The End of Another Year

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. Did you get everything you wanted? Did you give everything you could? I hope you were able to spend some significant time with family and friends and a significant amount of time with the One whom we celebrate.

One thing never ceases to amaze me at Christmas time. That is, we get presents on someone else’s birthday. And at most Christmas celebrations, the Guest of honor, the “birthday honoree” is never even mentioned except in the official greeting of “Merry Christmas”.

Did you bring Him a gift this year? Did you take time out to honor Him on His birthday? If not, don’t beat yourself up. The wonderful thing about our Lord is that worshipping Him is not confined to a day, place or season. Here at TBC we celebrate the Christ of Christmas every week.

Here we are at the end of another year. Do you know Him better now than you did last year at this time? As we move forward into another year of many unknown’s let’s make a commitment as a church and as individuals to strive to know Him better and love Him deeper in 2004.

And remember, it won’t happen by itself and it won’t be easy. Day by day, you and I will be faced with distractions that will seek to take our minds off of growing in Christ. Have you ever gone to a celebration and while there you get reacquainted with an old friend? At the end of the night you express how good it was to see each other again and you may exchange emails and cell phone numbers. Reality is that most of the time you are fortunate if you are in contact with that person one time after that re-acquaintance.

May it not be so with you and the Lord. Do you experience a sense of closeness at Christmas and New Year’s that stirs you to make resolutions to spend more time getting to know Him? Take one day at a time and make a choice to make it a habit to “keep in touch” with Jesus, Emmanuel, the source and strength of your days.

Make plans to join us Thursday night at 6:00pm for a time of Praise and Worship to “ring in the New Year!

With you on the journey,

MJ

Cracked Pots

This Christmas season may be difficult for some of us as we feel the sting of how much we perceive our worth to be in the eyes of those around us. As you journey into the celebration of Christmas this week, consider this story and let it be an encouragement to you.

A water bearer in India had two large pots which hung on each end of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, while the other pot was cracked and always arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”
“Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”

“I have been able for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts.” the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walked back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I’ve been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

This season we celebrate the One who came to use “cracked pots.” Remember in only in God’s economy does great lose equal great gain! Bloom where you are planted, my friend.

Have a Merry Christmas!

The Ornament

Many of us know what loss is. From the time we are children we experience that dreaded feeling of losing something. As a child you may have lost a toy or your dog ran away. As a teen you may have lost a boy friend or girl friend or maybe your lunch money. In college, did you ever get lost on that long drive back home for the holidays? Have you ever been late for work because you’ve lost your keys?

Later in life the losses get a bit deeper, the loss of health, an aging parent, or even marriages make the realities of life and loss stare you in the face.

Holidays are times when deep losses are felt the most by many people. The smells, sounds, events and moments left alone to contemplate can leave us anxious, lonely, sad and frustrated.

On this side of heaven loss doesn’t always equate to gain. However, in God’s order of things loss can be viewed as opportunity and blessing. We see that in many stories in the Bible but the greatest gift that mankind has ever known came at a significant loss to the Giver but made the way for eternal gain for us. The Sacrifice that God the Father made by giving up His only Son paved the way for us to experience the greatest gain that we could ever imagine, a relationship with the God of the universe and eternal life.

That reality should give us great hope as we go through the myriad of circumstances that life places before us.

Next week, we invite you to come and bring your friends and family as we present the drama, “The Ornament”. It will take place in both the 9:00 and the 10:45 services. In this drama you will meet men and women who have been touched with the losses of life, but find in the end that, God is indeed a good God and that the Christ of Christmas does bring hope to a world that has lost it.

My friend, as you continue to prepare for Christmas this year, remember that in God’s economy, “loss does equal gain, unchanging gain…eternal gain. It may not change your current circumstances, but it can change how you embrace them.” (Miriam Drennan)

Be praying for us as we continue to prepare and pray that God would challenge and encourage the hearts of all those present.

Blessings,

MJ

Give Thanks

“It is so much more comfortable and rational To see what we have to be thankful for And to rejoice accordingly, than to Have our vision forever filled With our lacks and our needs…”(Leaves of Gold)

Did you have a good day of Thanksgiving on Thursday? I hope you did. Whether you were alone, or with lots of people, I pray that you were able to recognize God’s goodness, faithfulness and incredible provision for you and yours.

I don’t know about you, but I love to eat. One of my favorite meals throughout the years has been and still is “Thanksgiving Dinner!” I can still smell, taste, and see the miles of food prepared by all of the members of my family for us, when I was a child, to enjoy together with the Jones and the extended Jones family. As good and as satisfying as those meals were, what if I tried to live off of that one meal until next Thanksgiving? It would be impossible, although with all the food we eat it would seem like we could survive for months on end!

Today, we are gathered for our weekly “Thanksgiving meal”, our corporate worship service. We sing, praise, exalt, pray, and feed from God’s Holy Word and from the contributions to the table that each of us bring.

However, for some of us this is our only “meal” of the week. It is no wonder that as we ‘run the race’ during the week, we often get weak and cannot gain the strength to carry on. We lack spiritual nourishment.

We can view our corporate gatherings as our spiritual breakfast, a very important part of our balanced diet. Our Bible study, prayer, fellowship, music, and reading Monday through Saturday all enable us to survive, grow and thrive in this battle zone we call life. As we sit around the ‘table’ of God’s grace, love, mercy, hope, etc., today we celebrate Him and He fills us for today and spurs us on to tomorrow.

Eat up today! Take and give from the Table of God’s blessing in your life. But don’t think that the “leftovers” will last you all week.

Remember:

“Seven days without prayer makes one weak!”

Pastor MJ

Thanksfulness

"It's not what we say about our blessings,
but how we use them that is the
true measure of our thanksgiving," Unknown

Thank you. Everyone appreciates hearing those words. However, many times although not always intentionally, we forget to thank those to who thanks is due. Although a common courtesy, the excitement of the gift often overshadows the giver.

Thank you. Everyone appreciates hearing those words. However, many times although not always intentionally, we forget to thank those to who thanks is due. Although a common courtesy, the excitement of the gift often overshadows the giver.

Our Lord Jesus experienced that. In John 17 we see that Jesus heals ten lepers. Now just imagine. You are a leper, an outcast, set aside by society as untouchable. You look at yourself and your limbs are all but off. You are bandaged up and because of the lack of feeling in parts of your body you have several severe burns. Your life is a mess and your body is the same.

Then Jesus steps into your journey and heals you. Partial limbs become whole, gangrened skin becomes as soft and clear as a new born baby’s. A distorted face is made beautiful. What would be your first response? Well in Luke 17 we see that one man recognized the most important thing in being blessed, which is to remember to thank the giver of the blessing. But as we read, Jesus asked, Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17 NIV)

So often we focus on and are carried away with the gift that we forget and neglect to thank the Giver.

This Thanksgiving let’s take a moment and pause. Take an inventory of the past 12 months or more. What has god done for you? What has He done in you? Have you thanked Him for it? Is the Lord saying, “Where is ________? Didn’t I bless him/her too?”

We have an opportunity to bless the Lord today. As we participate in our annual Thanksgiving sharing service take a moment and share with us, in the presence of the Lord what you have to be thankful for. All of us have something, but who of us will share? By doing so, you bring pleasure to the Lord. Along with that, in the community of believer’s you’ll encourage those who hear you who might need the same blessing from God. Your thanks through your life story and journey could very well encourage them in their journey with the Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor MJ

“Everythingness”

Because you are precious in His sight…hear His words…

“I will instruct you and teach you – I will guide you with my eye…”
Psalm 32:8

“With God nothing will be impossible…”
Luke 1:37

“I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your Right hand and says to you…do not fear; I will help you…”
Isaiah 41:13

“I Am the Lord; there is no God besides Me…”
Isaiah 45:5a

“No weapon formed against you shall Prosper,
and every tongue which rises against you
in judgement you shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and Their righteousness is from me, says, the Lord…”
Isaiah 54:17

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;The Lord will give GRACE and glory; No GOOD THING will He withhold From those who WALK UPRIGHTLY…” Psalm 84:11

“Behold, I Am the Lord, the God of all flesh…
Is there anything too hard for me?”
Jeremiah 32:27

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this All-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are Hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but Not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, But not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the Death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body.”
2 Corinthians 4:7-11

Let’s respond to these truths by worshipping Him with our

Everythingness

What Is God Up To

Do you sometimes find yourself wondering what God is doing? Do you sometimes feel that His timetable is too slow and that your need, desire, or want should be higher on His “to-do” list?

