Testings

Do you remember getting surprise tests in high school? We referred to them as "pop" quizzes. That was probably because our GPA "popped" after taking them. We usually hadn't studied, and the results often made that fact rather obvious.

The point the teachers were trying to make with these pop quizzes was that we should ALWAYS be studying, and always be prepared.

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." - 1 Peter 3:15

Hmm. I should have listened to Peter.

We had another youth night at church a week ago this past Friday. I decided to give the kids a pop quiz. Ha! Payback time! The student has become the teacher!

Well, that failed.

After providing everyone with paper and pencil, I asked the "students" a question and worded it this way:

"Write down who Jesus is to you."

Two kids literally wrote "Who Jesus is to you." Funny. But that wasn't the answer I was looking for. The wording of my question failed. I am still a "student." Perhaps God was giving ME a pop quiz, to show me that I was the one who was not prepared.

I am reading a book right now called Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman. I've read it before but this is an updated version, better reflecting today's questions and social media. It is part of my effort to "always be prepared," as Peter suggested.

James 1:3 says, "the testing of your faith produces endurance." How much testing can we endure? That's the real question. Job has an answer for that.

"Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him." - Job 13:15.

So, how can we possibly pass God's tests? Reading the Bible and doing what it says might be a good start.

What are you going through in your life right now? Uncertainty at work? A friend battling cancer? Another friend recovering from addiction? Maybe it's loneliness.

As we watch the news it's easy to see that "the world" does not know God. If they did, there would be no wars, no killing, no hunger. Only love. WE have failed the test.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:34-35

Jesus mentions 'love' FOUR TIMES in two verses. And STILL we don't get it. It's a simple test. Yet, we humans fail to pass it. And it is "the first and greatest commandment" according to Jesus in Matthew 22:37

Let us endeavor to not only PASS this test today, but get an A+.

Course Correction

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” - John 3:8

Each of us is on our own faith journey. It can be likened to getting on board a sailing ship and setting out in hopes of reaching some distant port, somewhere beyond the horizon.

Occasionally along the way our course might need to be adjusted. Just a small adjustment perhaps, but if it is not taken we can find ourselves miles from our intended destination.

As an example, Apollo 11 made five course corrections on its way to the moon. Without those course corrections the spaceship would have missed its destination entirely. They were small corrections, but absolutely necessary.

It is the same with our walk with Jesus. It's called sanctification. We are continually learning and growing - course corrections in the journey of every Christian.

What happens if the winds aren't blowing and the sails on our "faith ship" go limp. Do we just sit there and wait on the Lord. Or do we get out the oars and keep moving?

That all depends. One could easily liken the wind to the Holy Spirit. Without it our faith journey is hopeless. But also a lack of wind in our "faith sails" could be attributed to God testing us and our resolve.

Either way we need to remember that God has His hands on the wheel, not us. And it is His ship, not ours. We are the passengers.

May God continually guide you on the journey you are on. Pray for favorable winds. And may you have safe travels on your way to Paradise.

"We put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. ²We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. ³After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray." - Acts 21:1-5

Read, learn, grow, worship, serve, love, pray. Soon, we will be there. It will be more beautiful than we can imagine. In the meantime, help hoist the sails and swab the deck. During our time at sea we will experience much. Just remember whose hands are on the wheel.

Wash It All Away

Back in June I wrote a story called Five Finger Death Punch. I had seen of video of one of the band's songs and thought it was pretty good. I also saw another song of theirs recently called Wash It All Away. Perhaps you can tell why it caught my attention by one of the lines in the chorus. It sounds like a prayer.

 

"I'm waiting here for anyone to wash it all away."

So am I, buddy. So am I. But I'm not waiting for just anyone. I'm waiting for Jesus.

"Our sins are washed away and we are made clean because Christ gave His own body as a gift to God. He did this once for all time." - Hebrews 10:10

It's been pretty hot here lately. When I go outside to work in the yard I get all sweaty and dirty. Then, when I come inside, I take off my sweaty, dirty clothes and take a nice cool shower. It feels wonderful to be washed clean.

Our spiritual 'clothes' get dirty everyday. And oh, to know that they are washed in the blood of the Lamb is a wonderful feeling.

The picture above is from the movie John Wick. Across John's shoulders is a tatoo that reads "Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat." That's Latin for "Fortune Favors The Bold."

I don't know about the 'fortune' part, but I  do know this...

"In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul." - Psalm 138:3

Thank you Lord for washing us clean. May we stand boldly in this world, for You and for Your glory. Amen.

I Will Refine Them

"You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the Lord. 7Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “See, I will refine and test them, for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?" - Jeremiah 9:6-7

Have you ever felt like you were being tested by God? He does that you know. God tests us and refines us. Why? To strengthen us and to make us pure.

I have heard it said that 'justification' (through faith in Christ) is immediate, sanctification takes a lifetime. Sanctification = refinement.

As we read God's Word, we learn new things or are reminded of them. This is refining. God teaches us lessons too as we live our lives. Some of them come with price tags on them. Some can be very costly if we are unwilling to be refined.

Look at the world we are living in today. Do you think we need to be refined? Or do you think it's too late for refinement to take place and God is ready to take His children out of this place and create "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1)

Chapters two and three of The Revelation of Jesus Christ are letters of refinement to God's churches. Like a good Father, God praised His churches for a few things but then corrected them regaring other things. Consider the church in Ephesus:

“To the church in Ephesus . . . I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." - Revelation 2 1-5

Many of the churches of today have forgotten their first love. The same can be said for many of us as well. Jesus gave us three things to do, given our fallen nature these days.

