Day of Praise

Sat, 09/30/17, "Day of Praise" 

"Make yourself an ark of gopher wood." - Genesis 6:14 

I love the movie "Evan Almighty" with Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman. I remember the last time our family watched it. We all laughed. I cried some too. 

"God" (Morgan Freeman) says something like this, "The Flood is a love story. It's about people believing in each other and sticking together through hard times." 

Evan Baxter's (Steve Carell) family finds that when they do that, when they believe in each other and stick together through tough times, then they actually change the world in large and small ways, in ways that matter and last, one person at a time. 

God, through His Son, Jesus, has changed our world by believing in us and sticking together with us through tough times. In the strength of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, let's pass it on to others. 

Happy Saturday day! 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Fri, 09/29/17, "Day of Praise"

"When I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:10

I love the book "The Indwelling Life of Christ: All of Him in All of Me" by Major W. Ian Thomas. 

Here's an excerpt from Major Thomas's book that's related to today's Bible verse:

"The resurrected Christ now lives, to continue His Life in you.

"If you are not prepared to do as you are told, no matter how weak or foolish it will make you look, then whatever you believe about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is still academic. You have not yet entered into the good of it. 

"When it comes to the point of obedience to God's clear instructions, the Life of Jesus Christ within you makes human circumstances irrelevant; for to share His Life now as He once shared His Father's Life on earth is to know, as Jesus did, that Someone else is taking care of the consequences. 

"I do not mean by this that God's purposes are always irrational in the light of human circumstance, not that there is any particular virtue in being eccentric or foolhardy. What I am urging is simply that you become delightfully detached from the pressure of circumstance, so that it ceases to be the criterion in the decisions you make. You do as you are told, whether God's instructions appear to be compatible with the immediate situation or not, and you leave God to vindicate Himself and to justify the course of action upon which you have embarked at His command. 

"You will not need to know what He plans to do with you...you simply need to know Him."

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thu, 09/28/17, "Day of Praise" 

"And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord. 
Have I been a wilderness to Israel, 
    or a land of thick darkness? 
Why then do my people say, 'We are free, 
    we will come no more to you'?" - Jeremiah 2:31 

It's supposed to be a nation of freedom. If we're honest though, most would acknowledge that the nation is strained. Trusted spiritual leaders in our country, like Timothy Keller, tell us that seventy percent of our citizenry has no idea how we got our freedom and/or has no idea what to properly do with freedom. 

So what's new? 

On this upcoming October 31, it will be exactly 500 years since Martin Luther posted 95 statements/theses for discussion about the misuse of freedom. In a related statement, Martin Luther said, "We have proven ourselves to be pigs, abusing the fine art of human freedom." 

About 2,600 years ago, God spoke these words through Jeremiah in today's verse, "Why then do my people say, 'We are free, we will come no more to you [Lord God]'?" (Jeremiah 2:31) 

And shortly after being created, the first man and woman broke the only rule that God gave them: "You are free; just don't eat from that one tree." 

Our nation needs a collective freedom reboot. 

If you want to be a part of the solution, then carefully read and think about and tell others about Timothy Keller's "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism."

God has blessed The United States of America. 

Please Lord God, help us use our blessing of freedom to glorify and praise your name! Amen. 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Wed, 09/27/17, "Day of Praise"

"We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves." - Romans 15:1

God's been doing some awesome things around here, which have me flying high and remembering other times he's helped some people fly. 

She was 50-65 feet high and scared to death. We'd all been encouraging Julie to try the Screamin' Eagle, which is a large pendulum swing, challenge-by-choice at JH Ranch. 

Julie's husband was an airline pilot and had served a long time flying in our nation's peace-keeping forces. So the Screamin' Eagle was not much of a challenge for him. In fact, being a large man and going in pairs, Julie's husband and the guy he swung with went so high on their first swing forward that many of us joked that they almost did a full loop. And that would've been just fine for Julie's husband and the guy he swung with as both guys just smiled and never made a peep, let alone scream, on the Screamin' Eagle. 

