Beyond Belief

When we see the powerful work of God in our world… it’s beyond belief

Ephesians chapters 1, 2, and 3 tell us what we believe

Ephesians chapters 4.5. and 6 tell us what we DO with our beliefs…

We live in trouble times – How can we THRIVE in troubled times?

Every human relationship has problems…

All families either HAVE struggled, ARE struggling, or WILL struggle.

John 16:33 tells us “in this world, you will have troubles”

Good relationships are NOT conflict free; they work through the conflicts and grow stronger!

* Listen to each other!

* Demonstrate the love of God through actions in your family!

John 13:34 gives us a new command to “love one another”

Those who know us best can easily hurt us the most, so the hardest place to live out love is in our family.

Honor Christ by loving others no matter what it costs you!

Make a list of what would bring great joy to _____ (your spouse, child, parent, best friend)

then go do those things!

The greatest gift of security that parents can give their kids is having the parents be a loving couple!

Young people… OBEY!

Love by ACTION, not RE-action… Act BEFORE being told what to do!

* Say “I love you” every single day!

There is no line I can cross where God will suddenly decide “That’s it! No more love for you!”

* Trust in God

Each one of us (in our extended families) is a data field in a larger spreadsheet…

any one of us can easily change the bottom line result!

Peter walked on water…

When we take our eyes off Jesus, we begin to sink – only by reaching out to Him are we put back on our feet.

Find the place where hope never dies…

Nothing shall ever separate us from the love of God in Christ!

When you are given a gift, you must make a decision….

Is the gift “too valuable” to ever be risked? or is the gift “too valuable” to NOT be risked and shared?

There is no greater tragedy than an unopened gift….

My wife and I gave a DVD player and a DVD as a gift – and years later when I visited that person’s home and noticed that the DVD was still in its shrink wrap, it hurt my heart…

 

With the great gift of a second chance at life that has been given to us, we must decide to risk it or not.

Peter chose to live life at a “full-tilt boogie.”

In YOUR spiritual walk do you want a promise or a command… do you want a guarantee or a mission?

1 Corinthians. 15 states that if Christ wasn’t raised from the dead then faith is futile.

EXECUTION Jesus truly died, no scholar doubts that he was crucified

EARLY there is no long delay between the events and the record

EMPTY there is no one in the tomb, even the Roman leaders tried to create a cover story

EYEWITNESSES there were a significant number of resurrected appearances

1 Corinthians 15:3 – 8
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

this creed is at the very core of the sect that became Christianity

Galatians 1:18 – 20
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.

For 515 people to share the same hallucination. it would require a greater miracle than the resurrection!

BOTTOM LINE: John 1:12 gives us the equation…

Believe + Receive = Become!

After re-reading my notes from the “Me-Ville” seminar I attended last night, I kept thinking about the lyrics of a song I first heard in the same year that I first started attending Willow Creek…

So, pardon my nostalgia but I’m going to post the lyrics that have been haunting me…

Beggar

Words and Music by John Fischer (1982)

I know where the food is
And it isn't very far away
Doesn't cost much but an empty soul
And the pride that stands in the way

I'm not one who's got it all in place
Telling you what you should do
No I'm just one old hungry beggar
Showing you where I found food

Have you found the water
That will never make you thirst again
Jesus is a well of water springing up
Into eternal life from within

I'm not one who's got it all in place
Telling you what you should do
No I'm just one old hungry beggar
Showing you where I found food

Maybe you aren't hungry
And maybe you don't thirst at all
But maybe the years have hardened the tears
And you really are a beggar after all

I'm not one who's got it all in place
Telling you what you should do
No I'm just one old hungry beggar
Showing you where I found food

Guest speaker: David A. Zimmerman

IDOLATRY ---> DISILLUSIONMENT  ----> EMPATHY

Left to our own devices, we would live in a self-centered form of idolatry.

God calls us OUT of where we are…

Far too often, we want to SETTLE somewhere other than where God wants…

The CHURCH is not meant to be a PLACE we go (destination death or “We-Ville”) but rather a JOURNEY or PROCESS.

Those who make their local church connection out to be their whole world; are guaranteed unhappiness and disillusionment.

Dietrich Bonhoffer in “Life Together” wrote about this disillusionment and said that those people within the church that become disillusioned will become accusers of the brethren, accusers of God, and finally accusers of themselves.

The two great commandments that Jesus taught went out of the way to subvert the idolatry of Self and calls us to Empathy.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Love others

The goal is Empathy in God’s manner: walk as God walks, do what God does, notice what God notices, befriend who God befriends…

How can we be priests for one another since we are called to be a holy priesthood?

How can we minister to one another? How can we communicate grace to one another?

How can we communicate our need(s) to one another so others can minister to us?

What are our responsibilities as not just individual Christians but together as “a holy nation”?

Where is God taking us and sending us as His church?