Do you tire of waiting and waiting, seemingly not getting an answer from your Heavenly Father who has promised to hear your prayer and give you your heart’s desire if you delight yourself in Him? Waiting can be difficult. Difficult times are not ones that we prefer, but they are inevitable, and can cripple us in spirit and many times in our bodies as well. That is if our perspective is not right. God is always working with, for and on us. No matter how silent He may seem, He is not idle. He is seldom early, but never late. As it says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

A good friend sent me a card with some thoughts on it that have helped me see this from a heavenly vantage point. It is based on the passage found in Isaiah 40:31: “…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; the will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” It reads…

“As you wait upon the Lord you learn to see things from His perspective,
move at His pace, and function under His directives.
Waiting times are growing times and learning times.
As you quiet your heart, you enter His peace, as you sense your weakness,
you receive His strength; as you lay down your will, you hear His calling.
When you mount up, you are being lifted by the wind of His Spirit. When you
move ahead, you are sensitive to His timing. When you act you give yourself
only to the things He has asked you to do.” ~Roy Lessin

Let’s strive to know Him more deeply and rest in His goodness, faithfulness and promises today. Listen for His voice. He’s right by your side every step of your journey. Walk in that reality this week!

You Shall Not Steal

“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15To Steal:

To take (the property of another) without right or permission.

I love impromptu conversations over meals. It’s interesting what comes up and how, should I say, “firm” those discussions can become.

This week I had the opportunity to hear about a situation where stealing was in question. Sometimes I have struggles offering my opinion on certain things because of all of the mistakes I’ve made, but if that were the criteria for offering guidance and wisdom, who of us could utter a word? Praise God for His forgiveness, grace and mercy!

Here’s the situation: a young man, went to a vending machine and put his money in. The product that he wanted came out, but so did his money. The next day, he returned to the same machine and the same thing happened. Before he knew it, there was a line of people “taking advantage” of this buffet of “free” snacks. The question at hand was if this was stealing or not. What would you do? For the next thirty minutes I heard these explanations: “Well, that machine has taken my money so many times, I was just getting what was mine!” “It’s not stealing, what was I supposed to do, just leave the money there?” “What? Everyone else was doing it!” “Okay, so you’ve never done anything like that? Oh, you did? So, why am I wrong?”

From there I had to take a deep breath and just lay out, not my opinion, but the truth – taking what is not rightfully ours is stealing. Stealing is wrong, whether it’s a candy bar or a $100,000 car, convenient or acceptable or what “everyone” is doing, it’s wrong.

When one girl was asked if she was there, what she would have done, she said, “to be honest, I would probably be tempted to take part too, but I’d be afraid that I’d be caught!” To which I replied, “why be afraid of being caught if it’s not wrong?”

Many may say, “Gimme a break, if it’s there for the taking, who’s it going to hurt?” God says, “Do not steal!” To live in integrity, that is, who we are when no one is looking, is not the easy thing, but it’s the right and obedient thing and what will bring pleasure to the Lord. As Romans 12:2 states, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Do We Take Him At His Word?

“To accept the will of God never leads to the miserable
feeling that it is useless to strive anymore.
God does not ask for the dull, weak,
sleepy acquiescence of indolence.
He asks for something vivid and strong.
He asks us to cooperate with him, actively willing what he wills,
our only aim his glory.” (Amy Carmichael)

Do you ever feel like it’s really difficult to follow the Lord’s commands? I mean on a daily basis. Think about the things that God gives us as instructions as how to live the lives that He has for us. He tells us not to worry. He tells us to trust him completely. He tells us to love Him with all of our hearts, souls and strength. He tells us to love our neighbors as our selves. He tells us not to worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will care for itself. He tells us to trust Him completely and in doing so be led by Him down His path for our lives. He tells us not to fear but that He will take care of our every need. He tells us that if our ways please Him that He will make even our enemies be at peace with us. He tells us that if we train up our children His way that when they are old they will not depart from it. There are hundreds of other things that the Lord tells us to do that provide for us the way to experience life at its full. Do we take Him at His word?

Out of the many things that our God tells us to do in order to have the life that He’s created us for, there are other things that He tells us not to do in order to receive the same. It’s been that way since the beginning. Adam and Eve were told to do many things, but one thing that they were told not to do, they did and it changed history forever and the penalty was severe. How would things be different if they had only obeyed? Remember Achan in Joshua 7. Earlier he had been told not to keep the things devoted to the Lord, but he did it anyway. God was not pleased and Achan and all he had was destroyed. If only he had obeyed and waited. We see in chapter 8 that all Achan desired, worldly treasures, were already in God’s plan to give him, but due to his lack of trust, expressed through disobedience he never got to partake of God’s bounty.

How many things have we, will we miss out on that God has planned for us because of our impatience, fear, bitterness, lack of forgiveness, etc. all which when boiled down equal lack of trust. Father is not one who gives commands just for the sake of giving them; he does so with a much bigger picture in mind. Obedience opens the door to multiplied blessings that He is waiting to give to those who take the “risk” to trust in Him with all their hearts with the aim to bring Him honor and glory.

With you on the journey towards total trust,

MJ

I"m Sorry!

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing more we can do.”

No one wants to hear those eight words about someone that they love, especially if that someone is their child.

Over the years, I’ve stood with many parents who have had to say goodbye to a child who’s life seemed to be cut way too short. In those circumstances, countless people have asked, “How could a loving God allow this to happen, especially to a child?” Whether you’ve laid a child, a spouse, a sibling or a dear friend to rest, it’s possible that you’ve asked that question as well.

Jesus, in essence was asked the same question over 2,000 years ago when his good friend, Lazarus died. Our Lord had been summoned to come and be by His friend’s side, but instead he completed what he was doing and then came. After Lazarus died, his sister, Martha, said to Jesus, “"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21) He then put her situation in eternal perspective and explained that even this very difficult circumstance was in place for the glory of God. (Read John 11:-1-43)

God is so gracious to give us the Bible, filled with stories of people just like you and me. And in just about every circumstance, both good and bad that we can imagine, we see that in the midst of every situation, every page from beginning to end, “their story” was incorporated with “His story” and had as it ultimate goal, God’s glory.

No matter what your loss today, whether it’s a death of a person, a job, a dream, or a relationship, God’s words of comfort to you today remain the same; take heart, “This will ultimately be for my glory and I will walk with you all the way to the realization of that.” Hold onto Him today, He’s worthy of your trust.

Be Right Or Stay Married?

Would you rather be right or stay married? Silly question, you might say. But when you realize that due to our sinful nature most of the arguments that we have with our spouses are born out of selfishness and or the necessity of being heard, having the last word and or being right, it’s not that much of a stretch.

You may be one of those people who say, “We’ve been married for “x” amount of years and we’ve never had an argument!” Well, my first question to you is how many of those “x” years did you actually live under the same roof? Arguments, or if you like, “strong, marital differences of opinion” are normal and natural in any relationship where two humans live and grow together. The question is, how do you “argue” and how do you treat each other during those occasions, however, frequent or infrequent they are.

I love God’s Word, because it contains principles and guidelines for every situation we find ourselves in. Nowhere in God’s Word will you find, “Thou Shall Not Argue!” However, it does say, “Don’t let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful…” (Ephesians 4:29). It also says, referring to our speech, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” (James 3:10-12). Reminding us of the duplicitous nature and power of our words Proverbs 11:19 says, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” And a foundational verse for those times of difficulty is found in Ephesians 4:6, “"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”

May God remind each of us today and in the days to come of the grace and mercy that we have received from Him, so that when our holding on to be right or heard tempts us to give our spouse an “old fashioned” tongue whipping, we will remember how he responds to us and do like-wise.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Cute, but it’s a lie from the pit of hell!