But Julie was a totally different story. She peeped. A lot! While she was standing in line. When she got out of line. When she got back into the line. At the back of the line. 

Even though she was in a husband-wife group, most everybody in the parent-child groups knew about Julie's fear. And we all, adults and youth alike, were pulling for her. It was like this quiet, no-pressure, united, "come on, Julie, you can do this."

So when, after a long-long-long-time of waiting, we were all quietly hopeful that she wouldn't change her mind when Julie got strapped in with another wife as her buddy and when the motorized hoist started to raise them up, higher and higher and higher. The release was on Julie's side, so she was going to have to pull it. 

She wasn't pulling it.

So finally another husband, named Wayne, said "3, 2, 1" while some of us were thinking, "Wayne, what are you doing?". Later, Julie would say, "If that guy hadn't done the countdown, we'd still be up there, waiting for me to pull."

Watching Julie and her buddy swing back and forth was exhilarating for all of us. We'd helped her conquer her fear, accompanied by a whole lot of appropriate screaming because, after all, it was the Screamin' Eagle that she was flying on. 

But, as much as we all felt we'd contributed, most of all, we were sincerely most happy for her.

That's what God's Word encourages us with today, "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves" (Romans 15:1). We help one another not to please ourselves.

And that's what Jesus did for us, as we confess in the ancient creeds: "For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven." He died for our sin, was raised to live for our justification (Romans 4:25), and will dwell in the hearts of all who will surrender to the Holy Spirit and personally receive him (John 1). And in all these things, he is most happy for us. 

Friends, every person we encounter today is walking in faith, so every person has spiritual needs or even fears, like Julie on the Screamin' Eagle. 

So, let's encourage one another but "not to please ourselves," but instead let's be most happy for the one that we're privileged to encourage. 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Tue, 09/26/17, "Day of Praise"

Genesis 28:12 - "And [Jacob] dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!"

What are you dreaming? Jacob, in today's Bible verse, dreamed of heaven coming to earth and of earth being brought into heaven. As Fall breaks in and the holiday season draws near, people have been telling me all sorts of things they're dreaming about for their time off. (I know I'm not dreaming this up! :-) )

Here's what our daughter, Calley, once dreamed and posted. It sounds like a dream straight out of the Bible book of Acts, chapters 2, 4, and 6.

"Once I dreamed of having a community in which I employed workers to work on my farm, and we all lived in the love of the Lord. We have a God-fearing, scripture-centered congregation. We are fully sustainable. We've got teachers for the kids. Everyone just does whatever they are skilled and gifted at doing. Bakers, gardeners, seamstresses, doctors, quilters, writers, cooks, pastors, musicians, barbers, mechanics, prophets, encouragers, mercies, rulers, singers, managers, inventors, everything you can be good at. We give to one another as each has need.

And we grew oranges and cucumbers.

That was a cool dream."

Thank you, Calley! Oh that all of us would dream (and live) Bible dreams, where people just live out the Biblical dream of helping each other. That would be like heaven come to earth!

"And [Jacob] dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!" - Genesis 28:12

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 09/25/17, "Day of Praise"

"Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.'" - John 9:3

God permitted a man to be born blind so that the work of God could be displayed in him.

Jesus made the same blind man to see so that the work of God could be displayed in him.

God wants all of us to see so that the work of God can be displayed in us.

One time, I was watching some kids play on our trampoline in our backyard. They clearly saw the peril in jumping foolhardy, recklessly bold, or rash on an elevated trampoline where some other kids had torn down the safety net. But the safety limitations were not going to set the pace of fun for these new kids, none of which was older than ten.

They were looking for the possibilities. And since they looked for the possibilities, then they clearly saw them. And for the next ten or fifteen minutes, they formed a line and took turns swinging on a ragged part of the trampoline net, using it to swing like Tarzan and Jane from the outermost, metal spring part of the trampoline toward the safest, innermost center.

