Day of Praise

Wed, 08/01/18, "Day of Praise"

2 Chronicles 32:8 - "'With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.' And the people took confidence from the words of Hezeki′ah king of Judah."

God alone can call us into being; without God doing it, we don't even exist. God alone can breathe into us the breath of life; without God doing it, we have a body which has no life. God alone can bring forth food from the earth, find us when we're lost, pay the penalty of our sin, defeat the power of sin, and more.

In today's Bible verse from 2 Chronicles 32:8, we hear one of the best kings ever, Hezeki′ah king of Judah, say, "With [those who try to harm us] is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And look at how all who believed him responded as we also see in 2 Chronicles 32:8 where God also tells us that "the people took confidence from the words of Hezeki′ah king of Judah." When people hear that God is not far away, when people hear that God is with us, that God is here to help us, then people are encouraged.

And isn't it true? When someone lives their life in a way that shows they clearly believe that God is with us, to do what he does and be who he is and be our help and our strength, then that person inspires us. And when someone calls us to live our life, believing that God is with us, to do what he does and be who he is and be our help and our strength, then that person inspires us.

Dear friends, God is not far away. Like Hezeki′ah, king of Judah, said long ago, "with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles."

Believe it, and be inspired to encourage others to trust that God is here for them too! For it's true!

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, 07/31/18, "Day of Praise"

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." - Isaiah 1:18

So, I've told this story before where I went from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa to visit one of our senior church members who can't drive and who was moved from Birmingham a few years ago to be near her oldest child. My friend doesn't get out of her facility much, so she likes me to pick her up and take her to McDonald's for a milkshake, which she always insists on buying one for each of us. After getting my friend settled at a table, I stepped into the restroom where a young boy, maybe six years old, was cleaning the bathroom. I told him he'd be a great Boy Scout, leaving places better than he found them. He said, "I'm not a Boy Scout; I'm a Christian."

And there you have it! A six year old laboring in obscurity for the Kingdom of God, cleaning up other people's messes and leaving places in the world better than they found 'em.

I don't know about you, but it sounds to me like that kid is walking in Jesus's steps and Jesus's power, which is the power of the Holy Spirit.

Oh, that we had more six year olds or 36 year olds or 76 year olds like that kid.

A kid! Who not only reminded me of grown up Jesus and inspired me to keep following Jesus but who also reminded me of some not so grown up kids I observed in another fast food bathroom a couple years ago.

I went into the Men's Room, and there were two little boys, probably 6 and 4, in there. The 6 year old's head barely came up to the sink counter, and he was trying to pick up the 4 year old, who he called Eli, so Eli could wash his hands with soap and water. As I stepped on through, I showed the boys the dispenser for the hand sanitizer and said it would be easier since they wouldn't need the water to clean their hands. As I continued past them, I couldn't help but smile as older brother told Eli to scrub his hands well with the waterless sanitizer, and Eli replied, saying, "This stuff is really neat. Is it Magic Soap?"

Adorable! A tiny, innocent, young child with a name, Eli, that means "My God" who wonders if he's using "Magic Soap." That's the childlike wonder that God wants from us in today's Bible verse, the wonder as to how God can take our sins that are "like scarlet" and make them "as white as snow." My God and Your God, who's Our God, must use "Magic Soap," where no sink is required, just His promise of His Word and a little bit of tiny, innocent, young child-like faith in My God.

It's enough to both make you want to sing "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" and also make you want to go worship and praise God with others ASAP.

So, God bless y'all! Have a Happy day! Watch out for kids who clean bathrooms with the Magical Love of Jesus and believe in the "Magic Soap" of God's Word! And let's praise God that we not only have grown up Jesus to follow but also some not so grown up amazing kids, who inspire us all to truly trust God and act like we're His children!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 07/30/18, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 28:6 - "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy."

It's the world in which we live.

Many people find it hard to praise God.

People who find it hard to praise God are people who are just flat out overwhelmed by difficulties in their personal life, usually, because of financial issues, marital issues, health issues, the needs of their parents, or problems with their kids. They can't see God to praise him for who he is because their issues are so big and just right up in their face. 

So we listen. 

To one another. 

And we pray. 

For one another.

And with one another. 

To help one another to see that God is listening. 

Even though it's hard to see beyond the many issues. 

We listen to one another because God promises to send someone into our life who will listen to us. And it helps. It helps when someone listens to us. Because after listening to so many others in the day, we sometimes don't feel like praising God. Instead, we feel overwhelmed by all the people problems put in front of us. But when our special someone listens, it feels like God is listening. And when God listens to us, then our soul is watered, and we can't help but praise God for who he is and for the one he sent us. 

To listen. 

To us. 

That's what God is talking about in today's Bible verse from Psalm 28:6 - "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy."

That's what people are talking about when they say they feel closer to God after we listen to them and pray with them.

And that's what the people in front of you need today. It's why they'll talk to you. Because you'll listen. And it will make them feel closer to God.

Dear God, we praise you for listening to us. And we thank you for the people you send us who listen to us. And for the people who will pray with us. And pray for us. Help us, Lord, to be that person for others who listens to them and prays with them so that more people might praise you today for bending your ear to us all. Amen.

Psalm 28:6 - "Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy."

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Sat, 07/28/18, "Day of Praise"

Luke 22:19 - "And [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'"

Pictures take us back. They can take us back to days of fond remembrances. To memories of cherished moments. To past moments that kindle a very real warmth of heart in the present. That kindle a warmth in the heart of everyone in the picture in a way that strengthens together the bond of all those hearts. 

