by Angela Sanders | Sep 29, 2016
Like so many Americans, I have an ache in my heart, a heavy one that’s sunk into my stomach where it churns and burns and refuses to be ignored.
Sleep can’t fix it. Food can’t fix it. Exercise can’t fix it. Shopping can’t fix it. Entertainment can’t fix it. Sex can’t fix it. A dose of the chemicals in my cabinet can’t fix it.
Only Jesus can.
As I sit here frozen, tears burning, begging Him to do just that, He assures me that He will.
Someday. In Heaven, if not here.
So, in the meantime, what?
Well, as a redeemed child of God, I have the comfort of knowing He’s with me, guiding me, growing me, and sustaining me in the midst of trouble, changing me through my suffering into the image of Jesus Christ for the good of His Kingdom. Of course, this promise only gives me comfort if I care more about God’s being glorified in my life than I care about my own well-being.
And that’s where the problem lies.
Right now, I just want to feel good. I want to feel safe. I want to feel happy.
Right now, I want so many things. For me. Oh, what a selfish child I am!
So what’s to be done?
I die to myself. Again.
With full confidence born of experience in God’s ability not only to save me through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, but transform and use me by the power of His Holy Spirit for the advancement of His Kingdom—one that will far outlast the one we now live in—I empty my pockets of the selfish desire and ambition I’ve been collecting and offer my whole self at His altar, a living sacrifice, nothing kept, so nothing risked.
Only in this genuflected state of worship does my heart’s ache, ever with me, begin to ease. No longer a crippling pain, it becomes instead a blessed, if not wholly welcome, reminder that this world is not my home and I’ve a Kingdom to advance.
My spirit lifts to the reality of my Father’s presence. My eyes open to His activity around me. My ears prick to the sound of His voice. My body yearns to do His bidding, and while I certainly don’t crave or enjoy trouble, I can appreciate it for the opportunity to glorify the Father and spread the Gospel it affords.
I am at peace.
Not calm, but at peace. Not free of pain, but at peace. Not safe, but at peace. Not happy, but at peace.
Bottom line? Jesus is my fix. Now and forever, He truly is enough.
by Aaron Hanzel | Sep 28, 2016
A few weeks ago, several of my family members and friends volunteered to assist a church hosting VBS (Vacation Bible School). This particular VBS was slightly different; it was for foster kids. The foster parents are required to take 12 hours of mandatory conference/training by the state, annually. Therefore, the church would conduct VBS for the kids, while the parents attended their annual session. I volunteered to help with the youth.
I was a youth intern for a couple of years and, at one point, an interim youth pastor. Needless to say, I enjoy seeing God move through the lives of teenagers. This particular weekend was no exception.
Throughout the weekend of VBS, we would break from the get-to-know-you games, for a session in scripture. The kids were somewhat shy, which was to be expected, and we would ask questions to get them involved. Basic, conversation starters.
The first session went smoothly. The second session covered the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is where I was quickly humbled.
Jesus tells how only the Samaritan stopped on the road and helped the beaten and naked man. Then the Samaritan brought him into town, fed him, clothed him and provided for him a place to stay.
This was a pure and selfless example of treating others as you would like to be treated.
Most people, kids more than others, think in the simplest of terms. 1 + 1 = 2. Cause and effect. Therefore, I posed the question to the group: “Why would the Samaritan stop for the man? What was his drive?”
Now, I enjoy theology. I enjoy delving into God’s Word, so deep that it helps me grow in my relationship with Christ. Sometimes, however, the basics/essentials of the Gospel and our faith through Christ completely shatter my need to deeply analyze the complex intricacies of God. As I asked the question, my mind begins to churn with the understanding of sanctification, atonement of sin, Paul’s battle of “the old law” and faith and obedience.
I pondered on all these things. My mind was swiftly overtaken by a truth so gripping and tragic that everything surrounding me fell into nothingness.
One of the kids responded to the question: “To inherit the kingdom of God.”
Shattered. What a fool I am. What a self-replicating virus of self-centeredness I am. All of my boastful knowledge of scripture and spiritual understanding is a trophy to be mocked. In that moment, I was not frustrated or regretful at the cause of my spiritual understanding, nor at the deeper understanding I have been granted through and in Jesus Christ, but rather at the prideful collection of theological trophies I display in my own mind. What a mockery.