We need more kids like that. My, oh my, we need more people like that...

...People who stop dwelling on what we can't do and start looking for both the possibilities that God has made available to us and also the possibilities that God would have us see so that the work of God can be displayed in us.

Happy Monday!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Sat, 09/23/17, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 28:5 - "But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.'"

I'm at a point in life where it's true in both directions. My mom is thrilled to see us, even when it's for a very short time. And we, as parents, are thrilled to see our kids, even when it's for a very short time. 

As a pastor who "works" on weekends, we just don't have many chances to get away and see my mom. And her health makes it hard for her to drive six hours to come see us. But my mom is thrilled to see us, even if it's just for half a day. 

With our kids, our oldest, Calley, is in medical school in Chicago, and our second, Cassidy, is ministering in Charlotte, NC to women who have been used in the worst ways. Caden, our son, just started college 2 hours down the road at Troy University. We totally adore our kids, so it's hard that we don't get to see them very much. But each time we see Calley or Cassidy or Caden, no matter how short the visit, it's so wonderful and fulfilling. It is absolutely thrilling for us to catch a glimpse of our kids.

So, if it's that great for my mom with us and for us with our kids, just think how satisfying and thrilling it is to have a little time with God and catch a glimpse of God's presence.

Tragically, I know some people who've stopped looking for and praying to God because they say that they rarely, if ever, see him.

On the other hand, many of us look for God constantly, like the women in today's Bible verse, because just catching a glimpse of God's presence is so satisfying. That's what C.S. Lewis is talking about in "The Chronicles of Narnia", when the children catch a glimpse of Aslan (who represents the Son of God, Jesus). Just a glimpse of Aslan/Jesus is so exhilarating and satisfying, so the children start to look for him all the time.

Today is Saturday, a lot of opportunities to go on auto pilot and mindlessly check out come our way. But let's remember and seek and enjoy that which is truly most gratifying to see, namely, the people in our lives, especially our loved ones, and most of all, the One who perfectly loves us, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Look for them! Look for Him! And you will see!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Fri, 09/22/17, "Day of Praise"

"Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made." - Psalm 7:14-15

It was the funniest thing. Well, it wasn't funny at first. 

I had grabbed a dustpan with a long, tall handle out of our church fellowship hall closet. We'd had a wonderful time with some kids at a meeting. The littlest kids had eaten cupcakes like two year olds are prone to do. There was more on the floor than in their mouth. So after everyone had left, a few of us were cleaning up. I had grabbed a broom and the dustpan with a long, tall handle. 

I'd sweep the cupcake mess into the pan and start to walk away. As I started to walk, I'd look back at the floor and there were still a ton of cupcake crumbs in the exact spot that I'd just swept. 

I'm sure I did this six or seven times, going back to sweep up the same crumbs, when, duuuuuuh, it dawned on me to look more closely at the dustpan that was almost an identical color to the floor. 

The dustpan had huge holes in it where it was badly broken, so of course it wasn't holding the cupcake crumbs! 

I know it sounds stupid that I hadn't noticed it sooner, but I'd never experienced a dustpan with holes of any size. (And yes, for those who are wondering, I've used a dustpan many times before!!!)

But the point of all this is kind of like this. God's word says that every human is a sinner. Therefore, we all have hearts that are broken, just like the dustpan. There are big ol' holes of brokenness in our hearts: brokenness from past hurts, from low self-esteem, from disappointments, from betrayals, from low self-confidence. And those heart-holes are a problem because our hearts, amongst other things, were made by God to be a tool, kind of like a dustpan, to help clean up messes in our relationships. But because of the holes, the messes never get cleaned up, stuff keeps "falling through the cracks," no matter how hard or how many times we try to sweep them up. 

And the only way that things are ever going to change is if Jesus fixes the holes in our heart, which means we must daily present our hearts to Jesus, like a little child presenting a broken toy to a parent. And it's amazing then, when the holes in our heart are truly getting fixed by Jesus, how messes seem to suddenly or at least steadily and consistently start to disappear. 

