Day of Praise

Fr, 02/28/14, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 11:2-3 - "Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'"

The debate doesn't matter. People argue over whether John the Baptist was doubting if Jesus was the Christ or getting excited that Jesus was the Christ. The faith, or lack thereof, behind John's question doesn't matter.

What matters is Jesus's answer.

When Jesus tells John's disciples to tell John what anyone-who-looks can see (the lame leap, the deaf hear, lepers are cured, etc.), Jesus is telling John and his disciples and all the rest of us something real simple. Jesus is saying, "Look again. Look closer. And look with the eyes of the heart."

All too often, I hear people say, "I tried prayer, and nothing happened." Or "I tried tithing, and nothing happened." Or "I tried church, and nothing happened." Or "I tried believing that God works through all things together for good, and nothing happened." And therefore people ask, "Jesus! Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'"

Jesus has a reply, "Look again. Look closer. And look with the eyes of the heart."

I went into a hospital today. I approached the desk where I saw from a distance that the receptionist's head was down, so I approached loudly. "Tromping" would be a good word. Her head was still down, not even beginning to tend to my needs of helping me to do the good Lord's work for the good Lord's people. So I arrive at the desk, and I see (gaaaaasp!) she's texting. Her head is down because she's texting and very slowly at that. "Lord!" I thought reverently, "Can't this woman do her job and help me to do mine for you?!?!"

Fortunately, by God's grace, mind you, I kept my mouth shut as I cast judgment on the receptionist, not to mention on the Living God who permitted her to remain in the post. Though it was probably God shutting the mouth of a bratty lion-wanna-be, i.e. me, keeping my mouth shut made it possible for me to hear Jesus say, "Look again. Look closer. And look with the eyes of the heart."

So for two minutes solid, I did. I looked again and closer again and with the eyes of the heart again at a painfully-slow-texting receptionist with her head buried in her endeavor until...(drum roll)...she looked up. With tears. Elephant-sized tears. Hand-to-face-wipe-away-the-elephant-sized-tears. And she looked at me, well, to be honest, like I was Jesus. Ya know, because I had waited so "patiently" on her? And she helped me. And I helped her. And we grabbed hands. And we squeezed hands, looking in each other's eyes to say, "God's on it!" And I went on to the hospital room. And the receptionist (named K, by the way) wasn't there when I left.

But clearly Jesus was. Jesus had to have been there. By the power of the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus alone is able to work through a huffy, impatient man and minister to a wounded, painfully-slow-because-she's-texting-about-something-painful texter.

Is he the one? Is Jesus the one who shows up mightily even when we don't or can't or won't? You bet he is.

So don't "look for another" (Matthew 11:3); instead "Look again. Look closer. And look with the eyes of the heart."

Because if you do, He himself promises that you will see that Jesus and Jesus alone is indeed the Christ!

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, 02/27/14, "Day of Praise"

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

As Forrest Gump says, "That's all I have to say about that."

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, 02/26/14, "Day of Praise"

Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

There are all sorts of piles of dead clippings in front of houses and next to the road these days. It's pruning time. Tall grasses, flowering trees and bushes, they're all getting pruned back. Ya prune these things because you want them to bloom more fully, to bear more fruit. If you don't prune off the suckers, then the flowers and foliage and fruit will not be as colorful and rich and sweet.

Next Wednesday, one week from today, is Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent, which is the season leading up to Easter. "Lent" is short for "lengthen". It's the season when the days are lengthening and things are starting to grow. But they don't grow as colorful and rich and sweet if they're not pruned. That's why everybody needs to start thinking about your Lenten disciplines. Lenten disciplines are when you take on something like praying daily or reading your Bible daily or serving at a mission each week. Lenten disciplines can also be giving up something like caffeine or coke or cigarettes or sweets or gossip. Whether you give up something or take on something or both, the purpose of a discipline is pruning, specifically pruning off the suckers from your life.

Suckers in our lives, as they do in plants, drain the flow of nutrients that are needed to produce colorful and rich and sweet fruit, like "the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23) So the suckers need to be pruned. With disciplines. In the strength of Christ. So there can be more fruit. And less suckers. After all, who doesn't want more "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control"?

If you haven't already, ask God now to help you decide on your Lenten disciplines so the pruning can begin next Wednesday and the fruit can burst forth rich and lush and sweet.

(And thank you for the countless prayers for my dad. Your prayers are bearing fruit. We see improvement and have growing hope. Thank you all!)

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, 02/25/14, "Day of Praise"

1 Samuel 16:7 - "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'"

You're going too slow!

That's what I thought about the big car in front of me that was poking along about thirty miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone. But starting to pass him, I then saw clearly that there was a slow and very small car in front of him. There were no hazard lights flashing on either car, but I just got the feeling that the big, slow, nice car was looking after the little, slower, not-as-nice car.

Has anyone ever told you that you were going too slow? Like me with the car in front of me, whoever's fussing at you is often not seeing the whole picture. Maybe you eat slow because you savor the flavor of every precious bite. Maybe you're grieving a loved one slower than others are comfortable with because you just are, and grief has no timeline. Maybe you talk slow so people can actually understand what you're saying. Maybe you teens have told a boyfriend or girlfriend to slow down because there are more important things in life like an education and a marriage ceremony before two people bare their souls and more to each other. Maybe your education or your career is unfolding more slowly than you had planned. Maybe you walk slow because you're deep-thinking like a man in my life.

