Wow...

Thanks to my friend Wyatt Johnston and his photo blog (which you should follow!), I realized that I haven't posted anything here since LAST AUGUST!!! That's kind of when the junk hit the fan for a while here in south central Kansas... In that time, I've launched a new website for Glenn Park Christian Church where I work, assisted in implementing a new family focused ministry strategy, completed another 5 modules toward my degree through Tabor College, and am still in the process of breaking in my new favorite youth minister, Seth Taylor.

As I was thinking (sheepishly I might add...) that I really should put something out here, I took a look back at some of the work put into the classes I've been taking. One of the assignments we were given was to write out our faith story. Call it a testimony if you wish, but I think the idea of a faith story is much more appropriate. Below you will find just a small glimpse into the road that led me to become a pastor.

While attending my "home church" at the age of 7, the pastor brought in a puppet ministry that really brought the saving message of Christ down to a level that I could understand. When the invitation was given, I went forward to receive Christ in my heart. I knew He was with me, and wanted to serve Him in whatever capacity He needed me to. This led to my mom, seeing that I had a knack for music, giving me a shot at directing the choir when I was 14. God and I were at odds during my adolescent years. I had the "Sunday Christian" thing down pat. On Sunday morning, I was the model picture of saintly goodness in my burgundy satin choir robe, but the rest of the week was filled with worldly things.

In 1998 at the age of 20, I had hit rock bottom. Luckily for me (and all of us!) God never gives up. He moved me to Manhattan KS, where I attended Manhattan Christian College. It was there that I met my wife, Lora, and was asked to help start a church in Salina KS. Through starting that church, God began a transformation in my life that is still affecting me today. I had formed a band during this time, and we were 6 months from getting a record deal when God tore the rug out from underneath me. The "Rock Star" image was one that had been a dream of mine for many years, but it wasn't what He wanted from me. The facade of selflessness was covering the true selfish nature within, and I still had to learn that.

In 2000, I moved back home, and began working with a band in Topeka. This band was full of young guys that were seemingly on fire for Christ, and it was a great place to heal from the wounds left over from the Manhattan band. We had record labels sniffing at us as well, and God once again tore it apart. The facade had some cracks, but was still intact for the most part.

As I mentioned earlier, God never gives up. He has helped me realize that, if I don't allow the facade to crumble, then I don't allow His work to fully continue. If I don't pull the walls between myself and others down, then there's no connection... no way to lead, or be followed. I had always used music as a way to hide my faults, instead of as a way to glorify the One who makes me strong where I am weakest. It turned me into a fraud, and was a detriment to everyone around me. He put people and events in my life to bring me to a place of complete surrender and brokenness. He is my very breath now, and my soul goal in life is to help lead others to that point of total surrender to Him, so that His grace, mercy, and peace can flow through those cracks in our lives, and make us whole again.

I hope you are encouraged by this look into what God has done in my life. I hope you see that God never gives up on us, no matter what we do or where we go. I hope you'll take one more step toward Him today, and if you fall, you'll remember that God is your safety net.

The Electric Parable

John 15:1-11 (MSG) - I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me. "I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples. "I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. "I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.

How many of you have heard this parable from Jesus before? Looking back at Jesus’ time, this parable made perfect sense to use. At that point in history, there wasn’t a central water district, no sewer system, and nobody had a clue as to what chlorination was. Water was, at best, a very marginal version of “clean” depending on how far outside the city you went to get it. Nobody had ice machines, and no one was carrying around an indestructible plastic Nalgene bottle or even a metal canteen! Nope. Wine was the most sanitary drink of the day. Easily transportable in barrels or animal skin pouches, it would stay fresh for a fairly decent amount of time and would not grow bacteria nearly as fast as water transported the same way. Taking care of the grape vine was an integral part of life and commerce in those days!

What does it bring to mind when you hear or read this passage? For me it brings to mind the sprawling fields of grapes in Napa Valley California. I got to see that in 2004 when some friends and I went to a worship conference at Saddleback Church. After we got off the plane and ate at IN ‘n OUT (best burger and fries in the nation!), we had an afternoon to kill. One of my friends was a die-hard Reagan fanatic, so we drove up to the Reagan Presidential Library in Napa Valley. The place was on top of a hill that overlooked the entire wine valley, and it was breath taking! All those vines, all those grapes… All that wine that was going to be made that was more expensive than my house… Thinking of it that way, the parable was understandable, but didn’t make much sense to me. I don’t grow grapes, so while I can relate, it doesn’t hit home as hard as it might.

