Merry Christmas

I love this time of year. I love celebrating and giving gifts. I love the emphasis on family and love. I know the main focus of Christmas is Jesus yet for me as a gift giver (love language) this time of year is awesome.
I also have this weird tradition of really decorating the inside of my house on Christmas Eve. Some of you have never seen pictures of ever heard of this fine tradition so I wanted to share some videos with you that might help you understand what exactly my family gets to experience in just a couple of hours (maybe I should be getting some sleep and not posting these videos...oh well)

My Mom Gives The Best Gifts

So my mom has this incredible ability to give Angie some of the best gifts ever. This year she decided to get her a Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree. Angie loved seeing this while she lived in Japan. We received the tree today and needless to say it made Angie cry when sh realized what it was. I have uploaded a few pictures into a slide show.

Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season.

Some Random Thoughts.

So it seems like it has been forever since I have posted anything. I mean it has been nearly 2 whole weeks. I have considered writing on a variety of different topics but nothing ever seem to come together in an intelligible format. So I have finally decided to write some random thoughts for you.

So have you ever considered what your purpose is in life? Have you ever asked God His purpose for you? What did you find out? If you have never taken the time to do this I would encourage you to as soon as you can.

Our reactions to the terrible events in our lives have an incredible impact on our relationship with God. I know one young man who was in a terrible accident and nearly died. He has chosen to view this as some sort of attack by God on Him. He looks at this as God abandoning Him. This has lead Him to conclude that God does not really exist. This is contrast to viewing the accident in light of God protecting Him from death. The bottom line is that if God had wanted him dead he would be dead right now. How do you usually react to adversity?

I love snow. I love watching my boys play in the snow. Anthony is still getting used to it but Aiden loved throwing snow balls at me. We all loved the snow ice cream. It was yummie!

Well those are some of the thoughts bouncing around in my head. Hope maybe you have gotten something out of all of this. :)

Sins of the Fathers

Have you ever thought about how your sins and choices will affect your children or even their children?

While God's grace and mercy can break any of the cycles of sins there is something to be said for the impact of our decisions on our children. In 2 Kings 5 we see how Gehazi's greed caused his descendants to have leprosy of some sort. At some level this does not seem fair to later generations. Why must they be punished for something they had not control over? I think this is where God's mercy and grace and our obedience comes in to play. If make the choice the follow God then we can be the ones to break the cycle.

I know for me this puts a greater significance on all of the decisions I make. So what decisions do you to make that could impact your kids (even if you don't have any yet)? Are you seeking out God's wisdom on your decisions? Do you seek to honor God in all that you do?

I hope so. I know I try and while I know that I fail on many different things, to do try. I rest on God's grace to overlook those times when I fail Him and others.

Fearful of God's Path or Plan

Have you ever known God's plan for you but have been scared to do what you know He is wanting you to do?

I have. In fact, I am in that place right now. I hope to be able to share more about the details of this plan in the near future. For now I think it will be best for everyone to say that God has been dealing with me on my own sermon from last Sunday. I have some people that I need to reconcile with. It is my hope that these issues will be resolved no later than the end of this coming week.

I am not sure I have ever been in a place like this. I have been nervous about doing something but I have never been this scared. I am not sure what the fear is about. I know in my head that it is Satan trying to prevent me from following God's path. Have you ever been in this kind of place? If so I would love to hear about it.

Division and Unity in the Church

I was wanting to put an outline of my sermon here but since I never made one and God changed things as I was preaching, I cannot put one here. However, you can listen to sermon here.

The Power of a Man of God

Do you realize the incredible power that a man or woman of God posses?

If you have accepted Christ as your Savior do you realize that the Holy Spirit lives within you? Do you understand what that means?

Do others around you see the power of God in your life?

In 2 Kings 1 we see what can happen when Christians truly live as though the have the power of God flowing through their veins. In this opening chapter of 2 Kings we read about how fire came down and consumed the enemies (the 2 captains) of Elijah the prophet. The King had sent these 2 captains to summon Elijah down from the Hill. These two men essentially attempted to order Elijah of of the hill. When the 3rd captain arrived he had learned from the mistakes of the first 2. He had a much different attitude when he approached the prophet. He humbled himself before Elijah and acknowledged that he was a "Man of God" and that because of this he had great power. Because of this change in attitude this captain's life and the lives of the 50 men with him were spared (unlike the 1st two groups).

So do people see the power of God in your life? If not, why not?

Is it because you are not living like the Holy Spirit lives in you or is it because the Holy Spirit does not live in you?

It is something to ponder on! :)

World War II and God

Some of you who read this know that my father was a WW II veteran. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division and made all of their combat jumps. He was incredible man and soldier. Sadly he died when I was 15 years old so I never got to hear some of those stories from war because I was always too young to know to ask. One of the stories I do know deals with the Battle of the Bulge.

If you have never heard of the Battle of the Bulge then you can read about it here. The entire battled lasted about a month. The US causalities during this month were 23,554 captured, 47,493 wounded and 19, 276 killed for a total of nearly 90,000 US casualties. This mean gave their lives in a valiant effort to win the bloodiest wars of all time. This war caused the death of over 50 million people. The blood that was spilled on these days would have a profound impact on the rest of the war. This was Germany's last great offensive and was truly the decisive victory on the Western Front.

While the sacrifices of these 19,000 men was great, it is nothing in comparison to the sacrifice of one man who died on a horrible and bloody cross nearly 2,000 years ago. The power of Christ blood and sacrifice is beyond anything that we can imagine. It has the power to transform lives. It has the power to rescue you and me from the pain and suffering of Hell.

If you have questions about this power, do not hesitate. There is no time like the present. If you have accepted this sacrifice in the past but do not feel as though His power in your life, then I would love to help you move in that direction. I look forward to hearing some of your comments.
:)

Walking in the way of....

Have you ever consider in whose ways your walk in? Are you walking in the ways of your mom? your dad? David? Jeroboam? Jesus? God? Satan? Your lovable but slightly off center student minister?