But if you're feeling worn down by people telling you to speed up, be encouraged because today's Bible verse reminds us that God sees through what's on the outside and understands what's going on with your inside. In your heart. In your thinking. With your worries. With your plans. With your pace. With your trust that steady and sure is better than fast and furious. Unlike me with that car in front of me, God can see past what's immediately in front of him. God sees into your heart and guides you on a path and at a pace that the Lord deems right for you.

Hang in there! You're doing just fine!

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, 02/24/14, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 119:165 - "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble."

I love Twister!

Ya, know, Twister! That game from the '70's with the big spinner and the red-yellow-blue-green dotted mat, where everybody had to get a hand or foot on a colored dot and everybody would get all tangled up. The key to staying in the game was leaning on each other, but not knocking each other down.

Yesterday, we played Twister at our 5pm worship. Kind of. At the Lord's Prayer, everybody is asked to grab hands so we can be family as we pray to "Our Father". It can be like Twister as you reach for one hand that's behind you and then another that's just a stretch-over-two-chairs in front of you. The key to praying as God's connected family is leaning on each other, but not knocking each other down.

These are images for today's Bible verse from Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble." Life can get all Twister-like, having you reach in every direction, challenging your balance, and pushing you to stumble. But amongst God's wonderful laws is the law to "love your neighbor as yourself" which is in multiple books of the Bible. What God wants us to do when life becomes Twister-like is to love and lean on each other. When you lose a job, lean on each other. When you have a bad day, lean on each other. When you have a loved one who's dying, lean on each other.

God is here for us through each other. It's called the Body of Christ. It's called the Church. God is here for me and my family through our church. When we lean on God by leaning on our church, nothing can make us stumble.

Let's love each other by praying that everyone has or finds an awesome church and then leans on that awesome church so that, just as God promises, none of us would stumble.

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, 02/22/14, "Day of Praise"

Ephesians 1:15-16 - "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."

How can our Day of Praise community pray for you? Hit "reply" today and everyday moving forward, and I'll send out your prayer requests with the next day's devotion.

I do indeed thank you all for the countless prayers and emails that you sent yesterday to my mom and dad through me.

I was able to drive up and spend some very good time with my parents, sisters, and brother. My dad is sedated and on a ventilator in ICU with his brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys all distressed. In the next few days, the doctor is hoping for some sign of improvement, which, at this point, would be a miracle. But, whether or not the miracle comes, my dad's had a good, productive, faith-filled, long life. He's ready for the arms of Jesus. And all of your prayers were very apparent as we felt a real and powerful peace over our family prayer times around Dad's bed and our family conversation about Dad's life and the ways we'll publicly remember and celebrate his life when he dies, whether it's very soon or further down the road.

Please start to send in your prayer requests for us to pass on to our Day of Praise community so we can continue to grow together in Christ and enjoy what God promises in today's verse, (Ephesians 1:15-16), "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."

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, 02/21/14, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

In Psalm 23, God tells us much we can be thankful for. I am thankful for God's daily presence and unfailing love through Jesus, our Good Shepherd. I'm thankful for my three amazing children and the family I grew up in, as I'm especially grateful that we're all in Christ together. I'm thankful for my dad, Ben DeGreen, Sr.; he just came down with double-pneumonia on top of the myriad of complications he's still barely consciously dealing with in ICU from the heart attack he suffered a couple weeks ago. I'm thankful for all of you in our Day of Praise community because I know you lovingly receive my request to pray for my dad, Ben, and my mom, Carol Jane.

Thank you all. I praise God for bringing all our lives together through his word. May God's peace and blessings be yours.

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, 02/20/14, "Day of Praise"

Genesis 16:13 - "So [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.'"

Do you ever feel invisible? Like no one knows you exist?

God knows. God knows you exist. God sees you.

In today's Bible verse, we hear of Hagar. Through no fault of her own, Hagar was a person, specifically Hagar was a woman, who was looked down upon by everyone. Nobody saw her, except when they needed to get something from her. She might as well have been invisible. She might as well not have existed. She felt worthless.

Until God sent her a messenger.

And told her He sees her.

Then everything changed for Hagar.

Maybe not, probably not in how people dealt with her. But now that didn't matter. Because she was not invisible. God saw her. God knew she existed.

And so it is for you. God has sent you a messenger, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He has seen you. And your situation. And he has done something about your situation, so that, believing He still sees you, you will see Him.

So everything has changed for you. Maybe not, probably not in how people deal with you. But now that doesn't matter. Because you're not invisible. God sees you. God knows you exist.

And, if you look, believing that it's true as God promises in Jesus Christ, then you will see God at work in your life by His Spirit so that you can exclaim with Hagar, "You are the God who sees me, Truly here I have seen him who looks after me."

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, 02/19/14, "Day of Praise"

Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

What's your favorite Bible verse? Along with John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world"), Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my Shepherd"), and Psalm 100 ("Make a joyful noise"), today's verse from Galatians 2:20 is one of my most beloved.

Galatians 2:20 has two mentions of death, five mentions of life and living, and one mention of God's love in Jesus Christ. Here's how we might think about this: Without the love story, it's just a sinking ship.