1. Consider how far we have fallen
2. Repent
3. Do the things we did at first.

As we read the Bible, what things stand out in our hearts that need refining? Is there a particular verse that hits us extra hard? We need to repent and fix our error. Let God refine us. The refinery won't be open that much longer.

The Journey Home

Each of us is on our own spiritual journey in this life. Some of us take short walks around the block while others travel long distances, searching for the truth.

We all assume that we are on the right path in our walk. But what happens when the trail fades or we find ourselves standing on the edge of a cliff? Should we turn back? Or should we take a giant leap of faith?

Occasionally we encounter people on our journey who act as guides for us. They might say something of offer up some piece of advice that finds its way into our hearts. They act as guides for our walk. Have you met someone like that in YOUR life?

We ourselves might be influencing someone else's journey. Something we say or do might cause someone to stop and take notice, or even alter the path they choose to walk on.

I have a guide book that I use for my spiritual journey. It is filled with all kinds of tips and warnings of things to watch out for along the way. Guidebooks can be handy if we know that we can trust the author.

The authority of our guidebooks and and trail guides is of critical importance. Are they trustworthy? Are they true? Our life depends on the advice they give.

I have chosen to trust in God, Jesus (His Son), and the Holy Spirit. The Bible is my guide book. None of these has failed me. Not once.

Others might choose to walk a particular path in life and follow a particular belief system. That is their choice. But as for me and my house . . .

I Have Decided To Follow Jesus - Elevation Worship

"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose." - Philippians 2:12-13

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

The First and The Last

It doesn't matter what sport you watch or what competition you see taking place in the Olympics - someone will finish first and someone will finish last. That's just the way it goes. All races and competitions have winners and losers - the first and the last.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus tells John, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." - Revelation 22:13

Jesus is not talking about any race or competition here. He is saying that He was around at the beginning of creation and he will be there for the end of it. He truly is "The Beginning and The End."

In the Book of John, the very first verse, John writes, "In the beginning was The Word. and The Word was with God and The Word was God."

That pretty much confirms that God / Jesus (The Word) was first. Revelation confirms that He will also be the last.

Have you ever read Psalm 19? Have you ever read the first and the last verses together, as a prayer?

"The heavens declare Your glory, O God; the skies proclaim the work of Your hands. 14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." - Psalm 19:1 and 14

Are our words always pleasing to God? Are the desires of our hearts always righteous in God's sight? Is God OUR first and last? These are things we must strive to do - to honor God with every word we speak and with every action we take. From the beginning to the end of every day, from the first to the last, let us honor Him, always.

Happy New You!

Yes, that's right. It's a new year. Nothing gets past this old man! It's 2019 now. For those of us who still write checks, it's our worst nightmare. Just when we had gotten used to writing 2018, now we have to change all that.

There are lots of people who make New Year's resolutions. I usually don't do that but this year I'm going to. How about you? Is there something about you that you'd like to change?

I was talking to a friend of mine last night. She wanted to make herself better. She wanted to change the way she is into something that's she's not. That's the problem with most New Year's resolutions. They require us to do work. They require us to change. That ain't always so easy.

It says in the Bible that when we receive Jesus into our hearts WE become changed. In an instant! But then, after that, we continue to change over time. For the rest of our lives. That's called sanctification.

Sanctification occurs as we learn more about God - through sermons, Bible studies and reading God's Word. But we need to actually do those things in order for us to grow. We need to do the work. Are YOU doing those things?

A follower of Christ should be worshipping, reading, praying and serving. We also should be growing. If we're stagnant we aren't doing ourselves any favors. We aren't doing GOD any favors either.

God has given us everything we need to grow. His Word, His Holy Spirit and Jesus. He has also given us friends and family to encourage us along the way.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you" to His disciples? Was He talking about the poor, as in the ones with no money? Or was Jesus talking about the spiritually poor?

Jesus doesn't want us to be spiritually poor. He wants us to be spiritually rich. He wants us to grow.

Have you ever read The Parable of The Talents? You should. God expects us to do something with this life we have been given. Something for HIS glory.

That sounds like an amazing New Year's resolution. Let everything we do, be done for the Lord.

New Year's Resolution #1 - "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

God's Chisel - Skit Guys

I Died This Week

On my way home from work Thursday night I had an opportunity to relive the head-on, roll-over car accident I had in May. I was nearly home when a small red car drifted into my lane as it was coming towards me. Four or five FEET into my lane. I swerved onto the shoulder and avoided that accident. That was good. Then something interesting happened.

I didn't talk much at home that night - reflecting on what could have been. That near crash effected me more than I thought it would have. My wife was concerned. So was I. Then yesterday morning on my way to work I turned on the radio and was listening to a message by Chuck Swindoll. It was entitled, "What If You Were To Die Tonight?" Can you sense an underlying theme taking shape here?

Pastor Swindoll related the story that Jesus told his disciples about Lazarus and the rich man. You can read it here:

The Rich Man and Lazarus

I found it interesting that in verse 31 Jesus said, "they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead". And that is exactly what Jesus did . . . and He was right - many did not listen to Him.

What this near-accident event did was it got me thinking. Is God trying to tell me something? Or is Satan trying to stop me from doing something? I don't know the answers to those questions. I know that I am more appreciative of life after this recent reminder. I told my wife and friends at work that I love them. But I think there is more to it than that.

