Hello Darkness My Old Friend:

When I was just a kid the dark frighten me. Fear would come over me like a blanket. Trapping me like being chained to a battleship anchor at the bottom of the sea. The same feelings would come over me when I saw a skeleton or skull. I don't why. I was little and did not know God. So I embraced my fears. To the point I preferred the dark and skulls no longer frighten me. This was a worldly attitude of self reliance. At times it seemed to work. In sports, in business and focusing what I thought mattered in life. My life that is. Very selfish and worldly.

Did embracing my fears help me conquer them? I think not. It just allowed the evil one to use me like a puppet. Pulling at my strings throughout my life. Then I came to know Christ. Released from captivity. Today the evil one comes at me with a hatchet in hand ready to strike without warning.

Do I still have fears? Absolutely. I would be a fool to deny it. Anyone would. Is it our fears that allow evil to control us? Or is it our lack of trust in God? This is what I face. I am sure you do too.

In the last few weeks I have experienced the darkest time in my life. My Christian Brother quickly pointed out the story of David and Goliath to me. Was David afraid? It appears not. God was with him. It was David's earlier experiences in protecting his flock that built his foundation of faith with God. So too does our life experiences with Christ build our foundation with Him. Ask any military soldier. They will tell you it takes years to create a soldier and seconds to loose one. Our lives can be turned around and upside down just as quick.

So when life goes bad what do we do? Even during these dark times in my life I must first thank God. What? Thank God for making my life miserable? As hard as it must appear the answer is Yes.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Reading the scriptures is one thing. Going through the trials is something we cannot do alone. This is why Christians have the advantage. We are weak but our God is strong. Times like now I look down and wonder how am I standing? I take a closer look and see that my feet are not touching the ground because Christ is carrying me.

We have all heard the statement, “I feel your pain.” When you can look another person in the eye and say, “I know your pain” then you have been released from the flames for an opportunity to help someone else. One just like you. This is what it means to be a Christian Brother or Sister in service of Christ.

- In His service. <><

Imaginary Jesus:

I am not one who really likes to read Christian fiction. Author Matt Mikalatos captured my attention within the first two chapters and never let go. It is a wonderful book. You might say it is a little like the Christian in wonderland story. Then there are times when you can deeply recall similar experiences which makes you think is this fiction or not?

Like many of us and scholars too, we are all looking for the real Jesus. In doing so we seem to continue to place Jesus in a box. When it is us who are in the box looking out. Matt gives a glimpse of his world and his adventure in looking for the real Jesus.

One of my favorite moments is with his dealings with Magic 8 Ball Jesus. How many times have we prayed and like a magic 8 ball turned around and shook it again praying the same prayer and expecting a different and just as vague answer.

As you read through you might just identify of few of your own imaginary Jesus'. There are twists and quirks which Matt must overcome. You are right there next to him through it all. It is a non-stop adventure in the present and the past.

At first I found myself saying what in the world is going on here? It was not what I was expecting and glad of it. I was never bored when reading. In fact I looked forward to each new chapter. Say hello to Daisy for me.

At What Price?

This morning I opened the church for the 170th Sunday in a row. Though the wind was howling outside the light through the stained glass windows lights up the sanctuary with an array of colors. Each Sunday morning it is as quiet as the fog over a lake as the sun begins to rise. This is the time when I pray and asked God to speak to my heart. I asked God at what cost have you brought me here. He answered, “What cost indeed? Your wife and children are saved. Forever shall they be with me.” 

If I must live out a life of complete servitude alone in the desert the cost is rewarding enough.

…..were in an office of great trust, for they were responsible for the rooms and treasuries at the house of God. They would spend the night around the house of God, since it was their duty to guard it. It was also their job to open the gates every morning. 1 Chron 9:26-27 (NLT) 

The Life Recovery Bible

I do not know where you might be from but where I live the Recovery Ministry is in great demand and need. With today’s economic times getting harder and harder many of our brothers and sisters are falling victim to addiction. Turning to alcohol or drugs to escape the pain of today’s reality. Let’s face it. Life is hard and we are not in control no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves we are.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

These are not just God’s words but also His command. That is the point of being a Christian. Acknowledging and accepting that Christ is the Lord of your life that you are not in control and God is. Yes, I know it is hard at times. In this world we pride ourselves in being in control of our careers, home, family and our very lives. The truth is that we are not. Why do we fight it so?

The Life Recovery Bible is a wonderful tool to be used in the Recovery Ministry in my opinion. Many of you know that I favor the New Living Translation of the Bible. It is simple to read and understand. Easy to share God’s Word with others too. One thing this tool lacks is printing the words of Christ in red. Besides that it has wonderful features not found in other Bibles. One feature I like best is the Reflections section at the end of each book in the bible. In fact I would recommend reading the Reflection section first before reading the particular book first. The Recovery Profiles demonstrate that key characters within the bible have faced trials; temptations and persecution just like each of us. Through God was their only way to get through it.

If you know someone fighting with addiction being Christian or not this Bible would make a wonderful gift. Follow-up with them and read it with them. Be part of the solution and not just sitting on the sidelines.

