Day of Praise

Sa, 6/29/13, "Day of Praise"

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." -
Proverbs 16:23

Dear Lord God, Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day that you've given us. Saturday is a day of rest and recreation for most of us. But some of us have some important meetings today about relationships and the way people act in those relationships and various other matters of importance. Move us by your Holy Spirit to call on you and listen for you and listen to you before we speak. And then grant us, Lord, to speak your words and wisdom and not our own, for your word alone is life and life abundant.
We ask this in Jesus's name,
Amen

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." -
Proverbs 16:23

Praise God!



Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, 6/29/13, "Day of Praise"

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." -
Proverbs 16:23

Dear Lord God, Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day that you've given us. Saturday is a day of rest and recreation for most of us. But some of us have some important meetings today about relationships and the way people act in those relationships and various other matters of importance. Move us by your Holy Spirit to call on you and listen for you and listen to you before we speak. And then grant us, Lord, to speak your words and wisdom and not our own, for your word alone is life and life abundant.
We ask this in Jesus's name,
Amen

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." -
Proverbs 16:23


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, 6/28/13, "Day of Praise"

1 John 4:18 - "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."

Fear: the topic has come up a lot the last couple weeks in this devotion either in the devotion itself or your replies. Fear of heights. Fear of water. Fear of strangers. Fear of getting cheated. Fear of getting cheated again. Fear of being plotted against. Fear of unfounded fears, which, for the many kids who read this with your parents, means you have fears that have no foundation or basis in fact. As my friend, Steve Wilson, replied recently, F.E.A.R. is False Evidence Appearing Real.
When I was a kid, my older brother, Ben, and I loved to scare our younger sister, Cheryl. The upstairs hallway of our house had a little right-then-left turn about halfway down. That turn was a great place to "hide" (though it was more like "lurking", which for you kids means "to lie in wait, as in ambush"). And Cheryl would come down the hall and almost get to her room and BOOM, we'd jump out from that turn, and we'd yell or growl and scare the daylights out of her.

Yep. That's what Ben and I did, though, to be fair to Ben, I think I did it far more than he did, especially when my dad pulled the Halloween mask box out of the attic. I loved wearing those masks, ya know, plastic on your whole face that was attached to a string that went behind your head. I'm sure their was a "devil" mask that worked really well, but even Pluto and Snow White worked just as well, if I remember correctly. (I mean, this was like 40+ years ago!)

But I definitely remember that the thing that made scaring Cheryl the most effective was not the mask or even the darkness, but it was the element of surprise. God bless her; Cheryl got to the point that she was afraid to walk down the hall unless she turned every light in the house on. And my dad, God love him, I'm sure I remember correctly that sometimes I'd get a whoopin' because Cheryl would leave all the lights on and drive up the power bill, and dad knew why she left the lights on. And lookin' back, I agree with him. I actually remember agreeing with him then. It was right for me "to pay" for the lights; it was my cost for seeing my little sister jump right out of her skin. Surprise!

I know this is getting too long, so here's the point: today's Bible verse, "perfect love casts out fear". In sum, there's a lot of stuff in this dark, sinful world that is lurking, just waiting to jump out from around a corner and surprise! Oftentimes the "pouncer" is wearing a mask so you're left wondering just who exactly is behind the whole evil scheme.

What's a person to do?

Take a hint from my little sister: TURN THE LIGHT ON! Translation: Call on Jesus! Jesus is the light of the world, and light scatters darkness. He's perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear. And he's the Lord! And since he's the Lord, even the little devils and Plutos and Snow Whites and all the other masked creatures must obey him.

It's as if Jesus is saying to the scary people and things in the world, "Skeeeeeedaddle, ya little devils, no lurking allowed. But when one of ya does get through, it's still too bad for you because my Daddy in Heaven gonna give you a whoopin' that you'll be tellin' your 'friends' about forever."

Indeed, "Perfect love casts out fear!"

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, 6/27/13, "Day of Praise"

"And Herod with his soldiers treated [Jesus] with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other." - Luke 23:11-12

It's a simple premise actually: we tend to become friends with people who enjoy and therefore value the same things as we do.

In today's verse, Pilate and Herod both enjoyed ridiculing Jesus, so it makes sense that the at-one-time enemies would become friends. Unfortunately, such a friendship can only self-destruct.

In contrast, God wants us to believe that if we'll value seeking and serving the Lord (instead of griping about the Lord and other people), then we'll find friendships that endure forever.

As we shared in worship yesterday, a friendship cannot just be based on going to church because there are tragically lots of people who go to church but remain their own lord of their own life, which is usually characterized by discontentment and griping, disinterest in studying God's word, and disinterest in serving others.

