never stop learning

Clean Slate Living Principle: I have a good friend who is a doctor in the mental health field. He made this comment to me as we collaborated on a counseling situation. “Some people just don’t know what they don’t know!” This was in reference to those who plow forward in life never taking the time to consistently update their thinking/decision making process or simply just review how they do life. When we stop learning and evaluating we actually create black holes of ignorance. Clean slate living requires effort to be informed. If you hit a wall…talk to someone. Get the information you need to advance. This is radically true of our spiritual life. We cannot live off day-week-month or year old experiences with God. Bible study and prayer are not religious duties...they're connections we make with God. Everything about Him is fresh and we NEED to join with Him every day to fully embrace the life Jesus proclaimed was ours to enjoy.

can you see what I see?

Clean Slate Living Principle: One way for certain to keep each day fresh is to make sure you always have people in your life with broader experiences and keener insights than your own. They will wonderfully draw you into new places you may never venture into alone.

No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need

to learn to achieve our goals.

Brian Tracy

great video

I was reading a post from Tim Stevens-Granger Church. This is a strong creative on prayer from God's perspective that they are using for their latest sermon series.

Reality Check-Faith

I have really enjoyed working with Pastor Al on the Reality Check series. I’m sure he would agree that preparing for and teaching the Reality Check points each week has been a challenging experience. We have had to pass our own lives through the very practical and blunt teachings of James to see how we measure up in the areas of problem solving, communicating well with others and dealing with favoritism. This week, I look at some tough questions in regards to our faith. James says “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Faith is far more than the words we speak or the claims we make. Faith has a partner named deeds or actions. Our faith in Christ comes alive when we put into action what we believe. Below are just a few of the random notes/thoughts and articles I reviewed in prepping for this week. Also, if you missed any of the past Reality Check topics, simply click here to listen online. Have an extraordinary day!

"Little Faith" or partial, inneffective faith as seen through Jesus' eyes:

1. Seen in weak understanding in regards to God's care for us—MATT. 6:30. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith'
2. Seen in fear—MATT. 8:26. He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
3. Seen in doubt—MATT. 14:31. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
4. Seen in wrong thinking—MATT. 16:8. Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread'
5. Seen in failure—MATT. 17:20. He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Faith and reason, Christian Apologetics in a World Community: W. Dyrness

Faith is relying on what God has done rather than on one’s own efforts. In the Old Testament, faith is rarely mentioned. The word trust is used frequently, and verbs like believe and rely are used to express the right attitude to God. The classic example is Abraham, whose faith was reckoned as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). At the heart of the Christian message is the story of the cross: Christ’s dying to bring salvation. Faith is an attitude of trust in which a believer receives God’s good gift of salvation (Acts 16:30-31) and that awareness thereafter (Gal. 2:20; cf. Heb. 11:1).

Characteristics of Mature Faith: In a national study of Protestant churches done in 1990, Peter Benson and Carolyn Eklin surveyed hundreds of people and distilled seven characteristics of a mature faith. You may not agree with everything on their list, but it’s still instructive to look at their conclusions.

1. Trusts in God’s saving grace and believes firmly in the humanity and divinity of Jesus.
2. Experiences a sense of personal well-being, security, and peace.
3. Integrates faith and life, seeing work, family, social relationships, and political choices as part of one’s religious life.
4. Seeks spiritual growth through study, reflection, prayer, discussion with others.
5. Seeks to be part of a community of believers who give witness to their faith and support and nourish one another.
6. Holds life-affirming values, including commitment to racial and gender equality, affirmation of cultural diversity, and a personal sense of responsibility for the welfare of others.
7. Serves humanity, consistently and passionately, through acts of love and justice.

I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith, and is not good for much. - C. H. Spurgeon

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath—these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely—these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, “We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.” But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality. - Dr. E. Stanley Jones

Two incredible charactors James uses to champion his illustration of faith and action working together:

• Rahab the Prostitute: The book of Joshua introduces us to one of the most amazing and thought provoking women of the Old Testament. Rahab, the prostitute earned unique praise for her faith, and a place in the lineage of Christ. Certainly the faith this one women revealed demonstrates the potential we all have; yet she also reminds us to not judge--how many of us would expect a great act of faith from a hooker? How many of us would not only have walked by her house, but crossed to the other-side of the street so as not to be contaminated. Yet, God blessed this women by putting her in the lineage of Christ. God's blessings come in surprising packages.
  


• Abraham: Abraham, is larger than life and lives to the ripe old age of 175. He leaves his father and journeys into the wilderness at God's request. God promises to make of Abraham "a great nation," but he has no son until he is a very old man. He travels from modern day Iraq, through Canaan, to Egypt and back to Canaan. His wife Sarah is so beautiful that twice he asks her to identify as his sister so that powerful men will not kill him to have her. As a result, she becomes the property of a pharaoh and a king, who pay Abraham richly to keep it secret that they were with a married woman. Lot was Abraham's nephew and so we get the shocking story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sarah is apparently barren, so Abraham has a child, Ishmael, by her slave Hagar. Then when Sarah is a very old woman, she finally has a son. Jealous of Ishmael and his mother, Sarah orders Abraham to cast them out into the wilderness-the desert-where they nearly die. God saves them by revealing water and then promises to make a powerful nation of Ishmael. After his many years of wanting children, at God's demand, Abraham not only casts out Ishmael, but also agrees to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Sarah dies at 127, and Abraham buys land for his wife and his eventual burial at Hebron. Abraham eventually remarries and, now a very old man, has six sons by his wife Keturah. But when he dies, he leaves everything he possesses to Isaac.
  
