A Few More Days of Opportunity

Don't miss a great week of unprecedented opportunity. What better time to tell people about Christ - these are some of the best days of the year. Be counter-cultural!

When relatives of the Titanic passengers awaited word in the Liverpool office of the White Star Lines, their eyes were fixed to two huge boards with two lists. All of their hopes and dreams for loved ones were either lost or they lived on depending on which list posted the name for which they held vigil.

The lists? They were simply titled "Known to be saved" and "Known to be lost."

Same lists we have today. The only lists that matter.

Don't forget your "Known to be lost" list. Don't forget that friend, neighbor, co-worker, or relative who needs to know Christ. Don't be so caught up in your preparation and joy during the season that you lose sight of those without hope and true joy.

For someone to move from the "Known to be lost" to the "Known to be saved" list, we must be intentional rescuers.

What if we prayed what Ron Hutchcraft calls the "3-open prayer" every day for the next week? "Lord, open a door...open their heart...open my mouth."

What if every day for the next week we made it a point to tell one person the meaning of Christmas? It could be a statement as simple as, "I have a message from God for you; Merry Christmas! God wants you to know He loves you."

How many people could we impact in one short week?

God, open a door daily...open the hearts You send me to...open my mouth so You can speak through me.

Global Warming?

I don't know about where you live, but here in Arkansas we are definitely experiencing a period of intense global warming. I am an extremely hot-natured person; I keep the coldest office in our building and have been known to drive around in the winter with my a/c on. I typically wear gym shorts, a t-shirt, and walk around my house barefooted all winter long. HOWEVER, even I must say, if we get much more global warming around here I'm gonna FREEZE TO DEATH!

I got thinking this cold a.m. about this whole global warming business. Al Gore and the whole lot of them ought to be in prison for fraud. Do you know how much they have made and are making? Do you know how much they are taking out of our pockets with their bad science?

O.K. before I get off on a raging tangent, here's the truth we (believers) need to latch onto regarding global warming: If you say it loud enough and long enough, no matter how flawed, how deceptive, how ridiculous, people will eventually believe it. We've seen that proven time and time again. Need I remind you of a phrase that has plagued us since the 60's? Separation of church and state - NOWHERE is that in our Constitution but it has been said so long...

Here's my point: with ridiculous, unprovable beliefs out there (like global warming and church/state separation), why are we not defending our faith loud enough and long enough? Why are we sitting back watching our society go to hell (literally) on all sorts of false beliefs when we know the Truth?!

You know, people will believe almost anything without checking it out. If they read it on the internet or hear it on the television (give me a sec here to calm down and not run down that path), if it is posted on wikipedia - it's just true isn't it?

Yet, we have the Truth. We have information they can check out and it will stand the test. Why aren't we saying more? I think most of us feel inadequate defending our faith and speaking up. We say that and it makes us feel better about doing nothing doesn't it?

Well, sorry, that's no excuse anymore. There are all kinds of simple tools out there to help us all learn to articulate the Truth. We just need to decide it's important. We just need to realize it's important to our Lord.

As you think about commitments (o.k. resolutions) you would make for the next year, maybe one should be to start telling the truth about the Truth.

There are lots of helpful options out there; here's a couple to get you started. If you are an intellectual, a deep thinker, check out Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell. If you are more of a "put the cookies on the bottom shelf" person like I am (look at me, it's obvious I've had too many cookies), then check out some of the books by Lee Strobel like The Case for Faith or The Case for Christ.

It is not difficult to learn to share and defend truth. We must do it. It does no good to curse the darkness if you're unwilling to light a candle.

God help me speak the truth.

Keep Christ in Christmas!

Many years ago, after prayer was removed from the public schools, I read an article about a Senator who was being grilled at a town hall meeting. People were furious about prayer being removed. He sympathized with them, but they still were quite hostile toward him. Finally he asked, "How many of you pray with your children each day before they go to school?" The room grew quiet, end of discussion.

