First things first...

We have new life in and through Jesus Christ. What a promise! What an encouragement! What a truth! As we seek to live out our lives, often times so busy that we just drop in bed at night, we MUST slow down and remember who it is that we get our true strength from: GOD OUR FATHER. Our relationship with Him, through Jesus Christ with the help provided for by the Holy Spirit, has to be the most important thing in our lives. It is so easy to get caught up in the many things this world has to offer. I do not feel that these things are bad, most of the things that I have I do really enjoy, but to what extent? How important are the things that I have? I do not want them to ever become more important than my relationship with my creator, Lord, savior and friend. I want to use the things that I have on this earth to bring me to a closer relationship with my Father, not draw me away. I echo what Paul wrote in Ephesians 1: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." The key to true life, true joy and true fullness in this life is remaining connected to our Father. We have an enemy who seeks at every turn to guide us, ever so gently, away from that purpose and goal in our Christian walk. We must be on guard, we must be aware and we must be attuned to the soft whispering voice of our loving Father and the gentle persuasion of His wonderful Spirit in our lives. Put God first. Today. Grace and peace to you this day through our blessed savior Jesus Christ! Mark

The difference in "talking about" and "talking to"...

Karen and I start our mornings together. It is a blessing. We take time to have breakfast together, pray together and read (in German) several chapters in God's word. Understand that this is our hope, each day, to be able to do this, but sometimes the schedules get crossed and we have to miss a day doing this. Today we made this time together. It is a GREAT way for us to start our day. We actually have time to talk to one another when we start our day this way. On the days when we don't get/take the time to share together, we, more often than not, share with the people that we meet with in the day about the things that are going on in our life. So, you ask yourself, where in the world are you going with this line of thinking? It comes down to relationship. To have a relationship we have to do more than just talk about someone, we have to spend time with someone. We have to talk to that someone. Okay, now you are probably saying to yourself, DUH! That is a no brainer, of course we have to talk to someone, spend time with someone, invest ourselves in the other person if we want to have a relationship, develop a relationship or deepen the relationship that we have with that person. Like I said, a no brainer. Here is the catch. It is the same with our relationship with God. Oh, now it gets a little tougher huh? I am thankful that we have, as a Christian community, so many opportunities to spend time together reading and studying God's word. Getting to know who God is and how He is and especially what He expects/wants from us as His followers. But as we seek to come to "know" more about God, we have to remember that He is seeking a relationship with us, not just that we know a bunch of facts about Him, but that we KNOW Him. As we live out of lives as Christians we have to do more than talk about God, we have to talk to God. We have to spend time in His presence. So, ultimately my thought for you today is simple. How is your walk with God? Yes, I know, I am getting personal, but we serve a personal God. He took it so personal, that he sent His son to this earth. He sent him to live, breath, suffer, die, be resurrected and ascend back to heaven, with the promise to return for his followers... and he did it all for us, His creation! Are you talking about God or are you talking to God. Hopefully both! But before you can truly talk about God to others in a way that is going to make a lasting (eternal) difference in their lives, you MUST be talking to God first. It is often times so easy to get so busy doing GOOD things that we neglect the time with our Father. Seems a little backwards doesn't it. God is our lifeline. He is our support. He is our strength. He is our source of power. And yet, so often we run off each day to do our jobs, ministries, etc. without first spending the time with the one person (Being) who has more effect on what goes on in our day than anyone else. Seems a little... hmmm, for lack of a better word (even though it does sound harsh) stupid. Yes, that fits, it is just plain stupid not to take the time we need each day with our Father. Yes, I did say THAT WE NEED. God doesn't us, He WANTS US. And He wants us to grow closer to Him in our relationship with Him. I really miss those mornings that I do not get to spend with Karen. The mornings that I do get to spend with her are incredible relationship building times. How much more true is that of the relationship that I am seeking to have with my Father, that He is seeking to have with me? I really do not intend to beat you up. I do not want you to feel like I am kicking you because you are not spending enough time with God. What I want to do is challenge you to think... think about your relationship with your Father. Everything that we do flows out of that relationship... or at least it should. Put God first on your list. He will handle the rest of the day. It is His world, His creation and you are His child.

I'm just saying...

As Karen and I were finishing breakfast this morning, we read our two chapters (in Germany) out of the Bible and then began to discuss the things that we needed to work on today. We are discussing our topics for the classes that we will teach at the Bible camp next month. As you can imagine, this lead us many different directions as we shared our ideas and thoughts that we are working on refining so that we can share them with the others at this camp. What hit me this morning as we were discussing different things about the church... is the church. Okay, that sounds a bit funny, but bear with me a minute. Think back. Jesus was on the earth. He went around teaching people, seeking to bring them to God, to a deeper relationship with the Father through Him. He sought to show them what relationship was, not what religion was (is). He came, he lived, he died and he ascended back to heaven. Then on Pentecost the Holy Spirit came on the Apostles in a very special way. Peter stood up to talk to the very people who had crucified Jesus. He said to them, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." The church, the family of God, the followers of Jesus and his teachings... began that day. Luke continues by giving us a picture of how they were after this time, he says starting in vs. 42: "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Two things here. First, we see that they started out from the beginning by seeing how important community was. They were devoted to the things the apostles taught them to do. Second, GOD ADDED MORE PEOPLE TO HIS FAMILY. Okay, now on to my real thought for the day. The church. Regardless of what your definition of the church is... depending on your culture, how you were raised and what you have been taught, you must admit, it is pretty cool that after over 2000 years, we still have the church today. Yes, it has had and still has many faces, but it is still here. It looks very different in different countries, ha, in different cities... but it is still here. What most of us see as "church" looks very different than what we read in the last set of scriptures above... okay in principle we seek to form a community with these ideas as the foundation of why we do the things we do... but it does look different. It has to, it is a different culture, a different time and so on. But it is still THE LORD'S CHURCH and He is still ADDING THOSE THAT COME TO HIM, after 2000 years. I am thankful the it is God's church, His family. I am thankful that after so many years that people are still trying to live out what they read in the Bible and share it with other people. I am glad that God has an impact on my life and hopefully I can have an impact on other peoples lives. I am thankful that God established the church as a way for us to help each other. We live our lives and we try to be a good example of what it means to live our lives for Jesus and the church is there as a support and to hold us accountable too. How cool is that? I come form a business background. In my life I have seen business that started out very small turn into unbelievable conglomerations. Ha, I think of Walmart for example. But business, ever how great they are, come and go. Walmart will not be here forever. Sorry. The church is not a business, it is an organism. It is alive and living and growing. It is the family of God. It has been around for over 2000 years and still going strong. I am encouraged today when I think about my brothers and sisters, worldwide, that are seeking to live and be the Christians that our Father wants us to be. I am thankful for family. I am thankful for my Father. Maybe Sunday, when you walk in that "church building" again, you will look at what is going on that morning in a different way. Maybe you will stop and take note that this is the family of God meeting together seeking to bring glory to our Father and encouragement to each other while reaching out the world world that does not yet know God and seeking to be a reflection of Jesus to them. Taking a step back and realize how incredible it is that we have the church here, today! Hope my ramblings make a little sense to you. I hope you can stop and appreciate what a gift we have been given by God our Father in being added to His family, the church. God's blessings on you this day. Mark

Just some thoughts...