Dear Lord Jesus, I'm sure there are some messes before me today. So here's my heart, holes and all. I trust you to bring healing and repair to the holes and brokenness in me so that I can be your tool for helping to clean up some other things today. In Jesus's name, Amen. 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thur, 09/21/17, "Day of Praise"

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:6-7

Yesterday was an encouragement to think about humility.

Today is an encouragement to think about rest. 

How restful would it be if you had nothing to carry? Nothing mentally. Nothing emotionally. Nothing spiritually. (We'll stop there, though you could realistically, in Christ, consider how God wants to carry our other loads also, like physical and financial. But that's a different message.)

So, again, how restful would it be if you had nothing to carry?

Martin Luther (who lived from 1483-1546 and who almost 500 years ago (October 31, 1517) posted 95 Theses on the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany) had a suggestion for lightening up your daily load. Luther said that the longer his "To Do" list was for a day, the longer he prayed at the start of a day. At first thought, it seems that he was making his day harder by cutting into his work time with prayer that got nothing done on his "To Do" list.

But, in essence, this is how he understood today's Bible verse. Make a "To Do" list at the start of the day or the night before. Then take your "To Do" list, and pray over it, letting God "exalt you, [by] casting all your anxieties on him."

What's first on your list? Cast it, hurl it onto the Lord. There now, it's off your list and on God's list. Your load is already lighter.

What's second on your list? Cast it, hurl it onto the Lord. There now, another thing is off your list and on God's list. Your load is even lighter.

Do this with each thing on your list, "casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

Do you see that, like Martin Luther said, the longer your "To Do" list is for a day, the longer you'll be praying at the start of a day? But it's not a waste of time; to the contrary, it actually makes you more efficient.

The effect is this. As you start your day, you can look at each person or meeting or task and say, "She's in God's hands. I already gave her to God in prayer. So, I'm just being God's helper. God's already got her taken care of."

You have nothing to carry! Nothing mentally. Nothing emotionally. Nothing spiritually.

Now that's rest!

So, let's start today...with prayer!

Praise God!

Chris DeGreen

Day of Praise

Wed, 09/20/17, "Day of Praise"

2 Chronicles 34:27 - "and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord."

Jeremiah 44:10 - "They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers."

I know it's kind of philosophical, but God clearly says it's critical. So here's something to think about from the two Bible verses above on the Biblical topic of humility and humbling yourself.

The very thing that one person won't humbly confess in order to keep their position with society could be the exact thing that another person will humbly confess in order to keep their position with God.

Similarly, the very thing that one person won't humbly confess in order to keep their position with society could be the exact thing that another person will humbly confess in order to testify to the great things that God has done in their life so that they can invite another broken sinner into the position that God wants to give them through faith in Jesus Christ.

In sum, what God consistently asks us in the Bible when God calls us to humble ourselves is this: who are you most trying to have a relationship with, and why do you so badly want a relationship with them?

The humble person cares more about their position with God than anything else in the world.

Jesus humbled himself so that, through faith in him, we could have an exalted position with God. Therefore, let us be found humbling ourselves so that God, and others that God loves, can be exalted too!

Think about 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

Tues, 09/19/17, "Day of Praise"

Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3

Off the top of my head, happy birthday soon (not today, but soon) to my nephew, Benjamin DeGreen, to Gena Trammell, to Patti Vincent, to Brooks Melton, and to Rowena Wells.

Birthdays are awesome. They're a celebration of being alive. A celebration of being born. 

In today's Bible verse, Jesus notes how critical it is to be born. Or we should say, Jesus notes how critical it is that, once you're born, you need to be born again. 

Deep within every human being there is a longing for that celebration. For that birthday. For that celebration that is the joy of being born again. 