It is so easy to complain about the way things are, to hold others responsible, yet do little ourselves to bring about change.

I was thinking about this whole movement in recent years to take Christ out of Christmas. Should we protest, should we write lettes, should we boycott stores? Certainly...but we should do much more. Instead of just complaining about culture, we should look at our own lives to see if they reflect Christ in our celebration of Christmas.

What kind of gifts are we giving Him? It is His birthday, not ours. Nothing wrong with giving gifts to our loved ones, but don't we often leave Him out? Since our children were very young, we have made it a priority in our family to give the largest gift each year (by monetary value) to the Lord - we do that through our church's world mission offering. This year the Lord has blessed us so that we were able to give a gift larger than all other gifts combined. I share this not to boast about our family - it is to brag on God; He has been good, we are delighted to give a big birthday gift to Him.

What about how we demonstrate Christ in Christmas to others? Are we sharing His love in a tangible way with the poor? Are we sending a Merry Christmas to our soldiers who are in harms way so we may celebrate our Lord's birthday? Are we convinced that knowing the Lord of Christmas is so important that we give to support missionaries or send them letters of encouragement?

Are we spreading the joy of Christmas? Just because that store employee says "Happy Holidays" doesn't mean we can't respond with a warm, heartfelt "Merry Christmas." (In fact, many may be encouraged to hear that while working in such politically correct oppressive environments). When we are caught up in the hustle and bustle of people and lines, ineptness and rudeness, can we be pleasant and bring a little joy into the mix?

There are lots of ways to keep Christ in Christmas no matter what culture is doing. Remember, if you are a Christian, you are a "little Christ." Where you go, His image goes. Ask Him each day to direct your steps, your words, your actions. Share the joy; keep Christ in Christmas.

God help others see Christ this Christmas when they see me.

Walking the Walk

By now you have probably seen or at least heard about the movie The Blind Side.

Today I ran across an interesting "behind the scenes" story.

Sandra Bullock who plays the part of Leigh Anne Tuohy was really impacted by the genuine faith she observed when meeting and getting to know Leigh Anne. Sandra described Leigh Anne's faith as authentic. Bullock said, "...wow, I finally met someone who practices but doesn't preach."

Bullock, like many non-believers has seen plenty of hypocritical Christians, people who talk a lot about church or faith but don't seem to walk the talk.

The article reminded me of a high school student that a friend of mine discipled several years ago. Charlie had a best friend all through high school that he tried to reach for Christ. They did everything together and Charlie continually invited his friend to church. After dozens of times turning him down, his friend finally said, "Charlie, the only difference between you and me is that you go to church."

Charlie was crushed by the assesment and talked to his mentor who encouraged him to start walking like he was talking. After just a few weeks, Charlie's friend asked
to go to church with him. That Sunday, an excited Charlie picked up his friend only to get to church and discover the pastor was preaching on money! No matter, when the invitation came, Charlie's friend went forward and told the pastor, "I want a Savior just like Charlie's!"

I wonder if people notice something different about me. Am I just a talker (faker) or am I really living like Christ? Do those I encounter day to day see me as someone who practices or just preaches? Is the Lord of my life the Savior they need?

God help me have an authentic walk that creates a desire for my Savior.