Without the love story, it's just a sinking ship. That's what's been said about the movie, "Titanic," and another movie "Pearl Harbor," and a real life fact, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus died for us, but it's his love for us that takes his death for us and infuses it with power. He could have just died begrudgingly. But he didn't. He died on a cross from which he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Without the love story, the cross of Jesus is just a "sinking ship," a descent into a cold dark grave. But it's out of the power of love that Jesus died for us, and it's out of the power of love that God raised him from the dead.

The sinking ships of death and darkness and despair and the depths of the grave are always overcome by love. Remember? "Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus!" (Romans 8:38-39)

And that Jesus, who loves you, wants to live in you today and everyday because he not only wants to keep the ship of your life afloat, but he also wants to work through you by the power of the Holy Spirit so you can minister to people around you. Many of their ships are sinking. But your love for them in Jesus Christ will help to keep their lives afloat 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

Tu, 02/18/14, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

When God, in His word, talks about having made us and many other things, the word "fear" is regularly a part of the equation. Very simply, that "fear" and being "made" go hand in hand is a testimony that we, and all things, are made by the almighty God. It follows, therefore, that there are things about us being made that are "wonderful," which means "beyond our understanding."

Like the precision.

The precision with which we and the universe are made is the proverbial "mind-boggling." There's this guy at our church. Whenever he folds a letter to go into an envelope, it takes a while. He makes a fold without creasing it. Then he pulls the envelope next to the fold and measures it up, making sure the letter's going to fit precisely. After all, he doesn't want the letter to spill out of the "sealed" envelope. Who knows what might happen to the letter?

It's the same, and so much more, with God fitting you precisely into the unique mold that God made for you. To be silly, can you imagine if all your intestines weren't folded precisely and they spilled out of the envelope, ya know like, intestines hanging out of your belly button. That wouldn't be pretty. Kinda awkward. And, like a letter spilling out of an envelope, who knows if you'd ever get where you were trying to go because of all the holdups? (Can't you see yourself running late into a meeting and saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, my small intestine got hung up on the parking meter"?)

But God made you with precision. In fact, God made you with Almighty Precision, like the whole universe, where the calculations are so narrow that there is like no room for error or the sun would burn the earth to a crisp and every one of the billions of billions of the stars of the heavens would be bouncing into each other like a big pinball machine that has way too many balls (say, more than one?) going at one time, or like a dirt-track smash-up derby in Kingsport, Tennessee where it's fun to watch until you start wondering would happen if all those colliding cars got out of the boundaries that have been set for them, and then you realize that you'd need to run for your life.

But you don't.

You don't need to run for your life because the colliding cars have a boundary and because the colliding stars, well, they aren't colliding because they too were fearfully, wonderfully, and precisely made by the same God (make that, only God) who fearfully and wonderfully and precisely made you with almighty power and incomparable wisdom and unmatched care, like a guy at my church fitting a letter into an envelope.

In sum, you are an amazing person. God fit you uniquely into your own, made-just-for-you, mold.

Take some time today for you. Use the amazing tools, like Google and Bing and better yet the Bible, to learn about yourself. Discover and discern and deploy your God-given gifts. In the strength and wisdom and care of the Almighty, become master over your self-destructive "leanings" instead of letting them rule your life. (Leanings? Sure, we can talk more about that. When would you like to get together?)

Let's say it again, you are an amazing person. God fit you uniquely into your own, made-just-for-you, mold. So let's all join the inspired Psalmist, who in Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

Praaaaaaaaise 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, 02/17/14, "Day of Praise"

Galatians 6:9 - "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

We have two monetary offerings in worship. The one is the standard, pass-the-plate offering for all the ministries of the church. The second is what we call the "Mercy Ministry Basket," which is for a very specific mercy ministry. The Mercy Basket goes to something different each week.

The thing about the Mercy Basket is that it's not passed around. It's just placed on the floor in the front of the church at the same time the standard offering plates are being passed. People young and old must get up and go put something in the Mercy Basket. If nobody, gets up and goes, then the Mercy Basket stays empty. The Mercy Basket never stays empty.

Today is Monday. I know it's a holiday for many, but let's pretend that today is an ordinary workday. In an ordinary workday, just like we have two worship offering opportunities, we all have two workday offering opportunities. There's the work that comes our way that is our job for which we get paid or volunteer. And then there's the Mercy Work which will only get done if we get up and go put something into it. The Mercy Needs are the work of taking an interest in the people connected to our work. They're not just there to help us make money. They're people. They, like us, need mercy. If nobody, gets up and goes, then the Mercy Needs stay empty. Ya know, like Jesus put some energy, not to mention all his blood, into having mercy on us.

There's more to a workday than the work that comes our way. Let's look at the people in our workday like Jesus looks at us. Our world is a better place to live when the Mercy Basket doesn't stay empty. Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, puts mercy into the basket of our soul so we can put mercy into the basket of others.

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, 02/15/14, "Day of Praise"

Isaiah 51:3 - "For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song."

The work week can feel like a wilderness, leaving your soul in waste.

But in today's verse, God tells us of the renewal he will bring to Zion, that is to all people who would place their faith in Him.

Then after resting up, after finding comfort and finding Eden Paradise where you were feeling drained, we are plainly commanded by God to go find some joy and gladness by going to give thanks and sing.

It's a rhythm, Friends. It's a rhythm. Work, rest, worship, renewal. Work, rest, worship, renewal. Work, rest, worship, renewal.

So you've worked this past week. Today you're resting up. So, tomorrow? Well, I'll see ya in worship. Ya know, for some renewal, joy, and gladness!

