Day of Praise

Sat, 03/31/18, Holy Saturday, "Day of Praise"

Psalm 74:10 - "How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever?"

Today is Holy Saturday. In sum, we remember how Jesus lay dead in the grave and the forces of evil thought they'd prevailed. However, the Sovereign God was, is, and always will be Sovereign, so the "victory" of darkness over Jesus would be short-lived. Jesus, the Light of the World, was soon to be raised up by the Glory of the Father.

And so it is true for you who believe in the power and grace of the Living God. There may be something in your life that seems dead in the grave, like your marriage, some other relationship, your job, your own health, a loved one, your peace about life, or your hope for the future. And it may seem as if the forces of evil have prevailed. However, the Sovereign God was, is, and always will be Sovereign, so the "victory" of darkness in your life will be short-lived. Jesus, the Light of the World, was raised up by the Glory of the Father. And He will transform your griefs and sorrows into joy and dancing.

Do not lose heart, friends.

The Lord is near.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Fri, 03/30/18, Good Friday, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 5:44 - "[Jesus said], But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Luke 23:34 - "And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'"

May I be honest? Brutally honest. No, I don't want to tell you about you. I need to tell you about me.

Here's the thing. As I look at my life of fifty plus years, I see that I'm not good at all about loving my enemies. There. Now it's out there. 

Ya see, I hear Jesus telling me in one of today's verses to "love my enemies" (Matthew 5:44). But what I find myself doing is not caring about my enemies. Ya know, I feel good about not being bitter and resentful towards them because I've gotten to a point over time where I don't care about them. Remember, the opposite of love is not hate; it's apathy and not caring. So, I don't really love my enemies, as Jesus commands; I just don't care about them anymore. 

There are two reasons that it's important for me to confess. One is that, I don't know, maybe you need to confess that too, and hearing somebody else confess something sometimes makes it easier for us to confess the same. 

But the other reason to confess it is to point out the contrast. On the one hand, Jesus commands me to love my enemies. He commands me to actually care about my enemies. Ya know, care about their salvation. And I find it hard. I mean, they're my enemy!!! And yet, in contrast, on the other hand, there's Jesus in today's other verse from Luke 23:34, showing that he cares by praying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Wow! That's amazing. He's hanging on a cross, the cross that I deserve. And he cares. He really cares. To his last breath on the original Good Friday, Jesus cares about his enemies. Jesus cares about us sinners. Man, that's love. True love. Divine love. The kind of love that I'm clearly incapable of. The kind of love that I'm only capable of having come out of me, if Jesus, who is capable, comes into me. So, he loves me, his enemy, so much, that he dies, asking forgiveness for me so that he can come live in me so that I can pass on his love. Because by myself, there's no way I'm passing on his love. But if he'll die so he can pour out his Holy Spirit and come live in me, then he can pass on that amazing love through me.

Try wrapping your head around all this. May I be honest? Brutally honest. You can't. You can't wrap your head around the mystery of Christ's love for you, a sinner and his enemy, on the cross. You just can't.

What you have to do is this. Instead of trying to wrap your mind around his amazing love, you have to believe him in your heart. You have to believe that he cares. That he truly cares about you. That when he prays "Father, forgive them," then he means it. Because he loves you. Because he cares about your soul.

And if you do, if you truly believe that he wants you to be forgiven, then you will be saved. Ya know, from yourself and your sin, sins like not praying for your enemy.

Wow, Jesus cares about me and about you and about all us poor sinners. That's why he prayed "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And that's why it's called Good Friday.

May God continue to bless you as you take time today, Good Friday, and everyday to remember and believe and pass on God's amazing love for you through Jesus.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thur, 03/29/18, Maundy Thursday, "Day of Praise"

Hebrews 12:3 - "Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted."

I was maybe eight years old, so it was four decades and more ago. But I will never forget what I remember as my first Maundy Thursday worship service. There were thirteen men at our church, Holy Trinity Lutheran in Kingsport, Tennessee, who reenacted the Last Supper of Our Lord with his disciples. I especially remember Mr. Frank DeNobriga. He was a tall, big-boned man with a deep voice that filled our beautiful sanctuary when he spoke. Whenever I think of their reenactment, and I have thought of it frequently through the years, it stirs my heart to a warmth and love and thankfulness and inspiration for the amazing sacrificial love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel energized to keep looking to Christ and living thankfully for Christ.

