True restoration

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. ~ Romans 5:1 (The Message)

That’s how God works when he redeems his people. He does so much more than save us; he restores us. Whatever Satan has stolen, God gives back. Whatever time we’ve lost to sin, he reclaims through love. The wounds inflicted upon us by the world are healed by his wonderful grace.

This is the Jesus we worship—the Savior who died so that we can live!

This is the message we bring to a world still bound by sin.

This is the only testimony worth telling—the only thing that really matters!
~ Excerpted from Soul Obsession by Nicky Cruz

Did you catch Paul’s statement there in Romans 5:1 – “…make us fit for him…”? That’s the restoration part that Nicky Cruz writes about. We are broken. We are fractured. We are wounded souls.

But our heavenly Father delights in works of restoration. And no amount of damage or brokenness is beyond His ability to restore. Like a master craftsman He loving pieces us back together. But that’s only possible when we are honest with our brokenness.

Entrust yourself to the loving hands of the Master!

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Real success

How do you define success?

I have a simple definition of success: Do the best you can with what you have where you are. In essence, success is making the most of every opportunity. Spiritual maturity is seeing and seizing God-ordained opportunities. Think of every opportunity as God’s gift to you. What you do with those opportunities is your gift to God. I’m absolutely convinced that our greatest regrets in life will be missed opportunities.
~ Excerpted from In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson

I had one of those moments a few days ago.

It involved a late evening trip to a local store that turned out to be pointless! And it was definitely NOT how I had intended to spend my evening. But it led to a phone call that was very, very timely!

It was definitely a God-opportunity!

Why is it so easy for us to think that life is all about us and forget that life is God’s story?

When we give ourselves to do life with Him - living each moment aware of His ongoing presence - we become available for all kinds of God-opportunities.

What might God have for us to participate in today?

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Friday Funny! ;-) Walking on water

Got this from a good friend and it’s too funny not to share.

A Theological Question: Who was the third person to walk on water?

The 1st was Jesus…

The 2nd was the Apostle Peter…

Then there’s this bloke named Ralph…

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From champ to chump in the blink of an eye!

Last Sunday was a great day for NFL football lovers. Four very talented teams battled it out for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

I love close games that are won because someone made the better play. Sunday’s games were close, but unfortunately both ended with players muffing what should have been a “sure thing.”

Billy Cundiff of the Baltimore Ravens missed an easy field goal that cost the Ravens a chance to tie the game. Kyle Williams of the 49ers became the goat by fumbling…twice…once in overtime allowing the Giants to win the game.

I felt bad for Billy and Kyle! As you can imagine, their miscues got LOTS of air time and chatter on TV and social networks.

When you’re the chump their isn’t much that you can do. You can’t change it or take it back. You’re blunder becomes part of history and you’re stuck with it. You’re stuck with the fact that millions of people just watched you choke.

These NFL players may not be able to do much but their teammates sure can!

This was demonstrated most clearly by the San Francisco 49ers who came to the strong defense of Kyle Williams.

Tight End Delanie Walker said, “We all lost this game…We play as a team — it’s 45 of us out there. It’s not Kyle’s fault, so don’t go over there and act like it is. Cause it’s not.”

Josh Morgan, another 49ers receiver stood at Williams empty locker and told reporters:

“I’m talking for Kyle,” Morgan said. “You have any questions, ask me. He’s not talking today. I got it.”

They had Kyle’s back. When it would have been easy to throw the chump to the wolves, their teammates stood their ground in support…and acted like true champions.

That’s what grace looks like, and it ought to be most visible in the church!

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What takes His breath away?

Do you have a favorite setting or scene in nature that stops you in your tracks and takes your breath away?

• A bright, sunny day with no clouds in the sky…
• A sandy beach with waves crashing onto the shore…
• A forest full of lush, green trees…
• A humming-bird paused in mid-air…
• A field full of blooming flowers…
• A deer drinking from a cool, country stream…
• A majestic mountain range that seems to roll on forever…

For me, it’s the sun setting over a beach.

The picture above was taken a few years back when our family got the chance to tent camp on the beach of Lake Michigan. There is nothing in the world like going to sleep and waking up to the sound of waves hitting the shore.

Do you know what it is that stops God in His tracks and takes His breath away?

You and me!

Revisit the creation story. Every time God brought something new into the picture He declared it to be “good.” But when He brought Adam and Eve into the picture, God declared it to be “very good.”

Regardless of what might be going on in your life or how you feel about yourself – God is looking at you with a sense of awe and wonder!

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The Story page (see above tag) has been updated with a summary of Week 1 and the sermon from last Sunday has been added to the Sermons/Audio page (see above tag).

Stealth Warfare and A Civil War Submarine

The Confederate Civil War vessel H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, was unveiled in full and unobstructed view for the first time two weeks ago (Jan 12, 2012), capping a decade of careful preservation.

About 20 engineers and scientists applauded as they caught the first glimpse of the intact 42-foot-long narrow iron cylinder, which was raised from the ocean floor near Charleston, SC more than a decade ago.

In the summer of 2000, an expedition led by adventurer Clive Cussler raised the Hunley and delivered it to the conservatory on Charleston’s old Navy base, where it sat in a 90,000-gallon tank of fresh water to leech salt out of its iron hull.

The narrow, top-secret “torpedo fish,” built in Mobile, Alabama by Horace Hunley from cast iron and wrought iron with a hand-cranked propeller, arrived in Charleston in 1863 while the city was under siege by Union troops and ships.

In the ensuing few months, it sank twice after sea trial accidents, killing 13 crew members including Horace Hunley, who was steering.

