Noooooooo!

We were at an Elvis Presley play last night.  There were two characters that had fallen in love with one another.  The young lady asked the young man, "have you ever kissed a girl before?"  They slowly leaned in toward each other.  There was a pregnant silence in the auditorium as they grew closer and closer and Liam suddenly yelled, "NO!!!"  The auditorium suddenly filled with laughter.  I wonder if he will feel the same in about 10 years?  I love that little guy!

Fall On Your Knees!

O Holy Night-  Have we ever fallen to our knees?

This morning, we are going to do things a little different.  The worship team will keep playing.  Sometimes, I feel a need to fall to my knees, and I am wondering if there are others here who may feel the same.  If you feel a need and are physically able, I invite you to get on your knees, bow your head, and close your eyes.  There is no pressure.  If you are unable to go to your knees you may do so in your spirit.  Invite to kneel.  Bow heads and close eyes.  Father, we fall to our knees because you give us:

• Jesus you give us a new start and hope and we don’t deserve it.  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In your great mercy you have given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”‬‬ 1 Peter‬ 1:3‬
• Jesus you give us an abundant life here on earth and for eternity and we don’t deserve it. Your scripture reminds us: ‬‬ “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but you have come that we may have life, and have it to the full.”‬‬‬‬ John‬ 10:10‬
• Jesus you give us confidence and we don’t deserve it:  Your scripture encourages us to ‬approach your throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. ‬‬‬ Hebrews‬ 4‬:16
• Jesus You give us forgiveness and power over evil when we don’t deserve it.  You remind us when we were dead in our sins and in the uncircumcision of our flesh, You made us alive with Christ. You forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; You have taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, You made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.‬‬ Colossians‬ 2‬:13-15‬ 13

How Much Should We Give?

How Much Should We Give?

When it comes to graduation parties, weddings, birthdays, and Christmas, one big question Amanda and I always ask each other is how much should we give?  The goal is to find the right balance between going overboard and not giving enough.  Is it possible to go overboard when it comes to giving?   Communion is a time to remember a time when God went overboard for us through His son.  He gave the ultimate gift of His son.  A gift with no limits.  He gave it all!  He gave it all, so that we can have it all!  As a result of His gift to us, we are blessed with the holy spirit, a new start, hope, confidence, unity, forgiveness, and power over evil. We receive an abundant life and eternal life.

●     The gift of Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit: John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

●     The gift of Jesus gives us a new start and hope. 1 Peter 1:3 -Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

●     The gift of Jesus gives us confidence:  Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

●     The gift of Jesus gives us unity :1 Corinthians 10:16-17 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

●     The gift of Jesus gives us forgiveness and power over evil.  Colossians 2:13-15 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

●     The gift of Jesus gives us an abundant life here on earth and for eternity. John 10:10   “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

●     The gift of Jesus gives us eternal life.Colossians 3:2-4 NIV “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Let’s pray.  Father, thank you for Jesus.  Because of you, we have the Holy Spirit, a new start, we have hope, confidence, and unity.  Because of you we have forgiveness and power over evil.  Father, you give us an abundant life here on earth.  Thank you for the gift of eternal life.

Thunderstruck- More than an AC/DC song.

Memories are Powerful

(Thunderstruck played)  Hearing the beginning of this song takes me back to my Junior year in 1993.  I was an outside linebacker on the football team and there was a play we practiced all week called “Thunder”.  It was a simple and exciting play.  When called, I ran in, blitzing full bore, and annihilated the quarterback if he rolled out away from me.  We practiced.  I practiced.   Everyone was excited and wanted to be my position that week. We listened to this song every day of the week and before the game.  Sometimes we listened two or three times at once.  The time came. Thunder was called.  Pin your ears back and go.  He rolled out.  I charged and just as I dove, he rolls in a different direction.  I missed him!  It was like the music stopped.   We never ran the play again or played that song again.  

Hearing that song over the years has reminded me of a few things.  For a few years, hearing that song reminded me of failure- hard work that lead to failure.  Preparation, excitement, and good intentions that lead to failure.  As time has gone on, however, the bad memory has become a good memory.  That song also reminds me of a time where I worked and prepared and we were united as a team.  The process was right.  The outcome was just wrong. If I had it to do over, I could do better.  

Can anyone relate?  Have you ever tried, prepared, and when you try hard, and you prepare and you pray, and you sing, and you read His word, and you give of your things, and you give of your time, and you love others, and you make a difference, but when the chance comes for you to overcome that habit, you dive with all your might, and the unexpected happens, and you blow it.  

At communion time we are asked to remember.   We are also asked to examine ourselves.  We confess our failures, but we remember His resurrection that gives us life.  

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭13-15‬ NIV)

As you use this time to remember his body and his blood sacrificed for us and confess your sins, remember He died so you can live. Sure. You have blown it.  Don't stop playing.  Don’t give up on the play.   Get back in the game.  Do hard things. Do great things. If you aren't failing, you aren't trying hard enough.  God made us alive in Christ.  He died so you can live.  When you mess up, I died so you can live.  When you fail, He cancelled the charge.  When life doesn’t go the way you planned, He disarmed the powers and authorities. He died so we can live.  And live to the fullest.   

Pray.  Father thank you for forgiving us.  Strengthen us with your power.  Give us a double dose of your spirit.  Help us grasp how wide and long high and deep is your love for us.  

Victory now! Communion Thoughts for August seventh, 2016

As a YMCA coach for first and second graders I have to repeatedly remind myself that it's not about winning...it's about having fun. But I still forget.  Victory is sweet.  Just go to a first and second grade YMCA coach pitch game filled with fans who are family and friends.   Watch what they do in the bottom of the seventh with a child on third, two outs, and tied ball game.  No matter how many people have committed to the “it's not about winning” way of thinking, everyone is on the edge of their seats.  Suspense is high and most are hoping and thrilled when the final pitch is made and the ball is hit...so don't judge me!