I talked to a dear friend on Sunday and she made the comment that I had not blogged in quite a while... seems like I have a pattern of that. The internet is great! We have blogs, Facebook, news from any country in the world and our own websites. The problem is... keeping up with all of it. I know, I know, those of you with a smart phone have the possibility of keeping up with it through your phone. Shocker! I do not have a smart phone. :-) I do have an Ipod, that is pretty cool if you ask me, but still limits my access. But maybe, that is good. Sometimes we just need time away from all of our electronic devices. Don't fall over in your chair! Yes, Mark Abercrombie just wrote that last sentence. It is on the record and is available for the whole world to see. Ha. But really, it is true. It is so easy to get caught up in catching up with friends, family and issues and situations going on in the world that we get so busy using our electronics that we forget to be STILL. I believe that in most societies stillness is underrated. What I mean is that stillness is seen as someone being lazy. It is, from an outwardly worldly view, a waste of time. But from a Christian view, it is a time of recharging. It is a time of listening for and to God. When we are so busy (even when we are doing good things) we do not take the time just to be still and listen. Try something today. Call it your challenge for the day. Find 15 minutes today when you can just go in a room alone. No computer, no TV, no radio, no humans, no animals, No DISTRACTIONS and just grab your Bible and take a seat. Spend the first 5 minutes in prayer to your Father. Ask Him to speak to you this day. Don't say a word. Open your Bible to whatever page happens to open. Read a short section and then just stop... sit in silence thinking about what you have read. Do not seek to analyze it for the information's sake, seek to let what it is saying sink into your innermost being. Think about why it is in the scripture. This is God's word. He gave it to us because He wants to reveal Himself to us. Why is it in this collection of writings? What is God trying to share through this short passage? What does it mean for you today? NOW LISTEN!! I know, I repeat, I know it will not be easy. It goes against the very existence that we have become used to... we want/have to be busy doing something. But try, for the next 5-10 minutes, just sit and think about what you have read, and try to hear God's direction. Just relax, it will not come like a bolt of lightening. we are told it scripture that it often comes in a whisper. Listen for your whisper. I think if you make a regular practice of this, it becomes easier to hear God's voice, direction. We need that. God's word is more than just information about God, it is what God wanted us to have and know about Him. The Bible is not our God, God is our God. He wants a relationship with us, He doesn't want us to have a "relationship" with His word. His word is so that we can draw closer to Him. Use God's word to guide you towards God. Think I am crazy? Try it. You will see that I am not. As we live in this world, we seek to show the world God. God showed us the best example of who He is through Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity to show people who God is through our lives seeking to be more like Christ. What a great opportunity! Listen to God's direction and voice. Allow Him to speak to you. Remember, His spirit resides in you! LISTEN. I would love to hear about your experiences. Let me know how this "discipline" draws you into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with our Father. Thanks for your time and your love for our Father! Mark

Making a splash

Okay, it is getting warmer here, ha, up in the 50-60s this week and I naturally think about getting outdoors. I am amazed at the number of German people who want to go swimming whenever it starts, yes I said starts to get warm. The water is still to cold and yet people get in and splash around. Not me, it is still too cold. :-) But it has me thinking about making a splash in a different way. I know we are all terminal. We are born and then we proceed to the day until we die... I know that it sounds like I am being negative, but I do not intend to be that way. I just realize that death is as much a part of living as being born. But that is not even really my point, my point is, what kind of difference do we make while we are here on this earth. Let's face it, I am not Brad Pitt (no comments on that one please). My splash in this world is not the same as his... how about yours? How do we measure our splash, our effect on the world? Do we get to see all the ways that we have influenced others? How do you feel about your splash so far? Sometimes mine feels like a bellyflop. As Karen and I ate breakfast this morning we were discussing our influence in our world. We were pondering ways that we could make our influence a more positive thing. As we were talking, I was again gained the realization that, yes I want to be a positive influence on this world and to the people that God puts in my path, but it really is NOT about me. It IS about God. I want to be the person He designed me to be and use the talents he has given me and to share his love with those I come in contact with and trust that He will make the difference in these peoples lives. It is God's mission to bring the world to Him. Revelation and reconciliation. Showing Himself to the world and reuniting them with Him for a wonderful, eternal relationship. Okay, maybe my splash in the world is not as big as oh Brad, but you know what, God has blessed me to see how my life, love and following Jesus, has had an effect on other people. I have had the opportunity to make a positive influence on other people in this world, sometimes helping them, sometimes guiding them spiritually, sometimes helping them through difficult times. God has allowed me to see how my life has had a positive effect on some of the people I know, I am thankful for that. What I hope to do is continue to shine for my Father and hopefully make an impact on many other people for him, whether I know it or not. I am in the water... I am splashing away... giving praise and glory to my Father. Have a great day. Mark

Remember when?

Take a moment and think... I know, we are often so busy that we do not really take the time to sit in silence and just think. I come from a world (and a personality) that assess and then makes a quick decision and then move on to make it the right decision. Ha, doesn't always work out the best, but you already knew that didn't you? Okay, I am sidetracking. Think! Think back. What are a couple of your favorite memories. Take time to think over that question. Once you have thought of two (I know, it is hard to stop because one remembrance always leads to so many more) take a few moments and relish in those memories. Okay, it is also okay to let you mind wander a bit and think of where those thoughts lead you... How cool is that? God made us so that we could remember. Yea, I know, sometimes it is a bit painful, because we also are blessed to remember the hard things, the things we made mistakes in and the sorrows that we have experienced in life. But, I believe, God in His infinite wisdom knew and knows what is best for us. In other words, to remember even the bad times helps us not to repeat the mistakes we have made. To remember the tragedies in our lives helps us to identify with others who cross our paths that need true understanding, empathy not just sympathy, for what they are going through. As we met with other Christians yesterday I mentioned these things. I shared with them two of my favorite memories being, one my wedding day with Karen. Two or better put two and three, the birth of our children Elizabeth and Maranda. Even as I shared these precious times of my life with these people, painting a picture of why these were and are such incredible times for me, I began to think on even more... the girls becoming Christians, them getting married, Karen and I celebrating our 30th anniversary, the girls have kids... How cool is it that we can remember? I am just saying, it IS COOL! I am glad that we have a Father that made us in such a way that we can do this. I do realize that many of you who will read this have also been on the other side of that fence. What I mean is dealing with someone, probably someone you love very dearly, that is or has suffered from memory loss. How hard, how tragic, how difficult to deal with that situation. YOU know even more than I do how precious memories are. Thank you Father for giving us those memories of the ones that you have so blessed our lives by having them in our lives. Thank you. I am thankful that each and every Sunday, that I have the privilege to meet with fellow Christians and take the time out of our ever busy and hectic lives to take a few minutes to remember Jesus. We remember his birth, his life as a young man, his ministry, his death, his burial, his resurrection, his return to the Father and his promise to return for us and to take us to our home of being with him and with God for all of eternity. I am glad that we take this time to remember Jesus. I am glad that each week we choose to start our week with him in the center of our thoughts and remembrances. We are a blessed creation. We have the ability to remember. From those memories sometimes we learn not to repeat our mistakes, from some of those memories we are saddened by the loss of those we love, sometimes we just sit with a smile on our face and enjoy how incredible it is to have experienced so many special things and people in our lives and sometimes we remember that, because of Jesus, the tough times in our lives we know are only temporary and the great times in our lives will only continue to be greater as we share those memories and our being with our Lord and Father. We have eternal life. We remember Jesus. And all he has and is doing for us as we live on this earth. Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you are encouraged by the things your read today. If so, take a moment and give God the praise and thank Him for His incredible love for us! God bless and have a blessed day! Or as a dear friend of mine always says, "Be good and do good!". (Thanks Sarah!) For Him and with His love, Mark