On the night of February 17, 1864, its captain and seven crew left Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, and hand-powered the sub to the Union warship Housatonic four miles offshore. From a metal spar on its bow, the Hunley planted a 135-pound torpedo in the hull of the ship, which burned and sank. It then disappeared with all eight Confederate sailors inside.*

Stealth weapons and tactics have always been a part of warfare but no one is better at it than the devil. As Steven Furtick puts it:

The devil is a liar. That’s all he is, and he’s good at what he does.

In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul reminds us to guard against the attacks of Satan. After listing various pieces of spiritual armor to put on Paul says:

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

Why a shield of faith? Because the enemy’s favorite tactic is to tempt us into NOT trusting God; and he prefers stealth mode. He sneaks up when we least expect it to plant a seed of doubt. If undetected, it eventually grows until we turn from God and take matters into our own hands.

Whatever it is that you are facing today remember…

you can trust God!

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* Adapted from a report by Reuters

More than just a change in scenery

Last week Susan and I enjoyed the sunshine and warmth of Florida. Eli, our oldest, is starting an 8-month internship with Disney World near Orlando so I took Monday and Tuesday to ride down with him. Our time together was great!

We arrived Tuesday afternoon just ahead of Susan’s flight. Eli was busy with getting settled in but had enough space for us to enjoy some activities in the area together before Susan and I flew back on Saturday.

Besides the sunshine and warmth, the real treat was the change of pace and chance to relax. Susan and I had time to step away from the busy routine and reflect on different aspects of life; things that get lost in hectic daily activities.

Do you know which of the Ten Commandments is given the most amount of space in Scripture? The most attention?

Keeping the Sabbath!

It’s not about a certain day of the week, but the rhythm of pausing from the regular routine long enough to give our relationship with God some serious attention.

At it’s core, Sabbath is a reminder that God is God and we are not!

Most of us would quickly acknowledge that we are not God, but we tend to live as if we are - as if it all depends on us. We worry, we fret, we pace, we lose sleep at night… and we always think we know how things should be handled!

Few of us can spend part of every week in Florida but we can all carve out space daily, weekly and monthly to stop and spend time with God, letting Him remind us that He is in charge and has everything under control.

The Sabbath was put in place by God because He knew how easily we slide behind the steering wheel and try to take charge. Perhaps that’s one reason God inspired David to write in Psalm 46:10…

Be still and know that I am God.

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Untapped potential

We are captivated by stories of normal people coming to possess super-human abilities. A skinny nerd is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes Spiderman. A mild-mannered scientist is exposed to gamma radiation and becomes the Hulk.

But that’s the stuff of bed-time stories right?

Maybe… maybe not!

As a Christian, you’ve been genetically engineered to transform into someone more spectacular than Spiderman and more incredible than the Incredible Hulk. You have been granted the opportunity to develop the very nature and character of Jesus! Within you lies the potential to

• think the thoughts of Jesus
• possess the inner peace of Jesus
• enjoy the freedom from material concerns that Jesus enjoyed
• experience the connection with God’s that Jesus experienced
• respond to mistreatment as Jesus responded
• receive the praise from God that Jesus continues to receive
• love as Jesus loved

Spiritual transformation is about ordinary people like you and me discovering that we can live extraordinary lives.

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. ~ Romans 8:29-30 (The Message)

When we give ourselves to be transformed by God’s Spirit we will learn to do life differently, like Jesus! And as that happens, people will be drawn to know more about God! Don’t settle for less than what God intends and provides! Remember, we all have…

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To learn more about participating with God in the process of transformation click the Morphing tab above!

Practical suggestions for boosting your energy

Having been made in the image of God we are both physical and spiritual. It’s easy to ignore the physical but it greatly influences our journey with God.

So along with the traditional habits of Bible reading, prayer, fasting, etc… we also need to pay attention to our body; and especially our energy. So here are some practical suggestions to help boost your energy.

Pursue intimacy with God. We are physical/spiritual creatures made in the image of God and every aspect of life flows from our connection with Him.

Watch your attitude. A positive or negative mindset will take us in a good or bad direction. “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). And pay attention to your relationships, some people add to the positive while others do the opposite!

Feed your brain. You’ve heard the old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” This applies to the world of computers, but it also applies to our brain. Reading is a great habit and no, TV is not a good substitute.

Exercise regularly. There are too many benefits to list here. Set aside excuses and get active. There are few things that have a more positive effect on the body than physical exercise. And involve your family!

Good nutrition. Take a good multi-vitamin, drink LOTS of water, eat more vegetables and avoid simple sugars. And yes, it’s easier said than done! But it’s possible.

Get plenty of rest. I can tell you from personal experience that this is a BIGGIE! Beyond just making us grumpy a lack of sleep can cause some serious health issues. Don’t ignore this most basic of human needs!

Good energy is vital to every other aspect of life. Make the most of it by making good choices!

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Friday Funny! ;-) File under “E” for Ewww!

In a way, it’s rather impressive reasoning… I guess!

The Pepsi Co. is facing a lawsuit from a man who claims to have found a mouse in his Mountain Dew can. Their lawyers have come up with an especially creative, if disgusting, defense: their soda would have dissolved a dead mouse before the man could have found it. (Ewww!)

According to the Madison County Record, an Illinois man sued Pepsi in 2009 after he claims to have “spat out the soda to reveal a dead mouse.” He claims he sent the mouse to Pepsi, which then “destroyed” the remains after testing it, according to his complaint.

Most stupefying of all is that Pepsi’s lawyers found experts to testify, based on the state of the remains sent to them that, “the mouse would have dissolved in the soda had it been in the can from the time of its bottling until the day the plaintiff drank it.”

According to Pepsi, it would have become a “jelly-like substance.” (Double Ewww!) So the argument of the defense is to admit that your product is essentially a can of battery acid.

I think it’s safe to say it will be a long time before I’ll be “Doing the Dew” again!

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