Day of Praise

Th, 10/10/13, "Day of Praise"

Jesus said, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." - Luke 14:33

I'm standing next to the copy machine with my friend, Neal. I stick some papers into the feeder to make copies and push "print". The machine kicks into action, but my papers don't move into the feeder. However, a copy does pop out, but, of course, it's blank.

I looked at Neal and matter-of-factly said, "Well, there's tomorrow's Day of Praise." Neal looked at me and started laughing. I said, "Hey, that's a great parable for how much of Christ we image to the world when we're not engaged. Nothing."

And it's true. Just like the papers were laying there on the copier feeder but weren't touching the "grabber" that the papers needed to touch and therefore the image that came out was a blank, so too when our lives are full of religious activity but aren't touching the "grabber" (the Holy Spirit) that our lives need to touch, then the image the world sees is a blank.

That's why, in today's verse, Jesus says, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples" (Luke 14:33). When we're not engaged to Jesus and his work of pouring God's word into others and breathing the Holy Spirit into others, it's impossible for us to produce an image of him and his life-giving work.

The reason we care about our lives producing an image of Christ and his life-giving work is that God made us for that very purpose, as God attests in the very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1, and in countless places in the Bible after Genesis 1. And since God made us for it, our hearts are starving to live lives that produce an image of Christ and his life-giving work.

So what are we to do?

Start by acknowledging that you know you're not engaged with Christ as you ought to be (because who of us sinners is?). But then, thank God for showing us (by Jesus pouring out every drop of blood on the cross and then by pouring out every ounce of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection) that God is fully engaged with us. And then ask God to do what it's impossible for us (or a copy machine) to do, namely, produce his image and reflect his glory in and through our lives by pouring us out and filling us with himself. (And repeat, over and over, until Jesus comes again.)

Jesus said, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." - Luke 14:33

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

We, 10/09/13, "Day of Praise"

"But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold." - Psalm 73:2

Have you ever had a close call? Ya know, an "Oh, I can't believe what almost happened" moment?

Yesterday, I'd parked in the short driveway of a young family next to the large van that's a work vehicle for him. After our visit, I was backing out very slowly but couldn't see because of the work van. I'd barely pulled back toward the sidewalk when, in my right rear view mirror, I saw two very small children flash past on the sidewalk merely inches from the back of my car. "Oh, I can't believe what almost happened!" My heart almost stopped as the near-tragedy flashed through my mind. God alone could be thanked for the horror that didn't happen. Barely.

In today's verse, the psalmist is inspired to tell of their "Oh, I can't believe what almost happened" moment. In their case, the horrors were constantly happening, namely, those who did wrong were prospering while those who did right were scraping by. And then, the psalmist got so wrapped up in how unfair life often is that he almost tasted a worse tragedy, namely, he almost gave up faith in the power and goodness of the living and almighty God. "Oh, I can't believe what almost happened," says the psalmist, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold" (Psalm 73:2).

The psalmist continues saying that all the unfairness of life "troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood" (Psalm 73:16-17). In other words, when the psalmist surrendered to the nudge of the spirit (instead of quenching the spirit) and he went to God's house, the sanctuary, to worship God, then the near-tragedy of renouncing the faith and giving up on God was averted.

The real, but lesser, tragedies of unfairness in a fallen, sinful world had still happened, but the greater tragedy of giving up on God was prevented and warded off.

So, what would have happened if the near miss had happened yesterday? What would have happened if I'd accidentally hit and brought injury or worse to those three and four year old kids who innocently zoomed past on the sidewalk? Would I have kept faith? Would their parents have any faith to draw on? Or would the wrongs and pains of a broken world break us down? We'll never know in that one case.

But near misses sadly hit everyday. People are hurt or worse everyday.

How do you deal with it? How do you endure? How do you keep from becoming bitter? How do you walk with a friend who already has?

God says, "Come to my sanctuary! Run to me and my word! Call on my name, believing! Speak my word of hope to another!"

Through God and his word alone is the ultimate near-miss averted.

Run to him, friends. Pursue him. Worship him. Listen to his word. And find the strength and the hope to press on.

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Tu, 10/08/13, "Day of Praise"

"So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner." - Matthew 20:10-11

Football. Baseball. Basketball. Soccer. Sports teach lots of lessons.

There's one lesson, though, that I don't remember learning and that I rarely hear much about. It's the lesson on the power of a loss to invalidate time.

Take this past sports weekend, for example. On Saturday, my favorite college football team lost on the very last play of the game. On Sunday, my favorite pro football team lost on the very last play of the game. On Monday, my favorite pro baseball team lost on the very last at bat of the other team. Though I didn't watch the whole game of any of those three games, they were a combined twelve hours of the best contests that any sports fan could ever hope to see. But because of the power of a loss to invalidate time, that twelve hours turned into the biggest waste of time a human being could ever experience. The power of a loss to invalidate time says that time slipped away because of my team losing.

That's the tragedy in today's Bible reading. The workers who were hired first worked twelve hours that day. Clearly, in the parable, they should have been the most glorious twelve hours that a human being could experience. But in creeps the power of a loss to invalidate time. The workers who were hired first and worked twelve hours saw that those who got hired later and worked a lot less got paid what the first workers were promised they'd get paid. So when the first workers saw that they got paid exactly as all the others, then the first workers felt that they'd lost, and that loss totally invalidated the time they'd worked in the garden.

Lesson: No it doesn't. A loss at the end doesn't invalidate all the great things that preceded it.

My three favorite teams lost in the end, but the loss does not invalidate the fact that they played amazing games that both my son and I will remember forever. The Atlanta Braves suffered one of those losses! and it ended their season, but the loss doesn't invalidate the fact that they had a terrific season. The first workers in the parable thought they might get more in the end, but their perceived loss of pay does not invalidate the fact that they had a wonderful day in God's garden.

Too bad they refused to see it that way.

Friends, sometimes the ending is not what you had in mind to start with, but God sees to it that the loss at the end doesn't invalidate the good things that preceded the end.

Hey, my marriage ended in divorce three years ago, but the sour end doesn't invalidate a lot of great things in those 23 years, especially my three most amazing kids. A forced retirement or job transition doesn't invalidate all the good work that you did over the course of your career. A failed test doesn't invalidate the things that you did learn, (but you probably need to learn a wee bit more before the next test. :-) )

And Jesus's death on the cross doesn't invalidate all that he revealed and taught, along with all the people that he saved and healed before he was crucified. In fact, his loss on the cross opened the door to a victory for us which gave eternal life now and everlasting time with God.

Do you see the irony? In Jesus Christ, the power of a loss or bad ending (the cross) is the power both to validate all that preceded it and also to give back even more time to those who will believe.

So, come what may today, remember that a bad ending doesn't invalidate all the good things before it, and, as we see in Jesus, that bad ending may just be the beginning of something 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

Mo, 10/07/13, "Day of Praise"

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31

If things get tough today, remember this: God is for you!

We had Holy Communion instruction for our parents of fifth graders and older at church yesterday. Holy Communion is a reminder of two things. First, Holy Communion is a reminder of Jesus's death on the cross where Jesus showed us that God is totally for us. Second, Holy Communion is a reminder from Jesus himself that God's promise to us in Holy Baptism is still true, namely, God is totally for you.

It's not just that God is giving us something that we must respond to. Ya know, like, "Here, ya go. This is for you." No, in Holy Baptism and Holy Communion God is saying, "Hey Kiddo, I not only have something for you, but I myself am for you!"

Knowing that someone is for you makes a difference. Knowing that God is for you changes everything.

I still remember a boy named Brandon on a little boys tee ball team that I coached in a recreational league one summer in college. He played for us at shortstop, which, at that age, means he's the best at fielding the ball. But he missed a ball on one play and was pelted with criticism from a family member. Even as a little boy, Brandon had latched onto the truth and called out to his critics, saying "Coach would say that I did a good job even getting to the ball!" In essence, if I know my coach is for me, I don't care who is against me.

When we are for each other, believing in one another and passing on genuine affirmations, the people around us walk in unheard of confidence and can stand up respectfully to the harshest of critics and the hardest of trying matters.

So how much moreso is it true? When God is for us, believing in us through Jesus's death on the cross and passing on genuine affirmations in Baptism and Holy Communion, well, then who can legitimately be against us?

