Isaiah 61:10

Oh how our Lord loves His bride!

Psalm 45 speaks of the wedding of a King and says -

Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your family far away.
11 For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The princess …will shower you with gifts.
The wealthy will beg your favor.
13 The bride, a princess, looks glorious
in her golden gown.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,
accompanied by her bridesmaids.
15 What a joyful and enthusiastic procession
as they enter the king’s palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father.
You will make them rulers over many lands.
17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation.
Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.

The joy and expectation in the faces of Luke and Kristina was palpable. The joy of the entire congregation was evident. So many present that were full of love, and so many couples remembering their own vows.

Once again I am reminded of how marriage is God’s gift to us to give the world a picture of His love for us. We are His bride. He loves us, cherishes us, and will defend us and protect us. Christ died for us – gave His live for us. Oh, how our Lord loves His bride!

You have captured my heart,
my treasure, my bride.
You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes,
with a single jewel of your necklace.
10 Your love delights me,
my treasure, my bride.
Your love is better than wine,
your perfume more fragrant than spices.
11 Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.
Your clothes are scented
like the cedars of Lebanon.
12 You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride,
a secluded spring, a hidden fountain. – Song of Songs (Solomon’s) 4:9-12

…God will rejoice over you
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. – Isaiah 62:5

Just as Luke loves Kristina, Christ loves us, His beautiful bride. Just as Luke is thrilled to be with her, to protect her, to provide for her, the Lord longs to be with us, to protect us, to provide for us.

I’m overwhelmed. Oh, how the Lord loves His bride … Oh, how the Lord loves His bride … Oh, how the Lord loves His bride!!! Our wedding day is coming! He will come to get us! Just as Kristina was preparing herself through her life, and even up until the moment came for her to walk down the aisle, let us be preparing ourselves. The King loves us! He is coming to get us!

Oh, how the Lord loves His bride!

Partly Cloudy - or Partly Sunny?

2009-05-21T10:27:00.001-04:00

Finally – some good weather! How is the “weather” in your heart today? How is the “weather” in your life? Are things sunny? Or is there a storm brewing? Is your spirit “dark and cloudy”?

You know how people either say “the glass is half full” or “the glass is half empty” – and that is supposed to tell whether or not you are generally a positive person or a negative person? When the weather forecaster is telling us what it will be like tomorrow or on the weekend, I’ve always wondered what the difference is between “partly cloudy” or “partly sunny.” Does that tell us whether or not the forecaster is an optimist or a pessimist?

I don’t like bad weather. I’ve complained about the weather quite a bit this past year. I have to remind myself that the sun is always shining! We can’t always see it – but even on the cloudy days, rainy days and snowy days, the sun is always shining – not just somewhere – but right above our heads! We may not be able to see it – but the sun is ALWAYS SHINING RIGHT ABOVE OUR HEADS!

So, let me encourage you today, whatever is going on in your life, the sun is shining – and the Son is shining! If you have put your full faith and trust in Jesus, turned away from that which displeases Him and destroys us, and accepted His free offer of forgiveness, then Jesus is always with you, even in and especially in every difficult time of our lives! Sometimes it’s easy to forget – that’s why I’m reminding myself – and you today – that the Son is shining!

This Sunday at New Life we are continuing our series in 1st Corinthians – and it’s going to get very interesting! As we move into chapter 5 Paul begins to deal with some pretty tough stuff – some stuff we’d rather avoid – but if we’re going to understand everything that God wants to teach us through His Word, we can’t avoid the passages that we’re going to be looking at the next several weeks.

I know it’s a holiday weekend coming up and lots of people have lots of plans, but if you’re staying in the area, I hope that I’ll see you Sunday at 10 a.m.

Have a great rest of the week!

Randy

After the storm -

2009-05-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

As I sit to write this it is Thursday afternoon. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the temperature is nearly perfect. What a beautiful day! It’s hard to believe that last night I slept on the couch with The Weather Channel on to keep an eye on the storms. I wanted to be sure that if a tornado was going to come our way I could wake my family and we could get to the basement.

I hope you don’t think that was being alarmist or over-concerned. Late last night there were tornadoes in Missouri heading our way. The Indianapolis weather forecasters were predicting strong storms here between 4 & 5 a.m. I wanted to protect my family.

In the same way, you may be going through a storm in your life. You may be fearful that it is going to get worse. Whether it is a physical storm, financial storm, family storm, emotional storm or spiritual storm, do you see the clouds gathering? Do you hear the forecasts of doom?
Listen – there is nothing wrong with being alert! There is nothing wrong with doing what you need to do to protect yourself and your family – but read this:

Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. (Proverbs 4:7)

The wisdom that is spoken of there is God’s wisdom. Good judgment comes from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit! And the Book tells that we need not worry or fear. Last night, I was not worried, I was not fearful. I was just keeping my eye on the storm. If it came, I would do what I had to do, knowing full well that the storm would be temporary!

I do not know the future – but I know Who holds my future! “I don’t know who holds tomorrow, but I know Who holds my hand!”

Can I encourage you today? The storm may be over your life, over your house, over your business, over your family – but this storm will pass! One way or another it will pass! After the stormy night comes a beautiful day! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

I’m getting ready for an encouraging day on Sunday!

Many blessings,

Randy Blankenship

Tremendous growth in my life!

2009-04-30T12:43:00.001-04:00

I wanted to testify of tremendous growth in an area of my personal life – one that may have seemed impossible to some who know me!

A couple of weeks ago our microwave stopped working. I thought I was going to have to buy a new microwave! Who’s got the money for that? I thought, “Maybe I can fix it!” (Stop laughing – right now!) For those of you who are not aware, I am not a “Mr. Fix-It” guy – but I was going to try!