And that impact of one night, forty years ago shouldn't surprise. After all, God's promise, in today's Bible verse, is that we will not grow weary whenever we consider the events surrounding the death and resurrection of "him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself." (Hebrews 12:3)

Friends, today is Maundy Thursday. Tomorrow is Good Friday. Find a way to consider him. Emphatically. More than you usually do. Many churches like ours help you to do that with, if I may say so, some amazing and well-prepared and moving considerations of the Passion events of our Lord. If you live in the Birmingham area, just "reply" and I can give you more info. If you live elsewhere, find a church that does something to help you and your community "consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." (Hebrews 12:3)

May God continue to bless you with strength as you consider the loving sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Wednesday of Holy Week, 03/28/18, "Day of Praise"

Hebrews 12:1c - "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Hey, you! Yes, you, the one who's discouraged. The one who's ready to give up and about to throw in the towel. Don't do it. These words are for you! To help you keep going.

I remember a couple years ago, and I distinctly remember it was April 15. Ya know, the income tax filing deadline. I went by the Post Office after our nightly, Holy Week worship to get a mailing box for Easter. But no sooner had I gone in, then there was this stream of people who came in and asked me, "Can I get this postmarked for April 15?" They, of course, had an envelope with their tax return inside. I told them that they'd need to go to the downtown branch, which is only fifteen minutes away. Surprisingly, all but one of them said, "Aaaaaa, I don't care if I get the penalty." And then they just put their tax returns in the mail slot. In other words, they had done all the work to get their taxes in on time, and just fifteen minutes from their goal, they quit. They quit. So close. But they quit.

This is what today's Bible verse is about. God tells us to keep running the race of faith. Run with endurance. Don't quit. Whatever's going on in your life, the Lord is working on it and walking with you. And therefore you are always so close to seeing God's encouragement with your situation and maybe even God's resolution that brings your problem to an end.

So don't just "mail it in." Hang in there. Keep going. The Lord is with you to be your strength so that you can "run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1c)

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Tuesday of Holy Week, 03/27/18, My Sweet Wife Amanda's Birthday, "Day of Praise"

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

Yesterday, I saw my brother and me on a neighbor's front lawn, playing catch with a ball and gloves. Well, it wasn't actually us. But that seven year-old boy sure did look the height and build of my brother forty-eight years ago. He was tall and slender. And that five year-old boy sure did look like me. He was, well, not tall and not slender.

Isn't it amazing how we can see something, like kids playing, or smell something, like freshly cut grass, or hear a song, like Paul McCartney's "What the Man Said," and it takes us to a memory as if we are actually in that place in time and with those people that we shared those days?

That's what Jesus established in today's Bible verse, which took place a few days before Jesus's death and resurrection that we remember emphatically this Holy Week. Jesus established a memory. Jesus spoke of bread and how it would be a powerful memory tool when they ate the bread remembering Jesus.

The memory that Jesus established was very much like my seeing those boys playing ball and the flood of memories that spilled forth.

With one huge exception.

Jesus does not tell the disciples that it's as if he is there when they give thanks and eat bread in his memory. Jesus says that he actually is indeed there with them when they give thanks and eat bread in his memory. Note the words in the verse! "And [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you.'" (Luke 22:19)

Friends, may you know Jesus's presence and his fellowship with you as you remember his great love poured out for you both on his cross, once and for all, and also when the fellowship of believers shares the gift of Holy Communion as many Christian congregations do on Sundays and on this coming Maundy Thursday of this special Holy Week.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Monday of Holy Week, 03/26/18, "Day of Praise"

Leviticus 16:30 - "For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins."

I am very grateful for all the people who, in various settings, clean up after me. Really.

The problem sometimes, though, is that I can't find something because I knew where it was, but after somebody cleans up after me, then I don't know where it is. Like one time in our morning worship. I had a scripture sheet in the pulpit that I needed for both worship times. At the beginning of our second worship, I noticed that someone had cleaned up after me. That was a problem because I needed my scripture.

On the other hand, the good thing sometimes is that I can't find something because I knew where it was, but after somebody cleans up after me, then I don't know where it is. Like in today's Bible verse. God tells how he cleans up after me, namely, how he cleans up my sin. My sin was there. But, pooooof!!! God cleans up after me, and it's gone. So I can't find it anymore. Ya know, to worry about it, to feel guilty about it. My sins are gone. I've been set free. My sinless Savior has died for me. And that's a good thing.

Today is Monday of Holy Week, which is the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Many people take each day in Holy Week to focus on the work of Jesus, who went to the cross for us all.

Let's start Holy Week by thinking about and thanking God for cleaning up after us through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Jesus.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Sat, 03/24/18, "Day of Praise"

"The LORD said to Moses, 'Say to the Israelites: "Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD is guilty and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged."'" - Numbers 5:5-7

Have you ever said, "It's more than I can bear!"? If you haven't, you should. Because it is.

In today's verses, we hear that if you've wronged another person in ANY way (people, that's ANY way!) then you 1) are unfaithful to the LORD, 2) are guilty, 3) must confess that sin, 4) must make full restitution, 5) must ADD a fifth of the value of the offense, and 6) must give all that restitution to the particular person you've wronged.