Love, y'all! Have a great day!

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, 02/14/14, "Day of Praise"

2 Corinthians 4:8 - "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair."

Ever been perplexed? To be perplexed means to watch someone complicate a situation so badly that it's totally baffling and confusing.

I was perplexed recently. My son has a biology project due next week, and I was at Target to get the required neon-orange poster-board. I searched the stack of poster-board to find a piece that wasn't already wrinkled so Caden could have a nice presentation. And then, at the check-out counter, I laid it carefully on the conveyor so it stayed unwrinkled. I thought that surely the cashier would see that the poster-board couldn't fit if moved down the conveyor, so certainly the cashier would scan it while it was flat. But before I knew it, the cashier looked at the poster-board, started the conveyor, watched the poster-board get scrunched like an accordion as the conveyor pushed it through, and said, "How are you? Kid got a project?"

I was perplexed, baffled, and confused. My son's poor, carefully-chosen, unwrinkled poster-board was carelessly destroyed by a person that I'm now going to have to pay.

But in spite of my perplexity, God reminded me of today's verse in 2 Corinthians 4:8, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair." God reminded me that life in this world can be a lot like that poster-board. You plan for it, pick it carefully, take care to keep it nice. But when you put it out there, it gets plowed into by the world. But the reason we're not "crushed" or "driven to despair" is because God has shown us in Jesus's crucifixion (being plowed into) and resurrection that God has the power and uses the power to (pardon the pun) straighten things out. And if we (pardon the pun) get all bent out of shape about our things, like poster-board, that just got bent out of shape, then we usually miss what God's about to do.

In the case of the poster-board, the young cashier started telling me how she was watching me interact with the others in line, and she wondered if she could ask me a faith question about how she should look at the chronic problem of pain that she had in her life. Of course, in light of that question, poster-board now became nothing, and God again showed what's most important, namely, the people in our lives who are perplexed and plowed over instead of the things that they might blemish.

So take a deep breath, y'all! Even when life gets a little hurtful, baffling, and perplexing, God's gonna straighten it out. Just trust him, and give him a moment. God's gonna smooth the 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, 02/13/14, "Day of Praise"

Daniel 1:9a - "And God gave Daniel favor and compassion."

Being a dad and being smart don't always go hand in hand.

As dads, we like to hang with our kids. Not just hang with them as in be with them, but hang with them as in do what they do. Ya know, keep up with them. Like when my brother and I were in our teens and my dad was in his forties, he would hang with my brother and me. We played church softball, so he played church softball. We'd hit the ball and run fast. He'd hit the ball and, well, pull a muscle.

Now I understand. My son's in his teens, and I'm in my forties. Barely. But I want to hang with him. So he lifts weights. I do push ups. He lifts weights. He asks me to lift with him. I do push ups, so I think I can lift weights. And I did start to lift the weight, kinda like my dad hit the ball, and then I slap tore my right labrum, ya know, my shoulder rotator thingy. Right, Doc? Just like my dad pulled a muscle.

Being a dad and being smart don't always go hand in hand.

So, what I do is what my dad did. I favor it. Ya know, my dad favored his pulled hamstring. I favor my shoulder rotator thingy. You do know what it is to favor something, don't you? You take it easy on it. You lighten the load. You take some weight and burden off it. You favor it.

That's what God did with Daniel in today's verse. God favored Daniel. God took it easy on him. God lightened his load. God took some weight and burden off Daniel. God favored him.

In Psalm 84:11, God says that God favors anybody who walks uprightly. "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."

Throughout God's word, walking uprightly simply means to trust God and His word so much that you really listen for God and listen to God and ask God for His strength to do what He tells us to do.

And why would anyone want to do what God tells us? Well, because the opposite of walking uprightly is walking slumped over, ya know, like you're injured, bum hamstring, bum shoulder rotator thingy. Some people actually think walking apart from God, walking slumped is better, like a guy I met in Target yesterday. I tried so hard to tell him about God's favor, how God's Son, Jesus, lightens the load, takes some weight and burden off, favors those who trust Him. But Mr B wouldn't hear of it. Why? Because being a human and being smart don't always go hand in hand.

Hey y'all, life's hard enough as it is. God wants to show you some favor, heal the injuries of your soul, lighten your load, take some weight and burden off. Be smart; trust Him; follow His lead, and, like Daniel of old, claim God's promise in Psalm 84:11, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."

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, 02/12/14, "Day of Praise"

Last night, my smart, athletic, newly-fifteen year old son was talking about his love for our church, Christ the King Lutheran in Hoover, Alabama. His unsolicited testimony moved me to pass along the following testimony from another man who loves his church that sounds a lot like ours. Enjoy! And Praise God!

Saturday, August 10, 2013
Indispensable <http://sheepdogger.blogspot.com/2013/08/indispensable.html>

God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor. (1 Corinthians 12:18-23)

Sitting with my son through an entire church service is no easy task. As a matter of statistical fact, most parents of special needs children choose to not attend church (or they attend sparingly) because of the stress that accompanies potential, attention-grabbing disturbances caused by their child's disability.

It's easier to stay home and stay out of the congregational eye-the eye that seemingly stares and judges and blinks and winks.

"Yet the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you.' On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable."