So – I found the manual and was going to look up anything I could find on the possibility of repairing it. Taped to the front of the manual was a fuse. I thought, “Maybe it’s just a fuse! That can’t be too hard!” So, I looked through the manual to find something on fuses – nothing. No problem, I’ll just take the microwave out and open it up. That’s what I did – man, it was heavy! I took the microwave out of its hole in the wall, above the oven, and got it open – no problem! There’s the fuse! Blown! Pull it out, put the new one in – no problem! Now, put the microwave back together … that took a couple of tries. You know, you’ve got to remember how you took it apart. Got ‘er dun!

Then – get the microwave back up into its hole in the wall and get the framing around it again … harder! That took me at least three tries … had to lift that thing (it’s a much older unit) … it was heavy! … Get it into just the right position … hold onto it without crashing it to the ground while reaching around behind and plugging in the cord … Wow!

Well – I got it all done and it only took me about a total of 5 hours to change a fuse! But – the microwave works – and I fixed it! That’s right! Randy Blankenship fixed a household appliance all by himself! I told you this was a tremendous area of growth in my life!

Do you want to have tremendous growth in your life? Get out the old manual … the Bible! Do you have one? If not, ask me – I’ll get you one! In there you will find everything you need! You’ll find the fuse (the power of the Holy Spirit)! You’ll get your life running again! Oh – things will get heavy at times … you may have to twist around some problems … you may have to back up and try something over again … you may have to remember how to do some things … but fix it! Stick with the manual and the power of the Holy Spirit and fix it! You know, the whole job would have been much easier if I had not been alone! It’s just the same with our new life in Christ! It’s much easier when we walk together!

This Sunday is going to be a WOW Weekend – World Outreach Weekend!

Saturday at 6 p.m. – Leadership Roundtable Training dinner in the AC
Saturday at 7 p.m. – “Beyond the Gates of Splendor” in the Worship Center
Sunday at 10 a.m. – Church Planter, Tim Winton
Sunday at 6 p.m. – “The End of the Spear”

Come and experience tremendous growth in your life!

Randy Blankenship

Not Ready for the Nest to Empty

2009-03-16T08:15:00.002-04:00

I've thought the empty nest wouldn't be so bad for me. I could be a little premature in that judgment!

This past weekend, Sharon was at a weekend gathering from Thursday evening through Sunday evening. My kids were also at a youth retreat. The whole house to myself for three whole days! Time off! Time to rest! A little quiet! I expected great things!

Well ... Friday morning I got a call that one of our great guys had a surgery that took a lot longer than expected and wasn't coming out from under the anesthesia. I was glad I was able to spend the day in the hospital with them. I had no other plans. I didn't have to be in a hurry about being anywhere or missing any other appointments. It was great to have the day with them!

Friday night - back home - pretty quiet -

Saturday I spent the first half of the day at the school helping with set preparation for the upcoming school musical. Randy came back from the retreat he was on to help with that since he is the equipment manager for the choir department and the lead male role in the musical this year. No sleeping in ... but back home Saturday afternoon - turn on the golf and get a nap! Late Saturday night went to the weekend gathering Sharon was on for an event there.

Sunday - going to church by myself - I usually drive by myself, but the family is at church. I was the only one at church Sunday morning! It reminded me of when I was a single church planter! Driving home by myself. More sleeping while golf is on tv, but boy the house is quiet! Most of the weekend eating warmed over leftovers or microwave meals! Lots of quiet! I was reminded of what my life was like before Sharon came into it - and I didn't like it! I sure was missing everybody awfully quick - even though it didn't end up that I had the whole weekend by myself to do nothing!

Thankfully everyone got back Sunday night and the house is full again! I have such an awesome family! Anna graduates high school in less than 3 months - leaves for college within 3 months of that - then Randy next year. Maybe I'm not quite ready for this empty nest thing just yet ...

We're All A Bunch of Idiots!

2009-03-02T10:14:00.004-05:00

1st Corinthians 1:18-25 - The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

I invite you to be offended by the following video by Bill Maher - then read my answer -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IcUumWzue4

So - Bill Maher says that those who believe in God are the "crazy one" - idiots - and those who don't are the "rationalists." Hmmm... Let's consider -

Ben Carson - the leading brain surgeon in the history of the universe -

Some career highlights include the first separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins joined at the back of the head in 1987 (every previous attempt had resulted in death), the first completely successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa, and the first successful placement of an intrauterine shunt for a hydrocephalic twin.

Dr. Carson holds more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the Horatio Alger Society of Distinguished Americans, and many other prestigious organizations. He sits on the board of directors of numerous organizations, including Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, the Academy of Achievement, and is an Emeritus Fellow of the Yale Corporation, the governing body of Yale University. He was appointed in 2004 by President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Council on Bioethics. He is a highly regarded motivational speaker who has addressed various audiences from school systems and civic groups to corporations and the President’s National Prayer Breakfast.

In 2001, Dr. Carson was named by CNN and TIME Magazine as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 "Living Legends" on the occasion of its 200th anniversary. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal which is the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP. In February, 2008, Dr. Carson was presented with the Ford’s Theatre Lincoln Medal by President Bush at the White House. In June, 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the President, which is the highest civilian honor in the land. He has literally received hundreds of other awards during his distinguished career.

Dr. Carson's books include a memoir, Gifted Hands, and a motivational book, Think Big. Carson says the letters of "Think Big" stand for the following (For space, I'll just mention the "T" & the "G"):

Talent: Our Creator has endowed all of us not just with the ability to sing, dance or throw a ball, but with intellectual talent….

God: Never get too big for Him.

But - Ben Carson is an idiot - and Bill Maher is a genius!

How about Nicolaus Copernicus?
(February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543)

He was the first astronomer to formulate a scientifically-based heliocentric cosmology that displaced the Earth from the center of the universe. His epochal book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), is often regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy and the defining epiphany that began the Scientific Revolution.