If you have never read 1 Kings I would encourage to do so. I have learned a great deal about what it means to follow in the footsteps of others and how important it is to chose wisely whom we follow. Of course, all Christians are supposed to follow in Christ footsteps but for many of us that is a hard concept to wrap our minds around so we seek out fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to emulate. I think this can be a good practice so long as we always remember that no person is perfect and that we must always look at Scripture to see if our actions and thoughts are correct.

I believe God places people in our lives that we can look up to. People that we can look at and say I want to be where they are at some day. I also believe that while He gives us those people He also uses as like that in the lives of others. So who is it that is looking up to you? Who are those people who are looking at you and saying I want to be like them when I get older (or more mature)? Is your life really worth imitating? What needs to be removed to make it better? I do not know what this all means for you but I would love to hear about it.

Taking Responsibility-1 King 14

God gives each us opportunities to follow after Him. It makes no difference what your family background or history is. Many times we use these as excuses for the things we do wrong. We talk about how my parents did this so it really isn't my fault if I do the same thing. The fact of the matter is that we are responsible for our own choices and actions. There is a price to be paid for those things we do wrong no matter the reason.

The ultimate punishment for the things we do wrong (sin) is Hell. We deserve this death. Thankful Christ sacrificial death allows us to avoid this punishment. His blood protects us from this but only if we accept the gift. He died for us all but only those who accept this fact and confess Him as Lord are afford the protection. Beyond this there is punishment for sin. When we stray from the path that God has for us we suffer and sadly people around us will suffer. David sinned with his affair with Bathsheba. The result of this sin was intense suffering on both of their parts and the death of an innocent man. There are consequences to our actions yet we know that God does forgive us and that we can be fully restored if we follow His path for us.

God has many great things in store for each us. He wants to bless us. He wants to use you and me in awesome and incredible ways. Do you seem Him doing this in your life? If not you need to be asking why not and be completely ready for whatever answer may come from Him.

Getting an Answer You Don't Like

Today was one of those days when I got an answer to prayer that I did not like. It is not like the answer was bad it was just not one that I wanted. I know that God knows what He is doing and He always knows best but that does not mean I am always going to like what He says to me.

Basically, I have been begging God to give some answers to 2 major prayers. Today He showed me the answered to one. In that answer it was, "You are going to have to wait and be patient, just trust Me and keep doing what you are doing. Keep coming after Me and I will take care of it!" I wanted to hear "I have heard your prayer and I am going to change this right now!" This was hard to accept at first. I knew the answer was from him but it took me a little while to accept its truth. Now, I am still not happy but I am at peace about the situation.

God is so much bigger and beyond us that we can scarcely understand Him and His plans. I am not exactly sure where He is going with the ministries here at UBC but I know He is leading them to a better place. I desire to be on His plan for all of it. I desire to be a part of the great and mighty things He will be doing through this church.

So is God looking to use you some how? Is there something He wants you to do? Is there something more He wants from you? Do you need to ask His forgiveness of sin in your life? Do you need to be humbled by Him? Do you want to know Him more? What do you want from God? What do want to hear from Him? If you want to hear from God simply ask and be ready to hear what He says no matter what it is.

New You Tube Video

Hey if you get a chance check out this cool new video from the Youth Transition Network.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G06GX1TfRGs

Let me know what you think about it and if you think it has some value send the link on to as many people as you can!

Thanks!

Do You Fear God?

Well do you?

If you don't you should!

God is to be feared. We do not like to say or hear these kinds of things nowadays but He should be. He is holy and we should fear ever coming into His presence. He is the ultimate judge. He is the one who holds the very fate of lives and nations in His hands. Why is it that we tend to not fear God?

First of all Christians in many ways have less to fear from God. For those of us who have accepted Christ as Savior (for more on that click here) we know beyond a shadow of doubt that our eternal destiny is secure. We know that we will spend the rest of eternity with god in Heaven. Yet we should also have a healthy dose of fear when we deal with God. He is still holy after all. For the non-Christian this fear is even more magnified. They lack assurance on their eternal destiny. They do not really know for sure what will happen when they die. Many have some confidence but there is always some lingering doubt.

Second, I think, because we live in a fallen (not perfect) world, our natural tendency is to only fear those things which can hurt us in the immediate future. We are not alone in this inclination. The Israelites struggled with their fear of God(despite his numerous acts of judgment) yet after only one act/pronouncement of judgment they feared Solomon (1 Kings 3:16-28). How is it that God's people could so easily stray from fearing the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth yet fear one of God's creation? How is it that we can easily not fear God but fear other people? How is it that we can avoid fearing God but be afraid of our teachers, our bosses and the government?

Something to ponder. :)

What Could Have Been

Saul could could have been the greatest King in the history of Israel.

I have never really thought much about Saul and why he had been chosen to be the 1st King of Israel. Scripture tells us that he was tall and good looking. In essence he had th outward makes of a great king. I also believe that he had the inward potential to become a great king. If he did not have the potential then God would not have chosen him. Unfortunately for Saul he also had the potential for great failure.

When Saul was anointed king he was supposed to be the one to deliver God's people from the Philistines (1 Samuel 9:16). Saul could see this and quickly gathered a great army (1 Samuel 13:2). Unfortunately Saul was not patient in waiting on Samuel(1 Samuel 13:8-13) and because of his lack of obedience he would never full end the Philistine threat. In fact, we read that the two nations where in conflict all of the days of Saul's reign (1 Samuel 14:52).

The brief synopsis of Saul is in great contrast to the story of David. David had none of the outward markings of a great king yet he was a man that was after God's own heart. David made his mistakes no doubt about it but in the end he was able to accomplish that which Saul could not, he permanently ended the war with the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:17-25). In essence, David took over the wonderful legacy that could have been Saul's.

I think many times we see this same pattern in the church today. Many people are being called by God to do many different task yet few respond. God's tasks are still getting accomplished though except many of us are missing out on the blessings that come from fully obeying God. Saul and his family were to be the ones to rule the land for generations to come instead they died on a battle field.

So the choice is yours. Are you going to be someone who unnecessarily dies on some battlefield or are you going to be the one who follows after God no matter what He calls you to do?

Faith Beyond Us

Some of you have heard this story before but for those of you who have not I hope you enjoy hearing a story about how God stretch our faith and trust in Him beyond that which we could ever imagine.

