CoreyLandreth

After dropping my son off at school this morning in Wichita I had to stop at the local lumber yard for some supplies to continue working on the privacy fence I am building.  I had about 400 pounds of concrete in the trunk of my little Honda so instead of taking the road I ALWAYS take, I decided to drive the straightest route instead of the fastest.

As I turned onto the my road I noticed a guy I know in his truck with the biggest cheesy grin on his face I've ever seen.  Apparently, seconds before I arrived he was turning onto my road heading the opposite direction when his truck ran completely out of gas.  As he was coasting to the side of the road he sees me.

With that cheesy grin he asks if I can go get him some gas - which I quickly and cheerfully do.

On my way back to his thirsty truck I was thinking about this incident.  There are hundreds of roads in El Dorado.  There are multiple options for getting to my house from the West end of town.   My friend had multiple options as well.  It was a one in a million chance that we would both be at the same spot on the same road at the same time - when neither one of us normally take that route.

In my book that's a God thing.  So I got him some gas, thanked God that I was there at the right time to help and that He used me to bless my friend.  I'm not sure if there was any more significant reason then doing something nice for someone because of Christ.

Does God care how you get home?  No, not really... but He does care whether or not you take advantage of the opportunities He provides you to bless someone else on the way there.  So the next time you take a different road home be on the lookout, God may just be planning to use you as a blessing.

We often think that when things are going good for us (bills paid, cars running, family healthy, etc.) that God must be happy with how we're living.  That is WRONG... just so we're clear.  Your circumstances are not good indicators of God's approval of your lifestyle or choices.

Getting God's stamp means a little more than money in the bank or even your health.  We're talking about the God of the universe here who has a love for each person that is so incredible we can't begin to fully comprehend it.

So Luke tells us in Acts 11 (MSG) that some of the Jewish Christians had pleased God through their lives and His pleasure was seen not in material increase but in the number of people who came to faith.  That's right, God's pleasure was displayed through more changed lives.

If you want to know if you're pleasing God in by your life, begin looking at the measure that is important to Him - lives changed forever.  If there are no changed lives around you then it's time to ask how you might begin to please God.

God's stamp of approval is seen through fruit bearing - changed lives are the number one indicator of God's pleasure with your life.

Have you ever been locked out?
I remember as a kid being locked out of the house a few times.  I would climb a tree close to the house.  Jump onto the roof and then twist the screen out of a little window in the upstairs bathroom.  I had to go through the window head first because it was small and so would end up with my feet out the window and my head on the toilet. Fun.  I've also locked my keys in my car.  That is such a sinking feeling.  I took a group of the Elders from my last church to meet with a pastor of another church.  It was a great day and everything was going well.  Until we went out to my Suburban.  I stuck my hand in my pocket to get my keys and couldn't find them.  There they were, in the ignition, with the doors all locked.  I was so embarrassed and felt so stupid.  Such a helpless feeling trying to get your keys.  I actually locked them in that same vehicle three years ago while my wife and I were out Christmas shopping in a near blizzard.  There I was, just a light jacket (I don't like coats), snow dumping from the sky trying to stick a coat-hanger through the window to open the doors.

This last Easter, moments before our Sunday service began I got a call from my wife who had run home for something, locked her car in the driveway (habit) and then unlocked the house to get whatever I had left there.  It wasn't until after she locked and closed the house door that she realized she had locked her car and locked the house with her keys still on the kitchen counter.

Being locked out is no fun.  No matter what it's from.  I was at a business just this morning and two employees near me were whispering in each others ears.  Or maybe you've been unable to join others in a game because of your ability or disability.  Being locked out stinks, whether it's a conversation, a game or your home.

For years the world was locked out of salvation.  The Jews had the corner market on God and they weren't gonna let anyone else have any.  They thought God was their prize.  That His love was ONLY for them (though Abraham was a man from the lineage or every other man when God called him and singled him out).  So they locked everyone else out. Which was cool with Satan, that's what he wanted the whole time.  Division. Seclusion.

But in Acts 11 Peter breaks the barrier between Jew and non-Jew when he preaches Jesus to the houshold of Cornelius.  While he is speaking to them the Holy Spirit comes on these non-Jews just like it did on the day of Pentecost to the 12 Apostles (all Jews) and Peter ends up baptizing this family into Jesus Christ as the first non-Jew converts to Christianity ever!

And when Peter is asked to explain his actions to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem (who were VERY concerned about this leap from the norm) their reaction is not what you'd expect.  They say this (from The Message version) "God has broken through to the other nations, opened them up to life!"  How wonderful!  After thousands of years of religious snobbery the love of Christ has broken through and now even non-Jews can come to Christ and experience the hope and joy of a relationship with Him.  And that is what God had desired all along.