Just Look At Them

This past Sunday, John and Jamie Zumwalt, founders of Heart of God ministries, were here as our mission speakers. I couldn't begin to tell you all the hard-hitting, make you think statements they made, but one thing Jamie said really stuck with me. She was ministering to women at a conference in India; at the end of the conference, the program personalities were going to pray individually for each of the 200 women. Jamie was praying over women telling them how beautiful and precious to God they were, but was not making eye contact (in that culture women won't usually look you in the eye). God spoke to Jamie and simply said, "Look at them." What a difference those words of encouragement and prayer made when they were heard by the ears AND seen by the eyes.
I thought about how often I plan mission/ministry trips and events, carry out details, write checks or spend money...doing whatever I need to do to make ministry happen, BUT I fail to "look at them." I'm so busy "meeting needs" that I miss what those in need really need - a look of love from the Savior, a look that tells them they are important, a look the restores dignity and humanity.
One of my favorite ministry passages is Jesus handing off the ministry to the disciples at the end of Matthew 9. It is also a picture of Jesus great burden for people. Verse 36 says, "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them..."
He saw the crowds; He didn't see just a mass of people, He saw individuals and the great needs they had. Go back and read through the Gospels - when Jesus ministered to people, He pulled them close, He looked into their eyes, He touched, He got involved.
The people I minister to don't just need my money or my attention to detail; they need my attention to them. They need what I have to offer to them physically, yes, but even more they need what I can offer to their soul and spirit.
As we enter a holiday season where we are all busy, going and running and doing, it will be easy to not take the time and look at people. I don't have time to ask that weary looking checker or waitress, "How are you doing?" I really don't have time for the answer, don't want to hear it. Sounds pretty horrible doesn't it?
If I don't have time for people, time to look them in the eye, time to engage them and speak encouraging words to them, then I guess I don't have time for the things of God, for what's on His heart.

God help me "look at them."

If you haven't read this blog before and want a little more food for thought on being attentive to people, check out the post on Nov. 10 titled "Who's Slowing You Down?"

A Goodbye Without A Hello

Yesterday I helped a young mother and father bury their little girl. Terri Grace will never read these words; I simply wanted to honor a little girl who never took a breath on this earth and yet was a great joy and gift of God to her parents and all who are a part of their lives.

Terri Grace Dickinson (11/6/09 - 11/6/09)

Goodbye is hard with no hello,
Yet we are glad for the gift of your life.

Thank-you little girl for the special time we had to share your life before you left.

Thank-you for reminding us of our God: His love, His goodness, His grace and peace.

Thank-you for reminding us in death of the hope we have in eternity – the hope of being with our Lord and seeing you again.

Today we honor you by accepting your departure and cherishing your memory.

Today we honor you by releasing you to the care of Jesus and by thanking Him for His goodness to us and to you.

Today we honor you by expressing our gratitude for your life.

We are grateful for the gift of your brief life, for the love, hope, and joy it brought to us.

We are grateful in our grief for the privilege of having you for even a brief time.

We are grateful that while now we say goodbye, soon it will be hello.

Sweet gift from God, you will always be with us; you live on in our hearts as love.

Mercy on Me

I'm really not all that much of an emotional person (except when it comes to my family), but right now I cannot stop the tears from flowing. I'm just having a moment when I am overwhelmed by God's love for me. Usually these moments happen during a worship service - they are not very often, but when they come I cannot speak, only the tears spill out. Today it is odd - I am just sitting at my desk. This morning I was studying Romans 15. The last few verses in the first section of chapter 15 (vs.9-13) talk about God's mercy on the Gentiles. We were not part of the covenant. We were not included in the promises God made to the Israelite Patriarchs. Yet, God was willing to set Israel aside for a time in order for us to be brought in.

I know that, have known that, no big deal. I know that God's gift of salvation to me was something unearned, undeserved. BUT, I guess it just dawned on me today that although no man (Jew or Gentile) deserves God's mercy, as a Gentile I was not even part of the plan. I was not included, but God, in His mercy, made the decision to include me. Why me? Why, why, why? I am not worthy, I am not someone God needs, I am not someone who was God's friend, I am not part of His chosen people.

I don't know - it just hit me today like never before how great a gift my salvation is. It's a great gift period. AND it is a gift that was not intended for me, I have absolutey no reason to feel entitled (although that's exactly how I act sometimes) - God just decided to extend it to me in His mercy.

I can't explain it well. I've just realized that I have taken my salvation for granted and now I see that it is even a bigger gift than I ever understood.