MJ

We Do Not Pray Because We Doubt

"Often we do not pray because we doubt that anything will actually happen if we pray. Of course, we don’t admit this publicly. But if we felt certain of visible results within sixty seconds of every prayer, there would be holes in the knees of every pair of Christian-owned pants in the world!" Donald Whitney

Prayer is one of the most wonderful and powerful gifts and privileges that God has given us. Just think, when you and I pray the God of the universe gives us His undivided attention. Many times it’s hard to even get our friends and family to do that! How awesome it is to think that God would listen to us express everything from our praises to petitions and be pleased when we do so.

Most of us have personal prayer times. However, one thing that many churches are weak is their times of corporate prayer. Praying alone is essential yet prayer is also something to be done with others in the Body of Christ. Whether it’s in a small group, large corporate gathering or at home, being with others is following a pattern modeled by those we read about in Scriptures.

In the Scriptures we see believers gathering to hear the Word and do the acts that God had set down for them. They heard, saw, tasted, smelled, felt and sang about God’s love. As the Spirit drew them together they responded in prayer. Also, public prayer shed insight to them what others private prayers were about. In His writings about Believers praying together, Robert Longman Jr. asks us to consider this: “In public they prayed when they didn’t want to pray or didn’t feel like praying; they prayed when they had trouble concentrating on praying; they prayed when they weren’t prepared for it; they prayed the Word by drawing their liturgies and readings from the Scriptures; they prayed for and with those they were in conflict with; they prayed about people and things that they wouldn’t have thought to pray for or would have forgotten to pray for.”

Prayer is a discipline. Public prayer helps us learn through a unity of purpose and helps strengthen our private times. To have a complete prayer life we are reminded that the lessons learned during corporate prayer times feed back into our private prayer lives, and the lessons of private prayer feed back into the corporate gatherings.

Each week at 7:00pm on Wednesday nights we gather to do just that, a time of prayer and praise. You are invited to come and join us as we spend time in His presence praising and praying from our hearts to His.

With you on the journey, MJ

Impossible

Impossible: “felt to be incapable of being done, attained, or fulfilled.” (Webster’s) When you think of that word, what are some of the things that you would say are impossible? Although we may not express it, in reality, most of us have an extensive list. How long have you been praying for that break through at work, home or in that relationship and nothing seems to change? How many times have you read that God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that you can ask or think? Do we believe that He will do that for every single one of our needs? How many times do we separate the truth that God will supply all of our needs from the truth of His ability to do so?

Here’s the God we see in the Bible: He divided the waters of the Red Sea and the Israelites walked across on dry land. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood in a blazing fire and not a single hair on their heads was singed, their robes were not scorched, there was not even the smell of smoke on them. Daniel was thrown into the midst of hungry lions and he wasn’t eaten or even hurt from the fall. Elijah saw God send fire from heaven and burn up a sacrifice drenched with water that licked up the soil and the water. Lazarus was raised from the dead. We see God come to earth as a baby and give up His life willingly to be murdered by His own creation. All of these things in and of themselves were seemingly impossible. None could happen outside of Divine intervention. None happened outside of God accomplishing His purposes through initial suffering.

What impossibility are you facing today? Is there something in your life, on your heart that you are agonizing about and you just can’t see how it will ever happen? As we read Scripture we see that God majors in doing the impossible.

The same God who spoke the world into order, who breathed the breath of life into mankind, who gave sight to the blind, who gave his own life for us, is the same God who is here to meet with you today, wanting you to know that what you see as impossible is an opportunity for you to see Him express His love for you. Now that doesn't mean that the result will be exactly as you desire, but as you draw near to Him and grow to know Him better through faith, your focus will move from your impossibility to the Worker of impossible things. The real miracle of a miracle is that the object of affection after a miracle is not the miracle, but the Miracle Worker. Trusting Him with you for your miracle,

MJ

Why

“…everyone who is called by my name, whom
I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
(Isaiah 43:7 NIV)

Why, is a question that we tend to ask when we don’t understand the reasons for something taking place or the absence of the same. It’s a question that most of us if asked would admit that we’ve asked God. It’s a question that I’ve asked and have with tears in my eyes just yearned for an answer from God.

In John 11, when Jesus heard that his close friend Lazarus was dying, He told those around Him, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." (John 11:4 NIV) Then it says that Jesus stayed where He was for two more days. If it were up to Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, they would have had Jesus drop everything and come right then to heal their brother and keep him from dying. But as we read this portion of scripture we see that it wasn’t up to them and that it wasn’t about them, or their brother, rather the circumstance that they found themselves in was all about God’s glory.

It’s a very natural thing for us to become focused on ourselves when in the midst of our circumstances we find ourselves weighed down and burdened by the reality of pain and suffering. Could it be possible that the cancer our loved one is facing is for God’s glory? Can my losing my job and not being able to get one for this long be because God wants to be glorified though it? I’ve been praying for my husband for years to come and know the Lord, but to no avail. Should I continue to pray or give up? Could this journey of pain be for the glory of God? How could my life of struggling with my addictions ever turn out to bring glory to God? How could Christians being put to death and worse, because of their faith be for the glory of God?

In the midst of our circumstances, as we face uncertainties day in and day out, we must remember that not only were we made for God’s glory, but that everything, every circumstance in our lives, the good, the bad and the seemingly indifferent, are all a part of the plan that God has to bring glory to Himself. So, as we take steps day by day, moment by moment and face circumstances beyond our control, let’s remember that it’s all about Him and His glory. It’s not about our good and well being, it’s about His glory which when accomplished will always work out for our good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28 NIV) Our circumstances will look much different when viewed through the lenses of God’s glory. For that is the purpose for our being.

MJ

September 11, 2001

Like many, I will never forget where I was and what I was doing on the morning of September 11, 2001. As I waited to hear news of friends and family involved, I was hit with a sense of fear that life as we knew it in the United States of America would never be the same.

Several days later, while talking with some friends that did get out of the building alive, I learned of the incredible heroism of many men and women who set aside their comfort, their reason and for many their very lives to rescue men and women, boys and girls from the grip of a fiery grave. One friend described a fireman sitting with a disabled man giving comfort to him while hundreds of people passed by trying to escape. Another described firemen going up the stairwell towards the fire to find any one who might still be alive, only to realize in just moments that they would enter into eternity trying to help out a fellow human being. All of the police, fireman, priests, etc. that perished in those buildings that day did not know what the future held. They were not guaranteed that they would ever return to their jobs, their homes, their families, all they knew was that duty was calling them and in their eyes, duty was the highest calling that they had on their lives. When surviving public servants were asked, “why did you enter those fiery towers?” they responded, that they were doing what they were called to do, their job!.

There have been many other hero’s in history that entered a “fiery building” to set the captives free, Moses entered Pharaoh's chambers, Esther entered the Kings court, Elijah entered the prophet of Baal’s territory, David entered Goliath's field, Abraham went to a mountain that He’d never been to before, Daniel entered the lion’s den and his three friends an actual furnace. Each of these had a calling too. It was a calling from the God of the Universe. His call was to obey. To trust in His word above the unknown, the unseen, the unclear, the unbelievable. Each one lived a life of “going without knowing” the outcome. However, they all were just “doing their job”, which was obedience to their Master.

We share a deep gratitude for the hero’s of September 11th. Even though we may never get a hero’s title, we too have been called to be “Fire rescuers”. When God calls us to “enter the building” He is looking to provide someone with life eternal.

Will you be willing to enter into someone’s “burning building” of life when called on by the Master? Remember as you do that Jesus is right by your side and will lead and guide you through.

Where or to whom is He calling you today? Because He is worthy, “get up early” and go!

With you on the journey,

Pastor MJ

It Will Never Happen To Me

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20(NIV)

“It will never happen to me.” I believe that everyone has said or thought that way or if not, at the very least lived like it. It is a dangerous realm that we all enter into throughout our journey here. It’s a thought, conscious or unconscious that one person had as they continued to overeat and then faced a life of diabetes. It’s the feeling of a young man in the hospital ER the morning following a motorcycle accident in which he was not wearing a helmet.

