OverflowPGBC

What Will You Do with Jesus?

2010-03-30T09:46:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe, but we're about to celebrate Easter. I think Christmas will be here again before we know it! I remember growing up and dying eggs and anticipating all the chocolate that awaited me in my Easter basket so very early on that Sunday morning. Like everything else in our society, Easter has become a multibillion dollar business. But is it just bunnies and candy, or something more?

According the New Testament, which we've seen is historically reliable, Jesus claimed to be God and He proved to be God through miracles, and especially through the resurrection. Peter says in his first sermon in Acts 2:33, 36, "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact …Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Then Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:13-15, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead." It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Christianity hinges on the resurrection. No Easter equals no Christianity!

We can’t repeat the resurrection in a lab, or look through a telescope and observe it. It’s a matter of history. It’s an historical investigation. It should be no surprise that people deny the resurrection today. Some people even deny that the holocaust happened! So do we just take the resurrection on some type of "blind" faith or do we have good reason to believe the disciples were not deceived? We've seen that God exists, and therefore miracles are possible. And as I said earlier, we've seen that the New Testament is historically reliable. With that in mind, I believe we have very good reasons to believe in Jesus' resurrection. In fact, I think everyone should believe in Jesus' resurrection because of five historical F-A-C-T-S. Even most critical scholars will grant these historical facts as true.

Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:3-8, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." He wrote this in about AD 55, about 25 years or so after the crucifixion. Most of the above passage is probably a creed of the early church that was memorized and passed on to others. We can trace this creed back to about 3-8 years after the cross. Notice what Paul emphasizes. He says that Christ died, He was buried, He was risen, and then He appeared to more than 500 eyewitnesses. So lets briefly examine these F-A-C-T-S.

F - FATAL CROSS
Jesus died by crucifixion. It's hard to have a resurrection without first having a death. Time does not permit a detailed examination of crucifixion, but we can be certain that Jesus was indeed dead upon removal from the cross. He did not later somehow recover and leave the tomb as beaten and bloodied figure in order to deceive the disciples of his resurrection. Dr. William D. Edwards wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “Clearly the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to His side was inflicted…The assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appears to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.”

A - A BORROWED TOMB
Jesus was probably buried in a borrowed private tomb that was later found empty (agreed upon by 75% of scholars). The early church simply wouldn't have gotten off the ground without the empty tomb. The New Testament says that women were the first to discover the empty tomb. As you probably know, in those days, a woman's testimony was not considered trust worthy. Sorry ladies, don't shoot the messenger. If the disciples were making up this story, why would they include such an embarrassing detail? Matthew also reports that the Jewish leaders made up the story that the disciples stole the body. The disciples, of course, were scared and in hiding and had no means, motive, or opportunity to steal the body. Apparently the body was actually missing however. If not, the Jewish leaders could have simply paraded Jesus' dead body through the streets and ended Christianity before it even got started. Yet, here we are 2,000 years later.

C - CONVERSION OF THE DISCIPLES
As I said, the disciples were scared and in hiding after the crucifixion. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose by proclaiming the resurrection. Yet, something happened to turn these fearful disciples into a band of brothers that would "turn the world upside down." They believed they had seen, spoken with, ate with, and touched the risen Jesus. And they were willing to die for that belief. Tradition holds that all but one of the disciples died for proclaiming the resurrection. Who would willing die for a lie? While it's true that people die for what they believe in all the time, the case of the disciples is different. They didn't just die for what they believed in. They died for what they knew for a fact was either true of false because they were there and were eyewitnesses.

T - TRANSFORMATION OF JAMES
Jesus' half brother James did not believe in Him. Mark 3:21 says, "When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'" John 7:5 says, "For even his own brothers did not believe in him." Yet, later James became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, was killed for his faith in AD 62. Something major happened to James. According to Paul, he had seen the risen Jesus.

S - SAUL BACAME PAUL
As you know, Saul (Paul) was on a mission to kill the early church. Yet he goes from Saul, extreme persecutor to Paul, believer and apostle just a couple of years after the crucifixion. He wrote most of the New Testament and is our earliest source of resurrection. He says that Jesus appeared to more than 500 eyewitness. In other words, he's saying, "Hey, if you don't believe me, go check it out for yourselves." Lee Strobel says if all the listed eyewitness were allowed to give a 15 minute testimony about their Jesus encounter, it would take 129 straight hours to get through it. That's almost 5 1/2 days!

There are of course other theories out there that counter the resurrection and attempt to account for the data. However, they all fail in various respects. Again, given the fact that God exists and miracles are possible (not to mention the fulfilled prophecies that we haven't even mentioned), based on our 5 historical F-A-C-T-S, everyone should believe in Jesus' resurrection because that is the best explanation of the data.

This has tremendous implications on our lives. It means that Easter is no longer about bunnies and candy. It's about a man who claimed to be God, the second Person of the Trinity, and He proved to be God by raising Himself from the dead. That means that what He says is true, because God cannot lie. And He says He is the only way of salvation and He is calling each of us to be reconciled to Him!

I shared a short C.S. Lewis quote a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to share the whole quote to emphasize this point again. He wrote, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

So the question is, what will you do with Jesus this Easter?

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

For Today We Fight

2010-03-27T00:01:00.001-04:00

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” Mal. 4:1-2

This passage speaks of strong judgment and healing grace. Those who forsake Him or turn from His paths of righteousness will be met with a sudden and fierce torrent of judgment. The LORD will set them ablaze in an inescapable prison of His fury, at which time their knee will bow and their tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! But it will be too late. Yet to those who have feared His name and have fought the good fight, they will experience a healing grace like no other. They will be restored to the grandeur of God’s perfect ‘Life more abundant!’ Imagine no more cancer, no more tears, no more blood clots, and no more pain. In fact to those with arthritis they will be among those who are now skipping and joyfully dancing before the Lord! They will live in a state of perpetual OVERFLOW! This day is coming and one of these paths is the destiny of all human beings on earth. The question is, are you ready to meet your Maker? On which side of the coin will your eternity lay? Will it be on the side of strong judgment, or the side of healing grace?

For those who have chosen and have decided to fight the good fight, I would like to offer this poem of encouragement to you. All too often our resolve is weakened by the constant onslaught of the world, but remember this—you are not alone! God as our LORD and Savior leads us, and we as the church stand with you, and WE CANNOT BE BEATEN! So take the words of this poem and meditate on them.

For Today We Fight

The battle rages on and yet I fight.
Though I am tired, my goal is in sight.

I dare not quit for to stop is to die.
My blood mixes with the tears that I cry.

I have decided to fight for what is right.
I will stand true, through this savage night.

Our trumpet has sounded and our banner is raised.
We press on and fight on for all of our days.

It's time to grab your sword and shield,
It's time to charge the battlefield

We may not be here to see tomorrow's light.
So grab your sword for today we fight.

There is coming a day when the fight is finished and all God’s children will live in Glory. You are somebody and God delights in loving you! So draw hope from that, take up the sword of the Spirit, join the ranks of God’s army, and together let’s charge the battlefield and OVERFLOW the Gospel to all people! WE CANNOT BE BEATEN!

Smile Always,
jason

An Over-flow of Peace

2010-03-26T05:00:00.000-04:00

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don't know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:1-18 NIV)

This was the day that the faithful had waited for since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden – and it is the day the faithful today look back to as the beginning of hope. This is the day that our Lord arose from the grave, proclaiming for all time that He had secured victory over death. He appeared to many people, to let them see that He was alive… that the grave did not hold Him captive… that the resurrection of the dead is a reality… first to Mary Magdalene, then to the disciples in the upper room, then to others. He wanted them – and us – to have peace. It’s not worldly peace, but spiritual peace… a peace that is unaffected by our circumstances… a peace that only the reality of His resurrection can give us… a peace that comes from knowing that Jesus is always with us… a peace that comes from knowing that Jesus – unlike all the other “gods” of the world – is ALIVE!!

Today, think about the wonder of that miracle two thousand years ago. Think about what Jesus' resurrection means to you and me. Think about how incredible it must have been to see Him in His resurrected state, so glorious, so perfectly the depiction of God's love. Think about how wonderful it will be on the day you actually behold Him yourself – face to face! No matter what else is going on in your life right now, think about this... He is with you. He is risen. He is alive!

Regular or Mulch

2010-03-25T14:26:00.001-04:00

Back in November, during the Christmas sales, I bought a new riding lawnmower. As I approached the cashier, I asked him if it was a mulching mower. He said it was not but that I could make it one for an additional $45 dollars or so. I proceeded to checkout and the mower was delivered to my home the following week. Having plenty of leaves still to get up, I proceeded to mow the yard, over and over as the leaves were spit out the side of the lawnmower into an ever growing pile of chopped leaves and grass. When I finished, there was a significant raking to do-something I had hoped to avoid by buying the lawnmower. My daughter, who was helping me with the leaf cleanup, berated me for not spending the money to buy the mulch kit. Since she often ends up mowing the grass, I guess I should not have been too surprised when I was given a mulch kit for my birthday! After installing the mulch blade and cover, it was amazing to see how much neater the yard looked as the blade chopped up the leaves into tiny pieces-not to mention that raking was no longer required.

It struck me that it is easy for the church to be like the mulching blade. Everything is confined to the four walls of the church. What takes place in the church stays there. Ministry touches the lives of the members but does not go beyond the church boundary. God wants us to be more like the regular blade. He wants us to gather together for praise, worship, fellowship and sharing and then to scatter the OVERFLOW to those we come in contact with each week. It may not be as “neat” as we share with people who are not like minded. It may not be as “neat” as we encounter criticism or are laughed at. It may not be as “neat” as we are challenged in our faith. It may not be as “neat” as we minister to people who are different than us economically or racially. It may not be as “neat” as we encounter the “least of these”. Yet that is exactly what Jesus did. He could have spent all three years of His ministry mentoring his disciples and never exposing Himself to the lepers of this world. Yet Jesus was daily encountering the physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually challenged people of His day. Can we do anything less? God calls us from our “holy huddle” to draw a lost and dying world to Christ. So what will it be for you? Regular or mulch?

Desiring to have Jesus’ heart for the world,
Paul

An Overflow of Beliefs

2010-03-23T12:23:00.001-04:00

Last week we saw briefly that Jesus is indeed God in human flesh. So if Jesus is God, then whatever He teaches is truth and can be trusted. Jesus taught that the Bible is the Word of God and should be believed. But a lot of people out there don’t believe the Bible or they add to and take from what the Bible says, thus making their own version of “Christianity.” So what really makes a belief a Christian belief. There are four major essential Christian beliefs that serve as our compass to navigate through a world full of false and mistaken beliefs.

The first essential is the belief that Jesus is God. We’ve already discussed this. However, this belief also implies the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. That means there is one God, but He exists as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s hard for us to grasp, but it’s not a contradiction. It may go beyond our ability to reason, but it doesn’t go against reason. A simple, yet limited illustration, is an equilateral triangle. There’s one “thing” that is a triangle by nature, yet there are three distinct, yet equal, angles that exist in this triangle. Likewise, with God, there’s one “What” and three “Who’s.”

The second essential is the belief in salvation by grace alone through faith alone (Eph 2:8-9). This simply means that our sin demands justice and Jesus’ death and resurrection paid the demands of justice. We can accept His payment for us through faith, or active trust in Him. It’s nothing we deserve and it’s nothing we can earn through being “good enough.”

The third essential is the belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Some people believe He didn’t rise from the grave while others believe He was “recreated” in a spirit form. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15 that if Christ didn’t rise from the grave then our beliefs are futile and meaningless. The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most verifiable events of ancient history.

Finally, the Gospel message itself is our last essential belief. Gospel means “good news.” And the fact that Jesus came as the God-man, died in our place and is alive today offering all who believe in Him forgiveness, hope, and an eternal relationship with Him is the best news in the world.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Family

2010-03-22T10:25:00.003-04:00

Eph 3:13 I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

(14)For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, (15)from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 1(6)that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, (17)so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (18)may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (19)and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

(20)Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, (21)to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Over the past few days and weeks I have watched family life in action in many different scenarios...some were as a result of celebration and accomplishment, some as a result of discord and confusion, some of loss and pain, and one facing the unknown day after day. I have watched the strength of faith in the family life as prayer, tears and hugs became the oneness that held all together. I have heard the stories of family life of yesterdays...memories, laughter and yes more tears. I have heard and watched proud moments in family life, of photos taken and video's recorded.

I have also witnessed the discord, heart-ache, broken relationships and confusion of family life, where "me" takes the place of "we" and "they" are no longer part of "us". And yet there is a Father who holds all things in His Hand and gives His name to His family according to verse 15 above...who has purpose and meaning for each of His own. He is in the midst of every situation...He is Dad...He is The Father and He cares for His children....He wishes for us to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge that man can know or comprehend. He desires and provides for His family to be one...one in celebration (rejoice with those who rejoice), one in purpose, one in sorrow (weep with those that weep), one in spirit, one in Christ and one in the bond of peace. The Father desires that His Son, Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love in order that His love would Overflow through His family.

May each of us carry His family name with honor and may the Father's purpose be lived out in family life no matter the journey we find ourselves on for the moment. "know ye not, this body is not your own".

Learning,
Marty

I am un-common

2010-03-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

During the time of the book of Acts, the church was undergoing huge changes. The Holy Spirit was being given by God to his children and people were receiving it and going out and turning the world upside down. As the story unfolded we found Peter had, had a vision in Acts chapter 10, after which he went to meet a Roman named Cornelius. Up to that point it was thought to be taboo for those who were not Jews to have anything to do with receiving the Holy Spirit. But as Peter talked to Cornelius he said,

“You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” Acts 10:28 NKJV

Peter then told the Good News to these Gentiles (non-Jews) and they likewise received an OVERFLOW of the Holy Spirit.

So what is the purpose in telling this short history lesson from the book of Acts? Did you catch the crazy word Peter used? He said, “God has shown me that I should not call any man COMMON or unclean.” I don’t know about you but that makes me smile! I have gone most of my life with people looking at me as if I was odd, but then again that could be that I wore nothing but sweatpants until I was in the 6th grade and I still to this day have no clue what matches or what is in style, but this verse says it all. I am not common, I am odd! Anyone who has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them is different than everyone else. I may live in the world but I am not like them, I am not common! God has chosen to OVERFLOW His Spirit into me and that makes me un-common. Praise God for un-common odd balls! Praise God for His loving Spirit that dwells in the lives of those who call on His name! Praise God for that OVERFLOW of His goodness and grace! Praise God!

Smile Always,
jason
Eph. 5:1

Blessed to be a Blessing!

2010-03-19T05:00:00.000-04:00

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Galatians 3:14.

God meant for the blessing He gave to Abraham to be shared over and over again. He wanted the blessing of the Spirit of God to be shared by mankind as they placed their faith in Christ. On the other hand, a blessing ceases to be a blessing if it is kept or hoarded by one person or one group of people.

Some people believe they should be blessed without any regard for how they live their lives or what they do in life. But, blessings aren’t meant to be wasted and God blesses those He chooses who also happen to be people He knows will not keep or hoard the blessing. He blesses those who will share the blessing.

Some of the definitions of the word blessing from the Greek – To bless. To speak well of. To praise. To commend. To confer blessing upon, call down divine favor, pronounce a benediction.

When a person in the Bible is called “blessed” by God, the adjective makarios is used.

Makarios – Biblically, one is pronounced blessed when God is present and involved in his life. The hand of God is at work directing all his affairs for a divine purpose, and thus, in a sense such a person lives before the face of God. Blessedness is sharing in the life of God.

Paul was reminding the Galatians that they were once people who knew they were blessed by God, but their lives were beginning to indicate that they had forgotten it. They were so focused on the law, the list of rules, that God’s grace wasn’t evident in their daily lives.

When I was little, my mother would encourage me to play outside. She would call me in for lunch and then send me back outside. It was outside that I learned how to interact with friends. I learned to live within the limits she had given me. But, I also learned that I had responsibilities outside her presence. I had to take the trust and instruction she gave me and obey it outside. Most of the time, I was somewhere she couldn’t see from the window. I had friends all over the neighborhood and I’d ride my bicycle all over. (I lived on a dead-end street and things were much safer back then!) But, I knew that she had blessed me with that privilege.

God has called us to feast in His grace – at His table. He redeemed us. Bought us with the blood of Christ. Then he sent us into the world, trusting that we would follow His instruction and obey Him. He has sent us to a people who don’t know Him personally. Even those who have a relationship with Jesus are learning just how intimate He wants it to be.

Yes, we are redeemed to be a blessing. Your circumstances don’t determine whether or not you’re blessed. The Lord does. And He does so in His presence, face to face with Him – just before He sends us out to be a blessing to those around us.

With all the flowers and trees starting to bloom, it is a Heavenly reminder of spring and Easter. Look for those opportunities today to bless someone with a smile, a hug or a word of encouragement. You will receive the bigger blessing!