The picture doesn't need to be on paper. The image of a reality can be in our heart. That's the kind of image, the picture, the remembrance that Jesus is talking about in today's Bible verse in Luke 22:19. Jesus is saying that whenever we remember him in our hearts, not just some glance, but really stop and focus, and remember how he sat at a table with bread and with people who believed in him so strongly that they followed him. When we remember how he took that bread and gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to those people who believed in him so strongly that they followed him. When we really focus and remember him saying, "This is my body given for you," then the remembrance of Jesus is so strong that it's almost like he's right here. 

Because he is.

He's right here kindling a very real warmth of heart in the present. Kindling a warmth in the heart of everyone in the mental picture, in a way that strengthens together the bond of all those hearts. Including our own. Because our remembrance of Jesus at that table both inserts us into the picture of that table but even more importantly, our remembrance of Jesus at that table welcomes him into the picture of this table. The table that is our present moment. To remember him and his outpouring of his life in the past is to receive him and his outpouring in the present.

How can this be? It's really quite simple. To remember somebody literally means to be rejoined to somebody. The Biblical-language Greek word for remember emphasizes the rejoining of minds. The Biblical-language Hebrew word for remember emphasizes the rejoining of hearts; literally the Hebrew carries the meaning of physically visiting someone. So God has ordained that remembering someone joins our hearts and minds and actually joins us together as if we're sitting there visiting together.

Because we are.

Do you need some companionship today? Do you need someone to walk with you today? Someone to keep you company? Someone to show you how much you're loved? Then remember Jesus. Remember how he's poured himself out for you. And it'll be just like he's walking with you and telling you how much he loves you.

Because he is.

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

Fri, 07/27/18, "Day of Praise"

"Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'
'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' Nathanael asked.
'Come and see,' said Philip." - John 1:44-46

As I remember it, I passed beginner swim lessons seven times. To move on to intermediate, you had to be able to swim the length of the pool without stopping. That never happened with me, so I passed beginner but never moved on to intermediate. 

There were worse things, though, than not moving on to intermediate. Like not even passing beginners. At the Moose Lodge, where we took swim lessons, the culture was for moms to take their children who failed beginners and, while angrily yelling "Swim!", they'd throw the wailing, panicked child out into the middle of the pool. I saw that scenario so many times it made me sick to my stomach and still does to this day. I saw it as children being forced to take a plunge into learning something that they dread or that they're incapable of accomplishing. 

Such a forced plunge is the image I get when I hear people talk about telling others about Jesus or inviting someone to church. Whenever people hear a sermon or other encouragement that appeals to them to tell others about Jesus or invite someone to church, they feel like they're the panicked, wailing child being thrown into the middle of the pool by an angry parent who might as well be yelling, "Swim!" I've heard people say that it feels like they're being forced to take a plunge.

The thing is that today's Bible reading is a place where God shows us through Philip that we're making this harder than it has to be. Talking to someone about Jesus or inviting someone to church can be more simple than beginner swim lessons because it can be as simple as saying, "Come and see!" (John 1:46). The studies show that the vast majority of people who don't go to church would actually come if someone just invited them. All people are made by God, and God made all people with a longing to be in fellowship with God. But many people who don't have a church home are worried that they won't be welcomed or won't know anyone or won't know what to do when they go into a church. So when you say, "Come and see," then you're saying to them "you'll be welcomed by me, and you'll know me, and I'll show you what to do." And inviting someone to church then becomes a blessing for everybody.

You might say, then, that inviting someone to church is, yes, taking a plunge, but it's not the angry-parent-throwing-the-wailing-child-into-the-pool kind of plunge. Instead, it's a plunge that's more along the lines of the old iced tea tv ads that showed hot, sweaty adults eagerly jumping into a swimming pool that was filled with iced tea, and all those adults would let out a refreshing, "Aaaaaah!"

Be refreshed, dear friends, and take an eager plunge into inviting someone to Jesus and worship. Like Philip in today's Bible verses, all we need to say to someone is "Come and see!"

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

Thur, 07/26/18, "Day of Praise"

Ecclesiastes 12:1 - "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them.'"

The preacher who long ago wrote today's verse from Ecclesiastes was inspired by God to recognize that life's short -- very short in the grand scheme of the everlasting into which we'll all be raised up when Jesus comes again!

So get out there, and make the most of this blessed day today. See some people. Spend time with loved ones. Or as I and my loved ones enjoy, spend time with your loved ones by going to visit someone who needs a visitor. Get outside and enjoy the wonder of God's creation. Go celebrate somebody or something. Be active and energetic and cheerful. Make the most of today!!!

Ah, sure, I know today's Thursday. It's a workday. But what's that got to do with it?

Life is short!

So I'll say it again...

Get out there, and make the most of this blessed day today. See some people. Spend time with loved ones. Or as I and my loved ones enjoy, spend time with your loved ones by going to visit someone who needs a visitor. Get outside and enjoy the wonder of God's creation. Go celebrate somebody or something. Be active and energetic and cheerful. Make the most of today!!!

And as, in essence, God says through today's verse, live today in a way that then you're prepared and eager to thank God for all the good things you've enjoyed!!!

Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them."

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

Wed, 07/25/18, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 34:8 - "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."

I'm telling you, I'm not kidding, when I was out working a bit in my yard last night, I smelled it. It was fantastic. I smelled Fall in the air. It comes in a cooling breeze mixed with the smell of grass and garden. I smelled Fall in the air. And with Fall comes Paula Deen's and other Fall recipe suggestions in various magazines like I saw at Walgreen's drug store recently. Oh my goodness, do those recipe pictures look good!