But, he was a Catholic cleric who said, “God, without whom we can do nothing.”

So - He must be an idiot - while Bill Maher is a great contributer to the well-being of society!

Then there was Michael Faraday - 1791-1867

Faraday discovered that a suspended magnet would revolve around a current bearing wire, leading him to propose that magnetism was a circular force. He also discovered magnetic optical rotation, invented the dynamo (a device capable of converting electricity to motion) in 1821, discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831, and devised the laws of chemical electrodeposition of metals from solutions in 1857.

He formulated the second law of electrolysis: "the amounts of bodies which are equivalent to each other in their ordinary chemical action have equal quantities of electricity naturally associated with them." He published many of his results in the three-volume Experimental Researches in Electricity (1839-1855). One of his most important contributions to physics was his development of the concept of a field to describe magnetic and electric forces in 1845. He first suggested that current produces a electric "tension" which produced an "electrotonic state," or polarization of matter molecules, and was responsible for transmitting the electric force.
“The Christian . . . is taught of God (by His Word and the Holy Spirit) to trust in the promise of salvation though the work of Jesus Christ. He finds his guide in the Word of God, and commits the keeping of his soul into the hands of God. He looks for no assurance beyond what the Word can give him, and if his mind is troubled by the cares and fears which may assail him, he can go nowhere but in his prayer to the throne of grace and to the Scripture.” (Jones, 426)

It's too bad he ruined his reputation by saying:

“The Christian religion is a revelation. The natural man cannot know it . . . that revelation is the Word of God.”

Hmmm - in spite of all those achievements - he intellect is subservient to that of Bill Maher - because Faraday believes in God - nothing else matters - according to Bill Maher, he is another idiot!

Let's not forget about Galileo

He is the man that pioneered "experimental scientific method" and was the first to use a refracting telescope to make important astronomical discoveries. Galileo's originality as a scientist lay in his method of inquiry. First he reduced problems to a simple set of terms on the basis of everyday experience and common-sense logic. Then he analyzed and resolved them according to simple mathematical descriptions. The success with which he applied this technique to the analysis of motion opened the way for modern mathematical and experimental physics. Isaac Newton used one of Galileo's mathematical descriptions, "The Law of Inertia," as the foundation for his "First Law of Motion."

Poor Galileo - he was obviously deceived as he said:

“To the Lord; whom I worship and thank;
That governs the heavens with His eyelid
To Him I return tired, but full of living.” (Chiari, 1970, 321)

“One must not doubt the possibility that the Divine Goodness at times may choose to inspire a ray of His immense knowledge in low and high intellects when they are adorned with sincere and holy zeal.” (Chiari, 545)

“I trust the infinite goodness of God may direct toward the purity of my mind a small amount of His grace that I may understand the meaning of His words.” (Chiari, 550)

“The Holy Scriptures cannot lie.”

Just one more - Johannes Kepler –

…worked with the renowned Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe. He inherited Tycho's post as Imperial Mathematician when Tycho died in 1601. Using the precise data that Tycho had collected, Kepler discovered that the orbit of Mars was an ellipse. In 1609 he published Astronomia Nova, delineating his discoveries, which are now called Kepler's first two laws of planetary motion. And what is just as important about this work, "it is the first published account wherein a scientist documents how he has coped with the multitude of imperfect data to forge a theory of surpassing accuracy" (O. Gingerich in foreword to Johannes Kepler New Astronomy translated by W. Donahue, Cambridge Univ Press, 1992), a fundamental law of nature. Today we call this the scientific method. He then went on to produce the Rudolphine Tables that Tycho had envisioned long ago. These included calculations using logarithms, which he developed, and provided perpetual tables for calculating planetary positions for any past or future date. Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason.

Kepler said, "Great is our Lord and great is His strength and there is no number to His wisdom. Praise Him heavens, praise Him sun, moon, planets, whatever sense you may use to perceive, whatever tongue to express our Creator. Praise Him heavenly harmonies, praise Him you witnesses of the (now) detected harmonies. Praise also you, my soul, your Lord the Creator as long as I shall be. For from Him and through Him, and in Him is all. Both what is perceived by the senses and by the mind, as much what we don't know at all as what we do know, a minimal part of it. To Him be praise, honor and glory into all eternity. Amen. (Beer, 1975, 361)

"The Creator, the fountain of all wisdom, the approver of perpetual order, the eternal and superessential spring of geometry and harmonics." (Beer, 356)

"Geometry... coeternal with God...and reflecting in the Divine mind has supplied God with the examples...for the furnishing of the world so that it became the best and most beautiful, and (even) also the most similar to the creator." (Beer, 75)

"But we Christians...know that the eternal and uncreated Logos who was with God and who is contained by no abode, although He is in all, (We know) that He has suscepted flesh from the uterus of the...Virgin Mary in the unity of a person, and that, after the consummation of His ministry in the flesh He has occupied the heavens as His royal abode, in which as somehow excelling over all other parts of the world, I.e.through His glory and majesty, also the Heavenly Father is acknowledged to habitate, and in which He has promised also to His faithful mansions in the house of His Father." (Beer, 356)

"O Thou who through the light of nature increasest in us the longing for the light of Thy Grace that through it we may come to the light of Thy majesty, I give Thee thanks, Creator and God, that Thou has given me this joy in Thy creation, and I rejoice in the works of Thy hands. See I have now completed the work to which I was called. In it I have used all the talents Thou has lent to my spirit. I have revealed the majesty of Thy works to those men who will read my works, insofar as my narrow understanding can comprehend their infinite richness." (Beer, 359)

Now - you can believe that Bill Maher is a genius and all these others are idiots. However, it seems to me that Bill Maher is not qualified to fold these guy's underwear!! I also agree with Francis Shaeffer who said, "Modern scientists would never be able to found modern science." The scientists with the greatest minds who laid the foundation for what today's scientists study, and who laid the foundation for many of the comforts we enjoy in life - started with God as the Creator - they prayed that their minds might be open to discover the principles of the universe based on His Creation - and God answered their prayers. They started with God. Today, modern scientists build on that foundation, but they reject the foundation itself. They reap the benefits of something they would never have had the ability to start themselves - except for those like Ben Carson, of course!