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

Are you “hitting the wall” vocationally? in your employment? in your search for significance? financially? relationally? in your marriage? with your children? with your health? in facing your mortality?

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” Hebrews 9:27

Jesus broke down even this most formidable wall…

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” John 11:25

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5

Jesus solved the biggest problem we have and offers to help us with the smaller ones… if we are willing to work with Him and not give up.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9

And Jesus will never give up on us or leave us in the lurch…

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

If life is a story, there is a Storyteller”  GK Chesterton

 

Acts 13: 1 -

There were Christian prophets and teachers in Antioch

The Holy Spirit indicated that Saul and Barnabus were to be blessed

• God speaks through the Holy Spirit (thoughts/ impressions)
• The better we listen to God, the more we will hear from Him
• Great discernment must be used to test thoughts/ feelings/ impressions
• If a prompting passes testing, then it is to be obeyed fully and FAST

Devote time daily for God… 10 to 30 minutes

Read a selection from scripture, journal on it, and then pray (perhaps write out your prayer in your journal)

If you set aside time to hear from God, He will be far more likely to show up and speak to you!

You are a treasured child of the Most High God… and I am in it with you”

Promptings are precious gifts… don’t waste them or let them pass you by!

Speak Lord, we are listening…”

Guest teacher: David A. Zimmerman

The Bible as a Road Map

In negative economic times, community increases while divorce rates and crime rates decrease… How interesting?!

The life of faith is a journey from the kingdom of Self (Me-Ville) toward the kingdom of God!

Jeanne Twenge found that the belief that external forces control your life (more than you do) increased 50% from the 1960’s to the 2000’s

Sliding into Me-Ville: the Fall in Four Acts

1. self-consciousness leads to self-congratulations “Hey, I really AM all that!”
2. embarrassment/  humiliation/ scandal
3. scapegoating
4. self-restoration “elevating self by pushing others down”

Thomas Merton wrote that the person needs to be rescued from the individual

Impact of Pride:

• Adam and Eve playing “Not it” and blame shifting
• Tower of Babel believing that “He may be God; but He’s not the only one who can be GREAT”
• David and Bathsheba… I can have whatever/ whoever I want; she’s pregnant?!, send for Urriah…
• Samson… or King Saul… Jacob… Moses…

so many Biblical stories trace the four stage fall of pride!

We live in a world where everyone is “looking out for number one” but God’s presence is obscured…

God may seem hard to find; but God wants to be found AND known as our friend!

In Christ, God made himself visible; but many still didn’t notice (see John 1:)

What gets in YOUR way of noticing God?

• Pace of life
• Noise of life/ media
• Intellectual assent

Whatever gets in our way; Jesus came to confront those barriers…

Jesus and the Rich, Young Ruler (RYR) in three acts:

1. Jesus and the children – the little ones ignored by society are blessed by Jesus
2. Jesus and the “RYR” – the man with “everything” is told he lacks one thing… “It’s not about your stuff and what you’ve done” confronts the man defined by accomplishments and accumulation!
3. Jesus and the disciples – if “RYR” must give up everything; since we already HAVE, what about us?

Jesus is the original Idealist-Realist!

There is a key difference between God being there and God being “there for you”… Deitrich Bonhoffer says God is PRO-ME

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31, 38 – 39

This passage almost seems to be enabling or good news for a narcissists?!

The walk of faith is not free of problems; but we will never lose more than we will gain in the end.

What helps remind you that God is with / for you?

• Nature
• Scripture
• Music (lyrics)
• Fellowship
• Past Blessings

Revelation 21:3 – 7 tells us that God will be WITH us, be our God, and WE will be His children… this is the “happy ending” of the Bible!

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.

He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"

"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."

But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place.

Acts 12:1 – 17 (NIV)

^{King Herod was persecuting the early church, arresting believers in The Way.}

^{James (of Peter, James, and John – the first three disciples and the inner circle of Christ) was killed}

^{Peter, the leader of The Way, is arrested where he was awaiting his “show” trial and execution}

^{The believers were praying HARD for Peter}

^{Based on Philippians 4:6 – 7 the way they were praying:}

• ^{Make your request known to God}
• ^{Remember what God has done before}
• ^{Receive a deep, abiding peace}

^{Peter was sleeping peacefully in his cell when an angel woke him and lead him out of the prison to freedom}

^{Peter went to a gathering of the believers; but they doubted it was really him at the door.}

^{Peter told them what God had done, said “tell others what has happened” and then he left}

^{The power of prayer is that even if your circumstances haven’t changed (yet) you already feel differently about them!}

Guest teacher: David A. Zimmerman

Artifacts of a Culture of Narcissism:

or How we wound up with iPods and American Idol

Jeanne Twenge wrote a great book titled “Generation Me”

• In the 1970’s, teens had low self-esteem (thinking “I’m not that important”) but had high levels of satisfaction
• 35 years later, teens have high self-confidence and very low satisfaction (high misery levels)

We now have the first generation that was raised to believe that everyone should have high self-esteem.