In August of 2006 my son Colin was stillborn. This was one of those moments in life that where you become so unsure of so many things. I was never unsure about God or that He was with me. I was unsure as to why he had allowed this to happen. Since then I have questioned nearly every thought or action I ever had with the pregnancy. In the end though I came to truly realize it was all out of my hands. One might have thought after this I would have been better at remembering that God holds life in His hands and that with His words He created all that we know as creation but some times I can be a slow learner.

Angie and I found out in September that we were once again pregnant. We had been hoping for this yet we were so scared of losing another child. Once we found out we immediately called the doctors office and they confirmed it all with some blood tests. All of the test came back normal and so we scheduled and ultrasound. According to our best guess on a conception date we figured the date of the ultrasound to be at about 6.5 weeks into the pregnancy. It was hoped that by this point we could see a heartbeat.

We were not able to see much of anything at the ultrasound so for some reassurance the doctor ordered some additional blood work to check the HCG levels. Based on the initial blood work the doctor figured the new hcg levels would be about 9,000. Needless to say the numbers were not nearly that high. The new hcg levels were only 3,000. This did give us or the doctor a lot of hope. In fact, Angie and I both felt like we had or would soon lose the baby. We were devastated. (This all happened on a Friday afternoon).

That night God really started to work on Angie's heart. He began to show her that we had started to rely to much on the medical tests and equipment and not enough on Him. We had taken the miracle of birth and life and made it into a science experiment. This idea was rather convicting for both she and I since we had always wanted to avoid this. We have seen this kind of perspective in so many Christians and we did not want to fall into that same trap. Unfortunately, we had.

Along with conviction came some insight in to what it really means for God to have life in the palm of His hands. He is truly the giver of life. Jesus is the one raised Lazarus from the dead. God is the one who created life to begin with and nothing is impossible for Him. Angie and I talked and prayed, prayed and talked until finally we came to the point where we knew that we had to simply trust God to give us a healthy baby no matter what the tests were saying. Along with this we did some research on hcg levels and we found out that it was possible that the 3,000 was not as bad of a number as we first thought. We also found out that if in 48 hrs that number increased to 4800 then we would be within normal levels for a healthy pregnancy.

Well Angie had a follow-up blood test on Sunday afternoon. So we began praying. We asked others to pray. Angie asked the elders (deacons) of our church to come and pray over her and annoint her with oil. For me I struggled with having the faith to simply trust God to give the baby life. I wanted to trust without reservation more than anything but I just could not seem to do it. No matter how hard I prayed I could never seem to do it. I guess I felt like I needed some sort of proof of how God was going to work in the life of this baby. This proof (or lack thereof) would come from the Sunday tests results.

Well Sunday afternoon finally came and we waited and waited and waited. We finally called the doctor to see if the results were in and they were having to recalibrate (or something like that) the machines. Well, the numbers finally came back and low and behold the new hcg level was 4800. The exact number Angie and I had been praying for. The doctor was not as encouraged as us but we felt like we were on cloud 9. God has proven faithful once again.

I have no idea if I will get to hold a perfectly healthy baby in my arms in May or not. What I do know is that God is forever faithful. I know that He does not will for us to have a miscarriage or stillbirth. I also know that since those Sunday numbers came back I have had no worries about what the future holds for this baby. God gave me the proof that I needed to be able to follow Him without reservation.

We have another ultrasound scheduled for a little over a week from now and we are looking forward to seeing some wonderful pictures of our youngest child. I look forward to posting a picture of two of the baby here soon.

Please feel free to leave your comments, stories, etc...

The Link between King David and Duct Tape

So what do you think the link is? (This is not a trick question, there really is a connection)

Before I answer this question I would to tell you a little bit about how I see King David. Scripture tells us that David was a man after God's own heart. I am so blown away by this description. What an honor to be seen in this light by God. This is how I see David. I look at him no so much as a great King but as man who made his share of mistakes but who also sought after God with great passion.

I think for David passion was the key. As I have looked over David's life I see two definite passions. The first is that of music. We learn from 1 Samuel that David's abilities on the harp were such that he was the one who was able to calm King Saul when he went into one of his fits. David did not learn to play the harp with this kind of skill overnight. I am not sure when started playing but he must have liked because he kept playing. This indicates to me a great love for all things musical. Later on in life we know for sure that he wrote a funeral song for Abner and created a temple choir. Because of this love of music many people believe David to be the author of many of the songs found in the book of Psalms. While I am not 100% sure if he is the author I do tend to think that the likelihood is pretty good given his known musical talents and abilities and his love of music. So what does all of this have to do with Duct Tape????

Well it is about passion. Many of you know that I love Duct Tape. I enjoy making DT clothing. I look for ways to use DT in my teaching lessons. I look forward to the day when God allows me to use DT in a sermon (Yes it has been done before just not by me). Some may laugh at this but I think my love of DT is something God has given me. I believe God has given each one us the capacity to have incredible passions. These passions can take any number of forms. In fact, I believe there are an unlimited number of passions God can give us. The key for you and I is to make sure that we use these passions in the right way. We must make sure that we use them for God's glory. For me and DT that has meant trying to use DT as means of making connections and building relationships with the goal of sharing Christ with people.

So what are your passions?
Why has God given you those passions?
What re you doing with those passions? Should you be doing more?

Do you understand that your passions come from the God who loves you more than you will ever know? If not, let me know so we can talk more about this.

God's Holiness

Have you ever truly considered what it means to say that God is holy? Have you ever taken the time to ponder how His holiness should affect how we relate to God?

I have been going through a Bible Study called Downpour. I meet with a group of men at 6:15 in the morning (hard to believe that I am up and doing a bible study at that time in the am) every Thursday to discuss the study and what God is teaching us through it. The basic premise of the book is that Christian typically fail in their understanding of God's holiness. It is more than just being different or separate from us. It is the kind of separateness that can literally kill someone when they come in contact with it. So this begs the question....How does (or should) this picture of God change how you approach Him in prayer and worship?

We must also consider how we are to balance this idea with what we find in 1 John 4:17 where we are told that we, as believers, we will have confidence on the day of judgment. In other words, we will not have fear when we come into the presence of God on the Day of Judgment. How is this possible? How is it that we will be able to stand in the presence of God's Holiness and not die much less have confidence even boldness?