But sometimes what God wants from us and what He gets are not quite the same.  Perhaps you've tried to attend a church, to find some hope or healing or help and instead of finding a place of welcome you felt like you were on the outside looking in.  Locked out of what they were all experiencing.  Like standing in the cold trying to figure out the right way to walk, talk or stand so that the door would be opened to you and you could join in on the conversation.  Like you had to force yourself in as unwanted only to feel like, once you made it in, that you were standing on your head - uncomfortable and unwelcome.

In some cases the church today often acts like the Jewish Nation we put up roadblocks and barriers and detours to faith instead of marking the path clearly and putting up signs to point the way.  The reality is that sometimes believers themselves lock the door to faith for others by the way we act, treat the guests the Holy Spirit brings to our churches and even the way we talk - all super-spiritual so that even Paul would have a hard time interpreting what we were saying.

God thank you for breaking through.  For breaking through in my life and the life of so many here at Real Life and in churches around the world.  Help us to make sure that the door is always unlocked and the keys always handy because you want us to always be ready to open up to Life!

Had this interesting conversation with my youngest son yesterday (after seeing The Avengers a couple times over the weekend) about Thor.  If you've seen the Marvel comics movies or you remember the comic books about this character you'll know more information than the average person about this character, but to make it easy for everybody lets just boil it down to the basics.

• Thor is from a "realm" called Asgard
• Thor is very powerful
• Thor is called the "god of thunder"
• Thor is a big guy with an even bigger hammer
• There is debate as to whether Thor (and others from his realm) are immortal

How well do you wait?
Me neither.

Waiting is just one of those things that very few of us do well.  Maybe that is why we fill the waiting with all sorts of distractions.  Usually those distractions make things worse instead of better.

The Bible teaches that we should not be anxious about anything but most of us consider that the unreachable ideal of the Gospel.  I mean, there are so many things for us to be anxious about in the real world!  We're anxious about our kids, anxious about our jobs, anxious about finances, cars, vacations, our marriages, we're even anxious about matters of faith!

We've all heard that God's timing is perfect, I even blogged about this not too long ago with a reference from Gandalf in the first Lord of the Rings movie (I should have known).  Timing is important.  I remember that I was so mad at my parents for making me move 1/2 way across the U.S., so they could go back to school, during the second half of my Sophomore year of High School.  But it was while I was there that I was accepted in a singing group and while walking up the stairs one afternoon after lunch someone invited me to play a game and I got to stand next to this stunningly beautiful blonde.  I married her less than four years later after knowing her only a little over a week before I went home to Oregon and she to Kansas for the next 2.5 years.

There are things that I have prayed diligently for over my five years here with Real Life that I waited not-so-patiently for only to say once again that God's timing was perfect.  But I didn't feel that way until He finally brought what I had been praying for about.  No.  The sad reality is that in the middle of my waiting I was anxious, angry and maybe a bit abusive in my dealings with God.  Only AFTER God shows up are we able to see what needed to be in place before He would deliver.

God has better eyes than me.  He sees what I can't, what is hidden to me.  He sees how every thought, action and word ripples through the present moments of my life to change the future and how I see the past. And He isn't only looking at my life.  He's watching your life too!  God knew before I was born how that moment that my life intersected with Andrea's was going to impact not only out lives but create ripples that would change the world as we knew it.  The four lives that would be brought into existence because our eyes met and in a moment the circles of our individual lives began to move out together.

Like a grand composer who sees the entire score of every human life, He moves the parts so that even before you get to the end of the chart He knows how perfectly it will resolve.  He sees the future.  He knows the past and He is involved in the present.

In The Message version of Acts 1 Jesus is talking with His disciples before he makes ascends to heaven and sends the promised Holy Spirit.  The disciples, still thinking Jesus life and ministry was about the Jewish Nation (they could see the whole score yet) ask Him if it's time for Him to restore the kingdom back to Israel.  I love the way verse sever reads, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business..."

Timing is God's business.

And I'm so glad!  God is in control of timing because He can see what's coming, we can't.  We are limited by our physical sight, He is not.  He can see what will be and He knows what really is.

What are you anxious about?
Here's a few things to remember.
God is.
He loves you more than you can imagine.
He sees more than you can fathom.
He's working on your behalf as well as everyone else.
What you can't now see, God has already determined for you.

So in every anxious moment of your life, through prayer, make your requests known to God.  But trust His Timing.

When did you trust God's timing and see Him come through?

One of my favorite movies is The Princess Bride.  In one scene Inigo Montoya is waiting at the village for his "boss" to come back.  He tells those trying to get him to move, I was told if we ever got split up to go back to the beginning.  Well this is where we got the job so this is the beginning...