Biblically speaking, Narcissism (pride) is number one among the Seven Deadly Sins

“Pride comes before a Fall”

Narcissism is not developmental, psychological, or cultural… it is spiritual! Though it is reinforced by our culture.

Cultural Archeology

Let’s examine the changes of music in our culture:

Worship thrives when human beings sing together to God…

For the most part, except “Happy Birthday” or “Take me out to the Ballgame”, when do we sing together as a culture?

1877 Thomas Edison invents the phonograph (and by extension the recording industry)

Soon after, songwriters shorten their works to fit on one side of a record

Piano sales fell… we moved from a culture where the average person “performed” music to one where the average person “consumes” music.

Music literacy erodes, sheet music sales plummets…

Radio and TV leads music to become commercial and personality driven. The quality of the song used to matter more than who performed it.

Portable (transistor) radios puts an end to families gathering around the radio.

DJ’s that mix together music begin to be viewed as Artists?!

Sony Walkman and shower radios take music where it has never been before!

iPod have the benefit of making it all about your personal tastes, and provides a personalized soundtrack to your life… BUT iPods have had a negative impact on “sleeve art”, liner notes, interpersonal skills, airplane conversations, and other factors that used to be simple parts of life.

Worst of all, iPods have lead directly to people (like William Hung) lining up believing they are “Idol” worthy

Recently “the Bachelor” ended his “engagement” with Melissa Rycroft on live network television stating, “The worst thing I could do is live with regrets”…

When William Hung was critiqued harshly on “American Idol” for his rendition of “She Bangs”, his response was essentially I did my best and I have no regrets…

It used to be that living without regrets meant NOT doing certain things… but it has evolved to become doing ANYTHING and just not regretting it!

How do we turn back from the William Hung precipice?

Let’s start with Group Singing! Group singing should be multigenerational, historically rooted, communal, participatory…

John Wesley’s rules for singing:

1. Lift up your voice with strength and power (his quote was “sing lustily”)
2. Sing every song, not just the songs you like or are comfortable with
3. Sing in time… not ahead or behind
4. Sing spiritually – sing to God, not for your own ears or any other person

What other cultural artifacts point toward our societal narcissism?

• anything that pushes us toward buying our way to popularity
• the belief that MORE is better
• the insistence that you DESERVE …
• “Time control technology” such as DVRs make us able to watch what we want when we want, without sitting through commercials, because it’s “all about me”… this also severely limits “next day water cooler talk”
• the tendency to view all people as one of three categories: Tools (those you can use), Toys (sources of pleasure/ entertainment), or Threats

The most frightening fact about “Generation Me” and their unusually high self-esteems is that they are going out into the multigenerational working world expecting immediate success, financial riches, and social acceptance; but they then find themselves bitterly disappointed when it doesn’t come… There is a very clear loss of appreciation for delayed gratification!

Who is “beyond hope of redemption”?

Bet $10,000 that Osama bin Laden will NOT be saved and baptized in Christ by the end of 2009...

Maybe we should be praying for him...

In the early church, no one would have even been praying for Saul of Tarsus!

In Acts 9: Saul was an anti-Christian terrorist seeking to attack the believers in Damascus.

Jesus confronts Saul's behavior. Saul is blinded and lead by hand to Damascus.

Jesus had said to Saul: Get up, Go into the city, and Wait for further word

Ananias (a believer in Damascus, just the kind of guy that Saul was gunning for) was told:

Go meet with Saul... Ananias was afraid to go to the man from Tarsus.

God said GO! I am going to use that man!

Ananias went... and said what God told him to say...

“Brother Saul” was how Ananias greeted him... imagine saying “Brother Osama”

Saul gets up, he can see again, and he gets baptized – but where?

He is baptized at the very same house church that he had set out to destroy!

Justice vs. Mercy vs. Grace

Justice “getting what you deserve” is an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth... a fair, rapid, satisfying way to a sightless, toothless world! (Calvin Miller)

Mercy “not getting what you deserve” is turning thumbs up on an old antagonist at the end of ones rapier (Calvin Miller)

Grace “getting what you don't deserve” is finding that someone else has willingly covered the overwhelming debt that you could never pay off on your own efforts!

We’ve seen them… teased them… and wished we were one of them. Those “almost perfect” looking families.

Here’s a quick idea for a family tradition: on New Year’s Eve each person bring  top ten list of the greatest blessings in your life from the past year!

We’re all part of a family and each of us either make our family better… or detract from it.

Divorce rates are still in our society (among the secular and among the Christians as well)…

In recent years, the number of couples “living together” has increased by a factor of TEN!

40% of newborns in our society now are born out of wedlock – and these children start off their lives in an unstable environment and “behind the eight ball”!