If this second "vehicular encounter" WAS a message of some sort, what am I supposed to be hearing? What am I to glean from this reminder? Well, this is what I got out of it.

1. Life is precious. Treat it that way. Don't spend your life pursuing unworthy things. Life is a gift!
2. Life is fleeting. Don't waste a minute of it. If you have something to do, get after it. Time is short.
3. Life is for living. Don't spend your time wasting the very thing God has given you. Live it for Him! Return to God the same thing He gave you. Life! Give yours to Him today.
4. Life is for loving. The world needs gallons and gallons of love and each of us is a drop in that bucket. Love someone today! "Not as the world loves but as Christ loved us." - Ephesians 5

Yesterday at work I hugged as many people as I dared too. I also told them that I loved them. They may have thought I was weird or looked at me strangely but they also knew that I loved them. And maybe that's it. Maybe that's the whole point of this story. To spread the love of Jesus Christ in ALL situations and in all places. We sure could use it with all of the tragic events happening lately.

Here's a question for you. When each of us dies one day, how will we be described at our funerals?

"He was a good man. He loved his wife and was a good father to his children." Will that be it? I hope not. Let us be known as people who loved the Lord . . . with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Let it be said of us that we loved our neighbor, looked after the widow and the orphan.

We can best live by dying. Sound confusing? It's not. My sinful nature died a little this week as I was reminded of life's fragile nature. May the part of us die that keeps us from closely following Jesus and let the part of us that loves others grow and flourish.

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives." - John 12:24

The Blessing - John Waller

The Men!!

Last weekend, when the men folk in my family were going out to play a round of disc golf, my grandson was invited to come along.

"Oh boy!!" my grandson shouted. "The men!!!"

He was excited to be included in with all of the tall boys in our family, perhaps thinking that by doing so that HE was an adult - at age 4 1/2. He was SO excited about coming along he kept repeating, "The men!!"

When we are children, we can't wait to grow up and become adults, largely because we can't wait to do what ever we want. Then, when we are finally old, it's just the opposite. We would gladly trade everything we have just to be young and energetic again.

Have you ever heard about a guy named Josiah? He was the king of Israel . . . when he was eight years old.

"22 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." - 2 Kings 22:1-2

Everybody grows old eventually. However, emotionally and spiritually, some people "never grow up" while others have to grow up before they are ready. It all depends on the circumstances.

God wants us to grow up to be mature Christians. He doesn't want us "drinking milk" our entire lives, but spiritual meat!

^"12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." - Hebrews 5:12-14

Did you go see The Shack movie? Why? Many say it's a wonderful Christian movie. It might be a good piece of fiction crafted into a warm and fuzzy movie but it confuses Christians and twists the truth of God's Word.

God wants us all to grow up and to be mature in our faith. We are to be eaters of spiritual meat, not candy disguised as Christianity.

I had a young adult ask me today how to recognize God's will in her life. The answer is easy. Read His Word and you will know it wen you see it.

Do you know how to recognize a counterfeit 20 dollar bill? Hold it up next to a REAL 20 and the false one stands out like a sore thumb.

We need to spend time reading the Bible. We need to memorize scripture so it will be in our minds when we need it. Follow the example of the Bereans in Acts 17. They were meat eaters, fully grown men and women, desiring to know the truth, desiring to be mature in their faith.

^"10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:10-11

May God's Holy Spirit grow us in our faith, strengthening us, teaching us, until we no longer need to drink spiritual milk. May we be able to discern truth from lies and fact from fiction. In so doing we will be standing tall in God's eyes. Lord, help us be "the men!" And be "the women!" Help us grow tall and strong in your faith so we may honor you with our wisdom of what is right and our knowledge of what is true. May we bring glory to your name, not confusion. Amen.

Chariots of Frisbee - Aaron Mills

The Commands of Jesus: Walk It

Many of the commands  Jesus gave us require us to think before we act. There's a reason for that. And the reason is . . . us. We humans always tend to "react" rather than respond like we should. Road rage is a perfect example of what I'm writing about today.

Have you ever slowed down when somebody was tailgating you? Just to annoy them? I have. How about when the freeway is narrowing down to one lane up ahead and "that one guy" tries to pass as many cars as he can before he gets to the encroaching orange barrels. Do you speed up so he can't get ahead of you? Guilty. I'd like to say I don't do that anymore since placing my faith in Christ, but I still do.

That speaks to our inherent human nature to sin. If we would only THINK before we react.

The verse that follows is known as The Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

^"12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 7:12

That's an amazing command and one, if we all followed it, would be living on an incredibly peaceful planet. Do we don't follow it so we fight, we war, we rage.

I'd like you to keep reading after verse 12 for a bit. We hear another command from Jesus. It is very similar to the first one we just read only it comes with help. And a warning.

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

Read both of those passages together (which is how they appear in the Bible).

I think Jesus is trying to tell us something here. That the nice things we "do unto others" are very difficult things to do. A very narrow road. Yet, we are commanded to walk it. We are commanded, but not many will be able to do it.

So how can we do it? How can we stay on the narrow road when our thoughts are on everything happening around us? The key I think is to not focus on the path, but rather, the destination. The path is just the means to get there. Block out everything else.

The next time someone cuts you off on the road, instead of getting mad, focus on your destination. We are all on a road to go some place. That's why we are on the road. Our purpose is to stay on the road and to arrive at our destination. Next time, take the road that has less cars on it and your journey will be much more enjoyable . . . and successful!