Transformational Leaders

2009-01-22T11:30:00.003-05:00

This week our new president began his term in office. I have probably already prayed more for this president than I have for previous presidents. I feel that is what the Scriptures tell me to do - and I have failed to do that in the past. I am praying for God to give him wisdom - wisdom that is beyond the natural - wisdom that is beyond his own. We all face times when we need God to change our mind and our direction. That is not beyond the power of God to do for anyone. I am praying that our new president will truly desire Proverbs 3:5-6 in his life -

Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

He has been called a "transformational leader" even before he has begun. Are you a "transformational leader"? Rick Warren, who prayed the invocation at the inauguration, wrote a letter to pastors this week that said in part:

"... If you understand what life, the Cross, the Church, and the future are all about, you know that nothing else compares in significance. Period.

"Today, our culture idolizes entertainment, sports, business success, political power, and prosperity. While these have their place, Jesus did not die for any of these things. He died for the people that you care for, feed, and lead.

"Nothing matters more than the Church. We forget that the reason God created the entire universe is because he wanted a family, and that family is the only thing that will last forever with Him. Everything else on this planet is temporary, no matter how much attention it gets.

"... in God's eyes, and in the perspective of his eternal purposes, what you are doing will actually last longer than what any political leader will do. Your ministry will impact eternity. Think about that! While no nation lasts forever, God's family will. Remember, prominence and signifiance are not synonymous."

Good thoughts. Puts it all in perspective. What we accomplish for the Kingdom of God is ultimately more transformational than anything any president, prime minister, or king could ever do that only affect the natural realm.

My desire is to be a transformational leader! I have a friend that is a transformational leader. We have the Upward basketball and cheerleading ministry at our church. 150 kids show up every Saturday, many of them whose families do not attend church anywhere, and they play basketball. Parents and grandparents come to watch, and eat hot dogs, nachos and popcorn, or get a latte or a cappacino from the coffee bar. We actually have more people in the building on Saturdays than we do on Sundays? Are we one of those churches that are just "playing games"? Should we get more "spiritual"?

My friend coaches one of the teams. He doesn't have to. He doesn't have any kids in the program. He could leave it to someone else. But he coaches because it's a needed ministry. He also teaches a class of young boys on Wednesday nights. One of his players started coming on Wednesday nights just a couple of weeks ago. Last night, that young boy accepted Jesus Christ as His personal Savior. Another team was asked by their coach (transformational leader) what it means to be Christ-like. One boy answered: "It's when your friend fouls out of the game and you go sit on the bench instead so that your friend can keep playing." Wow.

Because people gave ... a gym was built ... a "program" is taking place ... people are cleaning the building ... setting up the building ... fixing the food ... a person is willing to serve as a coach... Everyone involved in the process from beginning to end has a role in the transformation of this young life. And possibly, this young boy will grow up to be a transformational leader!

The Path of Life Leads Upward

2009-01-12T08:42:00.005-05:00

The path of life leads upward for the wise ... - Proverbs 15:24

We have such a tremendous group of people at our church who are involved in so many ministries. This weekend was the beginning of our first "Rally Week" for New Life Small Groups for 2009. Our lobby is filled with displays of the various ministries, gifts and talents that God is using to bless people through New Life. One of those ministries is Upward and this past weekend was the first weekend of Upward for 2009. We have a basketball and cheerleading program. Saturday we had 4 sessions - from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - 8 games - 150 kids (last year we had 85) - parents, grandparents and friends (most of whom do not go to church regularly) - young, some very young, basketball players being introduced by name by Jim Berry with a "Chicago Bulls Championship" style music playing in the background - busting through a curtain and running through a smoke machine and a corridor of cheerleaders - what a blessing this Activity Center is to minister to this community! The Encounter Cafe was open and those volunteers did a great job - concessions in the kitchen - again great food and great people. Herb Ober, Mike Mooney, Sr., and Dan Rayl did an awesome job giving their testimonies at the halftimes and let everyone know what a difference a relationship with Jesus Christ makes in their lives! We had at least 450 come through here Saturday - in spite of the ice storm - and what a blessing! It is absolutely incredible to me that a church our size is able to pull off a great ministry like this to so many people! Thank God for Pastor Sharon Daniel and her whole team!

As the day wore on Saturday, we realized we would have to postpone our Small Group Leaders Appreciation Dinner - but we'll get it in. That gave us an opportunity to have a little down time and rest time with the family Saturday night. Yesterday was a good day of ministry. Several folks were worshipping with us at New Life for the first time. A few folks didn't venture out because of the ice and cold, but all in all it was a good day of ministry. We focused on the family in our Sunday morning message, and how important it is for us to care about the family by striving to structure our families around the Biblical values for the family. The Cornerstone of the Family is Marriage and the Complement of the Family is children. Sunday night we continued our introduction to our series on the prophecy of Isaiah and those attending seem genuinely excited about the teaching and about the Word of God! What a great thing to get excited about!

I have felt the need to spend more time in focused prayer, so I will be doing that on Mondays. Today is the first day for that, and I am looking forward to some time of seclusion and just spending time with God and letting him speak to me and letting His Spirit enrich my soul. Mondays are going to be good this year!