As I have considered these questions the only thing I have come up with is that is because of Christ and his blood. His sacrifice makes it possible to have assurance and confidence when I consider eternity. I do not fully understand exactly how it all works all I know is that Scripture teaches us that it does. If you are someone who does not have this kind of assurance or you have questions about being a Christian I would love to hear from you. I would love to take some time and discuss with you more about God's holiness and Christ's sacrifice. You can reach me through email at bcm@ubcfellowship.com. For the rest of you please feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas on this subject.

Make Your Joy Complete

So God's word tells us that He will gives a joy and peace that surpasses all understanding. It will satisfy us more than anything here on Earth. Many Christians though do not experience this joy on a regular basis. There are a variety of reasons why this is the case for so many of us. This being said I think there is one area of our lives that we should all examine when we realize that we are missing out on the joy God desires us to have.

I John 1:4 tells us that when we share our testimony our joy can be made complete. I know in my own life when I am not telling people about God and what He has been doing in my life then I feel incomplete. So if you are not experiencing the peace and joy God promises you might want to ask yourself....Am I sharing with people the things I have seen and heard (1 John 1:3).

The Light of God

Have you ever considered what kind of light He created in Genesis 1:3-5?

I had not until recently.

Some of you know that the Youth have started a series we have called Cliff Notes on the Bible II. We covered part I last Fall and so this year we are going back and filling in some of the gaps. One of the gaps from last year was a closer examination of the actual creation account. As I was preparing for the lesson I realized that God created light long before He created the sun, moon and stars. So this got me to thinking about what kind of light did He create.

Bottom line for me is that I am not sure. One idea is that it could simply be the creation of what we would understand to be the scientific concept of light. This is hard to imagine because it has no definable source.

So what do you think? What was this light God had created?

How to Memorize

So how much Scripture do you have memorized? Is it hard for you to do? What techniques do you use?

I am no expert at memorizing Scripture but I did want to share something with you that I learned in 7th grade (U.S. History) about how to memorize things. It is actually a pretty easy method:

1. Break the verse down into smaller segments.
2. Memorize each segment
3. Recite the whole verse together
4. Come back to the verse about 1 hour later and repeat steps 1-3 as necessary
5. Come back to the verse about 1 day later and repeat steps 1-3 as necessary
6. Come back to the verse about 1 week later and repeat steps 1-3 as necessary

I hope this makes sense. If you have any techniques you would like share please do so.

Have a great day!

The Best Days in Life

Have you ever heard the song by Geoff Moore and The Distance called "Best Days"? There is a live version of the song on their greatest hits 2-disc set. You can listen to a sample of the song here. The song is, just as the title implies, about some of Geoff Moore's best days in his life. I love that song because it reminds me of some my best days. Friday was one of those days.

I had a great time with just me and the boys. It seems like it has been forever since we last had a guys day out. We went to the park, played around the house, watched some movies, and to top it all off when Angie came home we all went outside to play (after diner of course). We just had tons of fun. These kinds of days make me long for heaven. I long for the day when I can have these kinds of adventures with my other children and my nephew. I look with great excitement and anticipation. I know someday I will see them all soon. Until, then I will do my best to enjoy my boys here on earth and who knows maybe someday it will be my boys and my girls. :)

The Longest Days

What have been the longest days of your life?

Today was one of the longest days of my life. It was the kind of day that you just wanted to end so that you could begin to move on and forward. I will never forget my son but I long for the day when maybe it does not hurt so bad. I long for the day when my wife does not hurt the way that she does. I am pretty sure that at some level the pain will never really go away. I suppose what I am hoping for is that I will find ways to better process the pain.

I am not sure if that makes any sense to you but in my little world it does. I firmly believe that my God is bigger than the Boogie Man and that He is always by my side. He has never left me alone and He never will. He knows what it feels like to have a son die. He understands the pain. I know that God has carried me through this day. It was long and hard but it is nearly done. Thank You God!

So I would like to know...What have been some of the longest days of your life? How did God carry you through it? Was He even a part of your life then?

Light and Dark-I Peter 2:9

Have you ever been caving? If you have then you have a pretty good idea what it means to be in total darkness. I remember on one of my many caving trips we all stopped for a rest and some food. As we all finished our food we decided to conserve battery life by having everyone turn off their lights. It was amazing! I literally could not see my hand when it was just inches from my face. I was in total darkness. If I had tried to get up and move around I would run into walls and possibly fallen into some deep crevice. Thankfully this darkness did not last forever. Eventually we all started turning our lights back on and we continued our journey. Our spiritual journey is not much different than this.

1 Peter 2:9 tells us that Jesus has brought the believer our of darkness and into His wonderful light. The word used for darkness implies the idea of blindness or total darkness. We are all understand, at some level, this kind of darkness. Maybe you have been in a cave with the lights out or maybe you have been in a dark room and simply closed your eyes. However, we can not understand the light that Peter speaks of. The word used for wonderful means beyond human comprehension. The light Christ brings the believer is unimaginable.

I think believers forget how far Christ has brought us and where He wants to takes. We do not take the time to understand the kind of darkness we lived in. Many of us look at our life without Christ with a sort of rose colored glasses. We fail to see how personally destructive we were or how cruel we really were towards our friends and family. I challenge believers to examine this darkness, take the time to reflect on where Christ has brought you from and where He is taking you.

Maybe you are someone who is living in that darkness now. If you are there is s good chance you do not realize it, I know for years I never did. If you are please know that Christ desires to see you walk away from it and into the abundant life. He wants the absolute best for you.

The Ups and Downs of Passion

I love my students. I love my youth. I love my college kiddos. They are all so awesome. There are days that it is hard for me to believe that I get paid to do what I do.

This summer has been great. I have been able to get to know some my teens a little better and I think I might have taught them a little something along the way. On the other hand I have missed my college students. I have missed having diner with them once a week. I have missed the random visits with Mr. Jonathan. I have missed hearing about God is doing in their lives. It has been so weird to not have so many of them gone this summer.

Thankfully they have returned. Their classes start on Monday and so they have flooded into Macomb this weekend. It is amazing to have watched the transformation of this city almost overnight. There is a certain amount of energy that just seems to be in the air. Of course, the parties have also returned which means the drinking and the drugs have also returned.

