Have you ever stopped and thought about how messy that first Christmas was? If you have ever spent time in a barn with animals you understand and know the smells, noises, and overall dirt that comes with them. Have you ever stopped and thought about why God would bring Jesus (His Only Begotten Son) into the world that way? I believe one of the many reasons that first Christmas was messy was because God wanted anyone at any level to understand how approachable Jesus really is. If God came to us by way of a messy barn I believe He understands the messy life I live. And if He understands the messy life I live, He must be able to do something about it...

Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

Well, we all have much to be thankful for and this year I am full. While my children have all grown up and are moving on out to become the people God has called them to be, they still enjoy being with my wife and I on special occasions. Truly our home was a "good-time" for this holiday in the lives of my kids and for that I am truly Thankful. When I think of how our Heavenly Father must feel when we count it a "good-time" to be in His house every week I am reminded of my thoughts from last Thanksgiving. And the cool part of it all is we had some visitors over with us and it only increased my joy! I have walked with Jesus for almost 24 years and I still have a "good-time" in His house with His people and it is a great joy when visitors come to check things out! Just some Random thoughts of God's house and mine...

Are People Born Gay?

Recently while reading a blog on myspace.com I responded to this discussion. Here is what I posted.... Just a couple of thoughts on the whole gay, straight, ??? issue; First - I applaud you for thinking for yourself! Most people who have strong opinions have not taken the time to reasearch, reflect, and respond the the truth. Remember having an opinion does not mean we are thinking. But taking the time to understand the facts and forming our own thoughts is essential to having understanding. Second- According to Genesis 1 Mankind is created in God's Image... That is we have a conscience, we know right from wrong, we can reason, relate, and respond. Also what makes us different from all the other animals is the knowledge of being created. Although The Bible teaches us that most have suppressed that truth (being created) because of unrighteousness (Romans 1). So if we are going to believe that we are created in God's image (Genesis 1) then we must believe mankind can not be created Gay because God is not Gay nor does He encourage you and I to be Gay. Third - People are created in wonderful and unique ways but we all have the same basic hardware (with the exception of birth defects and accidents). Basic human biology shows us that Homosexuality can not reproduce. The basic idea is that the fruit or results of homosexuality is not good. And in the book of Genesis when God saw all of His creation He declared it was Good. So I do not believe God would create someone wanting what is not good. Fourth - All of mankind have been created with a sexual drive which produces desires (except for the unusal case of those called/created to be single). These desires (as well as all desires) should be fulfilled according to God's design. For example a married man who is attracted to another woman needs to control his sexual desires even though it may be difficult and require lifestyle changes (ie not hanging out with that person). A woman who receives comfort and advise from another man and finds herself attracted to him, if she is married, she needs to end that relationship and find other means for that comfort and advise. These are normal ways of handling God given desires. The same is true for someone attracted to the same sex. These are unhealthy temptations that need to be controled. When people learn to control unhealthy desires a healthy lifestyle is produced. Fifth - And Most Important...God created sex and all that He created was good and for our blessing. But...we now live in a society that is given over to sensuality and sex. We are being bombarded with sexual messages constantly. This I believe is producing a very harmful farmland of sexual expression and lifestyle. Within this harmful farmland of public sexual expression some people are growing up with the wrong idea of sex. God created sex to be expressed between a man and a woman with a lifelong relationship. But with our current malfunction of sex in our socienty, and poor examples of those we admire, our culture has produced damaging ideas regarding the wonderful gift God gave us. This I believe, has cause many to doubt their God given sexuality. Esspecially within our youth of today. Well, there is much more to this discussion and I certainly am not the expert. But what I believe is that God's Word has given us the proper use of this God given gift. That is, that sex should be is within the lifelong marriage commitment between a man and a woman. Also, I am in no way bashing Gays. Having compassion and not becoming part of the problem when reaching out with the Gospel to people who have decided to be Gay is essential. I was addressing the theological question "Does God Create people Gay?" I think it is a good question in light of our current cultural battle in Prop 8. my 5 cents....