But as delicious as those Fall recipes always look and always are, they can't hold a candle to the dishes God is cooking up in today's verse from Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." God's telling us that when we really trust the Lord with our situations, when we really throw our situations and the worries that go with those situations into God's care, there is such an overwhelming sense of God's provision in those matters that you can taste it.

So, whatever you've got going on today, and whatever is ongoing from days gone by and spilling into today, give it to the Lord. Really really really give it to the Lord. And God says that you'll be so sure that God's on it that you can taste it!

Mmm, mmm, good!

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, 07/24/18, "Day of Praise" 

"The LORD bless you and keep you: The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-27 

If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, "stop exaggerating!" In that vein, we've probably heard, read, said, or prayed the blessing in today's verse a gazillion times, which means one thing, namely, see what somebody else has to say about it! 

And guess what I found? An article at http://www.wordsoflife.co.uk/bible-studies/study-12-the-benediction-in-numbers-624-26/

What I hear in that translation of the blessing is that God Almighty wants to serve us, guard us, guide us, provide for us, encourage us, and give us every single thing that we really and truly need to be happy. Wow! That's a lot! Almost seems exaggerated. 

Before she died in her 80's, a charter member of our church, Juanita Hoffmann, was receiving Holy Communion. After hearing a brief explanation about Communion, she asked, "Jesus did all that for me?" 

Yes, Juanita, Almighty God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, does all that for you and for all who will believe His promises (as in Communion) and His blessings (as in Numbers 6). And that's no exaggeration! 

Praise God! 

Day of Praise

Mon, 07/23/18, "Day of Praise"

Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

There's a lot in life that I don't understand. 

So much I don't understand. 

But praise God that the one thing I don't understand the most is one of God's greatest gifts to us all. I don't understand how God can give us peace in the face of tragic deaths and accidents and so many other things that life throws at us. 

And, as it turns out, it's a-okay that we don't understand how God can give us peace in the face of so many other things that life throws at us because God's peace is bigger. God's peace is bigger than your death and my death. God's peace is bigger than my life and yours. And God's peace is bigger than our lack of understanding about any of the things we don't understand. 

God's peace is bigger than we could ever understand. 

That's why you don't get God's peace with your head. You don't get God's peace with your mind. Instead you do get God's peace with your heart. You get God's peace through faith. You get God's peace through faith that, though I don't understand something, God does, and God's on it. He's got it, whatever it is; he's got it in his hands, ya know, those hands that he stretched out through Jesus to embrace a world in love, even though our world showed God that we don't understand his love, which is why we nailed his love to a tree, namely, we just flat out don't understand God's love. It boggles the mind; God's love does. But it also quiets the mind that believes God's love. His big love. His love that's bigger than our "whatever-it-is-we-don't-understand."

So, give it to him. You know what it is. It's your problems. It's whatever you don't understand that's troubling your mind. Give it to him. 

And in exchange for your troubles, he'll give you his peace.

Pretty good deal! Don't ya think? Uh, no, on second thought, don't think. Just believe. Because it's true.

Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Sat, 07/21/18, "Day of Praise" 

3 John 1:3 - "It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it."

When I was a kid, I had a coach who loved to play "Small Ball." Small Ball was what he called his philosophy for coaching little league baseball. He believed that if his own team was good at bunting, which is intentionally hitting the ball a very short distance, then the other team would never be as good at fielding the ball and getting his team out. In sum, my coach felt that making a little progress a lot of times added up to scoring runs and winning games. 

That's what God is also talking about in today's Bible verse from 3 John 1:3; a believer's "faithfulness to the truth" and continuing "to walk in it" happens one small step at a time. But small steps add up and contribute to victories.

There are small steps we all can take to claim God's promises and advance the Kingdom of God by making time every morning to 1) praise God out loud for all believers and our ministries in our various communities, 2) praise God out loud for those who he will bring to Christ through all of us each day, and finally, 3) sing the doxology out loud, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye, heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." 

Realistically, doing those three things each morning takes about one minute of time. It's Small Ball. But it's God's Small Ball, so if my baseball coach's small ball philosophy added up to victories, then how much more does God's small steps philosophy add up and contribute to victories? Indeed, that's exactly what God promises for us all--small praises to God add up to big victories for those who praise Him.

So, 1) generally speaking, I invite you to believe, as in today's verse, that "faithfulness to the truth" will bring you great blessing and victory today as you do the little things, the small steps that honor God and love others. And 2) specifically, I invite you to join a group of people who read this and are committed to daily praising God for ministries, for new believers, and by singing the doxology of praise which is a small, one minute commitment, which will advance God's Kingdom and bring blessing to us all.

Thank you all for your partnership in Christ! I praise God for 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

Friday, 07/20/18, "Day of Praise"

Jude 1:24-25 - "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

I've been blessed in life to have two fabulous parents. One of my big memories with my dad is that he traveled a lot with his job. So, when he was home, we four kids would try to get the other seat next to him at dinner. Of course, mom sat next to him too. 

Our eagerness to sit next to my dad was matched by his pride in us kids. Though I don't remember this actually happening, today's Bible verse stirs an image in me of how our dad may have displayed his pride in us kids. It's this image of a dad whose small child is walking in front of him. The child stumbles. But the dad, ever-vigilant, quickly reaches forward and keeps the stumbling child from falling to the ground. And then the dad, strongly and gently, helps the child get reset on their feet, as he looks up to see if anyone's watching so he can look at them and say, "I'm proud of my child!" I could see my dad having done that.

And, in today's Bible verse, that's what I definitely hear God saying that he does for us all in Jesus Christ. God is always ever-vigilant in walking with us each day. And when, for whatever reason, we start to stumble, God "is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy" (Jude 1:24-25). God so loves us, keeping us from falling to the ground. And then strongly and gently helping us get reset on our feet, as he looks up to see if anyone's watching so he can look at them and say, "I'm proud of my child!"