My cousin was in Cleveland the night the cavs won game seven and she stated the streets were packed with people running and giving high fives on the streets to perfect strangers.  Victory is exciting and brings out behavior we would not normally observe.

If we get this excited in sports, can you imagine how excited we will be when our faith has been confirmed in eternity?  We celebrate Christ’s resurrection at this time during communion because He gave us victory over sin and death.   He gave us victory for eternity and victory for the present

His resurrection allows us to talk to our problems about victory we have now in the present.  (The following adapted from Mark Batterson)  http://theaterchurch.com/media/mountains-move/the-day-of-small-beginnings  

We need to preach the promises of God to our problems.

Because of His resurrection, we need to preach the goodness of God to our problems now:

Psalm 23:6   Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Because of His resurrection, we need to preach the supremacy of Christ to our problems now:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Because of His resurrection, we need to preach the preeminence of God to our problems now:

Romans 8:31 If God is for us who can be against us.  We are more than conquerors.

Because of His resurrection, we need to preach the power of God to our problems now:

Ephesians 3:20  He can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine according to His power at work within us.

Because of His resurrection, we need to preach the love of God to our problems now:

Romans 8:38-39  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither present nor future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

As we prepare for communion, may we focus on the Victory we have in Jesus not just in our future, but now at this moment.

Does Our "Why" Evolve?

Do you have a "why" that has changed or evolved?

Running was something I dreaded as a kid.  It was often used as punishment by my coaches.  After physical therapy school, I knew I should exercise to be healthy.  Running was a cheap and efficient option so I started running as my dreaded form of exercise.  The "why" behind my motivation was to "practice what I preach" and be as healthy as possible.  However, I didn't want to do it.  People would say things like, "if you just stick with it for three months, it will become a habit and will not be difficult."  Three months passed and it didn't get easier..  In fact, six months, 12 months, and two years passed and it never got easier. I actually dreaded it for about two and a half years!

However, over time, running became enjoyable.  About three to four years into my training, I began to experience closeness with God during my run..  I began to have meaningful time where I felt like He was truly with me.  I learned how to pray during that time, listened to spiritual podcasts, learned to listen to Him and memorize His word.  Running became something I wouldn't want to miss.  

Now, if I don't run, I get grumpy and feel like something is missing.  My "why", as it relates to running, has moved from my mind to my heart.  It has evolved from a mental conviction to a personal and heart felt part of who I am.

My running "why" evolved.  Is our spiritual "why" similar?

What Does Easter Mean To You? By: Adrianne Krauss

I am pleased to share a beautiful poem my extremely talented and phenomenal cousin, Adrianne Krauss, wrote.  She is an outstanding person and a wonderful roll model for all.  Enjoy:

 

 

What Does Easter Mean To You?

What does Easter mean to you?

is this just a thing we do?

how is it Easter came to be

the greatest day in history?

 

a cross, a cave, and three days’ time

changed the course of humankind

a man who didn’t live for fame

or to start a religion in his name

who came to heal the sick and dying

to feed the hungry and stop the fighting

 

until one day, the whole world’s loss

they hung the healer on a cross

 

what do we make of this famous story?

the biggest fraud or the greatest glory?

is it just a myth that someone wrote

to give a generation hope?

what makes us care about the death

of one poor soul from Nazareth?

he loved the ones who hated him

this gentle soul from Bethlehem

why should we follow willingly

a carpenter from Galilee?

 

across the world he’s loved and hated

his true identity debated

 

                                                                         ~

Said this man from Nazareth,

I’ll save you from your earthly death

 

he faced the worst reality

they nailed his body to a tree

and took our sins so willingly

upon himself, to set us free

a mother sees her lifeless son

he breathes no more, his work is done

then darkness filled the day and night

it seemed this man had lost the fight

see them bring his body down

and remove the bloodied, thorny crown

 

transported to a tomb at night

this figure bound in linen white

 

his body placed into a cave

a lonely, hopeless, simple grave

 

a massive stone was rolled to hide

the door that held the man inside

 

then something happened no one expected

human history redirected

 

even though we had no clue

God always knew what he would do

 

see three days’ time pass by and then

this dead man wakes and walks again

the stone was rolled, a tomb no more

Jesus alive as he was before

early dawn, third day has started

enter the women, broken-hearted

the empty grave scares them to death

where was the man from Nazareth?

 

an angel of the Lord drew near

and told the women “do not fear”

those chilling words still in their ear:

“he isn’t here.”

“he isn’t here.”

~

 

When Jesus died he took with him

our hopeless fate, our crushing sin

 

ascended up to heaven bright

to sit with the Father, to his right

to intercede for you and me

so we in him are safe and free

 

so fear no more of earthly strife

of things that rob us of this life

 

a truth that shakes us to the core

death is dead and reigns no more

I ask you now, what is your view?

what does Easter mean to you?

ask the drunkard, sober now

ask the adulterer, faithful now

ask the despairing, hopeful now

ask the addict, healing now

ask the sick who are praising him

ask the hungry, fed by him

ask the weak who are strong in him

ask the prisoner, freed by him

what Easter means to them

~

A king is reaching out to you

as any loving king would do

 

so asks this king from Galilee,

if you won’t be mine, then whose will you be?

the smallest faith will set you free

take up your cross and follow me

truth isn’t something you can kill

he loved you then, and always will

faith is what we cannot see

and faith has solved this mystery

 

the man who died upon the cross

knew no one else could rescue us

 

he conquered death to save his friends

Easter is a love story that never ends

I was blind, but now I see

he is risen, risen for you and me.