Walk tall today, friends, walk tall! And if things get tough today, remember this: God is 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

Sa, 10/05/13, "Day of Praise"

"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister." - Romans 14:13

So, I go into the bank, fill out my cash withdrawal slip, walk through the Disney World line, walk toward the inviting teller, and put my driver's license and withdrawal slip on the teller's counter. He pulls both my license and the slip towards himself with the slip being closer to himself and my license placed right above it, like he's dealing a hand of Black Jack. He says, "So you'd like $50 from checking [as I see on the slip], Mr. DeGreen [as I see your name on your license]?" I respond affirmatively.

But then (we'll call him) Travis says, "Could I see your I.D. please?"

And now I'm confused. So I look at him with my world-famous I-look-dumber-than-I-usually-do look. Then (we'll still call him) Travis wakes up and says, "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm thinking. I have your I.D. right here."

Well, I know what he's thinking. We'll still call him Travis is thinking that I'm just like everybody else, namely, nobody ever shows I.D. without being asked.

And y'all know that this has nothing to do with me wanting to win a "Best Bank-Customer" Award. It has to do with the fact that "oh we of little faith" start pre-judging people at an early age; (we'll still call him Travis could not have been over 22). At a very early age, we taste things that irritate, annoy, or hurt from a person or two or ten, and we start saying, "Oh, everybody's that way."

And, because we start lumping people together (because it's easier), we miss out on a whole lot of blessings.

The worst of it is when a person or two or ten does something that irritates, annoys, or hurts us, and we throw God into the lump. Ya know like, "Eeeehh, people always have ulterior motives, so God does too. People use ya, then they leave ya, so God does too. People can't be trusted, so God can't either."

What are we doing? We're judging God, and lumping God in with everyone else; we're lumping God in with sinners. And in so doing, we miss out on the blessing that's right under our nose, namely, seeing the face of God with us in the face of Jesus Christ...

which, by the way, is a whole lot better looking face than the one that was under let's still call him Travis's nose. :-)

But, let's be clear, not judging God so we can see the blessing of his face starts by not judging others so we can see the blessing of their face.

"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister." - Romans 14:13

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fr, 10/04/13, "Day of Praise"

"When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." - Matthew 9:36

Friday, Fun-day, Food-day, Faith-day.

Maybe some of you are going out to eat tonight. When my kids and I go out to eat, we sure don't know how to pronounce every food, but we get quite tickled when we hear what we're pretty sure are hack-jobs.

Courtesy of the following web page (http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2013/02/the-10-most-frequently-mispronounced-foods.html) here are my six favorite most frequently mispronounced foods:
6. Bruschetta: (broo-sket-tah, not broo-shedda),
5. Espresso: (e-spres-oh, not ex-presso),
4. Chipotle: (chi-poht-ley, not chi-pottel),
3. Beignet: (ben-yay, not beg-net),
2. Gyro: (yee-row or zheer-oh, but not ji-ro),
1. Quesadilla: (key-suh-dee-uh, not kwes-ah-dilla).

To hack the pronunciation of a menu item is like saying to a waiter, "I don't even know what I'm asking for. But I'm trusting you to figure it out."

It's a lot like the people in today's Bible verse. They came to Jesus really not even knowing what they were asking for, but they trusted Jesus to figure it out. So Jesus had compassion on them. In the comparable passage in Mark 6:34, it's written that Jesus showed them compassion by "teaching them many things."

I don't know. Maybe he was teaching them how to pronounce the six spiritual foods that many people don't even know are on the menu:
1. Manna (ˈmænə): the food in Deuteronomy 8:3 that God uses "to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."
2. Tithe (taɪð): a wise friend reminded me yesterday that sometimes people need to come to their own conclusions, and so it is with the tithe. Read Malachi 3:10 for yourself, and see how the whole tithe is clearly referred to as a food that every human being should be sure to both eat and give away because of the promised blessing that's within.
3. Obedience (əˈbiː.di.əns): again, read it for yourself in John 4:34, "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." It is a rare, but blessed person, who sees doing God's will as a way to get fed and energized.
4. Righteousness (ˈraɪ.tʃəs-nəs), specifically the righteousness worked in us by God's grace and received in faith. Such is the only conceivable food that Jesus could be referring to in John 6:27 when he says, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
5. Holy Communion (kəˈmjuː.ni.ən): the food where Jesus gives himself, along with the benefits of forgiveness, victory over the power of sin and the power of death, and abundant life in the kingdom of God. This feast is what Jesus offers in Matthew 26:26 where "Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'"
6. Prophecy (prɒk.ləˈmeɪ.ʃən)/Proclamation (prɒk.ləˈmeɪ.ʃən): God's life-changing word is a food so sweet to your tongue when you speak it, but it might turn your stomach sour, especially when people don't want to hear God's Word, except in the tone, style, substance, and frequency of their choosing. I'm just telling you what God says in Revelation 10:9: "So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, 'Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but "in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."'"

So there you have your food choices from the menu that is God's Holy Bible. Think of God's food as you have fun trying to pronounce and fun listening to others pronounce some of your favorite foods on Friday, Fun-day, Food-day, Faith-day.

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Th, 10/03/13, "Day of Praise"

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21

Car communication is often hilarious. Yesterday, I was stuck behind a sweet ride going twenty-five miles per hour in a forty-five zone. Their license plate said, "Hustln". Get it? Irritatingly slow-moving car (or was it a dangerous car?) that proclaims to be hustling!

Well, even if you don't get the irony with that license plate, it's usually the bumper stickers that make us laugh anyway. I've seen a bumper sticker that said, "I Go Where I'm Towed". Since I own two cars with a combined 525,000 miles, I really chuckled at that one. Or how about this? "As long as there are tests, there will always be prayer in schools!" And then there's the municipal vehicle with this: "Touching wires causes death: $200 fine".
But every once in a while, I'll see a bumper sticker that makes me laugh and also compels me to talk back to the driver of the car. Like yesterday, the bumper sticker said, "I'd rather be at Camp McDowell." And even though I've been to Camp McDowell and was richly blessed by my Cursillo Retreat there, I couldn't restrain myself, so I said, "But you're not!"

I mean, is there anyone out there reading this right now who would rather be someplace other than where you are? Maybe you're at work, and you'd rather be, well, anyplace else. Maybe you're in school taking a test, (then you shouldn't be reading this right now!), and you'd rather be at lunch or P.E.! Maybe you're in Thursday, and you'd rather be at Saturday. Maybe you're in Detroit, and you'd rather be in Florida. But you're not!

This is exactly what the Holy Spirit inspired St. Paul to address in today's Bible verse. A lot of people were losing a lot of life by wishing it away, saying "I'd rather be, well, elsewhere." So St. Paul responded by basically saying, "I understand. In fact, my situation is so bad right now that I'm tempted to just want to die. To die would be gain! But since I'm here and not somewhere else, I might as well make the best of it. So Jesus, do your thing through me. To live is Christ!"

In essence, Paul was staking his claim on Jesus's promise, which were Jesus's last words recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, "I am with you always, even to the ends of the earth!"

So, you may want to be someplace else, but you're not. And Jesus is with you right where you are. So, do like Paul, and appeal to Jesus to do his thing through you. Then as Jesus does something wonderful, the next thing you know, you'll probably be glad you're there.

Bumper sticker: "I'd rather be right where I am, right here 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

We, 10/02/13, "Day of Praise"

"Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Simon,' he said to Peter, 'are you asleep? Couldn't you keep watch for one hour?'" - Mark 14:37

Today is Wednesday. At twelve noon, you will find yourself as far as one can be from the rest and renewal that is known, for most, as the weekend. At noon Wednesday, the weekend will be both two and a half days behind you and also two and a half days in front of you. Yes, it's a simple thought, but it calls us to think about both our hunger for rest and also what we might do when rest is far, far away.

In today's Bible verses, Jesus is as far from rest as he'd ever be. Jesus's primary source of rest and renewal was in relationships, and yet Jesus was beginning to taste a growing distance from three key relationships: 1) the Twelve disciples, 2) humanity as a whole, and 3) most of all, God the Father. Moreover, as Jesus begins to move toward his death on the cross, he finds himself at the point where 1) the disciples have literally started to fall asleep on him instead of hanging in there with him, 2) the sin and unfaithfulness of all humanity are beginning to weigh on Jesus as the full force will then crush him on the cross, and 3) the consequence of our sin will require that Jesus, God's Son, will taste being forsaken by the Father as Jesus will cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus is far, far away from rest. And he's tasting it in the weariness of isolation.