So, friends, come what may today, remember that God is with you through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. He loves you. He's watching out for you. And he'll help you stay on your feet to keep moving in the path he has planned for us in order to show all the world his great love for and pride in you!

Trust him and you'll see!

So have a great day with God. And remember to claim his blessings by praising him aloud!

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

Thur, 07/19/18, "Day of Praise"

Exodus 15:2 - "The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."

Let me ask a silly-serious question: "Have you ever felt 'down' before?" It's a silly question because I'd dare say that almost everybody has been. I know a very few people who might honestly say they've never, ever felt down. 

There are all sorts of reasons why we might feel down. But instead of listing some of those reasons, God put it on my heart last night to remind all of us what God wants all of us to do when we do feel down. 

What God wants all of us to do when we feel down is to Praise Him! 

I believe that the two main reasons that so many of you respond to this devotional, saying that it encourages you, are that 1) you're reading a scripture passage that starts all these devotions and 2) you're reading a "Praise God!" that ends all these devotions.

Whenever we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, God has ordained that three things happen, all of which we can see, at least in part, in today's Bible verse from Exodus 15:2.

First, when we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, we are claiming in faith that God is sovereign. In other words, we are declaring to whoever will listen that God is in charge. We are telling our circumstances and our adversaries that God is in charge of our life instead of anybody or anything else. And through faith in Jesus Christ, we know with utmost certainty that the God who's in charge of our life is for us. And if God is for us, who can be against us and prevail? No one! If God is for us, no one can be against us and prevail. That doesn't mean that somebody has to lose in every situation. It means that God has the power to work things out in a way that everybody wins! When we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, we are claiming in faith that God is sovereign. So, "Praise God!"

Second, when we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, we are surrendering to God's promise to lift us up above our circumstances. So when we "Praise God," whatever situation is causing us to feel down, God lifts us up above it so we can see it more clearly and see it for what it is, namely, it's not in charge of our life, but instead it's under God's sovereign rule. When we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, we are surrendering to God's promise to lift us up above our circumstances. So "Praise God!"

And finally, when we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, we are using our God-given spiritual weapon against Satan and all Satan's cronies. Satan is a deceiver. He wants to deceive us into believing things about God that are simply not true. But he woos us into believing wrong things about God because he knows that faith believes in things that can't be seen except in faith. So Satan lies to us and whispers to us that since we can't see what we want to see, then apparently God does not exist or God is not sovereign or God is not for us. To say, "Praise God!" is to say, "Satan you're a liar, and though, at the moment, I can't see what I want to see in the material realm, I know it's all there in the spiritual realm: God is, and God's sovereign, and God's for me and for all people, and my 'down' circumstances have already been defeated. God's just waiting for the right time to show me as he strengthens my faith until he does! So get behind me, Satan!" When we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, we are using our God-given spiritual weapon against Satan and all Satan's cronies. So, "Praise God!"

As a closing note about these three things that happen when we praise God by specifically saying "Praise God!" aloud, none of them are based on how we feel. So even if we're feeling down, if we'll just trust and obey God by praising him aloud, then all three of these truths become ours, and they not only battle against our "downness" but immediately stand in God's victory over our downness so that we're all the more eager to "Praise 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

Wed, 07/18/18, "Day of Praise"

Mark 1:10 - "Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove."

Today is our middle child Cassidy's 23rd birthday. A couple years ago, we got her a Cupcake Piñata. What a blast we shared as the piñata was filled with sugar free candy. This year she's in Houston, so we sent her a party in a box. Happy Birthday, Cassidy!

The whole month of July with Cassidy's and our nation's birthday celebrations are the annual reminder for our family of our oldest child, Calley, (who's now 25), ouuuuuhing and awwwing at her first fireworks when she was two years and eight months. As a little child, Calley watched the fireworks and said, "It's just like being baptized!" That was a two year old! Remembering her baptism! From when she was two months and twenty days old!

It still makes me wonder what spiritual fireworks infants see when they're baptized. But I'd guess they probably see a lot like Jesus saw in today's Bible verse from Mark 1:10 when he was baptized, and, being in tune with the Father, "Just as [he] was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove."

I wonder if others see the same. Like infants. Like the Son of God, Jesus. 

Like God wants all of us to see. Before we get into earthly adult mode. And we stop believing that God wants to show us amazing things. Like "heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on us like a dove."

But it's never too late to start seeing the things of heaven like God wants to show you. All it takes is a child-like, "I-don't-care-if-the-world-thinks-I'm-a-fool" faith in Jesus. Really!

Consider this. The Greek word that we translate "torn" in today's Bible verse from Mark 1:10 is only used in one other place in the whole Bible, Matthew 27:51, which is when Jesus dies on the cross and the curtain around the most holy place in the temple is "torn" in two, from top to bottom, from heaven to earth. 

This tearing open of heaven and seeing spiritual things come to us from God is significant!

God made the first man and woman to be able to see God and the spiritual things of heaven. It wasn't until they zoned in on eating material fruit from God's "Don't-Eat-This-One-Thing-and-You've-Got-to-Trust-Me" tree that they became blind to seeing God and his heaven.

But what the first people, who after sinning were named Adam and Eve, messed up, Jesus the Son of God, the new Adam, came to fix. Magi and shepherds come to see the infant Jesus. Simeon says he's seen salvation when he sees the young Jesus at his Presentation. Mary sees Jesus when he calls her name Easter morning. Later that day, the disciples tell Thomas, "We have seen the Lord." Stephen sees heaven opened up and Jesus standing to honor him at the right hand of the Father. And Saul, who'd be renamed Paul, sees a vision of Jesus that turns him from persecutor of Christians to persecuted Christian. 