The United States now leads the world in numbers of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases!

61% of teens from “Christian” families disengage from the organized church and drift from their faith.

We need God at the center of our family lives!

Even among church staff leaders, when asked the question of “who had the greatest impact on your life spiritually?” the answer is not a deep thinking author, or an evangelist… Hands down, most people point to their parents. Parent who did the job of spiritually raising them right.

Families are the ultimate small group. God designed families as His “Plan A” for spiritual formation and development… but God’s plan of having parents living lives that point their children toward a personal relationship with Jesus Christ – it doesn’t always work out. Remember, we are talking about highly fallible human beings here!

What is “Plan B”? There are also church ministries that are committed to the spiritual formation and development of other people’s kids!

As a parent, I can not put into words how much I am grateful to our Promiseland children’s ministry! I remember not enjoying going to church with my parents when I was a kid; but my three year old (Bekah) looks forward to going to church so she can learn about Jesus. Each time she repeats a curriculum point like “Thank you God, for Baby Jesus” or “God loves us; He gave us Baby Jesus” I know that she is learning and retaining some of the most important lessons she will learn in her entire life.

I also think about the high school ministry at our church… and I remember that it was back in 1982 that I was invited to attend the high school ministry and it was there that I experienced personal salvation. The impact that the high school ministry had on me rippled onto my mother, my sister, my step-father, and my brother-in-law. In December 1987, my family walked as a group onto the stage at church and were publicly baptized by Bill Hybels!

I thank God that there are ministries now (for my daughter) and way back then (for me) that are committed to loving and caring for other people’s kids!

Parents… Take full responsibility for “Plan A” raising your children AND take full advantage of “Plan B” opportunities!

If a couple enters into a covenant to raise their kids on “Plan A” then God will reinforce and assist their efforts…

Some of us received a great Christian heritage that preceded us and that we can pass on … some of us didn’t come from a great heritage – but either way, ALL of us can choose to leave a great Christian legacy for those that come after us!

This year, Willow Creek Community Church has launched an intentional initiative prompting people to “slow down, reflect, and prepare their hearts for the Christmas season.” One of the primary ways that Willow is doing this is by posting daily devotional readings for the twenty-five days leading up to Christmas (a period sometimes called Advent). These devotional readings can be viewed at the church’s website

http://prepare.willowcreek.org/calendar.aspx

or if you prefer things “pushed” to you rather than having to go “pull” it; then you can sign up to have each day’s reading sent to your e-mail address.

http://www.willowcreek.org/email/prepare.asp

Either way, you use this offering, I can tell you that just taking the time each day to read and reflect on the stories being shared will change your December 2008.

God bless!

Reflect on your year and note what you are thankful for in preparation for the holiday meal on Thursday…

Imagine a bowl with eggs, flour, milk and all the proper ingredients and proportions to become cake… How long would you have to stare at that bowl before cake emerged without the intervention of someone who decided “I WILL MAKE CAKE”…

“I do believe… help me with my unbelief”

Our heavenly father watches us, always present and ready to rescue us – we will not drown.

Jesus KNEW but we must live as “trusters”

Doubt is a part of the human condition… part of being finite.

Be merciful to those who doubt”  (Jude 22)

Every human being lives by faith… just different amounts.

As long as we’re alive, our level of certainty will ebb and flow…

God is whispering all the time in everything around us

The real mystery is how anything exists at all”  - GK Chesterton

Try to prove the statements “it’s good to be alive” or “all people are created equal” or “every child deserves lavish love”…

No one can live their whole life believing that “life has no purpose.”

The questions go far beyond our origins… and extend to our search for meaning

Faith never comes completely free of doubt… where there is no doubt, then you KNOW and there is no faith

We hunger for food… good thing we have food. We thirst for water… good thing we have water. We hunger for meaning and purpose… maybe there is no meaning; but if that is true then why do we have this hunger?

Aim to develop faith as a core conviction

Types of convictions:

When core convictions change, live change

Jesus lived with all His public, private, and core convictions in synch!

In our pain, God whispers comfort…

In our brokenness, God whispers conviction…

In our doubts, God whispers reassurance and a sense of certainty

How Boundaries are Developed:

Trying to be everything for everybody doesn’t work…

Boundaries are not inherited. Each of us needs to develop as truth-telling, responsible, free, and loving people – which is what God wants us to be.

Proverbs 22:6 says that parents should train up their children in the ways of God… and then if they did that well then those children will remain in God as adults…

How did your parents do?

1 John 2:12 – 13 addresses “little children”, “young men”, and “fathers” to represent distinct stages of progression.

Infants and small children are utterly dependant on others to meet their needs.

Our society teaches us that the ultimate goal and expression of maturity is becoming completely independent; able to meet all of your own needs without assistance from anyone else…. This is a lie!