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, 
And sorry I could not travel both 
And be one traveler, long I stood 
And looked down one as far as I could 
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
 
Then took the other, as just as fair, 
And having perhaps the better claim, 
Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 
Though as for that the passing there 
Had worn them really about the same,
 
And both that morning equally lay 
In leaves no step had trodden black. 
Oh, I kept the first for another day! 
Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 
I doubted if I should ever come back.
 
I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence: 
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 
I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost, 1920

The Road Less Traveled - George Strait

The Void

I saw this picture over the weekend. Do you know what this is? I'll give you a couple of hints. First of all, it's huge! The hole is over 3/4 of a mile across.

Second, it's man made. The spiral walls are actually roads. It is 1,722 feet deep and is located in Russia. It's a diamond mine.

There are holes like this all around the world. Once created, and stripped of all the diamonds, they are abandoned. Just a giant hole, waiting to be filled.

I feel like that sometimes. Used up, striped of all of my "good stuff" and abandoned. Left for dead. Do you ever feel like that? I think we're all like that to some degree. So, how can we change that? What can fill us up? How can we get rid of the hole?

Some say that we have a giant God-sized hole in our hearts. YouTube has many sermons about our God-shaped hole. How do they know for sure? There's nothing that tells me that in the Bible. Is it true? I think not. If we had an actual hole in our hearts . . . we'd be dead!

Perhaps it's a figurative hole then - a void maybe . . . or an unfillable emptiness. Or, and this is what I believe, perhaps WE are the hole.

There is definitely something missing in us humans though. And we spend our entire lives trying to fill it. Some try filling the void with drugs. Others fill it with work. Some try alcohol. Others try gambling, over eating or porn. Try as we might, we still can't fill it.

I have a theory.

I do believe we all have something missing in our lives. His name is Jesus. We all try to ignore Him but He can be pretty persistent. And He IS God after all. But He gave us free will and therein lies the problem.

But for those of us who have chosen to believe . . . something wonderful begins to happen. The void begins to lessen. It actually begins to shrink. The void gets filled up with stuff. All kinds of stuff. And we are the ones who chose what it gets filled with.

There is an old mariner's saying that goes, "One bad apple spoils the whole barrel." What do we fill our barrels with? Choose reading the Bible over watch television. Choose worshiping over gossip. Choose listening to uplifting music over watching the news. Garbage in, garbage out. Keep the garbage out!

As we walk through this place let us be careful what we chose to fill ourselves with. We don't want to become an empty hole or a landfill, full of trash and waste. Let us seek to be rich soil where things can grow. Let is be pure, with no room for darkness. Let us fill our void . . . with love.

^"8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9

World's Biggest Diamond Mine
16 Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford

Active Design

I watched a video last month by a guy who was building a Tiny Home. He was talking about how the design of his Tiny was "active" - meaning, he was designing it as he was building it. I could easily see that happening with my Tiny Home, but my "active design" would be more like me fixing all of the mistakes I made along the way.

You and I are active designs too I think. God created us. He gave us certain abilities and talents. We learn, we grow . . . eventually becoming who we were created to be. Things don't always work out the way we had planned but, with God's blessing and patience, we end up right where He wants us.

As we go through life we encounter many events along the way. We experience problems and we experience moments of great joy. Each of those events changes us in some way. Life's events are God means of growing us. Who we are now is different than who we were 10 years ago. WE are an active creation.

I love seeing and hearing about how people have used their gifts to benefit others. Especially if they are using those gifts to bring God the ultimate glory. I think God likes it when we do that.

^"10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10

I saw these two videos yesterday. Although neither one credits God, they do demonstrate God's characteristics of compassion and mercy to a world that is starving for some.

The first video was posted by a young high school friend, the second by a high school classmate - proving that, no matter what age we are, we can always demonstrate compassion to those around us. 

Free Makeovers - BBC III
Wheels - Canadian Tire

The key word in the phrase Active Design is ACTIVE. If we are passive towards others in need nothing will get accomplished either in us or for God. We MUST be active. We MUST get involved. Otherwise, what is the purpose of US?

Covered In Grace

Not that long ago I wrote a story about how we humans tend to SEE things but we don't really OBSERVE or PERCEIVE like we should. We can be guilty of this without really knowing it. Like ME, for example.

The company I work for is putting an addition onto our building. It's fun watching the building going up and to actually see the fruits of our labor. We drew the plans for the project and now, there it is. We're observing it being built, right before our very eyes.

You've had a little time to look at the opening picture for this story. Tell me, what did you see? Take a close look now. Specifically, take a look at the roof. Do you see anything worthy of a story for this blog? Perhaps if I zoomed in a little you will be able to see it.

The underlayment for the yet-to-be-installed shingles is made by a company named "Grace." Our office building is literally covered with Grace!!! I can't make this stuff up. It's just too unbelievable.

Our lives are covered with grace too. Just like Grace roofing underlayment protects our new office from ice and rain damage, God's grace and mercy protect us from the coming wrath and the just penalty for those who refuse to believe and are found dead in their sins.

The roof of our new addition is a visible reminder of God's love for each of us. He covers us with His grace as we grow and mature in our faith.

The building below the roof was raw and unfinished when the Grace went on the roof, but now the building has windows, electrical and plumbing inside it. The walls will soon be finished and painted, the exterior will receive brick and finish metal trim. The building will be made beautiful - all under Grace. And so it is with us.