“To inherit the kingdom of God.” Struck down by the words of a teenager is a humbling, and annoying experience in itself. But when reminded of the power of the complex and yet simplistic truth of the Gospel, it becomes words of rest, realignment, and humility. Do not, for even one second, assume that the Gospel is so complex that its limits coincide with your own thought process. The Lord’s plan for you to inherit His kingdom is vast and simple at the same time. I pray you continue to hunger for him.
by Caleb Moore | Sep 21, 2016
I remember very clearly the first time I received my acceptance into the motorcycle community. My first bike wasn’t very big or fast, but it was mine.
You might have noticed that when two motorcycles pass each other on the road they throw out a little hand signal to each other. It’s almost always the same gesture, your left arm shoots out and down towards the ground while holding two fingers out like a peace symbol. It was only a few days after I had my bike that I began riding down city streets.
Early one cool spring morning I put on my helmet and riding gear and headed to work. As I was riding, I saw a much bigger bike in the distance, driven by a much bigger man.
I could tell right away he was the real deal. He had a big grey beard and a leather vest covered with patches. As we passed each other I watched with great anticipation to see if he would give me the “sign.” I had my doubts, though, surely he wouldn’t recognize me on my little bike. I’m just a novice, and I might as well have training wheels attached to the side.
Then, as we were about to pass, without even looking my way, he let go of his handlebar and threw me the sign.
I’m glad my visor covered my face because I was grinning like an idiot. “I’m in the gang now!” I thought to myself. My posture on my bike changed, I was no longer some little kid puttering about on his scooter; I was leather jacket-wearing man riding his steel horse full of thunder!
I’m on my fourth bike now; I ride a Harley Davidson that is so loud I have to wear ear plugs. Every time I see another bike approaching I throw out the sign instinctively. I don’t have to think about it. Now, it’s just habit.
But it still makes me smile because in a weird way it makes you feel like there is a group of people to whom you belong. No matter what else is going on, you know you just passed a stranger who understands you, and shares with you your love of the open road.
Recently, as I was taking my son to the store, we approached the steps of our front porch. He was talking away in his little voice the way he always does, but as we drew closer to the steps he reached his little hand up to mine without hesitation or even so much as a glance to see if I would be there to receive it. He knew by instinct that his father is always right there. He knows that the stairs can be dangerous for his short little legs and that without fear or anxiety he can overcome it as long as dad is there to hold his hand.
When I looked down, I noticed he always holds my same two fingers – my middle and index fingers. These are the same two thrown out when I see a motorcycle passing.
Just like how I throw out this silly hand gesture to a passing motorcyclist as a way to acknowledge our group bond, my son reaches his hand up because he knows he belongs to an even better group. I envy how effortlessly we can belong to so many different groups or families, but when it comes to belonging to the Kingdom of God we often struggle.
I believe this is one of the reasons God gave us prayer. Prayer often comes with a gesture of its own. Whether it be the clasping of our hands, the bowing of our heads, or simply the bending a knee, it is helpful for me to think of this gesture as a symbol of my belonging.
I know that when I reach my hand up in prayer, my heavenly Father is always close by to guide me through the dangers of life. I desire to repeat my gestures of prayer so often that simply by instinct I know not only that I belong but that God is with me.
by Angela Sanders | Sep 19, 2016
I’m angry!
Not miffed. Not peeved. Not ticked, but downright, foot-stomping, teeth-grinding mad!
We’re talking prickly-heat-crawling-up-my-neck, feel-my-pulse-in-my-temples, tears-burning-my-eyes, why-can’t-I-swallow, know-I’m-gonna-have-a-headache-from-this-later mad, and I’ve gotta tell ya, in moments like these, being a writer is more hindrance than it is help.
That inability to come up with what you want to say when you want to say it? Yeah, I don’t have that. Right now, my problem is coming up with something that is actually okay for me to say!
So, I’m biting my tongue.