So what is it? Being born again, that is. The short version is that you come to a point in life, like Nicodemus in today's Bible verse, where you realize that being alive isn't enough. There's got to be more to what, by itself, is a weary existence. 

The "more" is a spiritual birth. As St. Augustine spoke of the "more" hundreds and hundreds of years ago, he said there was no rest for a human heart until that hunger for "'more' than a weary existence" was filled. And that hunger, that hole, could only be filled by Jesus, whose name literally means "one who saves". 

A while back, a member of our church told me that a new guy came in time for our 10:40 a.m. worship service. The guy said he'd never been in a church. Said he was hungry. For spiritual food. For more. For more than a weary existence. 

I didn't get to meet him. He didn't stay. 

So whether we didn't feed him with hospitality or he decided he didn't like what he saw on the table, the bottom line is that guy's still hungry. For more. 

I'm gonna look for him today. Would you help to look for him please? He shouldn't be hard to spot. He'll look different from you. He'll look like someone who wants more out of life. Tell him that you found more in Jesus. Then encourage him to invite Jesus to fill the hole in his heart too. 

If he does invite Jesus into his heart and puts his trust in Jesus, then wish him a Happy Birthday and invite him to follow Jesus with all of us who are learning from Jesus to live the new life in God's forgiveness, power, and grace!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 09/18/17, "Day of Praise"

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools." - Psalm 84:5-6

Very simply, in today's verse, the Valley of Baca was a route that many had to take on the way to worship the Lord in Zion, which is the city of God. The Valley of Baca was filled with many dangers: thorns, pitfalls, wild animals, and poisonous snakes. But the promise of God in the verse is that God will turn the very path of danger into a place of refreshment, a path filled with springs and pools for those who seek intimate fellowship with the Lord. 

So let's cut right to the chase with the application. The Valley of Baca represents life in a fallen world. Life is filled with all sorts of things that will hurt you (dangers), with people and situations that will scratch you (thorns), that will cause you to stumble (pitfalls), that will threaten to eat you alive (wild animals), and that lie in wait to bite you (poisonous snakes). Because of these dangers, many people never go this route. The problem in not taking this route is that this route is the path for seeking intimate fellowship with the Lord, namely, worshiping him, listening for him, praying to him, studying his word, and serving people. 

And so it is. The studies show that on any given Sunday alone, at least 68% of people who call themselves Christian will not be seeking the Lord. It's not just about being in church; it's about doing anything, something to seek the Lord: worshiping him, listening for him, praying to him, studying his word, serving people.

68%! And that's just Christians! And that's just on Sundays! In other words, there's a whole lot of time in any given week when very few people are seeking 
intimate fellowship with the Lord. And at this point, I'm not even going to reinforce the bazillion reasons that people give for not seeking intimate fellowship with the Lord. In sum, the collective reason is that it's just too hard to put more energy into seeking God when the day and the week have already been filled with people and situations that have hurt you (dangers), scratched you (thorns), caused you to stumble (pitfalls), threatened to eat you alive (wild animals), and lied in wait to bite you (poisonous snakes).

But I'm here to tell you that what God is saying in today's verse is that if you will believe God's promise and make time to seek the Lord, God will not only bring you refreshment, but (look at the Psalm!) God will transform your difficulties into pools of refreshment just like he transformed the cross of Jesus Christ into the way of salvation for all who would believe. 

He is the Lord!

He is able to do it!

He has promised to do it!

Trust him! Seek him, no matter how hard your day or tough your week, and he will refresh you and transform your difficulties!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Sat, 09/16/17, "Day of Praise" 

[Jesus said,] "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33 

In today's verse, God has a simple promise and encouragement for us all: If we'll keep our ears, eyes, and heart on the Lord, then the Lord will see to it that everything else in our day falls into place. 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Fri, 09/15/17, "Day of Praise"

"Behold, I am against you, O proud one, declares the Lord God of hosts, for your day has come, the time when I will punish you." - Jeremiah 50:31

Hey, it's okay!

Everybody has a limit.