Enduring friendships are found with people who value trusting the everlasting God, which is characterized by a consistent joyful spirit, an eagerness to worship God, and a conviction that serving others in love is a natural fruit from the overflow of a daily, personal relationship with the only true God who pours himself and his love into us by the outpouring of his Holy Spirit.

Please. Reread today's thoughts. As I've heard both Bruce Johnston with JH Ranch and author Benny Proffitt (check out Benny's awesome book "Charting the Course" http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0976006634) rightly teach in very practical ways, if you want great relationships, it's more important to focus on becoming the right person and valuing the right things than it is finding the right person who treats you the right way.

When we value being in a loving, obedient/trusting, and joyful relationship with God through Jesus, the valuable earthly relationships will follow.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

We, 6/26/13, "Day of Praise"

"Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" - Matthew 25:37, 38, 40

A few weeks ago, it was the beginning of our vacation, and we had stopped on our way to Florida. My daughter, Calley, was walking back toward the McDonald's and me with one of the homeless bags that our church puts together. The homeless bags are gallon-sized ziploc bags with a Bible, water, crackers, and other small encouragements. I couldn't see anyone that Calley might give the bag to until I stepped beyond the garbage can. But on the other side of the garbage can was a small man with very weathered skin, who looked very much like a leprechaun.

In a few moments, all three of my kids and I were visiting with the homeless man, whose name was Carl Novack. Like another man we know, Carl had lost his wife and children in a car accident. So he wandered.

Carl was very nice and well-spoken and asked for nothing. But he was very appreciative when we gave him the homeless bag. He talked about the Lord and clearly knew Jesus personally. And Carl smiled a huge smile when we shared a number of very nice golf shirts that had been given to my son and me by Bob and Barbara Terlep and my brother, Ben DeGreen, Jr. Carl told us that he would wear the shirts in the evening which was when he enjoyed singing Country and Western to no one in particular.

The point of all this in connection with today's Bible verse is not that we were righteous, but instead that Carl Novack was like Jesus. Overall, Carl gave us much more encouragement and inspiration to hope and kindness and faith and perseverance. Carl gave us much more spiritually than we gave him materially with a homeless bag and shirts.

I would've missed him altogether. But Calley spotted him because she was looking. And all of us were blessed by one who was certainly like Jesus to us. And who knows; maybe he was.

"Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" - Matthew 25:37, 38, 40

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, 6/25/13, "Day of Praise"

Acts 8:30-31 - "So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him."

We could have just thought that the Harley guy had stopped to take pictures of the beautiful, active volcano, which at 14,179 feet dominates the northern California landscape and which is covered by seven, global-warming-defying, growing glaciers and which is also known as Mount Shasta
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Sunrise_on_Mount_Shasta.jpg/220px-Sunrise_on_Mount_Shasta.jpg).

And as we walked the clearly brand-new, Mount Shasta trivia-covered, 50-yard sidewalk and neared him, we could have just thought that the Harley guy had stopped to read his Bible and, therefore, we should have just let him have his peace.

But the Holy Spirit of the living God wasn't going to just let us walk past the ZZ Top look-alike (http://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRb1s2Pja_R6E4sq-oyjvEzyex9Cn4FM8_0JMy9LxF-YPLBpkU1jr9AzQ) without us noticing that, at this beautiful, awe-inspiring vista, the motorcycle man was not just reading his Bible. He was reading the Book of Job.

So the Holy Spirit gave us an Acts 8:30-31 kind of exchange. We said, "Do you understand what you're reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited us to come and sit with him.

To make a not-too-long story short, we discovered that his Harley had broken down at the only place in this stretch of road where 1) he could safely pull his bike off the road and 2) his phone could pick up a signal so he could call a distant relative who lived a few hours away. We also discovered that he had self-admittedly lived a shameful life, and he had just been convicted by the Holy Spirit to open and read the Bible that he'd been given years ago but had toted around without cracking it open until about 30 minutes before. Then we discovered that he thought you get into heaven by hoping that you get things turned around just enough in just the nick of time so that God will consider letting you in. And then we discovered his name was K__ A_______.

And then we discovered that God was again true to his promise and worked through all that K.A. had just shared to bring our lives together at just the right moment so we could tell him that God knows his shame and ours, which is why God sent His Son, Jesus, to bear and wipe away our shame on the cross and to give us a new life through the forgiveness of sins and the indwelling of the risen Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And then we prayed for K.A. to receive Christ and to live a new life in the strength and love of Jesus Christ.