As a pastor, I hear people talk about their own extreme weariness and isolation. To be sure, people are around, but to many, it feels like friends are "falling asleep," and humanity is in its "I've got my own troubles" mode, and God seems, well, distant. Rest seems, and is, far, far away.

I hear this not just from people who live alone and not just from single parents but also from "well-connected" people and from married couples, who speak of sitting in the same room but feeling miles and miles apart.

The worst part, as Jesus experienced in today's Bible verse, is when no one cares to listen and no one seems to care.

What are we to do? We're to do what Jesus did. We're to stop and remember, "Hey, this is why I'm here!" For Jesus, it was being the light of the world, a light shining in the darkness. As he says in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." For us, Jesus says, we're to let the light of Christ shine through us, as in Matthew 5:16, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

If life in the world can be wearying for the Son of God, who became like us in every way except without sin, then life in the world can be wearying for us. But as rest seems far away, let us look to Jesus, who, even in his weariness, is both light for our darkness and a reminder of why we're here, namely, to shine the light of Jesus into a world that sorely needs it.

May God bless you today! Jesus, your rest and your light and your strength, is near!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Tu, 10/01/13, "Day of Praise"

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

In one short little verse, God says that transgressions, iniquities, punishment, and the need for healing are the things that belong to us. And in that same verse, God says that there is one who will be pierced and crushed for us in order to bring us the peace and healing we need.

How might we understand this?

I remember consciously thinking and telling people how I'd never had one stitch in my first eleven years of life. And then in the next ten years, it was like it was inevitable, and I got more stitches than, as they say, you could shake a stick at: a surgery in my midsection, another surgery in my midsection, a huge gash in my left shin from jumping a fence, another gash in my thigh from falling out of a tree, surgery on a badly broken ankle, surgery on a badly broken cheek and jaw, multiple broken noses, multiple broken ribs, stitches over my right eye, then my left, and then my right again, and a feeling that stitches and I just were born for each other.

I became so thankful for a mother who bandaged, a father who provided medical insurance, and doctors and nurses who knew how to stitch up my accidental, but still real wounds.

And so it is with sin and the need for a healer of the soul.

We might have a run where we feel really good about our thoughts, our decisions, and our actions; ya know, we feel like we're good people, and we've got this sin thing conquered.

But it's inevitable! Spiritually speaking, here comes a punch in the gut, a kick in the shins, the jumping of a boundary fence that plainly said "stay out", a falling from our high horse, a broken heart, various other wounds to our pride, a plank in our right eye, a splinter in our left, and then a poke in the right eye again, and an overall feeling that the need for spiritual stitches and us were just born for each other.

Ever since the first man and woman, way back at the beginning, used their God-given freedom to think and decide and act in ways that wounded their relationship with God, all us people are all under this condition called "depravity," which means both that we're totally helpless to avoid sinning and also that we're certainly helpless to stitch up and heal our soul and our God relationship. It is the human condition. It is inescapable. We can't get out of our own way. We are sinners to the core. And it is good for us not to deny but to understand ourselves as sinners in this way because Jesus himself said in Matthew 9:12, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

To deny our sinfulness is to deny our need for a healer.

And, boy oh boy, do we need a healer. Maybe not for a season when you're feeling good about how good you are and how good you're doing and how good things are going.

But it's inevitable and inescapable that we will see the truth plainly again.

We need a Healer for our every wound.

And that's just what we have in Jesus Christ and the wounds he bore unto death on the cross.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Mo, 09/30/13, "Day of Praise"

"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance." - John 20:1

Hmmmm! So Mary Magdalene started her week in the dark with a huge obstacle in the way of where she wanted to go. But she went anyway.

There's at least two ways to look at what she did. One way is that she said, "Hunh, it's dark out, and I know there's a huge stone, that I can't move, in front of the tomb. But I'm going to see Jesus anyway." And she did that, trusting that, since her intent was divinely good, then somehow it would all work out. The second way is that she was so focused on going to see Jesus that she didn't even notice that it was dark outside and didn't remember the huge stone. In other words, with her eyes on Jesus, she didn't even notice the obstacles. Either way, it all worked out. Either way, that's how she started her week.

How are you starting your week? Is there a little bit of darkness? Are you in the dark about some important matters ahead? Is there a large, heavy obstacle in your path? Is there something blocking your way that is bigger than you yourself can remove?

Hey, what would it hurt to try what Mary did? Let's all put our eyes on Jesus to start the week, and I'll bet my last dime, (if I was a betting man, which I'm not), that God will show every last one of us that he's got it all under control and will lead us where we need to go.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us, we pray, to start our week with a deep breath for our lungs and our eyes set on you. Shine light in our darkness. And use your mighty hand to nudge our obstacles out of the way. To you, O Lord, be the glory.
In Jesus's name,
Amen

Have a great day!

Praise God!

(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, 09/28/13, "Day of Praise"

"As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel." - Joshua 5:1

It still ranks as one of the top ten horrifying things I've ever seen.

He was the smallest of our neighborhood playmates, and he'd stumbled into a beehive. It didn't matter that he really hadn't stumbled into it; he had messed with something he shouldn't have. What mattered is that the smallest of our neighborhood playmates was absolutely and totally surrounded by a cloud of swarming bees. Moreover, as he started to run up our street, he was flailing his arms like one of those twenty-feet high cloth men that businesses stick at the street and blow air into so that people are attracted to the business and distracted from safe driving. He was flailing all the way up the street and back because the swarm was easily keeping pace.

I distinctly remember having nightmares for months about an even bigger swarm that was chasing a flailing me.

I also remember that, at some time around then, God impressed on my heart that God is for the little guy, and not necessarily for the little guy as it applies to size and stature. But God is for those who are surrounded by larger forces and powers and swarms that try to distract us from faith.

That's what the Amorites and Canaanites were to the Israelites in today's verse. They were larger forces and powers and swarms that tried to distract the Israelites from faith. But God would have none of it. God struck fear in the hearts of those enemies, in the hearts of those larger forces and powers and swarms that tried to distract the Israelites from faith.

And God does the same today. What's swarming around and beating down on you? Take heart! God will strike fear in our enemies today just like he did in days of old!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fr, 09/27/13, "Day of Praise"

"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." - 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Busted!

I don't even remember how I did it, but somehow I broke a decorative cologne container on my dad's bathroom counter. I do remember feeling horrible and trying (unsuccessfully) to hide it. I think I was eight.

Now, fast forward to today, literally yesterday. I, who tried to hide a broken cologne decanter from my father, accidentally busted someone who was breaking something far worse. And they were older than eight. My stumbling into this had nothing to do with my being a Father, er, I mean, pastor. I was just doing what people do nowadays. I was just checking in and saying, "Hi!" (People do that, don't they?)

And yet, there was a worse problem. The bigger problem was that they thought that they got away with it. But the only thing they got away with was deceiving themselves.

Why do people do stuff like this? And then why do we try to hide the messed up stuff we do?

It's because we turn a deaf ear to our Heavenly Father's call "to live lives worthy of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:12). We get so wrapped up in the life that the world urges us to live that we lose perspective on what truly is significant.

And yet, that's what we hunger for. We hunger for significance. And God's word, in today's Bible verses, is telling us plainly that the only way we'll find the significance for which we long is when we stop trying to hide everything that's broken in our lives, from cologne containers to relationships, and tell our Heavenly Father that we need help. And then trust Him to help us.

But praise God that, every once in a while, a significant man or woman is exposed to the world through their brokenness.

A University of Florida, star football player, Dominique Easley, a potential first-round 2014 professional football draft pick, suffered a season-ending injury in a noncontact drill at his team's practice on Tuesday.

But clearly, the once probable (but who knows now?) millionaire has his priorities straight and understands what is most significant in life. While still tasting the freshness of his broken body and broken season, the senior defensive tackle tweeted: "Gatornation thank you for all 4 yrs of sticking with me but god has something else planned for & have no worries #believe." (Check out
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/26/3651048/gators-tackle-dominique-easley.html). In essence, Easley has used this injury to parlay whatever significance football has had for him into an opportunity to testify that trusting God, no matter what happens in life, has greater significance for him.