Indispensable: Not subject to being set aside or neglected; absolutely necessary; essential. (Merriam Webster)

My son is a 20-year-old autistic man with the cognitive mentality of a 2-year-old child, yet he is indispensable to the congregation of Redemption Church. He cannot speak (although he can make plenty of noise) yet he is indispensable to the worship service. He constantly kicks the chair of the person in front of him, he claps during the quiet times and cannot sit still for five minutes, much less the length of a sermon. Yet he is indispensable to the church-indispensable to the Body of Christ.

How can the least become essential and the weaker become indispensable in God's seemingly backwards, upside down and inside out church body? With Jesus as the head, let me show you a picture of God's great grace in the Body of Christ-His Church.

It's Sunday morning and Jake is sitting in the very back row of the sanctuary. We are not placed in the back because we are unimportant; we choose the back mostly for strategic reasons. A hasty exit is sometimes required. Four seats are reserved for our family. This is just one of the ways our church ministers to us.

My wife sits on one side of Jake and I sit on the other. We take turns stroking his arms and his back to keep him calm enough to sit through an entire worship service. His mother runs her fingers through his thinning auburn hair. It has always been Jake's sedative.

But this service is different. The pastor has just preached one of his final messages from an entire sermon series in the book of Romans and has come to a key verse that obviously catches Jake's attention. The verse is Romans 16:16 "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you."

Jake perks up and listens as the pastor begins to apply the text, asking the congregation, "Why don't we do that anymore? Why don't we show affection in the church? Why don't we greet each other with hugs and kisses? Why are we afraid of touch?"

Jake nods in approval of the pastor's plea and gives an affirming grunt-his unmistakable, "Amen!"

I give my wife that silent look. She knows what it means. We have learned to speak clearly without words over the years-across rooms, through crowds, over noise, and in church. It's a head slightly tilted forward, wide-eyed, pursed lip look. A nervous mix of, "Isn't that cute" and "Batten down the hatches, something is about to happen!"

The pastor continues as he concludes his sermon. "We're going to try something new today. (Just what every good church member wants to hear) After The Lord's Supper, turn to the person next to you and give him or her a hug. And show some affection!"

You could feel the uncomfortable anticipation creep across the room as people began to think, "Is he serious? We have to touch each other, beyond a casual handshake?" I imagined what the visitors were thinking that morning; some after sneaking quietly into the room, now were exposed to their worst fear-being ousted from their anonymity and physically embraced by complete strangers.

People were looking around the room, checking out their neighbors, their prospective huggers, and the nearest exits.

I honestly remember thinking to myself, "If some guy tries to kiss me, I'm going to put him on the ground." My heart began to drift-like hearts do, when they are afraid.

But the man-child moved to the edge of his seat and leaned in to the pastor's words.

As the final prayer was prayed, the "amen" was sounded and the congregation dismissed, people began to mill uncomfortably towards each other. Some even tried to head for the door and avoid the offending invasion of their personal comfort zones.

The pastor gently prodded, "Come on now, find someone to hug before you leave!"

Two or three married couples at the front of the church, closest to the pastor, did a lean in shoulder bump with a patronizing pat on the back. Then a few more followed suite, as most of the congregation simply did not know how to respond to the awkward invitation and were content to go through the motions to please the pastor.

And that's when it happened.

That's when the broken little toe led the foot, and the foot led the leg, and the leg led the body, and the weaker member became indispensable.

Jake sprung from his seat and bolted into the isle before we could catch him. He ran straight over to an older gentleman (who was trying to exit the building unnoticed and presumably untouched) and nearly knocked him off his feet with a bear hug. It wasn't gentle and it wasn't pretty, and it wasn't short lived. Jake held onto the man until I could get through the crowd of people to pull him off. The stern look on the man's face told me this was an uninvited intrusion into his wide, impermeable bubble.

But just as I began to unwrap Jake's grip from the victim's shoulders and apologize for the inconvenience, I noticed wetness in the older man's eyes. Jake held tight and the man resigned his objection; his body went somewhat limp as sternness melted to a smile and unsure hands reciprocated the embrace.

My son finally released the man and I thought all was well and complete, but before I could redirect Jake back to his seat or to an exit door, he broke loose again. This time instead of restraining him, I let him go-because sometimes you have to set people free to experience the greatest freedom yourself.

He ran to hug another, and another, and yet another. He was laughing and jumping and hugging and loving. It was sloppy and loud and rough and painful. And the entire body was watching and learning and discovering what "indispensable" really meant.

Soon others joined in and the hugs spread like sparks jumping from a small, intense fire. As the wind of the Spirit blew where it pleased, the sparks turned to flames and raged through the church. But the only thing that burned up that day was the long-standing boundaries around comfort zones of personal pride and inward self-esteem.

People were laughing and talking and whooping and hugging-real hugs-feet off the ground, cheek to cheek, steal your breath hugs. And unbeknownst to most of the congregation, Jake was in the middle of it all, like an imprisoned apostle set free; like a preacher without a voice, called by God to "go and make disciples".

That Sunday started something new for Jake, and something new for the local body of Christ at Redemption Church-a sort of mini revival set afire by the unsuspecting, silent ember of one indispensable blazing heart.

Now every Sunday he sits, waiting for the end of the service. Waiting for the Lord's Supper, the closing benediction and the final "Amen". Not so he can get home and watch Sunday afternoon football or fix Sunday dinner or take a Sunday nap. Those things are the farthest from his simple mind.