And then we got back in our car and finished our drive to beautiful JH Ranch (http://m.jhranch.com/AboutUs.asp?rewrite=Y) for our father/daughter camp and more Mount Shasta height highs of sharing Jesus and seeing others, like a 14-year old previously-atheistic boy, come to saving faith in God's love through Jesus.

Please pray for K.A. and that 14-yr old boy and all the poor souls on the road of life who don't know, or who have just discovered, what to do with the poverty of shame in their souls.

And while you're at it, don't forget to give yours to Jesus too!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, Jun 24, "Day of Praise", (Today is Kristen's last one that she'd prepared for when I was on vacation. A big thank you to Kristen.)

"When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left." – Luke 23:33

My daddy always told me to save the best for last and I'm pretty sure that this is just that. Without Christ's crucifixion there would be no Gospel to communicate. We would still be as nomads forever wandering in the desert; we would still be as lost sheep with no shepherd. But praise God for sacrificing Himself for us poor, wicked sinners. We therefore should respond likewise, sacrificing ourselves for our brothers and sisters and the world.

Sometimes this looks like being in a leadership role even when you know the amount of ridicule you'll receive no matter what you do. Sometimes this looks like not getting the game ball even when you just played the best game of your career. Sometimes this looks like taking on someone's nasty attitude to prevent someone else from having to deal with it. Sometimes this looks like congratulating the guy that just intercepted your pass. Sometimes this looks like squeezing in a play date with someone you're not sure about. Sometimes this looks like not taking on the leadership role so that someone else can develop their leadership skills. Sometimes this looks like listening instead of talking. And sometimes this looks like death on a cross.

Whatever it might look like, sacrifice yourself and, in doing so, live the Gospel.

Praise God!





Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, Jun 22, "Day of Praise", (Today and Monday are the last two (for now) to have two devotional reflections with Kristen and myself.)

Pastor Chris -
Psalm 73:28 -
"But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works."

God loves it when we tell the good things he's done for us. God loves it because it's a way that God's made for us to speak life into one another. Here are two replies from Day of Praise readers this past week. Notice how both their replies encourage you, even when you probably don't even know them. That's the power of telling of God's works. So, read these, and then go tell someone what God's done for you. (Ben is my dear brother. Bob has been a dear friend for 23 years. Then Kristen's devotion follows.)

Ben DeGreen, Jr. -
Interesting to think about some of those Biblical heroes mentioned in Hebrews, many of them not only internalized fear, but also showed it outwardly, sometimes one on one with God and other times with an additional audience. For example, after striking down an Egyptian, Moses ran for the wilderness and was a forgotten man for 40 years. God wanted him to go back to Egypt, not only to lead His people out of bondage, but also for him to face his fear of what he left behind and most importantly to trust in Him, the Great I AM. When confronted by God in the burning bush, he didn't want to go, saying, "Lord, choose someone else, someone who can speak more eloquently." God gave Moses a couple of security blankets: his brother, Aaron, and a staff. Even with Moses' past failure and doubt, God still loved Moses and had a deeper relationship with him than any man that ever walked the face of the earth, other than Jesus Christ. Consider God's great love for Moses, even after death, by remembering how Christ was transfigured on the Mount of Olives with two men: Moses was one of those two, the other Elijah. And there is a great story about him, about doubt and fear as well, but that will wait until another time.

The point to all of that is, even after we are crippled by fear and unbelief, God can still use us as he did Moses, Elijah, Jonah, Peter, and countless others. We just need to dust ourselves off and move forward.

Bob Kasper, Jr. -
Zip lines over water for a man who fears
heights and doesn't swim. Certainly illustrates how far we are willing to go
for our daughters/children/grand children.

I have a tablet and store a number of pictures on it, there is an app that
plays these pictures in the background. There are pictures of all 4, I can
be in a foul mood, angry, depressed, fearful, and a picture of one of them
will rotate on to the screen, and my heart is instantly changed, the reaction sometimes so strong as to be physical. Sometimes I have been lost in my concerns for the world, and one or the other of them at different times will climb into my lap, physically grab my face and turn it to look at them and what they are doing. And my heart is lifted. It is as if God is saying, "hey dummy look over here this is what is important this is where your focus should be."

Joseph is a very sensitive young man and very close to me, even when I am
trying hard not to let them see when I am struggling with something. He will
quietly come over, put a hand on me, look into my eyes, and ask, "Grandpa, are
you OK? Is there anything I can do for you?" He is 9! Melts my heart, reminds
me where my heart and mind should be. Such a precious blessing and special
gift. "And a child shall lead them..." indeed!