Blessings!
Tricia

Overflowing a Sweet Fragrance

2010-03-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

My Dad recently told me a story of a time when he and my Mom had gone out of town and were spending an afternoon just looking in some local shops. He noticed a potpourri shop and decided to go into it. When he entered, he said the air was full of wonderful fragrances, as you can imagine. The aroma caused his sense of smell to go crazy. He spent quite a bit of time just walking around from one fragrance to another, delighting in the different aromas. As he was leaving the shop, he told the store clerk that she was very blessed to work in a shop where she could enjoy all the sweet smelling fragrances every day. She then replied, "I can't smell a thing ....."

Can you imagine? An individual spending the better part of each day of their life around such sweetness but having no effect on her because she had become insensitive to it.

This is such a strong reminder of how we become so used to the things or people around us that we take them for granted. Have we become insensitive to the sweet aroma of Christ in the lives of those that touch us or whether our lives are putting off the sweet fragrance of Christ to those that we touch?

This causes me to reflect on the many times I have had the holy privilege of attending funeral services of dear saints. They all share many attributes in common but there is one that stands out above all others and that is: They were imitators of Christ. They spent their days "walking in love" and their lives became a sweet fragrance to everyone around them. Their family and friends saw Jesus in the way they spoke, in the sacrifice of themselves by putting others first, in their Godly counsel, in their service to the Lord and in their prayers.

Ephesians 5:1-2 says, "Therefore be imitators of God, as well-beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God for you, so that it became a sweet fragrance."

I cannot say that I have lived out every moment of my life walking in love and being a sweet fragrance to those around me. I do, however, praise the Lord for His forgiveness and His power to change me, mold and shape me so that I can be that sweet fragrance of His love to the people He has given me to share this journey we call life. I, too, have the awesome privilege of being in the presence of friends every week that give off the sweet fragrance of Christ's love.

I pray that we will be encouraged today to conduct ourselves in a manner that imitates Christ. Let us not become insensitive to the sweet fragrance of Christ's love that is overflowing all around us through the lives of others. Let us be careful not to hinder our own lives from being a sweet fragrance to God because of sin.

"And may the Lord make you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another and for all people, just as we also do for you." I Thessalonians 3:12 (Amplified Version)

Praying you all are blessed and encouraged,
Robin

Vibrant, Valued and Victorious!

2010-03-17T10:14:00.001-04:00

Words matter. That seems fairly obvious because without them we would be unable to communicate. Sometimes that might not be so bad! “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” (Prov. 10:19 NIV) There is much wisdom in thinking before we speak. Communication is very important but it is also critical how we communicate.

Have you ever been enjoying your day with a wonderful attitude and outlook only to have it shattered by someone’s careless comment? Maybe there is truth to what has been said or maybe not. The result is a feeling of being deflated, devalued and defeated! A few words have just taken all the air out of your balloon and set you on a downward spiral. How do you recover?

Words do matter and the words that matter most are the Words of God. Nothing can deflate you faster than an unexpected critical word. At these moments I can almost literally feel the strength and life within me draining out as if I had a slow leak! Desperate to patch the leak and get pumped back up this doesn’t always happen quickly. Isaiah tells us that God “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isa. 40:28-31 NIV) You might not get pumped back up instantly but God will not leave you deflated. His promise is for the long haul, so don’t be discouraged in the moment. Wait upon God and experience His restoration (reinflation!).

When we are criticized we can often fall into the trap of feeling worthless. Everything we have done has been for nothing! The dozen things we did right have been erased by the one thing we did wrong! It is in this setting that Satan seeks to make you feel devalued, less than what God intends. How does God see you? “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matt. 6:26 NIV) How valuable are you to God? “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.” (Ps. 8:4-6 NIV) I’d say that God sees you as priceless! See yourself though His eyes!

We all want to achieve and accomplish but a careless comment can bring us down into a mindset of defeat in an instant. Defeat leads to discouragement and it is not long until we just want to give up. Yet we need to focus upon the perspective of God when it comes to our journey. In the midst of their apparent defeat God’s people were reminded, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.” (Jer. 31:3-4 NIV) God has the last word and for His people it is victory!

When we receive critical comments we need to evaluate them for truth. If there are things that we need to change we should take action. If there are things we need to make right then we should seek restoration. If there are apologies to be made then we should humble ourselves and seek forgiveness. But if there is no truth in the attack then we should ignore it and trust the Word of God! “Therefore we make it our aim . . . to be well pleasing to Him.” (2 Cor. 5:9 NKJ)
Seeking to please Him!
Larry

Who is Jesus?

2010-03-16T09:28:00.002-04:00

Over the last few weeks we’ve seen that truth about reality is knowable, it is true that God exists (which implies the possibility of miracles, since if there is a God who can act there can be acts of God), and the Bible is copied accurately and is historically trustworthy. That brings us to Jesus, perhaps the most controversial figure of all time. If the Bible is trustworthy, as we saw last week that it is, then we can trust what it says about Jesus. And the Bible says that Jesus claimed to be God, the second Person of the Trinity, in human flesh.

Jesus Himself believed He was God, and He said so many times. For example, In John 8:58 He said He was the “I am” of the Old Testament book of Exodus. This was the special name of God given to Moses at the burning bush. His audience understood His meaning and picked up stones to kill Him for making Himself out to be God. He also claimed for Himself names and titles that were used for God alone in the Old Testament (ex. Good Shepherd, Redeemer, Bride Groom). His disciples also used titles for Jesus that showed they believed He was God. In fact, when Thomas saw the resurrected Jesus he said, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus also forgave sins (which God alone could do), said His words had as much authority as God’s from the Old Testament, said to honor Him just as we honor the Father, and accepted worship from others on numerous occasions.

Jesus not only claimed to be God, but He proved to be God through fulfilled prophecies and miracles. If we briefly look to the Old Testament and the prophecies about Jesus, we see that the odds of just eight of the sixty or so prophecies about Jesus coming true by chance in any one man are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Not only that, but Jesus also healed the sick, cast out demons, and raised the dead. He also lived a sinless life as attested to by His closest followers (1 Peter 1:19). Most importantly, Jesus was physically resurrected after being dead for three days. His resurrection is one of the most verifiable events of ancient history and the basis for orthodox Christian belief (1 Corinthians 15).

As Pastor Michael said this past Sunday, Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord of the universe. He can’t be a good moral teacher if His claims about Himself were not true. But if we follow the evidence where it leads, we see that Jesus is indeed God. He's not just a good moral teacher as many believe. He's not Michael the Archangel as Jehovah's Witnesses believe. He's not our spirit brother as Mormons believe. He's not just a great prophet as Muslims believe. And He's not our way-shower to enlightenment as many New Agers believe. As Col. 2:9 says, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form...." I'll close with the words of C.S. Lewis. Speaking of Jesus, he said, “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

What is really important?

2010-03-13T00:01:00.002-05:00

What is really important? This is a question that we all must deal with everyday of our lives. If you asked five different people they might give you five different answers to what they hold as important. I have heard it said, “You can know what is important to you by looking at your bank statement.” We will spend money on things that are important. Others might say, “To find what is important just look at your schedule.” We spend time doing what is important to us. Again others might say, “Simply listen to what you talk about to find what you value.” We will talk about what is important to us. I guess you could say that we OVERFLOW with what is important to us.

So what is the truth? What is it that is really important? What is it that is worth chasing after? The truth of the matter is that God is the truth, He is what is important and He is what is worth chasing after. I would imagine that if I asked you if God was important to you then you would say yes just like any good little Christian would. That is because you have been taught that God is the correct answer. The sad reality is that if we were really honest, God is not that important to us. The idea of God is important to us. When we find ourselves at life’s end, the thought that we are not alone is very comforting but six months ago, we really did not even think about God. When we lose our job and the bills are due we find hope in the fact that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills but when the finances are good, there is little room in our lives for God. The idea of God is enticing and in many cases almost necessary for the trials of life. But the truth of God is not so enticing because the truth of God is total surrender. That means your children, your finances, your spouse, your health, and your secrets. We do not like the thought of total surrender because what if God cannot do as good a job with my family as I can. What if God makes me confess all of my little dark secrets and make things right? That would be unthinkable therefore we choose not to think about it. We simply say God is important to me and then we continue on with life trying to make ends meet.

You know what? We cannot make ends meet. God is all perfect and we are all sin and there is no way we can make those ends meet. We need a Savior, someone who loves us enough to bridge that gap. Whoever can stand in that gap would be someone who is greater than we are and someone deserving far more than we could repay. Jesus bridged that gap and now He desires the throne of our heart in return but to give Him that, we must surrender all. No one said it would be easy to let go but God loves you!

Look at your life. Does your bank statement OVERFLOW Jesus? Does your schedule OVERFLOW Jesus? Does your mouth OVERFLOW Jesus? Do you OVERFLOW Jesus? What is really important to you?

“For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.” Matt. 6:21

Smile Always,
jason

Too Much of a Good Thing?

2010-03-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

You have probably heard the saying that “You can get too much of a good thing”. I recently experienced that. I ordered lunch from my favorite Japanese carryout and picked up two containers of mustard sauce to enhance the flavor. Rather than putting a little on at a time and sampling, I poured both containers over my Hibachi Chicken, filled my fork and took my first bite. I thought my sensory organs were going to explode. My senses were instantly cleaned out, my nose was burning and sweat poured off my head. I ended up eating about 3 grains of rice at a time with lots of tea to finish my lunch. The mustard was far hotter than I had anticipated. Next time, I will be more frugal with the mustard! While I enjoy a good hot mustard sauce, I had “too much of a good thing”.

When we look at what this world has to offer, there are very few, if any, things that we cannot get too much of. That even applies to chocolate, although Mike Barrett and my wife may fight me on that one. However, there is one thing that we cannot get too much of and that is in seeking to know more about Jesus. We never get “too much” because of the principle of “overflow”. The more time we spend studying God’s word and in communing with Him through meditation and prayer, the more He fills us to overflowing and uses the overflow to bless others. Unlike the bloated way we feel after a buffet dinner where we went through the line one too many times, we feel wonderful when we are so filled with God’s love that we overflow and bless others. God fills us with His presence and His love not so we will be stuffed but so we can share and reflect His grace to those with whom we come in contact. The hymn writer Eliza Hewitt recognized the connection between knowing God and overflow when she wrote: “More about Jesus would I know, More of His grace to others show”.

There is another wonderful benefit to overflowing with God’s love and compassion. When we are filled with God’s goodness and grace in our lives, we don’t have room for the destructive habits and desires which plague the unfilled life. You have probably heard the phrase GIGO-garbage in garbage out. If you fill your mind with garbage, your life will soon start to reflect some of those same characteristics. I prefer GIGO to stand for “God in, God out. When we fill our mind with things of God, the overflow is God’s love and grace in our relationships with others. Peter challenges us to “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2nd Pet. 3:18). “Too much of a good thing” is not an issue when it comes to things of God. Try this week to be filled to overflowing by Him.

Seeking more of a good thing,
Paul

Can We Trust the Bible?

2010-03-09T10:04:00.002-05:00

We've spent the past several weeks examining the evidence for the existence of God. As we've seen, there is an overflow of evidence in support of the theistic God. That is, a God similar to the one described in the Bible. So far, based on our evidence, we can essentially dismiss any worldview that is not theistic. That's a huge step in the right direction because that narrows down our search for truth to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. These three are all theistic religions. In order to know which, if any, of these are true we need more information. Now we'll turn our attention to the Bible. In order to prove the trustworthiness, or historicity, of the Bible, we really only have to look at the New Testament (NT). The NT says Jesus is God, and Jesus called the Old Testament the Word of God. So if the NT is shown to be reliable, then it’s true that Jesus is God, and whatever Jesus, who is God, says can be known to be the truth.

We need to ask two key questions in our examination of this book. The first question is, do we have an accurate copy of what was originally written? There are several factors we look at to answer this question. First, we look at manuscript evidence. We don’t have the original writings of the Bible, so we have to look at the manuscript copies (handwritten copies) that exist. There are nearly 6,000 original language manuscripts (including whole books, partial books, and fragments) of the NT. That may not sound like much, book second place is Homer’s Illiad with over 600 copies, and it drops off dramatically after that. Throw in other language translations and some other manuscripts that are a few centuries younger, and there are over 24,000 NT manuscripts. Also, the time span between our earliest existing manuscript and the original writing of the NT is as little as around fifty years. Compare that to around a 500 year gap for the Illiad. Even if all these manuscripts were destroyed, we'd have all but 11 verses of the NT quoted in the writings of the early church fathers. We can be confident that our NT today is around 99% textually pure. The remaining uncertainty does not affect a single essential doctrine, and variations are simply spelling changes and other minor differences.

The second question to ask is, do we have an accurate copy of the truth or a lie? The NT was written by eyewitnesses, or those who interviewed eyewitnesses, who wrote within the lifetimes of those who could debunk what they were writing were it not true. The authors also included embarrassing details about themselves and hard teachings of Jesus. Remember that most of the disciples gave their lives for proclaiming this new religion called Christianity. Who would willingly and knowingly die for a lie that they themselves invented, if it were in fact a lie? Archeological discoveries and sources outside the NT also verify it as a reliable history book. No undisputed archeological finding has ever shown the NT to be wrong.

Yet, in the midst of all this historical detail, we find numerous miracles mentioned. Since we know now that God exists, then we can be sure that miracles are possible. And since we know that God is unlimited love, we can be sure that He would want to communicate to us. The historically reliable NT says Jesus claimed to be God, and that He proved to be God through many miracles, namely the resurrection. Therefore, we can be confident that what Jesus says is true, since God cannot lie, and Jesus said He desires a relationship with you and me. That means that Judaism must be false, as it is currently taught (since Christianity if fulfilled Judaism), and that Islam must be false as well. Truly Jesus is THE way, THE truth, and THE life.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Overflowing in Family Life

2010-03-08T13:37:00.003-05:00

1 Corinthians 12

The story goes like this: "my husband and I had been married about eight months when it came time to plant a garden. We purchased the seeds and all went well as each of us liked the same vegetables. We then began the process of preparing the soil and again everything went smoothly. We opened the first row, planted the seed, covered the row and we stood smiling with our accomplishment. When then began that second row and that is when it happened...I knew that our rows needed to be precisely 18 inches apart and so begin laying the row based upon that. My husband was in disbelief and suddenly stopped me. 'You are way to close' he said, 'the row must be 36 inches from the first row'. I responded 'my mother always planted 18" apart and 36" is wasting too much soil. How can I get him to see that I am "right" and do it my way? The debate began...'We cannot waste space it has to be 18", he quickly replied...'you must have 36" to have space in between to walk and keep the soil cultivated and weeds removed. So who was right? As we continued conversation we quickly realized I grew up with a small patch of garden and space was a premium, he grew up on a farm and a tractor was used to till to garden and wide rows were necessary for it's path. Could it be that both of us were right?"

The above story happens daily in our homes, differing manifestations but same issue. The problem is that many do not turn out as the above story ends. They took the time and energy to learn the purpose of each other's perspective. Many times we focus on "How do I convince my spouse that my way or opinion is the right way". We spend way too much energy on convincing our spouse that we are right instead of time needed undertanding our spouse's perspective and viewpoint. It is obvious that we are different and therefore have differing views. 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 both tell us that God has created those differnces so that we might best operate in completion as a body and that the body is to operate in unity/oneness.

The consequences of "being right" and "winning the discussion" are devasting to marriages as it shreads and tears down the oneness in marriages and families. When one spouse is "right" or "wins", that means the other spouse is "wrong" and "loses" and when one spouse "loses" then the marriage itself will always "lose". The marriage never becomes one or unified when the couple strives for an "either/or winner". Marriages win and become one when two differing individuals strive for oneness in the marriage over winning for theirself. There really is more than one way to do things and there are many views on particular issues but we are called to have one spirit, one heart and one mind.

Take the time today to read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. We are spending way too much time and energy discussing the appropiate spacing for planting beans that the beans are not getting planted. I'll take "oneness" over "rightness" anyday when it comes to personal perspective. More importantly oneness creates initimacy in the body, "rightness" creates division.

Finally, Peter writes....all of you live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble". What a high calling? Strive today for oneness in your marriage and with those around you. It brings Glory to God, unity in your home and peace to your soul.