Our sanctification is a life-long process under God's grace. He continues to teach us and instruct us as we slowly become "finished" in God's eyes. God is transforming us into the image of His Son - Jesus. And it is by God's grace that we "covered" and it was the sacrifice of Jesus that paid the price.

"20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." - Romans 3:20-22

We would be lost . . . but for the grace of God.

But for The Grace of God - Keith Urban

The Only Gift That Satisfies

Each year millions of kids get up Christmas morning and rush to see what gifts are under the Christmas tree. Usually, if they are like most American kids, they get the specific gift they were hoping for. We're pretty spoiled in this country. As a matter of fact, we are SO spoiled that last years Christmas gifts are soon forgotten and this Christmas we will want a newer, brighter, better whatever-it-was and we'll repeat the same thing year after year after year.

Nothing seems to last. We get easily bored and tire quickly of our gifts, even the most unique ones.

We had a pair of Kirby vacuum cleaner sales reps come to our door last night. They were really sure we wanted their latest vacuum cleaner. I told them we literally had our carpets cleaned just the day before but they were still insistent on showing be their fabulous new machine. Even when I tld them we JUST bought a new vacuum cleaner they still wanted to clean our already clean living room carpet.

Sometimes I wonder if I sound like a vacuum cleaner salesman when I talk to someone about Jesus. I hope not. I don't provide any flashy demonstrations like Kirby but I do tell people that Jesus can "make them clean" Ha ha! . . . even if they're REALLY dirty.

Jesus doesn't need any salesmen and, unlike the Kirby vacuum cleaner company, His "product" (salvation) is totally free! And it has an eternal guarantee!!

The cool thing is, after you receive the free gift of salvation you will never need to receive anything again. God always provides. And here's the interesting thing . . . after we receive God's Holy Spirit we become content with whatever it is that we have been given in this life. Suddenly we have everything we need because God is enough.

Salvation is the only gift that satisfies . . . and sanctifies. :)

Have you made Jesus your Lord and Savior? If you have, here's proof. What do you want this Christmas? If you have truly received God's Holy Spirit in your heart the answer most likely is "I don't want anything"

"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.  10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:8-10

"16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures." - James 1:16-18

The Gift - Jim Brickman

A Line In The Sand

This is a picture of a line that has been drawn in the sand. The intent of such drawn lines is that we don't want people to cross them. They are somewhat like fences, only with little or no height. The only thing that keeps someone from crossing a line in the sand is usually a threat of some kind by the person who drew it towards another person. "Lines in the sand" are a visible representation of an invisible consequence.

Politicians sometimes draw lines in the sand. We did that to Syria last year. Didn't work too well. No further comment.

Lines in the sand are supposed to be ultimatums. "I dare you to cross this line!" The only thing about lines in the sand is that when someone crosses one, it is now OUR turn to do something . . . or not.

I heard something in church yesterday from my buddy Ron (our church's family pastor) that caught my attention and made my pick up a pen and take note. He challenged us to draw a line in the sand . . . BEHIND us. Huh?

Yup.

He was talking about sin and how we humans tend to keep backsliding in our faith. How we tend to sin, repent of those sins, and then go back and commit the very same sins over and over again. An example of this can be seen in Jesus' incounter with the woman caught in adultery.

"Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

[Could Jesus have been drawing a line in the sand?]

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” - John 8:1-11

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ we are in effect drawing a line in the sand for ourselves. The line represents the point in time when we began following Jesus. We draw a line in the sand, step over it. and we never go back. At least that's the plan.

Each time we sin we are supposed to repent, effectively drawing a line in the sand. We must never go back over that line. This is a process called sanctification, as we gradually strip of our old ways and live a new life style . . . in Christ.

What can we draw a line with today?

It could be an addiction. It could be premarital sex. It could be having a second helping of desert. There are so many things that get between us and God. All of them sin.

I don't know about you but I need to start drawing some lines. I need to draw a line between myself and the computer. There are many people in my life who could probably benefit from drawing a line between themselves and their phones.

The question is, where do we draw the line? And when.

We need to draw a line when our selfish desires get in the way of our relationship with God.

"I 'need' to check Facebook just one more time before I go to sleep."

No. Perhaps you should pray before you go to sleep. Draw a line in the sand! Do it today. Do it again tomorrow.

Here's a question for you. What if Jesus drew a line in the sand and told you not to step over it? Here's the kicker. He already did. It's that moment you came to believe. The line was drawn, separating you from the world. Romans 12:2

"2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, [line in the sand] but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

What lines need to be drawn today in YOUR life? Pray about that. Seek God's help in drawing and maintaining those lines of defense. It is a command of God! "Go, and sin no more."

Or is Jesus Himself your line in the sand? If so, I would encourage you to step over that line and never look back. And if we do fall back across that line, let us stand back up today and step over that line towards Jesus.

Woman Caught In Adultery from Passion Of The Christ

[Thank you Ron, for your message yesterday]

God's Plan For Your Life

It wasn't too long after I became a Christian that I figured out God wanted more from me than to simply go to church on Sunday. I think it was when I finally got around to reading the Old Testament for the first time that I began getting a clue. When I read the following verse in the book of Jeremiah I began wondering if God had a plan for ME. He does! And He has a plan for you too!

"11 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

Was God talking specifically to me in that verse? No. But it sure seemed like He was. In that particular verse, God was talking to Israel. But God is God. He knows everything! He knows the stupid mistakes we are going to make before we even make them. God is sovereign. That means He rules over all. And He is also omnipotent. That means God has unlimited power. In other words, God can do anything. God is also omnipresent. That means God is in ALL places at ALL times. Wow. Talk about super-powers!!

