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.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, December 7, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