Blessed,
Marty

You Feed Them

2010-03-06T00:01:00.001-05:00

Matt. 14:13-21 John 6:1-14

It was like any other day-Jesus, the disciples and enough onlookers to overflow the walls of Jerusalem. Here they were listening to Jesus talk as He unveiled the wonders and mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Finally one of the disciples who probably heard his own stomach growling went to Jesus to question what the dinner plans were. Jesus’ response was slightly more than the disciple had anticipated. Jesus said, “You feed them.” The disciples knew they were being tested so I can just imagine them huddling up as if it were the last few seconds of the Super Bowl and it was fourth and goal, and the score tied. They return back to Jesus with no more than a Hail Mary, saying, “There is a little boy here who has five loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” Jesus smirks as he watches them search for answers. “Have everyone sit down,” He said. Then He takes the food that the little boy had and looking up to Heaven He blesses it. Finally, Jesus passes the food out to the disciples who then pass it out to the men and women. What a sight that must have been to watch those twelve men walk around, tripping on their bottom lip as their jaws hit the ground. You can just hear them mumbling to themselves trying to figure it all out, “Five loaves + two fish = 5,000 people…? Yet in my mind the best was still to come! When the disciples cleaned up the mess and bagged up all the leftovers, there was exactly twelve baskets leftover! Don’t you know Jesus walked empty handed off the mountain that day. He made sure each one of the disciples would carry the OVERFLOW of this little boy’s lunch box! One of the many lessons taught that day to the disciples was that even your meager lunch box contains enough to feed the world when you give it to the LORD. And what of the little boy? Do you think that he was happier about the fact that his lunch just fed 5,000 people or that he was eating lunch with Jesus? I do not know but I do know that whether you were the boy, the amazed disciples, or an onlooker with a full belly, you were grateful to have been showered by the OVERFLOW of Jesus.

Today, we are feeding 5,000 people just like Jesus did. Sure we have over a thousand bags of tasty treats, but even better is we have a Holy God who goes before us raining down an OVERFLOW of His goodness! I pray we all walk away with a basket of Jesus’ leftovers!

Smile Always,
jason

A Bag Full of Love

2010-03-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

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

We have been collecting enough food to give out 1000 bags on Saturday. It has been amazing to watch as the hallways began to be filled with bags full of food, cookies and drinks. What an awesome way to show someone how much God loves them!

One time, I received a gift bag filled with some unusual items. It included a birthday candle, a page from a calendar, a list of words, a thread, and a picture of a baby. Each item represented something special.

The birthday candle symbolizes that God knew the day you were born. He ordained the circumstances and people who were involved in your birth. He knew what you would look like and who would welcome you. He knew how much you would weigh, what your cry would sound like, and whether you would be bald or have a head full of hair. (Psalm 139:16)

The page from the calendar symbolizes that each of your days was planned before you were even born. He knew how you would spend your days—what your hobbies and interests would be, what your job would be, and who you would share your days with. He knew the days you would spend honoring Him and the days you would wish you could do over. (Psalm 139:2-3)

The list of words symbolizes that God knows every word you say before you even say it. The nice words and not-so-nice words. The angry words and the words of encouragement. The times you should have held your tongue and the times you thought of the right words to say hours too late. He knows the times you have spoken up on His behalf, and He sees the times you were too shy and unsure to speak. (Psalm 139:4)

The thread represents the hairs on your head, which the Bible tells us are numbered. Straight hair or curly hair, red hair or gray hair, real or “Bottled” color. God knows every detail of you, His marvelous creation. He counts your freckles, knows the ridges on your fingernails, and sees the blemishes you try to hide. He truly loves you, warts and all. (Matthew 10:30)

Finally, the picture of a baby is to remind you that He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He knows you better than your parents, your spouse, your children or your friends. He knows the parts you don’t show anyone else. He sees the tears no one else sees. He hears the dreams and frustrations no one else hears. He knows you, inside and out. (Psalm 139:13)

The Bible assures us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I once read that the word “wonderfully” in the Hebrew means “to distinguish, or to be set apart.” God created each one of us to be unique and distinct in some way. We each have a special destiny only we can fulfill. In a world of comparisons and keeping up with impossible standards, it is so easy to forget that our uniqueness is His gift to us.

Psalm 139:14 says “I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God wants us to praise Him for the way that He made us. He wants us to celebrate the little details He thought of.

I love that the contents of this bag helps me to focus on God’s love for me – a love that exceeds my limited understanding, a love that goes far beyond skin deep.

God asks us to share this love with our neighbors, friends and co-workers. Whether it be a bag filled with the items like in the bag I received, or a bag of food, or a card, or a prayer, or a smile, God wants us to help others discover his overflowing love.

Blessed,
Tricia

The Overflowing of Jesus

2010-03-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed by now that I think the meanings of words are important. They are the means by which we know how to correctly and accurately verbalize and gauge our behavior in this world around us.

Compassion is a very powerful word. It is "to have sorrow for the sufferings of others; sympathy." What does it mean to "sorrow" exactly? Well, my 1962 copy of Webster's dictionary describes it as "feeling mental pain or uneasiness; to grieve; lament."

Jesus was the epitome of compassion. "But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." Psalm 86:15 There are those moments in life when we have the opportunity to allow Jesus to overflow out of us in compassion to those around us.

I recently was asked to sing at the funeral of my Uncle J.C. on Friday, February 19. My relation to them is not the most common because my uncle is my Dad's brother and my aunt is my Mom's sister, so, his death affected both sides of my family.
I found myself surrounded by family members, some that I had not seen in quite some time, and I was literally overcome with emotion. Not just of seeing my uncle's immediate family grieve his loss but also coming face to face with other members of my family that are going through their own suffering. Two had lost their wives in death just within the past six months; another went through a very hurtful divorce and one continuing to deal with that cruel Parkinson's disease. I also felt joy just because I was surrounded by so many that are my flesh and blood whom I love dearly! I found myself overcome with the powerful emotions of compassion and love toward them all!

As I sang, I made myself look into their faces. In some I saw the deep sense of pain; in others I saw the sweet sense of comfort. The saddest thing I saw was emptiness in the faces of those who have never accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. My heart was broken. I felt the Lord using this moment to overflow through me with compassion and love as only He can; to speak to each heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that the Lord will never let me forget that moment!

That moment in time was a reminder to me that I have the opportunity to display compassion and love to those around me each and every day and to allow Jesus to overflow out of me and make a difference in a life.

This is an awesome task and it is not one that we can do in and of ourselves. We are surrounded with families that are hurting here at home and all over the world. Let's not become desensitized! Allow Jesus to overflow!

Are you overflowing Jesus today?

Humbled by the Lord's Compassion and Love,
Robin

Chosen

2010-03-03T09:24:00.001-05:00

“… I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa 41:9-10 NIV)

Do you remember being chosen for teams when you played games as a child? Perhaps you were one of the more talented athletes and were chosen early. Maybe you were one who was chosen in the middle of the pack. You might have been the one who was at the tail end of the process and was chosen last. Being chosen first tends to make someone feel special. Being chosen in the middle makes one feel grateful. Being chosen last makes one feel; well, it makes you feel like you’ve been chosen last!

What if it came down to only you and someone else to be chosen? What if the other person was chosen before you? What if the final team did not use their last choice and left you out? What if you were not chosen at all? How might that feel?

Childhood games are a good example of how much priority we place on the wrong things. We prize being chosen first or being picked before someone else. It makes us feel better to know that we are wanted before others. What we should express great gratitude for is not “when” we were chosen but “that” we were chosen.

King David said, “Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.” (Ps 65:4 NIV) If you have accepted God’s gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ and given your life to Him then you know what it is like to be chosen by God. It matters little whether you were chosen first or last but it matters greatly that you were chosen!

The question is; do you live like you have been chosen by God? Do you live in assurance or in doubt? God said, “I have chosen you and have not rejected you.” Take Him at His word! Do you live in confidence or in fear? God said, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” Stand boldly in His presence! Do you live in strength or in weakness? God said, “I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Live powerful in His grasp!

Remember that you are chosen and Who has chosen you! Jesus said, “My Father, who has given [you] to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch [you] out of my Father's hand.” (John 10:29 NIV)

Larry

Who Made God?

2010-03-02T17:43:00.003-05:00

There are so many different beliefs about life and faith in our world today. These beliefs are known as worldviews. You’re reading this right now through the lens of your own worldview. The three broadest categories of worldviews today are: Theism (God made all), Pantheism (god is all and all is god), and Atheism (there is no god at all).

Over the last few weeks we've looked at the evidence that shows the God of theism, specifically the God of Christianity, is the only true God that exists. Based on solid philosophy we saw that God is pure existence and a necessary Being. Based on evidence from science, we saw that He is super-powerful and super-intelligent, and based on the moral law written on our consciences we saw that He is morally perfect. We ultimately saw that it is reasonable to believe that God exists, and we showed that all is not God and God is not all. He is as different from the world as a painter is from his painting. But if God does exist, and He made everything, then who made God?

That seems like a reasonable question as first blush. Even trained thinkers with PhD's from prestigious universities make this mistake. We do live in a world of cause and effect, but Christians do not claim that everything that exists has or needs a cause. Christians claim that everything that begins to exist has a cause. God is not self-caused, He is uncaused and eternal. There are only three options. Everything is either caused, self-caused, or uncaused. God cannot be caused because that leads to an infinite number of causes which is impossible. As we saw last week, there must be an initial “causer” in the very beginning. He can’t be self-caused because you have to exist in order to cause something. Something can’t preexist itself. Therefore, God must be uncaused. God is completely self-existent. He calls Himself the great “I AM” in Exodus 3:14. Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

God did not create the universe, or you, to fill any need He had in Himself. He is perfect in every way, lacking nothing. He created us in order to have a relationship with us. He did not begin, He will not end, and we should praise Him for it.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Overflowing in Family Life

2010-03-01T11:10:00.002-05:00

“We Will Serve the Lord”
Joshua 24:14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

As Joshua aged and realized his days were ending he addressed the Hebrews a few final times. He confronts them with their choice of faithfulness to the Lord and tells them they must choose whom they will serve and worship. He then makes the statement; “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua understands the importance of family faith and seeks to lead in serving God almighty. Throughout scripture we are admonished to teach, train, equip, model and disciple others and the others include and should start with family and home. The foundation of that healthy and Godly home begins with a foundation of God centered purpose. Psalm 127 puts it this way “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builder’s labor in vain”.

A research study conducted over 20 years and included 14,000 families from all 50 states and 24 countries studied family strengths, family health and family happiness. From all the research, interviews, surveys and questionnaires a conclusion was reached that identified 6 Key Characteristics seen in what they termed “Fantastic Families”….families that appeared healthy, happy and strong in relationships and function. Strong families are not families without problems…they have learned to deal with those problems in positive, encouraging and supporting ways. They feel good about themselves as a family unit and have a sense of belonging with each other…a sense of we. So what are those 6 Qualities? (A book entitled “Fantastic Families” by Joe Beam & Nick Stinnett goes into much depth and detail concerning the below principles and the families’ survey)

1. Commitment - to the family, to marriage, to each individual, to priorities, to honesty, to the long haul and to family traditions.

2. Expresses Appreciation & Affection – to each person in the family. Where each knows and understands the value they bring to the home. Where each person gives and receives affirmation, expresses appreciation, realizes their potential through attention and feels loved through affection.

3. Share Positive Communication – there is a freedom/openness to express thoughts and emotions because all is done in a positive atmosphere. Eph 4:29 states it this way “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those that hear.” Entire volumes are written on communication….take the time to study, develop and master positive communication that adheres to the principles of Eph 4:29

4. Time Together – time together, both quantity and quality develops family identity, it nurtures relationships and it makes memories. Families that play together, pray together, serve together, and “do nothing” together builds “togetherness”.

5. Nurture Spiritual Wellbeing – it was found that there were 6 blessings of those homes built on Spiritual Foundation. (1)Home had Purpose/Meaning, (2)Home had Principles/Guidelines for living, (3) There was a Positive Confident Outlook on life, (4)Support in trials of life, (5) True Freedom/Peace, (6) Access to Power of God. These families developed their spiritual well-being through corporate worship/study, through prayer and meditation on God’s Word, by talking about God’s Word and precepts in everyday life, by avoiding dissension/disagreement and by building a legacy of following God’s Word/purpose.

6. Strong Families Learn how to cope with Stress & Crisis – these families had learned 6 tactics for coping with stress & crisis: (1)Keep things in Perspective; (2) Let Go & Let God; (3) Focus on God not self; (4)Humor Yourself; (5)Take one step at a time; (6) Refresh & Restore – self.

Not surprising, they are all principles found laid out in God’s Word for how we are to relate to each other. Each of us desires to build a strong & healthy home upon the Solid Rock foundation of Jesus Christ. What principles above need some improvement to accomplish that purpose? May each of us be reminded of the importance of choosing to include God’s Word and God’s presence in our everyday life so that each of us will laboring toward strong and healthy homes.

Grateful Marty

Overflow to the End

2010-02-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy watching the Winter Olympics. The intensity, courage and all out effort by the athletes to be the very best they can be is compelling drama. In the speed races-especially the short speed races, the start is important. A racer must get up to speed quickly. Just and perhaps more important, however, is the way the athlete finishes the race or, in the case of figure skaters and snowboarders, their programs. Let me give you some examples. After a figure skater fell doing an attempted jump, the commentators noted that the energy in the program disappeared and that the skater was just going through the motions. He knew he would not get a medal and that disappointment affected his finish. Then there was the women’s downhill where three skiers were performing well until they reached the last big jump. They had skied almost flawlessly and only had one hurdle to go. All three fell on the landing and travelled toward the finish line on their bottom instead of on their skis. But for me one of the most exciting failures to finish was in the 1500 meter short track speed skating race. Short track speed skaters have to be half crazy to speed around the track only inches from an opponent knowing that almost any contact will spin that skater into the padded walls on the outside of the track. It is exciting and highly competitive with only hundreds of a second separating the contestants. In the 1500 race, the American team was led by Apolo Ohno, one of the greatest speed racers in the world. As the race approached the final turn, three skaters from Korea led the race. Ohno and American J.R. Celski stood fourth and fifth. Coming around the final turn, the Korean in third place attempted a pass but clipped the 2nd place Korean’s skate. In a blink of an eye both Koreans spun off the track and into the side walls and Ohno and Celski captured the silver and bronze medals. The two South Koreans did not finish well. On the other hand, the Americans could have quit. They could have thought “there are just a few feet to go and there is no way that I am going to medal in this race. I will just slow up, be safe and save myself for other races.” But instead they continued giving their best until the end and were rewarded with a silver and bronze medal. My final example of “finishing well” is snowboarder Shaun White. Talk about crazy! He and other snowboarders in the half pipe event do amazing twists and spins after propelling themselves 30 feet or more in the air and then, hopefully land on their feet so they can do it again a second or two later. For those who may not know about the half pipe competition, there are two opportunities or “runs” and the competitors chose their highest score from their two runs. The snowboarder with the highest score from either run wins. Shaun White is far and away the best half pipe competitor in the world. He gets higher and does more twists and turns in the air than do his competitors. A perfect score from the judges is 50. On his first run he scored 46.8. No one else in either run came close. Because he finished the first run in the lead, he was the last competitor scheduled to compete on the second run. By the time it was his turn to do his second run he had already won the gold medal. He did not even have to do a second run. He might have thought: “Why should I do this? I could get hurt and suffer a career ending injury. I have already accomplished everything I have come here to do.” Instead he did his second run, added a move no one else in the world can do, and achieved a score of 48.4. He finished very well!

I think the Apostle Paul must have liked sports as well because he often used track and field examples to describe the Christian life. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 Paul wrote “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one received the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” To Timothy he wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul would have been familiar with the Olympics which were held every four years during his lifetime in the Greek city of Olympia. I had the good fortune to travel to Olympia last summer and to see the track where those ancient Olympians ran. Interestingly, they had a wall of shame for athletes who had cheated in trying to win their Olympic events. They DID NOT finish well. Paul, at the end of his life, was able to say he finished well. I can think of no greater compliment for a Christian whose body is being laid to rest than to say he or she finished well. The Bible gives a wonderful example of someone who finished well in describing the death of Stephen. While he was being stoned Stephen fell on his knees and cried out “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7: 59-60) Even in death, Stephen was praying for those who had mistreated him.

I regularly remind our seniors that we never get too old to serve the Lord and of the importance of finishing well. Even if we do not get a great start, we can choose to finish well. As long as we have breath there is something we can do in the Lord’s work. God doesn’t call us to overflow His love for a week, month or year. He calls us to overflow for a lifetime. Our overflow should not stop when we are 50, 60 or even 90 years of age. It should not stop when we hurt. It should not stop when we lose a loved one. It should not stop when we are tired and seemingly can’t go on. It should not stop when we are told we have cancer. It should not stop when we learn we have a terminal medical condition. In fact it is in these times that God’s love can show through us even more than in the good times. As Hebrews 12:1 reminds us,” let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. “ Overflow to the end and finish well.

Praying to finish well,
Paul Marth

Yielding

2010-02-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

I recently had to renew my driver’s license. All I had to do was to take the eye exam and identify the various road signs. It was easy enough since they provide you with a pamphlet of the signs to study and they also provide you with a considerable time to wait! What do you do while you wait? You study the signs!