It is true that God DOES have a plan for me. Keep in mind though that He has seen everything in your past and knows everything that is going to happen to you in the future. He knows EVERYTHING!!

But what are God's plans for you and me? How do we know what His plan is? If we knew THAT we could  get on board with it, right? If I could figure out what God's plan for me was I could direct my life and decisions to help God accomplish His mission in me. Right?

No.

God does not need our help. He can do anything - omnipotent, remember? He don't need squat! But He still has a plan for us. Check out these verses.

"But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him." - 1 Corinthians 2:9

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:2

But what does God want from us? Just what is the plan, Stan? Are you ready?

God's plan for us is that we would be transformed (Romans 12:2) into the image of His Son - Jesus.

That's it. But that is a lot. Read the New Testament. It is filled with information about Jesus and how we are supposed to be like him as we learn and grow in our faith. Have you ever heard the phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" That's a good question to ask ourselves when we encounter people and situations in our lives. Becoming more like Jesus in our relationships, loving everyone, having compassion and mercy for others when they are hurting, forgiving others when they wrong us, all that God's plan for each and every one of us. Look at how Jesus lived His life. Jesus is a blueprint for the way we are to live ours.

You have heard of the fruits of the spirit, right? Galatians 5:22-23 . . .

"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

Do you exhibit ALL those characteristics? My personal answer is 'not always'. But I should. We are supposed to! I am still learning and growing just like you are. It's called sanctification. Sanctification is a life-long process that culminates when we transition into the next life. But in THIS life, while we are still here, we are to become the image of Jesus to everyone we meet.

Question . . .

Who will you be Jesus to today?

"But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth." - 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Preaching Sanctification - Matt Chandler, Derek Thomas, Kevin DeYoung, John Piper

Knowing

"24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:24-29

We are so much like "doubting" Thomas in this world. Unless we can see something with our own eyes we often refuse to believe it. I have encountered many "Christians" this past year who claim the faith but are hesitant to discuss the topic. Personally, I am so excited about Jesus I could talk about Him all day. Why aren't other believers as excited? I am not judging here. I am simply wondering.

When I came to believe and the scales fell from my eyes I was beyond excited. I think that excitement about one's faith is a spiritual fruit. Just my opinion here. My opinion has no scriptural basis. But if the God of the universe sacrificed Himself for you, wouldn't you be JUST a LITTLE joyous?

Actually, it is quite simple for true believers to recognize their brothers and sisters . . to know. We might as well have a signs stamped on our foreheads. And one day we will. We will be sealed, and therefore protected.

"They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." - Revelation 9:4

But what about now? Are we sealed? How can we KNOW for sure? God's Word tells us.

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." - Ephesians 1:13–14

Knowing that we are saved is a wonderful thing. There have been some people I have been introduced to and have instantly felt a bond with them. I KNOW that our conversations will be all about God. It's awesome! Look at things this way.

When we walk through an orchard and look at all the fruit hanging on the trees it is easy to tell one type of tree from another.

"That's an apple tree! There is a pear tree!" As Jesus said, we can tell the tree by the fruit it bears . . .

"15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them." - Matthew 7:15-20

We Christians are suppose to bear good fruit. Jesus is telling us in this text to examine other people's fruit to see whether or not they are part of His kingdom. But what do we do if we see someone who professes to be a Christian yet they have no fruit?

First, we as believers must be VERY careful about what we say or do. People get very defensive when we tell them they might be doing something wrong. Yet the loving thing to do is to tell them. It's a very tricky situation.

We must assume that, even though we don't see any fruit, we cannot KNOW whether they believe or not. That is something only Jesus knows. We must assume they are Christians if they say so.

The next thing we need to remember is that we are ALL sinners. All of us.There's not one of us who is sinless. That creates credibility issues if we tell someone they aren't bearing any fruit when OUR OWN fruit doesn't smell to good.

What I usually do at this point is pray. There isn't really anything I can do about any given situation but God can if He has a mind to. Knowing that should be very calming.

To know we have been set apart (hadiadzo) by God is a tremendously wonderful thing. It bring new meaning to the phrase, "to know Him is to love Him." Remove any doubts you may have about your salvation by trusting in the Lord. Even if you have surrendered yourself to Him already, do it again. It is a good reminder of who we are and WHOSE we are.

To Know Him Is To Love Him - Amy Winehouse

Wasted

Last night on the evening news I watched a story about Colorado. Today is the first day of legalized marijuana sales in their state. Everyone was really happy. And I mean REALLY happy! Everyone except the head of the state's anti-drug coalition. Other than her, it seems as if everyone is super excited about getting, as we used to call it in high school, . . . wasted.

New Year's Eve is a traditional party night if there ever was one. Images of endless streams of champagne, flowing freely from bottle to glass and from glass to lips. Somewhere along the line, New Year's Eve has turned into a night of drunkenness and debauchery (bad or immoral behavior that involves sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.). Why?

To quote King Solomon, "There is nothing new under the sun" however. Maybe the marijuana parts might be relatively new but people have been getting drunk for thousands of years. The Bible is filled with warnings about such behavior and some of those warnings are very, VERY scary. Here's a few: Ephesians 5:18, Proverbs 20:1, 1 Peter 5:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Proverbs 23:29-35, Isaiah 5:11

But probably the scariest warning was written to the churches of Galatia by the apostle Paul.