Heal me

2009-01-07T16:35:00.002-05:00

Sunday was a pretty good day - we had our first early service. We didn't necessarily start it out of necessity of space in our sanctuary, but we had to have more nursery & preschool space and that decision started a domino effect which led to us moving our Children's Sunday School classes to run concurrently with the 10 a.m. service instead of the traditional hour earlier - then that led to more children's ministers being out of the 10 a.m. service, so we've started an 8:45 a.m. service for the children's ministries workers and a couple of others showed up. A small crowd in the youth hall, but was appreciated by those involved. It was also plain that we had more involved in the children's ministries at 10 a.m. than we have had in the past and that is important for us as we are trying to focus on reaching young families.

I also found out that our Sunday attendance average for last year was more than I anticipated. We've had 4 years of growth up until this past year. It was a year of some pruning as the Scriptures speak of, but apparently not as much as we thought. The new growth is already coming in!

I've also learned something about blogging. At least this is my conclusion. At some point someone told me that a blog is kind of like an online journal. From my perspective there is a big difference - a journal is usually kept private and confidential. If I were journaling, I would be a lot more personal and there would be more revelations here. For instance, we go through some great struggles and difficulties. Maybe the younger blogging generation is willing to "put it all out there" - but for me, at this stage of my life and for some of the things I am dealing with, that simply would not be wise. Suffice it to say that there have been some difficulties this week relating to both personal and ministry issues that can't be opened up here. Confidentiality is a key, but we must press on through the struggles ...

I'll wrap up this post with some more quoting - I've been reading a book called "Lord, Save us From Your Followers." It's about how we as Christians aren't really getting anywhere in transforming our society because all we seem to be doing is giving the impression that we're yelling at "enemies". In the "culture war" we are not winning converts, as Jesus taught us to do, we simply continue to alienate those we should be winning. In the book are a series of interviews both with people you might respect and with some you might disdain, but the author is trying to start a conversation and get people to listen, not just ratchet up the yelling and draw the divisions even deeper.

One of his interviews was with Michael Reagan, son of the former president and now a radio talk show host. The author is Dan Merchant and here is an excerpt of the interview for you to consider:

Dan - Does Jesus even care about saving Western civilization? It wasn't even here when Jesus was on earth.
Michael Reagan - I think Jesus cares about everybody individually. And we have to be a light to the world. And there are battles that you fight. I understand that, but we have to take care of our own house. Today I can't find a church that doesn't have an outreach program, and I can't find one that doesn't need an in-reach program. Everybody wants to become a megachurch - I'm bigger than you, I'm better than you. But I sit there in prayer circles in church and there are a lot of hurting people in churches today. We gotta heal the people in the churches and through that we can heal the world.
Dan - We can do both outreach and in-reach simultaneously, can't we?
Michael - You've got to heal your own first. You can't send me out sick and expect me to heal the sick, "I'm sick! Heal me."

Something to Selah About

2009-01-03T14:34:00.002-05:00

I get a magazine called Cutting Edge - published by the Association of Vineyard Churches, primarily as a Church Planting magazine. Yesterday I started reading the most recent edition. In it Brian Housman, Executive Pastor of the Boston Vineyard, does kind of a book report on The Making of a Leader by J. Robert Clinton. It's one of those books that are on my shelf that I'm not sure if I've read or not (probably not - probably need to). I'm just going to quote here some excerpts of Brian's summary of some of the thoughts in the book (I'll interject my own thoughts in parentheses - and any bold or italics for emphasis are also mine):

The Making of a Leader was Dr. Clinton's response to what he observed as a shortage of church leaders. (Boy, have I noticed that!) He and his students studied the lives of hundreds of biblical, historic, and contemporary leaders to see if they could discern the key ingredients to leadership, so that churches could focus on looking for and cultivating those key ingredients. What they discovered was that many of these hundreds of leaders shared a similar life pattern, and that a noticeable part of that pattern was that their period of greatest effectiveness came relatively late in their lives.

When I see the tremendous gap between what I am and what I would like to be, between what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish, it is a tremendous relief to hear that I might still have time to get there. (Boy, can I ever relate to that!)

It is exciting to consider that anything I have experienced thus far is just practice and that my real work, the work that counts, is still to come. (Selah....)

Luke 16:10: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" (TNIV). Dr. Clinton states the principle this way: "Faithfulness in a small responsibility is an indicator of probable faithfulness in a larger responsibility" (Making of a Leader 95). God starts us out with smaller life and leadership challenges, and gradually increases them as we demonstrate that we are capable of responding well. When we do not respond well, we remain at that level until we do - like repeating ayear in school until we get a passing grade (anyone ever watch the movie, Groundhog Day?).

...responding well is not necessarily about success in a ministry task. God is not primarily assessing our ability to produce results but rather our capacity for continued growth (Selah...).

God's main concern is the development of our character and our gifting over time.

The discipline of reflection is more important than the experience itself ... (are you Selah-ing?? Stopping to think, wonder and ponder the thought?) ...

...leadership development is not necessarily about getting it right the first time. It is about developing a habit of treating every significant even tin ou rlives as a learning opportunity.

...reflection on life experiences is the general mechanism for leadership development throughout our lives...

End of quoting Brian - Hmmmm ... what are my current experiences - in both ministry and personal life - teaching me ... what has my past prepared me for ... for now? What is my now preparing me for ... for my best days which are yet ahead? Am I reflecting enough on what is going on - or am I just focused on accompishment according to the world's standards in the now?

More good stuff - may have to come later - there's a Colts game this afternoon!

HERE WE GO AGAIN

2009-01-01T10:40:00.004-05:00

A new year and a new commitment to blogging! Ha! We'll see how successful I am this time!

My parents blessed us with a great Christmas gift - a cruise! The whole fam - all 7 of us - here are some pics -

Let's have a great new year! Jesus is ready for each of us to walk with Him this year! The Scriptures say that the grass may wither and the flowers fade ... the mountains may fall into the heart of the sea ... the whole world can fall apart and everything we've every known can completely change - but the Word of the Lord will stand forever and He will never change! Jesus is the Word and He is our unchangeable Rock in changing times! As I stand on Him and with Him I will be stable in times of unprecedented instability!