It’s interesting the difference between the signs you study on the pamphlet and the signs they show you on the test. On the pamphlet the signs have words and symbols that help you identify them. On the test the words and symbols on some of the signs are missing! I missed one of these signs. I called it a warning sign. The tester told me it was a school crossing sign. After I finished (and passed!) the test I looked at the pamphlet and discovered that a school crossing sign and a school zone sign without the symbols look exactly alike! I wanted to go back and ask the tester how she knew it was a school crossing sign and not a school zone sign since without the pictures you can’t tell the difference! I mean, she could have been wrong! However, better judgment prevailed and I was happy to leave with my new driver’s license.

One sign, that was also missing words, was easy for me to identify. It was the YIELD sign. It has a distinctive shape and color. Yield means to concede to or give right-of-way. It is a warning sign that is designed to help keep us out of trouble. Depending on whom we yield to can determine if we avoid trouble or invite it!

God gave Cain a warning sign that instructed him to yield to what is right rather than how he felt. Either choice required him to yield, to sin or to God. Our choices put us in a position of yielding as well, either to sin or to God. Peter wrote, “…for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” Whatever we yield to is our master. Paul wrote, “Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Rom 6:16-18NIV)

Make certain that you can identify and read the signs correctly so you yield properly! You’ll never go wrong by choosing obedience to God’s word!

Drive safely!
Larry

An Overflow of Worth

2010-02-23T10:46:00.005-05:00

So far we've discussed three main arguments for building a case for the existence of the Christian God. We've looked at the Kalam Cosmological Argument, the Moral Argument, and the Teleological Argument, or the argument from design. To wrap up this discussion, I'd like to briefly share one more argument for the existence of God that is, in fact, my favorite argument. It comes from Thomas Aquinas' Third Way, and it's known as the Vertical Cosmological Argument. While the Kalam Cosmological Argument argues for a Beginner of the universe, the vertical form of this argument argues for a here and now sustaining cause of the universe. Space, nor the extent of my knowledge, permit a thorough examination of this argument, but I ask that you take a few moments to think through these points and see if your view of God and your worship of Him is not affected. Let's get started.

I think we can all agree that something exists. We at least know that we exist, for we would have to exist in order to deny our own existence. That, of course, would be a contradiction. So we know something exists. Now let's think about the existence of something simple. Think about a triangle. How would you define what a triangle is? Let's say it's a three-sided geometric figure. If we destroyed all the triangles in the universe, would that do anything to change what a triangle is? Of course not. A triangle's definition, or its "essence," would still be the same. That means that existence is not part of what a triangle IS, but something a triangle HAS. That means that triangles, like you and me, are contingent. They exist, but they could possibly not exist. In other words, their existence is not "necessary." It's similar to a unicorn. We know that a unicorn is a horse with a horn. But they don't actually exist. If existence were part of what a unicorn IS, or part of its essence, then we would define a unicorn as a horse with a horn THAT EXISTS. Do you see the difference? So WHAT something is, its essence, and THAT something is, its existence, are not necessarily the same thing.

The fact that we ACTUALLY exist, but could POTENTIALLY not exist, means that we cannot account for our own existence. Something that doesn't exist necessarily cannot create itself. Logic plainly tells us this. In order for something to give itself existence, or create itself in other words, it must already exist, which is an obvious contradiction. Hopefully it's clear at this point that we are relying on something else to give us existence. Perhaps your thinking, "My parents gave me existence." Are your parents really the ultimate cause of your existence? Think about it. If your parents cease to exist, would you? Of course not. But a contingent being is always a contingent being, and is therefore always relying on something else for its existence. So your parents are not the ultimate cause of your existence. In fact, based on our current knowledge, everything in the universe is contingent, or could possibly not exist. Therefore, the entire universe is dependent on something else for its existence. But just like our parents are not the ultimate cause of our existence, we can't just posit another contingent being as the cause of the universe. If we do, we continue to push the problem back a step forever and never reach an initial cause. This is a philosophical impossibility.

So what type of being must be the cause of all contingent beings? As we just saw, it couldn't be just another contingent being. But there are only two types of being, contingent (i.e. unnecessary) and necessary. So the cause of the universe must be a necessary being, an uncaused cause. What does this mean? Well, if a contingent being's essence (think "WHATness") and existence (think "ISness") are different, then a necessary beings essence and existence are the same thing! A necessary being IS existence. In other words, its definition would include "and exists." So a necessary being cannot not exist. It must exist. It has no potential not to exist. It is what it is in a necessary way. In philosophical terms, a necessary being is pure ACTUALITY, pure existence. Our essence limits us to what type of existence we have. That's why we are humans and not trees, and rocks are rocks and not dogs. But a necessary being's essence and existence are the same thing. So a necessary being is UNLIMITED.

This may sound confusing, but it is, in fact, very profound. Think about it. What would be true of an unlimited being in regards to power, or presence, or knowledge? It would be all-powerful, everywhere-present, all-knowing. Is this beginning to sound familiar? This necessary being must be eternal, all-good, the ultimate basis for all that exists, and is ultimate Worth. Whatever is of ultimate worth is worthy of all worth-ship or worship. And whatever has all of these qualities is appropriately called God.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I do hope you appreciate the profundity of this reasoning. Without quoting a single Bible verse, we've shown a very profound reason for believing in God. But, the most profound thing to me is how this reasoning lines up precisely with God's self-revelation in scripture. As a necessary being who's very essence is existence, God says His name is "I AM" in Ex. 3:14. As the necessary being who is the ultimate here-and-now cause of our existence, God revealed to Paul in Col. 1:16-17, "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." As Paul said in Acts 17:28, "For in him we live and move and have our being." Truly He is worthy of our worship as the ultimate source of an overflow of worth.

For further reading on this subject, please visit these great resources:
Sound Rezn (Alex McFarland's radio show) blog
Professor Doug Beaumont's page

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Overflowing His NAME

2010-02-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

King David wrote Psalms chapter 8 and in it he used one of my favorite words in the Bible. This word is one of the smallest words in Scripture yet it carries great weight! David says, “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth; Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!” ‘O,’ what a small word, often overlooked and ignored but to those who run right over it, what a great injustice you are doing to the Bible. Before you can understand the word, ‘O,’ you need to understand the word, ‘LORD.’

The Jews in that day had such a fear and reverence for God that they would not speak His personal name for fear they might say it wrong. They were not even worthy to utter such a Holy name. (That is a far cry from the trash filled entertainment world we live in today!) In Scripture, when you find the word LORD written in all capital letters, you know that the author is writing the proper or personal name of God. Imagine not just calling Him "Father" or "Sir" or "King of Kings," but you call Him by His first name! How paralyzing that thought is in light of His holiness; how shaming that thought is in light of how carelessly we speak His name.

So when king David writes "O LORD, our Lord…" he is speaking to God directly and he is going to Him in utmost reverence. Yet why does he add on the little word? What is the difference in LORD and O LORD? Webster’s dictionary says that the word, ‘O’ is an intensifier. It is added before a word so as to draw on the greatness of it. When the next word is LORD, just imagine the monumental, no, the OVERFLOWING grandeur that the author was trying to convey! “O LORD, my Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!!!!!!!!!!" I get chill bumps thinking about it! David goes on to say that He had set His glory above the heavens. What a great God!

It is a humbling reality to realize that we are mere mortals and God is LORD. How great is our God! Therefore let the prayer of your heart be, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name is all the earth; You have displayed your splendor above the heavens!"

Smile Always,
jason

Every Drop Counts

2010-02-19T09:27:00.001-05:00

Several times lately, I have grabbed a couple of buckets and filled them with water. This was to have on hand just in case the power went off in the recent storms. Gratefully, we didn’t need it.

We each have a multitude of opportunities, like countless drops in a bucket, to make a difference in the lives of those around us. People need daily drops in their buckets. You can add drops to someone’s bucket with a compliment, a smile, and a word of appreciation or a simple thank you. People need to be recognized, and to feel appreciated. Positive reinforcement and acknowledgement of their value can give a person a sense of self worth; effectively filling their bucket.

The opposite is also true. Our actions can also work like dippers that empty someone’s bucket. Words or actions that belittle, demean, disparage, or put down, can diminish someone’s self esteem, and take away from their sense of self-worth. Sometimes simply ignoring the other person can effectively empty their bucket. Unfortunately, it takes much longer to drip in than it does to dip out. We need to be mindful of this when we interact with those that God places in our path. We also need to remember that just living in this sinful world can evaporate drops from our bucket.

I think some people enjoy dipping out of other people’s buckets. On the other hand, we know people who always seem to know how to cheer you up. You enjoy their company, and look forward to being with them. They are like Barnabas, the son of encouragement, in Acts 4:36. When you look closely, you also notice their bucket always seems full. The reason for this is that when you add drops to someone else’s bucket, some always seems to splash back into yours. Sometimes, you actually receive more than you give!

Bucket filling or bucket dipping is a choice. Some people seem to have a disposition for the negative. But, how we relate to others is also a choice. You can’t blame nature for being hateful, uncaring, mean or malicious. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.” The King James Version says to let your speech be “seasoned with salt.” Salt is a preservative, it makes a difference, and it adds taste. Our conversations and interactions with others should add a Christ-like “taste” to our relationship.

We choose either to make a positive or a negative difference in the lives of those around us. If we act positively, and add drops, we fill both their bucket, and our own. If we choose to dip instead, we impact everyone involved in a negative manner. What you do and say will make a big difference. Remember, “drop by drop, the bucket fills,” both yours and theirs.

Overflowing with God’s Love,
Tricia

Overflow ON PURPOSE

2010-02-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

"Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily, as for the Lord and not for men; Knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance which is your reward. The One Whom you are actually serving is the Lord Christ." – Colossians 3:23,24 (Amplified Version)

We have heard it said many times that we should live life with a purpose - an aim or design with the intention of reaching a specific result. Have you ever given any thought to living life ON PURPOSE? Look for every opportunity that God gives us, not running from it but meeting that opportunity ON PURPOSE.

How many days pass where we miss opportunities to OVERFLOW out of the work that Christ has done in us and to show kindness and love? I'm not talking about just to the people that we love already or that have never hurt us or rubbed us the wrong way, but to everyone we meet. I know ... it's not always easy. We all have those certain someone's in our lives. They might even live with us but if we live our lives ON PURPOSE in obedience to the Word of God ... then we are commanded to make that a part of how we live out each day.

It was not by chance that God sent Jesus to this world to be born of a virgin. He sent Him ON PURPOSE to be our Savior. He came to show perfect love to a lost and dying world. He went to the cross ON PURPOSE out of obedience to His Father so that we could have forgiveness and life. Our gratitude for what He has done in our lives should OVERFLOW our lives and cause us to be living out His purpose ON PURPOSE.

Everywhere Jesus went ... He went ON PURPOSE with the aim of displaying His perfect love and His deity through teaching, healing the sick, raising the dead and calling all people unto Himself.

In Acts chapter 20, Paul, knowing through the witness of the Holy Spirit that imprisonment and suffering awaited him, travelled ON PURPOSE to Jerusalem. He continued from city to city preaching the Word and encouraging the churches in obedience to his calling. It was his desire that he would "finish his course with joy, and through the ministry which he had obtained from the Lord Jesus, faithfully testify to the good news of God's grace."

I believe Jesus wants us to live our life ON PURPOSE with the aim of being a reflection of who He is. We are to show His love to all people out of the OVERFLOW of what He has done in us.

Living our lives with HIS PURPOSES being OUR PURPOSES will allow our lives to OVERFLOW and His love to be seen in us and displayed in everything we do.

Striving to live life ON PURPOSE,
Robin

An Overflow of Commitment

2010-02-17T11:15:00.003-05:00

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow, saying, ‘O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’ …. After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was … and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh…. ‘I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.’” (1 Sam 1:10-11; 24; 27-28 NIV)

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that a picture painted in one’s mind may be worth even more! It is amazing what the imagination can do. I believe this is one of the reasons that Jesus taught in parables and stories, so that the listeners could paint in their mind the picture of truth that He was telling. You see, I own my picture but I do not own yours! The principle is this: “When you discover truth for yourself then you possess it in a way that makes it really and truly yours.” (William Barclay)

My father used to tell me this short story to impress upon me the importance and nature of making a commitment. “Son,” he used to say, “when it comes to breakfast, the chicken contributes but the pig is committed!” Now, take a few moments and paint that picture of truth in your mind. Better yet, sit down to a nice hot breakfast of bacon or sausage and eggs and consider the difference of what it cost the chicken and the pig to provide your meal! The chicken lives to contribute to another breakfast but the pig has given his all!

Unless he is like the special three-legged pig that lived on the farm. A passerby noticed the three-legged pig playing with the farmer’s children and stopped to inquire about the odd animal. The pig could do tricks and seemed to be more like a pet than a farm animal. The farmer explained that the pig was special and had saved the family by rescuing them from a house fire. The passerby inquired if the pig had lost his leg in the fire. The farmer said, “Oh no, but he is so special we couldn’t eat him all at once!” (Another one of my dad’s stories!)

Hannah asked the Lord for a son and made the commitment to give him to the Lord “all” the days of his life if the Lord would answer her prayer. She didn’t say that she would give him to the Lord for a while but for “all” his days. Hannah literally took her son Samuel and physically handed him over to Eli at Shiloh and committed him there to the Lord for “all” his days. Are you getting the idea that “all” is an important part of commitment?

At times I have played the part of the chicken when it comes to commitment and settled for merely making a contribution that was easily replaced and temporarily eased my conscience. At other times I have acted like a three-legged pig that has given a special part of me that may have cost me something but not so much that I couldn’t live without it. Don’t confuse contribution with commitment. Jesus said, “…any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”(Luke 14:33 NIV) Jesus was able to say this because He made a commitment! A commitment to you and me!

May we make that same commitment to Him!
Larry

An Overflow of Evidence

2010-02-16T15:08:00.002-05:00

Last week I mentioned that the moral law, and evil itself, actually point to the existence of God. This week, I want to briefly look at two more arguments for the existence of God. The first argument I'll mention is known as the Kalam cosmological argument. It's simply the argument from a beginning. Did you know that almost all scientists agree that the universe had a beginning at a specific point in the finite past. We live in a world of cause and effect, and common sense tells us that you can’t get something from nothing. So if the universe began to exist, then it had to have a cause that exists outside of time and space. You see, the universe itself cannot be eternal. It is true that the actual amount of energy in the universe remains at a constant, however, all energy is ultimately running down to a state of unusable energy (just like our bodies grow old). If the universe was eternal, we would have had an eternity for all the usable energy to be used up already. The usable energy is not used up, therefore the universe had a beginning and a cause. I would argue that cause is the God of the Bible. We could go into more specifics, but this should suffice for now.

There are other evidences that bolster our case for God's existence. For example, the teleological argument looks at the incredible design we find in nature. If there is a design, then there is a designer. When Darwin proposed his theory of evolution, he believed single cell organisms were very simple creatures that could easily evolve. Now we know that they are complex biological machines that contain as much information as 1,000 volumes of an encyclopedia! The DNA in our cells that determine what we look like, etc. is basically the equivalent of a four letter alphabet. If that doesn't sound impressive, just think about the complexities that result from computer code which is nothing but 1's and 0's! This type of information requires a mind behind it. Even atheistic scientists understand this. The government used to fund a program called SETI (The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) which pointed radio antennas into space that listened for signs of intelligent radio signals from space. This is what the movie "Contact" was based on. Why would they do this? Because they understood that such signals would require a mind behind them. How much more complex is the DNA and biological "machines" that make up every cell of our bodies!! Truly we are, as the Bible says, fearfully and wonderfully made. You are not an accident or the product of random genetic mutations!

Paul echos this line of thinking in Rom. 1:20, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." If all of nature had a beginning, then it stands to reason that the cause of all of nature must be beyond nature or super-natural. Agnostic astronomer Robert Jastrow said in a 1982 interview with "Christianity Today," "Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. And they have found that all this happened as a product of forces they cannot hope to discover .… That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact." From these three simple arguments (the moral argument, the kalam cosmological argument, the teleological argument) we can conclude that God is: immaterial, eternal, super powerful, super intelligent, morally perfect, and personal. That's a pretty could case we've built for arguing the existence of the God of the Bible.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Overflowing Love in Family

2010-02-15T15:59:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 13:1-4

Yesterday millions of people celebrated Valentine’s Day. Probably millions of others loathed the day it was established as a day to honor love. The honoring of the day has been around for centuries, but in modern times much emphasis has been made of the giving of gifts, cards…..valentines. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women. Valentine’s Day has become a money maker for the business world and an opportunity for the “once a year”, telling someone close “I Love You”.