Something to think about...

Sometimes things just hit you quite directly. I was meeting with a friend the other day and we were reading in Luke. We were practicing his English conversation. As we were talking about some of the simple points that Luke is making in his short letter, it struck me. I was taken aback a bit. I realized just how much that I accept about what the Bible says, just because I have had the opportunity to read, learn, study, be challenged by it and to grow because of making a choice to believe and follow the teachings of the Bible. Now, I am not selling short AT ALL the power of God and the work of His Holy Spirit in my and your lives. I am just saying that for over thirty something years I have been being influenced by the teachings in the Bible. My friend, very close to my age, has not. What I noticed as we talked was how our basic beliefs in life: how we treat others, how we look at others, how we react to others... is so different. I began to think about the golden rule, Matt 7:12. Jesus tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated. Many in the world will treat those people that are nice to them in a nice way. Some people in the world treat others in a way so that only they themselves will get ahead "in the game". Christians try to live by treating others good, because that is how we want others to treat us. It is also because we are called to be more than just average, more than just good enough, we are challenged to be a light for our Father and our brother Jesus Christ. Okay, this is nothing new, this is just looking at what we know and how we know the world is. But what struck me was how incredible it is to be a child of God. To be molded and made to be the way that God wants us to be, not how the world wants us to be. This is a BIG thing. Okay, perhaps you know me personally and you know that I do NOT always act like God would have me to act. I do not deny it. What I do is rejoice in the fact that even though I do not always act the way God wants or even the way I know I should be acting, I have forgiveness because of Jesus Christ. That makes me want to allow the Spirit to have a greater hold on my life and my actions and thoughts. But it also reminds me of how far He has brought me. I am trying to be a better person. I am trying to be different in a world full of meanness and hatefulness. I am, through God's Grace, a better example of Jesus to this world than I was 20 years ago. I am counting on, that if I live that long, in another 20 years I will be even a better light to this dark world than I am today. That comes because of the Spirit and because of me spending time in prayer and in study of the Bible. It has made an incredible difference in my life, my attitudes and my actions in my daily life. It has CHANGED me for the better. What a blessing it has been to have God's word, God's Spirit and God's love in my life. This might seem like I am rambling to you... but I challenge you to think over these thoughts. Remember the ways that God has worked in your life to make you not only a better person, but a very different one than you were a few years ago. Stop and think about not only the decisions you make everyday but also the actions that are played out in your life each day, because you follow The Master, Jesus Christ. My friend is reading with me in Luke, he has the opportunity to hear how I view the world and its people. He gets to hear how God has changed me as I have walked with Him. He gets to hear about the different way Jesus treated people. He gets to hear the Good News of forgiveness of sins through Christ. And I get to also be reminded of how blessed I am to have, for so many years, the opportunity to spend time in God's word and in His presence on a daily basis. I get the privilege to worship with people who are also striving to be more like Jesus. We are family. I am thankful for these reminders of how incredible it is to be a child of God! May you see this day how our Father is blessing you and using you as a blessing to this world. Mark

What are you looking at?

Was reading in Hebrews today. Man, is there a lot there or what? As I was reading through the 11 chapter, I ran into this verse: Heb 11:27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king. Moses kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. What struck me so profoundly was the last part, "...he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible." Let that soak in a minute. I had to. When I think about looking at something, I am so thankful for sight. I can see the beautiful nature God has made, I can see the many people that are walking in the city that I live in and I can see my wonderful wife sitting next to me at the breakfast table who has been my helper and encourager for over 30 years now... When I think of invisible, I think of Harry Potter's famous cape... I think of not seeing something. So how do the two come together, seeing and not seeing? The writer of the Hebrews letter tells us that Moses kept his eyes on God. He listened to God's direction, even when it did not make since to those other people in his world at the time. How blessed we are to have the scripture! We get to see the before, during and after picture of God's plan for planet earth and its people. How cool is that? Before you decide I have totally lost it today, let me make a suggestion. Think over your life. I bet where you are right now you would have never seen yourself there 10 years earlier, am I right? It is true for me. Now, as you think about that, think deeper, think about how God has directly lead you into specific directions that have lead you to this point in our life. Yea, you know they are there. They are sometimes hard to explain, because we don't often get a burning bush in the wilderness talking to us like happened to Moses. But, you know them, you remember them and you are thankful that you can see God working in and through your life. That is us keeping our eyes on the one who is invisible. He is visible in our lives, but mainly through how He chooses to work through us in His world. For me it is knowing, for example, that the people that God puts in my path in my daily life, are not there by accident, they are there so that our paths will cross and I have the opportunity to get to know them, influence them or be influenced by them. Seeing the invisible can sometimes be tricky. Ha, there is one of those statements that is small but says a lot! I think the answer also lies in the same verse. The author tells us that Moses, "kept his eyes on" Him. He was LOOKING FOR HIM. This is a lifestyle, this is a walk this is a way of life, everyday. Moses did not know what his future held, but he did know who did hold it, and Moses sought to follow that guiding. A good example for us. Look for the invisible things that God is doing in your life. Expect God to work in your life and then be bold enough and brave enough to follow that direction. You have been doing it, some of us for a very long time, keeping doing it and strive to look more, to see more and to follow more the directions of your maker, redeemer and friend. How blessed we are to have the scriptures. How much more blessed we are to have a Father that loves us, provides for us and waits for us to spend eternity with Him in His presence!! Have a blessed day. Mark