Our country needs more men, like Dominique Easley. Easley knows how to convert the brokenness of earthly things into something greater, like a testimony to the greatest things, which include the truth that God makes the greatest men out of the brokenness that destroys lesser men.

For those who know the sports world, you fully understand the significance of what I'm about to say since I'm a University of Tennessee graduate, former Tennessee football walk-on, and current Tennessee fan. My newest hero attends the University of Florida. And his name is Dominique Easley, who's proven himself, through brokenness, to be a man of true significance.

"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." - 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

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

Th, 09/26/13, "Day of Praise"

"Peace to all of you who are in Christ." - 1 Peter 5:14

Wow! Some of you have started asking for Day of Praise reflections from particular verses. We'll trust God's timing and insight in responding to your heart's request because generally we can only do one verse at a time. May God grant us peace, as in today's verse.

Now, about today's verse.

I'm embarrassed.

But not too much. And certainly not so much that I won't reveal the source of embarrassment, namely, my Christmas tree, with all its decorations, is still up in my bedroom. It is not some lazy rationalization to say that I like "Christmas" year round because my training is that "Christmas" literally means "Christ sent for fellowship with us." Therefore, my Christmas tree is a visible reminder when I go to bed and when I wake up that God is ever faithful in sending His Son year round to dwell in my home and my heart and your home and your heart.

Whether you have a Christmas tree up or not, I praise God for your testimonies that you value the same. I praise God that so many of you speak of being thankful for God's faithfulness in sending His Son year round to dwell in your home and your heart and my home and my heart.

Like one of you, who told me yesterday, that your teenager, who had become apathetic at best and hostile at worst toward Christ, came to you, not feeling well at all, and in essence cried out for you to pray for them. Only Christ in a home can do that. Only Christ in a home can move someone from apathetic-or-hostile-to-Christ to asking for Christ to help.

And another of you who told me and others the day before that your spouse continues to be drawn from apathetic-or-hostile-to-Christ to asking for more ways to serve with those who boldly and unashamedly speak of Christ and are constantly travelling down the street and farther to serve him.

Only Christ can transform that which, in essence, was dead, being apathetic-or-hostile-to-Christ, and raise it up to new life. That's why we, and all people, need and value Christ in our home. And that's why we value anything, no matter how embarrassing, like a year-round Christmas tree, that celebrates and reminds us that "Christ was sent for fellowship with us" and that God is ever faithful in sending His Son year round to dwell in my home and my heart and your home and your heart.

Because Christ, dwelling in our homes, changes things that need to be changed.

"Peace to all of you who are in Christ." - 1 Peter 5:14

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

We, 09/25/13, "Day of Praise"

"You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.'" - Psalm 27:8

"Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice." - Proverbs 29:26

Point: God calls us to "seek his face" (Psalm 27:8) because through a face to face encounter with the Lord alone are things in our lives truly made right (Proverbs 29:26).

When I was very small and we lived in Memphis, TN, my parents would take us tadpole hunting. Ya know, searching for baby frogs. We'd catch 'em, bring 'em home, and watch 'em grow up.

I also remember searching for baseball cards for my collection, for pro football stickers for a big book that was a gas station promotion, and for coins like wheat pennies and 1964-and-earlier silver quarters.

Searching for many things is fun. Searching for God is critical.

I've experienced many folks through the years who call the church and want something, obviously believing that the church has a willingness to help, whether it's with food or a place to get married or the baptism of their child. I've also experienced how most of these inquirers have every desire to see the generosity of God's people, but these inquirers have no desire to become a contributor to God's work. I never get mad. But it does make me sad because, though I'm thrilled that people recognize that a church is a good place to get something, I see that many don't understand that a church is a good place to give something.
No church is perfect; every church is filled with sinners for whom Jesus died. But a church is a place to search for more than coins, baseball cards, tadpoles, and stickers. A church is a place to seek God. And our searching for God is critical because God says that our search for God leads us to discover that God has first and ever-faithfully been searching for us.

Let me say it again; our search for God leads us to discover that God has first and ever-faithfully been searching for us.

Searching for many things is fun. Searching for God is critical.

"You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.'" - Psalm 27:8

"Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice." - Proverbs 29:26

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Tu, 09/24/13, "Day of Praise"

"You in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish." - Luke 16:25

I have this penchant.

No, I don't mean a pendant. I mean a penchant. A pendant is something suspended from something else, ya know, like an ornament or a piece of jewelry. A penchant is a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.

I have this penchant. Specifically, I have a penchant, a tendency to be helpfully unhelpful. Ya know, I've got this ability to show up in a kitchen right after everything has been set on the table and ask if I can be helpful. Or I show up at the sink right after the last dish has been scraped, rinsed, and placed in the dishwasher and ask if there's a way I can help. Ya know, perfect timing. It's a penchant, a tendency to being helpfully unhelpful.

I feel bad about this penchant of mine. I really do, but not too much, because I've seen and heard that others have the exact same penchant.

Like yesterday, for example, I stopped by a retired friend who had visited a European cathedral with thirty or so steps up to the front door. And at the top of the steps was a sign for the handicapped that pointed them to an assistance desk once they got to the top of the stairs. I think that qualifies. Helpfully unhelpful.

Additionally, earlier in the morning, I was asked to share a prayer at a local Senior Center Octoberfest. (In German, it's spelled Oktoberfest; so said a Grouchy German known as SauerKraut.) When I stepped in the Men's Room to wash up before lunch, I spotted a button high on the wall between two stations. The sign with it said, "FOR ASSISTANCE, PUSH BUTTON." So, uh, somebody help me out here. How exactly is that button supposed to help? I think that qualifies. Helpfully unhelpful.

See I'm not alone in my penchant.

It's a good thing God has a different penchant. God has shown us through Jesus that God has a penchant, a strong or habitual liking or tendency to do something, namely, to actually be helpful!

In fact, in today's verse, that's what "Lazarus" means. The name "Lazarus" means "God helps me." Lazarus had a hard earthly life: laid up, stepped on, stepped over, sore-riddled, poverty-riddled. But Lazarus trusted God's penchant to actually be helpful. And through faith, Lazarus received much help from God: to endure, to persevere, to keep the faith, to inspire, to have courage, to speak wisdom, to find comfort.

What's your penchant? Many of you have told me your penchant, your tendency is to attract things like stress-producing people, life-complicating problems, and when-will-these-end annoyances. But, hey, don't ask me what to do about your penchant. Remember, I have a penchant to be helpfully unhelpful.

Instead, take a hint from Lazarus, who had a penchant for faith in God. And Lazarus had faith in God because God has a penchant to actually be helpful!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Mo, 09/23/13, "Day of Praise"

"And when [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" - John 20:22

Yaaay! It's Monday! I'm cheering because I have a secret formula in order for you to have a great Monday.

Are you ready? Are you sure? I mean this is heavy stuff. It's pretty complicated. Drum rooooooooooll!

Okay, the secret formula in order for you to have a great Monday iiiiiiis...

Breathe!

Yes, breathe; breathe in, and breathe out!

In the spirit of simplicity, in today's Bible verse, Jesus came into a situation that was not what he liked. It was not ideal, so he breathed life into it.

In our case, when we come to a situation today that we don't like, then we start by breathing in, which is, as Jesus puts it, receiving the Holy Spirit that God is breathing onto the situation. Then after we take a deep breath, believing that God and God's Holy Spirit alone can truly change anything for good, we then breathe out, which is simply to speak life into a situation. Just as the Bible book of Proverbs contains verse after verse testifying to the death that we negatively breathe into situations when we lie and deceive and have a sour attitude, so too does God's word testify to the life that we positively breathe into situations when we encourage and speak honestly and have a cheerful attitude.

In sum, because God has already poured out his spirit and continues to do so, the quality of your Monday is in your hands, er, I mean, breath.

God has breathed out life so that we can breathe in life from God, and then we can breathe out life to others through the day.

Happy Monday!

"And when [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" - John 20:22

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Sa, 09/21/13, "Day of Praise"

"[Jesus said,] 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.'" - Matthew 11:28

Aaahh! Rest!!! I am ready for some today, as I'm sure you are, too.

However, there's room for work. A lot of work!

But not in the way you think.

A great friend, who reads and responds to this devotion everyday, sent me another website devotion on my birthday, (http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/page/7/). At the heart of that devotion is this teaching that I have claimed everyday since: "The rest Jesus offers is not a spiritual sleep aid. The Greek word for this kind of rest is 'anapauo' which has as one of its definitions, 'of calm and patient expectation.'"