This parable might make perfect sense today to those of you in the Agriculture industry, it tends to be a little distant for me, because I am a techie. Sooo… I think we need to “Power” this parable up and look at it in a different “light”. To that end, here’s a version of that same parable, from the MJT, or Makeshift Jeremy Translation:

"I am the Wall Outlet and my Father is the Maintenance Man. He shuts off every power strip of mine that doesn't power something. And every power strip that does he adjusts so it will power even more. You are already adjusted by the message I have spoken. "Stay plugged into me. Make a connection in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a power strip can't turn on a light by itself but only by being joined to wall outlet, you can't be light in this world unless you are joined with me. "I am the Wall Outlet, you are the Power Strip. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and electric, the amount of usable appliances is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is powerless, gathered up and thrown in the recycling bin. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce usable light, when you mature as my disciples. "I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. "I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.

In order to more fully understand this idea, we need to look at the three main parts here of our “Electric” parable.

1. The Wall Outlet – Jesus! He is the way we tap into the mighty power of God and distribute it to the ministry we are wired for. If we don’t accept Jesus for who He is and plug into the idea that we need Him in our lives, then we’re powerless! Sure, we can do all kinds of good things, but ultimately they are not going to have the blessing and momentum that God intended.

John 14:6 is so relevant here! Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the life, and that NO ONE could come to the Father except through Him. It would be foolish to expect that we are going to tap God’s power and do great things for the kingdom if we don’t first accept Jesus as the source we need to plug into in order to tap that power!

2. The Maintenance Man – God! God is the one who provides power to the the Wall Outlet, and helps us to plug into that power. He is also the one that adjusts our power outlet levels, depending on how new we are to the source! That adjustment can sometimes be hard, because there are many of us that are used to being our own power source. We can easily try to unplug from the Wall Outlet and fire up our own generator again, but that only lasts so long. We need to allow Him to keep us plugged into the Wall Outlet and adjust our power output so that we can be the most effective at distributing His light and power to the world.

3. The Power Strip – Us! We are the ones who plug into the Wall Outlet and give light to the world. We have many “appliances” (ministries) that get power from us. Whether we head it up or are just a volunteer, we power those ministries through the power that we receive from Jesus. Here’s the catch – we have to be switched “on” in order to distribute that light and power!

How many people do you know that say they are plugged into the source, and yet have no light to show for it? They probably are plugged into Jesus, and the power may very well be flowing from the outlet into the power strip. However, it stops short of being distributed to the world because the switch is off!

These are the types that come to church, put a little in the plate, take communion, tolerate the music, sleep through the sermon, complain that we got out late, and then go home to fall asleep in front of the tv. I’m completely over-exaggerating here, but you get the point! There is no way on God’s Green Earth that we are going to be effective for the kingdom without having that service switch flipped into the “on” position so that we can distribute the light and power that God intended.

So, what do we need to take from this today?

1. Allow the Maintenance Man to make the necessary adjustments to you so that you can be consistently plugged into the Wall Outlet and distributing light and power to the masses.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2. Stay plugged into the Wall Outlet so that you might be able to do all that the Maintenance Man asks of you!

Philippians 4:13 (Amplified Bible) - I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].

3. Keep your switch turned “on” so that the power can flow through you to light the world!

Matthew 28:19-20 (New International Version) - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Apart from Jesus we can do nothing, but with Jesus we can light the way for others to come to the Father!

The Purpose of Christmas - Life

Christmas!!! This has to be one of the most favorite times of the year on the Church calendar, and the world calendar in general! It's the time of year when we get to sing Jingle Bells, gaudily decorate every square inch of your home and church, and sing those beloved carols that we all know so well.

For many, it's a time of oversleeping, over-eating, overspending, and overextending themselves to the point of exhaustion, with just enough time to reflect on all of that overindulgence before making a resolution never to do it again (at least not until next year...).

However, there's a story that somehow peeks its way through the din of all the commercialism that the world has placed upon this particular part of the calendar. It's a story that begins the incredible journey back toward God for all of humanity, and it starts with a pair of lives changed by faith. We find the beginning of that story in the book of Luke.

Luke 2:1-7 - In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

We all know that this is the beginning of "The Christmas Story". However, we need to go back a little further. Back to the point where Joseph and Mary were betrothed to each other.