What Is Biblical Stewardship

“…He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Biblical stewardship involves the faithful managing of God’s Kingdom. All that we are, all that we have, and all that we do should be viewed from this sense of stewardship. Our lives have been purchased by Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross. We are God’s servants and how we use that which we have (mind, will, possessions, money) is how we steward for God’s Kingdom. Author Lynn A. Miller says “Stewardship is the act of organizing your life so that God can spend you.”

Often times God’s people see stewardship from either guilt or pride. While those who have a feeling of guilt often give out of unbiblical compulsion, God tells us to purpose in our hearts and lay aside each week as we prosper (1st Corinthians 16:1-2) for the support of the local ministry we belong to. And on the other hand, there is a temptation to feel a sense of pride when we have made a commitment to adding our finances to that which we steward for God.

So, the path to Spirit led stewardship involves understanding the Grace of God. God’s Grace is His divine influence in our lives. His transformation is from the inside all the way out to our day to day living. God’s Grace causes us to understand the importance of prayer, holiness, service, and fellowship. God’s Grace works in the Fruit of The Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). And God’s Grace causes us to see the importance of faithful stewardship. The Bible tells us to abound in this Grace of giving (2nd Corinthians 8:9) as well as the rest of our spiritual life with God.

A Critical Spirit

Most of us, if we are honest, can be observed at times having a critical spirit. We also can be found evaluating others by our ideals rather than our actions. In Luke's Gospel chapter 20 we see many different religious rulers confronting Jesus by what they think is right. If we read that chapter and we are honest, on occasion we can see ourselves in acting just like them.

Often times our ideals become the litmus test upon others and, if we are honest, we don't even measure up to our own ideals. We as God's kids rely upon His grace and mercy for ourselves, but relagate others to our bad attitudes and opinions. We should repent of this critical spirit and remember where we came from and how Jesus treats us.

But, if you think this critical spirit towards others is bad, what about when we are critical towards God and His Word? "Oh", you might say, "I would never do that!" If we can again put ourselves in the same shoes as those opposing Jesus in Luke's Gospel chapter 20, we would see a ourselves from a whole new perspective. You see, I believe by our own lifestyles we often prove a critical spirit towards God and His Word. For example, how we spend our money, the types of entertainment we enjoy, they types of people we date, the decisions we make. These actions all reflect a critical view towards God's Word and His will for our lives.

So, how can we see this problem before we find ourselves critically putting Jesus and His Word to the test? Well, I believe it is as basic as any relationship. Just like in marriage, as you spend time with that special someone you begin to trust them more. As you listen to their heart you embrace what is important to them even if it doesn't seem important to you at first. As you place their desires above your own you find devotion replacing that critical spirit and love guiding your thought and actions.

So the antidote for a critical spirit towards God is love and devotion towards Jesus Christ and His Word...Yep you guessed it...Falling more in love with Jesus allows His love to consume our critical spirit...

Enoch And His Message

Recently I have been teaching through Genesis and the Gospel of Luke. While exploring the life of Enoch and his message in Genesis 5:24, I was amazed with the statment that he "walked with God" and also in Hebrews 11:5 that Enoch "pleased God". Elsewhere in Scripture we understand that "Walk" is a metaphor for lifestyle and actions. So Enoch had a lifestyle that was all about God. Well, I began to realize that Enoch had an intimate fellowship with God and began to know the heart of God in the midst of "wicked, evil, and violent" times (Genesis 5:5,11). Well, that is when Jude 14-15 made sense to me. You see when Enoch knew the heart of God he followed the will of God for his life. And God's will was for him warn the world of impending judgement for sin. So Enoch had a prophetic ministry proclaiming the judgement of God during the times before Noah's life. Even though Enoch (according to Jude 14-15) was prophecying about the return of Christ or the event we call the 2nd Coming of Christ, the warning was still the same. Get right with God before His judgement for sin comes. Because Enoch believed this message he preached, he named his son Methuselah, which means "death then judgement." We can assume his name more fully meant "when Methuselah dies God's Judgement will come" because upon Methuselah's death God judged the world with a great world-wide flood. Well while this topic may not be one of those "WOW" things to read, I would like to make two points that I found were a "WOW" during my study. First, Methuselah was the oldest man to ever live. He lived 969 years. That demonstrates God's abundant mercy and longsuffing toward those living in sin. Second, in Luke's gospel we read that Jesus will come again when the times and culture get as bad as it was during Noah's time. Well, if you ask me we are not far from the return of Christ and the Judgment of the world...