He lives to apply the meaning of the message with complete lack of inhibition for his unbridled, bubble busting, in your face, knock you to the ground, God honoring, Jesus exalting, Spirit saturated -joy!

Sometimes it's loud and painful. Sometimes he pokes an eye, or lands a knee, or leaves a slobbered wet spot on someone's clean Sunday best. Sometimes we have to restrain his ambition just a bit for the protection of the elderly and the petite. Sometimes we wince when a visitor gets picked for the embrace. It's usually awkward and it's almost always uncomfortable.

But every Sunday after church, the real worship begins in the heart of obscurity. And an autistic, non-verbal, disabled, man-child shines like a white hot spotlight of God's grace for the motley, multifaceted church body to see and understand-

"God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you.' On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor."

Posted by Greg Lucas <http://www.blogger.com/profile/02450685964958516936> at 1:51 PM<http://sheepdogger.blogspot.com/2013/08/indispensable.html>

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. 02/11/14, "Day of Praise"

Lamentations 3:41 - "Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven."

Have you ever thought about a light switch? It's such a neat little thing. Powerful most of all. You switch it up, and there's always something good: light to see what you're doing, cool air from a fan to comfort you, an exhaust fan to clear the air.

Turning on a light switch is a lot like lifting "up our hearts and hands to God in heaven" (Lamentations 3:41). It's such a neat little thing. Powerful most of all. You switch it up, and there's always something good: light from Christ to see what you're doing, cool air from the fan that is the Holy Spirit to comfort you, an exhaust fan that is the Word of God to clear the air.

God in Christ has shown us that he wants all people to know his blessings, not just some crazy spiritual group. So c'mon people, aaaaaall people, "Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven" (Lamentations 3:41). You'll be blessed, and God will be praised.

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, 02/10/14, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 126:2 - "Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.'"

Do y'all think the Almighty laughs? I was so close to finding out.

Last night, twenty-four people came to our monthly prayer and healing service, which Almighty God has used to bring physical, spiritual, and emotional healing to many. It's an amazing service for those who come.

After a few calming songs and corporate prayer, we grab a chair and invite people to sit in it. Everyone lays their hands on the person in the chair and prays for them. Getting twenty people around one person requires some creativity.

I myself love this service and want others to have a great experience, so I'll assume one of the "creative" positions as we lay hands on the person in the chair. And, for those who don't know me, I not only love worship, but I also take worship very seriously. I mean, we're in the presence of the Holy God. So there's room to be real and smile and laugh but not to turn worship into Comedy Hour.

So last night, in all reverence, I creatively found a spot where I had to kneel down next to the person in the chair as we all gathered around. And then it happened. I started to cramp. Ya know, one of those wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-with-a-calf-or-thigh-stuck-in-pain kind of cramps. And I'm thinking that I'm about to fall over in pain and be rolling all over the floor and be unable to breathe let alone speak, but everyone's going to think that this moderately conservative, reverent in worship, believer in healing, Lutheran pastor has been slain in the spirit. So I'm picturing this imminent, comical, cramp scene in my head while we're all praying over the chair person. And, I'm serious y'all, God zaps me and tells me I've got to stop drinking so much Diet Coke.

And I'm just hoping that God has a sense of humor because I'm not feeling very reverent and spiritual through these three minutes. And all I can do is turn my heart to God and, in a way that only God could hear, I squeal, "Please, Lord!" And immediately, I was able to say as in today's verse, "The Lord has done great things," as the cramp immediately went away.

And not wanting to unnecessarily put God to the test, I did find a standing position when the next person sat in the chair.

So y'all, have a blessed Monday, believing that God loves you and wants to heal you. And don't forget, as is also in today's verse, to let your "mouth [be] filled with laughter, and [your] tongue with shouts of joy!"

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, 02/08/14, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 23:27 - "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness."

First, y'all watch out. My son turns fifteen today. New driver on the road!

Now, on to the encouragement. But let's start again with "Watch out!" Watch out because it's so easy for reality (whether destructive forces or God's blessings) to slip past us and get whitewashed and covered over by the subtle deceptions of the world.

Here's an example. I've started reading "The Big Truck That Went By" by Jonathan M. Katz. Katz tells tales of great suffering by masses of Haitians from the deadly 2010 earthquake that was centered in Port-au-Prince. In particular, many Haitians in the city thought that the history-making quake was merely a "Big Truck That Went By" because they were so accustomed to their poorly built, multi-level residences shaking like a leaf as big trucks went by daily. Though they couldn't have done anything about it, it's scary to think how masses of people couldn't tell the daily from the deadly.

Watch out because it's so easy for reality (whether destructive forces or God's blessings) to slip past us and get whitewashed and covered over by the subtle deceptions of the world.

How do we keep this from happening? Of course, the most important way is to stay in God's Word daily which is a vertical, us-to-God practice.

But there's a horizontal, us-to-others practice that's also very important, namely, searching one another's souls. In a nutshell, to search one another's souls is to acknowledge that all of us have stuff (that's just below the surface of our public persona) that's been white-washed. It's stuff that's been covered because of the values of this fallen world: in sum, we value things and achievements more than people. So people whitewash and cover the questions and agonies of their soul for fear that they won't measure up, for fear they'll get fired, for fear that people will think they're weird, for fear that a spouse will leave or grown children won't come around, for fear that they'll wind up alone.

Tragically and ironically, the result of white-washing, covering up all our soul-ache and brokenness is the very thing that was feared: the result of the cover-up is that people wind up alone.