Encouraged

As I sit here this morning, in Leipzig, Germany, after just a little over six weeks of traveling, visiting, making presentations, preaching and enjoying time with family that included being there for the birth of our second and third grandchildren, I can say that I have been so encouraged by our trip back to the states. Seeing family and friends is always very encouraging. Being in worship services in Paradise, California, Edmond, OK, Lawton, OK, and in the Little Rock, AR area were absolutely incredible. One of the most encouraging things for me to realize is the overwhelming feeling that I felt that God's people are breaking out of the mold of "doing church" and really seeking to deepen their individual relationship with our Father. This is something that has been on my heart and mind for me personally. As I consider Jesus response to the question of what is really important, ie, the greatest command in Matt 22, I am reminded that Jesus thought loving God was the most important thing that we can do as we live our lives. He expresses that this is done by using every fiber of our being, physical, spiritual and intellectual. Everything that we have and are to love and serve our Father. Jesus said that was what is important. Continuing to develop our relationship, to grow it, to nurture it, to cultivate it, to spend time and effort doing what we can do to deepen it and make it more real and meaningful in our lives EVERYDAY! But he didn't stop with just that thought, he said that we needed to love others also... those in the family of God and those that are not yet a part of the family. The religious expert only asked for one command, Jesus gave him two. Jesus gave him the answer for our lives. He did not just give him an answer to satisfy his need to "do what he had to do". No, Jesus told him the secret of scripture... It is about love, God is love and we as his children love Him and seek to share and show that love with those that we come in contact with everyday, both in and out of the body of Christ. I think it is sooooo easy to get busy doing good things and forget to spend the time we need and aught to deepening our relationship with our Father. Know what I mean? You have a list of things to do, people to help, lessons to prepare, people to visit... and yet no time to spend with our Father. We need time, in His word for growth and direction, in prayer for communication with Him seeking His guidance and direction and developing a deeper awareness of what it means to be His child, and we need time of silence. A time to listen to what He has to say to us. The last is often, for me, the most difficult. Sitting, not letting the millions of distractions of my world interfere with my personal quite time with my Father. Listening to His direction, seeking to feel and understanding the moving of the Spirit in my life. Why is this so hard? It seems quite simple that if I want to have a deeper relationship with another human being, I must spend time with this person, getting to know them and letting them get to know me... but so much of the time I spend my time talking with my Father, but not so much time seeking to hear Him.Sounds a little one sided, yea? I think so. So, I am striving to find more balance in my relationship with my Father. I spend time talking with Him, but I also spend time in quite, just seeking to hear His direction. Talking and listening, it takes both to have the relationship that we both want to have. I said I was encouraged. I am. I see that people that I had the privilege to visit are seeking the same thing. Making it real, not playing church. Not being a part of a club, but being a family. A family seeking to get to know our God and Father in the deepest possible way. Seeking to share what they are finding with those who do not yet know our Father. I must confess, I am not there yet... I guess it is one of those lifelong journeys. But I am encouraged by seeing how His people are striving to serve Him and get to know Him on a deeper and more intimate and personal level. I have a renewed strength as I too seek to explore how to better my relationship with my Father. I have a friend, that generally the first question he asks you after seeing you is, "How is your relationship with God/Jesus?" That makes some people very nervous... he gets right to the point, right to the heart of the matter, right to what is really important in this world... and he puts you in the hot seat, if it is not being a priority in your life. I have seen people squirm when he asks them, I have also seen people not even flinch, because, even though they feel like they would like to improve, they are walking, talking and listening to the Father in their daily lives. How about you? Where are you at today? Are you ready to take it to the next level? Ready to get to know the Creator in a more intimate and intense way? How is your relationship with your God and Father? I think these are questions that we must ask ourselves on a regular basis. These are questions that we need to be asking each other on a regular basis. So, if you are not where you need/want to be... get busy, start making some changes. If you are doing well, look around you, talk to some other people, ask them the difficult questions and then seek to help them improve and deepen their walk with the Father. Love God, love others... this sums up God's plan for man. How cool is that? Thanks for reading, thanks for considering what I am sharing. Got some input? I would love to hear your ideas, responses, even disagreements. May God bless us as we seek to serve Him, love Him deeper and allow His Spirit to make us into the people He intended for us to be. My you be a blessing to someone this day. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life. Mark

Following directions...

Honestly, not one of my strong points. I tend to try to do something, and when all else fails, read the directions. Did I just say that? Or was that my wife? :-)
Alas... I am learning.
I think about a cabinet that I had bought recently. Here, many times when you buy a cabinet, what we call a Schrank, it is in pieces and you have to put it together. I do love me some IKEA furniture, all the instructions are in picture form. Ha.
But, this cabinet was not from IKEA, so the directions, even though they had a few pics, were mostly words. Ugh. So, Larry was over to help me put it together. We open the box and start to take out all the pieces. Then we start, randomly I must say, to try to fit pieces together. Let's just say that did not last long. We then began to look at the directions. When we followed the directions, well, yes, things went much smoother.

I was thinking about that as I read John 15:1-17 today. Think about these two verses from that section of scripture:

Jn 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.
Jn 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus is talking about being connected to God. We are connected to God through Him, Jesus. Notice that in these two verses he states that we can not grow more fruit, personally or numerically, when we are not connected to God through Him. Then he goes on to say that we can do NOTHING if we are not joined to God through Him.

He talks about remaining IN him. How do we do that? How do we stay connected to God through Jesus? Look at verse 10:

Jn 15:10 When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.

Jesus tells us how to remain IN him, just like He remained IN the Father... by obeying. If we live following Jesus' teachings and examples, we remain in the Father's love. We remain connected to the Father.

Jesus is the greatest instruction manual of all times. He gives us a picture of how to live. He is our living IKEA instruction booklet! When we seek to follow his example, even though we WILL mess up, we are still connected to the Father. That means we are bathed in His love, His grace, His forgiveness and His guidance in our lives. That my friend is GOOD NEWS and a great instruction manual.

May your life be blessed this day as you allow God's word to work in your life.
Mark

I am back...

