I am excited about this week. It is a chance to reflect and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Maybe that is what influenced my thinking this morning as I was reading in Psalm 49.
"Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit."
The ransom of a life is costly. You and I can't pay it, but Jesus did. He is the one who will live forever and never see the pit. Yes, he was buried, but he did not suffer decay.
This means great hope is available. The Psalmist asks, "Why should I fear in times of trouble?" God paid our ransom through the death of the perfect and holy Son of God, Jesus. Because he lives, I don't have to fear. I know he is with me.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Adventure
When you are faced with new challenges, new surroundings and new direction how do you respond? What is your typical way of dealing with and talking about these changes? What if you through into the mix that the organization or business you have been a part of changes leadership at the same time?
I must admit that I often get agitated and fretful in the face of such difficulties. Rather than seeing an adventure, I see overwhelming odds and more hardship for me. I look for opportunities to pull back and try to maintain some recognizable patterns in my life that I can hide away in them. I can find some sense of security in my family, my hobbies, my music, my clothes. I look for patterns of similarity with the past so I can somehow make sense of the future.
While these coping mechanisms don't seem unreasonable, they reveal my heart; showing me that I trust in something(s) besides God.
In Deuteronomy 31 Moses makes this statement that I found very comforting in the midst of transitions. "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you, or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."--Deut. 31:8
This statement is not made in a vacuum. Israel is about to cross the Jordan river and enter the promised land. They can see the walls of Jericho in the distance. Moses will not be going with them; this young kid named Joshua will be God's man to lead now. The manna is about to dry up. New leadership + new direction + unknown provisions = dismay in our calculations. God gives us a different equation. God + with you = no fear.
Rather than looking at how the circumstances are changing and trying to preserve some sense of continuance in our lives outside of God, we are called to find this recognizable pattern: God is still with us. He is the one leading this expedition. He will not leave, or forsake you. He is the faithful God who has proven himself reliable in every circumstance up until now. He is the one constant in life that will not change.
Hear what God is saying. He is the one leading you through. Rather than looking for familiar patterns or relationships outside of God. Why not trust him and believe what he has said. He will not leave, or forsake you.
I must admit that I often get agitated and fretful in the face of such difficulties. Rather than seeing an adventure, I see overwhelming odds and more hardship for me. I look for opportunities to pull back and try to maintain some recognizable patterns in my life that I can hide away in them. I can find some sense of security in my family, my hobbies, my music, my clothes. I look for patterns of similarity with the past so I can somehow make sense of the future.
While these coping mechanisms don't seem unreasonable, they reveal my heart; showing me that I trust in something(s) besides God.
In Deuteronomy 31 Moses makes this statement that I found very comforting in the midst of transitions. "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you, or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."--Deut. 31:8
This statement is not made in a vacuum. Israel is about to cross the Jordan river and enter the promised land. They can see the walls of Jericho in the distance. Moses will not be going with them; this young kid named Joshua will be God's man to lead now. The manna is about to dry up. New leadership + new direction + unknown provisions = dismay in our calculations. God gives us a different equation. God + with you = no fear.
Rather than looking at how the circumstances are changing and trying to preserve some sense of continuance in our lives outside of God, we are called to find this recognizable pattern: God is still with us. He is the one leading this expedition. He will not leave, or forsake you. He is the faithful God who has proven himself reliable in every circumstance up until now. He is the one constant in life that will not change.
Hear what God is saying. He is the one leading you through. Rather than looking for familiar patterns or relationships outside of God. Why not trust him and believe what he has said. He will not leave, or forsake you.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Doing Servant Evangelism in small towns
I don't often find articles that are particularly pointed at helping people who are in a small town environment. The assumption is that any place where people are formed into a city or town is essentially the same. I appreciate this article from Steve Sjogren about doing Servant Evangelism in a small town setting. Serve is the name of Steve's blog.
In this article Steve answers six questions about doing Servant Evangelism in small towns.
Here are the questions (you can click on the words "article" or "serve" and they will link you to the article):
“Are you here to stay?”
“Do you love me or are you just trying to build your church through me?”
“How should I interact with people?”
“How do you see the future?”
“How do you relate to money?”
“Are there projects that work especially well smaller settings?”
Abundant Grace Church is exists to connect people to Jesus, that doesn't just happen on Sunday morning. That happens every day of the week. Why not grab a couple of friends and see what we can do to turn SE Kansas upside down.
In this article Steve answers six questions about doing Servant Evangelism in small towns.
Here are the questions (you can click on the words "article" or "serve" and they will link you to the article):
“Are you here to stay?”
“Do you love me or are you just trying to build your church through me?”
“How should I interact with people?”
“How do you see the future?”
“How do you relate to money?”
“Are there projects that work especially well smaller settings?”
Abundant Grace Church is exists to connect people to Jesus, that doesn't just happen on Sunday morning. That happens every day of the week. Why not grab a couple of friends and see what we can do to turn SE Kansas upside down.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
A Giving Husband
I just read an article by Bob Roberts, Jr. about a new online business his son Benjamin dreamed up and put into action. I have signed up my self and would like the men of Abundant Grace to do the same. This seems especially important to guys like me who are a bit romantically challenged.
"My son, Ben, likes to start companies! Here is his latest. It’s a brilliant idea. Wish something like this would have existed when I started out! It still isn’t too late - I’m going to be signing up.
What I’m curious about is how did he come up with the idea? DId he forget something for his new wife Ashley - and said “never again?”
http://www.GivingHusband.com is a free service dedicated to providing the tools husbands need to make their wives feel special. Through the http://www.GivingHusband.com Giving Guide we are able to help husbands pick out gifts, and plan special evenings for their wives so they might feel loved and appreciated.
Here’s how it works:
1. Husband creates a login name and password which includes his wife’s email
2. Wife receives auto email which asks her to finish the profile her husband started
3. Wife finishes profile and an email is sent to the husband so that he can immediately begin buying her gifts, and planning special evenings
http://www.GivingHusband.com is like a registry which stores important information needed to buy a surprise gift for your wife. We make sure a husband doesn’t have to blow his cover to buy his wife a surprise by asking her what her ring size is, or if she prefers blue to orange."
Let's love our wives sacrificially and intelligently.
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