Oh, yes, they're surrounded by people, but they're people who are doing the exact same thing: covering up. They're the people in your neighborhood, your workplace, your grocery store, your school, your pew at church, your home, and your mirror.

And here's all we need to do to attack this white-washing that is destroying the soul of our world, our nation, our families, and our own selves. All we need to do is ask, "How are you doing?"

And mean it.

That's what God does for us in Jesus.

So that we can, in Christ's love, do the same for one another.

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, 02/07/14, "Day of Praise"

Genesis 22:8 - "Abraham said, 'God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.'"

Psalm 50:10 - [The LORD says,] "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills."

PASTOR CHRIS'S WARNING TO READERS: Do NOT read further if you only have a minute, if you are feeling easily offended today, or if you want your life to stay the same. So if you read on, don't say that I didn't warn you.

I can almost guarantee that you're living too small. Noted American researcher, George Barna's studies show 90-95% of American Christians are living a life of scarcity. Most Christians forfeit their spiritual wealth and, therefore, unnecessarily live a life of scarcity instead of abundance.

Let's change that!

But you're going to have to not only believe, but you're also going to have to put your faith in action.

That's what Abraham did in today's first Bible verse. Abraham lived large; he lived a life of abundance. But it all started by putting his faith in action.

When Abraham walked up that mountain with his son, Isaac, so that he could sacrifice his son, his only son, as God had commanded, look what Abraham says, "God will provide for himself." In other words, Abraham claimed the character of God and the promise of God. Abraham believed that God would provide for himself out of the riches of God's own abundance, as noted in today's second verse in Psalm 50:10, "The cattle on a thousand hills [is mine, 'says the Lord.]"

Have y'all ever heard of a faith promise pledge? A faith promise pledge is pledging to give something before you have it because you believe that God is going to inexplicably provide it. That's what Abraham was doing. He was living large, a life of abundance, pledging to give something before he had it, believing God would provide out of God's own bounty.

I know you're saying you've never been given a test like Abraham and asked to sacrifice a child like Abraham, but actually that's not true. When God, in Malachi, chapter 3, calls all of us to tithe (which is to give ten percent of our income to God's life-changing work through His church), God is asking us to sacrifice our loved ones because the studies show that the main reason people don't give 10% as God commands is because they don't want to take away things from their loved ones.

But in God's economy, that "don't-obey-God-so-you-can-give-more-to-your-loved-ones" thinking is scarcity thinking. The bottom line is that scarcity thinking actually has the audacity to believe that you can give more to your loved ones than the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and promises to give them to you by opening the floodgates of heaven if you'll just trust Him by thanking Him with the Biblical tithe, the first ten percent of your income!!! Are you kidding me?

Friends, interestingly, more than ninety percent of y'all who receive Day of Praise don't worship at my church, so this isn't a fund-raiser for me. No it's a FUN-raiser for you. It's a call for you to live large, to live out of God's abundance instead of your scarcity, to live a faith promise, to tithe the Biblical ten percent, to give something to God even before you have it because you believe that God is going to inexplicably provide it, believing that God does what he promises to do.

God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the storehouse of heaven, and He wants to pour it out on you!

Start living large like Abraham. Start trusting God and tithing today!

You can't outgive God, gang. You can't outgive God!

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, 02/06/14, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 24:7-8 - [Jesus said,] "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains."

Huh! Jesus says that earthquakes and other calamities are the beginning of something new. It reminds me of a friend last week who was marveling at the way people helped each other during our little ice-and-snow event last week. The kindness people showed here reminded him of the stories out of Joplin, Missouri when their horrible tornado hit where people climbed out from the rubble and immediately began looking for other people instead of dwelling on the stuff they'd lost.

All of these are testimonies to the good that can come out of bad.

Today, something is going to go wrong. It might be small. It might be large. Either way, it will be an opportunity to testify with Jesus and many before us that nothing is more important than trusting God and loving the people in our lives.

As always, God is with us to be our help so we can have a great day. God bless y'all!

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, 02/05/14, "Day of Praise"

John 15:12 - [Jesus said,] "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

What does that even mean? What does Jesus mean when he says, "as I have loved you?" Exactly, how did he love us? We need to know how he loved us before we can love one another in that way.

In sum, short version, Jesus loves us with mercy and grace.

Same thing, a little longer version, Jesus doesn't give us what he can (that's mercy), and he gives us what he doesn't have to (that's grace).

Illustration: When I was a kid, there was this one day that I did multiple things that deserved a whoopin' from my dad. Sure he should've whooped me because I showed my worst self, but he didn't because he showed me mercy. Just like Jesus, my dad didn't give me what he could've. That's mercy. That's loving one another as Jesus loved us.

But it didn't stop there. I distinctly remember us going out to eat that night, which most families rarely did those days. Also having multiple choices of fast food was relatively new to our little Tennessee town, and for some crazy reason I remember that I got to pick the place. My brother and sisters just looked at me like, "Are you kidding? You get in a heap of trouble, and you get to pick where all six of us have to eat?" I picked the best stinkin' place in town, Long John Silver's. You went in smelling like human. You came out smelling like fried fish and vinegar. I loved it! My dad gave me what he didn't have to. That's grace. That's loving one another as Jesus loved us.