Now, here's what that teaching has unleashed for me, Pastor Chris, everyday. If Jesus is offering us the "rest" that is "calm and patient expectation," then Jesus doesn't want us to rest on a weekend by blocking out and forgetting about our work from a week. In each day, Jesus doesn't want us coming home and resting by drifting into a mind-numbing session of television. And for those of you who are retired, Jesus doesn't want you saying, "I'm so glad that I don't have to work anymore, and now I get to rest!"

What Jesus wants for you is a weekend, an evening, or a retirement of rest that is filled with "calm and patient expectation" that your labors have not been in vain because your work has borne fruit, is bearing fruit, and will bear fruit. After all, is there anything more wearying (even downright depressing) than giving and giving and giving of your time and your talents and your energies for a corporation or a business or a volunteer organization or a family member or just some poor soul in need that you're trying to help and then finding out that it was all a waste of your time and talent and energy? Well, in Jesus Christ, you can "rest" assured with "calm and patient expectation" that if your labors have not already borne fruit, Jesus promises that they will!

This is the rest that God enjoyed on Day 7 of Creation as described in Genesis 1 & 2; God was resting with "calm and patient expectation" that his labors had borne fruit, were bearing fruit, and would always bear fruit! And that's the same rest that he calls us to enjoy in the Ten Commandments with the Sabbath rest. And that's the same rest in today's Bible verse from Jesus.

So, knowing with calm and patient expectation that your work has not been in vain, enjoy your evening, your weekend, your retirement!

"[Jesus said,] 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.'" - Matthew 11:28

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fr, 09/20/13, "Day of Praise"

"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need." - Malachi 3:10

After reading today's verse, I bet you think this devotion is about tithing. Well, it's not. Almost.

It's about windows.

In today's verse, God calls us to trust him with our material resources so we can see him open the windows of heaven with blessing. Hmmm, windows of heaven. What's a window of heaven?

Last night, I went down to Auburn to visit with my daughter, Calley, at her invitation. Her new apartment is on the third floor with a large living room window that faces the parking lot.

At the moment I saw her new apartment window, the wheels of my heart raced back years to the days when Calley was a preschooler with an upstairs bedroom window that faced the street. Every morning when I left for work, Calley would get out of bed, go over to her window, pull back the blinds, and wave goodbye to me. As I pulled out of the driveway and started down the street, I would drive molasses-in-January slow and savor the exchange with my Calley Bear for as long as I possibly could.

Last night was no different. It started by my hoping that, when it was time for me to head back to Birmingham, my now almost 21-year-old daughter would remember those window-waving days from years ago and repeat them. And oh, how my heart sang when it was time to head home. I pulled out of my parking spot, looked up, and there was my little girl. And even though she's a young lady who's preparing to bless the world as a missionary, she looked just as sweet with her wave as when she was small and very young and being sheltered from the world.

I drove as slow as molasses in January.

Sure, the four-hour trip cost me some money and some sleep, but the reward through that window was priceless. A slice of heaven for a father who adores his children.

It's an image of what God is teaching and offering us in today's Bible verse from Malachi 3:10. Our hearts are not hungry for the world or its treasures. Our hearts are starving for heaven. For a window with a wave of love pouring out of God's heaven. For a window with a view looking into God's heaven. For a window with a smile, like the face of Jesus Christ. For a window that moves us to slow down and enjoy those who are still with us on the road, even as we must keep moving, even if slowly, down the road.

Life's short, dear friends. Each day, the window of opportunity gets slimmer. Open the window of your heart and your treasure for the Lord and his people, and watch the Lord open the window of heaven for you. He will indeed "open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need" (Malachi 3:10).

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Th, 09/19/13, "Day of Praise"

"Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, 'See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.'" - John 5:14

I was returning home after taking Cassidy back to college, when I pulled into a rest area late at night. It was me and a guy standing next to his car.

I looked his way, smiled, and said, "Hey! How ya' doin'?"

All in one motion, he responded, saying, "Great!" and then immediately pulled a lit cigarette from behind his back, took a big puff, and then started to cough as if there was no tomorrow.

"Poor guy," I thought, "if that's great, then I'd hate to see something less."

But in the very next instant, it dawned on me that the hey-I'm-great-even-while-smoking-and-coughing-cigarette guy must be exactly how all of us look to God. One moment, we're declaring our greatness. And the next moment, we do something to self-destruct.

Lord, have mercy.

And praise God, that in Jesus Christ, God does. God does have mercy on us. In many ways. Like today's Bible verse and the story it comes from. Jesus had just approached a guy who wasn't well and needed help. But when Jesus asked if the guy wanted to get well, then the guy said that he didn't have a helper. Of course, The Helper of all helpers, Jesus Christ, was standing right next to him. So Jesus just says to him, "Get up!" And the guy just pops to his feet as if to say, "I feel great!"

But apparently this guy that Jesus healed was a lot like my new momentary friend at the rest stop. Neither of them could stand prosperity. My friend was bent on tarring and feathering his lungs. Jesus's friend was bent on tarring and feathering his soul.

Some of us are like my friend. Hey, it's a free country.

But all of us are like Jesus' friend. Hey, it's a free world. And it is kinda crazy when ya think about it. It's like Jesus cleans our soul, and we just run right back to the mudhole. It must be exasperating for Jesus. It's like building a car wash right next to a perpetually muddy road.

So Jesus makes a strong suggestion, knowing fully well that we don't stand a chance of heeding his advice. Jesus said, "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you." (John 5:14)

And Jesus also knows that telling a sinner to stop sinning is like asking the University of Tennessee football team to stop the Oregon Ducks from scoring. It just ain't gonna happen without Divine intervention.

So Jesus, who's Divine as well as human, intervenes. After all, the only person who ever stopped sinning was the one who never started to begin with, namely, Jesus the Christ. And this Jesus wants to live in you by the power of the Holy Spirit so that the next time some crazy preacher asks you in the middle of the night how you're doing while you're stopped at an Alabama rest area, you can say, "Well, really, I myself am no good at all. (Cough, cough.) But the Jesus who's in me is workin' on it."

Trust in Jesus. Breathe him deep into your soul. He alone can change us from the inside to the out.

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

We, 09/18/13, "Day of Praise"

"And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." - Luke 15:20

Let's all act like a dog today.

As usual, let me explain.

To begin with, many of you who know me are probably being revived from fainting because you know I'm not a fan of dogs. For those who don't know me, I'm not a fan of dogs because I can't escape the fact that, when I was a kid, I was all too often chased by "Freckles" who was the big, at-least-looked-like-a-Doberman, chase-after-anything-that-moved dog who protected his domain up the street, down the street, and any other place that he wanted to claim as his own.

But that being said, dogs are, to most people, their owner's best friend. What you people, who had no "Freckles" in your life, tell me is that your dog loves you unconditionally. And what you tell me is that your dog shows you that unconditional love by always being a "DoG", that is, DOwnright-Glad to see you. Ya know, you've been away all day, and you pull in the driveway, and your puppy dog can barely contain herself as she wags her tail and makes that "heh-heh-heh" sound and runs in place so she doesn't cross the line and get zapped by your high voltage, underground fence that lets the bully dog in but won't let your sweet little doggie out. Ya know, your d-o-g is just DoG, DOwnright Glad to see ya!

It dawned on me at a hospital today that this is why almost everybody, who otherwise wasn't smiling, will immediately start smiling back at me after I smile and nod at them. It's because I look like a DoG. I look like somebody who is truly DOwnright Glad to see 'em. My goodness, I don't know 99.9% of 'em from the man in the moon, except Miss Ann who's tried to get me to give blood for 23 years even though I keep telling her that I give every eight weeks at my church. But it doesn't matter if I know 'em or not. Most people seem so glad that I'm not "Freckles" who's lookin' to take a bite out of their, uh, well, out of their sweet little self. And then they're just downright shocked for a moment that I am what I am, namely, DOwnright Glad to see 'em. And then it hits 'em, "That guy is just like my dog, Spot or Fifi or Champ or Bowser; that guy looks like he's DOwnright Glad to see me." One guy even told me he had a dog named "Father" who had red hair, just like me.