After writing my notes down, I came across Kari Jobe singing Revelation Song. That pushed me over the edge. "Sing a new song to Him who sits on heaven's mercy seat!" In Romans 15:9-11 that is exactly what we Gentiles are told to do: to praise and sing hymns to His name.

I don't know what else to say; I am just blown away in a fresh and new way by the gift of salvation.

I couldn't add the link for some reason, but here is the address you can copy and paste into your browser. Take a minute, really listen to the words, really think about the mercy God has given you.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=c455e06ebd06647fc4de

God receive these tears as my expression of thanks. Help me NEVER take Your great gift for granted.

Who's Slowing You Down?

I was reading an article about a math teacher/blogger named Dan Myer. He decided to calculate which line is faster at the store - is it the express line with several people or the regular line behind one person with a half-full cart? He did his research - got cash register data, crunched the numbers, and...his conclusion was the shorter line is faster (even if it's not the express lane) because each extra person adds 48 seconds to the time in line. Every extra item in the cart only adds 2.8 seconds; so it is better to get in a line with 17 extra items than one extra person.

Now, before you go nuts like I will counting items and people and timing all this out to see if Dan is right, don't miss the point: we are always in such a big hurry and what is it that gets in our way? PEOPLE! People get in the way, slow us down, ruin our schedules. People. If only we didn't have to deal with them!

How great does that sound coming out of the mouth of a believer? But it is in our hearts a lot isn't it? Maybe I should never get in the express lane. Maybe I should always get in the longer line. That might give me more time to observe and think about people, maybe even pray for them.

"When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them..." - that would be Jesus in Mt. 9:36

Lord, help me not be in such a rush that I overlook people, people You care for, people You died for.

Got 4 minutes? Check out this video.

A Crappy Story

Read it all the way through before you think I'm using crude language or being judgmental.

A couple of weeks ago, a college-aged friend used the word "crap." I responded, "I don't use that word." As has happened before I got in return, "Yeah, right."

So, here's the story: When I graduated college, a buddy and I spent the summer working on a naval base in the Bahamas (great way to put some serious bucks in the bank). We roomed together in the baracks so we were around each other quite a bit. One day he pointed out that I said "crap" a lot. I denied. He rebutted and then commented that it was a strange word for someone going into ministry to be using; he encouraged me to think of what it stood for, what I used it in place of.

I agreed with him, but said I could stop and that it wasn't a habit. He laughed at the "not a habit" part, put a homemade bank on my desk and said, "Put a quarter in everytime you say it this week and then you can give the money to the base chapel on Sunday."

The first week, that little habit cost me $17.50 (let me do the math for you - that's 70 uses in one week)! By week four, I no longer had any "crap" in my vocabulary.

Now, I'm not being judgmental of those who use the word; in fact, I still have words/habits that are not very God-honoring. I simply am reminding myself (and you I suppose) that I need to continually be monitoring my words and actions if I truly want to be a reflection of Christ.

"Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." I John 2:6

God please help me look like, act like, talk like, walk like Christ.

And, the judges say:

We are in Belton TX for the Miss Univ. of Mary Hardin Baylor pageant which Sarah is in. I can't begin to tell you how incredibly beautiful my firstborn looked. If the campus didn't have signs that weapons were not allowed and if we weren't in a chapel, I would have gotten a big gun and flashed it around to all those male animals in the building.

Sarah didn't place. Crushing for a dad; I think I teared up more than she did.

What I was thinking though was about a line from The Bema which I presented here on Friday. Explaining the judgment, Jesus says, "On earth you judged by outward appearance..." Ouch, got me. Even though the pageant was not just about beauty, I am judging contestants by how they compare to my daughter - their appearance, speaking ability, etc. I don't know their hearts, their commitment to the Lord, nothing but what I see with externally focused, eyes of flesh.