Moreover, #3's requirement to confess ANY wrong as sin is impossible, for God's word says nobody can even know all their wrongs, as in Psalm 19:12, "But who can discern their own errors?"

It's enough to make us all cry out, "It's more than I can bear!"

Hmm! Sounds like Genesis 4:13, "Cain said to the LORD, 'My punishment is more than I can bear'" or John 16:12 where Jesus said to his followers "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear."

In Psalm 130:3, God gives us another way to speak of our burden, "If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?" Are our knees starting to buckle yet under the weight of sin?

However, God desires not the crushed soul or everlasting death of us poor sinners.

In Psalm 32:1, we hear, "Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."

"Forgiven," as in 1 John 1:8-9, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

And "covered," as in God got an animal skin, a blood sacrifice, and covered the first sin in Genesis 3.

Through confession that we are sinners and then faith in Jesus Christ and his shed blood on the cross, we are forgiven and covered in his righteous love forever.

Spread the word because there's a lot of people out there who don't know Jesus and are still crying out, "It's more than I can bear!" Tell them, "Jesus is our Savior."

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fri, 03/23/18, "Day of Praise"

"Moses...said to them, '...They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land...'" - Deuteronomy 32:44-47

I wonder if this is where our grandmothers got that old saying. Ya know, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." I'm not even sure if my two grandmas ever even said it, but the whole world seems to attribute the phrase to "Grandma."

Aaaaanyway, one dictionary, right out of the chute, says that "idle" means "not working or active."

In today's verses, Moses is hilariously plain in saying that the words God gave him to say "are not just idle words." God's words are not "idle." They are not "not working or active."

It's just as God says in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

So, what are your "thoughts and attitude" towards God's word? Do you believe God's word is idle? Or do you believe God's word is alive and active? And if you say "alive and active," do you live that attitude? Do you live, believing that God's word is "alive and active"?

I remember the late summer when I'd started my junior year in high school. I was bummed because my brother, Ben, had just gone off to college with my sister, Cathy. I adored and do adore my younger sister, Cheryl, but there's nothing like the bond of brothers.

Aaaaaanyway, I was bummed, and I was mowing our lawn. As I neared the street I saw a wad of paper in the yard. Instead of mowing it and making a mess, I picked it up. Now, I don't care if you think I'm looney-tunes or not; I'll tell you that "a voice" said, "read it." So I unwadded it, and this is what it said, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. - Deuteronomy 31:6"

Where did that note come from? A car passing by or a walker? Or maybe was it as Holy-Spirit-filled author, Bill Johnson, would say, "Feathers from Heaven"? Who knows? But no matter, why would anybody throw a wadded up Bible verse into my yard, and a Bible verse that said just what I needed? Maybe it wasn't ultimately from a car or walker, maybe it actually was "feathers," ya know, like angel wing feathers, from God. In fact, that's what I did believe, and that's what I do believe to this day. And I don't really care what anybody else thinks.

Because my God is not idle.

My God is living and active, just like his word. My God and your God has shown us his face and his heart through Jesus, who is alive and active in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. My God and your God is mighty to do supernatural things (like get a wad of paper with an encouraging Bible verse thrown into a lawn in a neighborhood which otherwise has no other litter). My God and your God is mighty to save us from despair with a word of hope when we'd be otherwise bummed out.

So the question remains, "Do you believe?" Are your hearts and minds alive and active, searching for encouragement from the living and active God and his word?

Or has your mind actually become idle in unbelief? Just remember, Grandma has a warning about that, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." Praise God for Grandma!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Thur, 03/22/18, "Day of Praise"

"Then the LORD said to Joshua, 'Tell the Israelites to designate cities of refuge...so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.'" - Joshua 20:1-6

Accidents happen. Even really bad ones.

God understands that there's a difference between accidents and acts of violence that are thought out in advance. So God makes provision of protection and mercy for those who do tragic things accidentally.

I remember when I was a kid. My brother and I were with our family at our grandparents in Pennsylvania. Ben and I were being brothers (translation "wrestling") on a really old bed at our Gram and Pap DeGreen's. The bed wasn't made for wrestling. The ensuing crash just about sent us and the bed through the floor to the downstairs.

We looked at each other like, "Oh, man. We are in big trouble now." And we should've been. In trouble, that is. We never once gave thought to the possibility that anyone would see it as an accident.

But our Pap DeGreen did. He calmly walked in the room. (I still don't know how he got there so fast.) He took apart the bed, calmly telling us what to do to help. Then he put the bed back together, calmly telling us what to do to help.

"Sorry, Pap-pap," we said.

"It's ok," he said. "It was an accident."

Mercy, as from God himself.

Friends, your day today will be filled with real people, who will make mistakes. Accidents will happen.