Luke 1:26-35 - In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary , you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

Life change for Mary -

15-16 years old, pledged to be married, a virgin in waiting. All of a sudden, she has this amazing experience with an angel of the Lord and is given the task of bearing the Son of God.

How did this look to her family? Her friends? Her neighbors? Her soon to be husband's family?

She is sent away from town to her cousin Elizabeth's home (who, by the way, is pregnant in her old age by the work of God as well), and lives there until Joseph is ready to come get her.

Now let's look at the other main character in this story. Go with me to the book of Matthew.

Matthew 1:18 - This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Life change for Joseph -

17-20 years old, pledged to be married, went home to prepare a place for them to live on his father's land. Comes back for his bride to be, only to find that she is pregnant and has only some wild story about an angel of the Lord and the Holy Spirit making it possible.

What would his family think? His friends? His neighbors? Coming home with an extremely pregnant wife BEFORE they consummated their marriage?

What a life change!!!

How crazy must it have been for the two of them? Even within God's chosen people and all the absolutely amazing things that God had done over the years, everyone knows how a girl gets pregnant, and it's certainly not by a chance encounter with the Holy Spirit, right?

The most interesting part of this story to me, however, is the amount of faith that Mary and Joseph had in the midst of something that would bring them hardship and suffering. Their faith was used by God to set the plan of humanity's redemption into motion.

Mary's Faith: I can only imagine how incredulous Mary was when she received those words from the angel that day. Probably just as incredulous as her cousin Elizabeth was when she became pregnant in her later years. Remember Sarah and Abraham? How crazy did they think it was to have a child at 90 and 100 years old respectively?

She asks the direct question "How am I supposed to be pregnant when I haven't even had sex yet?" The angel's answer of the Holy Spirit coming upon her was probably a daunting answer to hear, and yet she answers with unswerving faith in her God.

Luke 1:38 - "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."

"May it be to me as you have said." What faith! What courage as a young girl to believe so much in God that she would face all the potential ills that would accompany her through this situation! Oh, if we were only to have a small measure of that kind of faith today...

How about Joseph's faith? The Bible shows clearly his character and willingness to follow God's path set before him.

Matthew 1:19-24 - Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will saved his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Joseph was truly a caring man. He could have had Mary publicly humiliated and stoned to death for breaking her wedding vows, but instead was going to let her go quietly because he loved her. However, when the angel of the Lord appeared in the dream, his faith in God stirred him to take on the responsibility and ridicule of a man who had a pregnant wife and was not the father of the child.

This was only the beginning of the radical life change that God would bring about through His plan of salvation in Jesus.

How about the shepherds in the fields? Here they are "abiding" in the fields with their sheep, and suddenly the sky opens up and the host of heaven sings the Hallelujah Chorus, telling them of the birth of the Savior of the world! How crazy!

What about the Magi? Following a bright start until it lands them at the door of a stable where a young couple are tending to a newborn in a feed trough? How strange that must have seemed.

What about the common men who were called to be disciples, and then ultimately started the spread of the Gospel to all nations on the day of Pentacost? Who would have thought tradesmen would be spouting the message of Christ in varied languages with no training or education in foreign language?

All of these events were set into motion by Mary and Joseph's willingness to be used by God in an extraordinary way. There wasn't anything special about the two of them. They were ordinary Jewish people, and God changed the course of history with them.

The shepherds? Ordinary. The disciples? Ordinary. You and me? Ordinary.

Oh... wait. Did you see that? We're ordinary people, just like the disciples who took the message of Jesus to the world, the shepherds who told the whole countryside of what they had seen, and the young couple who birthed the Son of Man.

Do you know what that means? Radical life change through the birth of Jesus can be ours as well! How crazy it that?! How amazing is it to know that we don't have to be super special or highly educated to be given a life in Christ? How inspiring is it to know that we don't have to have special talents or skills in order to be used for God's purpose and plan?

There's a simple set of verses that we all have heard many times whether we're a new believer or a maturing Christ-follower. It shows God's plan for life change.

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

We are all part of that "whoever", no matter who we are or what we've done! Let me say that again. We are ALL part of that "whoever"! Through Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection, we are given a golden opportunity to believe and be used by God in radical, life changing ways.