When life get's hard or you don't know where to go or what to do next do you ever just go back to the beginning?  Back to what you used to know?  Back to what you were doing before?  What is comfortable... or at least recognizable?

Even if where we came from was not good, an abusive relationship, a co-dependent lifestyle,  parents basement, or that person we used to be - that we still hate, we will still gravitate back to that because it is what we know.  We know what to expect.  What is coming next.  Where we stand with others, or even in our own mind.

No matter how good what we have now is, or could be, there is still a tug to go back.

Jesus disciples struggled with this.  In John 21 this is exactly what happens.  Jesus has fulfilled his mission to live, die and be raised to life to the glory of the Father and for the salvation of the human race.  He's even shown Himself to be alive by talking to and eating with the disciples on several occasions.  And still, Peter and some others say, "let's go fishing."

Fishing is what they were doing in the beginning.  They had just come in from a catch of fish when Jesus said, "Follow Me."  And they did.  But now things are different.  He's there with them, but not really there with them.  They are still a little confused as to what is going to happen next.  And certainly all they had hoped would happen is now done and gone.  So they go back to what they know.  Fishing.  You don't have to worry when you're fishing.  They could tell when a squall was going to be likely so they could avoid those.  They knew what to watch for with the nets breaking so they could avoid that too.  You go out, you fish, you come back, you fix nets, you do it again tomorrow.  Consistent that is what it was.  And nothing in their lives had been very consistent since they left the beak nearly four years earlier.

The easy thing is to go back.  Going back means giving up.  Giving up means you don't have to try so hard anymore or worry so much.  Going back means the familiar.  But going back also means missing out.  If you go back you may know what your life will be like, but you won't know what it could be.  You may not have to worry about what's next, but you will still worry.  You may not have to work so hard, but very few things that have worth come free or easy.

Jesus disciples weren't sure what to do so they went back.  Let me encourage you to keep moving forward. If you don't know where to go or what to do next use that time to take a break and pray for guidance and wisdom.  The life of faith is not about going back, it's about moving closer.  Closer to God through His Son Jesus Christ.  Closer to each other through community and relationships.  Closer to the heart of God in loving Him and loving others.

Satan wants you to go back.  Back to your old habits, hang-ups, addictions, abuses and vices.  Christ is calling you to keep walking forward with Him.  There may be new challenges but there will also be new life, new strength and new hope.

I like sweet tea.  No I am not from the South.
Glad that is out in the open!
I have been in the office all day prepping for Sunday, cleaning up my desk, tying off all the loose ends for this weekend and getting graphics ready for next weekend... which just reminded me of another thing I need to do!

So I am a little tired after the trip to Emporia last night to listen to my son, Trevor's, last Jazz Band concert of his freshman year at Emporia State University.  I need a little pick me up so I brewed some tea and in preparation for the hot elixir I dumped some sugar in the bottom of the gallon canister I keep it in.  When the tea was ready I poured it in and noticed something interesting.  The very hot tea which easily melted the sugar hadn't got to the bottom of the pitcher.

When I poured the hot tea in it melted a layer of the sugar on top which became like a sweet shield that kept the hot tea on top and let the rest of the sugar underneath intact.  I had to actually get a large spoon and puncture that shell in order to let the hot tea completely mix with the rest of the sugar so that it liquefied and and became "part" of the tea.

While sitting here I have been thinking about that sugar and how it protected itself from the hot tea.  I think I have acted like that sugar.  When presented with an "opponent" that threatens to destroy me I form a shield.  I let just enough of me get exposed so that the shell hardens and protects what is underneath.  I think I do that in my Spiritual walk too.  I have been burned by people, by trust, by my faith.

The problem is that this shell I have formed keeps me from becoming something better.  I insulate my self from the heat and then also from growth.  James 1 says that trials actually produce something good in us.  Like sweet tea, if I don't let the heat in I'm no good!  When the heat comes and I embrace it I can become something better than I would have without it.

So here's to a BIG cup of sweet tea and a little personal growth to boot.

Not sure what you did Easter weekend but here at the links to Real Life's Easter weekend service called AWAKEN, at the Civic Center on April 8,
http://rlccmsgs.blogspot.com/2012/04/awaken-part-1-easter-2012.html

and part 3 of the AWAKEN series on April 22, 2012.
http://rlccmsgs.blogspot.com/2012/04/awaken-part-3.html

God's best to you in your life as you follow Him!

I suppose the first thing that I should do is clarify the title of this post.  Jesus didn't pray... like we do.  In fact, Jesus prayers seem really strange to me.  So today I thought I'd work through His prayers and see what we might learn about prayer from the greatest pray-er of all time.