But ya' see, gang, that's what the Father did in today's Bible verse. While his wayward, now-come-home son was still a long way off, the Father ran like a DoG to meet that wayward, now-come-home son. And the Father "embraced him and kissed him"; I'm guessing it was some big, sloppy, wet kiss on the cheek. Just like a DoG.

Who was DOwnright Glad to see the boy.

So he greeted him with unconditional love.

And inspires us to do the same.

Share a smile. Spread the love.

Let's all go act like a DoG today.

"And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." - Luke 15:20

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

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

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." - Psalm 8:3-5

Here's a hodge-podge of brief encouragements that were put on my heart yesterday to pass along to you today.

1) Talked with a guy who obstinately argued against the existence of God. I encouraged him to ask the question, "If there's not more to life than this world," then look through a telescope at night and ask the question, "then who's in charge of that world?"

God and his creation are amazing and bring glory to Him.

2) I called the doctor's office in New Jersey that I owed money to because my Cassidy got sick on one of her summer Mission trips. I said, "In the category of it never hurts to ask, can you discount this bill if I pay it in full right now?" She said, "Yes!"

God would love us to see that as a parable of his own promise, "Ask, and you shall receive."

3) I was sitting under a tree at the Red Barn with a Veterans ministry and a fuzzy inch-long caterpillar scared me. It dawned on me that I'm bigger than the bug, so why was I afraid?

In the same way, God is bigger than all the things that scare me. So why am I afraid?

4) Coming back from the Red Barn, which is out in the country, I passed one of those country churches that looks like it yells at people for gamblin', cussin', smokin', and drinkin'. I about broke my neck doin' a double-take and then died laughin' when I saw its sign message, "He who drinks will live forever!"

I think they were referring to Jesus's comment in John 4:14 with the woman at the well, or maybe country churches have changed.

5) I parked in the lot of UAB hospital while I visited a member with cancer at the Veterans hospital. When I left the VA, I went through the UAB lobby past the counter to get free clergy parking. I told the guy I visited the VA. He said they only validate clergy parking if you visit in UAB. Then he winked and said, "But we could pretend." I winked back and said, "That's okay. Thank you."

And I chuckled to myself because my soul is worth more than two dollars.

6) I heard about the mass shooting in Washington, D.C. And I cried because the soul of each victim is worth far more than whatever the shooter is mad about. The thing is, ya know, the shooter may not be mad about anything. I don't know. Who does?

Dear God, please help our country. We need it really bad. Amen.

7) And then I topped off the day with my son's football game and a wedding reception for Joseph and Misty, two of my dearest friends in the whole world. And I got to hear my dear son laugh and my dear friend Joseph laugh and my dear friend Misty laugh. Have you ever just listened to someone laugh? I mean, like, listen closely?

Laughter is a beautiful sound. Find something to laugh about today. I'm quite sure it's good for everybody's soul.

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Mo, 09/16/13, "Day of Praise"

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Ehhhhhh, I know swapping's not allowed, but it's fun to think about anyway. I was only two years and forty-nine weeks old, but I totally remember looking in the newborn area and asking my dad which one we were going to pick. After all, when my little sister was born, it made sense to me that when you put one in, then you should get to pick one out.

Ya know. A swap.

Kinda like Monday. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could trade it in? Ya know, snap your fingers and Monday gets swapped for Friday. Well, at least for Thursday.

But, of course, that's not how it works.

Unless, of course, you're talking about swapping our perspective for God's perspective. Our perspective on Monday is "Ugh!" God's perspective on Monday is "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24)

And that's a swap that God's willing to make with us every time.

Oh, and by the way, my little sister, Cheryl, was, is, and always will be the best. I wouldn't swap her for anything!

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Sa, 09/14/13, "Day of Praise"

"[Jesus said,] Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." - Luke 12:2

I was bad. And I'm not proud of it, but if revealing it will encourage someone else, then I'll go ahead and talk about it.

And besides, God already knows.

My brother and I were roommates in college, and we'd gotten a pumpkin for Halloween decor. Once we got past Halloween, we needed to find something to do with the pumpkin. For some stupid reason, I decided the garbage can was a lesser option for the pumpkin when we could put it in the back of our friends' closet across the hall. It's important to note that the new, pumpkin-home closet was ridiculously high and only accessible if you stood on a chair, and even then the back of the closet was still terribly hard to reach. That's why I thought it would be funny to put the pumpkin in their upper closet. I thought it would start to rot and to stink, and then they'd look for the smell, and then they'd find it and be done.

Unfortunately, I didn't count on two things: 1) my totally forgetting about the pumpkin to the point that it was in their upper closet so long that 2) the pumpkin didn't just rot and stink, but the pumpkin also turned into pumpkin soup. It was a mess!

My victim friends, Mark and Rodney, were understandably upset. And conveniently, they blamed everybody except me because my brother and the other "Zombies" (our floor nickname) were always pulling pranks, but I never did anything like that. Never.

So one day, I get this phone call from Mark; it was about twenty-five years later. We hadn't talked since college. He asked how I was doing. And then he asked why I did it; he asked why I put the pumpkin in his closet. So, I asked him how he found out that it was me. And he responded by saying that the way he found out it was me was that I had just, in that moment, admitted it!

Like Jesus says in today's Bible verse, the truth always comes out, no matter how hard we try to hide it.

That's why, way back near the beginning of creation, when the first people (Adam and Eve) tried to hide from God and cover their sin, it was futile. Not only did they try to hide it, but they fooled themselves into thinking that God didn't already know. But the truth came out, and Adam and Eve realized that God knew all along.

And the hidden truth, which is hidden from those who deceive themselves into thinking that they can hide the truth about their sin from God, is that God wants to reveal our sin to us so that God can deal with it by teaching us a lesson in the positive sense and by graciously forgiving our sin.

That's what Mark did for me that day that he called about the pumpkin, twenty-five years after the fact. He reminded me that the truth always comes out, and then he laughed and forgave my sin, bringing the matter to a close.

Well, almost to a close. Because a stinking, rotting, college-pumpkin prank will forever be a reminder of the truth that Jesus said. "Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known." (Luke 12:2)

So let's just go ahead and bare it all to God and whoever else needs to know so that lesson-learning, forgiveness, and healing can begin.

Praise God!

(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)

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

Day of Praise

Fr, 09/13/13, "Day of Praise"

"Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save." - Lamentations 4:17

Dear Friends, there's a Day of Praise book questionnaire at the end of today's reflection. Please help us by "reply"ing with your answers.

As to today's verse, my daughter, Calley, wrote a piece for her blog yesterday that reminded me of today's verse. Calley makes us think and calls us to act, saying:

I was walking to class today, and a girl walking beside me dropped her pen. She almost bent down to pick it up, but her eyes locked with mine, and then she straightened back up. Almost like she was gonna see if i would pick up the pen.

So I did. I picked up the pen.

She said, "Thanks!" And we kept walking.

About 5 seconds later, she turned and poured out, "I have just had a horrible week."

Then, she tells me about 15 seconds worth of the horrible week and says, "Maybe it will be better now."

What made her think that? That "maybe it will be better now"? Because I picked up her pen? Because I listened to her for 15 seconds?

Then she just walked away. I called after her, saying that I hoped her week got better.

Oh, man, guys. Really? There are so many people, and they are all living their lives, which are likely as messy as yours, without a Savior. What hope do we have? The pen is on the ground, and what do we have?

All we have is a random chance that someone will pick up the pen.

That's all we've got without Jesus.

"Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save." - Lamentations 4:17

Calley reminds us how our little acts of love can open the door to share our big hope, encouragement, and salvation through Jesus. The world is dying to hear.

So, in the vein of ways that we can share hope and encouragement with the world, many of you have asked if I'd ever looked into making a book out of the over two years of Day of Praise devotions. With a pledge to you that every penny of proceeds will go to the Global Mission endeavors of my daughters and my church, I kindly ask you to "reply" to the following questions:
A. Is a book comprised of Day of Praise devotions a good idea?
B. Would you buy one for yourself and/or give one or more as a gift?
C. Several books with the same or very similar titles are already on the market - what would YOU name such a book?
D. Would you be willing to send in black and white photographs to be considered as illustrations in the book?

I look forward to hearing from all who would be willing to "reply."

And don't forget Calley's encouragement today to stoop down and be helpful so we can share the good news of Jesus, who stoops down and helps us!

Praise God!