Kristen -
"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind." – Isaiah 65:17

Pain, sorrow, grief, torment, sin; physical limitations and spiritual limitations are all cast aside when God, through Christ Jesus, intervenes in our world and brings us into a new and better one. Restoration to our original state, before sin, before guilt, and before death, no longer cast out, but brought in.

When people ask us "what's so great about your God?", we tell them that He has power to do what no other can, namely, to create and to recreate, to renew and to restore, to do the unthinkable and the unbelievable – and yet we believe. Longing for what no other can give to us, a new life in which the old life is forgotten, pray for that day and proclaim your hope in it to those that you know and meet.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, Jun 21, "Day of Praise", (This week has two devotional reflections and rotates who's placed first between Kristen and myself.)

Kristen -
"So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend my lambs.' He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Shepherd My sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend My sheep.'" – John 21:15-23

Communicate the Gospel by caring for those whom God has entrusted to you. Your spouses, your children, and your neighbors (i.e. everyone you come into contact with).

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) comes to mind when I read this passage. Especially verses 29-30a, "For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

You see, a major part of proving our love for God is caring for His sheep and His creation. A heavy, burdensome, wearisome task we have sometimes, I know, but I do love My Lord and I want Him to know it. Besides isn't He really the One doing all the good work in and through us? Isn't He really the One who has already taken responsibility for all of our mistakes? Isn't He really the One who will see His own words accomplished?

If we truly believe the things we read and speak of from His word then we must intentionally be shepherding one another and the world. We must be protection from wolves and providers of food and shelter. We must go out and search for the lost, and we must rejoice when they return home. We must be shepherds worthy of the sheep that have been entrusted to us, all the while knowing that almighty God is the shepherd of us all. Praise God!

Pastor Chris -
Matthew 14:30 -
"But when [Peter] saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me.'"

Like her older sister, Calley, last year, my daughter, Cassidy, was quite the pacesetter at camp last week. She wasn't necessarily the best at everything, but she was often the first.

Like the 757, which is a 50-feet high telephone pole, topped by a 14-inch square board, which you're supposed to stand up on so you can jump out 7 feet to a trapeze bar that is 7 feet higher than the top of the pole. Cassidy was the first in our group to scamper up 50 feet, jump out 7, and grab a hold of the 7 feet higher (or 57 feet high) trapeze bar.

Or like the Alpine Tower, which has all sorts of poles and ropes, but is 10 feet higher than the 757. Cassidy was the first in our group to climb that 60-feet high craziness.

So, many people at camp, even ones we hadn't even met but who were watching all this, these people start to call Cassidy "Fearless."

And I said to her, "Cassidy, I'm so proud of you." She said, "Why?" I said, "Because you're so courageous with all this stuff." And then she said, "Dad, I'm afraid, but I just want to try these things and grow in the Lord."

Friends, there were all sorts of famously faithful people in the Bible who, just like Cassidy, were afraid, but they did stuff because they wanted to grow in the Lord: Gideon, Moses, Abraham, Sarah, David, the New Testament Joseph and Mary, Peter, the women at Jesus' empty tomb. Along with many other faithful ones, they all experienced fear, but they kept going because they wanted to grow in the Lord, who leads us through things with a love and wisdom that are greater than our fears.

So, as challenging things are set before you today, don't kick yourself and call yourself "weak" or "chicken" if you happen to be afraid. Instead, put your eyes on Jesus because he promises to lead you through whatever might come your way.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, Jun 20, "Day of Praise", (The balance of this week has two devotional reflections and rotates who's placed first between Kristen and myself.)

Pastor Chris -
Micah 4:9 - "Why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you?"

They were 30 feet high, walking on quarter-inch cable, crossing over and under ropes, except when they were jumping from "cloud" to "cloud" which were boards nailed together in three feet by three feet or smaller islands across the cables. It's a big island if it's only you hopping one to another. It's a small island when you have to get all six people in your group on the island before you can start to go to the next one.

I was 30 feet below on the ground, taking pictures. But no snapshot could capture what frequently happened as the 5th and 6th people tried to get on the next cloud.

Yelling! Lots of yelling! With most of the group crying out to no one in particular. As sweet Bronwyn Estep said in the debriefing, "As if yelling was actually going to keep us all from falling off of the cloud."

That's what God's saying through Micah in today's Bible verse, "Why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you?" (Micah 4:9). In essence, God's saying, "Yelling is not going to make anything any better. But if you'll remember the king in you, he can certainly save the day!"

Yep, Jesus Christ, the King of kings wants to live in you by the power of the Holy Spirit so that the next time you feel like you're falling off your cloud, well, there's no need to yell. Just appeal to and trust in the King. He'll make sure that you, and all your loved ones, stay on board together! Praise God!