In Matthew 15 Jesus feeds the 5,000 + with just a small meal.  He does this by praying, well, to be precise the text says, "after He had given thanks..." So, we know He thanked God for what He had provided.  But I wonder how He prayed that prayer?  If it would have been you or me we might have prayed something like, "Heavenly Father, You know these people need to eat and You have provided only a small meal for one person.  There is not enough for everyone but I know You can do all things.  If it be Your will that these people eat please increase this meal somehow so that we could all eat and be filled.  In Jesus Name, Amen."

But did Jesus ever pray a prayer like that?  Did He ever question what God's will was?  Did He ever ask for things like we do?

Jesus did pray concerning God's will once.  It was the night He was to be betrayed.  He prayed that His Father find another way to pay the price for the sins of the world, but that ultimately the Father's will would be carried out.  He was basically saying, Father, this is going to be really hard.  If there is another way that would be wonderful, but I know that You brought me to this moment and that it has to be this way.  May I always do what You will.

Now, You may ask about the passage where Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray.  He instructs them to pray about God's will being freely accomplished here on earth as His will and reign are in Heaven.  That we ask God to provide for our daily needs out of His abundance.  That we remember to confess our sins and seek forgiveness for them even as we are given the strength to forgive others that harm us.  And that God help us to avoid temptations in our daily life and deliver us from evil or from the evil one (that's about protection).

But when Peter and John are on their way to the Temple to "pray" they meet a lame man on the way.  And here there is no record of Peter or John praying that God would heal this man.  Peter just says, we don't have money to give you but, get up and walk.  So even Peter doesn't seem to pray before He healed someone.

The fact is, Jesus was always doing the will of His Father.  Perhaps that is why we don't see Him praying like we would in these situations.  We are not told of His prayers before He healed someone.  When presented with a need Jesus simply touched, spoke, made mud or gave instructions and the person was healed.  We don't hear of Jesus praying that God's will would be accomplished or asking God what He wanted to happen in this situation.

In John 11 Jesus performs an incredible miracle, He actually brings Lazarus back from the dead after four days.  It was a shining moment for Jesus and the disciples as this event has to increase their faith in Him as the Messiah and Son of God.  And on this rare and special occasion Jesus prays.  Again we might expect to hear, "if it be Your will bring Lazarus back from the dead."  or "God what is impossible with man is possible with You."  But in this strange and wonderful moment Jesus prays His most awkward prayer.  "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Then, in a breath He simply says, "Lazarus!  Come out!"

So here's my prayer and my conclusion (to this point - I reserve the right to change my mind).  Heavenly Father, give me the boldness of faith to speak.  To put Your reputation and Your power and Your love on the line for the benefit of someone else that I do not have the power to help except to invoke Your Name and speak on Your behalf.  Do not let me be content any longer to pray in my home or office that You heal someone, but boldly speak to their illness or disease like You have already decided to heal them.  To put myself and Your power out in plain view so that when it is discovered that You had already healed them Your Name is honored and glorified among us.  God may You Name be praised and may you make us bold so that the whole world may know that You are God.

Female Cochineal insects are flat and wingless

I wasted time while eating a salad for lunch by reading an article from Starbucks that popped up on Facebook about something called Cochineal Extract.  If you are so inclined to wasting time you can read the article for yourself here.  Anyway, turns out Starbucks has used this Cochineal Extract to color stuff they serve red.  It is a natural food colorant that is used pretty much everywhere.  Seen a red velvet cake?  You've seen Cochineal Extract at work.  Here's where it gets a bit interesting... only a bit, (pun intended and you'll see why in a second).  Cochineal extract comes from an insect by the same name.  The Cochineal insect is dried and then mashed to get the red coloring.  Now, before you get grossed out you need to think about all the other things that you eat and where they came from or what was crawling on them before it got to you.

Anyway, this is not about the bugs that color things so well.  Apparently some vegetarians were upset with Starbucks for using this cute little bug to color about four food items and two drinks.  And instead of simply not ordering the bug-colored offerings they launched an attack against Starbucks to force them to stop using this extract so they could enjoy the offered items without the guilty conscience that comes from bug consumption.

Well, Starbucks caved and is now implementing a plan to use another food and human-consumption-safe extract made from tomatoes - which are apparently fine to kill and mash because, after all, they have no feelings.  Anyway!  This is not what peaked my interest either...

No, what I was interested in was the fact that no matter what Starbucks (or any of us) tries to do someone will be upset.  See, I read the comments section of the post (which was far more interesting) to see how the general audience at Starbucks felt.  You guessed it.  Some of them loved it!  Yeah!  No more insect consumption!  And some of them thought it was just pandering to the vocal minority, Birkenstock wearing hip Seattle crowd.