There is a price that we must pay for this radical life change, however... We must give ourselves completely away to Him. Yep, you heard me right. We cannot keep any of ourselves back, but we must be willing to give all we have and all we are to be used by God in whatever way He chooses.

Only then can we truly say "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Who Is Man?

I had the honor of preaching this past Sunday on part of The Truth Project. I thought I would share my notes with you! If you wish, you can go to the sermon player on the side bar to listen and read along at the same time.

Who is man? Are we a product of the desire of Almighty God to have love and companionship that chooses freely to abide with Him, or are we just a product of “the stuff in the box”? Do we freely think and choose for ourselves, or do we simply respond to stimuli? Are we made in the image of God, or are we the image of “Goo” that evolved by happenstance over billions of years?

Are we inherently good and then our belief systems create the struggle of good and evil in our lives, or are we inherently sinful and in need of saving?

What does the world say?

Abraham Maslow was a celebrated psychologist and noted as the founder of Humanistic Psychology. He created what is known as the Hierarchy of Needs.

Maslow’s thoughts and now some of the world’s Anthropology

Basic Assumptions

man, by nature, is good

mental health and happiness come through self-actualization...

and getting in touch with one’s real ‘good’ self

social institutions are responsible for man’s evil actions

HOWEVER…

Those who watched the video last week will remember Dr. William Provine, professor of Atheistic Humanism. He stated this:

*no gods or purposive forces

*no life after death

*no ultimate foundation for ethics

*no ultimate meaning in life

*no free will

Clarence Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Bobby Franks (1924) and defending John T. Scopes in the Scopes Trial (1925), in which he opposed William Jennings Bryan (statesman, noted orator, and three time presidential candidate for the Democratic Party).

“The Purpose of man is like the purpose of the pollywog – to wiggle along as far as he can without dying, or to hang to life until death takes him.”

WOW!!! That’s what got me out of bed this morning! Let’s all wiggle along and try not to die today!

In other words, “A bug, is a pig, is a dog, is a boy.” All creatures are merely a product of evolution, and merely animals that respond to stimuli.

And yet the world worries about evil! If a bug, is a pig, is a dog, is a boy, then why are we so concerned when people are killed? Why do we care enough to have laws that dictate that it is wrong to kill people?

As Dr. Tackett put it, “do you think that the lion out on the African plain ever feels bad about taking down that poor defenseless zebra?” No. Why not? It’s survival of the fittest! If a bug, is a pig, is a dog, is a boy, then when someone kills someone else isn’t that just natural? Why are we so concerned?

Why does evil bother you? Why do you feel bad about evil?

Isn’t EVIL, as described, simply the natural outworking of the evolutionary process?

It bothers us BECAUSE THERE’S SOMETHING BIGGER WITHIN US THAT SCREAMS THAT IT IS WRONG!!!

The big problem here is that, as we can see from these peeks into the World’s thoughts on man that even they can’t agree as to what man is!

Can you see now why it is so important for us to know the truth? We MUST know who we are so that we can better understand why we believe what we believe. That knowledge can only come from gazing upon the face of God.

We know a bit of what the world says who man is, but what does the Bible say?

What Is True – We Are God’s Workmanship!!!

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Psalm 139:13-16 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

We have been created in the image of God! Imageo Deo! However, sin entered the world when God’s creation turned to it’s own desires.

Romans 5:12-14 - Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

Genesis 6:5 - The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

Description & Names of the Old Man

evil dead blind deaf lost rebellious

without hope haters of God desperately wicked children of the devil

Humanity was in need of a Savior!!!

John 3:16 ALL TOGETHER

Revelation 5:9 - And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

God sent Jesus to redeem us and give us a way to get back to how it was between Himself and Man in the Garden before the fall. The problem is we still have that “Old Man” within us, seeking to follow the natural desires of self instead of the supernatural desires of God.

Romans 7:21-23 - So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

We know that What Is True is that we are God’s workmanship. We also know that, even as His workmanship we were lost to sin and had to be redeemed. So how do we continue on the road toward an authentic relationship with our Creator?

What To Do – Choose God’s Grace

Ephesians 2:8-9 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 3:23-24 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:4-7 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

When we choose God’s grace, we accept that we are fallen and in need of a Savior! We allow God to take us to the next step of completing His plan to reconcile us to Him. It is in choosing God’s grace that we have a leg to stand on when it comes to putting off the Old Man and his natural desires, and taking on the New Man in Christ.