Now here's Kristen -
"Then the Lord said to me, 'The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.'" – Jeremiah 14:14

Or as John puts it, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1

Either way, what does this have to do with us communicating the Gospel? Well, for one thing it means that receiving and then effectively communicating the true Gospel has become more difficult because there are people out there communicating a false Gospel or, at the very least, false assurance.

What is this false Gospel? What is this false assurance? Think Romans 6 – "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase?" But instead of our churches, our households, our community events being filled with Paul's hardy "By no means!" many have come to be filled with tolerance to open sin. And unfortunately this tolerance has recently been finding its origins at the top of the church organization food chain. Some "leaders" have loose morals at best. One pastor stole from his members. Some churches sell distraction in a cup labeled "Starbucks", and there are deacons who pat people on the back after a wild night of drinking. Now please understand that these are all hypothetical situations to whatever degree, but we had better be examining what direction our leaders are leading us in and what direction we're leading others in.

We need others to be and we ourselves need to be a Nathan (speaking truth boldly), not a combo like Ananias and Sapphira (who teamed in Acts 5 to hide the truth). Look at the difference in the two accounts – life for Nathan – death for Ananias and Sapphira. It's pretty simple.

We are so fortunate at Christ the King to have two wonderful Pastors who build our church upon a solid Biblical foundation. They preach what they live – Biblical truth – which does not tolerate sin. May we be found communicating the Gospel by testing all things against the word of God which is living and active and endures forever.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

We, Jun 19, "Day of Praise", (The balance of this week has two devotional reflections and rotates who's placed first between Kristen and myself.)

Kristen-
"Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked." - Proverbs 25:26

I'm going to go the "Counter-imitation" route on this one - we do not communicate the Gospel when we give in to sin.

This one is so difficult to articulate because this sort of "giving way" manifests itself in our lives continually.

As I sit, contemplating the ways in which I myself have sinned just today or the ways in which I feel others have sinned against me, they are innumerable.

We have opportunities every moment of every day to take part in gossip, betrayal, and overindulgence; to have malice, deceit, covetousness, and jealousy in our hearts; to behave in every other sort of selfishness that could possibly come to mind; to feel fear and doubt.

But God would have us use these opportunities to be as Christ. I'll take my cue now from my Grandma Volk, who is the most faithful woman I have ever met, and share with you the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi because it gives a great description of what being as Christ looks like.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen, and Praise God!

Now, here's Pastor Chris.

Isaiah 11:6b -
"And a little child shall lead them."

I hurt my left shoulder very badly months ago and like any good man, who never asks directions, I still haven't been to the doctor about it. Furthermore, I'm still terrified of heights, and I still think the only three uses of water are rain, getting clean in a shower, and Holy Baptisms.

So!

Why in the world would I even consider sliding down a 60 feet high, 100-yard long zipline and crash back first (if I hit it just right, otherwise it's the injured left shoulder first) into a manmade lake at camp last week?

Why?!?!?!

Because my 17-year old daughter, Cassidy, asked me to.

"Daddy," she says, "do you wanna go down the zipline with me?"

She's 17! Not 7.

I'm 48.

There aren't many of these invitations left in life.

So we gear up; we walk up; we climb up; we get hooked up; we get instructed; we stand backwards on the platform; they open the gate; and she starts singing.

"Jesus loves me! This I know..."

She looks at me, still singing; she bends her knees; she says, "Bye, Daddy!"; and there she goes.

What's a real man to do?

Well, let's just say that, with the exception of losing my swim shoes when I hit (and thankfully not my swim trunks...well, not completely, anyway), it was an incredibly smooth landing in the lake.

And what else should I have expected?

After all, God promised, didn't he? "And a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)

Hey, Gang, do something with a kid today. You'll be blessed!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, Jun 18, "Day of Praise", (As I really want to share the last few of Kristen's awesome devotions, the balance of this week will have two devotional reflections, and we'll rotate who's placed first.)

Pastor Chris -
Jeremiah 13:23 -
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?"

Some things, like leopard spots, can't change. But other things can change in a flash. Or as our Cabin Coach at camp last week said, "Life can change on a dime."

My daughter, Cassidy, and I were sharing our 6-hour, end-of-the-week, Daddy-Daughter-talk at camp on Saturday. Cassidy likes to have talks in the car. So we were driving in beautiful (translation "distracting"), northern California mountains on winding, narrow (translation "you better be paying attention") roads.

I ask Cassidy a profound Daddy-Daughter-talk question, "Where should I spit out this bad piece of the apple?" She moves a brown paper bag toward me so I can look down and spit.

Future memo to self: Looking down to spit out an apple while driving on a mountainous, California road is ridiculously more stupid than texting while driving on any road.