I do enjoying posting on this blog... even though I do not use it as much as I used to. But when I have thoughts just running through my mind and I cannot seem to get them fleshed out... I often turn here just to ramble. So here it goes...
Tonight is English Bible Study in Leipzig, Germany. I am finishing up on my lesson and one thought leads to another... ever had that happen. ha, of course you have.
We are looking at the Sermon on the Mount. Tonight we will look at Matt 5:21-22. It deals with anger, or really, when you strip away everything, it deals with matters of the heart. Where is your heart? If it is in the right place, we will treat others better. I am always going back to Matt 7:12 when I read about how Jesus is telling us the best way to live. It seems to continue to come to me as a backdrop to all of these things... treating others the way you WANT TO BE TREATED. Jesus is always dealing with our hearts. Encouraging us to do what we do because our hearts are in the right place, with Him. Underlying that thought is the two greatest commands ever given, Love God and Love Others.
When we really, I mean really do this... Love God, Love others, treat others the way we want to be treated... we will have arrived. When we are trying to fulfill these things, we WILL BE BETTER PEOPLE AND THE WORLD WILL BE A BETTER PLACE. A little heaven on earth, because YOU are trying to be a better person, trying to be more like Jesus Christ. Many times I focus on my shortcoming, my failures... today, I want me and you to think about the ways we are loving God, loving others and treating other the right way. Pray about this, think about this and strive to not just do better, but acknowledge that God is working in our lives and He is making a difference in this word THROUGH US! It is high time we give our God and Father some credit for working and making a difference in our lives!
I am not saying be satisfied where you are at, what I am saying is look how far you have come... because of God living in your life.
May God continue, not only to bless you, but continue to make you a blessing to others that you come in contact with this day... THIS DAY.
Thanks for taking time with me today.
Mark

July 2011

I know, I know, it has been forever.
I am taking a course through Harding University, called People Helping. In this course I have been reading about how important it is for our relationship with our Father to be where it needs to be, should be, where He wants it to be, so that we are better prepared to help others. I know, seems simple, but how much time do you dedicate each day to enhancing your relationship with your creator? Do not be offended, I have been asking myself the same question.
One of the things that I have been trying to do, and just for the record it is very difficult for me, is taking time three times each week just to be SILENT. I call it my silent time with God. Going into a room, by myself, and taking a specific amount of time (I am starting with 10 minutes) and just sitting there, with my eyes closed, no one else in the room... except God, and sitting in complete silence. At first you will hear every noise that is in the house. You will hear everything that is going on outside the house, it is as though you have been given the gift of super sonic hearing... but you sit, and you listen. God often comes in a whisper. For me that means it is often soft, subtle and I have to listen hard to hear it. It is also a time for me to experience God. God is timeless, He is not in or bound by time... think on that one a bit. In my silent time, I am not bound by time. Okay, I have committed time to sit quietly, but in this time, there is no time. I know, it sounds a bit different, but it is how I feel. Some days I hear God speak, no I am not crazy. Some days I sit the whole time and fight the urge to pray to Him. I can not hear Him if I am too busy talking to Him.
Anyhow, I do know that this time dedicated to trying to listen to my Father's influence in my life is time well spent. It is not easy, to do, to explain and even to understand, but I do feel it is a time, specifically dedicated to God. It brings me nearer to Him. When I am nearer to Him, I am better prepared to Help Others.
Agree? Disagree? That is okay too! Think I am crazy? Perhaps. But I do want to do what I can to deepen my relationship with my Father. How about you? What ways, what disciplines are you trying to do that bring you into closer contact with God? Let me know, I am interested, both in what you are doing and your response to what I am attempting to do. Thanks and God bless. Until the next time....
Mark

A Very Looong time

The title has nothing to do with today's thought. It has just been a very long time since I wrote something on this blog. What often happens to me is that I have many things to do and so I do not take the time to post a thought on this site. Sort of like not making the time to work on the church Webpage like I want, would like, should do on a regular basis...

So, I was reading today and I came across this verse in John 15. Jesus, having just finished the Passover feast with his disciples and also the washing washing of their feet, continues on in his dialog to them. He is talking about how important it is for them (and us) to stay connected to Him. When we are connected to Him, then we are in fact connected to the Father. Our Father, the creator of the world and ... well, just everything, things we see, know and still cannot grasp or imagine... he is THE CREATOR. So being connected is really important.

I ran on to this verse: Jn 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. As I read that verse, I have to admit, I really liked the tail end of it. ...ask whatever you WISH and it will be given you. Out of the whole verse you see where my eyes went to, or should I say my mind. Hmm, what do I wish for. Perhaps the reason for the draw is because of what time of year it is. Here in Germany it is Christmas Market time. That means tons and tons of little booths with all sorts of Chistmasy things to eat, buy, see and think about for gifts for ... me or someone else for the holidays. I love Christmas time. I wish for a lot of things every Christmas, but I don't get them all. Do you? Okay, digressing here...

As I consider this verse, or I should say reconsider this verse, I notice a couple of things. First, the part that caught my... little boy eyes... is at the end of a sentence. Perhaps Jesus was putting the less important part at the end for a reason. What does he start with? He starts with what I like to call the biggest small word in the world, IF. So, I get the feeling that me getting to ask what I wish for and Him granting that for me is contingent on something. Hmm. I have to remember to take this verse and keep it where it was at, in the middle of a conversation Jesus was having with His followers, about being tied into him and through him being connected to the father, the creator. After the contingency word, Jesus tells us what we have to do. One, remain in Him. Two let His word remain in us. What does this mean for you and me today? This was written 2000 years ago. Jesus has lived, died, been resurrected and has ascended into heaven and we are waiting for his return. How can I remain in him. For me, the two reasons he gave are really intertwined. Remaining in Jesus, is walking with Jesus or walking like we learn that Jesus walked. Being Jesus like. How can we do that, first we do that by letting his word, GOD'S WORD, into our hearts and minds by spending time, not just reading it, but studying it, meditating on it, savoring it and letting it work on our hearts. Letting it change us from the inside out. When we believed what we read in the Bible, and seek to show Jesus that we love him by following what he has instructed us to do, we are remaining in Jesus, we are allowing His word(s) to remain in us. As children of the living God we also have something else, we have the Holy Spirit that lives IN us to help us to grow, help us to understand the things we read, to convict us of those areas that we are not conforming to God's idea of the way to live.

So, as I considered this thoughts this morning, it became quite apparent to me that once I tried to tackle the first part of that verse, when I got the last part, I realized that what I would be wishing for... not a Christmas list from Santa Claus... but the opportunity for God to change me into the person that he wants me to be. To be praying for those people that God puts in my life that do not know him yet, that His spirit will work on their hearts and that he will use me and give me wisdom to be an instrument of his service in these peoples lives.

I am still gonna enjoy Christmas time. I am gonna love getting and giving gifts. But when I WISH for things in my time of prayer with my father through my blessed savior, I am going to ask Him for the things that will further His will in this world. I know what that is, it is simple. It is giving the people of this world who do not know God an opportunity to see him through me. Getting His message of love and grace into a lost world. He wants everyone to come to him, so do I. I want to be up for the task, that is my wish.

God bless you and may you feel his peace in a powerful way this day. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today.

Mark

What comes out....