Even God has a limit.

Sometimes everybody, even God, has to say, "Enough!"

And we all are best off if we'll not just declare it to whoever needs to hear it but also sit humbly under the declaration when it comes our way. 

I have a dear friend. He was very kind to me in the worst season of my life. I leaned on him. But after a month, he lovingly and courageously said, "Hey, Chris, enough." It was a critically pivotal moment in my life. If he hadn't been strong enough to lovingly draw a clear line, I might not have ever gotten back on my feet. 

My friend not only set a boundary for me; he also set a foundation for me to stand on. 

Boundary-setting is a loving form of discipline. Discipline is simply a way of teaching for the one who administers it and a way of learning for the one who receives it. So boundary-setting is a loving way to teach people to stand on their own two feet. 

Sometimes it even works to their advantage far more than they could ever dream. I remember a time someone asked me for some money; a lot of money. I explained to them that my "no" was because I felt that they were being taken advantage in trying to buy what they needed. A few weeks later, out of the clear blue, somebody gave my friend what they needed. Boundary-setting worked out quite well for them, don't ya' think?

Boundary-setting; discipline; done in love is a tool of life and love. God even says, "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:6).

Give and receive love today!

Tell somebody who needs to hear it, "Enough!"

And receive it as a courageous gift of love, if someone, whether some fellow human being or the Lord God of hosts himself, tells you the same. 

"Behold, I am against you, O proud one, declares the Lord God of hosts, for your day has come, the time when I will punish you." - Jeremiah 50:31

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thur, 09/14/17, "Day of Praise"

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." - 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 and 6:1-2

One of the things that our family loves about Summer is that our family's flowers bloom in full force: Cahaba Lilies, Stella Dora, multiple colors of Canna Lilies, Day Lilies, Crepe Myrtles, Phlox, Surprise Lilies, Black-Eyed Susans, Red Hot Pokers, Star Lilies, Hostas, and more. It's amazing, and we love it. It's beautiful, and makes it worth the wait. 

Even as Fall is arriving soon, the blooming continues with various roses and surprise lilies just now putting out buds that love cooler temperatures. 

We've waited months to see these things bloom. So when we pull in our driveway, we go slow. Well, I'll speak for myself; I go slow. I look at every flower, thrilled and amazed at the beauty. Even my wife and kids not only endure my pulling into our driveway slowly, but they also say, "Wow, Honey! Wow, Dad, the yard looks so good!"

We've waited. Now we enjoy. 

If we do this for flowers, how much more does God want us to slow down each day and enjoy our beautiful gifts from God through faith in Christ: forgiveness, freedom from sin, new life in the Spirit in the Kingdom of God!

God speaks of wanting us to slow down each day and enjoy our beautiful gifts from God through faith in Christ by putting it this way in today's verse: "we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain...Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

There were people who lived long ago, who waited a lifetime, believing God's promise about a coming Messiah. They waited patiently for a lifetime, but never saw the day when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ took on mortal flesh and did his saving work by the power of the Holy Spirit. But in Hebrews 11, we hear of the amazing lives of many who, (though they didn't see the fulfillment of the incarnation of Jesus), lived inspiring and courageous lives because in faith they actually did see in their hearts what they waited for in faith. They slowed down and pictured the promise of God's Messiah in their hearts and their minds. And in so doing, they were empowered and blessed. 

Hey, y'all! I know life is busy, and summer is full of activity. Fall and school and football season can be even busier. But slow down! Flowers are blooming that haven't bloomed in a year. Stop, and take a look. They're beautiful. 

And on a much grander scale the long-awaited salvation and blessings of God are in full bloom. Slow down, and consider and give thanks for and enjoy the wonder of Jesus Christ and all the blessings of life in God's Holy Spirit. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful!