I was having a conversation with one of my closest friends on Saturday and I reminded him of the big day on Sunday. “Yeah, yeah, I know….my wife hates Valentine’s Day” was his reply. “Really, why does she hate Valentine’s Day”, I asked. “She says everyday ought to be filled with ‘I love you’, not just Valentine’s Day”. “I cannot argue with that”. His reply…”Guess I ought to get her a card anyway”. “Probably be smart”, I said.

Have you noticed that we often wait until “special” days to express love, to buy the gift, to give the card or do the act of kindness. We seem to place the emphasis on birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. More often than not, we practice the same thought process with our relationship with God. We have a tendency to wait until Sunday’s to worship or give Him time…we find a new sense of giving around Christmas and we put more emphasis on sacrifice around the Easter season. I wonder if His thought process is like my friend’s wife. “Shouldn’t everyday be about expressing love”?

1 Corinthians 13 speaks many wise words when it comes to the value, importance and the power of love. It tells me that I can be the most eloquent speaker ever on a platform, the smartest man in the world, have the faith to speak and move mountains, give everything I have in sacrificial love to the poor and yes, even lay down my life for others and yet if I do not possess or convey love toward others…all such abilities and sacrifice are useless and meaningless. The writer then begins a simple description of what love is and what love is not.

Love is patient……he really could have stopped right there with the descriptions, if we could just get this one right. Patient’s purest meaning…”self restraint in the face of provocation” is the foundation on which all other principles seem to build. The clearest picture of this meaning is Christ’s journey toward and on the cross. His actions are definitely love expressed in patience and it is that kind of love he exhorts us to show to those around us. Yet, he does not stop with patience….he writes that love is kind, expressed in tangible ways with the sole purpose to benefit another and expecting nothing in return. Patience and kindness are two acts of love that require sacrifice on the part of the giver. Remember the first giver of love (God first loved us) shows patience and kindness so that you and I might be a “channel” of it on the way to someone else. Be careful that His patience and kindness doesn’t stop with you, but overflows to those around you.

Oh yeah…..today is also Valentine’s Day, express your love to others.

Graced by His Love,
Marty

Memories

2010-02-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

Toward the end of my grandmother’s life, she was in and out of nursing homes and hospitals and I had the opportunity to go and visit with her some. One specific memory that I stands out is when she was staying at a nursing home and I came by to say hey and to eat lunch with her. When I walked into her room she was not there, so I went to the cafeteria and she wasn’t there either. I checked a couple other places and she was nowhere to be found. Finally I gave up and asked the nurses and they explained that this particular day was “Spa Day,” therefore she was probably getting her hair done or a pedicure. They took me to the room where the pedicures were going on and sure enough my small, bright eyed grandmother sat there in the chair, talking up a blue breeze while several ladies worked on the feet of the other residents. I walked in and joined the conversation. While I was standing there minding my own business, talking with my Grandmother, I was hit in the arm by something. I turned to look but nothing was there. This puzzled me so I looked around. There, on the floor was what hit me in the arm. I am still mortified to say it. There on the floor was… a toenail!!!! Yuck! One of the ladies giving a pedicure on the other side of the room was using scissor-like clippers and she clipped a toenail, which then flew across the room and hit me in the arm! Oh my stomach turns just thinking about that! (I hate toenails!)

So anyways, the reason I tell you that story is because after I collected myself and they finished my grandmother’s pedicure, we went to lunch. While sitting at the table we would watch the other residences, some doing better than others. She began to talk to me about Heaven and what she imagined it would be like. Other times while she was in the hospital she told me that she thought a lot about Heaven and God, she would quote Scripture and talk about hymns that were special to her. I will never forget sitting at that lunch table, hearing my grandmother OVERFLOW about her relationship with God! That is a lasting legacy, not just of my grandmother, but of the greatness of God! Praise God for the precious souls of those who march before us and teach us what OVERFLOWING is really all about!

What are you teaching those closest to you?

Smile Always,
jason

Using It All For Overflow

2010-02-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Joshua 15:13-17 - In accordance with the LORD's command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah-Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites-Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai-descendants of Anak. From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.

Joshua 17:14-15 - The people of Joseph said to Joshua, "Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people and the LORD has blessed us abundantly.” “If you are so numerous," Joshua answered, "and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites."

Caleb was really something! You gotta love him! God granted him a special inheritance, a portion of the land in Judah - - a portion that was filled with bad guys. It wasn't a huge portion of land, but it was the land God had given him. So he took what God gave him and did his best with it.

The descendants of Joseph however, were just the opposite. They were given some of the richest land, and yet it wasn't good enough for them. So they demanded more. When God gave them more, that still wasn't good enough, and they continued to complain that there wasn't room enough for them in the land, especially with all those other people already living there! Never mind that God had told them to drive out the inhabitants of the land. They ignored what God had told them to do and complained bitterly about it instead. What a difference from Caleb, who took what God had given to him and did his best with it!

How about you and me? Are we faithful to do that? Are we like Caleb or like the sons of Joseph?

Let’s say that God has given you a talent for working with your hands… for building things. However, you always wished you could be a great teacher… but you aren't. Time after time, projects arise at church that would benefit greatly from your skill with a hammer and saw, but you decide not to participate. You want to teach, and that's it.

Maybe you long to go on mission with God to some distant land. You pray constently for God to open a door and send you away but the doors over-seas never open. All the while you miss seeing the mission field that sits right next door and down the street from your house. You forget about the spiritual needs of people close by and avoid even knowing your neighbor’s first name.

Or let’s say that your only real dream in life was to have a happy family, with 2.5 children, a seven passenger SUV, a two-story house on a hill wiith a white picket fence, a cat and a dog. What you ended up with was a divorce, four children, a beat-up old car, a two bedroom apartment, and a dead dog. BUT - - - in the process of all of that, you also found Jesus and asked Him into your life!! Great news!! BUT - - Along the way, you somehow got the idea that when you became a Christian, this major mess you call your life would suddenly be transformed into something else – that your dream would become a reality. But it just doesn't happen. And you're so busy being angry with God, demanding that He give you more, that you overlook all the many things you could be doing for Him with what He has given you.

Can you see a different way to handle each of the situations above - - - God’s way to handle them?

God gives each of us situations, circumstances, talents - all our very own and all specially given to us by Him, for His purpose. We should follow Caleb's example and do our very best with what God has given us - - - using it all for His glory - - using it all for overflow.

Father, forgive me when I fail to see the abundance of blessings that you have poured out on me. Help me today to take my eyes off of myself and my circumstances and focus all of my attention on You and on Your perfect plan for my life. Guide me to use all that you have given me to bring glory to Your name!

Blessed to Over-flow, Jeff Doss

Sweating the Small Stuff

2010-02-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

I was tired. My day had started with a surgical patient to pray with at 6 A.M. So by 11 p.m. I was ready for a good night’s sleep. My wife was out of town so I had the whole bed to myself. I stretched out and just got comfortable with a heard what sounded like the chirp caused by a cell phone low battery. I lay there hoping the sound would go away but about 5 minutes later the “chirp” was back. I got up and went over to my wife’s night stand. She had recently changed phones and I found her old phone. I held her phone in my hand but no “chirp”. It was turned off. I checked the alarm clock to be sure the power was on. It was. So back to bed. Two minutes later, the “chirp” occurs again. This time I check my phone. It appeared to be fully charged but I was not taking any chances so I plug it into my charger and find my way back to bed. By now I was on edge and wide awake waiting to see if the chirp would again occur. It did. Now I was really ticked off. I got up, grabbed a blanket, slammed the bedroom door shut and went to the recliner in the den for hopefully a good night’s sleep. The chirp continued but was more muffled and I figured I would eventually get to sleep. My daughter came upstairs to see what was going on and I explained the sordid tale to her. She went to my bedroom and waited patiently for the next “chirp”. Upon hearing it she immediately went to my dresser and found MY old cell phone, which I had not used for a month, was the culprit. Apparently, it had been left on all of that time but because it was not used it took a long time to wear down the battery. She turned the phone off and peace and quiet was restored. Finally I crawled into my bed and got a good but short night’s sleep.

This saga reminded me that we often allow the smallest distractions in life to affect our relationship with the Lord and prevent our lives from “overflowing”. Maybe it’s a comment by a church member that offends us. Maybe something does not go our way in a church committee or business meeting. Maybe it’s a untimely interruption when we are doing our devotions and we never get back to them. Maybe it’s an early morning appointment that causes us to skip our prayer time so we are not late. (Seems that getting up earlier was not a seriously considered option.) Maybe it’s a “great idea” we have for a church event and no one pays attention. I use these examples because they have all occurred in my life. You probably have your own set of things-small things-insignificant things that Satan uses to stifle our joy and to block us from having the abundant, overflowing life that God desires us to have with Him. A book was written many years ago called “The Tyranny of the Urgent”. It talked about how we allow the “urgent” things in our lives to hinder us from doing the really important things. Part of the problem is that we have an “earthly” rather than an “eternal” perspective. When something offends or threatens to derail you in your relationship with the Lord ask yourself this question: “Does it really matter for eternity?” if the answer is “no”, get back to what is truly important in life. As Paul reminds of in Philippians 3:8” I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” In modern slang, “Don’t sweat the small stuff” but press on “toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14.

Pressing on,
Paul Marth

Begin With The End In Mind!

2010-02-10T01:00:00.002-05:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

This verse is very special in my household. It is the life verse that we have claimed for our daughter Abigail. When she was barely one year old she was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis due to a malformation of several thoracic vertebrae. At that time the doctors discovered she had a 50 degree left to right curve in her spine. During the ensuing months as we traveled to different specialists multiple options for treatment were considered. Ultimately God lead us to the right person and place at the right time. As Abigail's curve reached over 90 degrees (can you imagine having a right angle in your spine?!) something had to be done. She was now four years old and what happened next could forever alter the course of her life. How do you make a decision like that? You begin with the end in mind.

What we wanted for Abigail had to be based on the end result. If it were based on the immediate recommended steps we would have wanted to shelter our child from such pain. Yet we would have been doing her no favors by keeping her from what was not only necessary but helpful. You see God knows the plans He has for us. If He has a plan then He knows the end from the beginning! According to Him, it is a plan to prosper us and not to harm us. Just because something is hurtful does not mean it is harmful. It is His plan to give us hope and a future. That sounds like a pretty good plan to me! He prospers us according to His will. Our hope is found in Jesus His Son who gives us eternal life.

God has prospered Abigail and continues to do so. She continues to grow happy and healthy. Between surgeries she is a vibrant rambunctious little tom-boy! She plays basketball and mixes it up with the rest of the players on the floor. All you need to do to find her is look for the smallest dribbler on the court! If things get too rough; well let's just say you don't mess with the cub when the mother bear is close by and leave it at that!

Life's experiences are like Abigail's for all of us. Sometimes it is tough and challenging. Circumstances seem to be on top of us and we have difficult choices to make. What do we do? Begin with the end in mind! The end is sure and certain in Jesus Christ! We are all on a journey that is sometimes sunny and at other times overcast but the destination that God provides for all who trust in Him is not in doubt!

"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:12-14)

Begin with the end in mind!
Larry

An Overflow of Morality

2010-02-09T08:25:00.005-05:00

I've been talking about evil and suffering for the last couple of weeks and the apparent problems those things seem to present for the Christian worldview. Ironically, however, evil actually serves as a very strong argument for the existence of God for at least two reasons! Let me explain what I mean.

First, simply acknowledging the "problem of evil" means someone knows that some actions are better than others and some actions are simply evil. Let's use Mother Teresa and Hitler as two extreme examples. Who in their right minds would say that Hitler was a better person than Mother Teresa? Hopefully no one! While Mother Teresa was certainly not perfect, how is that we just seem to know that she was a better person than Hitler? We can't make such judgements without having a perfect standard to compare are case studies to. C.S. Lewis put it well, "The moment you say that one set of moral ideas can be better than another, you are, in fact, measuring them both by a standard, saying that one of them conforms to that standard more nearly than the other. But the standard that measures two things is something different from either. You are, in fact, comparing them both with some Real Morality, admitting that there is such a thing as a real Right, independent of what people think, and that some people’s ideas get nearer to that real Right than others. Or put it this way. If your moral ideas can be truer, and those of the Nazis less true, there must be something—some Real Morality—for them to be true about." But where does this "Real Morality" come from? That brings us to our second point.

If there is no moral law, then no one can say anything is really right or wrong, good or evil, etc. For example, we couldn't say the events of 9/11 were actually wrong. We could say we didn't like them or that we would prefer different events take place, but without an actual moral law, we couldn't say that what happened was really wrong. Yet it seems we have very good reasons to believe there is an actual moral law that people instinctively know. Across the globe, it's a commonality that murder is wrong, adultery is wrong, stealing is wrong, etc. Paul seemed to agree when he wrote in Rom. 2:14-15, "Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them." This may not be evident by our actions at all times, but it is evident by our reactions. Even the thief cries "Wrong!" when he's stolen from! But if there's an objective moral law that exists outside of us, then we can draw a pretty significant conclusion from that fact. The argument goes like this:
1) Every law has a lawgiver
2) There is an objective moral law
3) Therefore, there is an objective Moral Law Giver

Granted, we haven't provided a robust case for the Christian God at this point, but we have begun to lay a solid foundation. For we know this Moral Law Giver must be morally perfect and personal. The moral law flows from the very nature of God. He is perfectly loving, perfectly just, etc. He is also personal. We have no moral obligations to natural laws. Basketball players do not have a moral obligation to the law of gravity when they dunk a basketball. We only have moral obligations to other persons. Therefore, we've learned some important things about this Moral Law Giver in a short period of time.

While we may not always have emotionally satisfying answers to all the aspects of the problem of evil, it's important to keep the perceived problem in perspective. It was this fact that God used to help lead C.S. Lewis from atheism to Christianity. Lewis wrote, "[As an atheist] my argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?" He recognized the need for a perfect Moral Law Giver. When combined with other arguments, it becomes clear that this is, in fact, the very God of the Bible.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

What does Overflowing Love look like?

2010-02-08T11:52:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 13

No Regrets! Those were the words of a wife whose husband had suddenly died some years ago. She was recalling the many marriage enrichment classes and workshops they had attended over the years and was sharing that it seemed he was doing everything right and it was her that needed to step up in their relationship. “He always treated me with honor and never raised his voice at me,” she recalled with tears streaming down her face. “Marty, I can honestly say I have no regrets concerning our marriage and our relationship.” “There is no ‘I wish I had or he had’ done this or been that.” Wow, what a testimony to have a marriage relationship that has suddenly ended be able to say “no regrets.”

1 Corinthians 13 speaks of a “no regrets” love as being patient with our spouse and family when they are so different from us….it speaks of that love as being kind when others frustrate us…it holds that we are not selfishly jealous of our own thoughts and opinions or arrogant in thinking we are always right. A “no regrets” love does not act unrighteously, it does not seek its own way in selfish thought or action, it is under control and it does not hold grudges, but offers forgiveness. A “no regrets” love has joy in being and doing things in a truthful and Godly way. Finally, verses 7&8 tells us that a “no regrets” love stays committed in tough times, believes the best in others, finds hope in God’s purpose and finishes well….because that kind of love does not fail and a “no regrets” love finds its source in the Lord Jesus Christ. The context of 1 Corinthians teaches us that all talents, abilities and knowledge is of no value without the foundation of a “no regrets” type of love.

I pray that it is each of our desires at the end of every day that in our family life we can say “no regrets” and we would be able to rest at night knowing we have loved our spouse and honored our God by honoring our family. At the end of a long & hard day I trust you will have saved some of the “best of you” to share with your family. To have no regrets is to be at total peace with God, ourselves and that we have been faithful with what He has entrusted us with for the day.

When I come to the full understanding of the Christmas and Easter message, I am confronted with the truth that Christ paid it all…He left nothing out…He gave all…He served all….He ministered to all…He surrendered all and He overcame all. He could simply say “No Regrets.” May the power, peace, provision, and purpose of God so reign in your life as you seek to be a “family on purpose” for His kingdom…..with “no regrets.”

Humbled,

Marty

Go!

2010-02-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

Luke 10:3,9

“Go.” This small, miniature word has the power and ability to change the course of the planet. In less than a week, the world will unite in the Olympics, one of the most rigorous competitions ever designed and it will all start with the words, “On your mark, get set, GO!” For a teenager who is madly and deeply in love with the girl of his dreams, he longs for the answer to the question, “Will you GO to the prom with me?” For that patient who has been fighting cancer and has undergone treatments, they await the doctor’s prognosis, “You are good to GO! A heart can shatter in a wounded marriage, when one spouse tells the other, “You need to GO.” The world changes, and lives are defined by the word, GO.