The pageant, in the long run, won't really matter. Sarah was disappointed, but really not bothered all that much. It was just something new to do, a way to engage and meet friends - I think maybe she is more balanced than dad.

Maybe the pageant was more for me, to remind me that "...man looks at the outward appearance, but I (the Lord) look at the heart."
Well, I guess I need to go check my heart and then refocus.

God help me see with Your eyes and to remember only your judgement matters.

And The Judge says...

How Quickly We Forget

We are in Belton TX, not far from Ft. Hood where the shooting has just occurred. Lots of tension here, schools locked down, etc.
As we are listening to the radio and headed to our hotel. Anna Grace mentions the tight security and then says, "But you know, the thing is, after a few weeks people will forget and everything will go back to the way it was."
We've seen that played out time and time again haven't we? The sad thing is, that's also true of our spiritual life. We have a difficult or eye-opening time and we really call out to God, but then life gets better so we forget Him. Or we have a time where we really connect with God - we know we are in His presence and we are so blessed - then we walk on and life goes back to what it was.
You know, God told the Israelites to be careful when they got into the land and began to prosper, not to forget Him. You know the story. God knows how we are; we need to remember how we are - never forget who He is, what He has done, what He has done for you.

God, help my life never to be one where things get back to normal.

So, tomorrow I head to TX. Friday morning I will be presenting The Bema at the University Sarah attends (The Bema is the story of a businessman who is a Christian but not living for the Lord - on the day of his big deal, the rapture comes and he finds himself standing at the judgment of believers).
You know, as I work through the script, I have to be careful that I'm not just memorizing words but really getting the whole picture (kind of like when we sing choruses we know at church - are we just doing the song on auto-pilot or really worshipping the Lord?).
I digress. What has really been catching my attention lately is the two or three people Daniel (main character in Bema) meets that suffered for their faith. At one point Daniel even feels remorse that during his life on earth he did everything possible to avoid being inconvenienced, much less suffering for his faith.
I've just been thinking about the whole persecution thing a lot - maybe because of what's going on in our country, maybe because the church in America needs persecution to clean it up. (Maybe it is just my darker, pessimistic side). I just think it might come, even here, and I wonder how I'll do.
I read a monthly newmagazine from Voice of the Martyrs. If you've never heard of VOM, it is the voice for persecuted Christians around the world. Google Voice of the Martyrs and subscribe to the mag - it is free. BUT don't do it if you don't want your life disturbed. You will end up feeling like you have to do something - like at least writing letters to Christians who are imprisoned (really cool - I love doing that).
My point about VOM - as you read stories about those persecuted...they EMBRACE the suffering. Now, I'm not gonna run to it, but can I embrace it? Can I thank God in it? You know, Paul made clear that we (believers) share in the fellowship of His sufferings. That's a fellowship I've not had yet.
I don't want to get there, like Daniel, and feel like I've avoided it. I cannot imagine the incredible reward that will come to those who suffered (for a short time compared to all eternity). I don't know what God has or what may come. I just want to give it some thought and be ready so I don't dishonor him.

God, help me EMBRACE you totally, even in suffering.

Sometimes life is just rocking along, all good, going well, and then... I hate it when life is like that. I mostly hate the junk that happens when it is things I have caused myself. What is wrong with me? I am so Paul-like: the things that I want to do, I don't and the things I don't want to do, I do. Why is it so stinkin' hard to be like Christ? I guess the messes in life make us look forward to eternity, to our completion in Christ. I guess if we lived in a perfect world we wouldn't need God and faith, we wouldn't so look forward to going home. Living in a sinful, fallen world makes us long for Him. All of creation is frustrated (Romans 8) and all of us who are His eagerly await our adoption as sons and our redemption - when we will be perfected in Christ. In the meantime we struggle on. Maybe in the struggle, I'll learn a little more and be a little more like Him. Every little step is cause to rejoice - is there anything higher, more exciting, more rewarding than to be like Him?
Thank-you God for the down times that make me look up.