So here's what I've decided.  I will never make everyone happy, nor with the church I lead.  So, I want to make decisions based on what I believe God is doing and the direction He is leading, as well as what the intended result is.  I want to be able to say that I did what I did because it was where/what God was leading me to.  The same for the church.  Our music is loud.  We offer free custom coffees.  We wear jeans and t-shirts.  Not because we think its the only way, but because we want to use whatever means we can to connect with people who are far from God so that we might have opportunity to connect them with their Savior who will absolutely change their lives.

I do what I do as a leader in Christ's church to connect with as many people as possible in order to share the Gospel with as many as possible.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan - what a fantastic movie pair... I guess that's why my wife moved You've Got Mail to the top of our queue on Netflix.  Well, she also wanted out daughter to see it.  I supposes she's also put Sleepless in Seattle and Joe vs the Volcano on there too.  Anyway, we watched this movie the other night and aside from having to explain to our 16 year old daughter what AOL was and what life was like back in the "olden days" it was a pretty good evening.

It was so funny to see the two characters waiting expectantly for their computers to "connect" so they could log into AOL and check their mail.  Who would have thought we'd soon have always-on, high-speed connections to the internet and do nearly everything from our computers, online?  So fun to remember 56k dial up modems as I sit here at my desk at Real Life with my Cox Business High-Speed wireless connection.  That dial up noise is one thing I do not miss!

Well, back to the reason I brought all this up.  In the movie the two main characters are always waiting for their connection.  And in once scene Meg's character is waiting at a restaurant for Tom's character to show up only she doesn't know it's him she's waiting for.  And when he shows up she's mad at him.  Now, you'll just have to go rent the movie and watch it again, but it's really quite interesting - including the part where they finally meet in AOL chat and it's this really big deal.  Which is funny because my kids don't know what it's like to NOT have instant chat on the computer or their cell phones wherever they are.

Okay, so let's get to the point of all this.  I was reading today in John 11, you might know that as the chapter where Jesus brings Lazarus back to life after he's been dead for four days.  This was actually the chapter and story I taught on for our Easter services at the Civic Center that kicked off our AWAKEN message series.  But there is some other stuff going on in this passage that has to do with the religious leaders that caught my eye.

Jesus has just healed Lazarus and everyone knows it.  But the Jewish leaders have been looking for a way and time to kill Jesus.  So when they get the news that He's just brought a dead guy back to life they are furious.  In fact, they said to each other, "What do we do now" (verse 47) which is interesting in and of itself. What would YOU do if someone you knew just came back to life after four days dead?  I think I'd believe whatever the life-bringer said about who He was or what He was doing!  But that's not all just nine verses later as they talked they ask, "Do you think He'll show up at the feast or not?"

That last one got me thinking.  How often do I, or you, ask this question in our hearts?  Will He show up?  Every time we get into a difficult situation we wonder, will He show up this time?  Maybe He's come to your rescue before and so you wonder if He'll show up this time because you've done the same dumb thing He had to rescue you from earlier.  Do you think He'll show up when the doctor gives you the bad news?  Will He be there when the bottom drops out of your world?  What about when your kid gets in trouble and you don't know what else to do or threaten?  Will He be there then?  Will He show up when you're alone in your room, in the dark, and there is no one to stop you from carrying out your plan?  Do you think He'll show up in the middle of YOUR life and do something incredible?

You don't have to wait for your prayer to upload.  You don't have to worry if your phone has connection.  And God will never play games with you.  The Bible tells us He's there, always, like a super-high-speed connection that is never interrupted by the storms of life or power failures.  He's always there.  He will ALWAYS show up because He's NEVER left you.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't rely on your own understanding or wisdom or even eye sight, in all that you do acknowledge that He's God and He'll direct your paths.  He'll show up.  He'll help you.

You've got mail.  It's a message from God sent through His Son Jesus Christ that simply says, "Here I am, right where I've always been, waiting for you to open the door and let me in."  He will never leave you or forsake you, you'll never have to ask, "Will He show up?"

I'm prepping for the message this Sunday and have decided to use Luke 8 as the main text for the message.  Specifically verses 49-56 which is where Jesus brings the dead daughter of Jairus back to life.  We'll also be looking at another passage in Luke 8 and one in Luke 7 both where the people involved thought there was no hope for their lives/situations.

In the Luke 8:54 passage Luke talks about how Jesus... wait, I don't want to give the whole thing away so I'll be a little vague... let's just say the people are laughing at Jesus because of what He said.  And Luke starts verse 54 with "But He" and it just struck me with such force.

But He.  If what followed those two little words was something like, "but He was wrong..." we wouldn't probably give it another thought.  But he doesn't.  What follows is something incredible.  I found another passage with those very words.  In Luke 4:30 Jesus has been preaching and the crowd becomes furious with Him and begins to press in and pick up stones to kill Him, "But He" walked right through them to safety.