Why? Because…
1. Letting those frothy words fly might release a little tension in the moment, but they’d create a mess for me to clean up later. And, yes, I would have to clean it up! The Bible says I can’t enjoy intimacy with God as long as someone else has something against me (Matt 5:23-24), so I have to apologize when I mess up, and, let’s be honest, keeping things right with others is way easier than making things right with others.
2. You can’t take words back. Like coats of white paint over graffiti, heart-felt, well-worded apologies may soften the glare of hurtful words, but they don’t erase the ragged outline. Say something you shouldn’t, and your victim will feel the shock of it anew every time their consciousness drives by the memory.
3. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov. 15:1). Now, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a little part of me screaming, “Bring it!”—transformation is a process, y’all! —but that girl is a fool. The Bible says so (Prov. 20:3), so I’d best go with the rest of me, the part that really does want to be a peacemaker like Jesus.
4. “…Human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness that God desires” (Jas. 1:20). Does holy anger? Well, maybe, but trust me, there’s nothing holy about the way I’m feeling right now. If I let words out of my mouth right now, they wouldn’t be righteous; they’d be sinful because they’d go directly against the nature of the God I represent.
5. My sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). I’m a Christian, see, so Jesus’ Holy Spirit lives in my heart, and when I do something that goes against His nature, it affects Him in a negative way. I don’t understand how. I don’t understand why. I just know it’s true. I love Him, so I won’t put Him through that.
6. Their sin wasn’t against me. Oh, I felt it, alright! And what they did was wrong—really wrong, if there are degrees of wrong, which I think the Bible refutes (Jas 2:10)—but, in the end, their actions are really between them and God (Psalm 51:4). As I understand it, what makes sin sin is that it doesn’t match up with God’s holiness. As much as it shames me to admit it, if you were to match what this person did up against the kinds of things I’m capable of, you’d find a pretty close match. No incongruity, so no sin against me. Match it up against God, and the sin is obvious. Honestly? Even the apology I really hope to get from this person wouldn’t be mine by right, but by the grace of God alone, as their apologizing would only be a by-product of their trying to do what’s right, a concept that means absolutely nothing without standard of God’s holiness.
7. My silence gives God room to speak to their heart. It’s not my job to convince others that their actions are wrong. I’m not capable. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, or convince, people of their sin (John 16:8). Yes, He sometimes uses people to deliver the message of truth that He then drives home, but as long as I’m under the influence of anger, I’m no good to Him for reasons given above. If I said what I want to say right now, I’d be planting myself firmly between this person and the God with whom they need to have a heart-to-heart. I’d be a distraction rather than an instrument of peace.
8. Hot coals are more effective than hot words (Prov. 25:21-22). Not actual hot coals, but the coals of grace and mercy that those of us who follow Christ are called to extend to others, even when they treat us badly. Treat meanies like they treat you, and they’ll feel justified. Treat them like Jesus treated His persecutors, and they might actually feel bad about it. Of course, if they do, don’t gloat, or God will quit disciplining them so you don’t get the self-righteous big-head (Prov. 24:17-18)!
9. I don’t want to burn any bridges of relationship that could someday bear the burden of truth. That’s every relationship, from strangers to soul mates. To me, there’s no greater joy than imparting the truth of Scripture to others or showing them how it applies to their lives so they can either come to know Him or get to know Him better. I’d hate to forfeit that privilege by identifying myself as someone who can’t be trusted to uphold and live by the truth that they proclaim.
10. In the end, God’s purposes are more important than my own, and, in this moment, keeping my thoughts to myself would serve those purposes best. God’s ultimate purpose is His glory (Eph. 1:10), or the display of His divine perfection, and my actions as a redeemed child of God who proclaims the power of God to save and transform either prove or call into question His ability to do those very things. I don’t desire for a split-second to dim His much-deserved spotlight.
That, in a nutshell, is why I won’t say what I want to say right now…well, what I wanted to say a few moments ago, anyway.
Hey! What do you know?! Counting to 10 really does help!
by Caleb Gordon | Sep 13, 2016
Am I the only person who has ever felt like God, sometimes, is really not pleased with who I am as a person? Am I the only one who has ever thought, “Does God even really like me?”