In the strength and calm of the LORD, let's deal mercifully with others, as God in Christ, (and people like Pap DeGreen), has dealt with us.

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Wed, 03/21/18, "Day of Praise"

"But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth..." - Exodus 21:23-25

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? Ya know, how could the loving God of the New Testament say such things in the Old Testament? And doesn't Jesus change that in the New Testament.

It's okay. A lot of people wonder.

But don't just wonder, please. Check it out.

In actuality, "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" was a very loving thing for God to command at that time. Why? God's people were surrounded by other people who said, "You took my eye, so I'm going to kill you!"

But God said to his people, "Life for eye is not fair; eye for eye is. Life for tooth is not fair; tooth for tooth is." God was teaching his people about justice.

And furthermore, though God had pointed to the Savior Messiah since Genesis 3 when he covered the man and woman with the blood sacrifice of an animal skin and though the prophets would be inspired to foretell of the coming Savior Messiah, God's people had not yet seen the Messiah, our Lord and Savior, Jesus. So being a people of justice was about as much as they could do.

But when God's people saw Jesus, everything could change. So moving is seeing Jesus that Simeon (Luke 2:25+) says, "This is as good as it gets. Now I can die." So moving is seeing Jesus that Saul (Acts 9+) was blinded by holiness, given new "eyes" of faith, and led to see life in a totally new way so that now he'd live as the great Saint Paul. So moving is seeing Jesus that Jesus in essence says (Matthew 5:38+) that we can say, "I know you took my eye, but I don't need your eye. I need to give you the grace that I was given, so I will love those who hurt me by praying for them. I will forgive, letting go of my stranglehold on those who hurt me, as I have been forgiven."

Seeing Jesus, the Messiah who saves, moves us from being the great people of God who give justice even though we're surrounded by injustice to being the great people of God who give grace because we're surrounded by God's grace.

Dear God, we're surrounded by injustice, to be sure in this sinful world but, as with Simeon and as with Saul turned to Paul, give us eyes of faith to see Jesus and your grace so that, even when we must administer justice, we can do it in Christ with your love and grace. 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

Tues, 03/20/18, "Day of Praise"

"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies" - Judges 11:34-40

Malcolm X, in his biography, finished posthumously by Alex Haley, once said, "Never ask a question for which you might get a response that you really don't want."

A slightly different saying can be set forth In today's Bible verses about Jephthah the Gileadite, namely, "Never make a deal or promise that you're not ready to keep."

However, because of Jephthah's daughter's faithfulness to God, Jephthah's promise to God is kept. "My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies". (Judges 11:34-40)

Talk about an unsung hero! We aren't even told her name. Sure we remember Abraham and Isaac and their willingness to do as God commanded with the sacrifice of Isaac, but what about Jephthah and what's-her-name?

They not only did the deed, but it was the innocent child, what's-her-name, who made sure they did!

And just as what's-her-name went to the greatest length to help Jephthah stay faithful to God, there are people in all of our lives who go to great lengths to help us stay faithful too.

Maybe you don't even think about or remember the name of ol' what's-her-name or what's-his-name.

But God does.

How about we all slow down today for a few minutes and ask God to help us remember and give thanks for the what's-her-names in our lives who have helped us have some semblance of faithfulness to God?

Ol' what's-her-name clearly doesn't care from the standpoint of needing to be remembered.

But God does...from the standpoint of wanting us to be people of thanks!

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Mon, 03/19/18, "Day of Praise"

"But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.'" - Ruth 1:16

Today's verse has got to be one of the most famous quotes, Biblical or otherwise, in all of human history. The only question is, "Why?" Why are Ruth's words so dear and enduring to humanity?

Do we really need to ask?

We all long for faithful friends, for people who will stick with their commitment through...well, better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness or health.

And, as today's verse and the Bible Book of Ruth make clear, such faithfulness is longed for in every kind of relationship. Our flesh might like affection, but our souls are definitely starving for faithful relationships.

I love contemporary music, but there is nothing like the words of faithful friendship found in the Golden Oldie, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

"Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He'll take and shield you,
You will find a solace there."

In today's verse, Ruth embodies, ideally, what Jesus is perfectly, namely, faithful. And because Jesus is perfectly what our souls are starving for, then we can be like Ruth, faithful, to the people in our lives.

Dear God, thank you for Jesus. In him, you give us both the longing of our hearts and also strength to be the same for others, namely, faithful friends. 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

Sat, 03/17/18, St. Patrick's Day, "Day of Praise"

Hebrews 12:1 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Hunh! "So great a cloud." In today's tech world, the great cloud is where all your data gets stored safely.

But for those who hunger for peace and heaven and enduring life, the greatest cloud always was, is, and will be where people are witnessing to the greatness of God, which is perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ.