  

wisdom

As I was getting ready for the day, I had the TV on and was listening to a pastor teach about wisdom. I love when God uses even backdrop communication to embed something into our thinking. I’m in several situations where people I work with are struggling for clarity and wisdom in making life changing decisions. The guy on the TV said, “Let me give you my definition for wisdom.” A word like wisdom by its very nature seems to require a pretty lofty definition, so I paused from what I was doing and listened a little closer. “Wisdom, he goes on to say, is having the ability to discern the difference.” The difference between what? The difference between everything. Wisdom helps us pick right over wrong, a good choice over a bad one. Wisdom plays a key role in our relationships. Some people, because of consistent negative influence, need to remain a part of our past. Others who are in our lives now, need to continue to play a key role in our tomorrow. Wisdom helps frame such things. When I'm counseling, I’ll ask people to paint me a picture of their interaction with the Bible. How key a role does it play in their day to day? Sometimes they roll their eyes as if to say, “point me toward something more tangible.” I honestly believe the Bible is God’s wisdom documented for us so we can know the difference. There is a huge difference between our natural wisdom and the wisdom that comes from a mind soaked in scripture.

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:1-6

Reality Check- Communication

It has been a joy and a bit of a struggle preparing for this coming weekend. I'll be talking about communication. What a phenominal responsibility managing our verbal interaction with one another is. Proverbs 19:21 says-The tongue has the power of life and death. We can speak life giving things to benefit others or we can crush them with words as Job told his friends.

Communication is an amazing thing. God created us in his image and part of being made in the image of God is our capacity to communicate, so God can have a relationship with us and God builds that relationship with us through the use of words. And then He has given us the capacity to build relationships with one another and again so much of what we use to build those relationships are words. It's an important thing. It's an extremely powerful thing and that's why God takes it so seriously. Could you imagine how our relationships would flourish if every word out of our mouths really counted in a positive way?

God also takes communication very seriously because there are people on this earth who will never hear about Him unless someone speaks up.

Essential Jesus Study Material

I pray the series Pastor Derek presented over this past month has challenged you to examine the person of Jesus Christ. I have the honor of presenting one last essential fact about the Christ this weekend. It pertains to His often missing or misunderstood identity. At the bottom of this post you will find solid web info that gives a great deal of material to review and consider about the identity of Jesus Christ. If you have had little exposure to His story, the following will give you a some background.

Jesus Christ (also called Christ the king) was born in Israel 2000 years ago. Modern civilization marks his birth by dividing time B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini - or the year of our Lord Jesus Christ). For his first thirty years, Jesus Christ lived a traditional Jewish life, working as a carpenter. During this time, all of Israel was under Caesar's Roman dictatorship, including Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born, and Nazareth, where he was raised. In his thirties, Jesus Christ began his public teaching and display of recorded miracles, yet still never travelled more than 200 miles from his birthplace. Over a three year period, despite his efforts to keep a low profile, Jesus Christ's reputation spread nation wide. The Roman governors and rulers of Israel's provinces and the leaders of the Jewish people (the religious counsels) took note of him.

Jesus Christ's most controversial act was that he repeatedly claimed to be God, which was a direct violation of the Jewish law. Therefore the religious leaders asked the Roman government to execute him. In each of several official trials, the Romans found that he was not guilty of breaking any Roman law. Even the Jewish leaders recognized that other than Jesus Christ's claim to be God, Jesus Christ followed the Jewish law perfectly. Still the religious leaders, using the argument of political disfavor, persuaded Pilate, a Roman governor of the Southern province of Israel, to authorize an execution. Jesus Christ was brutally tortured and then hung by his hands, which were nailed to a horizontal wooden beam (cross). He lived for three hours, then expired. However, according to more than 500 witnesses, Jesus Christ returned from the dead three days later, and over the next 40 days journeyed in both the southern and northern provinces of Israel. To many, this was conclusive proof that Jesus Christ's claims to be God were real. Then Jesus Christ returned to Jerusalem, the city where he was recently executed, and according to witnesses, he left the earth alive by rising up into the sky.

As a result of these miraculous events, the number of his followers increased dramatically. Only a few months later in that same city of Jerusalem one record states that some 3000 new followers were added in a single day. The religious leaders responded by trying to stomp out Jesus Christ's followers. Many of these people chose to die rather than deny their belief that their Lord Jesus Christ was truly God.

Within 100 years, people throughout the Roman empire (Asia Minor, Europe) became followers of Jesus Christ. In 325 AD, the following of Jesus Christ, Christianity, became the official religion of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Within 500 years, even Greece's temples of Greek gods were transformed into churches for followers of Jesus Christ. Today, followers of Jesus Christ number in the multiple millions and can be found in every people group in the world.

• Historical evidence of Jesus' life and mission.
• His life, mission and resurrection from the dead as presented in the Bible

good friday

The creative team here at Grace Church has re-created the settings of four very significant experiences Jesus had in the last days and hours of His life. I cheated and went in early this morning before it was open to the public and was overwhelmed by the encounter I had as I walked in His foot steps. Make every effort to experience this for yourself. Personal tours begin @ noon and last until 9:00pm here at our facility.