I was doing my daily Bible reading today. Came across this scripture in Matthew 15:

What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ ” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ”

Now, my mom always told me to wash my hands before I ate something. Hmm. Good idea, I even taught my kids that, but that is not what Jesus is dealing with here. First I find it interesting that the disciple came to Jesus and asked him if he noticed that he had offended the religious leaders. Imagine that! Of course Jesus knew what he was saying! Poor guy, just didn't get it did he? Then Jesus asked them, "Are you so dull?" Really that gives me hope. They were right there with him, listening, following, asking questions and learning from Him, yet they still had trouble grasping everything that he was saying and teaching. But then Jesus gets to the point, it is about the heart. Jesus was trying to get it across to these religious guys that their hearts were not right. Good news is the disciples hearts were right even if they did not understand everything he was trying to tell them. Jesus wants our hearts, not our ability to follow rules. He wants us to want to follow him, to serve him, serve others and to be an example to the world... because we love him and want to do this not because it is a bunch of rule for us to check off our list so that we can do what we do to gain what God promises us...

People are gonna see the way we live our lives. From the outside, they cannot always tell if we do what we do because we love God or because we are trying to "gain" our salvation through the following of the "rules" we read about in God's word. They may not be able to tell, but we can. We know why we do what we do. We do what we do because God showed us the ultimate love by sending His son to this earth to live and to die for us. To make a way for us to have a relationship with Him. We love because He first loved us. We love others because God love them and us. We do the things we do because we love God and want to share that love with those in this world that do not know God and know his unbelievable love for His creation.

We live differently. We act, talk and respond differently to people and circumstances in our daily lives. We do this because of the love of our Father. The hope that we have of spending eternity with our Father and with each other in heaven. It is about the words that come out of our mouths, but it is also about the actions of our lives that show the light of the love of Jesus to a dark world.

I want the things that come out of my heart to be kindness, love, sympathy, caring, patience, joy, peace and all the ways that God our Father is, I want to show the world my Father through the way I live my life. What is coming out of your heart? Fill your heart with the love of the Father and what comes out through your life will be a reflection of the Father. Praise be to His name!

_

TEAM

What do you think of when you hear the word "team". One thing for me, especially because of the Weltmeisterschaft (World Cup of Soccer) going on right now, I think of Soccer. I think about how these teams work together (or in some cases do not work well together) towards a common goal, pun there, to score a point and eventually win the game and tournament. I see them struggle on the field, not just with their opponents, but also with their own teammates. I have also seen the value in being unselfish. How many times have I seen in the different games where one man is taking the ball to the goal and at just the last minute, when the suspense is just about to kill you, will he shoot, will the opponent knock it down or out of the way... the man with the ball doesn't shoot... he instead passes it to another player because...BECAUSE he has the better shot. Think about how hard that is. Giving the glory to the other person. Literally giving it away. You had the shot, maybe you make it, maybe you don't, but you had the chance... But you are a team. A team isn't about one person, it is about the common goal. During this tournament I have seen so many selfless acts. So many times that someone passed the ball to someone else for the greater good. Seeing the other person getting the glory for a great shot... that they would not have had if the other person had kept the shot for themselves. You know what I am talking about... I don't just mean Fußball (soccer) either. I am talking about God's Family. I am talking about our workplaces, our individual families, our extended families and all those areas in our lives where we interact with other people "working together for a common goal". I must confess... it is hard to be a team player. Ha, no surprise to you there... if you know me. I like to be the one with the great idea. I like to be the one to score the winning point. I like to be the one to receive the glory... But being a part of a team means IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. Hard pill to swallow, ha, it is a difficult pill to even put in my mouth.

Years ago, many more than I choose to count, I worked in a grocery store. Pikewood Food Center. Each year Karen and I would go to a convention with my boss and his wife. This was put on by the supplier of our groceries. Each year there would be a theme. You know the kind, get everyone excited, pumped up so that they would buy a ton of stuff later at this show... you know, all those deals that were a once in a lifetime deal that you just could not pass up... at least until next year. :-) Sorry, I got sidetracked in all the memories. A theme I remember well, was centered around this word TEAM. T is for Together, E is for Everyone, A is for Achieves, M is for More. Together everyone achieves more. Hmmm, think about that. Agree? Disagree? Was it just a ploy to get all the grocery guys to buy more stuff from our supplier?

I would like to tweek that a bit. I would like to suggest that, TOGETHER, EVERYONE is ABLE to do MORE. I guess this comes down to what together means. For me that means that if I am not the center of attention, if I am not the one seeking the glory as I work in a group, then the group as a whole will be better off as we attempt to accomplish what we have started out to do together. Jump back to God's Family. We ARE family, God made us that way, kind of like our own families, we didn't get to choose who is in it, we just love them anyway. God adds us to HIS family. Hopefully we are, want to be, a team. What are our motivations as we would together as a team? What is our goals? Obviously Jesus gave us the ultimate goal... "seek and save the lost"! God's family, God's team, has the opportunity to share the great message of Jesus Christ with a lost world. This my friends is not an easy task, (saving that thought for another day)but this requires every player to play his part. Everyone cannot be on offense, everyone cannot be on defense, everyone cannot be the goalie. Ha, I just got a funny picture in my mind. I thought if all the Germany players decided that they all wanted to be the goalie... you have all of them standing in front of the goal and their opponent having the run of the field... sorry, i am digressing... maybe not. We are a body, Christ is the head, we each play a role in the body, Paul talked about this, this body working together, each part doing what GOD INTENDED IT TO DO, BEING PLACED WHERE HE WANTED IT TO BE... Working together. I am thankful that the body that God gave me works well with itself. I believe we call it cancer when the body turns on itself. I do not want to be cancer in God's family. I really would rather be the little toe and never get noticed for the support I give than to cause death and destruction in something so beautiful as the body of Christ. There are power in numbers, there is power in family. You know this. There is power in working together. We can help each other do better when we put the needs of others above ourselves. I think I read that somewhere...

Love the Lord your God... first command
Love your neighbor as you love yourself, treat him/her as you WANT to be treated... second command
All the rules, all the commands, all the regulations, all the teachings and all the prophesies of the Bible boil down to these two...

Family = Team. God's Family = God's Team. We have a team captain, He is Jesus Christ. I am thankful to be a player on His team. I want to live, breath and work as a team player. Seeking to make YOU stronger, utilize your talents, help you be closer to our Father as we reach out to the lost of our world and ultimately bringing Glory to God our Father through the life and service that we give Him as his family and team.

Thank you for your time this day that it took to read the writings of a person striving to truly put God and His Son Jesus on the throne of my life, then making sure that I am also putting your needs, your concerns before my own. Guess I am not through yet, actually I guess it would be better to say that God is not through with me yet. Thank you Father for the Spirit that you gave to me as a gift, that lives in me and helps me to grow to be the man, husband, father, brother and your son that you want me to be. Praise be to your name. Amen.

Random thoughts this day...