God’s design is for us to arrive at an understanding of interdependence where we all need each other… we need God and the church… and the world needs us!

When does a child’s relationship with a parent become one of adult peers? A parent’s job is to give a child “roots” and “wings”… We can only develop and set boundaries within supportive relationships with God and others.

Genesis 2:18 states “it is not good for man to be alone” and is talking about our need for relationship , not just marriage.

Why is it hard to set boundaries?

When we lack relationship, we have nowhere to go in conflict.

• If we set a boundary, we risk losing the relationship
• If we don’t set a boundary, we are imprisoned by the wishes of someone else

Stages of Development

Bonding or building the relationship

• symbiosis “swimming in closeness”
• “being there” or emotional object constancy
• Ephesians 3:17 speaks of being rooted and established in love

Individualizing

• Hatching – when a child crawls, they crawl away
• Practicing – believing “I can do anything”
• Rapprochement – realizing “I can’t do everything”
• Anger
• Ownership - “Mine” can grown into “stewardship”
• “No”
• setting your own boundaries
• learning to respect other people’s boundaries

Boundaries gone wrong?

Withdrawal from boundaries

Proverbs 27:17 talks about how growth comes from conflict, impact, and even when sparks fly…

It is crucial that even in disagreement, there is not a withdrawal of love.

God loves the sinner; but hates the sin.

Human weakness leads us to believe that we are only lovable under proper behavior and proper conditions… This is another lie!

Hostility against boundaries

This is when others refuse to accept your “No”

Overcontrol

When parents have their children live in a “plastic bubble” insulating them from harm; but never allowing their “feathers to dry”

Lack of Limits

Perfect parenting seems to include a mother’s nurture and a father’s limits. A mother provides the fluid/ liquid “squishy” stuff and the father provides a more rigid container. Water without a glass is a puddle… A glass without water will never satisfy a thirst. Both inputs are needed and that is by God’s design.

Inconsistent Limits

This is often found in alcoholic families or where a parent is bi-polar. Children from these environments never feel safe. They are always waiting “for the other shoe to drop.” James 1:6 describes being like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Trauma

Abuse, tragedy, accidents, divorce, extreme financial hardship… Normally, children grow up with foundational beliefs that (A) the world is reasonably safe and (B) they have some control over their lives. Children who go through trauma have these foundation beliefs shaken or broken entirely.

Isaiah 61:1 promises that God longs to bind up the broken-hearted.

Our own character traits

Some people are by their nature more confrontational, while others are more shy. These traits will impact a person’s style and ability to set and enforce personal boundaries.

Our own sinfulness

The basic form of sin is resisting being a creature under God, refusing to be humble, a lust for power, seeking to be “in charge”, and refusing to be accountable to anyone.

This summarizes what can get in the way of boundaries… next chapter will look at how boundaries should work and how they be developed.

Worship lead by Tommy Walker

I wish I could take credit for the following; but I can’t… J. Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma magazine wrote it. Though I would never classify my faith as being “charismatic”, I happen to agree with every word in this post:

Whether you voted for Obama or not, you need to pray for him. Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:

1. Pray for Obama’s protection. We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer. It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.

3. Pray that Obama will govern with God’s wisdom. God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble. Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him. Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation. Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions. Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950’s, some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president. The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.

9. Pray that Obama’s door will remain open to the church. The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration. The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.

Here am I… send me

Looking at the Resurrection from different vantage points…

Mary Magdalene was blinded by grief

• Jesus really saw her and really cared
• She sat at his feet when He taught… She stood near His feet during His crucifixion
• Her world seemed to fall apart “God, where are you in this?”
• She wanted to show great respect for he rabbi in preparing His body; but she found the tomb open and assumed the ultimate disrespect
• She was so focused on her grief that she did not recognize Jesus by sight or by His voice – until He called her by name!

Apostle Peter was bound up by fear

• Peter saw Jesus as the promised Messiah
• Peter was willing to fight and protect Jesus
• Peter felt hopeless when Jesus was taken away
• Peter, who was bound by fear, watched as Jesus was lead away with His hands bound
• “My Savior can’t save Himself?”
• After the resurrection and Peter’s restoration, look at the transformation…
• Peter’s fear is replaced with fire
• Peter’s passivity is replaced with passion
• Peter stopped hiding and he was heard as he preached

Mary and her grief… Peter and his fear…

What is it that is keeping you from truly seeing the resurrection today?

Don’t save resurrection power just for Easter Sunday – enjoy it every single day!

The current world population is right around 6.7 Billion

50% of the world’s population is under the age of 25… half the world are considered YOUTH

30% (almost 1 in 3) of the world’s population is under the age of 15… face it, Hannah Montana could control the world!

Only 50% of Christian teens in America keep their faith beyond high school!

If we don’t love the hurting youth around us, then who will?!