I am so excited to have my college students back in town. The joy this brings me is hard to put it to words. At the same time I am almost overwhelmed with sadness for those who are choosing to ignore God. There are times that the burden of these students is so heavy that it is difficult for me to breathe. My heart breaks for them. I want to see all of their lives changed. I know God can do whatever He wants with them. It is hard for to understand why things do not seem to be changing here. I want them to so badly.

I want to see teenagers changed. I want to see the Jr/High School changed by my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to see WIU changed in the same way. I want to watched students by the hundred begin giving their lives to Christ. Not just hundreds, thousands. Please be praying for these whom God has brought to Macomb. Be praying for those youth who need to meet Jesus for the first time. Be praying for those college students who are on the verge of denying their Savior. Be praying for me. Be praying for the student ministry as we look to change the lives of all students in Macomb.

God's Warning to All the Earth-Jeremiah 6

When most people ready Jeremiah 6 they see God's warning/pronouncement about the impending destruction of Jerusalem. Have you ever considered that the words He gave to Jeremiah were also a warning to the entire earth? I had never thought about it in this light until today.

If you take a look at verse 19 God says "Hear, O earth:behold, I am bringing a disaster on this people....because they have not listened to my words, and as for My law they have rejected it." God is telling the world two thing in this passage. First, that He is in control of all things. He is the one that allows nations to become powerful and He is the one who allows them to fall. Second, He is giving notice that those who do not follow Him will have a price to pay. For many of those nations who did not follow Him it was there complete and total destruction.

I believe this message is still right and good for us today. God is still in control of all things and there will be consequences for not following Him. For those who do not believe that Jesus is God's son and that He died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins then Hell will be their eternal punishment (along with a lack of true joy and peace while here on earth). For those of us who do believe our punishment will be varied and only temporary.

Are you following after God? Are you walking in His ways? If not why not? If so, what is it like? What is He showing you as you walk with Him?

God's Anger and Grace

Have you ever considered how fierce God's Anger can be?

In Jeremiah chapter 4 we get at least a glimpse of what God's anger can be like. The picture that is given to us in this chapter is an anger that is like a consuming fire. This consuming fire is not consuming Him (like our anger typically does) but it will consume the nation of Judah. There is no stopping this kind of judgment except for total repentance. God was using Jeremiah to warn His people that their judgment was coming. God makes it clear that their destruction was of their own doing. It was their unrighteousness and idolatry that has brought God's wrath upon them. This prophecy begs the question of 'Does God's anger still burn against His people when they turn from Him?'

The simple answer to this question is yes. God does not change. It is foolish and arrogant of us to think that nothing bad will happen to us if we turn from God. I know I have seen this in my own life. In fact, early on in my life with God had to remove certain people from my life so that I could I begin to focus my attention on Him and not some girl. This was a difficult process but it is one that I had to go through if I was truly going to be a changed man. This does not mean that every time we disobey that God will look to strike us down. God's grace and mercy allows us the time to repent and begin anew our walk with Him.

I hope that the message of Jeremiah will serve as a warning to us today. We must wash our hearts of the evil that so easily entangles us.

Set Free For a Purpose

Set Free For a Purpose

Did you know that when God sets us free He does so for a purpose. We see this theme through out Scripture but today I wanted to write to you about Jeremiah 2. In this chapter God speaks to Jeremiah about the sins of Judah. In particular, He gives him the words he is to speak to those who will hear in Jerusalem. What we find in these words are three basic ideas.

First, that God has repeatedly provided for His people. He is the one who lead them through the wilderness (v.6), who brought them up out of Egypt (v.6), and the one who gave them a fruitful land(v.7). He has been there for them through all of the good times and bad. He has loved on them in spite of their sins. He has given them a multitude of opportunities to turn from their evil ways and return to Him. Despite these efforts they have continued to turn away from the love of their youth.

Second, God is their judge and that His judgment will be swift and absolute. However, He is not the cause of their misery and punishment, they are. It is because they have forsaken God that their trouble has come (v.17). They abandoned God in all things except for the their most desperate times. They would worship rocks and trees and until things got rough and then they would turn to Yahweh (v.27-28). This kind of relationship with God was born out of their arrogance. They saw themselves as innocent and the chosen people. They knew they were free and they took that freedom to mean that they could do whatever they wanted to (v.31, 35)

Third, the freedom God gives is given for a reason and a purpose. God desires us to use the liberty He gives to serve Him and others. God sums up His people's rejection of Him in verse 20 where we see the Jews refusing to serve. He removed their yokes and bonds so they would serve Him.

The same is true for us today. When we accept His gift of salvation, He sets us free. He takes our burden on Himself. In return, we are called to serve Him and others. Are you following thru on what He expects of you? Are you serving Him? Are you going after His will for your life? If not, why not?

God's Calling-Jeremiah 1:1-10

Jeremiah is one of my favorite historical figures because we know he struggled with many of the same issues that I have dealt with in my own life. He like Moses before questioned God's decision to chose him. In Jeremiah's case he basically says to God that I am to young. God's response is to basically say that no you are not too young and you will do My will and go where I tell you to go. He goes on to tell Jeremiah that He is to have no fear when he goes out to speak to the nations.

Those word should still ring true to us today. God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and courage. God has called each of us to go out and speak the truth to the nations. God has touched our lips and He will provide all that we need as we follow after Him with the passion and strength He gives us.

God Sized Dreams

For the last few months I have been sharing my thoughts and ideas with you. Now I would like to hear back from you.

What dreams do you have? What are some of the things you want to happen more than anything else? What are somethings that only God could make happen?

We are truly loved!!

I just wanted to let the world know how warm and fuzzy it made Angie and I feel to see this


This was only the beginning of their expressions of love...


Once again. Thank you to all of you who helped out with this. It still brings a big smile to my face.

Reorganizing My Plate

I love the fact that God has called me to be in full-time vocational ministry. I love my job. I love my students. I was thrilled to see that they had "decorated" my house with toilet paper and forks while I was gone to Texas for a week. For the first time in my life I actually look forward to going to work. I love doing it so much that I have had a hard time keeping from being two busy. I have come to realize that I have bitten off a lot more than what God has wanted me to bite off.