I was talking with Karen at breakfast this morning. She brought up an interesting point that hit me quite profoundly. Many times I am rather disappointed in myself because of what I have NOT been able to learn or NOT been able to accomplish in the almost 4 years of living in Germany. Come the end of August of this year, we will have officially been in Germany for 4 years. That seems like a very long time. Sometimes it seems very long for me… sometimes it seems like I blinked and it is over. Know what I mean? I think you do. Okay, her point. She made the statement that we have lived in three different cities in the last 4 years. First was Bremen. Bremen is a city of officially about 500,000 people. Add in the surrounding small towns that actually connect to it and you have over a million people milling around that city. Ha, that was our first place to live in Germany. I say ha because we came from a city, Little Rock, that with its surrounding towns probably had somewhere over 200,000 people. Big city for me and then we moved to a huge city. After living there for two years we moved to a city in the eastern part of Germany, it is called Chemnitz. It has relatively the same population as what we were used to in Little Rock, but the difference is that it was a city that earlier, before the wall came down, housed over twice that many people. So the city itself was much bigger than what I was used to, just only having the number of people that I had grown used to. Then our next move is to Leipzig. Leipzig has over 500,000 people and then it has many towns around its edges to make it quite a metropolitan area. Again, like Chemnitz, many of its inhabitants left for the west when the wall came down. Many of the industry was closed down after it no longer had the support of the communistic government to keep it running and staffed. So ultimately my rambling today… Have you ever moved to a new city? I am sure you have. Had your set of problems with that? I know you did. New places, new people, new ideas, customs and even sometimes a different way of speaking by the people in that city are what awaited you. I know. I too have experienced that… three times in the last 4 years. God is good, God is faithful. He has brought us through these moves. He has enabled us to learn and to grow beyond what we could have ever imagined. Does that mean it was easy? I say emphatically, NO! But life is not easy. That is what is so great about the promise that we will spend eternity with our Father. Where everything… EVERYTHING is good, great, wonderful! We all struggle with different things and changes in our lives. It is life. But God is with us as His children. We are not alone, even in a city of close to a million people when I know only a handful of those people. I am not alone! You are not alone! Thank you Father for being with us even in our tough times and also being there in our times of victory and triumph.

Warm weather

We have so much to be thankful for. I did not believe it would ever get to 28° (80°), but it did! I do have to say, that I still like the heat better than all that snow we had! Okay, it can get a little difficult, or uncomfortable, because there is no air conditioning, but I realize how much Karen and I are adapting to this European climate.

We are in the middle of our LST (Let's Start Talking) campaign. We now have three students living with us that come from the Sam Houston University in Texas. They are meeting daily with people here in Leipzig that wish to improve their conversational skill in English. I am so humbled by seeing how God is working in so many different peoples lives. People coming from many different walks of life, wanting to develop new relationships. It is such a blessing for us to have these students here. On so many levels. I do so enjoy seeing them interact with different people. Talking, laughing, and just getting to know people with different ideas and many times a very different way of thinking.

It has also been a blessing to have them here because it helps Karen and I recognize just how much of the language and the culture we really do know and understand. Have you ever learned a foreign language? Have you ever been to a place where you could actually use this language and speak to someone who spoke that language as a native tongue? Maybe a better question is, have you ever been to a country and not been able to speak, read or communicate with the local people? Yea, it is not so much fun. In a tourist area you will probably find someone you can communicate with. Often, in many foreign countries the people can speak English as a second language, but not always. I think you get the picture I am trying to paint for you. So, it is not an easy thing to do to communicate with someone who does not speak your language. I have been reminded through helping these students read how to get somewhere, understand what someone is saying to them, shopping in a grocery store where everything is written in a language you cannot understand (thank goodness for pictures :-) ) and general just getting around in a city of nearly 3/4 of a million people. It feels very good to be able to help them do these things. It reminds us that we have learned a lot... ha, yes, we have much more to learn... but when we stop learning... well, I guess that is when we leave this earth, yes?

I am thankful for friends. I am thankful that we have a best friend in Jesus and I am glad that we are here and have the opportunity to share the good message about Jesus with the people God puts in our path in this city. Thanks for reading, praying and caring!!

Mark

Summer time

I am so excited about summer. One it is warm... two it is time for our LST campaign. I must once again apologize for being so bad about making a post. I have no excuses...

We have students here from York College to help people improve their English by reading and talking about Bible verses. We had our meeting this past Tuesday and had over 25 people show up to the meeting to find out how they could take part. 25 people. That is amazing! Only one of those that showed up was someone that we were already acquainted with. The students have their work cut out for them as they seek to build a relationship and a bridge to us, those of us who live here year around, and make a connection so that we can share the love of our Father with people in this city. I am humbled, I am thrilled and I am so excited about the next 6 weeks.

I shot a video of our students playing in a field of Rapps (not sure what we call that in English). It is a crop that is used to make oil to cook with. They have the most beautiful yellow flowers this time of year. Let me see if it will let me upload it... hold on...


So, I think it worked... but I am gonna keep writing till it is finished.

We are having a great time getting to know the students and we now have a building where they can meet and we can also use it as a place of worship on Sundays. Exciting times. Ah ha, it is finished. I think it will work. Hope you enjoy the video.

Enough for now. I hope to add more later. Thanks for you patience...
For Him,
Mark

Change… or not?

1. Think for a moment…
   
   1. How have things changed in the way you live, just in your lifetime?
      
      1. What are three things that have been developed since you have been born?
         
   2. For me that is a little bit easier, I have been around longer :-)
      
      1. Microwave oven
         
         1. Consumer use began in the 60's
            
      2. Color TV
         
         1. okay they were actually developed in the 50's but no one could afford to have one until the 60's
            
      3. Video Games
         
         1. Atari started in the 70's
            
      4. Personal computers
         
         1. Yes, we had computers when I was young, but they were the size of a large room and no one had them at home
            
         2. My first computer was a Vic 20
            
            1. 5 KB (not mb) of Ram
               
            2. Came out in 1980
               
         3. Next was the Commodore64
            
            1. 64 KB of Ram
               
            2. Came out in 1982
               
      5. Handys (Mobile phones)
         
         1. The first produced for public use was in the 70's
            
            1. Bag phone
               
            2. Brick phone
               
      6. We went from LP records to cassette tapes to cd's to mp3
         
         1. We didn't have Ipod or Iphone
            
2. All changes have not been positive or good changes
   
   1. The worlds attitudes about things have changed
      
      1. Marriage
         
      2. Sex outside of marriage
         
      3. Modest dress
         
      4. Abortion
         
      5. Honesty, integrity, ethics
         
   2. Many times I feel like many people in the world call me "square" (uncool) or an "old fogy" (too retro) if I hold to my Bible beliefs
      
      1. I am not "with the times"
         
      2. I am not living in the "real world"
         

1. So what do we do when the world trashes the good things, Biblical teachings through its change in thinking?
   

1. In Psalms 11:3 David talks about the same problem, only many years earlier
   
   1. What would good people do if the wicked destroyed all that is good?
      
      1. This is the question for us tonight
         
      2. What will good people, people following God, do about negative changes in our world?
         
2. David gives us the solution by revealing 3 things about God here in Psalms 11
   
   1. Let's read this together
      
   2. Focus on vs. 4: (someone read this verse again, please)
      
      1. The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord sits on his throne in heaven. He sees everything that happens. He watches people closely.
         