Blessings on you!

A NEW SEASON

2008-09-19T14:11:00.000-04:00

Well, we're more than half way through September already -

It's a new foot ball season, and the Colts are struggling with injuries - Bob Sander is out, Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark - they'll have to work hard and be resilient!

It's a new season at New Life. Whenever summer is over and we get past Labor Day, it's like starting over in a number of ways. People have come back from vacations and some people are seeing one another again for the first time in a while. Others are visiting, checking things out, maybe looking for a change in their lives.

I've started a new series - which will be running all fall - but I've broken it up into 3 shorter series. The overall series is "Strike a Match!" We're talking about how to read and understand the Bible - trying to help folks get more out of their personal Bible reading and be able to interpret it better and apply it to their lives. Right now, we're laying the foundation of the power of the Bible in our lives and what it can do. Then, we're going to break the Bible up into its various sections. We have to know what we are reading - who wrote this passage? Who was it written to? Why did they write it? What did it mean to them? Knowing these things will give us such a better insight into what God means to say to us today.

Many of our small groups have also started for the new fall season. Our Wednesday small group is studying Dave Williams' book "Have You Heard from the Lord Lately?" We're going to learn principles of how to determine what God is saying to people today. We can hear from God!

We've been thinking and working for a few years on the concept of The Encounter Cafe. We have a coffee bar in our lobby, but it is totally separate from our church. We want to start a coffee shop in our community that is saturated with a Christian atmosphere - big screens with worship videos, a stage for worship bands and youth bands, and screens connected to The World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We want there to be separate private rooms that people can reserve for prayer anytime day or night. It's difficult sometimes to get people who don't follow Christ to come to any church activity, but we are hoping to get the opportunity to introduce people to Christ in a very non-threatening, non-offensive, neutral way. At the same time, providing opportunities for the Church in the community to come together across denominational lines, and provide a place for people to get away and pray to connect with God anytime they need to. We will be having a lunch this coming Thursday, September 25, with civic leaders, business leaders, and Christian leaders in our community to share this idea with them and see who wans to be a part of it.

We've also started the New Life School of Ministry. This is something else we've been talking about for a while, but the circumstances fell into place to get it started. We have 3 students, 3 young men all preparing for the ministry, studying and ministering together with the staff of New Life Church! We're excited!

We've also been talking for some time about the fact that our nursery and pre-school areas are completely inadequate - for what we have now and certainly for the future. Something happened this week that just hit us in the face that we have to stop talking about it and do something about it NOW! So, we are having a lunch this Sunday after our morning service to meet with the parents and leaders of our young children and work to begin to come up with a solution that will help us reach and keep young families. I am praying that everyone would be willing to put everything on the table and really think outside the traditional boxes so that we can meet the needs of this generation.

All of this and more is keeping us real busy - but it's a new season! We can't worry about who is injured or what kind of facilities or finances we have or don't have. We have what God has given us and we are to be faithful to use it to its maximum capability and give our all on the field to accomplish the mission God has given us!

I hope your fall season is going well! If you're a New Lifer - I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Here we go again!

2008-08-31T16:34:00.004-04:00

Here we go again - Well, once again it's been a while since I've "blogged." I've just never been good at consistent journaling. I think part of it is that I do so much work on the computer, preparing so many messages and lessons, so much mental work, that when I finally finish and get to "relax" I no longer feel like think and writing on the computer. I also have so many evening commitments - church board, school board, small groups, kids activities - that I often get home very late and am just ready to turn my brain off with a little TV before I jump into bed. But - here I am again - here we go again -

Here we go again - we had a difficult late spring and early summer with the ministry, but the summer has really ended great. Today is the Sunday before Labor Day - traditionally the last Sunday of the summer where a lot of people will be missed due to travelling. The period between Labor Day and Thanksgiving is one of the two periods in the year when we see people living in more consistent habits with work schedules, school schedules and church schedule - so it's good to see more and more people coming back to worship with the church family regularly. We've added several new families to our church family this summer who seem really excited about our ministries, and I'm really looking forward to ministry this fall as the Holy Spirit continues to work alongside us as Jesus said He would do! We're looking forward to some exciting developments in our ministry this fall with a couple of huge announcements for the expansion of our ministries this coming Sunday - Here we go again!

Here we go again - it's FOOTBALL SEASON! Thanks to my beautiful wife and kids, I was able to attend the final Colts pre-season game in Indy at the great new Lucas Oil Stadium. Our youth pastor, Nathan Peternel went with Randy and me. It was a really great time. Next Sunday is opening day - HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Here we go again - as I write, we are wondering what is going to happen in New Orleans. Those poor people are leaving town again - wondering if any of their houses or possessions will be there when they return. Lord, please calm the storm, please have compassion, please have mercy - we trust in you. Please help the people of that area in this difficult test - we welcome Your help - we always need your help - here we go again.

Here we go again - soon to elect another president of the United States of America. It is now proving to be an incredible election. No matter what happens, it will be a new day for the U.S. We will either have the first African-American President of the U.S., or we will have the first female vice-president of the U.S. - unless something would happen that would cause any of them to abandon the election (ala the exit of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in '72). There will be lots of attacks - lots of nasty name calling and "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyay" - lots of maturity being displayed (tongue in cheek). I'm a firm believer that God has a plan, and no matter what He is going to work His plan. I'm excited to see the future God has planned - here we go again!

Here we go again - ending this blog - wondering how long it will be before I do this again - I may say I will try to do it more often - but who knows - here I go again ...

Enjoy the journey ... Enjoy the day ...

2008-07-28T14:49:00.001-04:00

In Arkansas visiting my brother. Often we're worried about the future - where God is taking us - what is God's will for our life? What's the plan? How will we get there? How will "success" be measured?