(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)

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

Day of Praise

Th, 09/12/13, "Day of Praise"

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 1:1

Yesterday was Patriot Day, which is an interesting day to me in that Patriot Day is not a federal holiday. Schools and businesses do not close in observance of the occasion, although memorial ceremonies for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks are held each year, including ceremonies that the President of our nation is involved in. I myself always watch parts of some of the many TV shows that recount the events of that horrible day. I always pray for the victims and their families. And I always find myself getting choked up.

So, there's Presidential recognition. There's all sorts of shows and ceremonies and remembrances. And there's clearly an emotional pull on my heart and on the hearts of many. Yet, Patriot Day is not a holiday, so for many it's just another day.

It's like our country wants to remember, and yet we don't. It's like we don't want to keep reliving the pain. We just want things to get back to normal. We just want 9/11 to be another normal day.

I understand because I agree with the controversial "Harry Potter" author, J.K. Rowling, who I heard in an interview when she said something like this, "Heroes are people who go through great difficulty and somehow return to some normalcy in life."

My slight revision of Rowling's words are this, "Heroes are people whose lives were somehow reduced to nothing, and yet somehow they persevere until some normalcy is restored to their life."

That's what happened on the original 9/11 when the terrorists attacked, namely, thousands of lives, and our nation as a whole, were reduced to nothing. People thought the world was about to end. Everything became uncertain. And nothing seemed to matter.

Except life and loved ones and the God of life, to whom all Christian believers (and many an atheist) cried out.

About 500 years ago, Martin Luther was quoted to say, "God created the world out of nothing; so as long as we are nothing, he can make something out of us." And there lies the pull of Patriot Day on our hearts. We somehow feel and even long for the remembrance of a day in history when nothing else mattered except life and loved ones and the God of the Christian and atheist alike. What I mean by including the atheist is that 9/11 created a national version of the quote, "There are no atheists in the foxholes of war." When our lives are stripped to nothing, there's nothing for anyone to long for except the things that really exist: life, loved ones, and the God of life and loved ones.

If only, somehow, that could become the norm.

Indeed, when "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), that's what the God of life and loved ones intended.

That a normal day, everyday, would be a day when we'd consciously and constantly realize that our lives are nothing if we don't have life, loved ones, and the God of life and loved ones.

Dear Lord, through all the stuff that we think we have to do today and through all the stuff that somebody else thinks we have to do today, please help us to have a normal day. Help us to have a day as you created and meant everyday to be. Help us to value nothing more than the things that really matter: life, loved ones, and you, Lord, for you are the God of life and loved ones. And may this be true for us all. For such a world, such a Paradise, such a heaven, is the norm for which we all long. And it's the world that you have given us through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

We, 09/11/13, "Day of Praise"

"Then he said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off."'" - Ezekiel 37:11

Have you lost anything lately?

Maybe your keys? Maybe your faith? Maybe your hope?

Let's start with the keys.

A friend of mine approached me at church yesterday and asked if I'd seen their keys. I apologized that I hadn't. They walked away, still puzzled, and I went into the library to lead a Bible study.

After class, I was walking out to our cars with a student when she stopped and said, "Whose keys are these?" I chuckled and said that I thought they're the keys of our friend who had lost his. She laughed and went back to return his keys. The keys had never been lost to begin with. A friend was just holding them for a while.

The whole "lost keys" incident reminded me of today's Bible verse and times when our lives seem "dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off" (Ezekiel 37:11). In the Bible verse, God is actually carrying the "lost" hope and breath of life for a whole nation until it's ready to receive it back. In my own life, I was so blessed when my children and other dear Christian friends carried my "lost" hope in the worst season of my life until I was able to see beyond my loss.

What about you? I know that some of you are feeling down, wondering what's in your future and wondering if you even have a future. I know that hope is waning for some of you. Life feels dry. And you feel cut off and detached from other people. It feels like the best parts of life have been lost.

But hang in there. God gave us to each other so we can hold onto and safekeep your "keys," ya know, your hope, your faith, and the strength to look for something good to come your way. All isn't lost. It's just been misplaced for a while. Just long enough to see that, like my kids were for me, the best things in life are always our God and our friends who stick with us until we ourselves can find a brighter view.

So today, let's be on the lookout for each other because somebody has lost their "keys" to life, and we are so blessed to help each other find them.

Praise God!

(For an archive of "Day of Praise", please visit my daughter Calley's website at http://dayofpraisepc.blogspot.com/?m=1)
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, 09/10/13, "Day of Praise"

"[Paul said,] 'So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.'" - Acts 27:25

Ninety-two is more than eleven, at least it was the last time I looked. It's even more than twenty-two. In football terms, that means that seventy players are standing on the sidelines for most of the game, specifically, seventy players on my son's high school freshmen football team.

I admire the coach. Coach Davis does an amazing job trying both to get all the boys into the game and also to win the game. I truly admire the coach.

I even more admire the seventy boys who don't get much playing time, no matter how hard the coach tries.

Those seventy boys are good young men like the other twenty-two. I know them. Those seventy boys have also had grueling workouts last winter, spring, and all summer. Those seventy boys also have to study hard and make good grades to stay on the team.

But those seventy boys are not going to hear their name much on the public address system. It's called laboring in obscurity, working hard day after day to get a chance that might come.

And it might not.

It builds character.

It requires heart.

It requires faith.

That God has a purpose and a plan for your life that has to do with both being proud of yourself and also wanting God to be proud of you most of all.

This is the kind of heart that the vast majority of people in the world must have. People who, when it's all said and done, are not going to feel good about their work and its outcome unless each one can be proud of their own work and know that God is proud too. Actually, more than seventy out of ninety-two need such heart.

It's like ninety-two out of ninety-two.

And six billion out of six billion.

If you feel like you're laboring in obscurity, take heart.

You're not alone.

"[Paul said,] 'So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.'" - Acts 27:25

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Mo, 09/09/13, "Day of Praise"

"And thus you shall greet him: 'Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.'" - 1 Samuel 25:6

So, there's this security guard at the front campus gate of my younger daughter's college. She's very peppy. Lots of energy. High spirits. Lively.

But not so good of a memory.

Last weekend when I pulled onto campus, she said, "Money and food. That's what they want you to give 'em because they don't want to use their money for food."

This weekend when I pulled onto campus, she said, "Money and food. That's what they want you to give 'em because they don't want to use their money for food."

At first, I had to laugh. I'm thinking, "What? Does she think I didn't hear her the first time?"

And then God zapped me. "Hey, Chris, Jesus greets the disciples twice with peace in about two minutes in John 20. So, are you saying Jesus thinks they didn't hear him the first time? Well, you might be right, which is also why the guy says the same basic thing three times in today's Bible verse."

Ya see, gang, God is determined that we hear and receive the blessings of His word, so God says a lot of things multiple times. God knows that maybe we didn't hear him the first time because we were "heavy with sleep" like Peter in Luke 9:32. But whatever the reason, God wants us to have the love and wisdom and power of his life-changing word. So, sometimes God says it twice.

Or more!

So, how 'bout we do the same, starting today? Let's tell people, "God loves you!" And if they're grouchy or sleepy and seem not to hear it, then it's no biggie! We'll just tell 'em again, like God does for us, to make sure that all of us hear of God's blessings!

"And thus you shall greet him: 'Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.'" - 1 Samuel 25:6

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Sa, 09/07/13, "Day of Praise"

"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance." - Hebrews 12:1

Hooray! It's Saturday! And from the time I was a teen, I dream of Saturday as Donut Day. I dream of getting a dozen Krispy Kreme chocolate-covered, creme-filled donuts and eating all twelve of them all by myself. I've actually done it twice in my forty-eight years.

But I've gotten to the age where I realize that when I eat just one donut, not twelve, just one, that I might as well get some duct tape and tape that donut right to my body on one side of my love handles because that's where it's going to wind up. And ya know, that isn't very helpful at all. I wanna live life with a bounce in my step, and here I've got these donuts taped to my side.

God gives me a simple solution. God says, "Well, just don't eat the donut, Chris." God says, "Let's lay aside every weight, and donut which clings so closely." Okay, well, that's a slight adjustment on what God says.

But that donut is a parable. It weighs me down. Just like sin. Neither the donut, physically, nor the sin, spiritually, help me to run with endurance. When you run and you start getting tired, do they still call it "sucking wind"? Spiritually, "wind" is "the Holy Spirit." In Hebrew (the word "ruah") and in Greek (the word "pneuma"), both words mean "breath, wind, spirit."