   3. 3 important things about God
      
      1. God is holy
         
         1. His holiness is unthreatened by an unholy world
            
         2. His standards set forth in the Bible for Holy living do not change just because people's opinions change
            
      2. God rules!
         
         1. Things changing here on earth do not change the fact that God rules in heaven.
            
         2. He allows things to change here, but all people will give an account for how they lived their lives.
            
      3. God sees.
         
         1. He is aware of what is going on
            
            1. On this earth
               
            2. In each of our lives
               
               1. How each of us choose to live
                  
3. God who is HOLY, and who RULES in heaven over all creation, also SEES everything that is going on in HIS CREATION.
   

1. Read vs. 7 again
   
   1. The Lord always does what is right, and he loves seeing people do right. Those who live good lives will be with him.
      
   2. God's way is the best way.
      
      1. God made a way for us to be with Him, through Jesus Christ
         
      2. Change will happen, sometimes good sometimes bad
         
         1. We need to follow God's way
            

What to do with failure

Stupid question right off the bat... have you ever failed at something? Have you ever said that you would be there for someone... then let them down, worse yet been in such a place as to leave them hanging when you told them you would be there for them?

Not what we would call best case scenario for living life like we want, huh? This past week I spent at a men's retreat here in Germany. The week long topic and focus of the retreat was AGAPE. I think most of us have heard enough Bible lessons and sermons to know right off the bat that the Greek has three different words for our English word Love. Different types of Greek words for different nuances of our word. So is the order of languages... Ha, you should see the difference between English and German.. :-)

In looking at the word, Agape, it seems the best way to describe this type of love is a love that does the right thing. Treats people the right way, even when it is difficult to do, even when they are not doing the right thing. It is not so much an emotional type of love like Phileo, but a love that is practiced because we have made a decision to do the right thing. I think that much of our Christian walk is actually this Agape love. We are told by Jesus to treat others the way we want to be treated ourselves, this is not dictated by how others treat us but how we wish to be treated. That my friends is not an emotional love but a decision to do the right thing. Not easy sometimes, but a direct instruction from our Savior. I also think that is how we show our love for God our Father. We love Him when we DO what he says. Jesus said if we love Him (and love God) we will do what he has asked us to do. That my friends is a decision. Yes, emotion does come into it, but if emotion is all that is there... it just won't last. We make a decision to follow Jesus and do what he teaches and we are showing our love for God.

I find it quite interesting, Jesus' discussion with Peter at the end of John's Gospel...
John 21:15-17

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

Remember this is the first time Peter would have once again talked with Jesus since he left him to be crucified... deserted him... denied him... looked into his eyes when he heard the rooster crow... guilt, sorrow, frustration, humiliation, anger, pain, disappointment, embarrassment,.... can you imagine the gammit of emotions he was feeling? If your like me, you can. Because you too have let someone down, you too have failed someone, directly or indirectly... I can relate to Peter. Jesus asks him the question, do you love me? He asks him three times... perhaps because Peter had denied him three times, perhaps because Peter was feeling so many emotions about what he had done, he was not really hearing what Jesus was saying. Let me see if I can make any since of what I mean... look at the breakdown of the questions:

[15] Jesus: Do you love [agapao] me? Peter: I love [phileo] you.
[16] Jesus: Do you love [agapao] me? Peter: I love [phileo] you.
[17] Jesus: Do you love [phileo] me? Peter: I love [phileo] you.

Jesus ask Peter the first two times "Will you make a decision to do the things that I have told you to do. Will you show love for me by being a leader and taking care of my followers?"
Peter answers him with "Yes, I have an emotional love for you. You are my friend and I have feelings for you"

Then Jesus asks in the third question if Peter has emotional love for him.

Okay, where am I going with this. Peter failed Jesus. Point blank simple. Perhaps we can really relate to that. Maybe a time comes into your mind when you remember a time when you have failed someone that you love (phileo) or maybe a time when you have failed God (agape)... I think we can all relate on some level, that is why God gives us this example in scripture.

Jesus was calling Peter (and is calling us) to a higher calling. Jesus says that if we really love him we will make the decision to do things his way. As we serve him... ie feeding his sheep... we have to make a decision to love (agape) God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love (agape) others like ourselves. To treat them, to love them (agape), the way we want to be treated and loved. Yes, we are an emotional people, God made us that way, Jesus was that way too. But, Jesus did what had to be done, he was crucified on the cross for us, that was not emotion my friends, that was a decision to do the right thing. That is the highest form of love. That is the same love God had for us while we were still sinners... He decided to send his one and only son to die for us, because it was what was best for us, not what was best for Him. His decision enables us to have a relationship with Him, but it was not the easy thing for Him to do, but it was the best thing for us... He so Loves us (apages us). Praise His name.

Jesus came to Peter... knowing how he was feeling, knowing the thoughts and emotions he was having. Jesus knows how we feel when we let him down too. He knows how we are feeling when we let other people down. Jesus didn't so much focus on Peter's failure as he did focus on where Peter would go from this point on... what would he do now? So, my question for you today is, what will you do from this point on today? Where are you at? Are you at a point in your life where you have just given up and gone back fishing... that is what Peter had done. What else could he do, it was what he knew how to do? Are you at a point in your life where you feel like you have failed God so bad that you have just given up and gone back to your life before God? Then these scriptures are for you. Have you been fighting discouragement because he just seem to be letting God down because you just can't seem to live the life for him you want? Those "little sins" just keep creeping in? Then these scriptures are for you.

Jesus came to Peter. Think about that. JESUS CAME AND FOUND PETER, the very one who just shortly before left him out to dry. Jesus challenged him to make a new commitment to follow him and being a worker in His kingdom. Jesus does not focus on our failures, he focuses on what we can do and what we should be doing and lovingly (agape and phileo) leads and challenges us in that direction.

My challenge for you and me today is to let go of those failures, don't forget them because they are a good reminder for us to stay committed to the decision that we made to do it Jesus' way, but also not to be crippled by our failures. Jesus was helping Peter look to the future. Jesus helps us to look and see the future, of serving Him by serving others. We can learn from our mistakes. They will makes us stronger. Look at the difference in Peter's life. He made the love decision (agape) to do it God's way and because of that we have so many examples of how we can and should live as we serve God. What kind of differences are you going to make because of the decision you make to live and serve God? What kind of legacy will you leave through living your life in love for God and for others?

I know that this one was very long... hope I did not loose you... hope it helps... hope you can think about these things and give me your thoughts on where I was going with this... we are in this together. Thanks for your time and thoughts.

Mark