This realization first came to the forefront of my mind during a conversation with Mark Lydecker of the North American Mission Board. He basically said that he focuses on about 5 keys things/areas and the rest of it will just have to wait or get done by someone else. From this conversation and others I have concluded that I have a lot more than 5 things on my plate and that I am in serious need to getting rid of those things that are keeping me from being able to focus on what matters most.

Over the next 2 weeks I will be prayerfully considering two major items. First, what are the five basic areas of my life that I need to concentrate on. Second, what 5 areas of student ministry do I need to focus on. Once, I have a clear understanding of these two items I will begin the pruning process. It is my hope that others will begin to step up and continue with those ministries that I will no longer be able to place energy into. As this process begins to unfold more and more I will post updates and keep you informed.

I would also like to challenge you take a long hard look at your own life and ministry. Are there areas that you need to prune? If so why haven't you done it?

Jesus' Sacrifice(s)

Do you know that Jesus continues to give sacrifices to God? I know this may seem like a bit of a stretch but hear me out on this thought.

Hebrews 8:1-3 describes Jesus as a minister and the High Priest of the true tabernacle of God. These passages go on to say that as the High Priest He must have an offering to give. Many people would say that He gave the ultimate offering (His life) and therefore He no others are necessary. I understand this point but I think there is more going on here in these verses.

The picture the writer of Hebrews gives us of Christ is that of a public servant who is currently serving in the true tabernacle. According to the Law as a High Priest He must be giving up sacrifices to God. The passage does not say exactly what sacrifices He must be giving. So may say that if we are following the pattern of sacrifice found in the Old Testament then there are a variety of different things He would be required to do. The text though seems to make it clear that there is a definite distinction between the earthly tabernacle and the Heavenly. This would then mean that the sacrificial system would be different. I personally believe that Jesus' public servanthood (Greek meaning of the word used for minister in verse 2) is His sacrifice. Think about it. He is God! He does not have to serve anyone or anything yet He choses to humble Himself, even in the realm of Heaven, to serve others. Wow! What an amazing thought!

Basics of the Faith

Have you ever considered what are supposed to be the most basic elements of the Christian Faith? I know for me I have always wondered where is the line between the basic course and the advanced course in Christianity. Today, I came across a list in Hebrews 6 that gives us some insight into what are some of the basic tenets of Christian Faith.

According to the author of Hebrews here are the starting points for developing a basic understanding of the Christian Faith:

1. Repentance from works that only lead to death (sin)
2. Faith in God
3. Ceremonial washings, baptism could be included in this
4. Laying on of Hands
5. Resurrection of the Dead
6. Eternal Judgment
   

For me I was surprised to see some of the items on this list included in the basic Christianity Course. To think that my understanding of laying on of hands and baptism should be a part my foundation level understanding of Christianity changes how I look at both my own faith and how I teach others. As a result over the next few weeks I will be taking a look at each one of these areas. It is my hope to to not only more fully develop my own understanding of these issues but to also help other Christians create a more solid foundation for their faith. As I work through some of these issues I would appreciate any thoughts or comments you have. Remember iron sharpens iron.

Changing WIU, Spoon and Macomb

A few weeks back I was asked by the Director of Next Gen Ministries at IBSA to look over some information regarding a possible new strategy of reaching campus. It is essentially, a church planting movement on the campus. Part of me was skeptical at first because I have seen too many college students become involved in a "college" church and then have problems finding a church after graduation.

Today I was reading some more about this idea and some of those who are leading the movement nationally. While I am still in the early stages of learning, I am nonetheless very intrigued. I have read a number of testimonies that have spoken to my heart. They talk about life changing gatherings of students all across the world. The things they testify are the things my dreams are made of. I do not know if this is the specific path God desires for the college ministry here in Macomb but part of me sure hopes it is.

If you have a few minutes take some time and check out this sites and let me know what you think.

http://campuschurch.net/
http://jaesonma.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Maturity

Do you think I sound spiritually mature? Are you spiritually mature?

This are some of the more difficult questions to ask within the church. They are difficult because they require us to make an honest evaluation of ourselves and those around us. So what is the standard for spiritual maturity? Is it Paul? Peter? Noah? Christ?

Simply put it is none of them. Yes, we are called to be like Christ but we can still be spiritually mature without obtaining Christ's spiritual maturity. Yes, we should see Paul, Peter and Noah as spiritually mature but once again we can be spiritualluy mature and not be like them. So how do we know? Believe it or not Scripture gives us some clues about what spiritual maturity looks like.

One such clue is found in Hebrews 5. Here we find that the ability to discern good and evil is a mark of maturity. In essence, the writer is saying to us that when we are able to consistently recognize the lies and deceptions of the Devil then we are showing signs of spiritual maturity. So can you consistently see his lies? If not why not? What is it that is keeping you from growing into maturity?

These same verse in Hebrews also tell us that our maturity is a result of training and practice. The word practice (in the original Greek) means a power or habit acquired through custom or use. To me this says that we need to work at seeing the work of the Devil. Even we do not want to do it we must be working on developing the habit. This same principle applies to other areas of spiritual growth. I know there are days when I do not necessarily want to be in God's word. I have so much that I feel like I have to do that I think "I just do not have the time to do it this morning and besides I have pretty good over the last few weeks, what is one missed day.." Well, if I allow myself to fall into this trap then one day becomes two and then three and then four.... While, I do not always follow my own advice I work hard at continuing in certain habits (i.e. reading God's word or praying for others) even when I do not want because I know that through these kinds of exercises I will be able to develop some spiritual maturity. What are some habits that you have that help you develop spiritual maturity? What safeguards do you have in your life to protect those habits?

And yes I would like for your to leave your answers to these questions in the comments section. :)

Success in Life

Last night I was asked one of the most difficult questions yet from my youth. Why does God choose some people and not others? It really made me think. Why does He choose some and not others?

To give you a little context we had been discussing the life of Moses. We had examined the fact that he was a failure at many things yet he was the man God used to lead His people out of slavery. We had also viewed a video that talks about some famous people who had suffered the agony of failure. The point of the evening was that we are all failures at something yet God still uses us. We are the great cloud of witnesses for the next generation of believers.