This morning's devotion from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers I thought was especially good:

"God’s Purpose or Mine?
“He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side …” (Mark 6:45).
He tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish—His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious."

It seems he is saying we should worry less about the destination, enjoy the process, enjoy the journey, and trust that God is taking us on His plan. As I have often said, "Live for Him today and He will lead you tomorrow!" I need to get better at this myself.

Enjoy the journey ... Enjoy this day ...

Great Summer

2008-07-22T17:19:00.003-04:00

It's been a great summer! I haven't blogged in a while and some of my recent posts may have seemed "deep" - not this one. Just need to keep up.

We had a great time Sunday! So many people took advantage of the opportunity to connect with God and give Him an opportunity to work in their life! It is wonderful to watch people receive what God has for them!

For the past couple of years the kids have been wanting to go to Holiday World as a family, so we're doing that this Thursday and Friday. We didn't do the "big vacation" thing this year - going on a long trip, etc. So, this is going to be our time together. Anna's been working, kids have gone to camp, done missions work renovating the youth hall - lots has been going on and school starts again in just a couple of weeks!

We're also getting ready for another "Great Banquet"! Two of our deacons, their wives, and our new youth pastor and his wife will all be going through this great experience! I live in anticipation of greater and greater blessings from God as we continue to walk with Him!

HOW BIG IS OUR VISION?

2008-07-02T15:45:00.000-04:00

How big is your vision? What can you see? What is your purpose? What do you see yourself accomplishing for the Lord in your personal life and in your life with the church?

There are two people who are very close to me in my life who have vision problems. Pastor Sharon Daniel is dear to all of us and does such a fantastic job leading our Children’s Ministries and administrating so many other areas of ministry in our church. I don’t know what we would do without her, but I know there would be a lot of things that simply would not get done. She is amazing! She is doing this with limited vision – limited physical vision that is. While Pastor Sharon has incredibly large spiritual vision, she is quite limited in her physical vision. Many years ago hystoplasmosis settled in her eyes and began to deteriorate her vision.

My brother has an incredible mind for the Word of God. He is an incredible teacher of the Word of God. Students he has influenced are now pastoring and leading in all areas of society all over the world. As you read this, he is in New Zealand speaking at the International Conference for the Society of Biblical Literature. Also, as you read this, his eyes are literally continuing to tear themselves apart. He has suffered from extreme nearsightedness his entire life and several years ago a detached retina accelerated his vision loss. It is a tremendous struggle. Yet, as with Pastor Sharon, the spiritual vision the Lord has given him for ministry and influence is huge.
I wonder, what is our vision for ministry? What are we believing God for? How big is it? I’m not talking now in terms of big numbers, such as an enormously large church. I’m talking about the difference we are making in people’s lives.

Certainly we want to see many people come into a real relationship with Jesus Christ. People are starving for healthy relationships these days – there are so many unhealthy relationships – we need to introduce them to a real relationship with Jesus Christ. We often call this “conversion” or “salvation.”

We also believe that God is still offering people His incredible power – the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that people today can be “baptized” or “saturated” in the Holy Spirit just like people were in the Book of Acts (chapters 2,8,10 & 19). The Bible teaches that this gives people great spiritual power – the ability to speak to people for God with enormous effectiveness – and the ability to overcome temptation and live a holy life.

We believe and know that God still heals people of every kind of sickness and disease – and we are expecting Jesus Christ to literally come back to this earth and enable us to be a part of His Kingdom which will last forever. In other words, we believe in salvation, healing, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

But can we ask this question – is there more? Not “more” in some mystical way. Not “more” in terms of another “other-worldly” spiritual experience that might cause us to feel wonderful. What I’m asking is this – beyond the experiences of salvation, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, healing, and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ – in the words of Francis Shaeffer, “How Should We Then Live?” So, we’re born again, we know Jesus, we speak in tongues, we get healed and we see people get healed, we’re waiting on the Lord to come back – what do we do on the other days – the regular days – is there more?

Do we have to wait for Jesus to come back to start living in “the Kingdom of God”? What does it mean to live in the Kingdom of God today? How do we apply the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in our everyday life? What does the Baptism in the Holy Spirit mean for us apart from speaking in tongues and having wonderful experiences? Can you be bold enough to ask yourself this question, “Am I really living a Kingdom of God kind of life?” Or how about this question: “Am I helping others to live an every day, day to day, life, with the priorities and attitudes of the Kingdom of God at the forefront?” Is this something we have to concentrate on, or is it “second-nature”?

This is why I ask the question, “How big is our vision?” Are we just looking at the numbers of people in the pews on Sunday? …the numbers of people who pray a certain kind of prayer? …the numbers of people who speak in tongues? …the numbers of people who get healed?
How about this – how many people whom we have “counted” in terms of having these experiences are regularly living above the dung of everyday life and just by virtue of their lives are pulling other people out of the dung?

This thought process began in me after reading an e-mail from a friend that said this:
Today the Assemblies of God (and many others) preach salvation & baptism in Holy Spirit INSTEAD of the Kingdom of God message. It is now difficult and nigh impossible for people to know they receive or teach an abbreviated message because the abbreviated message is the only message they can compare to. It even colors their reading of the Bible. Someone has said, "Most people read the Bible to remind themselves of what they already believe." Very few read it and study it to discover what it truly SAYS.