Let’s be honest. Sometimes my motives and my thoughts in general can be downright shady.
When I sit and think on stuff like this, my theological brain kicks in and says stuff like, “Come on Caleb, Jesus died on the cross to forgive you from your sins, so therefore you know He LOVES you,” which I think is where most of us are.
We understand that He has forgiven us and that He loves us. I think we look at His relationship with us the way we have a relationship with our children. We love our children. We’re willing to die for kids, but there are moments where we are just rung out from how annoying our children can be.
I’ve heard my parents say to me when I was a kid, “I love you, but I really don’t like you right now,” so what happens with that is we project that onto God. He loves us, but sometimes He just does not like us – or so we think.
How in the world could God take delight in someone who is as messed up as I am?
Like I said, when I allow my brain to start walking these routes I tend to get a tad bit distraught. But this is why it’s important that we have an anchor in life. An anchor that keeps us from drifting into rocks of life.
I want you to read this…
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:3-11).
I want you to think about the idea of adoption. When parents decide to adopt they do their homework. They find out everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
It’s not different with God. He’s done His “homework” on you, so to speak. He’s seen you at your worst. Your sin does not shock or freak Him out. He knows all of the nasty stuff you’ve ever done, and even after all of that, He still chose you.
“Before the foundation of the world” He saw who you would become. He knew you, and HE WANTED YOU! He knew me and wanted me! And here is the thing, we did not just get enough grace to be squeeze past the heavenly guards, by the skin of our teeth. NOPE! Read the text.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.”
So God LAVISHED His Grace upon us. He KNEW what He was doing. He had a plan. There was no mistake in this. He knew what He was getting into and jumped in with BOTH FEET! God did this on purpose! He chose you! He chose me! That is why the Scriptures says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Those of us who are in Christ are FREE! We are clean! We are BLAMELESS!
In Him we have OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE!
So I want you to take heart. You are not just loved by God. HE LIKES YOU! He really likes you! This should cause in you a desire to RUN TO HIM. You are a chosen BLAMELESS KID! Blameless kids run to their Father!
You are cherished.
by Wade Crews | Sep 12, 2016
How is your aim?
One of the first things you learn in any kind of sport or work that involves hitting a target is to have a proper “sight picture” on that target. In other words, your aim has to be precise. Whether putting a golf ball, shooting a free throw, or busting a clay pigeon, you must have steady hands. You must see your target. You should even visualize hitting the target, or making the putt. You must practice. But more importantly, your aim must be accurate, based on your sight picture and how you see the goal.
It is the same in our Christian lives. I have made a simple acronym from the word A.I.M.. As we set our sights on a goal in Kingdom Work, we should always strive to be Authentic, Intentional and Missional. To drive the point home, the opposite of A.I.M. is M.I.A.. We don’t want to be Missing In Action or to be found lacking when it is time to produce for the Lord.
In this first of three blogs, we will look at being authentic.
Authentic:
Most of my ministerial work has been with youth/college age “kids” and with senior adults. I find it interesting that they are the two groups who seem to pick up on a person being phony quicker than anyone. Why is it that between age 25 and 65, people will gravitate to the some of the most unauthentic people and promises on the planet? Why is plastic programmed production value more important than sincere, significant and relational discipleship? We must be authentic throughout a person’s entire life journey. The prodigals will come home if we are authentic and consistent. The key to being authentic is when they come home we (the church) are the same as when they left to chase the world’s definition of success and significance. After all “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).
We should be authentic because God is authentic. We should be real because God is real. We should be full of grace and truth because God is grace and truth. God does not do anything by accident. God is the God of structure and organization. We are a holy people and have nothing to be afraid of. We have nothing to back up from, because we are who we are. We are authentic and authentically His.
As Paul put it so well in Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). But later, Paul went on to tell Timothy, “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know Whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).
Why are we often afraid to be who we are and more importantly to be who we were called to be? Peer pressure is nothing more than caring more about what men think than what God thinks. I think Paul knew the Old Testament very well and would have us know what is found in Isaiah, “For the Lord GOD helps me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isa. 50:7).
Wow! What a definition of authenticity. Be authentic today!