All these people and many others saw God because they had a child-like faith, taking God at his word, as when Jesus said in Matthew 5, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." How do you get to be pure in heart? By putting a radical-trusting, childlike faith in Jesus and his saving work!

In the end, Jesus was baptized, not because he had any sin to be forgiven or a confession of faith to make in himself. Jesus was baptized for the same reason he died on that cross, namely, to testify to us all that God is eager to tear heaven open and pour out the incomparable power and authority of the Holy Spirit on all who believe. Jesus humbly stands with us (in his baptism) and pours out his infinite love (on his cross) so that his love will be as clear to us as adults as an amazing fireworks display on a beautiful starry night!

Dear God, help all of us to believe as purely as infants in our arms and as child-like adults in a starry field, receiving in awe the wonder and display of the fireworks of your love! Amen! 

Praise God!

Day of Praise

We have our weekly worship and fellowship at our house tonight at 7 pm. Please join us! God always shows up, and we pray you will too! If you need directions, please Email me at pastorchrisdegreen@gmail.com. Here's today's devotion about the love of God that compels us to joyfully open our home to all of you and our community. Might I encourage all of you to consider enjoying having people come regularly to your house too?

Tues, 07/17/18, "Day of Praise"

1 Corinthians 13 - "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

It's just Tuesday, but there's already been enough heat and downpours and upset stomachs and messes to clean up and misunderstandings and mishaps and comedy of errors in this week that it just seemed appropriate that we'd take a lesson on love from God himself through his word. Surely, all of us can gladly learn from Holy Spirit to love like Jesus more each day so the Master himself is glorified and all who we meet are blessed!

So, spread the love! Taste the joy of doing so! And have a Happy Day with Jesus!

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

Mon, 07/16/18, "Day of Praise"

Hi, Friends! This is the week for  Summer Special Camp for adults with intellectual disabilities. Amanda and I will not be serving till the Fall as Special Camp Counselors, but I couldn't help but pull up this Summer Camp memory. 

Isaiah 11:6 - "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them."

On top of the venomous snakes, Men-in-Black-sized giant bugs, and the good Lord alone knows what else, rumor has it that we have a skunk. To be more accurate, a skunk family. Living under the main water fountain that, for some reason, has a giant hole to the underground right next to it. I've been inclined to think it's an urban legend of this one twenty-something, summer-long male counselor. But the legend of the skunk is so in my head that I can't bring myself to reach into the hole that goes under the water fountain to get the ping pong ball that's in sight and clearly in reach for fear that the supposedly domesticated skunk or one of his teenage rebel sons is actually a flesh-eating stink pot set on revenge for the people who built a church camp on his great-great-grandfather skunk's property! And I don't feel so bad about it because there's another counselor here who's as big as at-one-time pro football sack leader, Reggie White, who I played with in college, and this huge almost Reggie White look-alike hasn't been in a rush to get the ping pong ball either!

Oh, I don't know, maybe it's not skunk fear at all. Maybe it's my animal lover side maturing and just wanting to leave the stinkin' thing, I mean, poor little skunky pooh alone in peace with his cute little Peppy La Pew family. 

I mean, you did hear that I saved a turtle that was plodding along a major thoroughfare on Saturday, didn't you? Yep, I sure did, Suzanne Brown and all the rest of you who think I don't like all animals just because I'm allergic to cats and got bitten by mean ol' Freckles the dog up the street when I was a kid! Yep, that turtle was trying to cross Hwy 150, looking for his son, Nemo or Yurtle or some other Disney Seuss turtle name. So my son and I did a U-e and went back and rescued that ol' guy who, at that point, had somehow concluded that his shell was stronger than two Michelin tires that should have turned him into an instant bowl of turtle goop, I mean, soup or some other scavengerish delicacy. My three times bigger and stronger than me teenage son did point out, though, that I probably didn't do the poor guy's family any favors because I put him on the opposite side of the road, so a family reunion for the Urtle family might as well have the Berlin Wall imposed between them. Oh, well!

In the end, this whole thing today is actually about today's Bible verse, where, in sum, God's saying, through Isaiah the prophet, that God's redemptive work touches all creatures, great and small, not just humans, but a bunch o' critters living in some better than Disney-Seuss kind of peace together as noted in Isaiah 11:6, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them."

And to sum the sum, God's saying that, if it's living and breathing, God cares about it -- people, skunks, turtles, and all. And I'm quite sure that God's care for all living things is true, though the first day of this beautiful camp and awesome new friends and our group name, TreeHugger5, may already be taking a toll on my ability to think rationally.

But hey, life with Jesus and especially his grace do have a little irrationality about 'em, so spread the love people, rescue the turtles, and don't bother the skunks. God is good to all creation! So, in the strength of Christ, let's us be 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

Sat, 07/14/18, "Day of Praise"

Ezra 3:11 - "With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.' And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid."

Happy Saturday! May God grant you joy, rest, and renewal!

And plan now to worship and praise him in the house of the Lord tomorrow!

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

Fri, 07/13/18, "Day of Praise"

"Jesus said, 'Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.'" -- John 6:27

So one day this charter bus full of college athletes empties right in front of my favorite, best-burger-in-the-world place, Tony's Hot Dog Shop in Pelham, Alabama. And they're all going in the wrong door; they're going into the sandwich shop next to Tony's. So I say to them, "Y'all are going in the wrong door. There you get the bread. But here you get the beef!"

In response, they say, "We've never heard of it."

And they continued into the lesser line.

