The Chinese character for “crisis” includes the symbol for opportunity. I was thinking about that when I heard about a crows of people that got snowed in at an airport. Some of them complained loudly to the airline staff, some quietly resigned themselves to the long wait… One woman decided to gather up some of the small children and conduct an ad-hoc kindergarten class to the delight of the children (someone was paying attention to them in this situation) and their parents…

How do I respond, in the moment, to crisis situations?

Lord, Let me see potential opportunities in my moments of crisis…

There are many things that I really WANT… but at the same time, I am thankful that God provides what I really NEED. I have met people that have some of (or many of) the things that I have on my WANT list; but they barely even notice those items that they now take for granted…

Lord, help me be content with what you have given me!

Today’s devotional reading could have been written by my mother…

A woman told of going to visit her mother every week while dementia was taking increasing hold of the older woman’s mind. These visits were often frustrating for the daughter until a staff member at the care facility gave her an article written by a geriatric specialist. She read the article and was struck by the phrase “Recognize the Reality and Adjust your Expectations”

After reading the article, the daughter has been trying to live by the phrase “recognize the reality and adjust your expectations” in more and more areas of her life.

I read a devotional today about a woman who was in intense pain as she was waiting for a plane flight. To make her situation worse, her flight was delayed a bit more than an hour. She found herself pleading in her spirit…

“God, I need a place to lie down for an hour…”

She stepped into a ladies washroom and was pleased to see that near the long mirror and dressing table there was also a couch. She laid down and closed her eyes for an hour’s rest.

Refreshed from her power nap, she caught her flight and ten days later she returned to that same airport. She paused and returned to the same washroom but found that there was no couch there… except for the one hour that she desperately needed it.

Dear God, thank you for providing what I need when I most need it!

Today is a good day to look ahead at planning your year… perhaps while you are watching the Rose Parade with your calendar or Day Planner in your lap. Remember that the goal is to have “an efficient life” but one with happiness and your well-being based on foundations of faith and family. No one has EVER looked back on their life and sighed saying “I wish I had only spent MORE time at the office” or “If only I had scheduled in a few more business meetings”

So, schedule your year intentionally and start by blocking out times for your REAL priorities first: time with God, time with family and special friends, and time for yourself!

May all of us end 2010 feeling more sanity and deeper relational security in our lives!

 
Dear God, in the days ahead, help me to begin properly: putting first things first. Amen
 

God bless us, Everyone!

(OK, I owe Tiny Tim a quarter for stealing his line)

Guest Speaker: Harvey Carey, who left Chicago’s Salem Baptist Church six years ago to plant a church in the poorest zip code in Detroit.

Harvey identifies himself as a preacher that that teaches God’s Word like pure black coffee, with no cream, no sugar. He is a human, spiritual Espresso!

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me according to your word." Then the angel left her.

Luke 1:26 – 38

Rosa Parks was a reluctant leader in the civil rights movement.

God can take someone who feels unworthy; but is willing to be obedient – and He can do amazing things through these broken people!

When someone is favored by God, they often do not know what to do with that favor…

God will send them messages of what to do…

Remember: TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS REQUIRED

God will put us in situations where you will be at your end, so He can put some SUPER on your NATURAL and show the world His glory in delivering you.

When you do what God anoints you to do, where you are – God can bless you and through you bless the world!

Elizabeth (Mary’s cousin) thought that the value of her life was gone… But God said the herald of the Messiah (John the Baptist) will come from the womb of of this “barren” woman!

At the end of the passage, Mary (in effect) says “OK… I am the Lord’s Servant.”

It was in that moment of obedience and submission that Jesus was incarnated within  this young Jewish virgin…

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!

Message by Darren Whitehead

1 John 5:13 says, “I have written these things so you may KNOW”

The greatest uniqueness of Christianity is that God wanted us to KNOW

Matthew 7:7 invites us to do some simple things so the kingdom of God will break into our lives!

If my daughter Rebekah dreams of Dora (the Explorer) adventures, it is because her imagination has been taken captive by someone else’s imaginings…

Have our imaginations been taken captive by our world or our society?

A father takes his three year old daughter to go apple picking, she looks to the ground (where she can reach) at the rotting apples… instead of raising her eyes to the trees where he Father knows something FAR BETTER awaits!

We have been invited …

You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. (James 4:2)  WE DON’T ASK

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:3) WE HAVE CLOUDED MOTIVES

Lord, Teach me what to ASK for…

Do you focus on the PLAUSIBLE (probable/ likely) or the POSSIBLE (wildly imagined)?

My daughter lives in the world of the POSSIBLE, and makes me wonder “why can’t I?”

When God steps in, do you feel like He is interfering or is He intervening?

C.S. Lewis wrote that the Great King has landed, in disguise, and invites us to join His great campaign of sabotage!

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?