Can you imagine what this world would be like if, not even all people, but maaaaan, I'd take most people; what would this world be like if we loved one another as Jesus loved us? What would it be like if even most people didn't honk back at everyone who honked at them even though they "deserved" it? If even most people just let stuff go? Not murder, for heaven's sake. Most of the problems in this world aren't murder; they're the little things that irritate that we could just as easily choose to release as to fuel with the lighter fluid of murmuring.

Uh! I've got to stop or we'll be here all day. And as much as y'all send kind words about this devotion, no one wants to be reading it all day. At some point, we've got to move on.

And that's exactly what Jesus is saying to us. Life moves on, from bitterness to reconciliation, from irritability to joy, from sour grapes to hope, from weariness to gladness, from darkness to light, from death to life, from cross to grave to resurrection when we love one another as Jesus loves us.

Mercy and grace, friends; pass on the mercy and grace. Just as God, through Jesus, keeps passing it to 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

Tu, 02/04/14, "Day of Praise"

Exodus 16:35 - "The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan."

I love Cap'n Crunch!

Ya' know? The cereal. Cap'n Crunch was a large part of one of my best seasons in life.

I was three or four. And I was sick.

I had chicken pox. As did my older brother, Ben. The way I remember it, my mom let Ben and me eat Cap'n Crunch for every single meal as we were quarantined in our bedroom at the top of the stairs on the right.

They might remember it differently, but it doesn't matter because I have a great memory of eating the same food for every meal of everyday for a week. And I never tired of it once.

A few years later, I got to eat Mac n Cheese almost every meal for a week. Then there was a season of Ramen noodles. And then there was a season of Solitude and Isolation. Every meal. The same thing.

And every single one of those seasons was connected to a wilderness, to something "bad": chicken pox, missing my parents, early marriage poverty, failed marriage.

But God provided for me everyday in every wilderness, just as God provided for His people everyday in the wilderness in today's Bible verse. Everyday God gave them "manna," which means "What is it?"

And that's what the people asked about that stuff, "What is it?"

And in essence, God said, "It's manna! It's my provision!"

"Noooooo," the people replied, "what iiiiiiiiis it?"

"It's manna," God said, "it's not supposed to be tasty. It's a reminder that I am your provision, that my Word is the Bread of Life."

Can y'all imagine what that was like? Wandering around in a wilderness for forty years, eating the same manna stuff every single day? I bet it felt like they were going nowhere. Just like I did the time I had chicken pox and the time I missed my parents and the season I had no money and the seemingly endless season of being alone. It felt like my life was going nowhere.

And so it was.

Going nowhere.

So God came to me.

In my wilderness. With manna. Ya know? Cap'n Crunch and the like. Reminders of His Presence.

Just like God comes to you.

In your wilderness.

Hang in there.

You're not alone.

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, 02/03/14, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 41:1 - "Blessed is the one who considers the poor!"

Let's take a vote! Which of the following is one of this century's greatest sports understatements?

1) This Super Bowl wasn't so Super.

2) This Super Bowl was as interesting as watching people Bowl on TV.

3) My all-time favorite player, Peyton Manning, did not have the best game of his career.

But all is not for naught. Y'all responded to Saturday's Day of Praise Super Bowl Hunger Challenge and already gave or have committed over $2,000.00 to battle World Hunger through our World Vision Day of Praise Team or other channels like the Souper Bowl of Caring.

Yaaay! Thank you for teaming together!

For the many who don't read Saturday's Day of Praise until Monday, here's our Day of Praise Super Bowl Weekend Hunger Challenge link for making a donation. Thanks for considering $11 (the number of faithful Apostles of Jesus)!

The team page for Day of Praise is at this web address:
http://mygiftcatalog.worldvision.org/site/TR?team_id=67682&pg=team&fr_id=2360&et=f2QsrJxVQ0xxAQWBjndCmQ&s_tafId=45093

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 SPECIAL

Sa, 02/01/14, "Day of Praise"

Day of Praise for Super Bowl Weekend - February 1-3, 2014

Galatians 2:10 - "Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."

Hey, y'all, multiple articles, past and predicting the future, say that Super Bowl Sunday will see over a billion, that's (BBBBBB) billion dollars of food consumed in connection with The Big Game gatherings.  In the face of The Big Game Feeding Frenzy, let's team together to remember THE BIGGEST GAME! Let's remember THE FIGHT AGAINST WORLD HUNGER.

If every person who supposedly reads our Day of Praise devotion gives $11 (eleven is the number of faithful Apostles of Jesus), then we can easily reach our goal that God put on my heart, which is $33,333.

C'mon, y'all! After asking somebody to get together for The Big Game, bring their favorite treat, and predict the winner of the game, then ask them to throw $11 in the pot.

Let's be a part of something big, something bigger than an international event (i.e. bigger than the Super Bowl), something that can change a lot of lives with a cup of cold water and fish and bread in the name of Jesus.

I've set up a team account through World Vision called Day of Praise. As always, I will be respectful, so if you want to contribute to the Day of Praise Super Bowl Weekend Beat Hunger Fundraising Event, please "reply" to me, and I'll send you an invite through our World Vision Day of Praise Team account. Invite your friends to hop in too. Of course, you can give them my email or you can send me theirs so I can send them the invite through World Vision. Your trusted friends may just want to give you the money, and then you add it to your World Vision credit card contribution.

Let's win big this Super Bowl Weekend by remembering God's Word in Galatians 2:10 - "Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."

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