That's what St. Patrick did, always yearning to be an overflowing vessel to others by keeping his eyes on Jesus Christ as testified in his breastplate prayer, which has always meant so much to me and is as follows: Christ be with me, Christ within me. Christ behind me, Christ before me. Christ beside me, Christ to win me. Christ to comfort me and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me. Christ in quiet, Christ in danger. Christ in hearts of all that love me. Christ in mouth of friend or stranger.

Wow! Eyes on Jesus; eyes that then focus on spreading the love to others! 

Each day, it is so easy for us to get caught up in the stuff that needs to get done. And don't get me wrong, it is important for us to tend to our daily responsibilities, just like the man and woman had to tend to the garden way back before sin entered the world in order that the garden would bear fruit. However, if you remember, it was when the desire to be surrounded by a cloud of stuff became greater than the desire to be surrounded by a cloud of witnesses that things went wrong for the first man and woman.

Not long ago, I was at a viewing and funeral, there were two emphatically consistent themes that came out: 
1) The deceased worked extremely hard, faithfully tending to his daily responsibilities, but as he did, he always took time for the people that surrounded him, which were not just clients but also his family, and 
2) A lot of visitors to the family worked extremely hard to both do their responsibilities and also to say to the family, "We remember you and pray for you," using both the cloud of technology like Facebook, texts, and email and also more old-fashioned means like sending flowers or calling or driving long distances.

It was a foretaste of heaven. 

So each day life goes on. And there are responsibilities to tend to. But life is so much better when we notice, acknowledge, and remember the God and the people, who surround us like a cloud, even as we with love surround them too.

Thank you all! I praise God for you!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fri, 03/16/18, "Day of Praise"

Romans 8:26 - "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."

I have plans for today. What about you? I have plans and thoughts as to how my day and, on a larger scale, my life should go.

But what do I know? I mean, really, come on now. Do I have a crystal ball into the future? Somebody may, and probably will, cancel or postpone or revise an appointment, or more tasks will come my way, or I'll get something done faster than I expected. Bottom line is that I have a plan for my day, just like you, so we're going to pray right now for our plan to be blessed. 

But God only knows how it's really going to unfold, so God's telling us in today's Bible verse to look to the Holy Spirit to guide our day and therefore our prayers for this day. 

I can plan all I want, but God only knows. So, Lord, please bless this day for whatever you know that it's going to hold. 

Furthermore, to an even greater extent, we're all alike. We all think we know what's good and not so good for us. So we pray for this good thing to happen and that bad thing not to happen. 

But what do I know? I mean, really, come on now. Do I have a crystal ball into the future? I've had days where I dreaded one or more meetings that were scheduled for that day. And, like recently, God did some of the most amazing things through what I had dreaded. Minimally, God effected the old family truth, namely, relationships grow when people work at things together and work through things together. So, people may still not see the matter the same way, but if we keep loving each other and working at it together and working through it together, then God always deepens our relationships. It's just a God thing. 

God tells us to look to the Spirit to guide our prayers because what we think is bad, and therefore pray against, may be the very thing that God chooses to work through for amazing good. 

In the end, pray! Make plans for the day, and pray! Assess the good or bad of what's ahead, and pray! But remember that God's saying today that none of us mortals ultimately know the future or the actual good of what's ahead, so we really don't know "what we ought to pray for." (Romans 8:26) So whatever we may plan and assess and pray for, trust that "the Spirit himself intercedes for us" (Romans 8:26), and believe that God will bless your day and you yourself and all parties involved more than any of us could ever desire or deserve. 

So ultimately, we pray believing the one thing we know for sure through faith in Jesus Christ, namely, God is good!!! All the time!!!

Praise God!!!

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

Day of Praise

Thur, 03/15/18, "Day of Praise"

2 John 1:6 - "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

When I was a kid, my dad made it clear that obedience involved something I needed to do, such as take out the garbage, mow the grass, or be nice to my little sister. But I also remember my dad saying things that made it clear that obedience involved believing, namely, believing that my father had the power to show us the consequences of disobedience.

In the same way, in today's Bible verse from 2 John 1:6, God tells us that "love [is to] walk in obedience to his commands." And in the verses that follow, God makes it clear that obedience involves believing, specifically, a belief in "Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh." So important is this belief in "Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh" that anyone who does not believe it is said to be a "deceiver and the antichrist." Furthermore, not believing in "Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh" is associated with "running ahead," but believing in "Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh" is celebrated as having "both the Father and the Son." Finally, God says that what we believe about "Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh" is so critical that it determines whether or not we take people "into your house or welcome them" because welcoming one who does not acknowledge "Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh" shares in their "wicked work."

Wow! So is there a simple way to sum up all this? Yes! In sum, God is teaching us that it is impossible for us to love if we don't believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. The reasons are simple. One, if Jesus Christ didn't come in the flesh, then God in Christ didn't die for our sin, so we're all still dead in our sin, which makes it impossible for us to love. And two, if Jesus Christ didn't come in the flesh, then God in Christ cannot live in our flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit, so we cannot possibly love because we have no strength from Christ to be able to love.