Amazing isn't it.  You could add those two words to anything and completely change how you feel about the situation.  When the disciples where in the boat and it was sinking in the squall and they finally went to Jesus and said, "Don't you care that we are going to die?"  But He wasn't scared.  He spoke to the wind and waves and they calmed.

Maybe today you are worried about the storms that are being predicted for our area this weekend.  But He isn't worried.  There's never been a storm yet Jesus couldn't calm with a word.

Maybe you're scared because your marriage is on rocky ground and you don't know what the future holds.  But He holds the future.

Your job or car or kids are giving you all kinds of problems... But He is always steady and never shaken.

Whatever you're going through there's a "But He..." at the end.

Your spouse may walk out on you.  But He will never leave you or forsake you.
You may be facing a serious illness.  But He made our bodies and heals the sick.
You may think you'll never experience joy or peace in your life.  But He gives them freely to those who believe.
You may have had a horrible father who abused you and treated you terribly.  But He is kind and loving and always does what is best for you.
You don't know where you next meal is coming from.  But He does.
You don't know if you can make it to your next paycheck.  But He's already made a way.
You don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow.  But He holds your past, present and future in His hands.
You don't think you can ever be forgiven or accepted or loved.  But He already died for YOU.  But He already paid your price.  But He knew you and loved you in the middle of your sin... binge... abuse... addiction... pain... hate... fear...

You may not know what to do.  But He's got this.

Been trying to process last weekends services at the Civic as Real Life celebrated Easter and kicked off a new message series called AWAKEN.  It's funny how a moment or two can completely change your perspective and completely change how you view the future.  I thought AWAKEN could be a big weekend for us but I had no idea God wanted to bless it in such an incredible way.  I figured that we might have a total attendance for the weekend of maybe 150, boy was I wrong.

Some might say I didn't have much faith.  Maybe.  I feel better about saying I just didn't have a great expectation.  I thought we'd have more than normal but I was unprepared for the number of people who just continued to pour into the Civic Center Saturday and Sunday.  When it was all said and done we had counted 260 people between the two services and estimated about 60 of those Sunday had attended Saturday night.  So we had a total of 200 different individuals celebrate Easter weekend with us.

On top of that we were able to baptize nine people into Jesus Christ and who knows how many others God has been working on during the week!  I heard from so many different people, statements like, "If I would have known church could be like this I would have come a long time ago."  or "This is not what I expected church to  be like, I will definitely be back next week."  It was also amazing to me that people both nights hung around after the service was over and talked and ate and got drinks, like they didn't really want to leave!  What a grace soaked, Holy Spirit involved weekend!

Real Life exists to help every person possible find real life through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  And since He is the only way to eternal life, real life, we want to make sure that everybody knows how to enter into that relationship.  See, it's not about us.  It's not about comfort.  It's not about getting our church quota in for the week or month.  Life is about connecting with people so we can have the opportunity to connect them with Jesus.  AWAKEN was just that, an opportunity to connect with people, but our ultimate goal is to help them see what life could really be like with Jesus.

So, aside from the things I could have done better, that will have to be improved on in the coming weeks and certainly if we do that again, here's what I think God was saying to me over and over again last weekend.  "Look at what could be.  See what I see."

I've been here since the beginning when less than a dozen people met in my living room.  We had big dreams.  But life and difficulties have a way of pounding some of those dreams down into more "realistic" hopes.  I thought God was telling me the possibilities are bigger than I have thought possible.  One of our Elders, Bob, said to me yesterday as we talked about the number of people who were there for AWAKEN, "...and there are a lot more people in El Dorado who aren't connected to Jesus."  The field is indeed large.  The harvest within that field could fill the Civic Center multiple times each weekend.  There is lots more to do.  And bigger dreams to be dreamed.

I was reading in John 7 today and the Holy Spirit just kept pounding me with the idea that God's time is always right.  He is never late.  He is never early.  When we try to rush Him we mess things up and end up falling on our faces.  When we are too late we miss out the full measure of His plan.  But when He acts and we respond on time He brings together our willingness and faith with His blessing and plan and the results are more and better than we ever imagined.

So here's the bottom line.  God's got a bigger plan for Real Life to continue to connect with the disconnected and share the hope of real life in Christ with those who are trying to find some meaning and hope in this life.  And when we wait and watch and pray, He will show us the right time and way to respond to all that He wants to accomplish through us for His glory.

Are you ready?  God's got more coming...