Jesus understood the power of this potent word. In Luke chapter 10 verse 3, He appointed seventy people and gathered them to embark on a mission trip. They would leave two by two and proclaim the greatness of God but the word that would start this adventure was “Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Can you just see, Jesus beaming ear to ear, as He looks out over these seventy people, and says, “On your mark, get set, GO reach the world!” But He was also careful to let them know, you will be like lambs and the world will desire to devour you like wolves. In my finite mind this does not make sense, why would Jesus send out these willing yet defenseless people to such an underdog battle? Praise God the answer is found in verse 9, “And heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

I have heard it said that, “Peace is the absence of war.” But I would beg to differ. Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “… My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heat be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” If peace is the absence of war and Jesus gives us His peace then why is there war all around us? No, peace is not the absence of war, rather, peace is the understanding that the kingdom of God has come near to you in the midst of the war! Praise God! We will encounter underdog moments and challenges but we do not have to worry because God is right there with us! The wolves will encircle us but His power, His presence, and His peace are OVERFLOWING our hearts and lives! Therefore, when we hear that life changing call of God to “GO,” buckle up, because it is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!

Smile Always,
jason

Didn't God Love the World?

2010-02-05T13:08:00.000-05:00

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:1

At first glance today’s Scripture could easily be misunderstood. We all learn “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16). Yet, here in 1 John we’re told not to love anything in the world.

In John 3:16 the word “world” means “created things” and we’ve come to define it as “every man, woman, boy and girl”. God loved every person who has ever lived and who will ever live so much that He sent Jesus to die for their sin. Truly, BIG LOVE!

John uses the exact same word in the 1 John passage. So, do we see a contradiction in the Word of God? Does God say He loved the entire world but say that we can’t love any of it?

John frequently takes one thought and looks at it from opposing views. It’s much like taking a normal everyday item or activity and realizing that it can be used for good or for evil. Time is a good example. We all have 24 hours a day. But, we all chose to use the 24 hours in different ways. We can use time for good or for evil. It’s still time, regardless of our choice.

Love can be used for good or for evil. But, our human mind has a hard time recognizing that we can’t love anything more than God for us to truly love anything. That’s right – want to love your husband or wife more? Then love God more. The love for your spouse will flow out of your love for God. When we model our time or our love from God’s direction for our lives, everything takes on a different appearance.

Before we come to accept Jesus Christ, we can’t have any of God’s thoughts. It’s impossible. Yet, after we accept Jesus Christ, God gives us the mind of Christ. He gives us the Holy Spirit to import the wisdom of Christ as we need it and as we seek it.

In Romans 3, Paul tells us that we must have our minds “set on what the Spirit desires.” We can’t even know what this is unless we give God time to reveal it to us. To love what God loves, we have to know what He loves. Jesus came to save every man, woman, boy and girl from an eternal hell. So, that’s a guaranteed good place to start.

How are you showing God’s love to the world around you? Do you love anything more than you love God? How are you using your time for His purposes?

God is love. He loves the world deeply. God has shown He’s love in amazing ways. If we look to Him for who to love and how to love, we’ll be in a safe place. Life will happen and it will challenge our love for God. The world around us will constantly put us in situations where our love will be challenged. But, God’s love is steadfast and faithful. He love is perfect and just. He loved the whole world and He gave the life of His Son to demonstrate that love. We may live in this world – but He should be our world!

Is He your world today?

Praying for an Overflow of Blessing Today,
Tricia

Overflowing Through Multiplication

2010-02-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

The thought of OVERFLOW would imply that an object is so full that it spills over onto whatever or whoever surrounds it or that there is a super abundant amount of something.

When I read about the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000 in Matthew chapters 14 and 15, it is obvious that Jesus was very capable of taking a small offering of food and providing an OVERFLOW or super abundant meal for those who were in need of nourishment. What would have been enough for only 1 or 2 miraculously became a feast for thousands with plenty left over!

Sadly, it is all too often true with us as believers ... that we lack faith to believe that Jesus is still in the business of taking what little we have to offer, multiplying it and using it in miraculous ways. I am reminded of the sweet chorus to a song I heard as a child ... "Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame. There's a crown and you can win it, if you go in Jesus' name."

Are you saying to yourself "What do I have to offer Jesus that He could use? I can't sing like "so and so", I'm not a great teacher like "such and such" and I don't have a lot of money!"

Friends, I believe that Jesus patiently waits to take the ordinary like you and me and use us in His plan to make extraordinary things happen. First, we must empty ourselves of self, pride and all those things that are standing in the way of Jesus being able to fill us up to OVERFLOW onto all that surround us! Then He can take what we have to offer Him no matter how great or small and multiply it! As a result our lives and the lives of others will be miraculously changed. Just be willing to hand over all that you are and all that you have to Jesus to be used by Him to bring Him honor and glory!!!

Blessings,
Robin

An Overflow of Obstacles?

2010-02-02T16:33:00.005-05:00

Have you faced any obstacles in the past few days? Perhaps something of the fluffy and white variety that fell in great amounts over the weekend? I just turned fifty but when it comes to the prediction of a snow storm I wait with anticipation the arrival and accumulation of lots of white stuff as if I were ten years old again! This past weekend I was not disappointed. What a wonderful snow we had!

Of course that depends on your perspective and situation. Snow can be fun if you can get around and go where you want to go. On the other hand, snow can be an obstacle if it prevents you from getting where you need to be. (Unless you are school age and rejoicing that school is cancelled!)

Obstacles. We face them all the time. Some of them like the snow are easy to see. If you can see an obstacle and identify what it is then you have a much greater chance to deal with it and remove it. What do you do with an obstacle that you can't see? What about an obstacle that you don't even know is there? How do you deal with an obstacle like that?

In the Gospel of Mark Jesus tells this parable.

"Listen {to this!} Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some {seed} fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other {seed} fell on the rocky {ground} where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other {seed} fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other {seeds} fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 4:3-9 NAU)

What are the obstacles to production in this parable? Birds snatching away seed before it can be planted. Rocky soil that prevents deep root production. Scorching sun that withers young plants. Thorns and weeds that choke plants out. All of these were obstacles to production, yet none of them would have been obvious when the seed was sown!

You see, we do things different today when we plant. We plow and prepare the soil to receive the seed before it is sown. In Jesus day the sower would scatter the seed over the field first and then plow or rake it in. Birds could show up after sowing and before plowing. Rocks could be just below the surface and leave very little soil for root production after the seed is planted leaving it vulnerable to the scorching sun. The seeds of weeds and thorns could be in the soil along with the seeds of plants to grow along with them and choke them out.

All of these obstacles are present yet the sower cannot see them. And yet he sows. Why? "Other {seeds} fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." The sower sows because there is production and increase despite the obstacles. If the sower were focused on the obstacles there might never be a harvest!

As we seek to Overflow with God's love for others are we focused on the obstacles or on the sowing? Are we worried about the potential loss or abundant increase? Are we dependant upon ourselves or upon God?
"Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." (2 Cor. 9:10 NAU)

Sowing expectantly!
Larry

An Overflow of Suffering

2010-02-02T09:36:00.004-05:00

Last week we looked at the question, "Does God hate Haiti?". Of course the answer is no. Yet, it seems that every time we turn around there is an overflow of suffering and evil in the world. The problem of evil is one of the toughest questions for the Christian to answer. It's a tough question for any worldview to answer. But make no mistake, I believe the are good answers and that the Christian worldview is the only worldview capable of giving a satisfactory answer. I really can't do justice to this topic in one blog post, but let's quickly examine the problem of evil together. I think you'll begin to see that many arguments that use the problem of evil as proof against the existence of God ultimately fail.

There are two general arguments involving the problem of evil that people often use to show the Christian God does not exist. The first goes something like this:
1) God created everything
2) Evil is a thing
3) Therefore, God created evil
The logic of this argument is strong, and this is a valid argument. However, premise number 2 is flawed. Evil is not a thing that was created by God or anyone else. Evil is a privation of good. In other words, evil is to good what rust is to a car or rot to a tree. Evil is the lack of good. It's similar to cold or darkness. Cold is not actually a thing, it is the lack of heat. Darkness is not a thing, it is the absence of light. Hence, while we could say God is responsible for the possibility of evil because He created creatures with free will to choose good or evil, ultimately it is not God's fault. God's creation was good, indeed it was VERY good. Yet it was man's choice that resulted in the evil we experience every day. Romans 8:20-22 says, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now."

The second argument says:
1) If God is all-loving He would stop evil
2) If God is all-powerful He could stop evil
3) God has not stopped evil
4) Therefore, God must not be all-loving, or all-powerful, or both
Again, this is a valid argument, but it has a flawed premise. Can you guess which one? That's right, premise 3 is missing a very simple, but very important, little word. Premise 3 is missing the word "yet". God has not stopped evil YET, but He will! You see, the greatest purpose of life is to glorify God and make Him known. It's entirely possible, even likely, that God has a very good reason for allowing evil to continue for a time. The great author and apologist C.S. Lewis once wrote, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." If God were to stop all the evil, He would have to remove the sources of that evil. We've all been the source of evil of some sort at some point in our lives. So where would that leave you and me? God promises to stop evil, but not quite yet. Second Peter 3:8-9 says, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

There are many unanswered questions regarding evil and suffering that we may never have answered this side of heaven. But we have good reason to trust that God has a purpose and that He can redeem the evil and suffering we experience just as He did for Joseph in the Old Testament. But ultimately, we know that the greatest act of evil also brought about the greatest good, salvation through Jesus Christ. Pastor John Stott said, “I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross…In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in light of His. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering. ‘The cross of Christ…is God’s only self-justification in such a world’ as ours.”

So when the day comes that God eradicates evil once and for all, will you be counted righteous because you're covered with the righteous blood of Jesus, or will be counted with the devil and his angels? I pray you have the stamp of the cross on your life!

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Overflowing in Family Life

2010-02-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

1 John 4:7-11 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

“I do not believe he loves me anymore” she stated with tears in her eyes. “I feel empty and alone” she added. As I glanced over at the husband, he sat there in disbelief. He could not comprehend what she was saying. After all he thought he was “doing” everything possible to love her. After 9 hours on the job he came home and worked 2 – 3 more hours helping with the children, often washing clothes and when needed straightening up the house. He was loving her by “acts of service.” She needed to “be told” that she was valued, that she was loved and was appreciated.

I have encountered this couple many times…different names of course, but same circumstances. Each one loving each other in their own way, yet the other spouse not “feeling” loved. Gary Chapman in his book “The Five Love Languages” states every person “gives and receives love in their own language.” He specifically refers to these languages as: “Acts of Service” – giving love through performing acts of kindness and service for the other person; “Words of Affirmation” – giving and sharing love verbally with encouragement, appreciation and positive communication; “Quality Time” – expressing love through focused and intentional time together, however even this language has a “male dialect” (quiet quality time) and a “female dialect” (‘lets talk’ quality time); “Physical Touch” – expressing love through a hug, held hand, a back rub, etc. communicates a powerful message; “Gifts” – the universal message of giving a gift speaks volumes of thoughtfulness and value to many.

Families who understand this one simple truth of differing love languages opens the door of understanding and insight in celebrating differences as opposed to being frustrated by them. Dr. Chapman also brings understanding to loving your child and teenager through age specific books: “Five Love Languages of Children” and “Five Love Languages of Teenagers”.

Love is such a beautiful word…yet it seems so complicated to understand and speak. Take time to speak love to your family today in a way that they understand. “For God so loved the world that He gave”…..may your love begin with “giving”.

Grateful,

Marty

Depart From Me

2010-01-30T00:01:00.001-05:00

Toward the beginning of His ministry, Jesus told Peter to go back out on the sea and to throw his nets in the water for a catch of fish. Peter did not really want too but he obeyed. The Bible tells us that when he pulled the nets back in, he had so many fish that he had to signal for help. Peter then turns to Jesus and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Jesus tells Peter not to be afraid but that he would now be a fisher for men.

Later in His ministry, Jesus comes upon a man who has been possessed by many demons. Jesus commands the demons to come out. They leave the man only to go into a flock of pigs which then run into the sea and drown. Those from the town, hearing about the pigs and the possessed man, come out to see what is going on. They see the man, no longer possessed and they see the shepherds standing there with no pigs. They become afraid so they turn to Jesus and beg Him to leave. Jesus turns to get back in His boat, but the man who had been freed of demons begs to come along. Jesus denied his request but tells him to return home and to tell everyone about all that God had done.

Two times Jesus was asked to leave by people who were afraid of their situation, once by Peter and once by the people of the town. The first time Jesus did not leave, the second time He got back in His boat and sailed away. So what is the lesson? What is Jesus teaching? Peter saw the greatness of God and was afraid because he knew he did not measure up. The people of the town saw the greatness of God but were afraid because they had to change their lifestyle. Peter feared the Lord, the people were afraid to make Him Lord! To Peter, He calls Him to serve. To the people of the town, He leaves. BUT NOT UNTIL HE EMPLOYEES A MISSIONARY. The man who had been freed was more than happy to OVERFLOW about the greatness of God!

All too often I find myself asking God to leave certain areas of my life. Sometimes it is because I do not measure up to His greatness, but other times it is because I do not want to change my lifestyle. Sometimes Jesus stays and other times Jesus will leave that area, but not until He has employed someone to OVERFLOW in my life and to encourage me to life-change! What about you? Do you fear and reverence God because He is so great? Or are you afraid of God because He is asking you to change? Are you willing to OVERFLOW into the lives of those around you? There is not greater calling!

Smile Always,
jason

A Overflow of Unconquered Territory

2010-01-29T14:40:00.001-05:00

Joshua 13:1 (NIV) - When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the LORD said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.”

Although the majority of Canaan was conquered, there was still a lot of land left that God intended for Israel to take. God knew that Israel could take it - - because He would get the victory for them. He had promised the victories so - - - They WOULD have the victories!

God sees the victories that lie ahead for you and me. Although we may only see the battles, He sees the victories… because He has already won the battles for us, just as He did for Israel. And, just as Israel still had unconquered territory, so do you and I. Just as Israel had a promised inheritance, so do you and I.

What is our unconquered territory? As a group - as the Body of believers and followers of Christ – our largest unconquered territory is a lost and unbelieving world. There are an infinite number of mission fields, from our own neighborhoods to the remote jungles of the Amazon to those countries where Bibles are against the law and Christians are imprisoned or killed. There are still numerous languages into which the Bible needs to be translated. There are moral and ethical wrongs being committed right here in this country that need to be defeated. And in our own personal lives - - we all have unresolved conflicts - - unconquered territories - - Sins that remain unconfessed… scars that remain unhealed… fears that continue to cripple us… lives that remain in turmoil. The list goes on and on.

Just as the list of unconquered territories goes on and on, so is the list of victories the Lord has for you in your life. Pray for guidance into your personal unconquered territories. Ask Him to show you the way He would have you go. Pray for our church and for other churches around us. Pray that Christ followers all over the world will press on to victory! Pray - - and take action - - walk with Christ into victory today!

Praying for more, Jeff Doss

Putting the Right Things In

2010-01-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

A teacher stood before his class with a large open-mouthed jar. Next, he put seven or eight rocks into the jar until they reached the top of the jar. “Is the jar full?” he asked. Everyone nods. Then he took pebbles and filled up the jar with the small rocks until they reached the rim. “Is the jar full?” By now, they didn’t answer. So, he poured sand in till it reached the brim of the jar. “Is the jar full?” Some nodded. He proceeded to take a pitcher of water and filled up the jar. What is the lesson in this example? There are many but one is: unless you put the big rocks in first, they never will fit in. What are the “big rocks” in your life? Your fishing or golf games, your next meal, your hobbies, your job, your family, your church or your relationship with the Lord? Many of the big rocks in our lives crowd out what is really important and prevent our lives from “overflowing”. No matter how much we try to stuff in, our lives lack the satisfaction that can only come when the “biggest rock” –the one put in first is our relationship with the Lord. Jesus talked a lot about thirst. He reminded the woman at the well that whoever drinks of well water will thirst again but whoever drinks of the water that I [Jesus] will give him shall never thirst, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. (John 4:14). Just a couple of chapters later Jesus stood in the temple and cried out “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink….From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38) Is your life “overflowing” from the Lord filling your life or are you constantly “thirsty”? Jesus is the only one who can quench your thirst. Examine the “rocks” in your “jar” and reprioritize if you want to “overflow”.

Desiring overflow,
Paul Marth

An Overflow of Love

2010-01-27T17:08:00.005-05:00

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8 NKJ)

February is fast approaching and has its share of holidays to offer. The first (and my favorite!) is Groundhogs day! This somewhat obscure celebration features a large yet amiable rodent known as, what else, a groundhog! Early in the morning of Feb. 2 before the sun arises people with nothing better to do stand around the home of the groundhog, which is nothing but a hole in the ground, and wait to see if he will emerge. Legend has it that if the groundhog appears and does not see his shadow he will wander off into the woods to greet an early spring. However, if he should arise and sneak a peak of his shadowy self then he will immediately return to his nice warm cozy burrow, spring will be delayed and winter will persist for another six weeks! I don't know if groundhogs are politically correct and up to speed on all the global warming propaganda or not but my bet for Groundhogs Day would be a tap on the snooze button and a quick return to sleep! Who would want to leave a perfectly cozy and warm burrow on a cold winter morning anyway?