There were many people in Bible days who believed that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh. They were known as Gnostics and, in essence, believed that Jesus was an idea in your mind but not a real person to have a relationship with. Because they believed this way, they were stuck in sin and could not truly love as God commands in today's Bible verse.

Today, there are many people who believe that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh. They are known as religious people who go to church but, in essence, believe that Jesus is an idea in your mind but not a real person to have a relationship with. Because they believe this way, they are stuck in sin and cannot truly love as God commands in today's Bible verse.

How can you know then if you're a true believer? A few simple questions help us. 

Do you daily call on the name of the Lord believing that he's not an idea but he's a Living God who is with us? A believer does. 

Do you believe that God in Christ personally died on that cross for our sin? A believer does. 

Do you ask Jesus to come personally into your heart anew each day? A believer does. 

Do you believe that Jesus personally lives in you to give you strength and guidance and wisdom? A believer does.

In the end, Jesus is a real being with God the Father and the Holy Spirit through whom we have a relationship with God and others. Jesus is not just a name in a religion or an idea in your mind.

Believe in Jesus personally. Call on him personally. Invite Him personally into your heart. Trust, follow, and obey him personally. (Obedience is trust in action; it is faith active in love.) Your life and relationships are counting on it because apart from a personal relationship with Jesus, it is impossible for you to love.

God is personally here in Jesus to be your salvation and your strength to love so that others can know, receive, follow, and share him personally too! Glory to God; abundant life in Him to the world!

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Wed, 03/14/18, "Day of Praise"

A quick Happy Baptism Birthday to Caden DeGreen and Happy Birthday to Bob Kasper!

"Saul answered, 'But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?'" - 1 Samuel 9:21

Have you ever felt small and unimportant?

When I was a kid, I was quite overweight. I liked sweets waaaaaay too much. (And I still do, which is why I've given up sweets for Lent for the last 37 years.) So when I was a kid, not everyone, but there were a number of students who were very good at pointing out my deficiencies. Almost everyone else joined in.

I felt small.

But God, as always, was good. Amongst my peers were a few kind and encouraging voices. A very few. But my brother, Ben, my younger sister, Cheryl, and a girl named Billie Sue Dickson, were very encouraging.

God helped me to hear their encouragements. I will always be grateful to God for them.

In today's verse, Saul felt small. But Samuel was a lone encouraging voice. And out of Samuel's encouragement, Saul came to see how God could take smallness and turn him into a man with a changed heart, a man on whom God's Spirit would come with power, a man who could prophesy God's Word, a man who could strongly remain silent in the face of his detractors, a man who could be an instrument of victory over the enemies of others who felt small.

One voice, speaking with an ear toward God, can change a person who feels small into a person who lives large to the glory of God.

God has given at least one voice to encourage you to live large to God's glory. Listen to them. Thank God for them.

And God has placed someone in your life so that you can encourage them to live large too.

Dear God, help us to see them and to speak. To your glory. 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

Tue, 03/13/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Mon, 03/12/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Sat, 03/10/18, "Day of Praise"

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

It's the world in which we live.

Many people find it hard to praise God.

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

So we listen. 

To one another. 

And we pray. 

For one another.

And with one another. 

To help one another to see that God is listening. 

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

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

To listen. 

To us. 

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

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

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

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

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

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fri, 03/09/18, "Day of Praise"

John 10:10 - "[Jesus said,] I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Here's a summary of what Jesus just did with what Jesus just said -- "Know yourself and get better at being you." 

What is the one thing you're here to do? Do that well! And tell other people how you can bless their lives with that one thing that you're about.

That's what Jesus did. He knew himself and the one thing he was here to do. He did that well! And he told us how he can bless our lives with that one thing that he's about. Jesus said, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

So, are you a church? Help people to take their next step in knowing God personally through Jesus. It may be inviting someone to take the first step in knowing God personally, which is to put their faith in Jesus as their Savior. It may be inviting someone to take a further step in knowing God personally, which is to follow Jesus as their Lord, surrendering some area of life to the Lord where they themselves have previously held control. It may be equipping someone to be a Disciplemaker of Disciplemakers of Disciplemakers like Jesus sent the disciples to do in Matthew 28:18-20 and Paul then sent Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 2:2. 

Are you a husband? Learn to be blessed and receive love from the greatest husband, which is both God to the bride of his people and also Jesus to the bride of his church, and then be blessed by giving that love to your wife.

Are you a student? A parent? A boss? An employee? Learn from God and his word how to be you and what it means to be you. Know yourself in the light of God's word, and do well the one thing you're here to do. You will bless the lives of many, which God made us eager to do!