Descriptions & Names of the New Man:

Redeemed Saints Priests Called out ones People of God A holy nation

children of God Sons of God Beloved Wear white robes Born from above

Aren’t those the descriptions we want to bear? I certainly do!

We are God’s Workmanship. He created us to have a lasting communion and companionship with Him, not only in this mortal life, but in the life to come.

In order to have that relationship, we need to choose God’s grace each day so that we might put off the characteristics of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and take on the characteristics of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reputation Can Be Everything

I was watching a brand new show on the Discovery Channel last night called "Swords - Life On The Line". It's kinda like Deadliest Catch, but instead of crab fishing in the Bering Sea these folks are fishing for swordfish off the Outer Banks.

In this particular episode there was a captain that hadn't been out during the season in ten years, but her legend was such that she easily filled out her crew and got to work on the fishing grounds. Other boats were giving her a wide berth and allowing her to fish the places that she used to, all because of who she was.

However, there was also a younger captain from the south who had come up to fish the Banks with his crew. He was a very aggressive bully of a captain down where he was from, and the other captains on the Banks had heard of his actions back home. They were not willing to give up some of their fishing area, and were very wary of giving him information and sharing any supplies.

Isn't it interesting? Two captains doing the same thing, and yet with completely different reputations and responses from other people.

Now, the southern captain was very respectful of other boats' fishing areas and did was very cordial and respectful when speaking to them. All to no avail, however, as the other captains simply could not believe that his niceties were genuine due to what they already knew about him. Is it fair? Not necessarily, but it is human nature to distrust what seems to be out of the ordinary.

Remember Saul? Acts 8 introduces him to us as a man on the hunt for people who follow "The Way", otherwise known as Christ-followers. In Acts 9, he is running wild from town to town in search of people that he might arrest and bring back to Jerusalem for imprisonment or death for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ until he literally has a "come to Jesus meeting" and changes his ways.

What do you think his reputation was like? I can't imagine that he was very popular with the Jews or Gentiles that believed in Christ.

Once his experience there on the road to Damascus happened and Ananias was used by God to restore his sight, Saul had become a fully changed man. No longer interested in persecuting Christ-followers for their faith, he began to preach and proclaim the story of Christ to anyone who would listen. The problem here was that he had spent so much time building the reputation of a persecutor of Christians, there were not very many who were interested in what he was saying as much as they were interested in finding a way to dispatch him to the happy hunting grounds!

Several times his life was in danger and those who did believe him had to sneak him out of those potentially fatal situations. Even the disciples where wary of meeting with him for fear of being arrested! Saul's reputation was going to take a very long time to reverse itself.

The same thing happens in our lives today. Our reputations precede us wherever we go, and they can either smoothly pave or roughly tear up the road to where we are going. When we become followers of Christ, there are parts of our reputation that we have to overcome in order to be accepted as such.

Let me make this clear: You DO NOT NEED TO FIX THEM TO COME TO CHRIST!!! He accepts us as we are, and we don't have to "clean up" in order to become a follower. However, once we become a follower we are to accept the terms of that relationship, which means we have to do what it takes to live a Biblically sound life.

This is where it gets even more tricky when it comes to our reputation. In many cases, we accept Christ into our lives but it simply becomes "fire insurance" because our lives continue to reflect the world instead of the cross. Our reputation, instead of being one of a nice person who lives a worldly lifestyle, becomes that of a hypocrite because we speak one thing and do another thing which completely contradicts what we said.

To live a life of worship that is completely authentic takes more than lip service. Take a look at what James has to say about this:

James 2:14-26 - What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for wha the did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in the different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

So now comes the tough question: What does your reputation look like? Do people believe that you live a life that worships the Almighty all day, every day, and in every way? If not, it may be time to have a Damascus Road experience yourself.

The Stoning of Stephen

I've been stewing on Acts 7 for a while now. At first glance, it's a fairly unassuming chapter due to most of it being dedicated to Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin. However, if you look a little deeper, you see some things that may catch your heart a bit.

Now, remember back in Chapter 6 that Stephen had been falsley accused of speaking against the Law and the Temple. Verse 15 said that everyone in the room saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel. My best guess is that in that very moment, the Holy Spirit was filling Stephen with the strength he would need to answer the question that followed.

Acts 7:1 - Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"

An interesting side note here is that the high priest asking the question (according to most scholars and theologians) was Caiaphas, who was the very priest that set the wheels in motion for Jesus to be betrayed and ultimately killed. How ironic that he also presides over the making of the first Christian martyr?!