One of the great movies of my youth was The Last Starfighter.  I have watched it many times and it's always exciting when I find it on Netflix and watch it again.  In one scene Alex Rogan is trying to make a decision when the trailer park manager gives him some sage advice, telling him essentially that when opportunity knocks you got to "grab it with both hands and hold on tight."  

On Easter Christians around the world will be celebrating the life of Jesus - risen and new.  But did you know that Jesus wasn't the only one to raise from the dead?  There were many people Jesus raised from the dead in different circumstances and situations.  Can you imagine that moment when life and breath once again entered your body?  Your eyes burst open and your lungs filled with life-giving air, like coming up out of the water!  Did you know that dead bodies are not the only things that Jesus can AWAKEN?  Imagine that moment when you realize that your hopes are NOT dead yet.  Your dreams CAN come true.  New life can come to your relationships and you can AWAKEN to a life you always dreamed of but never knew you wanted.

Join us this Saturday, April 7th at 6pm and Sunday, April 8th at 10am for AWAKEN and see what God wants to bring back to life for YOU!
AWAKEN happens on Saturday and Sunday at the El Dorado Civic Center - 201 E. Central.

Have you ever said something like, "God, if you would just tell me what your plan is I would... (believe, follow, trust, obey)."  We think that if we knew what God was up to we would just follow Him and go along our merry way and everything would be roses.  But is that really the case?  Does knowing the truth actually make it any easier to follow?  To obey?  To trust?

Let me play this scenario for you.  A young lady is in love and her boyfriend beats her up.  He comes back later and apologizes and says he loves her and would NEVER hurt her and just wants to be with her again and so she lets him back in. Repeat the process.  Often, even though we know the truth, we chose to live as though it were NOT true.

This hit home with me this morning as I read in Luke 24 the story of the group of women who went to the tomb early Sunday morning.  Sometime between the setting of the sun on Saturday and it's rising on Sunday morning the women had mixed (prepared) a large amount of spices with which to pour over the decomposing body of Jesus.  They would have done this prior to His burial but it was so close to the beginning of the Sabbath that they could not risk it.  It was against the law to do any work on the Sabbath, let alone the fact that had they come in contact with Jesus dead body they would have been ceremonially unclean and so unable to celebrate the Passover, though I doubt that would have had much impact on their decision.  There was not much to celebrate on this Sabbath.

Probably, by candle light, either late Saturday night or very early Sunday they mixed the spices together, perhaps with water or olive oil and put the mixture in jugs to get it to the tomb.  But something very unexpected happens when they get there.  Not only are the soldiers who had been stationed there under penalty of death gone missing, but the stone had been rolled away and when they looked inside the body of Jesus was gone - only the linen wrappings that had encased His body had been left.  The wrappings, which they were going to use to hold the spices next to His body were laying, folded in on themselves as though whatever they had been wrapped around had disappeared, like popping a balloon encased in plaster.

If all this was not enough for them to take in they suddenly saw a man, glowing who talked to them about Jesus.  He asked them why they were looking for the living One among the tombs of a cemetery and then said in Luke 24:6 (MSG), "Remember how He told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?"  Then verse 8 tells us, "Then they remembered Jesus' words."

Jesus had been painfully clear on this point to both the women and the disciples and everyone else.  He would suffer.  He would be beaten and killed on a cross.  He would be buried and three days later rise from the dead.  He told them exactly what was going to happen, more than once.  And if that wasn't enough the disciples had all the prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures which clearly pointed to the same set of events.  They knew the truth, but didn't live like it.

Jesus said that the words He spoke were truth.  I wonder how many other true things have been told us that we refuse to live our lives by?  For instance, the Bible says that we are MORE than over-comers - but we often act more like the overcome.  The Bible says we are FREE in Christ - but we live confined and condemned.  Jesus said we would have POWER through the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives - but we are weak.

What TRUTH have you set aside as you live your life?  Don't waste your time preparing spices to cover the stench of your dying dreams, hopes, relationships, walk in the truth of Real Life through Jesus Christ who forgives sin and restores hope and brings dead stuff back to life.

I know, I know, you think the answer to this question is obvious.  Surely you've heard all the comebacks.
Don't judge me.
Only God can judge me.
Don't judge or you'll be judged.
Even the Bible says not to judge other people.
Let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone.

We've heard them all.  But are they true? When one of these arguments is made what is usually going on?  Someone is being told that what they are doing is wrong.  This tends to make people angry.  And don't think it just happens between some left wing activist and a right wing big brother.  This kind of argument crops up in the church among people of faith all the time.

But I want to know if it is an appropriate argument?  Are we really supposed to just let anybody do anything because we are told NOT to judge?  Can we take no moral stand against anything?