Several years ago I woke up to a car that wouldn’t start. When the Triple A driver arrived, he noticed that one of my battery terminals was filled with battery acid, the powdery corrosion of an old, tired battery that had leaked out. It had sapped that power from my battery. He looked at me and said, “Do you have any coke?” Not knowing him, I didn’t know if he needed a fix or a cold refreshment, however, giving him the benefit of the doubt, I said, “no, but I think I have some Dr. Pepper.” To which he said, “No, Coke works best to clean batteries.” What I witnessed next blew me away. As he poured this bottle of coke on the corrosion, it melted away like butter and cleaned the terminal like new. It was acid eating away acid. He told me that was why he had given up drinking Coke. If it could do that to battery acid, he said, what does it do to our teeth, our insides? But “that will never happen to me!”

Scripture gives us instruction, promises and warnings as to how to live this life and how to live it in such a way as to be protected from some of the harsh consequences of this sinful state that we live in. However, when we are feeling good, when we are not in “seeming” danger, when all is well with us and ours we allow ourselves to participate and partake of things that in time can maim kill and destroy us both physically and more that that spiritually.

In his sermon, “Pay Day Some Day”, Rev. R.G. Lee tells of Jezebel and that scene in 1 Kings 21, regarding Naboth’s vineyard. After her treacherous deeds, years went by and she thought she was off the hook. However, as we read in 2 Kings 9:30-37, payday came and her “sin found her out.” She lived as though nothing bad could ever happen to her and the unrepentant sin became a “cancer” that ultimately became the death of her.

What are you and I consuming today (internally or externally) that we know is, bad, wrong, and sinful? Do we think that just because it’s “blue-sky” today and that we’re feeling just fine that everything’s going to be alright? God has called us to be good stewards of all He has given to us, our time, our resources, our bodies, our families. Are we good care takers of His gifts or do we assume that a clear day means that there is not a tsunami brewing?

“We may not be what we eat,

but assuming on God’s goodness and patience

could lead to our ultimate defeat.”

Pastor MJ

Christ Died for Sins Once For All

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

One of the biggest financial “chains” that a person can have on them is a mortgage. Although, for many financial gurus a mortgage falls into the category of “good-debt”, it is something that holds many in bondage. Just think, you have to make a payment to a company every month for at least 15 years and for most 30 years. To top that, many people refinance and or take on second mortgages. For some, the day of sending in the last payment for their mortgage materializes only in a dream.

Imagine this, you wake up tomorrow morning and you get an email, from a very credible source informing you that your entire mortgage has been PAID IN FULL. And not only that, but if you decide that you want to move, every subsequent home that you live in will be mortgage free. Well, beside the hour that you spend ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing), what if you found out that this was a serious email and that your mortgage debts were from this day forth PAID IN FULL. What would you do?

What would you think of a person who after finding this out, month after month still sent in a payment towards their mortgage? They have the deed in hand, but regardless they still send in the payment. Sound crazy? Why would someone do this?

There are several reasons; Fear-they may be thinking, “I can’t believe this. This is just too big. What if someone is just really messing around with me and I get caught down the road in the biggest scheme of all history?” Maybe it’s Doubt. They might be thinking, “Did this benefactor’s check really clear? What if they changed their mind? Did they really mean the whole mortgage?” For some it might be Guilt. They may be burdened with the thoughts that there is no way that they could ever deserve this kind of blessing, they’ve been late and or missed too many payments. And yet for some, it could be Ignorance, because they never check their email and for years, they’ve missed the message that their debt has been PAID IN FULL.

Sound like a wild story? It’s not really. Jesus Christ has paid an even bigger debt for you and for me. He wrote it in a book filled with many letters describing in many different ways that your sin debt is PAID IN FULL. But for many, fear caused by disbelief, doubt wondering how could this be, guilt weighed down by the past and or ignorance due to just not listening have caused them to continue to work for their “Salvation”.

As you worship today, be thankful that “He paid a debt He did not owe for a debt that you and I could never pay.” It is PAID IN FULL! Live and worship Him in the reality of that today!

Pastor MJ

Garden of Eden

One day while walking through the Dallas Arboretum, breathing in the sweet aroma of the thousands of varieties of plants and flowers I began to wonder what it was like in the Garden of Eden. As beautiful as the Botanical Gardens are it is at best tainted with the imperfections of sin. The atmosphere is not pure, the ground is tainted, and the climate as near perfect as it may be still falls short to the Garden planted and tended by God first then by a near perfect man in a perfect environment.

Something else about the Garden captures my thoughts. Just imagine, what would it be like to be on a small (relatively) part of the earth in a perfect environment with everything you need, want or desire and throughout the day you have one on one conversations with God. He actually walks in the garden and talks with you. He doesn’t think only of what you have with Him, but He cares so much about you that he causes you to see your need, and then fulfills that need by creating a mate for you. A mate made by the hands of the same Artist that just created the sun, moon, stars, the earth and the entire universe. What a deal!

Worship was a lifestyle with Adam. It was not something that was put on. It was not something that He had to labor over. It was not something that he switched on and off. It was life for him to walk, talk, and commune, spend time with, listen to, learn from, and be in the presence of the God of the universe. Everything was just right. Just like it was after God created everything – it was very good!

But something happened. That sweet communion between God and Adam was broken because of sin. That broke the heart of God. He had so enjoyed the fellowship with the one part of creation that was made in His own image. However, He was not going to let sin keep Him away from His precious creation.

Where He had every right to forsake Adam, destroy him and start all over again, God instead pursued Adam and took the first step to restore that relationship. That pursuit continues even today. We all have sinned, but God pursues us to restore the original relationship that He desired to have with Adam. For Adam, God sacrificed an animal, shedding its blood, and used the skin to cover his nakedness. For us God sacrificed His Beloved, shedding His blood and used Him to not only cover our nakedness before Him, but to cleanse and remove our sin before His holiness.

Bow before Him in worship in light of that today.

Pastor MJ

Exercise In Faith

Some time ago, I had an exercise in faith, riding the roller coaster rides at Six Flags. Throughout the day I put my trust in many people; in the teenagers controlling the rides, the engineers who drew the plans for the rides, the workers who constructed the rides as well as the park owners who assured us of our safety if we followed certain guidelines. Now, I don’t know any of them and the only real interest that they have in me is my money and my return visits, yet, I put my life in their hands and more than that, I put the lives of my three children in their hands as I sent them on a few rides alone.

What guarantee did I have that they were not playing a trick on me or that the cables would hold? How did I know that the engineers that built a certain ride did not cut corners in the construction of the ride just to save money?

I put my life and the lives of my children in the trust of the creators of the Texas Giant but what do I do with the “Giants” in my life? Daily life brings with it many curves, dips, bumps and often hair raising falls that never seem to end. However, the Creator of life says, “Jump, you can trust me!” And in reality, unlike the Texas Giant, or Dive Bomber Alley, many times life’s rides don’t have visible seat belts or cables. The fall is void of any visible safety measures. Yet God says, “Trust Me”.

Abraham had no safety net when God told Him to sacrifice his son. The safety net of the ram in the thicket and the angel holding back his hand only came after trust and obedience and “going without knowing”.

Think about the things we put our trust in daily, the water company (for untainted water), doctors (For correct prescriptions), mechanics (to put the lugs on tight enough so we won’t crash), etc. Do we put that much trust in God who has our very best in mind? Let our ultimate deed of faith this week be our trust and obedience in our All Knowing, All Loving, All Powerful Heavenly Father, who has never failed. Begin today by praising Him for all of the ways He’s revealed His trust worthiness to you and your family this week.

He’s worthy to be trusted,

Pastor MJ

One of Those Weeks

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14 NIV)

Have you ever had “one of those weeks”? You might be saying, “Mark, I have one of those lives!” I often feel bad about expressing how I feel about different life circumstances. I know I’m not supposed to complain or be anxious. I know there is always someone worse off than me. I know that a better day is coming, but to be honest, sometimes I’ve just got to let it out and tell it like it is when life really hurts.