Spiritual Discipline

Recently our men's fellowship group has been reading the book "Disciplines Of A Godly Man" by R. Kent Hughes. While this has been an old favorite of mine, each time I pick it back up I am challenged by the topic all over again. While many see the spiritual disciples as a "as I have time" kinda thing, I am of the opinion that God's Word instructs us to have a directed spiritual life. Jesus calls us to follow Him and the primary path of discipleship is to be directed with a goal in mind. The goal is to experience all that we have been given in Christ and to be used in the lives of others. I am reminded of how when I would go surfing my lifestyle would either help or hinder my performance upon the waves. I could always surf when the size was three to four feet. But if I had been staying too long at the dinner table and sitting around watching too much TV then when the waves were six to ten feet I would not be ready and barley make it out past the impact zone (beyond where the waves break). I learned some hard lessons when the surf was big. One of them was that you need a life of preparation to be ready for strenuous situations. In following Christ, spiritual disciplines will prepare us for challenging situations where God is needing a prepared servant. I always wished I had been in better shape when the surf was pumping and that motivated me to prepare even when I wasn't in the water... Spiritually I know discipline in following Christ will change my everyday life, and when the waves of life get a bit bigger....

How God Measures Success

I have been reading a book called "Experiencing Leadershift" by Don Cousins. In chapter 3 called "The Success Heresy" he asks and answers the question "How God Measures Success? I thought I would share some of what ministered to me. Don asks four questions every believer should be asking themselves; Question 1: Are you being faithful? In the parable of the Talents in Matthew Chapter 25 each servant was given Talents from the Master and were held accountable to what they did with what they were given. So, the first dimension of faithfulness is knowing what has God given you. This could be in the form of natural talents, material assets, educational training, relationships, passions, and anything else. This list also includes spiritual gifts that He has given you. Once you understand what God has given you (natural and spiritual talents and gifts), they are then to be invested into The Kingdom. Question 2: Are you bearing Fruit? Jesus said, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so be My disciples" (John 15:8). He also told us that God prunes every fruit-bearing branch "that is my bear more fruit" (John 15:2). God is into fruit... But often times (as Don Cousins points out) we see fruit as represented by numbers (how much and how many). In church we see nickels and noses (budgets and people). But if we understand fruit as coming from the Holy Spirit then we are drawn to Galatians 5:22-23 to find our answer to Question 2. So read this list and ask yourself the Question 2 again; "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. " Question 3: Are you fulfilled? Is your life, is your ministry, making you full? Full of what? Joy! Jesus continued in John 15:11 to tell His disciples "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. Is your life full of Joy? If not remember that is what God has and wants for you as you serve Him. Question 4: Are you making God famous? This is the bottom line, the ultimate measure of your life and ministry. Is God becoming famous through you? "f anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. " 1 Peter 4:11 While numbers in our culture is the benchmark of success I agree with Don Cousins that God has other more important ways to evaluate our lives. If you want more details on these four questions I suggest you get Don Cousins book "Experiencing Leadershift."

Christopher Laurie In His Presence

July 24, 2008

I just found out that Christopher Laurie was killed in a car accident this morning.
Below is the information from http://www.harvest.org/

Christopher Laurie, son of Pastor Greg Laurie and Cathe Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, died this morning in a car accident in Riverside. A resident of Huntington Beach, Laurie, 33, served as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship for the past three years.

In addition to his parents, Christopher is survived by his wife, Brittany, and daughter, Stella, as well as his brother Jonathan. Christopher and his wife are expecting another daughter in November.

Memorial plans for Christopher are pending. More information will be posted to the Harvest website at www.harvest.org as details become available.