Dear Lord, you made each of us in a unique and wonderful way. You bless us. Help us to know our own selves in the light of your word, which shapes and molds and prunes and matures us so we can be what you made us eager to be, namely, a blessing to others. We love you, Lord. Thank you for being our great and wonderful God, who daily shows us your perfect love in Jesus Christ. Amen!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thur, 03/08/18, "Day of Praise"

1 Kings 17:14 - [Elijah said to the widow,] "For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.'"

Have you ever wondered if you were going to run out? Ya know! Are you going to run out of patience? Or courage? Or money? Or food? Or strength?

I remember a time I thought I was going to run out of gas. My car dashboard meter said I had fifteen miles of gas for the eight miles I needed to go. In less than a mile, the meter said I had two miles of gas remaining. Do the math! Problem! And lots of praying, since part of the trip was getting my son to his high school football team workout at six a.m. on dark lonely roads. I thanked God when we didn't run out. I mean, who else would you thank when your fears of running out don't come true?

Have you ever wondered if you were going to run out? Of anything? Today's Bible story is about a widow and her son who were sure they and their provision were done. But God spoke through Elijah and told her "The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty." God's call was for her, and God's call is for us, to stop living as if our provision is done.

Because we think we're going to run out.  

Ultimately, none of us knows if we'll have enough, but we do know the Lord who provides. 

Sometimes I myself wonder if I'll have enough Day of Praise stories to keep this thing going.

And then, I'll step off an hospital elevator and someone asks, "Did you see anyone in a wheelchair down there?" I stop for a moment and say, "Is this a trick question? This is a hospital. It has lots of wheelchairs!" Now, that would be a good story to go with a Day of Praise.

And then, I'll bump into someone who tells me they went shooting chickens earlier that day. I ask 'em if indeed they'd killed any. They look at me funny and say they were taking pictures, shooting a camera, not a gun. Hey, how was I to know that people do photo-ops with chickens? Now, that would be a good story to go with a Day of Praise.

And then, one time, somebody else's huuuuuuuuge mistake erased a boat load of my work. Aaaaaaa, frustrated! I wanted to grab from my chocolate stash in my desk. But I had given up chocolate and sweets for Lent, so the Holy Spirit told me to reach for Christ instead. And that would be a good Day of Praise story too.

Oops! I just used my stash of Day of Praise stories.

Will I have something come to mind for tomorrow? Will I have enough?

Ya know, I don't know!

None of us ever really knows if we're going to run out of patience. Or courage. Or money. Or food. Or strength. Or stories, but we do know the Lord who provides!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

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

2 Timothy 4:7-8 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing."

I wish I could remember so I could give them credit. But decades ago, I heard or read how someone ended every class by asking people, "What are you taking with you?" It is a way to make people stop and think about what they learned so they can give an account when somebody says, "What did you learn and talk about in class?"

It is a good practice for the end of life too and not just the end of a class. In today's Bible verse, St. Paul is, in essence, answering the question, "What are you taking with you?" St. Paul not only gives an account for his own life, but he also encourages all of us to love the appearing of Jesus because it brings a great reward. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, what St. Paul means is that there is great blessing for those who love it when God shows up and does his thing, which sometimes sets our enemies straight, but sometimes sets us straight, which we may not be so excited about.

So, as Lent is a season for us to think deeply about some things that we may not want to think about, the question is set before us, as with Paul, at the end of this day that God has granted you, "What are you taking with you from the day?" And, at the end of the big Day, when Jesus appears to take you to your heavenly home, what will you say to the question, "What are you taking with you from the class of life?"

May God grant all of us to say something like St. Paul, something like "I have believed to the end because the Lord is good!"

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Tues, 03/06/18, "Day of Praise"

Matthew 5:13 - [Jesus said] "You are the salt of the earth."

My mom tells me that, when I was three years old, I would say that I was "Fwee." Furthermore, when somebody told me that I was three, then I'd say, "I'm not three; I'm fweeeeeee." In other words, I actually could say the right pronunciation, but I had myself convinced that the wrong pronunciation was correct.

And so it is with us all. Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth, which means, in sum, that God made us to be difference-makers. But we have ourselves convinced that life is too much and too hard. We, in essence, say, "I'm not salt; I'm small." We might as well be saying, "I'm not three; I'm fweeee." Being made in God's image, in our heart of hearts, we actually know who we are; we're salt, like Jesus says; we're difference-makers and world-changers; but we have ourselves convinced that we're something else altogether, namely, small and insignificant.

But no matter how much I insisted I was fwee, the truth remained that I was three. And no matter how much we insist that we're small and insignificant, the truth remains that we're the salt of the earth, world-changers, difference-makers, made in the strength and power and image of Almighty God!