And so it is with countless souls in life.

Of course, the burger is my opinion along with countless others who love Tony's, but there is no opinion about the fact that Jesus tells us in today's Bible verse that many a soul is standing in the bread line (food that perishes) instead of the satisfying beef line (food that endures).

Why would people do that? Well, like the college athlete told me, many would say, "Never heard of it."

Oh sure, people have heard of church and they've heard of Christianity. But have they heard of Jesus? The Holy Spirit? A relationship with the Living God? The Abundant Life of Faith? The unmatched joy of seeing someone come closer to the Lord when you share the only word that changes lives, which is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, who gives hope to the hopeless and dignity to the shamed and wisdom to the foolish and forgiveness to the guilty and life to the dead?

We're about to go into the world today. Everyone of us will say something to somebody.

What will we say?

Let's give em the satisfying beef, the food that endures, the good news of Jesus, and the power and hope of the Holy Spirit.

In so doing, we might all see the day when no one can say, "Never heard of it."

And that's reason to praise God indeed!

Praise God!

PS - yesterday many of you got the pictures with the devotion but not the words. For those who are interested, here are yesterday's words.

Thur, 07/12/18, "Day of Praise"

"The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork." - Psalm 19:1

Hey, Friends!

Keep your chin up so you can see both the light of God piercing through anything that's trying to block it's path along with the rainbow of God's promise to you that he will never, never, never let you down.

God is good.

All the time.

And we know this in Jesus Christ.

Praise God!

Day of Praise words for Thursday that MailChimp deleted from the pictures

Sorry! Sometimes (actually a lot of times 😀) I don't understand technology. Here's the words to today's pictures—-

Thur, 07/12/18, "Day of Praise"

"The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork." - Psalm 19:1

Hey, Friends!

Keep your chin up so you can both see the light of God piercing through anything that's trying to block the path of God's light into your life and also see the rainbow of God's promise to you that he will never, never, never let you down.

God is good.

All the time.

And we know this in Jesus Christ.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thur, 07/12/18, "Day of Praise"

"The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork." - Psalm 19:1

Day of Praise

Wed, 07/11/18, "Day of Praise"

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

What is your view of God? Where did that view come from?

Everyday I'm reminded that there's a wide range of views that people hold about God. Some aren't sure if God exists. Some believe that God is far away and disinterested. Others believe that God sits on a throne and judges, and judges harshly at that. Still others believe that God has stooped down to be with us, full of mercy and comfort.

In today's Bible verses, Paul is God's instrument for telling us that God is the "Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). It's fascinating that Paul would speak of God in such a way when we know that, earlier in his life, Paul, who was named Saul at the time, was more interested in bringing affliction to others than he was bringing comfort to anyone, especially since Saul brought that affliction to others in the name of the Lord. 

What changed Saul from seeing God as a judge, who brings affliction, to being Paul who saw God as a strong servant who brings mercy and comfort? Jesus. It's that simple. Jesus changes the way that people see God. Jesus doesn't make us see God as weak. No, to the contrary, Jesus helps us to see how strong God has to be in order to be a God of mercy and comfort. All we have to do is look at Jesus being rejected and beaten bloody, carrying his cross, and ministering to others while he was hanging on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and we'll see how strong you have to be in order to be merciful and comforting.

I was reminded of this yesterday, like everyday, in multiple conversations. People in our communities, churches, workplaces, and homes are literally starving to experience a God who knows them, warts and all, and still loves them enough to mercifully meet them in their difficult place in life and be willing to walk with them to a more healthy and comfortable place.

God's plan for people to meet and experience such a personal, loving God is us. Just like Paul says in today's Bible verses, God comes to us in Jesus so that, in the strength of Jesus, we'll meet others with God's comfort and mercy too. And somehow, God intends all of us to be blessed when we share the mercy with each other that God keeps giving us through Christ.

May your day be full of blessing as God is faithful in blessing us with mercy and comfort in Jesus so that we may share Jesus, mercy, and comfort with 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

Tues, 07/10/18, "Day of Praise"

Hebrews 11:8 - "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

It's important to know where you're going. And if you're going to give directions to anyone, yourself included, you'd best know the destination!

That's the thing in today's Bible verse from Hebrews 11:8, namely, God alone is the best one to be giving directions to all of us who want our present and final destination to be the Lord and the abundant Life that He alone has to dish out, now and forever. That's why Abraham, (who by the way was an extremely wise, wealthy, business-smart, family man), "when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

Did you get that? Abraham was more than capable of having strong family ties and running a business and getting rich, but all those personal and material treasures meant nothing to him without the only ultimate and final destination that every soul longs for, namely, fellowship now and forever with the one and only living God, who has shown us his face in and indwells us through Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit.

Abraham could've given himself direction and been his own lord, but he knew that "Destination God" requires God's direction and Lordship. Abraham wanted a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life, not an Abraham-filled and Abraham-led life, which, by the way, God's word describes as empty (not filled) and leading only in one direction which isn't life!

So, where are you going, not just today, but in life, and not just in life (little "l"), but in Life (big "L")? And who's giving you direction?

Like wise and wealthy Abraham of old, let's be careful about presuming to know more than we do.

God alone can lead us where we need and, actually in our heart of hearts, want to go!

Have you surrendered your life to the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led direction of God's Word in Jesus? Today's the day to think about it. Ask God in prayer, then listen for him!!! And God will give you today, like Abraham in olden days, the direction that leads to Life!!!

Praise God!!!