As I began to try and answer my student's question. Two ideas came to mind. First, in some cases such as Noah, Scripture describes the person as righteous or even the most righteous in their generation. Second, "I don't know but I am sure glad He does" God has been picking people like you and me to do His work for millenniums. Think about it. What was so special about Matthew, Mark, Luke, Paul, Moses, and Stephen?

What set this men apart was their faith. It was there choice to hope for things not seen. To look to the future and see God's glory. They understood the idea behind, my now infamous saying, "that the light at the end of tunnel was not a train but Jesus in Heaven." So what separates you from you the world? What separates you from your friends? Do hope for things you cannot see? Do have hope at all? If you have no hope for the future then today is your day to receive hope. Jesus is my hope and yours.

Gospel in The Desert

Many Christians struggle with how to best reconcile the Old and New Testaments. This was especially true for myself when I was a new believer. On the surface it appears as though the 2 Testaments show two different gods or at the very least a god who changed during the 400 or so years of silence. On the other hand, God is unchanging and He is the God of the Old and New Testaments. Today, I want to share with you something from Hebrews 3 that may help you better understand how the 2 testaments are not as different as they may appear.

In Hebrews 3 the writer compares Moses (plus his followers) and Jesus (plus His followers). The conclusion of this comparison is found in verse 19 in which the author simply states that it was because of their unbelief that the Israelites were not allowed to enter into the promised land (God's rest). This is in many ways the gospel in a nutshell. A person's unbelief is what will prevent them from entering God's rest (Heaven).

I know this is only one of the many ways in which the 2 testaments lineup with one another. What are some of the ones you have noticed and seen?

Why Did Christ Suffer?

First and foremost he suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins. This is by far the most important reason for Christ's wounds. However, the Book of Hebrews tell us of another rationale.

Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Christ was not only tempted but suffered so that he could aid those who are tempted and those who are suffering. When I read this verse I thought, does this mean Christ could not somehow have been my Comforter before His time on Earth? I know the answer to that question is 'no' because God does not change. So how does this verse lineup with the truth that God does not change.

The answer is that for once it is about us. You see Christ's ability to comfort us in our suffering did not change because of His pain. Rather, our ability to connect with Him changed. Our understanding of His love and grace changed at the Cross. As humans we tend to be better able to receive comfort from people if we truly believe that they can understand our perspective on life. In the same sense, Christ's temptation and suffering allows us to more readily believe that He can comfort us because He has been there and done that.

Always remember my friends. Christ is waiting to exchange your yoke for His and His is much lighter than ours.

The Passion-Revisited, sort of...

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was released in 2004. When it came out millions of Christians and non-Christians flooded movie theaters. Thousands of churches had viewing events. For so long it was hard to escape hearing about this film. I have heard numerous stories of people coming to salvation through the truth in this film. Despite all of this I was some what hesitant to see it. I am not really sure why.

Some will say that I was scared to see the depth of suffering. I suppose at some level that was true. Nobody every gave me an accurate description of what they had seen in the movie. Because of this I convinced myself that I did not want to see it. This of course made me feel like I was a bad Christian. This was compounded by the fact that I was a minister and it was almost a requirement for me to see it. In the end, I am not sure why God never allowed me to view this film before now. It is one of those questions I may never get answered this side of Heaven.

Tonight God allowed me to see this film for the first time. To be honest, the gruesomeness of it did not bother me at all. I can see how many people would be shocked by this graphic depiction of Christ's suffering. For me though I have always imagined Christ great suffering. The weekend I was saved we were examining in great detail the full extent of Christ suffering and because of this His great amount of suffering has always been a part of my understanding of faith. This is not to say that the movie did not touch me.

For me the suffering of Jesus' parents was of keen interest. As most of you know, I have a 2 year old son and during the film I found myself imagining what I would be feeling if it was Aiden in Jesus' place. There is a scene in the movie where Mary (Jesus' mother) goes running to Him to help Him up and comfort Him. During this there is a flashback to a time when Jesus was a boy who fell and skinned His knee and we see Mary running to His side just like a good parent would. I cannot begin to imagine the intense emotional pain of Mary, Joseph, and God the Father.

Now I know the film may not be 100% accurate. Christians are well within their rights to discuss and debate some of the finer points of the film. I am not here to do that. I am here to say that I would recommend people see this film. I firmly believe that the heart of the gospel is clearly presented. If you have never seen this film, give it a chance. Open your mind and heart to what God wants to say to you with this film.

Doing Good Deeds

Is it easy for you to do good deeds? Does it come naturally to you?

If it does not then you should know that you are not alone. Truth be told doing truly good deeds does not come naturally. Our sinful nature prevents us from this. We as believers can train ourselves to do good deeds. If we do this correctly then good deeds will eventually become a part of who we are.

This training to do good deeds is nothing new. This kind of training was supposed to be one of the first outwards signs of how Christianity was different in the first century. In Titus 3:14 we see Paul telling his fellow laborers that the people must learn how to do good deeds so they can have a fruitful and fulfilling lives. Of course, this begs the questions, what are you doing to develop the habit of doing good deeds? What are you doing to develop this habit in others?

Let me know some of the good deeds you are doing.

Who is Your Mentor?

So who is your mentor? Who is the person you look up to? Who do you meet with (one on one) regularly to learn from?

As a Christian we are called to have spiritual mentors. Titus 2 describes many of theses kinds of relationships. In this chapter Paul examines how older and younger men and older and younger women are to relate to one another. But who is considered to be older and who is considered to be younger??

YOU! I believe you and I fit both categories. You see each of us has someone older and younger than us in the church and as such we are called to be mentored and to be a mentee. I suppose then the better question to have asked is who are you mentoring?

What Are You Doing Today?

Many of you who read this blog on a regular basis have heard about the passions in my life. For those of you who have not let me give you some insight into my world.

I am currently serving as the Student Pastor (Minister) at University Baptist Church in Macomb, Illinois. This basically means that I work with 7th graders thru college. I love my job. I love the students I work with each week. I love getting together with them and just hanging out. I miss them when they are gone during Christmas and Spring Breaks. They are one my great passions in life. I hurt when they hurt. I rejoice when they rejoice. I am sad when I see them doing things that I know God does not want them to do. These are days that I am so broken for their friends that I am in tears. Their salvation, spiritual growth and the salvation of their friends are at the forefront of so much of my life.