That’s what I love about the Word of God. Father knew what my week would be like and He had the testimonies of Elijah, Job, Habakkuk, Thomas, Jesus and especially my fellow worship leader David, and their experiences included in His Word so that I could see that it’s okay to tell Father how I’m feeling. It’s okay to scream out, to cry to agonize and to hurt. However, although Father accepts us as we are, He loves us too much to leave us there. Because after we’ve had our say, He is there like he was with Habakkuk in chapter 1 verse 5 where he answered, “Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” God’s Word not only gives us the freedom to be honest it gives us the hope to endure.

David, after realizing he was up against many things, even death, took comfort in the realization that the Lord was his salvation, his shelter, his helper. Also, David was not content just to say, “a better day is coming”, he stood bold in God’s faithfulness and proclaimed that he’d see God’s goodness here, realizing that in that even in the midst of pain God’s faithfulness shines through; that even in the moments of doubt and fear, God’s presence and promises are near. He refused to forget in the dark what God had already reveled in the light.

Join me today in thanking God for the timeliness and strength that His Word gave us yesterday and gives us today and tomorrow. He is so good!

With you on the journey,

Pastor MJ

Hope Is A Declaration Of A Reality

“Hope is not a wish, hope is a declaration of a reality” MWJ

During the Christmas season we hear the words hope and wish many times. There is, however, a huge difference between the two. A wish may or may not come true and often disappoints. Just ask a child on Christmas day that doesn’t receive what they’d wished for or maybe interview someone who watches as the Prize Patrol rings someone else’s door bell on Super Bowl Sunday and delivers a check for ten million dollars. Our wishes don’t always come true. And that is a good thing as well, because how many of us have wished for something in a fit of rage or during a really unwise moment that if it had come true would have been devastating?

True hope, on the other hand, will always be realized. I say true hope because it all depends on who or what our hope is built on. If like the hymn writer you can proclaim, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness…” than your hope is secure. That security comes from hoping in what God has promised.

What can we hope for?

* “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4 (NLT)

* “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB)

* “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NASB)

* “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NASB)

* “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

*”For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NASB)

And much, much more! My friend, true hope cannot disappoint because Jesus holds and guarantees the realization of that hope. So, today, don’t live on wishes and dreams, rather, hold fast to hope, hold fast to Jesus. He is worthy of our trust and is indeed our only true hope.

Pastor MJ

Submission

When my boys were really young, I loved picking them up and throwing them in the air (and catching them, of course)! And then, as they got older, we moved to wrestling and they always knew who was boss. It was always fun to be able to make them submit to my strength. They are bigger now and it’s not as easy to make them “cry uncle”. To tell the truth, but please don’t tell them, in a few short years they may be able to make me submit in a one on one match.

Submission comes as a result of many things, including, but not limited to; physical strength or size, financial position, fear, sheer numbers and respect.

Many times when someone hears the word submission, it puts a negative connotation in their mind. However, submission is not always negative. When Scripture tells a wife to be submissive to her husband (Colossians 3:18-19), that is not negative, rather, it is to honor the Lord by submitting to her husband’s leadership which is also to be in submission to the Lord. Not a doormat, rather a partner submitting to a role that God will bless and honor when done so in His name.

One of the most vivid examples of submission that I can think of is found in Philippians 2:10-11, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Here we have, although not stated, two groups of people. They are mentioned in one group, but “Every knee should bow” will include those who willingly bow and those who are forced to. Those who have lived in rebellion and have no regard for God will either fall to their knees or will be brought to their knees by a Holy God. However, those who have already submitted their hearts and lives to God through obedience will not find it difficult to submit at all. When the redeemed hear the Name of Jesus, out of love, proper fear, honor, respect, awe and wonder they, we, will fall to our knees in humility.

The question is, which one will you be? The answer lies in which group you find yourself in today. God is inviting you right now to submit to Him as Lord and King and Savior of your life. Have you done so? If not He is inviting you to. If you have, take a moment today and give thanks and shout out before the end of time, that “Jesus Christ is lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Amen…

God Is Seldom Early But He's Never Late!

Stories have been told that prisoner’s who hold onto hope of one day being set free during their imprisonment do far better and live in a much better mental and physical state than those who have given up and lost all hope. The same stands true for those outside of actual physical prison walls, but find themselves in a world of heartache, pain and suffering. God’s Word encourages us to hold on to, not hope alone, but rather hope that is anchored by the character of Almighty God Himself.

One of the reasons, (there are many), that God can be trusted is because He has yet to fail; and He never will. Now, you may say, “well, He’s let me down before.” Many have felt that way, but it’s not because God has failed, rather, He may have “failed” to meet your expectations of what He would do. But, the Bible puts things in perspective when it says in Isaiah 55:9, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God does not tell us to, nor expect us to understand everything. He does, however, tell us to live lives of faith and patience holding onto the promises that He has made. God never changes and God cannot lie so what He has promised He will do and what He does will stand firm and eternal because of who He is. Who He is along with all He’s done becomes an anchor for our faith to hold on to.

In the midst of the storms of this life the lyrics to the chorus of this song by Steve Adams give us a picture of God’s amazing peace and hope in the midst of the storms in our lives.

“There is peace in the midst of my storm-tossed life
Oh, there's an anchor, there's a rock to cast my faith upon.
Jesus rides in my vessel, so I'll fear no alarm
He gives me peace in the midst of my storm.”
Steve Adams Copyright 1978 Pilot music (ASCAP)

That peace is on a spiritual level is like a child who cannot swim, who’s father encourages him to jump off of the diving board into the deep end of the pool into his father’s arms…He’s asking you to leap into His arms today…He can be trusted. He does not lie and He does not change. Millions of your “brothers and sisters” throughout history have jumped in and He’s hasn’t dropped one…and you won’t be the first.

Surviving The Heart

The past couple of weeks have reminded me of the summer of 1998 when I experienced one of the hottest times in my life. Remember? We had a stretch of 46 days where the temperature was over 100 degrees with not a drop of rain. My front lawn looked like hay, and there seemed to be no relief from the heat. Cars were overheating everywhere; air conditioners were working overtime, but never really cooled things off. And to make matters worse, our stress levels rose as we wrote the checks to pay those huge electric bills.

In Texas, you have to be creative in finding relief from the heat. However, all of us would like to find relief from another kind of heat, the heat that comes from the pain and struggles of life. Those are the kind of hurts that plague us so deeply that we have difficulty finding relief. Many days is seems as if there are no ‘air conditioners’ large enough to cool your hurting, bleeding soul.

You are not here today by accident. One of the reasons God brought you here is for you to find rest and peace for your soul. We are gathered here to worship, to bring our praise and worship to God for who He is and all that He has done. As we do that, in His loving grace He provides for us a deeper understanding of who He is and all that He has to offer us. As we praise Him for His goodness, faithfulness, kindness, mercy, healing, forgiveness, and as we listen to others around us do the same, His Holy Spirit reveals and reminds us that there is no mistake He cannot correct. There is no sin that He cannot forgive. There is no wound that He cannot heal. There is no relationship that He cannot mend. There is no future where He is not already there. There is no burden which He cannot bear. There is no question that He cannot answer. There is no fear for which He cannot give comfort. There is no need for which He cannot provide. And most of all that He is here, in our midst, right here, right now. You were led here today by the Holy Spirit of God for a Divine Appointment with the God of the Universe, the Lord of All Creation.

As you are reading this, the Lord Jesus is right by your side, willing, ready and able to meet your every need and to provide your deepest hearts’ desire. Take a moment this morning before we begin and give Him praise. Bring your torch and lay it next to mine and let’s build a “Bond-fire” of worship this morning and bless His heart with our worship, because He is worthy.

And don’t hold back….Jesus was not ashamed to express His love for you in front of others. Let’s work towards having a lifestyle of worship that is extravagant. He’s worth it.