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

Day of Praise

Mon, 07/09/18, "Day of Praise"

Judges 17:6 - "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Joshua 24:15 - "[And Joshua said to all the people,] 'And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'"

Our congregation, like many other congregations, has this year's Vacation Bible School ministry in the rear view mirror. Actually, because it's an annual summer ministry there are lots of Vacation Bible Schools in the rear view mirror. And I'll never forget one of the coolest Vacation Bible Schools I've ever seen. It was like we were actually in Bible times with tents and foods and crafts. It was fantastic!

One thing I specifically remember from those days was how the teenage boys talked about the Bible times market place. They said, "It was great! We could do whatever we wanted!" As you'd imagine in this case, their choices for doing whatever they wanted were quite innocent: decorate a spinning dreidel, make a fragrance sachet, make aluminum foil money, weave baskets, make a flavored bread cake, eat Bible food like olives and figs, and more, more, more. Little kids to adults loved it! Everyone did whatever they wanted!

It was similar to today's first Bible verse from Judges 17:6, "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." Basically, everyone did whatever they wanted! The problem was that all their choices for doing whatever they wanted were not quite so innocent. So, people were a mess; people's relationships were a mess; the world was a mess.

Much like nowadays in our country. 

From something as huge as our national debt to the prevalence of the breakup of families to the small but destructive lack of manners by people in general, they're all caused by "Everyone [doing] what [is] right in his own eyes." So, people are a mess; people's relationships are a mess; the world is a mess.

But there were other witnesses in Bible days too, people like Joshua, in today's second Bible verse, who realized that they "could do whatever they wanted!" but who also realized that doing whatever they wanted would only make a mess of everything. So Joshua chose the only thing that cleans up messes and makes life better for everyone, saying, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

So, what'll it be today gang? More of a mess, or a better world at the end of the day?

Lord, please, please, please, for everyone's sake, help us to learn more of your ways and to use our freedom not to do whatever we want but instead to choose your ways that make things better!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Sat, 07/07/18, "Day of Praise"

Hebrews 10:25 - "Let us not give up worshiping together."

May God bless us all with a restful Saturday and an eagerness to gather with other believers tomorrow so we can worship God and sing praises to his name and be renewed both in Christ and also in the power of the Holy Spirit!

And remember to claim the joy of inviting someone new to worship. It's a blessing to all when you invite and an unmatched joy when they accept your invitation and come!

Happy Saturday!

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

Fri, 07/06/18, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 7:24 - Jesus said, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

After all the awesome Mexican food here in Houston as we've been with Cassidy in her first week here, I think you'll find my sweet wife, Amanda, and I doing either the Daniel Plan or the Daniel Fast, both of which come from the famous Daniel in the Bible. Keeping it simple, the Daniel Plan eats no soda, caffeine, sugar, bread, red meat, or fried foods. The Daniel Fast, additionally, eats no meat at all. 

As a part of this, I myself will probably eat a good number of bananas. (With a smile, I'll tell you that my otherwise perfect wife will not be found eating bananas.) Bananas are a simple enough food to gain energy. The thing is, you have to do something with a banana in order for it to be useful. You have to peel it, dig deeper, if you will. In essence, you need to put a little work into it. That's not unreasonable for God, the creator of bananas, to ask. And when you put a little work into it and eat it, there's a whole lot more benefit from a banana to your life than when you just kind of look at it!

God has a similar deal with his word. I myself, just like my Amanda and many others, like God's word. God's word is a simple enough food to gain energy. The thing is, you have to do something with God's word in order for it to be useful. You have to peel it, dig deeper, if you will. In essence, you need to put a little work into it. That's not unreasonable for God, the author of his word, to ask. And when you put a little work into it and eat it, there's a whole lot more benefit from God's word to your life than when you just kind of look at it!

Jesus puts it this way in Matthew 7:24, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." You can't just listen to God's word if you want the greatest benefit from it. Jesus says that you need to put a little work into it. 

You need to live God's word to gain the greatest benefit.

In the last year, I've seen people in their 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's gain more benefit from God's word than they ever dreamed by living it in one or more of these ways: memorizing it, writing it down (which is journaling), applying it (which is simply doing it), and best of all telling others both about God's Word and also the God of the Word! The more of these teachings of God's word that people do, the greater the benefit of God's word to the people who do it.

And the consistent message from all these people to anyone who will listen is simple, "Don't wait! Read and live God's word, as much as possible, while you're young."

Ultimately, God's plan is simple, namely, believe God's word, and live this word that you believe. It makes your life as strong as a rock.

And as simple as peeling a banana!

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

Thur, 07/05/18, "Day of Praise"

Romans 1:12 - "that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine."

I pray you had a great 4th of July holiday. I sure did, and I had a great time remembering some other 4th of Julys too.

One in particular that stood out for me was when I was eight. My family had gone to Florida for the first time. And one of the many things we took in was the July 4th auto race called The Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. I remember we paid for a spot on the track's infield so we didn't have the greatest view. In fact, of the two and a half miles of the track, we were only able to see about forty yards of the track. Ironically, in that small section of track, we got to see what, according to studies, everyone goes to see, namely, a wreck! But basically, if it weren't for the team of announcers on the radio, it would've been impossible for us to have a clue about the big picture of the race.

And so it is with life.

Even the most gifted overseers are really only able to see a segment of what's going on in life. Even they usually rely on some kind of advisory board to think together and consider the big picture. 

For most of us, we can see a small section (maybe forty yards) of the "track of life", but there's so much more going on in the two-and-a-half-mile reality. It's very easy, though, to start thinking that the part we see is all that there is. And when our section becomes boring or accident-riddled, it's very easy to get discouraged and start to think that all of life is that way. This is why, in today's verse from Romans 1:12, God wants us to "be mutually encouraged by each other's faith". It is only through fellowship and conversation that we're able to see the bigger picture and be encouraged when things aren't going our way. 