Thank God for the angel that moved Cassidy to look up, to see the 150-foot cliff we were about to run off, and to say, "Dad!"

Guys, we were like "this" close, "life can change on a dime" close to dying.

A leopard can't change his spots, but life can change on a dime. So enjoy each moment, love one another, and Praise God!

Now, here's Kristen's God-glorifying devotion.

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And whatever he does, he prospers." - Psalm 1:1-3

We communicate the Gospel when we're deeply rooted in the word of God; it is the bottomless, never-emptying well from which we continually drink the water of life until we are reunited with our God through Jesus Christ and are able to drink from the true well of everlasting life.

Take a few moments to visualize this tree; its gigantic trunk, sprawling branches, big, bright, green leaves, and deep, deep roots that penetrate the ground in search of water. How many animals and bugs do you suppose find their home or food in the tree? How many men seek to be shaded by its branches? And what would be the consequence of this tree no longer getting all of the water it needs to survive? It would die. And the other living things depending upon it for life would die, too.

Fortunately, God's promises speak to this tree so it never has to worry about that as long as it remains "firmly planted by streams of water." It will continue to yield "its fruit in its season," and its leaf will not wither; and whatever it does, it prospers.

So, believe in God's promises, and spend plenty of time reading about them, reflecting upon them, and sharing their fruit with those who look to you for food and shelter. A sandwich and a cup of water are great, but they quickly become waste. The word of God endures forever; it does not rot or become moldy or lose value in any way.

Eat and drink of the everlasting bread and water, i.e. the word of God, and then feed it to those you know and meet. And you'll be for them as this tree is for its inhabitants – a place of refuge, strength, and life.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, Jun 17, "Day of Praise" (I'm sorry I had no cell signal at the camp I attended with my daughter, Cassidy, so I couldn't send this past week of devotions that Kristen Ferrier had lovingly prepared. Today is from Kristen. The next few days will have both one of Kristen's final devotions and one from me. Thank you, Kristen!)

"And He said to them, 'Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?'" - Luke 2:49

I just love the sort of matter of fact way in which Jesus asks this question of his parents. Surely he knows that they left Jerusalem two days ago (go back and read verse 44), but does he recognize the heartache of a parent whose child has gone missing? I doubt it. But even if he did, then you have to further wonder if it would have made any difference in his actions.

You see, Jesus had his priorities straight. He was about His Father's business (another common translation of the final word of His question). Did he care for his mother and father? Was he concerned with what they wanted for him? I think "yes" is the appropriate answer to both of those questions, but He also knew that His calling, His future was rooted in something/someone far greater. Christ's mission was to fulfill what His Father had in store for Him.

The same is true for us as followers of Christ. Our Father has something greater in store for us, but we must live in His house and be about His business.

I remember when I first told my mother I was going into education. "Ok, but there's no money in education," she said. But I was/am perfectly okay with that because I know that educating children is the very business that God has created me to do. He has gifted me for it and made a way for me to get to doing it.

And the same is true of you housewives, accountants, public servants, electricians, dentists, prayer warriors, custodians, and so on. And when someone asks you why you do what you do, then just be sure to tell them that you, like Christ, are in your Father's house and all about the business that He has set before you.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, Jun 8, 20th Day of Pentecost, "Day of Praise" (Thank you to Kristen Ferrier who is serving "Day of Praise" while I have some vacation time with my children.)

"Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.' For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, 'Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:9-10

Have you ever wept over your sin? I think if you asked my oldest son he would tell you that I did that very thing today. But he would also tell you that I wept over the great and mighty act that God has so graciously done for me – namely that effectual work of baptism – the forgiveness of my sins and eternal salvation.

In today's passage that work of baptism is the very thing that Nehemiah and Ezra remind the people of; they communicate the Gospel to their people by reassuring them of the joy of the Lord. Now, hopefully most of you recollect Pastor Chris's sermon on this very thing not too many weeks ago; it was a powerful one for sure and something that I can never hear too much. Think prodigal son – the Lord our God longs for nothing more than to be reunited with us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is available to us and close to us, so that, though we may mourn and lament over our own sin, we can even moreso be comforted, encouraged, and reassured in the gift of eternal life. So the next time you encounter your own sin or the confession of someone else's sin, then remember, and remind yourself and them that One has come to free us from sin and guilt so that we can live now in the joy of the Lord which is our strength.

Praise God!




Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, Jun 7, 19th Day of Pentecost, "Day of Praise" (Thank you to Kristen Ferrier who is serving "Day of Praise" while I have some vacation time with my children.)

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan." - Mark 1:9

The Gospel is communicated through participation in the sacrament of Holy Baptism.