At this moment, Stephen could have done what you see much of on television these days. He could have gone the tried and true "no these accusations are purely false and I will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are" route, but instead, God had a different plan for him. God had Stephen give the Sanhedrin a history lesson.

Reading through Verses 2-50, you will find a cliff notes version of the happenings between God and His chosen people from the time of Abraham all the way up to Solomon. One would think that this was to remind them of the amazing things God had done for them, but if you read it carefully you notice the common theme: Rejection of God's teachings and persecution of anyone who would bring them back to the forefront. This culminates with Stephen basically going postal on the Sanhedrin in Verses 51-53:

Acts 7:51-53 - "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers; You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet that your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And how you have betrayed and murdered him - you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

Those words cost Stephen his life at the hands of the Sanhedrin. They stoned him to death for his beliefs. They stoned him to death for being an activist for his faith. They stoned him to death for stepping on their time honored laws, traditions, doctrines, and theologies. They stoned him to death for making them look bad in public. This event began the persecution of the church that spread and scattered it througout Judea and Samaria.

Now, while we don't see people physically stoned by others for their words and deeds in the church today, we see something very similar going on spiritually, emotionally, and mentally which is almost worse in some ways.

We have become too comfortable with our surroundings, trappings, traditions, methodologies, doctrines, practices, etc... This issue is not just with one certain age group either! It comes from people of ALL ages who don't want to compromise what they want in order to possibly do kingdom work. When someone comes along and challenges our positions on things that we are comfortable with, we lash out at them verbally to their face, and behind their back. We passive-aggressively undermine their position by gossipping about them and turning small things into giant issues. We choose to say "We've NEVER done it that way before", or "We've ALWAYS done it that way" in the hopes that whatever it is will be left alone. The sad part? This is NOT what God sent Jesus here to die for.

A life of Worship is not a life based on the trappings of traditional or modern practices. It is not a life based on the age of a person or their personal doctrines and agendas. It is a life that is totally surrendered to Him all day, every day, in every way. It is a life that reflects the love of Jesus to others just as the moon reflects the sun. It is a life that causes change just by simply being ready to serve God in whatever way He calls us to each and every time.

Instead of organizing petitions to save the Communion table or the carpet, we should be organizing food and clothing drives to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Instead of complaining to others about musical style, we should be open to the idea that what is being played and sung may bring others to Christ much in the same way that our favorite musical style did for us.

God calls us to have an authentic worship relationship with Him in order that He might use us to bring someone else into that same relationship.

We are to lovingly rebuke, forgive, and educate instead of harshly rejecting, persecuting, and driving away.

We can only do these things if we choose to surrender ourselves completely to the purpose and plan that God has for us as followers of the teachings of Jesus.

Proclaim Christ, Teach of Christ, Serve Christ. Love God, Love People. Live True. Whatever you want to call it, it's a life of Worship!

Asking for so little, when there is so much more!

Acts 3:1-16 - One day Peter and John were going up the temple at the time of prayer - at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said "Silver or gold I do not have, but when I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held onto Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. by faith in the name of Jesus, this man who you see an know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

The story we see here is so tragically true for many Christ followers and non-Christ followers alike. It is a story of complacancy, and of asking for so little when there is so much more to be given.

The passage says that the man was being carried carried to the temple gate where he was put every day to beg. That was his life! Carried out in the morning to beg, and carried away at night to who knows where. He knew nothing better, nothing bigger.

The passage also says that he called out to Peter and John, but I'm guessing that he wasn't calling out specifically to them at the start, because we read that Peter yelled for the man to look at them. The beggar was merely going through the motions, not expecting anything. He was calling out to the people walking by because that's what he always did. He hadn't focused his attention anywhere or on anyone. The saddest part is that the only reason he focused on Peter and John was because he thought he was going to receive some money!

This is mirrored in many people's lives today. We walk through life doing the same things we've always done without much regard for the effect it has on our lives. We don't try to make anything different happen because "that's just the way I am, and nothing's gonna change." We don't expect anything of ourselves, our lives, our circumstances, or our God, and only focus on any one part of that if we are going to get something selfishly in return.