David was 14 when he killed Goliath…

Mary was 14 when she became pregnant with Jesus…

Jesus was 12 when he was found teaching in the Temple…

Josiah was 8 when he became king in 2 Chronicles 34:

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young (16 years old), he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images. Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign (at age 26), to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the LORD his God.

14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD that had been given through Moses.  Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan. Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: "Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them.

18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes.

29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD -to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers.

Pretty impressive stuff for anyone of ANY age; but for someone so young who had nor proper guidance from his father or grandfather…

2 Kings 7:

During a siege, the city was starving… four lepers decide to walk directly into the enemy encampment figuring “we’re going to die either way”… The lepers find that the enemy army had fled in the night leaving all of their resources behind. Their decision to share this great find with their fellow citizens saves the entire city!

The gift of substitutionary atonement through grace is far greater than what the lepers found. We are “not doing right” if we don’t share this great fortune with everyone else around us!

Develop friendships with anyone/ everyone… get to know them, discover their personal story and their inner needs… carefully discern if their spiritual door is open and what next step should be taken (also know when to stop or when to back off)!

Be intelligent… take the risk, go for it as far as God would let you run; but stop short at closed doors.

Each one of us must play our parts to move people, one step at a time, towards redemption at the cross of Christ!

You can do it! I can do it! Let’s go!

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

(Mathew 14: 25 – 33)

So, there’s Peter, an experienced fisherman who knows fish, boats, storms, and the water… but wait, he has been in situations where he “knew” that he was not catching any fish and was tired of trying – until Jesus comes along and says, “try on the other side of the boat.” Peter’s experience wants to respond “I think I know better… it won’t work” but Peter tried it Jesus’ way and it worked! Now Jesus suggests that Peter can walk on the storm tossed waters… again experience says “It won’t work” but Jesus has proven that voice wrong before… what do you do, Peter?

The first verse and chorus of Casting Crowns’ song “The Voice of Truth” really seems appropriate here…

Oh, what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone

Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

The boat is is known, safe, and secure… but there is no blessings in the boat. The water is rough, the wind is strong, you might sink; but one thing is guaranteed: If you want to walk n water, you’ve got to get out of the boat!

Something inside us calls us to leave the comfort of routine and step into the high adventure of following God… so, what is your boat? – what is your place of safety and security apart from trusting in God? vocational security? a relationship? a secret? approval? success?

During the storm, the disciples wished the sides of the boat were higher and the wood was thicker… they were seeking man-made security. This is a very common human mistake. Look around our society at all the people who have been putting their faith in the stock market as their man-made security – and have found it lacking! What do you look to for man-made security?

What was Jesus’ plan as He was walking across the lake at 3 AM? Was He on a rescue mission for His disciples, or was His intention to “pass by” displaying His glory? Why 3 AM? Jesus came in the middle of the storm… if you’re not looking for Him, you just might miss Him.

All twelve disciples heard Jesus’ voice when he said, “Come” but only Peter stepped out of the boat and onto the waves. Peter asked Jesus to verify His identity and asked to be called out of the boat. Maybe the reason that I don’t feel called to step out is because I don’t request it?!

Peter has been fighting the storm for hours and is probably exhausted by 3 AM; but seeing Jesus invigorates him and he is open to new things if called. The calling means obedience.

Peter’s greatest moment is not when he put one foot over the side of the boat and onto the water; but rather when he had both feet out of the boat and let go! Peter’s focus on obedience holds him up but when “reality” sets in and his focus shifts to the storm and that’s when he begins to sink.

We are all called to step up into the batter’s box in life… even Ty Cobb, the greatest player in the Baseball Hall of Fame had a batting average under .400 (Cobb was actually .366). Even baseball legends would miss at least sic out of every ten times. All those misses didn’t keep them from swinging for the bleachers. Our fear of risks should not hold us back either. The truth is that the fear will never go away, but you also can’t let it stand in your way. Most people read the passage in Matthew 14: and zero in on Peter’s failure to stay above the water… but the greater failure was among the eleven other disciples who never got out of the boat!

Peter was the only disciple to walk on water – what an amazing experience… and Peter was the only one to be lifted up out of desperate need by Jesus’ own hands. That second experience would resonate with Peter in his evangelism for the rest of his life!

Next time you clean up a mess at home with Formula 409, consider the 408 different formulas that didn’t work as well. Failure experiences are opportunities for growth. There is a Wayne Watson song lyric that says,

I’m growing… I don’t like it

I’m growing… and it hurts”

The single, best reason for getting out of the boat is: out on the water is where Jesus is! We all call ourselves “Christians” which means that we strive to live “like Christ” and the best way for us to do that is to be willing, at all times, to move closer to Him… even out on the waves!

Calvin Miller wrote

Justice is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… a fair, satisfying, rapid way to a sightless, toothless world.

Mercy is turning thumbs up on an old antagonist at the end of one’s rapier.”