So get out there today, believing that God's word about you is true. You are the salt of the earth! Get out there and change the world! Mmmm, let's go!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 03/05/18, "Day of Praise"

Luke 18:13 - "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'"

Long ago, the followers of Jesus asked Jesus how to pray. At one point, Jesus taught them what we call the Lord's Prayer. But in telling this story in Luke 18, Jesus also taught them and us how to pray: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

These seven words have three key elements: 1) an humble acknowledgement that God is Almighty and to be feared, 2) an humble acknowledgement that we have rebelled/sinned against Almighty God, and 3) an humble plea for mercy, which is for Almighty God to not give us what we deserve, namely, to not give us what sin against God deserves, which is death.

Jesus goes on in that story and says that the man who prayed those seven words went away with his relationship with God made right. That reconciliation and restoration to God is what we all long for. In our heart of hearts, we all hunger to have fellowship with God, but we worry that God can't or won't have anything to do with us. Yet, in Jesus Christ and his cross, God has shown how eager he is to have fellowship with us; he is willing to pour out every ounce of energy and blood and life, showing he'd rather die for us than live without us.

This is good news, friends. God loves you. Turn your heart to him each day, remember his great love for you, and ask him for mercy. And when you do, just like the man Jesus described long ago, you too will walk in peace and fellowship with God!

"God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Sat, 03/03/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

Praise God!


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

Day of Praise

Fri, 03/02/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

Right now we're in the season of Lent. Lent is the season leading up to Easter, which is on April 1 this year, a few short weeks away. "Lent" is short for "lengthen". It's the season when the days are lengthening and things are starting to grow. But they don't grow as colorful and rich and sweet if they're not pruned. That's why many people have been doing a Lenten discipline since Ash Wednesday back on February 14. Lenten disciplines are when you take on something like praying daily or reading your Bible daily or serving at a mission each week. Lenten disciplines can also be giving up something like caffeine or coke or cigarettes or sweets or gossip. Whether you give up something or take on something or both, the purpose of a discipline is pruning, specifically pruning off the suckers from your life. 

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

It's not too late. If you haven't already, ask God now to help you decide on your Lenten disciplines so the pruning can continue to Easter Sunday and beyond. The fruit will burst forth rich and lush and sweet.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thur, 03/01/18, "Day of Praise"

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

You're going too slow!

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

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

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

Hang in there! You're doing just fine!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Wed, 02/28/18, "Day of Praise"

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

I love Twister!

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

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

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

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

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

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Tues, 02/27/18, "Day of Praise"

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

In less than a month, Sunday, March 25, Palm Sunday, to be exact, we begin the Spirit-filling, mind-sharpening, heart-warming week called Holy Week, which is an 8-day, Sunday to Sunday journey with Jesus, recounting his path to the cross and beyond to his glorious resurrection. Our congregation offers 18 worship times that week with at least one opportunity to worship on each of the 8 days.

Why such an intensive focus and expenditure of time and energy?

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

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

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

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

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 02/26/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

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

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

Until God sent her a messenger.

And told her He sees her.

Then everything changed for Hagar.

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

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

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

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

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Sat, 02/24/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

The second Sunday of the month is our 5 p.m. prayer and healing service, which Almighty God has used to bring physical, spiritual, and emotional healing to many. It's an amazing service for those who come. 

After a few calming songs and corporate prayer, we grab a chair and invite people to sit in it. Everyone lays their hands on the person in the chair and prays for them. Getting more than 4 or 5 people around one person requires some creativity, and we always have more than 4 or 5. 

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

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

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

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

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

Praise God!

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

Day of Praise

Fri, 02/23/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

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

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

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

So today's the last day of the work week. Tomorrow you're resting up. So, Sunday? Well, let's be some place in worship. Ya know, for some renewal, joy, and gladness!

Love, y'all! Have a great day!

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Thur, 02/22/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

Like the precision.

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

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

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

But you don't.

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

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

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

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

Praaaaaaaaise God!

Day of Praise

Wed, 02/21/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

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

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

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

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Tues, 02/20/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

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

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

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

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

So take a deep breath, y'all! Even when life gets a little hurtful, baffling, and perplexing, God's gonna straighten it out. Just trust him, and give him a moment. God's gonna smooth the way.

Praise God!

Day of Praise

Mon, 02/19/18, "Day of Praise"

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

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

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

Now I understand. 

My son's in his teens, and I'm in my fifties, early fifties, 53 to be exact, but fifties nonetheless. But I want to hang with him. 

So he lifts weights. I do push ups. He lifts weights. He asks me to lift with him. I do push ups, so I think I can lift weights. So a couple years ago, I did start to lift the weight, kinda like my dad hit the ball, and then I slap tore my right labrum, ya know, my shoulder rotator thingy. Right, Doc? Just like my dad pulled a muscle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Praise God!