With you on the journey, MJ

I'm Free

In September of 1862, President Lincoln declared what is known as the Emancipation Proclamation which, effective January 1, 1863, freed all slaves in all territories still at war with the union. This was the law that abolished the legal practice of slavery in our country. A day that forever changed the course of America. However, in some of the southwestern states this upset many slave owners; because this would mean that they would lose many workers and thus lose much money. So, in order to stop this they kept this news of freedom from their slaves. Therefore, even though these slaves were set free, they were still in bondage because they didn’t know of their new-found freedom.

However, on June 19^th of that same year, the word arrived to all of the slaves and they then declared that day their independence day. They called this day “Juneteenth”.

As I ponder on this piece of American history, I think about the similarities in the spiritual realm. How many of us live day by day, moment by moment in slavery to our sin? Evil habits and lifestyles that have gripped us for years loom over you like a dark storm cloud with no relief in sight. As far as you are concerned, this life of failure and despair, guilt and depression is your destiny, with no way out.

My friend, listen no longer to your “old master!” He wants you to think that you are still his slave and under his control, when in reality you have been set free, you chains have been broken and you have a new name.

Jesus and His Father, with the sustaining power of His Spirit have emancipated you. You are freed from the power and penalty of sin’s chains on your life. Live, walk, and experience that freedom today. This Independence Day weekend as you praise God for the freedom we live, walk in and experience in our country, thank Him also for setting you free to experience all His is and all that He has for you, in this life and the next! Remember, just as the USA has her Lady Liberty as a symbol of freedom, we, as Christians have the symbol of the cross as our Statue of Liberty!

We are so blessed to live in America and enjoy its freedoms, but to be a Christian in America, we are doubly blessed! Give the Lord double praise and honor today, for He is indeed worthy. Happy Independence day!

Grace and Mercy

Grace. Mercy. Most of the time when we see or hear these words, we envision an “after the fact” extension towards someone who has wronged someone else. The Prodigal son (Grace and Mercy); King David (Grace and Mercy); Mary Magdalene (Mercy and Grace). As the gospel song says, “Mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary.” God is so good and even after the most egregious sin; one can find grace, “getting what we don’t deserve” and mercy, “not getting what we do deserve”.

There is a side to grace and mercy, however that we do not often see, realize or think about. In Hebrews 4, verse 16 we see two sides of grace and mercy. Both are extended but both are also available not only in remedial situations, but are also available for preventative means.

I love it when my children come to me with their problems. There have been times when they’ve come to me and said, “Dad I really messed up and I’m so sorry. Please forgive me!” After pondering on the billions of times God has forgiven me, I’ve quickly and gladly extend grace and mercy when needed.

But there are also times when before they mess up that they come to me for counsel, before doing something that they’d be ashamed of. In those cases grace and mercy act as spiritual guardians.

When a child comes and says, “Dad, I’m struggling with this or that. Help me please.” A loving father would say, “thank you for trusting me and for wanting to do the right thing.” Then the father would impart all of the wisdom and guidance that he could to help his child succeed. He would also provide the means and tools to protect his child from the harm of ever succumbing to that temptation again. His grace – reaching out in love; His mercy – protecting from harm.

Father God extends grace and mercy when we’ve blown it, but He yearns for our “time of need” to be more and more during the battle, not after it. Today, make your way to the throne of His grace and mercy and experience them not only as a healing balm, but as protective coverings from a loving Father.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

Teacher Don't You Care

“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:38-40 (NIV)

Studies have shown that the lack of sleep can do everything from lessen an athlete’s ability to do their best, to bringing on feelings of paranoia to making a person lose the ability to act and think coherently. And although it leaves no physical marks, the psychological effects of sleep deprivation can disrupt every physiologic function in the body.

The body needs rest. Father God rested (Genesis 2:4). Jesus rested and encouraged His disciples to rest (Mark 6:31, 46). We are made in the image of God and He created our bodies. Therefore He knows what we need. Just as there is a rest that is good and necessary for our physical bodies and without it can affect and even destroy our bodies, the need for rest for our soul and is no less important. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious”. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to place all of our cares on the Lord and again, Psalm 46:11 exhorts us to “be still and know that He is God”! Matthew 11:29 reminds us that true rest for our souls, comes from the Lord: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Just like the need for physical rest assumes that we have been active, the need for spiritual rest assumes that we have been active as well in a spiritual battle. Sometimes we are on the defensive, (Ephesians 6) and sometimes we are on the offensive (James 4:7). One of the keys to rest is emptying ourselves of all distractions and focusing on something, someone that is calm, serene and restorative.

In the midst of whatever battle you find yourself in today, take courage in the words of this Hymn -

“ O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”
(Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Public Domain)

My you rest in the shadow of His wings today….

Finishing Well

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,

I have keep the Faith.

(2 Tim. 4:7 NIV)

If I were able to offer people my age one thought to hold close to their hearts, it would be expressed in just two simple, yet powerful words: Finish well.

Throughout history we have examples of men and women who began their journeys as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, pastors, businessmen, and friends with a bang. Life was good and they were at the top of their game in every area of life. Their walk with God was good, their relationships with their wives/husbands and children seemed to be second to none. Their zest for life was energized simply by waking up in the morning. Then something happened, the circumstances of life took over and some, sadly enough, ended their journey here, sad, burnout, brokenhearted, rejected and alone.

Finishing well begins by viewing life not as a sprint, but rather as a marathon. Sprinting through life puts the weight of completion on our shoulders and when circumstances cause us to trip and fall, we become disillusioned, convince ourselves that we deserve better and we often feel like failures and ultimately, many times give up. Realizing that life is a marathon helps us to make it through the pit falls of life and get up again, not to give up, but rather to continue towards the finish line of life, longing to hear the most important duel words in eternity, well done.

Satan would have us think that we should rush though life and get all we can before the other guy gets it and all the while destroying anyone or thing that gets in our way. He also wants us to think that happiness should be our goal in life. Jesus on the other hand set the example of the marathon in life that takes one day, one moment, one circumstance, one person at a time, keeping our eyes on the “Author and Finisher of our faith!” (Hebrews 12:2) He also told us to expect trouble, not happiness. (see John 16:33)

Where are you today? Are you on the sidelines, tired, unhappy, bruised and injured after a long sprint? My friend, it’s not over, it’s far from over. Extend your hand out and our Lord and a trusted brother or sister in Christ will join hands with you and help you to the finish line. Are you running well? Slow down and take a moment to pick someone else up and don’t rush through life so fast that you forget that you won’t truly finish well unless you bring someone else across the finish line with you. This week, purpose anew not only to finish, but by the grace of God to finish well. And along with that know that God is more concerned with your holiness than your happiness.

I Stand In Awe

“Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"”

Genesis 18:10-12

It continually makes me stand in awe as I think that the King of kings and Lord of lords loves me. And not that he loves me alone, but also desires for me to be in relationship with Him. As I read through Scriptures, I notice several times when God is so grieved over man’s unfaithfulness, sin and rebellion, that He states that it is His desire to destroy them. However, as wicked as man has been, God has never destroyed all of mankind. And as a matter of fact, on many occasions, because of the prayers of faithful men, God changed his plan.

No matter how many times God proved his faithfulness, no matter how many times He proved that His promises are true, men and women through Scripture and still today cry, keep silent and or laugh in disbelief because of our lack of faith. Sarah was such a person. God had told Abraham and then Sarah that through them many nations would be born and blessed. Sarah had a hard time believing that especially since she was 90 and Abraham at this time was 100 years old. She had been barren that long, how could she possibly give birth for the first time now?

The Bible teaches that, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2Peter 3:9) Now, I imagine that God was at least hurt at Sarah’s disbelief, but His was probably also angry. He had provided, led, and guided them without fail up to this point and still she laughed with disbelief. Yet God kept all of His promises, remained faithful and delivered. Right on time!

What a gracious, loving, forgiving God we serve that in spite of our doubt, He still blesses. In spite of our fear, He still delivers! In spite of our unfaithfulness, He remains faithful. Do you agree that we indeed have reason to praise him for his faithfulness?