I notice that his definitions did not extend and include “Grace"

Grace is not mercy... Mercy is not getting the consequences that you deserve. Grace is receiving eternal blessing that we don't deserve!

For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8)

It is not due to our faith that we have grace... It is because of the grace that God extends to us that we even have faith!

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1)

Bill Hybels tells of meeting a Black Muslim at a luncheon, and the man thanked Bill for the impact of the books that Bill has written. One of those books impacted a man in such a way that he felt encouraged to break out of his “comfort zone” and walk across a room to start a relationship with the Black Muslim… that relationship and their conversations about Christianity impacted the Muslim who prayer for salvation and became a Christian… and that changed man impacted his wife and children and they became Christians as well… and that same man later just wanted to thank Bill for writing a book that planted a seed and encouraged someone to be bold enough to “just walk across the room.”

Today’s focus is not a complicated one; but it will be a challenging one…

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

We are called to live out our Christian faith in such a way that it inspires and impacts others… like how two young guys (named Jim Ruane and Ron Cain) did in the boy’s locker room at Streamwood High School…

My parents separated and were later divorced around the time I was seven. Two changes in my life that followed were that (A) I was picked up every other weekend to have visitation time with my father, and (B) my attending any kind of church services ceased after my family was informed that we were no longer welcomed at our local church; but I didn’t mind that loss since church was boring and irrelevant to me. In my Sophomore year at Streamwood High, I was coming off of the emotional impact of being disowned by my father. In hindsight, I now know that God truly can use even the worst of circumstances to reach out to His lost children. I had no way to express as a high school student just how I had a nagging, aching hole in my heart that I could barely even identify; much less actually had any idea how to fix my situation. Into that scenario stroll two guys in a boy’s locker room that befriended me… and though I had no way to identify what it was about them; I just knew that they seemed to have an inner peace and joy that I obviously lacked. In short order, our friendship led them to invite me to attend the high school youth ministry at the church they attended. I kept going back every Thursday evening and really listened to what the worship leader (Joe Horness) and the leader (Dan Webster) had to say each week. It was after only a couple months of attending that I prayed for salvation and became a Christian…

Soon my mother was saying things like, “I don’t know what happens when my son goes to that church but I see the lasting impact and how it changes his life.” She decided to start attending weekend services at that church, as long as she had me there with her. When I graduated from high school and headed out of state for college, Mom still wanted to go to church but didn’t want to go alone so she started having my sister go with her… as time passed, my step-father started asking things like, “where is my family?” and he started attending church to be with his family.

Turn the clock ahead to December 1987 (just over five years after I became a Christian) and my family (me, Mom, stepfather, sister, and the man she was engaged to) walked across a stage to be publicly baptized by our Senior Pastor… all from my impact on my family… and my life was changed because of two young men in a boy’s locker room at my high school!”

• Develop Friendships – even with people who are very different from you, perhaps intentionally looking for someone different to force you out of your “comfort zone”
• Discover Stories of the other person, what is going on in their lives and hearts
• Discern next steps (more on this next week)

You may find that someone story is a belief that “the Christian equation” is that you’re supposed to Commit and then Follow-through… and since they are afraid that they won’t be able to keep their commitment and fail in their follow-through; then they just won’t even consider Christianity! If only someone could explain that “the Christian equation” really is  Receive the grace that God is extending and then just Trust…

What we must do is: Earn the relational right to ask someone what is the story of the barriers between them and God…

When you have heard their story, be prepared to share the gospel and your own story of salvation… Test the door to their heart… if the door is closed, then respect that door. If the door is open, then enter gently…

More on “next steps” next week…

Remember: No one has ever “drifted” into higher levels of commitment!

Tonight WCA President and former Olympic athlete, Jim Mellado (decathlon in 1984) interviewed Ryan Hall (U.S. Olympic marathon runner in 2008)…

Ryan and his wife, Sara, are now trying to  use his sports celebrity (or influence) to draw attention to World Vision and their efforts to provide clean drinking water to needy children in Africa…

Bill Hybels remembers when he sailed his boat from Michigan to Wisconsin and then felt called to travel ten miles to revisit the hillside where he, as a 17 year old camper, received personal salvation… Bill developed a passing friendship with the young man who was willing to drive him from the marina to the campground hillside and back… Sharing that experience impacted the young, down-on-his-luck man that thought he was too much of a “loser” for God to notice or to care for him…

When was the last time you found yourself in an evangelistic conversation? Has it been a while? Would you be ready if the chance came up?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

(II Corinthians 5:17 – 20)

Living in 3D

• Develop Friendships
• Discover Stories
• Discern Next Steps

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"

He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

(Mark 8:22 – 25)

Jesus touched the blind man’s eyes twice… so the man could see clearly

Jesus, help us see our world and the people in it as clearly as you do!

Jesus was no ordinary man and He called for no ordinary disciples…

In Matthew 13: Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed… but the real focus in the story is the types of soil – it makes you ponder, “what kind of soil would represent me?”