Don’t think of the world being made up of “those addicts” and “the rest of the people”…

The Bible says we all fall into one of three categories: “Headed there”, “There”, or “Been there”

There is Good News… just wait, it’s coming…

How can you tell if you may be addicted? When you have lost your freedom….

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Addiction is enslavement or being controlled

It always starts simple… and later snowballs…

  when your responsibilities begin to suffer  
  when you alter your lifestyle to make room
  developing a tolerance that requires MORE
  needing a regular fix with increasing frequency  
  telling yourself to stop and failing
  increasing your risk-taking

This pattern takes time to deepen and develop

The best picture of addiction in literature is the Letter to the Ephesians

“Separated from the life” “Calloused, hard hearted… not feeling” “Continual desire for more”

Throughout our lifetime, God is in the LIGHT offering us LIFE, JOY, and FULFILLMENT

Those who have been wounded, get fearful and then bury their hearts and their needs in the darkness…

We have real needs for LOVE, POWER, CONTROL, to be REAL, and for recognition of our TALENTS

When we bring our un-met needs into the LIGHT, we regain our FREEDOM!

WHAT DO I DO?

ADMIT that you have lost control!

REACH OUT to a greater power (first God, and then to a collection of other people) for help

SURRENDER to a process

Get in the process! Stop thinking “But I don’t need it”… YOU DO!

Falling in love requires… a pulse!

Staying in love is MUCH HARDER!

Staying together is one thing – Staying in Love is harder!

Deep inside, everyone believes that is is possible for someone to fall in love and stay in love forever – that place inside us bears the thumbprint of God

Jesus’ greatest commandment was “Love one another” … Remember that Love is a Verb

“as I have loved you”…

Philippians 2:3 – 8

(v3) Do NOTHING selfishly or out of vanity… stop being competitive…. willingly defer… humbly value others higher than you

(v4) Prioritize THEIR needs and interests

(v5)  relate as Jesus Christ did

(v6) Jesus never leveraged His position

(v8) Jesus humbled himself – by going to the cross

Commit to MUTUAL SUBMISSION!

Jesus’ choice before incarnation was to “get what I deserve” or to “value relationships”

In relationships we must choose to “get what I deserve” or value the relationship

Do you fight for your right? Fight to be Right? OR Value the relationship?

Even God; in His infinite might, wisdom, and knowledge can not insist on BOTH “being right” AND being in relationship…

So what makes me think that I can?!

guest speaker Micheal Durso from Christ Tabernacle in Brooklyn, NYC where he has been a pastor for 22 years

Ezekiel 46:9 tells us to always leave worship differently than you came

Hosea 7:8

described something like a pancake cooked on one side… half-baked… like lukewarm religion!

Do you want God to change your circumstances; but not change your character?

Your Potential is Present!

God came to seek and save the lost (yea!) but He also came to our Lord in our surrender (Oh?!)

Some of us can be very cerebral, knowing the great truths of God; but we won’t allow God to be Lord below our necks!

1 Corinthians 7:35  tells us to live in undivided devotion

Half-baked food can leave a bad taste in your mouth

Half-baked Christians can also leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth!

Don’t be “half-way” at work, at home, in marriage, in parenting…

Jesus told his followers to either be HOT or COLD but that He would spit out of His mouth those who are “lukewarm”

Imagine if Moses lead the people of Israel halfway across the Red Sea…

Imagine if Jesus only went half way to the cross…

Psalm 86:11 speaks of undivided heart

The move from HALFWAY committed to FULL commitment is always INTENTIONAL

The DRIFT from FULL to HALFWAY is always MINDLESS…

Let’s be intentional about not being “Half-Baked”

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!

Luke 12: 13 -

Someone asks Jesus to “help me get what’s mine” (v13) and Jesus says “who appointed me arbiter?” (v14)

(v15) Be on guard against All kinds of greed… Greed is Rampant

Greed is wanting beyond God’s provision for your life

Greed whispers that you are only one purchase away from happiness… Say ENOUGH!

Life is NOT found in the abundance of possessions…

Martin Seligman studied what TRULY makes people happy:

1. Relationships
2. Fulfilling work/ sense of purpose
3. sense of achieving your calling
4. an eternal perspective

A rich man experienced a super-abundant bumper crop and decided to convert to mega-sized barns based on his belief that if he just had “more” then he would be fully satisfied and would be able to rest from all of his responsibilities… He was a FOOLISH Man because God called on his accounts today!

(v31) Seek first the Kingdom of God,,,

At what point in your life does this plan let you quit your striving, focus inwardly, and just “retire?”

The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God expect of Us? The Answer that Changed my Life and Might Just Change the World

RICHARD STEARNS grew up a child of dysfunctional, alcoholic parents, he worked hard through college and graduate school, became highly successful in business and rose to be the CEO of Lenox Fine China… but then he turned from all of that to become President of World Vision!

THAT is seeking first the Kingdom of God!

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!