Take a week and do so.

Jury Room

“We the jury, find the defendant…”

As I sit here in the Central Jury Room awaiting the judge to arrive, my mind is racing about our American judicial system and how it works. In just moments or possibly hours, I could be called in to take part in someone’s “Jury of their peers”, with all of my pre-judgments, faults, misconceptions, experience, good and bad.

During the process of “Voir Dire” is in place for the judge and attorneys to search for biases among the potential jurors that might prevent them from being fair and impartial. For example, if I woke up that morning and saw someone vandalizing my mailbox and I showed up at the court that morning and the case that I’d be sitting on involved someone accused of vandalism, then they probably would not choose me to be on that case because of my inability to be “fair and impartial”.

As I dwelt on this process, I began to think of standing before God one day: The moment when I stand before the Judge of the universe who has watched me every moment of my life and knows even the depth of my thoughts and motives. He has watch me “vandalize His mailbox” and more and I’m standing trial for “all of the above”. In reality, I’m doomed before I even come before Him. The evidence is beyond any doubt and is clear.

However, there is a person in the “court room”; actually, it’s the Son of the Judge standing by and when all of the evidence is presented, He stands and says to His Father, “I’ve already paid Mark’s debt, as He holds out His nail scarred hands.” At which point the Judge speaks the words, “Mark, you are free. All debts are paid and sins forgiven. Welcome home, my child.” The “tapes” from the security cameras are destroyed and all records and evidence of wrong-doing are annihilated, forever.

My friend, take a moment today and wrap you mind around this thought today and as you do allow your worship to be a response of gratitude to the One who has paid the debt that neither you nor I could ever pay. Glory to His Name: JESUS!

“…I'll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.”
Hebrews 10:17 (The Message)

I Surrender All

“All to Jesus, I surrender; all to Him I freely give! I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence freely live. I surrender all, I surrender all. All to Thee, my precious Savior, I surrender all!

How many times have you sung that hymn? How many times do you feel like I have while singing it, like a total hypocrite? I surrender all. When I am hit with the truth of what that statement means, I have often had to fall on my knees and tell the Lord that I have failed to keep that commitment, especially in the areas that are really precious to me and that seem to bring be the most comfort, like a favorite pillow that has been around for years, or like a “pet “sin.

God is calling us to surrender our all to Him. As we read His Word and listen to His Spirit, we realize that there is nothing we could ever give up that comes close to comparing with what He gives us in return! Neither does anything compare to what He gave up for us. The greatest thing that comes between us and total surrender to God is fear: fear that God will not be worth it, fear that “bad stuff” will happen, and fear that we could never give our all to God. We need not fear because the Holy Spirit is standing by waiting to walk us into a relationship with our Father, a relationship that we can’t even imagine.

What is holding you back today from giving your utmost for His highest, from giving your best for His glory? Whether it is a “pet” sin, unforgiveness, fear, food, an unequally yoked relationship, materialism, work, or family, ask yourself if holding on to that sin brings you more comfort or happiness and joy than you believe God can. Whatever your answer is, God is standing right by your side waiting to have a loving, totally surrendered relationship with you that will fulfill your purpose for being here; it is why you were created!

As we worship together this week, ask Father to reveal to you the areas in your life that need to be fully surrendered! Let’s join together and lay them at His feet today.

“I will offer up my life in spirit and truth, pouring out the oil of love
as my worship to You. In surrender I must give my every part;
Lord, receive the sacrifice of a broken heart.
You deserve my every breath for You’ve paid the great cost…”
(Matt Redman)

Goodie Bags

One of the things that amazes me about children’s birthday parties is the tradition of “goodie” bags. You know, those small gifts that parents give to the guests as a way of saying “thank you” for coming to a party.

The thing that amazes me about that tradition is not the gift, but what I’ve seen happen in some children’s attitude towards those gifts. There are some children who are disappointed if there are no goodie bags or if the gifts inside are not up their standards. Some children come to parties now expecting that they will be treated just for showing up. Take notice sometime, a child goes to a party. They are welcomed, they are treated to a series of fun games and given drinks, prizes, cake, ice cream, sometimes pizza or hot dogs and if they are really lucky they get to go roller skating, swimming or do something cool like inside rock climbing. And this is what the guests get to do. Sometimes it’s really hard to tell who the guest of honor is. However, the disappointing part is not that the guests get treated well, that’s wonderful, the problem comes when the lines get blurred of why they are really there and when a child comes to expect that they will be treated special at someone else’s birthday party.

This is not just a problem that children have. Even as adults we see this so prevalent in our culture. Have you every look around at Christmas time? Who’s birthday is it really? Compare the gifts that we get to the ones that are given to Him during that time of the year. We’ve been so blessed that we’ve come to expect to be blessed and as a result we often lose sight of the blessing giver and that it’s really about celebrating Him.

We do that often in our corporate worship. We plan services around the pleasure of the people we want to reach. We preach sermons around what people want to hear. We come into services wondering whether or not our favorite song or speaker will be on the “menu” today. If you walk into many services today around the country you’d have to wonder who the focus of the service was . And what is on our mind when we walk in? Do we wonder what we are going to receive today? Or do on the other hand consider what we can bring to bring pleasure to our Master, the true Guest of Honor? May there never be a mistake when someone walks into our gatherings who everything was prepared for.

One of the wonderful things about our Lord is that as we put Him in His rightful place, we will always receive. He is so good.

Now, remember this principle today and if you can celebrate your mother for mother’s day and please don’t let her cook for you. It’s about her today! Honoring her is one way we can worship God today! MJ

Fall At His Feet To Worship

At this I fell at his feet to worship. But he said to me,

"Do not do it... Worship God!" (Rev. 19:10 NIV)

As John was caught up with what he was seeing in heaven he was so overcome with the culture of praise and worship and being in the presence of the Almighty that he began to worship the messenger of God rather than the God of the message. The angel reminded him that there is only one who is worthy to be worshipped and that is God Almighty! We are created to be worshippers. Every created being is made with the ability and the drive to worship, to give worth to something, someone higher than themselves.

The problem comes when the object of our worship is wrong. Since the beginning of time people have been worshipping “out of focus”. This happens when we see incredible things coming from something that has been created and we become so focused on the beauty, the talent, the power, the love, the comfort, or the provision that we forget where those things ultimately originated from.

Lest we think that only those who worship trees, the sun, feet, or animals are the only ones off course, consider some of the things even many Christians can fall into the trap of worshipping and by doing so, ascribe more worth to the creation than to the Creator.

Financial stability – instead of worshipping the One who provides.
A loved one – instead of worshipping the One
who brought the loved one into our lives.
A sports hero – instead of worshipping the one
who gave them their talents and abilities.
The tools of worship – instead of worshipping the Object of our worship.
Physical beauty – instead of worshipping the One
who fashioned the beautiful one.

God is the only one worthy to receive our worship. Today, ask the Lord to reveal in your life where this may be true. Is it your finances, your family or even your religion? Talk to Him about it today and make the journey back to the place where He receives the worship that He is worthy of. Be sure to thank Him for the gift, but never allow your thankfulness for the gift to get in the way of your worship of the Giver.

Pastor MJ

In My Time

Is the favorite song in your life, “In My Time”? Maybe we don’t say those words, but our kids have said it many times. They might say, “just a minute”, or maybe a quick “okay” only for us to come back in an hour and see that our request has not been honored. Why is this? The answer is simply, priority! It’s all about us as individuals. Our needs, our comforts and our own situations are more important than anything or anybody else’s!

How many times have you made out a list of priorities? By the very nature of the word we are beginning on the wrong foot. Webster defines the word like this: “something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives”. In light of this, our list should only have one thing on it. There can only be one priority.

We are so much with God, like children are with their parents. God says, “come”, “stop”, “go”, “give” or just fill in the blank ( ), and we say, “I’ll do that when I’m good and ready!” Well, you might say, “I’d never say that to God!” Oh, no? How long have you been contemplating forgiving that person? Are you waiting for them to do something, like make the first move? Are you holding off serving until you’ve got “it” (whatever it is!) all together? Are you going to partake of that “forbidden fruit” one last time before giving it up to the Lord for good? As parents we call it, “First time obedience”. A parent instructing a child and the child, saying, “yes, ma’am”, or “yes, sir” and dropping everything and making in that moment, that request, his/her priority! Instead we argue and say, “…but what about…?”