So, if I want to run the race of life that is set before me with endurance, then I should probably stay from the donut. And sin too. Don't ya think?

God's word actually tells me not just to stay away from sin, but to "flee" from it (1 Corinthians 6:18). It's like God wants us to get in shape for the race by sprinting away from things that will keep us from getting in shape.

So as one dear young man in a group home that I visited said, "Bye, bye, sin." And bye, bye, donuts.

Ah, I feel better already. In fact, good enough, to go for a run!

"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance." - Hebrews 12:1

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fr, 09/06/13, "Day of Praise"

"[Moses said, 'God's word] is no empty word for you, but your very life'" - Deuteronomy 32:47

I promise. This is a clean bathroom story. Well, almost.

A friend of mine and I were making our way to the men's room sink at the same time. He was talking. I was listening. And watching.

He turns on the water and then starts pumping the built-into-the-bathroom-counter soap container. I smiled and told him the soap was in the store-bought container next to the built-in container. But my friend was so excited to talk about God's work in our church and the Prayer Meeting we were going into that he never heard me and he never even looked to see that there was no soap on his hands, even though he was scrubbing away and then thoroughly rinsing as if he'd gotten a handful of the liquid cleaner.

I told you that this was a clean bathroom story. Almost.

The problem, of course, was really not my friend's attentiveness. My goodness, shouldn't somebody be allowed to be excited about the Living God without having to worry that a soap container is not really containing soap?

As if the soap container cares, I blame the soap container. I mean that container and connected pump had the audacity to present itself as being full of a life-promoting cleanser.

But it was empty.

God aches, at least, when anyone or anything presents himself, herself, or itself as being full of a life-promoting something when, in truth, he, she, or it is empty.

Good thing, though, that there's one thing in this world that we never have to be suspicious about. There's one thing in this world that, when it says it's full of a life-promoting something, then it's full of a life-promoting something and more.

As God, through Moses, said in today's Bible verse, "[God's word] is no empty word for you, but your very life." (Deuteronomy 32:47)

Furthermore, God's word itself is not only not empty, but when God sends his word, it does not come back empty either. God's word fully accomplishes what God says it will. So when God makes you a promise, you can take it to the bank and deposit it in full! Read it for yourself in Isaiah 55:11, "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

And what God's word accomplishes is that it insures that we ourselves will not be empty (2 Corinthians 9:3), but instead that we'll be filled with God's life and love to overflowing (Luke 6:38).

And, being God's promise, that's no empty promise.

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Th, 09/05/13, "Day of Praise"

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21

Please be careful. As a pastor, I've experienced dear friends who have tragically used today's verse to create an eagerness for physical death. Though I won't deny that there's some element of that, God's chief encouragement in the verse is for us to know the "gain" and the joy of "dying to self."

To die to self is to pray to God, "Thy will be done." To die to self is to set aside our will and wants and desires, saying, "God, your will and wants and desires for me are far greater than anything I could even desire, let alone deserve."

To die to self is gain!

Oh, yes, if you search the 100 or so Bible verses with the word "gain," then you can see that there are some things to be gained for doing the old Burger King jingle thing where you "have it your way." But God's Word says that the gains of having it our way are always very temporary at best and negative, destructive, and ruinous at worst.

To the contrary, God's Word says the gains from dying to self are always positive and lasting, including gaining instruction, knowledge, insight, wisdom, a friend, godliness with contentment, your own life, a good standing for yourself, great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. and, best of all, you gain Jesus Christ himself.

And when you gain Jesus Christ, then, well, you can really start living!

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

We, 09/04/13, "Day of Praise"

"[Jesus] put another parable before them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.'" - Matthew 13:24-26

I was driving down a local road when I saw some litter fly out the window of a truck that was just a short bit ahead of me. Being a litter-picker-upper, I moaned in my heart and shook my head.

As I caught up to the slow-moving, litter-dropping truck, I started to laugh as it became clear that not only did the truck say "City of Hoover" on the side, but it also said "LITTER CONTROL" in huge letters on a sign on the back of the truck.

Can you imagine? A Litter Control truck where the employees are throwing litter out the window?

Yes, I can imagine. I can imagine something and somebody that are supposed to be addressing a problem, and they're actually contributing to the problem.

I do it all the time.

As a Christian, I'm supposed to be addressing the sin problem in the world. Sin is like spiritual litter, if you will. But even as I'm supposed to be on the job and addressing the spiritual litter problem, the spiritual litter of sin comes flying out of the window of my life.

Why do I do this? I do it because I'm a sinner. And as I hard as I try, I myself can never stop sinning. (In the language of today's Bible verse, we all have wheat and weeds mixed together in the field that is each of our lives.) I'm sure God moans in his heart and shakes his head. But, as hard as I try, I can never stop throwing spiritual litter out of my life.

But Jesus can.

I need Jesus to come to me everyday and hop in the "truck" that is my life so he can live in me by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus alone, working in me, can put a stop to the spiritual litter problem in my life, as he and he alone is the solution, being my righteousness, making me new from the inside out, cleaning up the litter of my soul so that it can't fly out the window of my life.

So the next time, I see litter fly out of a LITTER CONTROL truck, before I'm so quick to shake my head and moan, I pray that I'll remember that that's what my life looks like to God.

May God have mercy.

And, through Jesus Christ, God already has!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Tu, 09/03/13, "Day of Praise"

"we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" - Hebrews 12:1

Last night, my brother, Ben, sent the encouragement in today's verse to me out of the clear blue. I received it just as my daughter, Cassidy, and I were pulling back onto her college campus and laughing at the pulpit-humor (i.e. corny) joke that the campus security guard had just told us as we pulled up to and stopped at the campus gate.

Cassidy and I had shared that same kind of laughter for the whole two hour drive as we celebrated "the great cloud of witnesses that surround us," including 1) the people who we'd left earlier at church who lovingly sacrificed time for a meeting on Labor Day, 2) my other daughter, Calley, who texted that she loved us, 3) my son, Caden, who called to apologize for literally breaking the metal of Cassidy's toenail clippers as we all then laughed at his feat of feet, and 4) Cassidy's old friends from high school and new friends at college, especially her awesome smiling roommate Kimberly, along with so many other people who make up "the great cloud of witnesses that surround us." (Hebrews 12:1)

So very simply, just what is a "great witness" within "the great cloud"? A "great witness" is a person who has the same three strands as God himself, even as does God's word. God, God's word, and a great witness all have courageous love, faith in what God says is right, and a passion for encouragement.

But that being said, how does that play out in real life? In 1 Thessalonians 4, we see that a "great witness" speaks God's word of life into dark and despairing places. We see that God, His Word who is Jesus, and God's witnesses who are filled with God's Spirit, courageously face grim situations, stand on the truth of God's word, and call others to believe that God and his ways will prevail!

So whether it's a storm (like the one surrounding Jesus's disciples in the boat), or despair (as had overcome Elijah), a trap (as the Pharisees constantly set for Jesus and the prophets before him), or death itself, a "great witness" loves people enough to say, "I know this is a rough patch, but God has a powerful word of promise even for this. So hang in there because the Lord will indeed prevail."

To God be the glory as we thank God for the "witnesses" who will encourage us today! And may God help us to be a witness for 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

Mo, 09/02/13, "Day of Praise"

"For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." - Romans 14:7-8

On this Labor Day, when most are taking a break from work, may God continue to reshape our attitude toward work.

When our "work" is done as if it's an act of worship and thanks to God, we're able to see more clearly how God wants to do his own work for us, in us, and through us.

This was how Adam and Eve worked before they sinned. Their work was originally a joy for them, a blessing to others, and a glory to God. They were on a permanent Labor Day Holiday because, before sin, their was no drudgery to get away from. Their work was like a slice of heaven; it was a part of what, in today's Bible verse, God calls living to the Lord; their work was done with a song in their heart as worship and thanks to God.

Dear God,
Please help us to enjoy this Labor Day as you intend. May it be for us not just an escape from work. But may this Labor Day be under your Lordship as you work to restore us to our work in Paradise where work was both a joy and also a way for us to thank you and worship you. You alone can work this in our hearts. So we lay our hearts before you as we praise your holy name.
Amen.

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