A Joyful Life With Christ

Enjoy your relationship with Jesus Christ each and every day! While we all struggle with our time spent with Him (not enough), the normal response is to feel guilty, discouraged, and defeated. But if we understand His love for us, and how He is for us and not against us it will change our motivation to spend more time with Him. Romans 8:31-35 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For example: When you think of your favorite activity (or something you really enjoy) you don’t need to feel guilty or discouraged when you don’t do it. You just need to remember how good it is to motivate you to do it again. When you are enjoying The Lord, you want more! So how do we enjoy The Lord? Well, first we need to remember Romans 8:1 (He does not condemn us) when we are struggling. And then remember How much He loves us (Romans 8:35). This is what opens the door to real joy (that is, reflecting upon His love and concern for us). Then, when we do spend time with Him we have a real commitment of love and devotion for Him…Thus causing real Joy! Really this is moving from a heart that is motivated by guilt or shame to one of love and joy… Hope that ministers to you in your busy schedule this week!

The Cost Of Discipleship

Luke 14:25-35 It is possible to be a follower of Jesus without being a disciple? Well I think the obvious answer is yes... So then, what is a disciple? Well during the time Jesus was ministering in Israel there were many teachers or rabbis. One of the keys to understanding this relationship between Jesus and you and I as His disciples is to understand the way discipleship worked back then. You see back then all Jewish boys were taught from the Scriptures at a young age and looked forward to one day becoming a disciple of a rabbi. If they were good enough in school and found favor in the eyes of a rabbi they were called to a discipleship program. The "internship" if you will, consisted of living with the rabbi 24/7 and learning all you could from him. The goal was to become just like the rabbi. When we see Jesus choosing His disciples from lessor stations of life (fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and the like) we realize it's not so much our ability but our availibility that is attractive to God (my own opinion here but you get the idea). But if the key to discipleship is a 24/7 committment to being like the Rabbi Jesus Christ then discipleship would be a bit different then our current idea. Which is why the cost of discipleship is one to be considered first before we apply... If this concept of discipleship interests you then check out the audio message "The Cost Of Discipleship" on the recent sermons section.

Redemption

This is one of the best dramas describing God's redemption from our dangerous culture...

The Need To Feed

The Bible is the primary source of spiritual food for the health of Christians. While my physical body reminds me of the need to feed it constantly, my spirit unfortunatly is not as persistent. So, we need to be aware of our spiritual need for the Word Of God... Someone once said "Seven days without the Word of God makes one weak/week." I believe without daily food in God's Word we are going to be empty spiritually speaking. And if we borrow from yesterday's meal too often we are going to be spiritually malnurished...

The Need To Lead

While leadership as a focus is not for everyone, all of God's people are leaders. We have as our calling the task of bekoning others to receive Grace and Mercy through Jesus Christ. If we are genuinly experiencing this Grace and Mercy often we will be leading others in the same as a bi-product of our lifestyle. So let me encourage you to walk (have as a lifestyle) in the Grace and Mercy of God through Jesus Christ and watch others take notice. And you will find yourself leading others to God. And if you are given the opportunity use words...

Receiving Not Seeking Honor

Receiving Not Seeking Honor Jun 12, 2008 Luke's Gospel in the fourteeth chapter details a dinner party where Jesus is being tested by some religious leaders of His day. They watch Jesus to see if He would break their understanding of the Mosaic Law by healing a man with dropsy on the Sabbath day. After turning the challenge back upon them by questioning them on basic human compassion He then heals the man with Dropsy. But then He warns them regarding seeking to be honored by others. He tells them not to sit down in the best place because someone may come after you and the host tell you to move down to a less honorable seat. Now in that culture as in ours sitting next to the host was an honor. Jesus told them to sit in a less honorable seat first and then when the host offers them a more honorable seat they will have receive honor by the host when not seeking it. Here is a practical lesson for us. It is clear from this passage we are not to seek after honor from others. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:33 "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility." And in 1st Peter 5:6-7 "...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. So keeping humble and allowing God to promote us is godly wisdom. Even when we are not recognized for our accomplishments Peter tells us to cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for us... So Receiving NOT Seeking honor is the Word for today....