As Lutherans we believe that Holy Baptism is effectual – from Luther's Small Catechism – "It WORKS forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare."

And when others witness us or our loved ones being baptized, celebrating our baptismal birthdays, or contemplating the many biblical uses of terms associated with water they are witness to the Gospel. Now go and celebrate! For Christ has worked in you something that you cannot work in yourself, and remember His command to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…" because with every baptism comes that many more witnesses to and for the Gospel.

Praise God!




Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, Jun 6, 18th Day of Pentecost, "Day of Praise" (Thank you to Kristen Ferrier who is serving "Day of Praise" while I have some vacation time with my children.)

"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.'" - Ezra 1:2

So here is one of those instances in which I am blown away by the way that the Gospel can be communicated even through someone who has not yet realized that they are a part of it.

You see, king Cyrus knew that there was one true God of heaven and earth and that all authority and dominion and power were His to give to whom He pleased. And not only did king Cyrus know this, but he proclaimed it – to the Jews, to the Persians, and to what was at that time the whole world. And not only did he proclaim it, but he lived it by not just allowing, but ordering the Jews to return to their home and rebuild the house of God.

King Cyrus knew that all that he had came from God; it was God who gave him the land and the people that made up his kingdom. He had been entrusted with dominion over both, much like man had been in Genesis.

How unfortunate that, since creation, we have all strived to say, "I can do this on my own" or "Look at what I have accomplished all by myself." But not Cyrus and hopefully not you; hopefully you know that all that you have and all that you are called to do is attributed to God. You have been given what you have been given that you might be responsible with it, caring for it, and utilizing it to the glory of God. Now get out there, proclaim it, and live it!

Praise God!


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

We, Jun 5, 17th Day of Pentecost, "Day of Praise" (Thank you to Kristen Ferrier who is serving "Day of Praise" while I have some vacation time with my children.)

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." - Matthew 5:38-39

Maybe you or someone you know has been deeply injured by another's words or actions and has found themselves saying something along the lines of, "I'm really gonna let them have it!"

The world's perspective on this phrase might look like yelling at that person (in private or in public), "telling-off" that person (in private or in public), gossiping behind that person's back, posting nasty stuff about that person on social media sites, or getting physical with that person.

But Christ's perspective on this phrase definitely does not look anything like that. In fact, His perspective looks like permitting that injurer to continue to injure you, i.e. giving them the other cheek. Of course, it gets even better than that; remember, pray for your enemies or, even better, Proverbs 25:21-22 and its use by Paul in Romans 12:20. Or maybe read the surrounding verses, Romans 12:19 & 21. (And, yes, I am going to make you look those up on your own; it will be good for you. :) )

We, as followers of Christ, must represent Him in all of our interactions with others which means not looking like the world when we "let 'em have it!"

I've tried not to share too many personal things during my time working on these DoPs; I would rather God have to say what God has to say, but I can't help but share an incident that happened to us recently because it fits so well with today's verse.

My husband, Tracy, and I do post scripture and encouragements on social media sites and we were recently slammed on a specific site by someone who barely even knows us and was definitely making false accusations; they called us hypocrites and said that we didn't choose their son to be on the All-Star baseball team because we don't like them; remember, we barely even know them. Our response – prayer, kindness, truth, encouragement, and even putting in a good word for the dad as the future head football coach. In fact, I'm hoping to see them a lot this week and can't wait to be Christ for them.

You see, we know that we can suffer for what is good and right because having the Gospel is far greater than looking good and "right" in men's eyes. We can turn the other cheek and give our enemies drink and food because we know where true drink and food and life come from – Christ Jesus. And perhaps our enemies don't know these things.

We want two things for our enemies – first, for them to see that we're really not hypocrites, but not for our sake – for Christ's. We live this life. And the other thing we want for our enemies is for them to join us at the everlasting feast; we want them to know the true life that comes with being in relationship with Christ. And the only way we can do that is by accurately representing Christ, by forgiving them (because let's face it – they really don't know what they're doing or talking about), by being exemplars of Christ to them, by giving them the other cheek.

I'm not saying be a doormat; I'm just reminding you of Nathan from two days ago. How you deal with people says a lot about who you are, so please be sure that, when you "let 'em have it," you do so as Christ has commanded, and in so doing you will be communicating the Gospel.

Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, Jun 4, 16th Day of Pentecost, "Day of Praise" (Thank you to Kristen Ferrier who is serving "Day of Praise" while I have some vacation time with my children.)

"Nathan then said to David, 'You are the man!' Then David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.'" - 2 Samuel 12:7a & 13a

The other side of that double-sided coin from two days ago is…repentance, confession, admittance, or whatever other synonym you would like to use to describe what David does here.