Following Groundhogs Day are Lincoln's Birthday (Feb. 12), Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), President's Day (Feb. 15), Mardi Gras (Feb. 16), Ash Wednesday (Feb. 17), Washington's Birthday (Feb. 22) and Purim (Feb. 27). Bet you didn't know that February had so much to offer! I would also venture to say that out of all these holidays most of us only take notice of Valentine's Day! If you have a wife, husband, sweetheart, children, grandchildren or simply need an excuse to satisfy your chocolate addiction you probably either give or receive some type of candy on this day. If you don't, let me know and I will show you where Pastor Michael keeps his secret stash of chocolate!

Valentine's Day has come to be known and celebrated as the Day of Love! But what is real love? Is it pledging undying devotion to another? Is it a warm and fuzzy feeling that makes you light headed? Is it a 2 pound Hershey Chocolate Bar? I don't think so. Although, consuming that much chocolate could make you light headed!

If you want to know what love is, real love, true love then you must look at the author of love and that is God. God's love is an unfailing goodwill demonstrated towards us for our benefit. Let's look at that definition of God's love bit by bit. God's love never fails. It always comes through. It is always for our good. It is a matter of His will which means it is by choice, not by feeling. It results in action. That action is always intended for our benefit.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Talk about a great love! That is an overflowing love! That is the type of love that God shows us and calls us to show others! That is the type of love it is impossible to show others unless you are filled to overflowing with the love of God!

This Valentine's Month ask God who He would have you to love with an unfailing goodwill demonstrated towards them for their benefit! If you like, you can include chocolate!

Seeking to love like Him!
Larry

Does God Hate Haiti?

2010-01-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

With the recent disaster in Haiti come the inevitable questions of why. Christians wonder why God allows such things to happen, atheists often use such events as evidence against God, and then other public figures often add their own thoughts that simply confuse the whole problem even more. You may have heard the comments of Pat Robertson, host of The 700 Club, recently where he expressed his view that the earthquake was one of many judgements from God on the Haitian people for allegedly making a pact with the devil years ago to earn their freedom from France. Is this true? Is God judging the people of Haiti for sin or is the earthquake simply another sign that this world still suffers from the effects of the fall? Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, offers a very well-reasoned and thoughtful response. Please take a few moments and read his response HERE.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Overflowing Love in Family Life

2010-01-25T09:47:00.004-05:00

1 Peter 4:8-11
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Keeping passion, determination and being intentional toward loving one another in family life is critical to the health of each home. So often we allow our God created differences and our unmet expectations to get in the way of portraying that fervent love Peter is writing about in this passage. His words “above all” stand in the context of his exhortation to believers as to how to live out Christ in their lives…and he states “above all keep fervent in your love”. “Fervent” denotes stretching or straining and pictures a person running with taut muscles, exerting maximum effort. Ancient Greek literature used the word to describe a horse stretching out and running at full speed. Fervent in love embodies what is needed in believers homes today…that above all else we are to “keep being determined”, “keep being passionate”, “stay in stride with maximum effort” in loving. So often today’s love is too dependent and the quick and easy rather than determination.

It is that kind of love that has the ability to give and receive forgiveness of wrongs, and it is also that kind of love that seeks restoration and reconciliation that includes life change. Notice Peter also states in a loving home, hospitality and the act of grace and meeting needs is to be offered without complaining. Parents, this one is huge…we must make sure that we model this attribute for our children. If they observe our constant complaints in carrying out the ministry of hospitality in meeting needs in the household, there is good chance they will complain about the chores and responsibilities laid out before them. To be true to the principle of offering hospitality to others we must first learn to offer it to our family.

Finally, Peter addresses the need of each family to use the special gift that each has received to serve one another as good stewards of the grace God has extended to us. He points out that the giftedness of each person is to serve one another not self and that our serving is to be done as one who is serving not in our own giftedness or strength but by the strength which God Himself supplies. Many times our weariness comes from our attempting to serve and love those in our home and around us in our abilities, strength and with our love. It is only when we truly receive His strength; love and grace are we able to be fervent in our love and hospitable without complaint.

Prayer – Father, teach and remind me daily as you pursue me and I seek after you, of my need to die to self daily, to keep fervent in my love for you that your love may permeate my heart, soul and mind. Enable me that my love might be fervent for others, especially my family and that my service to my home will come from your strength.

Grateful,
Marty

Playing Catch-Up With God

2010-01-22T01:00:00.003-05:00

Last week, I was sick for a few days and out of the office. When I came back, I had some catching-up to do - phone calls, emails, notes, etc.

In Genesis 35, Jacob is invited by God to “get up” or “catch-up” with Him. God is simply re-instructing Jacob to do what he’s already been told to do. Genesis 35:1 tells us that God said, “Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there.” He is really saying, “Hello Jacob… You want to get out of the mess you’re in there in Shechem where I didn’t tell you to go? Then, pick up the mess you’ve made of your life and your family by your disobedience…..clean up your act…..tell your family they need to clean up their act……and come back to Bethel. Remember, I told you that’s where I’d be waiting. Jacob…..come on…..catch-up!” (Gen. 31:13).

This chapter of Genesis is so full of life lessons for us. Today, just think for a minute….do you need to catch up with God or His will for your life?

Is there something you know God told you to do but you didn’t do it? It’s not too late – you have this moment. Perhaps it’s to reach out to someone. Come on…….catch up!

Did life get so overwhelming you just stopped doing things God’s way and took control of your own life? Do you think you did a better job with your life than God did? Today could be the day you return to Him and to doing things His way. Come on…..catch up!

In Genesis 31:13, God said, “I am the God of Bethel”.

In Genesis 28:13-15, listen to the words God had spoken to Jacob when they first met at Bethel more than 20 years before. The Lord was standing there beside him saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land you are now sleeping on…..Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land and will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

God was just waiting for Jacob to catch up with Him so He could bless him, fulfill His promises. He does the same thing for us when we lag behind. He waits for us to catch-up with Him and His plans for us. Yes, we lose some things in the process. We all have Uncle Laban’s who abuse our goodness. We all are deceived by people in life. None of us are excused from situations that challenge our faith. But God has an individual plan for each of us. He bids us to return to Him – to catch up!

It’s a new week
It’s a new month.
It’s a new opportunity.
It’s time to catch-up with God – You know where He is – now head on to meet Him! You know where your Bethel is – He’s waiting there for you!

Then reach out to someone else and share how God’s love has overflowed in your life!

Blessed,
Tricia

A Personal "Experiencing God" Story

2010-01-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

In the wonderful study Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Claude King, they describe seven “realities” involved in learning to experience God:
1) God is always at work around you.
2) God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3) God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
4) God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
5) God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6) You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7) You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

My journey to become involved with God’s work on a full time basis came in 1998 when I was sitting at a music conference in Spartanburg, SC. But let me go back a few years. During my junior year of college at Wake Forest, I was asked to direct the choral group for the Baptist Student Union. I had sung in choirs since I was a child and, although I had no formal musical training, (then or now) I figured I could put together a few songs with the group. We would go out on Sunday evenings and present a musical service at area churches. One service was at a small church in Clemmons, NC. Following that service the pastor asked if I would consider directing their church choir which consisted of around 7 persons, 6 who were over 70 years of age. Needing the $25 per week salary to keep my car running, I agreed. For the next 35+ years, I directed church choirs at a variety of churches on a bi-vocational basis as I began and established a law practice.

That brings me back to August, 1998. Jim Cymbala, the Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, was sharing a devotional at a music conference I was attending. I have no recollection about what he said but during that devotion the Lord spoke to me like never before or never since. It was as close to the audible voice of God as I have ever been. The voice said “I want more of your time. I want you in full-time Christian service.” It was as clear a direction as I have ever had in my life. What was I to do? (See no. 5 and 6 above). We had a mortgage that I could pay comfortably on my lawyer salary but it would be a problem on a church salary. Could I sell the house quickly and find something more in line with a church salary? Would I need to change churches since Pleasant Garden had never had a full time minister doing music? What would my law clients and partners think? I had learned two things in my life prior to this event in 1998. The first one is that you can only be truly happy when you are doing the Lord’s will. Secondly, if you take a step of faith and action, the Lord will provide for your needs.

I came back from the conference and spoke to Pastor Mike about “my calling”. I also shared with my law partners. Mike talked with the appropriate committees and agreed that I should transition over a two year period adding more hours of work at the church each year. He also suggested that I add senior adult ministries to justify a full time employment status. That was another step of faith especially on the part of the church since I had no experience or training in that area other than the years I had directed the senior adult choir here. Just before leaving the full time practice of law, I settled a law suit for the largest amount in my 25 years of practicing law and was able to pay off my mortgage. I entered the ministry full time debt free on July 1, 2000. Isn’t God good! People ask me why I left the full time law practice. Was I unhappy? Absolutely not. I enjoyed practicing law and still enjoy going to the law office one day a week on my day off from the church. I did it because I had no other option if I wanted to be truly happy. The Lord has truly blessed me and my family as a result of following the Lord’s will. God does not call each of us to full time ministry but He does call each of us to be in His will for our lives. Have you sought what He wants you to do? Have you rejected His call on your life to move in a certain direction? You will never experience a life that is overflowing unless you are in the Lord’s will. Is it always easy to take those steps? No but you will never regret it when you recognize that your life is not your own and turn it over to your Creator to be used as He directs.

Paul Marth

An Overflow of Praise

2010-01-20T01:00:00.001-05:00

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-- the fruit of lips that confess his name.” (Heb 13:15 NIV)

It seems as though there is a never ceasing flow of conversation and words that we are bombarded with each and every day. Opinions abound and they are shared almost without reservation! Talk shows and talk radio are accessible 24/7 on just about any subject fit and unfit for human consumption. With all the chatter going on it seems that the voices behind the words fall into one of three categories: Talkers, Squawkers, and Exalters!

Talkers are excitable and outgoing individuals that never seem to be at a loss for words. They make great conversationalists; if you like one sided conversations! You can merely nod your head and grunt “um-hum” every now and then and suddenly after half an hour you have covered the issues of the day! They are able to expound on any subject with conviction and insight. They may be wrong, but they are never in doubt! Words flow with ease and regularity!

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good conversation as much as the next person. I even appreciate those who can carry a conversation into interesting and enjoyable areas. But talk just for the sake of talk can be dangerous! Solomon warns us in Proverbs 10:19, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” There is a time to speak and a time not too! I try and follow the old saying, “Let them think you are stupid rather than opening your mouth and removing all doubt!” Our conversation is important but it must he purposeful and honoring to God.

Squawkers are critical individuals who always seem to have something negative to say. Regardless of the circumstances their comments tend to take a downward turn and a complaining tone. Contentment is illusive and satisfaction seems to be unattainable. After a short conversation with a Squawker you either feel extremely depressed or extremely thankful that you are not them!

All of us face difficulties and find ourselves dealing with negative circumstances. We need friends with whom we can share our struggles and feelings. But in doing so do we fall into the trap of being negative and complaining or trust God with a heart of gratitude? King David, who was greatly persecuted, responded to negative circumstances by praying, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps 19:14 NIV) No room for squawking when we are seeking to please God!

Exalters are focused on God and not on themselves. They always have a word of praise for who God is and a word of thanks for what God has done. Their conversation springs forth from a heart condition. Jesus taught us that, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt 12:34 NIV) When I find myself guilty of Talking and Squawking I have to check my heart and see what is “overflowing” from it.

King David reminds us of where our heart, thoughts and conversation should be centered. He writes in Psalm 40:4-5, “How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which you have done, and your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with you. If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.” As the old hymn says,

“Count your blessings, name them one by one:
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done!”

Good advice that will lead to an Overflow of Praise! Praising with you!

Larry

An Overflow of Contradictions

2010-01-19T10:12:00.006-05:00

Last week I talked about the nature of truth. If you recall, I said that truth, by its very nature, is absolute. Truth is telling it like it is, and if something is true then it's true for all people, in all places, at all times. God has created us as reasonable beings with the ability to think and recognize truth and error. Unfortunately, far too many of us, Christians included, don't know how to think rightly. Our culture has an overflow of contradictions. The comments about the Baptist Press article I mentioned last week were chocked full of them. In fact, some Christians believe our faith is built on contradictions, and that's just how God operates. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You see, a contradiction, by its very nature, MUST be false. Let's quickly have a mini crash-course in logic. Logic is the study of how to think rightly, and it is built on three self-evident laws of thought. One of these laws is called the Law of Noncontradiction. It says that A cannot be non-A at the same time and in the same sense. What does that mean? It means, for example, I cannot be a married bachelor. Do you see the contradiction? A person cannot be both married and a bachelor. This is called a self-defeating statement. It fails to meet its own criteria. It's like if I said, "I can't type a word of English." Well, I just did didn't I? That's a contradiction. If you can grasp this one simple concept of right thinking, you will be well on your way to recognizing so many errors in the mindset of the culture we live in. The trick to recognizing these types of statements is to apply the claim to itself. And remember, if there's a contradiction then the claim MUST be false. There's simply no way around it. Let's look at some examples.

John 3:16 used to be the most quoted Bible verse. Now, it is probably Matt. 7:1. I'm sure you've heard it. You may make a claim to absolute truth and then you're met with the reply, "Who are you to judge. You shouldn't be so judgmental." Without getting into the proper understanding of Matt. 7:1, it's obvious that Jesus was not making a blanket statement about making judgments. How do we know? Apply the claim to itself. Simply ask the objector, "So why are you judging me for judging?" Do you see the contradiction? Another popular one today is, "No one can really know the truth." What would you say to that? How about, "Well how do you know THAT'S true?" Some will say, "Truth is relative, there is no absolute truth." Apply the claim to itself. Ask, "Are you ABSOLUTELY sure about that?" I hope you're getting the picture here.

I also hope you see that if Christianity is indeed built on contradictions then Christianity must necessarily be false. Thankfully Christianity is NOT built on contradictions. There are times when it seems a contradiction may arise in the Bible or within some essential Christian doctrine. But the fact is, the contradiction is in our understanding not in the verse or doctrine itself. For example, many people think the Trinity involves a contradiction. They simply write it off as "God's ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts." Contradictions are not actual possibilities. It would be like having a square circle. That's just not possible. But God can do the impossible can't He? Yes, God can do what is logically possible. Logic flows from God's very nature, and God cannot violate His own nature. God could not be illogical anymore than He could be unloving. It's who He is. So the seeming contradiction in the Trinity is a result of a misunderstanding of the Trinity. The Trinity is one God in three Persons. One God in three gods or one person in three persons would be contradictions, and hence, would be necessarily false.

I realize this is not a typical "devotional" post, but I do hope you see the importance of right thinking. In a culture overflowing with wrong thinking, we MUST, as stewards of truth, be equipped to think rightly and to properly engage the ideas surrounding us. Believing that our faith is built on contradictions simply fuels the cause of the unbeliever and does nothing to promote the kingdom of God. I pray we will overflow with right thinking and with love to a lost and confused world.

For His glory,

Adam Tucker

Overflowing Love in Family Life

2010-01-18T13:36:00.002-05:00

There are often many things overflowing in our family life and too often it isn’t love that is overflowing…it is frustration, irritability, impatience and self. These arise from many different facets of life: hurt, disappointment and expectations play a role, but many times it is because we try to squeeze too much in an already busy life and we end up neglecting the most important things in life.

If not attentive, we neglect our personal relationship with God, we seek not His counsel nor His strength and wisdom and we begin to face the world and our family with our strength and wisdom. We are then weary and lack the energy and time it takes to develop that quality and connecting relationship with our spouse and children. Therefore, we aren’t well equipped to deal with the frustrations that come our way and lack the ability to communicate in a positive manner that encourages our family rather than deflate them.

Michael’s challenge to us yesterday from 1 John 4:7-12 must first begin at home. Learning to celebrate together in family life brings about an oneness of worship. To care for one another in carrying one another’s burdens and exhorting another will build a solid foundation of trust and honor. We have the opportunity to listen for God’s direction and look for God moments to minister and meet needs in the family unit. Families who have learned to minister within the home are quick to notice the needs of those outside the home.

In order for all of that to happen , it will demand us prioritizing our life to the important and not the urgent…there will always be things that scream for your attention and you will find yourself empty before the day is done if there is not a filling of God’s presence and His love continually in your life.

Last week I heard a definition of love that stuck with me: “Love is giving another what they need the most, when they deserve it the least at great personal cost.” That is exactly what Jn 3:16 states….God giving salvation to you and me (what we need the most) and Romans 5:6-8 stating “while we were yet sinners” (when we deserve it the least), Christ died for us (at great personal cost).