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 13:3 – 9)

"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

(Matthew 13:18 – 23)

• hard soil along the path
• rocky soil
• thorny soil
• fertile soil

If I am not “fertile soil” then what must I do to change?

Notice that Jesus repeatedly says we are to listen/ hear.

Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount

We are called to righteousness – conformity to a set standard in relationship with God… “I followed the directions”… “ I built my house on the rock”

Righteousness DOES NOT mean being “morally perfect”

Summary of Sermon on the Mount

1. Beatitudes “ragamuffins are welcome & you are a ragamuffin”
2. Maintain Your Influence “salt of the earth”
3. We are more
4. Righteous Interior “do your giving, prayer, and fasting; but not for applause”
5. Do not prioritize wealth
6. Fix yourself first “remove your plank before trying to remove someone’s speck”
7. Think of others first
8. Decide to not be Ordinary

Costly grace is available through the power of God… the same power that calmed the storm… the same power that cast the demons into the swine…

Jesus feeding the 5000…

He gives them bread… He says “I am the Bread of Life”… the listener hears this and thinks “hey, remember that manna story about our people leaving Egypt?”… maybe the Jesus is telling us that there is a “new Exodus” going on and He will lead us into the kingdom of promise?

Some of Darlene Zschech’s worship songs have had a great impact on me or have been more influential than some of the others…

If there was such a thing as a Darlene Zschech “greatest hits” package, I would hope that it was titled “The Darlene Zschech-List” since her last name is pronounced lick “check” AND I would hope that it would include the following songs:

The Lion of the tribe of Judah has been caged and tamed by our familiarity with the story… let’s look again through new eyes

• Pharisees want to kill Him
• Crowds want to crown Him
• Disciples want to follow Him
• Mary, His mother, want to protect/ correct Him (Mark 3:)

Matthew 11:  Jesus was “free” to do whatever God leads Him to…

John the Baptist was somber, did not drink alcohol, and was said to have a demon… Jesus was happy, ate and drank with social outcasts… Jesus was very different from John; but Jesus still got flack…

Let the dead bury the dead

Take up my yoke for it is easy… my burden is light

Luke 7:36 – 39 Jesus was a “lightning rod”

The fallen woman washes Jesus’ feet…

He let the chips fall as they may and watched how other people would react.

Jesus was an “activist on the move”… He was a doodler, a great teacher; but He never sat down to write out any of his teachings or doctrines…

Jesus was “preachy”… He never gave a short, simple answer; He would respond with an illustration/ story/ parable… the story would usually start “cute” but would come back around to include you and convict you!

Jesus had radar for hypocrisy… read the seven “woes” in Matthew 23:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”  (Matthew 23: 25 – 26)

Jesus had great charisma and attracted people with His words, ideas, and actions

Jesus was “spiritual”… God spoke at His public baptism… when you were near Him, you felt the presence of God’s spirit

Jesus was deeply compassionate… lepers, the bleeding woman, the dead only child of a widow, His friend’s beloved brother Lazarus… Jesus did more than just care, He did more than speak a word… Jesus would touch them!

Jesus was both “at home” and “an outsider” in the Jewish world… Jesus was like “new wine” that did not belong in “old wine skins”…

Influencing can be very difficult and challenging when trying to sway those with deeply held stances...

Consider the amounts of effort and creativity that are being poured into our current presidential campaigns to try to influence the voting public...

Influence, by definition, never includes force or intimidation... it must be smart, creative, gentle...

Jesus speaks to a crowd of non-religious people, who had no great use for spiritual matters...

His being with that crowd is observed by elite religious leaders, and their reaction was shock, disdain, and dismay... what kind of "rabbi" could Jesus be if He associated with "riff-raff?"

The Best Kind!

In Luke 15:   Jesus tells a rapid-fire series of parables...

The parable of one lost from 100 sheep

The parable of one lost from 10 coins

The parable of one lost from two sons

In each story, there was something missing... the missing item was of value (increasing value as the stories progressed)... the searching required effort... and the recovery of the lost leads to celebration!

You were spiritually lost. You are great value to God. Long before you ever thought of looking for a relationship with God, He was actively trying to romance you. The day you personalize the offer of salvation, there is a raucous party in heaven with Jesus at the head of the table and your name on the banner!

Lost people matter to God... they are His greatest treasure!

Jesus came "to seek and save the lost..."

Are you... Am I... are we as individuals being active and intentional on our searches for the lost?

If your "evangelistic fire" has died down, Why? What can and will you do to change that?!

Bill Hybels looked at his two year old grandson "Hank" and was struck by the conviction...

"This kid has got to get into Heaven!"

If you don't feel that passionately about someone's salvation right now, then your assignment is:

to identify someone that means SO much to you that you wouldn't want to spend eternity without them!