I am a member of the Tyndale Blog Network. Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.

Christmas 496

There are a few unique moments in history included in Christmas. My grandparents were married on Christmas day. Though they have long passed on. Their teaching and love they shown to me influences my life to this very day.

Around the year 481 a young 15 year-old become king. After the break up of the Roman Empire King Clovis came to power of a small kingdom in the corner of Gaul. The young king quickly took over the adjoining lands and united Gaul. Later King Clovis moved his capitol city to Paris. Later he founded the nation of France. In the year 493 the king married a Christian woman. Queen Clothide wished their newborn son to be baptized and the king agreed. The child died in his baptismal robe. King Clovis blamed God. Their second child was also baptized yet grew ill shortly after. Queen Clothide was said to have prayed earnestly and the child recovered. King Clovis was said to have been impressed. When the king was now 30 years old in the midst of a loosing battle cried out to Jesus Christ on behalf of his faithful wife and queen. It is said he asked God for victory and would be baptized. Soon the battle turned to his favor. In the Cathedral of Rheims on December 25, 496 King Clovis was baptized along with 3,000 of his troops. Known in church history as one of the first great mass conversions in Europe.

It was on Christmas Eve of 2006 during the Christmas Evening service that God revealed to me the purpose that I must serve. So clear, so simple but that is a different Christmas story.

To Endure:

Going through the trials, tribulations and persecutions is hard if not heartbreaking. Satan wants us to give up hope. He wants us to turn away from God. He does this so often by making us look inward rather than to God. I admit the last few weeks have been difficult for me. Being poor as a church mouse and the holidays coming. On the surface it seems all around are celebrating and preparing a feast. For those with little or none the holidays can be the most painful times of the year.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matt 24:13 (NLT)

God gave me this verse to focus on this week. It is one that is often taken out of context. Jesus here is really talking to his apostles about the events to come within the second coming. Many read this verse and think if they can endure that they will be saved. It sure reads that way. Author, Larry Richards says it best, “Those who endure are not saved because they endure to the end, but they endure to the end because they are saved.”

Being able to endure also follows side-by-side with Christian joy. It is easy to be joyful when financial problems are of no concern. When health matters are not an issue. When relationships with family members and friends seem ideal. It is when you are alone. When you feel as if the world is crushing down on you. Worry consumes you when you have no idea how you are going to pay your rent this month. A husband, and a father, struck with fear when your wife and kids are in need of food. It is when “hope” is just another four-letter word that joy is in very short supply. It is when we have nothing that our joy of salvation in Christ Jesus abounds. When we are stripped away of all worldly possessions and worldly views we come to see things as they really are. We finally realize our situation is hopeless and we have absolutely no control over it. Some may say we have no choice but to hand it over to God. And they are right. Who better? Does it take this kind of hard pounding to accept God’s control of our lives? For some the answer is Yes. Many filled with pride fail and continue into death ignoring God’s wonderful gift and face forever torment in a devil’s hell. This life is just a mere moment compared to what awaits us through our Lord. We are here not for ourselves but to help others achieve what Christ has already given us. The Apostle Paul tells us of his own situation in Philippians 4:12.

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
Phil 4:12 (NLT)

It is the trials, tribulations and persecutions that make us grow as a Christian. Yes it is very painful at times. If you were to buy an expense houseplant you certainly would not take it home and put it in a closet? Wanting to keep it away from the harsh sunlight. Exposing it to the unpredictable conditions of the world? It is the harsh sunlight mixed with the right amount of moisture and nutrients that make it grow. It is the harsh realities we face daily and the life giving moisture of God’s Word that makes us grow as a Christian. We need to be reminded that we are not in control. God is. There in lies our joy and our ability to endure through Christ Jesus.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Phil 4:13 (KJV)

<><

The Toughest Commandment:

When studying your Bible, which commandment would you say is the toughest to obey? Many would say I certainly have not killed anyone yet in 1 John 3:15 God's Word explains that if you hate someone you are guilty of murder. So when that car pulled in front of you without looking did you hate them for just an instant? That is all it takes. That is a tough lesson.

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
1 John 3:15 (HCSB)

How about loving your enemies? You know sometimes a friend betrays you. A bully at school. An unhappy neighbor. In my case recently our home was vandalized. Hard to forgive one who is bent on causing you harm. What does Jesus command us to do? Another tough lesson to learn.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Matt 5:44 (HCSB)

Here is one I know we all deal with daily. How many times do we worry? Worry about if you will have enough money. Worry about your health. Worrying about your job and career. Again Jesus is very specific on what we are to do.

This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matt 6:25 (HCSB)

Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matt 6:34 (HCSB)

In fact all of Matthew 6:25-34 is devoted to teaching us the cure for anxiety. It is a hard lesson to learn and to put into practice.

Witnessing is the life blood of a church and of a fellow Christian. Yet few of us including myself obey our Lord's commandment in doing so.

And then he told them, Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16 (NLT)

What is your toughest commandment to obey? Leave a comment.

<><