"16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." - Galatians 5:16-26

Paul is writing to Christians, telling them they shouldn't get drunk, amongst their many other sins. Yet year after year we present-day Christians, just like the Galatians, ignore Paul's warning and just continue on sinning. Why?

Well, it could be that we simply aren't aware of Paul's warning. Have you ever heard of the saying that "ignorance is no excuse?" It would be like trying to talk your way out of a speeding ticket by saying, "I didn't know that driving faster than the law allows would get me into trouble." That may play some role in the choices we make I guess.

Another reason for sinning, and that's what "getting wasted" in ANY "works of the flesh" listed above is, is that we are sinners by our very nature. We simply can't help ourselves. Besides, it makes us feel better and God wants us to be happy, right? Wrong! God wants us to be obedient. That is a large part of why we Christians continue to sin day after day. But there is another reason, far more scary than the two I have already mentioned. False converts.

When we receive the Holy Spirit we Christians are given the power to overcome sin. We are made strong, in Christ. Christians who have truly repented will exhibit signs of that repentance called Fruits of The Spirit." Read verses 22-24 again. The words "self-control" could easily be replaced by "don't get wasted."

There is good news for us sinners though, and that includes everyone reading, and writing, this blog. Jesus is mighty to save. He died for our sins - past, present and future. But we must allow Him to be the Lord of our lives. We are His, not our own. If we say we are Christians and go on sinning without remorse, are we not mocking what Christ did for us on the cross?

The scariest thing to comprehend is that some people THINK they are Christians but really aren't. That is incredibly scary!! If we are truly Christians we will be recognized by the change within us. We will begin exhibiting the fruits of the spirit. We will begin throwing off the old self and begin walking in the light. It's called sanctification - becoming more like Christ in everything we think, do and say. We must strive for that, if we truly are alive in Christ.

Before I close, one more scary passage to consider.

" 26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." - Hebrews 10:26-31

I'm not intentionally trying to start of the new year with a doom and gloom message this morning. Rather, I'd like us all to consider a God-honoring life in Christ. In everything we do let us honor God with our lives. When we are about to make a decision, let us ask ourselves "How is what I am about to do, honoring to God." If our lives are not exemplifying Christ, how can we truly call ourselves Christians? Let us not live wasted lives but lives alive in Christ. For as Christians, we do not live to "enjoy ourselves" but to honor God. Let us start off the new year doing so. Let us sanctify ourselves before the Lord and honor Him . . . as long as it is called "today."

Better Than Drugs by Skillet

Punishment?

I was late for church yesterday. I had gotten up in plenty of time to make the 8:45 service but I was delayed. I did something that caused me to be late. I opened up Facebook. I know. I know. But I'm not all THAT addicted. At least that's what I tell my wife whenever I "come up for air." But I do like to keep an eye on my friends. And actually, it wasn't the opening of Facebook that caused my tardiness. It was my replying to a message I received. A message from a friend.

It was the third or fourth message of this type I have gotten in the past few months so I thought it might be beneficial to write something about it here today. All of the messages seem to be based on a couple of common misconceptions. The first is that we have been placed here on this earth to have fun. The American dream is to get the most we can out of life and have good time doing it. We want to have a good job, a nice home, and perhaps a spouse and some kids. These are the things that we all want for ourselves. But then something goes wrong with the plan. Our plan. So naturally we complain about it.

The messages I receive usually begin with the same "dream theme." Life was going along good but them all of a sudden something bad happened and everything just went into the toilet. It might be the loss of a friend, the breakup of a relationship or the loss of a job - some life-changing event or another. The problems are all major to the person experiencing them. That brings us to the second misconception, that God caused it. I don't know if God CAUSED it so much as He ALLOWED it.

"Why is God doing this to me?"

"What did I do to God to deserve this?"

"Is God punishing me for something I've done? Why?"

"God must want me to be unhappy in life. Why else would this be happening to me?"

The main problem that everyone of these people have, and quite frankly a lot of us have (including me), is this: We simply do not KNOW God. If we truly knew God we wouldn't be asking those types of questions. If we truly had faith we would know exactly why we are being tested or tried or even punished. It's really rather simple to understand . . . from a heavenly perspective.

Think about it. What does God really want from us? Does He simply want us to believe in Him? Or does He want something more? Our devotion perhaps? Or our love? Our obedience maybe? The answer is . . . yes! He wants ALL those things. And more!

If we are to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength . . . and we are . . . just where do WE fit into things? When do WE get what WE want? And that's the problem. WE should not be a consideration. At all.

Maybe this would be a good time to ask that age-old philosophy question, "Why are we here?" The answer, from a Christian perspective, is easy. We are here to worship. To a minor degree we are also here to grow, to learn and to follow but primarily we are here to worship and praise our creator. We are slaves, our lives having been bought and paid for on the cross.

But does God really punish us? Surely not our loving Daddy God!!! Really? Did your parents ever punish YOU? Do THEY love you? Then why wouldn't God punish us? He loves us enough to discipline us so that we will learn. Learn . . . from our mistakes.

The Old Testament is filled with examples of God punishing His people. Let's look at the book of Jeremiah for one particular example AND the answer to all of the "Why me?" questions we keep asking. Please read this and read it . . . slowly.

"11 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. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity." - Jeremiah 29:1:11-14

God has a plan for us and His plan is for us to prosper! To have hope and a future! And what's God looking for? Verse 12 . . . He wants us to worship Him and praise Him. And then what? What does God promise He will do then? He will listen to us!