Let me just be really straight-forward.  I am convinced that 99% of the time this arguments is used there is some sort of sin at the heart of it.  And the person saying, "don't judge me" is really saying, "don't tell me what to do."  Or, "I know I shouldn't be doing this but I don't want to stop."  The "don't judge me" card is just the easiest way to get out of the conversation.

So here's the low-down, nitty-gritty about judging others, straight from God's Word.
Paul said, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters.  In that case you would have to leave this world.  But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people" (1 Corinthians 5:9-11).

Paul then says, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?  Are we not to judge those inside?"  He then commands the church in Corinth to, "expel the wicked person from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:12,13).

So here's the answer to the question, is it ever right to judge someone?  Yes ... and, No .
Yes.  If the person IS a believer in Jesus Christ we are OBLIGATED to judge their behaviors and take corrective action when necessary.  Not based on our own judgment but on the judgement of God's Holy Word.
No.  If the person is NOT a believer in Jesus Christ we are not working from the same play book and therefore have no right to judge them.  Paul says we must leave the judging in that situation to God.

As a pastor this issue irritates me to no end.  When Christians complain about having their actions judged or get angry with other believers for "judging" them I start to get upset.  If you are actively involved in sin it is every other Christians right and duty to call you out.  And the Bible says that the desired response is one of repentance and restoration (see Matthew 18:15-17).

Look at it this way.  Let's say that I'm the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.  Would I have any right to got to a Giants training camp and start telling their receivers they were running the wrong routes?  Zagging when they should have zigged?  NO!  We're not on the same team!  We don't use the same play book or listen to the same coach.  They would have every right to kick me out of their camp.  But with my own team, if someone turns left when they were supposed to go right, now I can stop them and correct the issue, both for their benefit, my benefit and the benefit of the whole team.

No Christian (an individual who claims Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior) should EVER use the, don't judge me, argument.  It is unbiblical to pretend to be autonomous when you are so closely connected to other believers through the Holy Spirit.

Now, before you start throwing stones at me, there is something else we need to look at.  It is true that, "with the measure you use it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 7:2). So we must be careful not to be overly critical in judgement.  No one is perfect - but that doesn't give someone else a get-out-of-jail-free card.  My sin does not nullify God's Word for your life.  Yes I sin, but that doesn't mean I can't point out your sin.  It just means I should be as loving and merciful in dealing with your sin as I would hope you would be in dealing with mine.

Being a judgmental person is no fun for you or for anyone else.  But for the sake of holiness among us we MUST judge those who are fellow Christians so that we might keep Satan at bay.  Tolerance is Satan's joy ride and, "don't judge me" is the ticket.

If we love God we will address sin when it is obvious.  If we love others will we address that sin with as much grace and mercy as Jesus Christ showed to us on the cross, seeking repentance and restoration, not condemnation.  If we keep our mouths closed I guess that means we don't love God or others...

Now, if you're going to get angry with me about this post remember, don't judge me if you don't want to be judged.

Went for a run today - it's beautiful outside today after all the rain we've had.  While I was running I was thinking and praying as I often do... in between the cries of pain.  I was thinking about some of the mistakes I've made recently.  Financial mistakes.  Interpersonal mistakes.  Leadership mistakes.  I was just thinking that I hoped God could forgive me and help me not make them in the future.  I was feeling a little bad about it because the mistakes we make always have consequences and most of the time we would rather not have to endure those.  Anyway, while I was running the Holy Spirit spoke a verse to my heart.

God works all things together for good, to those who love Him and all called according to His purpose.

I had to ask myself a question.  Do I believe in God and what the Bible says or not?  If I don't really believe it then I could just by-pass that passage and go on to something else and continue asking God to forgive and help.  If I DO believe then I must trust that God spoke that verse into existence and that He meant it.

Since I do believe the Bible is God's Word to mankind I have to adjust m life to His Word, not the other way around.  God works ALL things together for good.  So here's what I was thinking...

• God works.  He is always working.  He has never stopped working since creations fall.  He is working to reconcile mankind to Himself through Jesus Christ.  He is forgiving. Merciful.  Just. And Loving beyond measure.  And He works.  Always.
• All Things are under His control.  God is not limited to my successes.  He can work through my failures as well.  If the only thing God could was take good and make it better He would have a LOT of free time on His hands.  The Bible says that there is no one good - not even one.  And I mess up WAY more than  I succeed.  But God is not limited.  He works through the things I do well and the things I totally bomb!  He can work ALL things.  Good, bad and ugly.
• He works all things for the good.  God is not sitting in heaven keeping track of my failures and counting them against me so that He can watch me suffer through the consequences.  He is constantly working in my life and yours to bring about the best good for His Kingdom and for us through our triumphs and our tragedies.  He is never working for evil in our lives, He is ALWAYS working for good.