So why do I share this with you today? You know I am not totally sure. I suppose at some level I want people to know how much I love working with students. Along with that I want people to realize how wonderful students are. I have heard a number of comments about both college students and teenagers that make me so sad. So many people look down upon these young people. Sadly, many of their parents are the worst offenders. People look at students and see raging hormones and freaks. While at some level this is true they are so much more than that.

When I look at students I see incredible creations of God. I see young people who not only have great potential for the future but also incredible talents for today. The students, just like the generations, before them can literally change the world. Yes, they are a lot different than even my generation but that mean I should look down upon them. In fact, we need to be doing the opposite. Those of us in the older generations need to be the ones who are lifting up and encouraging this group of young people. It amazes me to see the difference in a student when they begin to see that they have the support of older family and friends. The accomplish great things when they have the love and support of old people like me.

So have you hugged a young person today? Have you told them that you believe in them? Have you told them that you believe they can change the world? If not why?

Sticking With What You Know

The past couple of days have been somewhat trying for me. I have recently learned somethings about a number of people that have caused a great amount of grief to flood over my heart. This grief has caused me to question a number of different aspects of the ministries at my church. The best way I can describe my feelings on this would be to say that I have felt rather disheartened.

However, God showed me something incredibly wonderful this morning. He showed me 2 Timothy 3:14. This verse essentially says that I am to continue with those things that I know to be true. This has given hope for those things that I believe God is leading myself and other leaders towards in our church. I know the road ahead may not be easy but it is one that God will lead us down and with Him in the lead I know great things will happen.

God is good to those who call upon His name. He will never leave us or forsake us. Take courage my cyber-friends that the same good who brought the Israelites out of Egypt can rescue you from your doubts and fears this day. He can give you a peace and hope beyond anything you have ever seen or heard. I pray that you will allow Him to give you these gifts today.

God's Renovation Project

Have you ever had the chance to help with a renovation project? Maybe helped someone with that special fixer upper of a home? I have and it amazes me how just a little bit of time and TLC can change a dump of a house into something beautiful. I find myself fascinated with these kinds of projects because you never fully get rid of the old house yet you have new house at the same time.

God's work in our life follows the same kind of pattern. You see God never fully eliminates all of your past. Yes, He heals us and fixes our brokenness but He uses our past to mold us into the person we are today. Therefore, we should no longer be ashamed of our past. It is what it is and we can not change that. Personally, there are things in my past that I am not proud of yet I am no longer ashamed of them.

Remember my friends, the new self of the believer "is being renewed into a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created Him" (Colossians 3:10) .

So how is God renovating or renewing you today? What things in your past do you no longer need to be ashamed of?

True Love Waits

A couple of weeks ago I was given the opportunity to preach my first sermon. The topic..... sex. Below you will find my sermon outline. You can listen to sermon here. You will also find my power point presentation here. I look forward to any comments you might have.

Purity and Battling Satan

I. Introduction-

II. Why have the fight?

a. Some Statistics for you

b. Internet Stats

i. 90% of 8-16 year olds have viewed porn online, most of them while doing homework

1. Avg Age of fist exposure is 11 years old

2. Largest Consumers of Internet Porn are 12-17 year olds

ii. 20% of all youth have received a sexual solicitation

iii. 12% of all website are for adults only-4.2 millions sites

1. Nearly 2 Sites for every person in Chicago

iv. 40 million Adults in the US visit adult sites on a regular basis

1. Approximately 1 out 6 US Adults-17%

v. Not just men- 1 out 3 visitors to adult sites are women

1. Women are far more like ly to act out their sexual immoraility with multiple partners, affairs and casual sex

c. Adult Industry

i. $57.0 billion world-wide-12 billion in the US alone

ii. The adult industries revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises.

iii. In the us alone their revenue exceeds the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC (6.2 billion)

d. Christian Statistics

i. Christians who said pornography is a major problem in the home-47%

ii. Promise Keeper Men who viewed an adult site in a given week-53%

III. Who or what are we fighting against in the battle for purity

a. Ephesians 6:12

i. the flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God

ii. The porn industry is not to blame for our societies problems with sexual purity

iii. The media is not to blame for our societies problems with sexual purity

iv. The music industry is not to blame for our societies problems with sexual purity

v. The schools are not to blame for our societies problems with sexual purity

vi. The goeverntment is not to blame for our societies problems with sexual purity

vii. There is no person on the worlds who is to blame for our purity problems

viii. This battle is not about flash and blood. This is a spiritual battle. This is us as Believers against the Devil himself.

IV. How are we to fight?

a. What does it mean to struggle

i. Wrestling -a contest between two in which each endeavours to throw the other, and which is decided when the victor is able to hold his opponent down with his hand upon his neck

b. This is a daily struggle for all of us. We are in this together!

i. Larry Boy and the Bad Apple-The apple is seen again after her defeat.

V. What is God’s Game plan for us to win this wrestling match-His plan is for us to win.

a. James 4:7

i. Submit yourselves to God

1. His Lordship and direction is our starting point

ii. Resist the devil

1. Flee- to literally escape by flying away.

2. Notice his is not totalyy eliminated he escapes to live another day.

b. Being Unified in our Struggle against the forces of evil

i. Ephesians 4:3-6

1. vs3- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

ii. We are of one spirit and we must do everything we can to stay united in our fight.

1. This does not mean we will agree on everything but it does mean that we will be united in our love for one another.

2. It also means that our disagreements should not lead us down the road of anger and sin.

c. Spiritual Growth

i. Ephesians 4:14

1. No longer infants who are tossed about by the waves

ii. V.15- we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

iii. As we grow we become more aware of how Satan is attacking us and those around us.

iv. Spiritual growth is how we prepare for our spiritual battle.

VI. If you have ever struggled with pornography. Today is your day to turn the tide!

a. God is call you to literally run in opposite direction of sexual immorality.

b. There are a lot of wonderful resources out there that can help people with sexual immorality but they are all in vain unless there is a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.