"We appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain...Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 and 6:1-2)

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Wed, 09/13/17, "Day of Praise"

"[Jesus said,] Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." - Matthew 10:16

The issue, as always, as from the beginning of time, is "whose word do we trust?" God's word in Old and New Testament tells me that I need God's goodness because I don't have any of my own. Both Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 tell us there is none who does good [except God], "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good." And in Mark 10:18, Jesus reiterates those two Psalms saying, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."

Positively speaking, here's the simple encouragement from the Lord God: If you really want good things to be a part of all the things in your day today, then welcome the Lord into all the things in your day today. After all, God's word says plainly, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:16-17)

So, have a good day! God is eager to give it to you, if you'll look to him as the One who alone can give it!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Tues, 09/12/17, "Day of Praise"

"Open your mouth for the dumb [those unable to speak for themselves], for the rights of all who are left desolate and defenseless." - Proverbs 31:8

There is a broad spectrum of people who are "unable to speak for themselves." In addition, many of you have said that this is actually a time of year when your schedule isn't so frantic.

What if all of us took this less frantic window of a week or a couple weeks, however long it is for you, and we all reached out to a person or two who are "unable to speak for themselves"?

I have a couple of people in mind. We all do.

God reached out to us and changed the world. God changed our world.

In the strength of Christ, let's reach out to a couple others so their world can change too.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 09/11/17, "Day of Praise"

Based on y'all's replies, you seem to be enjoying the stroll down Memory Lane. So with an important request for us all to remember 9/11 and keep our nation and all touched by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, here's another memory from my archives. 

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

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!

Day of Praise

Sat, 09/09/17, "Day of Praise"

As our church continues to pray for our growing Disciplemaker groups, the Spirit encouraged me to encourage all of you to prayerfully think about and courageously share your faith story with a world of people who sorely need it. 

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

Like her older sister, Calley, our daughter, Cassidy, was quite the pacesetter at camp a few years ago. 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. 

Many people at camp, even ones we hadn't even met but who were watching all this, started 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, and he will give you clarity and courage to tell others about the great things God keeps doing in your life! 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Fri, 09/08/17, "Day of Praise"

"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." - Acts 8:30-31

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!

Chris DeGreen

Day of Praise

Thur, 09/07/17, "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

I have a tendency. What about you? In particular, I have a tendency to want to see things my way. What about you? Of the many things, that we can learn from Jesus in today's Bible verse, one of them is definitely that it's good for everybody when we ask God to help us see things from a perspective other than our own. One of our church leaders helped me do that a few hours ago. Our kids and a guy named Carl helped me do that a while back. 

It was the beginning of a vacation, and we had stopped on our way. Our daughter, Calley, was walking toward 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 a garbage can where there was a small man with very weathered skin, who looked very much like a leprechaun. 

In a few moments, our whole family was visiting with the homeless man, whose name was Carl Novack. 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 nice golf shirts that had been given to us by generous family and friends. Carl told us he'd 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. 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!

Day of Praise

Wed, 09/06/17, "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 Sunday night, 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 (with words from God and deeds of God) 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. 

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!

Day of Praise

Tues, 09/05/17, Godson Cruz Dearing and Father-in-law Bruce Green's birthdays -  "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 comes up a lot. 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, once said, 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 there 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!

Day of Praise

Mon, 09/04/17, Labor Day, "Day of Praise" 

"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." - Isaiah 64:8 

"I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, 'Let us start rebuilding.' So they began this good work." - Nehemiah 2:18 

"Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." - Deuteronomy 15:10 

As we enjoy this Labor Day, let us remember 1) that we ourselves are the loving work of God's hand (Isaiah 64:8), 2) that God blesses our labor when we tell others about God's gracious hand on us (Nehemiah 2:18), and 3) that God blesses our labor when we give generously and without a grudging heart (Deuteronomy 15:10). 

Indeed, may God be praised as we remember and do these things, according to his word, this day and always! 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Sar, 09/02/17, "Day of Praise"

After y'all's replies yesterday and Cassidy drives away today to Charlotte, I couldn't help but drag this one up from my archives too. 

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

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!