However, here's where the passage gets interesting. In verse 6, after Peter has the man's attention, he gives him the most amazing gift one could ask for in his position. In the name of Jesus, Peter healed him and he walked for the first time in his life! The crippled man was crippled no more, and praised God by running and jumping all over the place. He was after money, but instead, God stirred this man's faith through Peter and he was completely healed.

We also have the opportunity to enjoy this kind of miraculous wonder in our hearts, minds, and souls. All we need to do is focus our attention on the One who can give us this gift! We have to stop being short sighted in our ways and allow God to give us a bigger perspective on what the gift of His Son really did for us. It takes getting out of the mundane "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food." prayer life and relationship we had with Him as a child, and focus our eyes on who God is in our lives TODAY.

Only then can we allow our faith in Jesus to grow to the point that we can be spiritually, emotionally, and even physically healed by His awesome and limitless power in our lives! It takes discipline and maturity to develop this mindset.

Ephesians 4:14 speaks to this: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

As we practice living Worship as a lifestyle, this is a most important point. We must be disciplined and mature in our relationship with the Father. We must not sell ourselves short by maintaining a "this is just the way I am" attitude. We must always expect more of ourselves in Christ because there IS MORE WHEN WE ARE IN CHRIST!

We're all still human after all... for now.

As some of you may or may not know, I was ordained as a full fledged minister of the Gospel by Glenn Park Christian Church on Sunday night! It was an evening full of family, friends, love, laughter, music, singing, and even a light show by God. He decided it would be great to make His presence known by shutting off the power to the building during the prayer by the Elders to commission and ordain me. Pretty cool actually!

The journey to get to this moment in time was a very long one, filled with many hard lessons learned. Here are just a few of the lessons picked up along the way, in no particular order:

1. God has a plan for you. If he's not done with your plan yet, He will bring it to fruition... even by allowing you to walk away from a high speed rollover accident in a top heavy 4x4.

2. If you're not good at studying in high school, you won't be any better in college.

3. Your first love isn't always "the one"

4. Your soul mate will smile and say "that's nice!" when you bring home musical gear instead of an engagement ring on multiple occasions, no matter how much she really wants one.

5. NEVER buy an RV for a band with your own money...

6. If you're not in credit card debt now, don't get there. If you are in credit card debt, get out quickly!

7. Moving away from home for the first time is hard, but moving back home after 2 years of living on your own is even harder.

8. Driving a school bus is only fun for the first few weeks... Then it becomes what it is: Debt reduction!

9. Being a dad is one of the most frustrating and yet most fulfilling responsibilities at the same time.

10. Extended family members are "interesting" at times...

11. There are times when moving your family 1400 miles twice in 15 months is just part of God's plan, even when it looks completely insane to most people.

12. When you are in the center of God's Will for your life, it may seem like things are a little too good. Whatever you do, don't make turmoil for yourself just so you'll have something to worry about. Instead, enjoy the fleeting moment of being in the center of His Will, because when He moves, it'l get bumpy for a while. He's just moving so you don't get complacent, and so He can fulfill His plan in you.

I tell you all of this in order for you to see a journey. The disciples had been on a journey with Jesus, and while His walk with them on earth was drawing to a close, He was doing His best to prepare them to be His hands and feet after He was gone.

I was reading this morning in Acts Chapter 1. If you aren't familiar with this chapter, the first 11 verses tell the story of Jesus being taken into Heaven after His resurrection. Here's a snippet from what I read today:

Acts 1:4-8 - On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

The verses that really caught my attention were where Jesus says "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

See, just like the disciples were asking for a date of deliverance, I often find myself asking the same question and getting the same answer from God. It's as if He says "why are you questioning my plan? It's on a 'need to know' basis, and you don't 'need to know'." Some things never change, eh?

What's interesting to me is that the disciples were looking for a restoration of Israel to a prominent power in the region. I'm often looking for the next big thing, the next goal, the next plateau, etc... However, Jesus was already thinking on a higher level. He was speaking of the kingdom of His Father, and not an earthly one. He desired for the disciples to think on a spiritual level, and He desires the same for us.

A life of Worship thinks on that spiritual level. It is less concerned with earthly issues and more concerned with kingdom building. It is a life that has already experienced the Holy Spirit coming upon it, and responds by following the giver of the Holy Spirit with everything it has.

Let's work on remembering that God gifts us with life from moment to moment, and even though we may not know where life is headed, He does and is directing us in His timing. Worship Him in all aspects of your life, and let Him sweat the details!