So amidst all that you have to do today, remember that there's more going on in life than your section of the track. Make time for people. Listen to each other. Together, consider others who are confined because they can't drive or they're hospitalized or imprisoned. Reach out to one another. Speak a word of encouragement to one another, telling of the great things that God is doing in various places and calling for faith in God's presence even when one segment looks boring or accident-riddled. 

None of us can see the big picture by ourselves. That's why God gives us to each other, "that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine" (Romans 1:12).

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

Wed, 07/04/18, "Day of Praise"

Galatians 5:1 - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."

A few thoughts.

Thank you, Father God, for looking on us and our slavery to sin with pity, mercy, and grace and then sending your Son to pay for our sin and open the Way to eternal life!

Thank you, Jesus, for setting us free from the power of sin and death and for pouring out the promised Holy Spirit!

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for guiding us and empowering us in the use of our freedom in Christ so that glory is brought to the Father and blessing is brought to all people!

Thank you, Veterans, for your willingness to pay the ultimate price of your life in order to preserve the freedoms which we have in writing but we only actually have in living because of your service to our country. I see Jesus through you!

And thank you, families of the Gold Star Salute, who have tasted the sorrow of losing a loved one in service to our country and our freedoms. I see Jesus and his saving work through your family.

Happy Birthday, America!

Thank a Veteran today! And everyday!

And thank God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, today! And everyday!

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

Thur, 07/03/18, "Day of Praise"

We're having a great time as a family this week so here's another replay from the past. 

1 Corinthians 6:7 - "To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?"

I accidentally stepped on a seed yesterday, but it's okay because there's a gazillion wheat and tomato and cantaloupe and other seeds around here as my wife, Amanda, and my mom, Carol Jane, and I have been having a ball here in Catawissa, Pennsylvania, staying with my Uncle Dale and Aunt Donna Yost on the farm where my mom and Uncle Dale and Aunts Shirley and Charlotte grew up. 

Furthermore, when I stepped on the seed, I was immediately reminded of two things. One was today's Bible verse where the question is asked, "Why does it matter if you get stepped on like a seed?" Well, that's not what it literally says, but getting stepped on like a seed is the gist of the actual question in the verse, "Why not rather be defrauded?" Being defrauded is to lose money or property or rights because someone deceived you and/or took the stuff illegally. Either way, to be defrauded is to lose; to be defrauded is to be stepped on like a seed. 

But what God's saying, through Paul in today's verse, is that, as Christians, we don't mind suffering wrong, being defrauded, and being stepped on because, as Christians, we know that we are always victorious in the Lord and God always works through all things for good. For example, a crushed tomato or cantaloupe is just the beginning of a bunch more homegrown tomatoes or cantaloupes when all those seeds are simply put into the ground! Yuuuuuuummy! This is how Christians are to walk victoriously and joyfully in every situation!

And in this vein, the other thing I'm reminded of when I see all these seeds spilling out is the fun-to-sing song, "I AM A SEED," by the David Crowder Band that we often sing in our contemporary music worship. Here are the lyrics to "I AM A SEED:"

"Oh I've been pushed down into the ground
Oh how I've been trampled down
So many feet on top of me
I can't help but sink, sink, sink

Oh I've been pushed down into the ground
Oh how I have been trampled down
Lord I put my trust in thee
You won't turn your back on me

Oh I am a seed
Oh I am a seed
I've been pushed down into the ground
But i will rise up a tree

Oh I can see it won't be long
Till I break free from what I was
Your river of grace flows endlessly
You won't turn your back on me

Oh I am a seed
Oh I am a seed
I've been pushed down into the ground
But i will rise up a tree

I've been burned up in so many fires
From these ashes I will rise
Lord your power has rescued me
For you I'll always sing

Oh I am a seed
Oh I am a seed
I've been pushed down into the ground
But I will rise up a tree

Oh I am a seed
Oh I am a seed
Won't stay long here in this earth
When you rain your love on me
Lord, rain your love on 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

Mon, 07/02/18, "Day of Praise"

Here's one of my favorite devotions from a past 4th of July week. 

1 John 3:16 - "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."

In a terrific book on relationships, "Each for the Other" by Bryan Chapell, the awesome love letter of one of the Civil War's first casualties, Sullivan Ballou, is recounted. In the following section of the letter, we can see how Ballou entered the Battle of Bull Run with total conviction about and full acceptance of the possibility that his life would be lost in the struggle for a cause that was critical for humanity, greater than him, and a worthy recipient of his life. Ballou wrote to his "very dear Sarah:"

"I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt . . ."

Ballou's letter and eventual death a week later at the first Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, remind us of a few things:

1) We are all indebted beyond measure to the vision, conviction, courage, and, yes, love for truth and humanity that ultimately characterizes our great nation's greater Veterans.

2) Ballou and our Veterans are both a reality but also a parable who point us to the ultimate Veteran of a Foreign War, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who had Divine vision, conviction, courage, and, yes, love for truth and humanity that led him to go to war against guilt, sin, fear, death, and the Evil One and his cronies, in order to defeat these enemies and set us free from the spiritual chains they held us with.

3) We are blessed to have these earthly and divine testimonies and examples that God surely gives us all in order to inspire us to live with such vision, conviction, courage, and, yes, love for truth and humanity that lead us to go to war each day against the ills of our daily lives with the ultimate weapon that is faith in, and therefore access to the power of, Jesus Christ, which is the Holy Spirit!

Think about it! And do it!

Happy Fourth of July Week!

May God grant us victory in all our variously-sized battles for truth and life!

Praise God!