Let me break into the quote here and ask you to really consider that for yourselves. I know I’m writing some things here to make you think – that is my goal. You don’t have to totally agree with me – but please – let us think about what we are really doing. Do you read the Bible to back up what you already think? Or, do you read the Bible to learn more – that’s right – MORE – about what God says? If we’re not reading it to learn more, then I guess our attitude is that we already know it all and have it all figured out! Back to the quote:

As by way of illustration of the message of salvation replacing the fuller message of the Kingdom of God I want to share with you a letter I received from an Assemblies of God official. In the letter this official was trying to analyze a problem: Assemblies of God churches report lots of "salvations," but see little change in the lives of the newly saved, the lives of those around them, or in the church at large [This is brought up at just about every A/G minister’s conference or meeting anyone will attend]. Salvation as it has come to be understood in the Assemblies of God has almost no effect on the people involved or those around them. While this leader is analyzing this problem, the leader is still incapable of stepping back & even considering that salvation is only one part of the full redemption that God has planned. Salvation is only one step in realizing the fullness of the Kingdom of God. Even while trying to think about a problem caused by abbreviating the gospel, this leader is unable to step outside of the abbreviated gospel they have received. This leader is exceptional [different] only in trying to address the problem, not in their inability to step back & see a fuller picture.

Wow! Once again, are we bold enough to consider this? Is it “enough” to teach people to be saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, believe for healings and wait for the rapture? Aren’t there a whole lot of other pages in the Bible with a whole lot of other great stuff that just really teaches us how to live in our everyday lives?

So – this is my question. How big is our vision? As I said at the beginning of this article – I’m not talking about numbers or the size of buildings. How big is our teaching? How big is our discipling? What are we teaching people? How much are we teaching them in terms of living their lives with a Kingdom of God mentality, instead of the mentality that is generally perpetrated in places like public schools, job training seminars, news broadcasts, movies, music, etc.?

This is why I like to take a passage of Scripture and teach through it. This is why I like to take a Book of the Bible, dissect it, tear it apart, break it down into bite-sized pieces and try to really understand what the Bible is trying to say. I can give you a list of doctrinal positions to memorize – or we can learn what the Bible says and the doctrinal positions and experiences will come along naturally as we are all following the Lord and the Way of the Word together! That’s exciting to me!

So – looking ahead to the Sunday after Labor Day – we’re going to be preach/teaching a Sunday morning message series on how you can learn to read and understand what every part of the Bible is saying to you – for your life today! “CAN YOU CATCH THE FIRE?” …his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones!... (Jeremiah 20:9). It’s going to be great!

PROTECTED BY UNITY! - Part 6

2008-06-30T15:06:00.001-04:00

Finally! I've been on vacation and haven't been online much - but I'm finally getting around to finishing this important series on unity -

WE NEED TO ACCEPT GOD’S COMMISSION TO BE AGENTS OF UNITY!

We are to promote and preserve the fellowship among believers. In this series we are sharing six ways to do this (from Rick Warren) and today is number 6:

1. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHARE IN COMMON, NOT OUR DIFFERENCES

2. BE REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS

3. CHOOSE TO ENCOURAGE RATHER THAN CRITICIZE

4. (THIS IS A BIG ONE) REFUSE TO LISTEN TO GOSSIP

5. PRACTICE GOD’S METHOD FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Nothing is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and it is worth protecting. Part of our responsibility as believers is to protect the unity where we fellowship.

Ephesians 4:3 - Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Now - for the final installment:

6. SUPPORT YOUR PASTOR AND LEADERS

There are no perfect leaders, but God gives them the responsibility and the authority to maintain the unity of the church. During conflict, that is often a thankless job, as they try to reconcile opposing views.

Hebrews 13:7- Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

Hebrews 13:17 - Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

Pastors will one day stand before God and give an account of how well they watched over the flock. But, the members of the church family are also accountable. The members will give an account to God of how well they followed their leaders!

The Bible gives pastors very specific instructions on how to deal with divisive people in the fellowship. They are to avoid arguing, gently teach the opposition while praying they will change, warn those who are argumentative, plead for harmony and unity, rebuke those who are disrespectful of leadership, and remove divisive people from the church if they ignore two warnings.

We protect the church family when we honor those who serve us by leading. Pastors and elders need the encouragement, prayers, appreciation, and love of the church family.

1st Thessalonians 5:12-13 - Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

Here’s what Paul said about his leadership:

2nd Corinthians 6:8 - We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.

Leon Keller, a long-term Deacon from First Assembly of God in Lafayette said, "God will use the unity of the Board to speak to the congregation and the unsaved."

CONCLUSION:

Some churches require incoming members to sign a covenant that includes a promise to protect the unity of the church.

Paul had an issue with unity in a certain church:

Galatians 2:1-5 –

Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles.

I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing.

3And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile.

4Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus.

They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. 5But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

Leon Keller: The devil will use people without them even knowing it – to destroy our unity. Church splits are not over John 3:16. They are over issues that don’t matter.

Unity involves philosophical purity. What are our priorities? How are we going to accomplish our mission? If you have a good sound system, people will argue about it! God wants us to be focused on what He wants us to do, not what we want to do!

Unity is not ours to get – it is our to keep. The Holy Spirit provides unity to the church – it is up to us to keep it! It doesn’t happen automatically, we must work at it!

What causes people to be successful in any venture? Work, family, church – a stable environment – having been there a LONG TIME. Unity is very fragile and can be broken quickly by a small thing – the devil will have a hey-day!

Our purpose is coming together is to find out what God’s will is.

Each one of us should accept our responsibility to protect and promote the unity of the church. The Bible tells us to put our full effort into it and God will be pleased.

It will not always be easy. Sometimes we will have to do what is best for the Body of Christ, not ourselves or what we want. We are to show preference to other and think of the whole. We are in this family to learn unselfishness. We say “we” instead of “I” – we say “our” instead of “mine.”

Philippians 2:3-4- Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

God blesses the church that is unified. When he has a bunch of baby believers, he looks for the warmest incubator church he can dfind. Everyone needs love, and when believers genuinely love each other, you’d have to lock the doors to keep people away.

Colossians 3:14-15 - Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.

Romans 15:5-6- May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.