Our primary focus in life must be the Trinity - God, Jesus and His Holy Spirit! After we offer up our praise and worship THEN God will hear us from heaven. And when I say "hear us" I mean he ALWAYS hears us but then, through our faithfulness and obedience, God is more likely to act. "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16

When we learn more about God we will find ourselves asking different questions all together. Rather than ask, "Why is God doing this to me?" we will be asking, "What is God trying to teach me?" Instead of asking, "What did I do to deserve this?" we well ask, "Why has God shown me His grace when I deserve death?" Instead of asking, "Why is God punishing me?" we will say, "Thank you Lord for revealing my sins to me. Please forgive me."

God loves us. There is no denying that. He loves us enough to discipline us when we screw up. Remember, sanctification is a life-long process. We are trying to become more and more Christ-like in our behavior. God is just trying to help us get there. Let's allow Him to do His work in us.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

Sara

I wish I wasn't writing this post today. I wish I could have slept in (it's Saturday) and enjoyed a lazy beginning to this first weekend of fall, but I can't. I just HAD to write this new post and not use the one that was already written and ready to go.

As I look back on the events of the past 24-72 hours it is very easy to see what God was orchestrating. It is very easy to look back and see all the events and all of the opportunities God created. It seems as if God was trying to get a message delivered. And THAT is why I am up at 5:00AM on this Saturday morning. I'm delivering the message.

This story is directed at teens and young adults mostly, but if you don't know Jesus, if He is not Lord of your life, I pray you would pay attention and heed the warning I am about to relay to you. Here we go.

It must have been a month ago I guess, when I noticed a Facebook post from a young friend of mine. Her name is Sara (Sara is the daughter of my best friend, the person God used to call this lowly sinner to Himself). The Facebook post went something like this, "Feeling distant from God, I need to make some changes in my life."

There are a few types of Facebook posts that will spark a private message from me. A message about "feeling distant from God" is one of them. So I reached out to my young friend and asked if she would like to talk about it. She did and so we set up a time to meet - a nice, casual dinner at a local sports bar.

If you are reading this and happen to be a Facebook friend of mine, you saw the post I put on there this past Wednesday. This is what it said. "Had a wonderful visit with a friend last night. We talked about our lives, our families, but mostly we talked about God."

And Sara and I did just that. Most of our conversation was about God. She asked a few questions or expressed a few doubts. I tried my best to answer. As I look back at the conversation we had, all I can say is thanks be to God that His Word flowed freely from this too-often ineffective mouth.

It was a wonderful talk. I love Sara very much. There is nothing I would rather see more than for Sara , or any other person in my life, commit themselves 100% to Jesus and become an obsessed follower of Christ. But sadly, many young adults and teens today as torn. They know ABOUT Jesus. They have heard the stories. They've tried reading the Bible but it's "too boring." But they never commit fully. They know OF Him, but they don't KNOW Him. Know what I mean? Jesus put it this way in Matthew 15:8

"These people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;"

Sara's heart is not as "far from Him" as most people I know. She is close but is still learning, still holding back in some ways. But there is a desire in her to know Him. That's why we were having dinner after all. But the commitment, the 100% I'd-do-anything-for-Him faith that God desires is not quite there yet - not for Sara, not for most people and not for me. It's being blocked by two things that we are all exposed to everyday of our lives. The two biggest weapons Satan uses to seduce us and to keep us from following a life of Christ. Those two reasons are "the world in which we live" and "our selves."

The morning that the phone call came from the police, her mother and I had already prayed for Sara and for many others. For as much as I would like this awesome young lady commit herself to Christ in everything she says and does, I think her mother would like to see it even more. A parents prayer for their child has got to be THEE top prayer of any believing parent, that their children would come to know Jesus and make him Lord of their lives.

"Sara's been in an accident," were the words her mother spoke to me on her way out the door at work yesterday . . . on her way to the emergency room. Before Sara's mother had left the parking lot I was already contacting all of the prayer warriors I could think of, asking for prayer. Today I am happy to report that Sara is resting at home, rather uncomfortably I imagine, but she is alive and recovering from being hit by a car while simply crossing the street.

I post this picture of my young friend 1) because it's already on Facebook. If you are a friend of Sara's you have probably already seen it, and 2) I hope it serves as a reminder of just how fragile we are as human beings, and just how close we are to actually getting to meet Jesus, face-to-face, at any point in our lives.

Sara was blessed yesterday, protected by God I think, perhaps because He wants to use her to speak into someones life on His behalf, as her mother spoke into mine. Who knows. All I can say is Blessed be the name of the Lord!

To all my young friends out there, or to anyone for that matter, who does not have an intimate relationship with the Creator of the Universe, PLEASE, make that happen today! You do NOT want to leave this world and meet a just and holy God without Someone to stand FOR us in heaven. Jesus endured death on a cross so that, through our faith in Him, we might have life. God's offer of immediate and total justification for all who come before Him is laying on the table . . . for you, for me. Let's not brush it aside. It's for you! Pick it up. Accept the gift! Call a friend, call your pastor, but PLEASE, don't be afraid to call on the Name above all names - Yeshua (Jesus).

Do you now what the name of Jesus means in Hebrew? It is from a verb meaning "to rescue" or "to deliver." Please, let Jesus rescue you today and let Him deliver you from evil . . .

"For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever."

I love you Sara. Get well soon. :)