A fairy-tale? No, that’s the standard that God calls us to. Remember Abraham? God told him to go and kill his one and only son. Remember what he did?

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Early the next morning ……he set out for the place God had told him about.
(Read Gen. 22:2-3 NIV)

Abraham had but one priority. That was to serve and obey Father God. Anything else was a “Competing alternative.” This week, let’s practice saying, “Yes, Sir” to our Heavenly Father!

A Little Talk With The Father

As I walked through the door one evening this week, one of my sons ran up to me and said, “Dad, guess what Daisy did?” Daisy is our Black Lab and probably the sweetest and dumbest dog on the planet! My son went on to tell me that he caught Daisy walking around the back yard with a bunny in her mouth. Well, at least the body of the bunny, the head was gone and from the looks of our flower bed it looked like Daisy had already given it a proper burial.

I pulled Daisy aside and sat her down and said, “Daisy girl”, that’s what I call her, “what did you go and kill a poor innocent bunny for?” With her tail wagging and her tongue hanging out, I heard this voice, “She’s just doing what comes naturally!” It was my son explaining to me that that’s just what Lab’s do and she was doing what she was born to do.

That little incident got me thinking. At the end of my day, when the Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit) talk about me and recall something that I did that day, what do they say? I wonder if the Lord ever says, “Mark is just doing what comes naturally.” I hope He says that less and less about me as the years go by because from what Scripture teaches and experience shows, the things that come naturally to me are not good. As Galatians 5:16-21 says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

God’s desire for us is that we would not live lives of “doing what comes naturally”, rather that we would live lives doing what comes “supernaturally” empowered and controlled by His Spirit.

When this happens, we look more like Him then we do like our “natural selves”. This is what He desires to see and what the world should see when they see us. Verse 22 of Galatians 5 sums it up: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Daisy could take pride in doing what came naturally, but we should be thankful and praise God when we are able to, through His Spirit to do what comes supernaturally. May it be so.

It's Friday But Sunday Coming

It's Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter's denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It's Friday; but Sunday's a coming.

It's Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, "Father, forgive them." It's Friday; but Sunday's coming. It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, "My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?" What a horrible cry. But Sunday's coming. It's Friday. And at the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday's coming. It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that's because it's Friday, and they don't know it, but Sunday's a coming.

And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.

Now it's Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn't the only thing that was shaking because now it's Sunday. And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb. Yes, it's Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone and the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots because it's Sunday, and the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.

It's Sunday, and the crucified and resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin and the grave. It's Sunday. And now everything has changed. It's the age of grace, God's grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it's Sunday.

As told by Dr. Tony Campolo. May this encourage your heart during your “Friday’s in life!” Happy Easter!

Pastor MJ

Palm Sunday

Today, we are celebrating what we refer to as Palm Sunday. That was the day beginning the last week that Jesus spent on this earth when our Lord rode into Jerusalem and the crowds hailed Him as their Messiah. They believed He was truly there to set them free from Roman oppression. They gave Him their nod as the prophesied ruler of their people. Throughout the crowd that day, each and every person had their own perception and expectation of who Jesus was and what He could, and would, do for them. Due to events following Palm Sunday, their praise would prove to be largely dependent on his delivering exactly what they wanted, or not.

As you lift up your voice to praise God this morning, as you sing, pray and meditate, what is your praise and worship based on? Is it based on only what God has done? Is it based on what you are expecting Him to do? If there are days where He doesn’t seem to answer your prayers, will you still praise Him? Is our praise today based on what we expect God to do for us in the way that we expect Him to do it? If so, what will we do when His answer, response or solution is not what we were expecting or looking for? Will our praise be conditional?

This week take some time and read or re-read Matthew chapters 21-27. Note the difference in the crowd’s response to Jesus in only one week’s time.

Do you feel that God has let you down? Has He answered differently than you thought He would, or should? Don’t stop praising Him. Fill your mind and heart with His Word and allow Him to do “exceeding abundantly above all that you are able to ask or think!” (Ephesians 3:20) He will come through for you as He did for His children back then. Only, just as He showed them, He will show you, that His Kingship, plans and purposes are much bigger and better for you than your own hopes, dreams and expectations! Join me as we lift our praises to the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus! For the One who came, lived, died and rose from the grave over 2,000 years ago is worthy of our worship and praise today and every moment of every day! Hosanna! Blessed is He who came in the Name of the Lord!

Blessings,

Pastor MJ

What In The World Was I Thinking?

In my household as a child using the word “stupid” was almost as bad as using a four letter curse word. So, excuse me mom for this next sentence (J). During my lifetime, I’ve done some stupid things! That’s right, things that when I look back on them I have to say, “What in the world was I thinking?” During that time I had to be bailed out more than once by my parents and others who had pity on me.

Being bailed out today almost seems like a cultural expectation. Many today who have overextended themselves on their mortgages, lived far above their means and others who have mismanaged and in some cases mis-handled businesses, money and property of others are being bailed out of their situations with no strings attached. We’ve almost become a people where we feel entitled to a “bailout” every time we mess up.

This mindset is scary by itself, but becomes more than frightening and dangerous when it leaks into our view of how God should or does treat us.

Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you are there now, where God’s grace and mercy has become your heavenly “stimulus package”. Here’s the difference though: When God forgives, shows mercy and extends grace, His heart’s desire is that a heart change will occur and that His kindness will lead to repentance, (turning around and never planning to return). (Romans 2:4) What God has done for you and me is far greater than the AIG or Lehman Brothers bailouts. God did more than change the numbers on our financial reports and stock ledgers; He has changed our eternal destiny and our earthly existence by the power of the cross and through the power of His Spirit.

Let’s take stock of what our response should be to His goodness. Look at what your debts were before and after His grace and mercy took over. When we truly begin to understand the depth of His payment how can we not worship Him with our everythingness.

Make it your point today to worship Him in spirit and truth with a heart filled with thanksgiving for rescuing you from the “mire” and placing you in the “choir”. He is so good. Praise Him for that today!

Journey Through Suffering

I just had an amazing visit from a friend from college. When she walked into my office today we realized that it had been 24 years since we’d seen each other. As with all true friendships, we just picked up where we left off. It was a wonderful couple of hours of catching up and comparing notes on our spouses and children, work, ministry.

Out of all the things that we talked about it was our journey through suffering that sticks out the most. I had the opportunity to share with her all that God had brought me and my family through over the time since we’d seen each other and she did the same. As she shared her story I was struck with the consistency of her focus that was a common thread in every description of where God had taken her. After telling me about her miscarriages and her husband’s job loss and her mother’s illnesses she took me down the road of her Hodgkin's lymphoma. It has been a very difficult road and life is now different in many ways, but her focus was not on her difficulties, but on what God has done, in through and for her in the midst of a very difficult time for her and her family.

As I listened to her talk and watched her countenance I saw a focus in her eyes that was set on the “God of her days”! Although she had journeyed through many dark days, she still gave praise to God. Many questions were and are still unanswered, but her focus was confirmed when she turned to my bookshelf and pointed out a plaque that I have with the lyrics to the hymn “It is well with my soul” etched on it. She said, “As I’ve talked with my husband about the uncertainty of my future, I told him that whatever happens that that song, my favorite song, must be a part of my funeral, whenever that may be.” Her treasure was not in her health, or in the security of comfortable days. Rather her hope and her treasure remains in the fact that God is good, Sovereign and right in the midst of her trials by her side.

As we go through this next week, let’s be proactive and see each day in the same way. Because if our treasure lies in the power and person and favor of our mighty God our hearts will be in the same place as we face the dark and difficult days that will come into each of our lives.

“Living for Jesus through earth's little while
My dearest treasure the light of His smile...”
Thomas Obediah Chisholm