As Paul stated, we also pray: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” – 1 Thess. 3:12 . Take time this week to allow God to pour His love into your life that you might be able to give your family what they need most, when they deserve it the least, realizing it will cost you something.

Grateful,
Marty

Overflow, Overcome, Overshadow

2010-01-16T00:01:00.004-05:00

Ps. 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God…”

Song of Songs 2:3 “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down…”

To experience an “overflow” you must be ‘overcome.’ To be overcome you must be ‘overshadowed.’ What do I mean by this? Well answer this question, when was the last time you were so enthralled with the greatness and majesty of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that you were late for work? Not because you were worshiping to long at Bedside Baptist with pastor Sheets, but because you were paralyzed by the splendor of God.

I have often wondered what it must have been like for John, “The disciple whom Jesus loved,” when he was reclining at the table with Jesus and the other disciples. There he rested with his head against Jesus’ chest. I wonder what he heard, what he smelled, what he was feeling? To know that you are resting against the Son of God, that the beating you hear in your ears, is His heart pumping the blood that would soon be your salvation and forgiveness. He was simply still, knowing that this was God! Just thinking about this, I am overcome with a sense of awe. He is God and I am not, He holds my life in the palm of His hand and I am secure for eternity, and it is on His chest that I am resting! I wonder if John ever thought about that moment when he was receiving the Revelation on the island of Patmos. I wonder if he ever thought, “Hard times are coming but I have rested on the chest of God!” He was overcome!

I have also wondered what it must have been like for Mary, to be working around the house only to find that an angel stands in front of her with the message that she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Can you imagine the insurmountable questions that must have raced through her head? Yet only one question made it out of her mouth, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” She spoke of the physical impossibility of this divine message only to hear the response, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” What fearful, excitement there must be to know that the power of God is going to overshadow you! Mary’s questions ceased and she simply said, “May it be done to me according to your word.” That was all she needed to know, that she was going to be overshadowed by God’s power. What else is needed? She was overshadowed!

So once again I ask the question, when was the last time you simply rested in the Overcoming presence of the Almighty, to the point you Overflowed with worship for His Overshadowing greatness? When was the last time you took great delight in His shadow, and sat down?

Smile Always,
jason

GARNERING WISDOM

2010-01-15T10:44:00.001-05:00

None of us has what it takes when we begin! And what is it we must garner along the way? Wisdom. We don’t have what it takes to connect all the dots that would enable us to apprehend all the promises God has given to us, potent promises that we can walk into and see fulfilled in our lives. We may have dreams and visions, but we don’t’ have the wisdom necessary to navigate the highs and lows we will most certainly encounter.

A choice of instructors
Life has given us two very effective teachers. Both are top flight instructors, but neither comes cheap. While both are effective, both require something of us. We have to choose one or the other, and if we choose neither, the second will be chosen for us.
The teachers are Wisdom and Consequences.

We can learn a great deal from either teacher. I should warn you, however, of the huge difference in their instructional styles. While Wisdom will amaze and delight us with her lessons, Consequences is by far the tougher teacher of the two.

For one thing, Consequences’ enrollment cost and ongoing tuition are sky-high. Oh, she’ll teach us well, all right – but by the time we learn her lessons, her instruction may have cost us years. It may have cost us our marriage, our family, our job, perhaps even our life. Consequences has a huge back-end cost.

Suppose you run full blast into a wall, and bang, you break your nose. What did you learn? Wall hard, nose soft; wall win, nose lose. Good! You are wiser now. What’s the lesson? Don’t run into walls that don’t move right along with you. Congratulations. You’ve garnered a pearl of wisdom from a personal experience that included some suffering and pain.

So now you’ve got your pearl. It’s pleasing. It’s valuable. But that’s just one pearl…one nugget, one bit of treasure. Becoming the husband or wife or teacher or leader you want to be – the person you were created to be – will require a whole bag full of these gems.

How else will you know how to navigate life’s twists and turns? To get where you want to go, you’ll need far more wisdom than what you’ve gained from your unfortunate experience with the wall.

Oh, you’ll learn, on the path of Consequences. You’ll even learn a few things about God, as the psalmist did: ‘Before I was afflicted, I went astray, But now I keep Your word…It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statues.’

In the school of wisdom
Wisdom has a front-end price. It requires discipline, obedience, consistency, and above all else, time. Then it gladly pours on you its promised tremendous riches. Do you want to know the biggest difference between Consequences and Wisdom? Wisdom teaches you the lesson before you make the mistake. On the other hand, consequences demand that you make the mistake first. Only then will it teach you the lesson.

Solomon put it like this: “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” That, in the proverbial nutshell, is the difference between Wisdom and Consequences.

Two pains
Just as there are two teachers in life, so are their two pains. Both can cause suffering, but one moves you forward while the other sets you back. The two pains have names. They are Discipline and Regret.

The kind of wisdom the Bible offers us takes discipline to extract; again, discipline can cause some pain. Spending time in the Bible is not always convenient or comfortable, nor does it always yield immediate or obvious benefits. Some days it may feel like a drag. Other days it may seem like the last thing you want to do.

What’s the alternative? I would simply remind you: The pain of discipline costs far less than the pain of regret.

If the pain of discipline can gain for us the wisdom of others – men and women who had to suffer through a great deal of regret – then isn’t the pain of discipline worth it? In 1 Corinthians, Paul recalls the experience of some ancient Hebrews from Moses’ day: “[Don’t] grumble as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”
It is as if Paul is saying to his friends, “Look, you appear to be in danger of heading down the same road that destroyed your ancestors. Don’t you remember, traveling that way brings regret and death? You have a choice here: Either learn from their pain and get back on the right road, or follow their example and end up as they did.”

James says it even more plainly. He tells us that we can get wisdom from two primary sources – and that we don’t want it from the first! He speaks initially of a wisdom that comes from below: street wisdom. This wisdom from beneath is “earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” That kind of wisdom will get you nowhere in the long run; it will only bring you oceans of regret.

Instead choose the alternative: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits.”

If you and I don’t put together a package of godly wisdom to chart a course through our current season of life, we will go through the season and come out the other end to find nothing but a brown, barren landscape. It won’t be a fruitful season. I may even feel like a waste.

Praying for the Overflow,

Michael

Over-flowing Onto Others

2010-01-15T05:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! Do you ever get tired of serving God? Be honest! Do you ever think to yourself, “I’m exhausted and just need a break - - God can handle things on his own today.” Do you ever get tired of waiting on God to DO something? Tired of waiting on the “reward”?

Take a look at Joshua 14:6-12 (NLT):

“A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, “Remember what the LORD said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the LORD, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God. So that day Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.’
“Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said.”
Caleb understood just how long it can take for God to accomplish His purpose. He was forty years old when he first went into the Promised Land as a spy along with Joshua and the other ten. Because of his faithfulness to God - - because he had refused to back down - - because he had followed the Lord wholeheartedly - - he had been promised a personal inheritance when the Promised Land was conquered! Now, forty-five years later, he was given his reward.

Caleb was still following the Lord wholeheartedly when he received his reward. He had gone through the wilderness with the rest of them. He had eaten manna day in and day out for forty years. And Caleb was one of the only two adults who were alive at the beginning of the wilderness journey to still be alive when Israel entered the Promised Land. Caleb followed the Lord wholeheartedly, all the days of his life. And, at the age of 85, he was still doing the same thing. He was so strong in the Lord that he had no fear of the giants that inhabited the land God was giving him. He knew God would defeat the giants for him! He was filled with wholehearted faith that had not wavered or slipped away since his youth.

How about you and me? Remember when you first understood that God loved you and had a plan for your life? Remember when you first asked Jesus to be your Savior? Remember your joy and your enthusiasm, your commitment to doing things His way? Remember how wholeheartedly in love with Him you were? How about today? Is your commitment weaker, or is it just as strong or stronger? Is your service to Him more or less active? Is there an over-flow of Jesus from your life onto others? Can people around you see it? Can strangers who meet you sense it? How much are you doing at PGBC or in another church to make a difference? What are you giving to your community to impact the future? Do you wake up each day and understand the opportunity God has given us to serve Him and bring glory to the name of Jesus? How wholehearted are you now?

Just like Caleb, our commitment should grow stronger, more constant, more intense as each day passes rather than slowly slipping away with the passing of time. Just like Caleb, God wants us to spend our entire lives wholeheartedly serving Him. “Over-flowing” onto others!

SEEKING OVERFLOW THROUGH WORSHIP

2010-01-14T01:00:00.000-05:00

Psalm 14:2 “The Lord looks down from heaven to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”

John 4:23 An hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him.”

There are many different forms and styles of worship services. For many years there have been “worship wars” in churches which have related to styles of music used in services. The confusion and division that has resulted from these “wars” is clearly not from the Lord. God’s word reminds us the Lord is never the author of confusion. Maybe part of the problem is our lack of understanding as to what constitutes “worship”. Worship is simply the overflow of celebration, thanksgiving and praise in response to God’s work in our lives. How you choose to “express” this overflow may differ and that is OK but as you increase your understanding of what God has done, is doing and will do in your life, your natural response is to worship the one who is worthy of adoration and praise. Worship is not something we do for a 10 minute music segment on Sunday. Rather God desires that we develop a lifestyle of worship where God will impact our lives and inhabit our praise. Styles change and opinions vary but our God looks at the heart for those who are truly seeking Him. As one writer has put it:
Don’t follow fads-follow God.
Don’t seek trends-seek God.
Don’t covet the opinion of others-covet God’s blessing.
Don’t pray for people’s approval-pray for God’s anointing.

Paul Marth

Only One Thing is Necessary!

2010-01-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

(Luke 10:38-42)
What if your grocery shopping list was only one item because that's all you needed? What if your recent Christmas gift list; either the "I need to get" or "I hope to get" list, consisted of only one thing? How much easier (and cheaper!) would that whole process have been?! How long is your "TO DO" list? A friend of mine follows this rule each day: make your "TO DO" list only two items long. If you get them both done you can feel great and say, "I completed all the things on my list!" If you only get one item finished you can still feel good and say, "I finished half the items on my list!" If you don't get anything done you can always say, "It was only two items anyway! What's the big deal?" He almost has it right. If he whittled his list down to only one thing then he would be on target.

"Are you nuts?" might be your response! "Do you know how much I have to do each day? Are you aware of how many people I had to buy Christmas presents for (and how many presents I had to get!)? Do you think I can feed my household on just one thing? We can't even agree on whole milk, 2%, or that watery stuff they label as non-fat!"

I understand your reaction. Each day brings a flood of activity that seeks to overwhelm us. In fact, the pace of life and the associated responsibilities seem to be growing at an exponential rate. We can hardly get one thing done before two more take its place! In the midst of this pace of life, what am I supposed to do with Jesus' statement, "only one thing is necessary."?

As we focus on Overflow I can promise you this; you and I will get one. The question is which one? We will either get an Overflow that makes us "worried and bothered about so many things" or we will Overflow from recognizing "only one thing is necessary." That one thing is a consistent and intimate connection with Jesus. When we make that connection then we are supplied by the Source to Overflow into all the other areas of life. Why not complete your "TO DO" list right now? Remember, "only one thing is necessary!"

Overflowing,
Larry

Who Are You to Say?

2010-01-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

As we seek to allow God's love to overflow from us to others, what better way to do that than for us to know the truth and to share that truth with others? I'll be the first to admit that I don't do that as well or as often as I should. But I hope you'll join me as we discuss issues of faith and truth each Tuesday from an apologetics standpoint. For those who don't know, "apologetics" comes from the Greek word apologia, and simply means to give a defense. In other words, we use apologetics so that we can know what we believe and why we believe it, and that by doing so, we can be better equipped to share that with others.

Our culture tells us that it doesn’t matter what we believe as long as we are sincere. Many people believe that all roads lead to God and your faith is subjective. They believe absolute truth does not exist. This was illustrated recently on USA Today's religion section of their website. Last Thursday, the Baptist Press wrote an article about a four page insert the Nashville branch of the Church of Scientology had published in the Tennessean, Nashville's largest newspaper, offering a "free personality test." The Baptist Press article warned about the deceptive practices of Scientology and dangers and non-Christian doctrines they teach. Cathy Lynn Grossmans' Faith and Reason blog on the USA Today website had a response. Her post began, "This must be in-your-face month on the faith front. First, Brit Hume takes on Tiger Woods' soul. Now, folks at the top of the Southern Baptist Convention are riled up over a direct frontal recruitment campaign from Scientology in the SBC's hometown." She proceeded to recount the article in question as well as include a brief response from a Scientology spokesperson. Her question to promote discussion was, "How is Scientology's conversion campaign different than fairs and festivals that Christians hold to spread word of their vision of faith? Or Brit Hume telling Tiger Woods that Christianity is his best choice?" In case you're unfamiliar with Brit Hume, he is the Fox News anchor who recently expressed his opinion that Tiger should turn from Buddhism to Christianity in order to find forgiveness and restoration.

After some 309 comments to Grossman's blog post, the overall view of truth in our culture is apparent. Many comments harped on the rights of all religions to promote their beliefs. I couldn't agree more. The right to believe what one wishes is a fundamental human right. Not to mention, the Baptist Press article in question made no comments whatsoever about denying the Church of Scientology their rights. Many comments also spoke negatively of the Southern Baptist Convention for being "hate mongers," and some posters simply questioned who are we to say who is right and who is wrong. It was obvious that the overall mindset of posters was one that claimed something is true for you if you have faith and sincerely believe in it. In other words, all beliefs should be equally valid, and therefore true.

To answer Grossman's question we must first decide what truth actually is. Grossman's question is really not one of rights, but one of truth. Truth is simply telling it like it is. In other words, truth corresponds to its object. If I say snow is cold, then that is true. If I say ice is warm, then that is false. It’s pretty simple stuff. But truth, by its very nature is absolute, that is, it’s true for all people in all places at all times. If I say I’m cold right now, the fact that I’m cold right now is true for all people in all places at all times. Carry that logic to the realm of religion and God however, and suddenly truth is no longer true in the eyes of many. Let me explain what I mean.

The Bible says that Jesus is the Savior of the world who died on the cross and was raised from the dead to pay the penalty of our sin debt (I would agree). Others, however, believe some other faith or “god” is the correct way to live and believe. These two different beliefs cannot both be true no matter how sincere the belief. Christianity says Jesus is THE truth, while other religions say He is not. They may both be wrong, but they cannot both be right. The problem is that IF Christianity is true, and Jesus IS the only way to God, we need to know that we’re on His side. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” There is an abundance of evidence that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Jesus is indeed THE way. We’ll explore some of that evidence in this blog in the coming weeks.

So what's the difference between the Christian promoting their beliefs and the Scientologist promoting his? As a matter of religious freedom, none. As a matter of truth, everything. If Christianity is true, then the Scientology ad, or any other belief system's ad, would be equivalent of someone who believes asbestos is healthy running an ad encouraging people to inhale asbestos. What would be the most loving thing for those who know asbestos is deadly to do? WARN THOSE WHO MAY BE DECEIVED BY THE AD! That's exactly what happened in this case, and that's exactly what you and I should be doing.

For His glory,
Adam Tucker

Overflowing Love in Family Life

2010-01-11T08:23:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 58
Today begins our daily journey together discussing our theme and God's Word as it relates to the Overflowing Love of God in and through our lives. Each Monday we will be looking at how the Indescribable Love of God is to manifested in our families.

Yesterday, Pastor Michael brought a challenging message from Isaiah 58 with the major point being that God accepts worship not when it is "outwardly" correct but when it is "inwardly" pure. I love the last 2 verses in that chapter, And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters to not fail. Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell."

God says to His family and to each of our families: I will guide you and in the midst of difficult places...I will satisfy you, if only we sought the Lord for our satisfaction instead of people and things around us. "I will be strength to your bones", it is the Lord that provides purpose, power, peace and protection and it is in Him we must place our trust. Verse 12 makes it clear that when our Worship is inwardly pure that rebuilding and restoration can take place. Many homes and marriages are in desperate need of rebuilding and restoration...this verse speaks to the fact indeed that it can happen: that foundations can be raised, that breaches can be repaired, that which was ruined can be rebuilt and the dwelling place can be restored...to God be praised.

However...we find that God gets involved and begins this process, not because we outwardly go through the proper motions, but that our heart is pure and that according to verse 9 that "we remove the yoke (of sin) from our midst, that we stop pointing the finger (blaming others), and we stop speaking evil toward others".
And when that happens, the Light comes forth and returns to our homes, brightly enough for others to see.

We are excited about what God is going to do in our midst in the days ahead...may we prepare taking to heart Isaiah 58 and bringing to God pure Worship....7 days a week in our homes. May you have a blessed day and may each of us be seekers of God's Face, His Heart, His Purpose and His presence.

Blessed,
Marty