What else can I say? "Man! I don't like the sound of that; it means telling everyone else that I messed up. I don't mess up. I've got my stuff together. It's you that needs to see things from my perspective. I'm justified in the way I acted and in what I said because you, you (fill in the blank)!!" "You" - yelled at me first – stole something from me – tricked me – didn't do what I asked you to do, exactly how I asked you to do it – didn't give me what I deserved – gave me something I didn't deserve. "You" – accused me!

But as faithful followers of Christ, as members of the body devoted to proclaiming the Gospel, as disciples of Christ who are charged with discipling, as people who know who we really are (sinner and saint), this cannot be our response. Our response, instead, should look and sound like David's – "Man! You're right. I have been making some wrong choices, and my choices have been affecting everyone I come in contact with, and it's affecting me." I might even throw in there a little – "Could you help me with that? Would you pray with me right now?"

Pride, arrogance, malice, justification of our own poor behavior are not the way of the Gospel. We communicate the exact opposite of the Gospel when we respond that way. Remember, David, The King of Israel, could have had Nathan (justifiably) murdered within a millisecond, but look how he responds instead – confession – and instead of death Nathan receives – life. And all of the sudden this guilty man is "returning the favor" by communicating the Gospel back to his accuser. Wow. When we behave with this sort of humbleness and humility, oh, the things that can happen; I would much rather live this life than the one that breeds death.

So, this two-sided coin is all about accountability. How we hold others accountable and how we are held accountable. Remembering that God – the one who ultimately holds us accountable, to whom we ultimately confess, and from whom we ultimately receive forgiveness and salvation – is at the center of these encounters. Pray for the Holy Spirit's presence. Act as Christ. And use these encounters to communicate the Gospel.

Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, Jun 3, 15th Day of Pentecost, "Day of Praise" (Thank you to Kristen Ferrier who is serving "Day of Praise" while I have some vacation time with my children.)

"Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, 'There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.' Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, 'As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die.'" 2 Samuel 12:1-5

I really want to encourage you to read this passage a few times from different perspectives before continuing. Imagine yourself as the rich man, the poor man, David, and Nathan.

I bet it's most difficult to sympathize with the rich man – as people of Christ we just can't imagine doing such a thing. Taking something from someone else that they care so much about; we would probably be doing just the opposite. Trying to locate a gift that someone really wanted in order to give it to them.

On the other hand, the poor man is probably the most easy to sympathize with – I know that you have all felt like the "unlucky" victim of some sort of "unfair" treatment at some point in your lives. Maybe you even feel this way because, like the poor man, something that you cherished was stolen from you.

Sympathizing too much with David also proves to be difficult because most of us have read this story more than once so we know that Nathan is actually talking about David. In other words, we can't authentically put ourselves in David's shoes because he is hearing the parable for the first time and we already know the outcome.

So that leaves us with Nathan, and sympathizing with Nathan is recognizing that he communicated the Gospel to David through accountability. Well…technically God used accountability to communicate the Gospel to David, but it was through the prophet Nathan. You see, one of the ways God shows us His love is through discipline which occurs because of accountability. We need someone to hold us accountable – to tell us when we are not living as Christ lived, to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit in working repentance in our hearts that we might return to right living. God held David accountable via Nathan and God holds us accountable through one another.

Now, there is more to this, but I want to let this simmer. Think of this DoP as one side of a two-sided coin. Think about how Nathan used a parable to hold David accountable. Think about the tone of voice he had to use before The King of Israel – I can't get into all the details here, but The KING of Israel was "da' man" back in those days. I mean – "DA' MAN." Nathan has no idea how David will respond, he may even lose his life when he tells David that he is the rich man. Imagine how much anxiety Nathan must have felt knowing that possible outcome. How much time in prayer do you need before you do that sort of thing? I spend days sometimes in prayer just for the anxiety of seeing certain people at the ball park.

My point in all of this is that the Gospel is communicated through appropriate accountability, which requires love and understanding and some serious time in faithful, trusting prayer asking for preparation and protection.

Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sat, Jun 1, "Day of Praise"

"And [the LORD] said, 'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" - Exodus 33:14

God tells Moses in this verse that His very presence will go with Moses and the Israelites. They will rest in the Lord because the Lord is going with them.

It's Saturday. Try to get some rest today. Pause, and enjoy God's presence so you can enjoy worshiping God and sharing fellowship with other believers tomorrow.

Find more encouraging words about "rest" at www.biblegateway.com
within the topics of "Rest, Presence, Rest In The Lord".

Praise God!




Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson