Two Resolutions

Making New Years resolutions? Here are some stats stolen from leadership journal…
• 45 % of Americans usually set New Years resolutions, but only about
• 8% of us are always successful in keeping them, and
• 24% of us have failed on every resolution every year. The rest of us are somewhere in-between.

My resolutions are to learn English, develop a taste for chocolate, and quit drinking. Put me in the 8%.

This year let’s do something different. Lets grow. Not just in height or the waistline or in church numbers. Lets make more, bigger, brighter glory. 2 Peter 3:18 says “You must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.”

Growing in grace and knowledge – this is a process that continues to bring Jesus glory and doesn’t stop until there is a flat line of the screen next to the bed. But… how do we do it?

Grace = giving joy. The definition of Grace commonly given as “unmerited favor” is too narrow to fit here. How do you grow in unmerited favor? Sin more? The word is better defined as “joy giving.” We can do that. Take five minutes to write down what would bring joy to others – your family, neighbors, co-workers, students. Do it.

Knowledge = taking the bib off. Knowledge isn’t about going to church, putting on a bib and being fed. It means to grow in practical knowledge, to make wise decisions, day to day, in accordance with God’s Word. The Pharisees knew the facts. The disciples followed the Master. That’s why Jesus had the 12 feed the 5000, and let Peter walk on water. He didn’t do ministry for them, He did it with them. We can do this. Take five more minutes to write down what you can do with Christ. Become a self-feeding Christian, and give your bib to the next person you introduce Him to.

Then, when others are watching the flat line next to our bed, Jesus will be glorified.

Prince of Peace

Have you ever broken a bone? For me it was my ankles. I broke my left one twice and right one once. It’s not weak bones, its Cooley coordination. My problem was knowing if I should go to the doctor or not. Is it broken, or isn’t it? If you choose to go get x-rays, you want it to be busted so you don’t look like a wimp. The worst was when they told me it wasn’t busted, so I limped around for a month, went back, and then they found the fracture. Ugh. A broken bone is bad enough, walking around thinking it should be OK is worse.

The word peace is from “sar” which means “person in charge.” Sar became czar and Caesar. Peace, or shalom, means “to make one again,” and was used medically for broken bones being put at peace (made one again). Jesus is the person in charge who will make things one again, He will restore our broken bones. Our problem is realizing we’re broken.

No matter your view of global warming, we can all agree this planet is broken. The song says, “no more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found…” There is evidence of the curse in the tumbleweeds in Tucson, the cancers in Canada, and the devils in Dan. We have thorns in our soil, sickness in our bodies, and monsters in our soul. Admit it. Being broken is bad enough, denying it is worse.

The Prince of Peace is our God of restoration. He wants to restore our planet (Rom 8:22), our bodies (Ps 103:3), His kingdom (Ac 1:6), and our relationship with Him. (Isa 53, Ps 23,). God says, “I'll refresh tired bodies; I'll restore tired souls.” Jer 31:25 (MSG)

Dan

The Everlasting Father

Fathers – they are seemingly never satisfied, and seldom around. So what good are they? Well…

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
• 90% of all homeless and run away children are from fatherless homes.
• 85 % of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger, 71% of high school dropouts and 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes - as do 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions.

These statistics mean that kids without dads are:

• 5 times more likely to commit suicide,
• 32 times more likely to run away,
• 20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders,
• 14 times more likely to commit rape, 9 times more like to drop out of school, 10 times more like to abuse drugs, 9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution, and
• 20 times more likely to end up in prison.
(Stats come from Rick Johnson’s book “The Power of a Man,” page 173, individual sources sited on that page).

Jesus is called “The Everlasting Father.” The stats show us that we need a father. We need a father who can accept us, who is satisfied - and simply there. Ps. 103 is a short psalm that illustrates what kind of father Jesus is. He is called:

• Compassionate
• Merciful
• Slow to get angry
• Filled with unfailing love
• He doesn’t deal harshly with us, as we deserve
• His love for those who fear him is as high as the heavens over the earth
• He forgives us and removes all our sins
• Tender, knowing how weak we are
• His love remains forever
• His salvation extends to the grandchildren of those who obey his commands.

That’s Jesus, our Everlasting Father. Merry Christmas.

Dan

Mighty God

Mighty God

My sister use to date this guy who loved to drive. He would put on his special driving gloves and get a spark in his eye when he settled behind the wheel. Then he'd sit up super straight when he shifted and lean in over the steering wheel like he could see better if he was four inches closer to the road. He loved to drive his… Pinto. Weird.

Joy to the World, Peace on Earth – do Christmas songs describe your life, or do you find it filled with sickness, hardship, and disappointment? God promises The Abundant life – did He exaggerate? Is God a bit like a used car salesman, where He exaggerates the car’s good points while forgetting to mention the 200k miles, burning oil and four previous car wrecks? Does Christianity sometimes seem like you were promised a Ferrari but ended up with a Pinto? Jesus came over 2000 years ago, yet our world is full of crime, war, starvation. What gives? Is He really a Mighty God?

I was reading a book recently called “I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.” You can check it out at www.lousytshirtbook.com. Anyhow the author got me thinking about Christianity and why it doesn’t seem to measure up. Here are two of his reasons why:

• 1. Christianity can turn into a religion. You believe this set of rules, behave a certain way, and life will turn out OK. That’s a religion. It’s a Pinto – it sucks. You may live better than the next guy, but there is still an empty hole in your gut. So, we decide it’s all about relationship.


• 2. Relationship, too, is a Pinto. I remember when I was dating JoLynn (now my wife), and she said those magic words, “I just want to be friends.” Bad day – a pinto, it sucks kind of day. It should have been expected, in light of my dating history, but it was bad nonetheless. She wanted a relationship – but you can have a relationship from a distance. In a relationship you can move away, grow distant, and/or keep it shallow. Christianity must be more than a relationship.

Christianity is about The Incarnation. The Mighty God put on sin and becoming human in Jesus – but it doesn’t end there. The incarnation is the beginning of the good news – Jesus came, lived the perfect life, died and rose again. The good news is now we can have that new life. The Mighty God wants to put on skin and become human in YOU. Phil. 2:13 says “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” NLT. God working IN you doesn’t make everything happy and easy. That’s our desire maybe, and one day when Christ our Mighty God returns there will be peace on earth and joy in the world. Meanwhile there isn’t justice – there is just us. God working in us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.

Mary was ridiculed for having a baby out of wedlock, Joseph for marrying her despite her assumed sleeping around, Jesus for His teaching. But Mary, Joseph and Jesus drove Ferraris. How many world-wide holidays are there in celebration of Pharisees? There can be peace and joy in our hearts today. One day The Mighty God will return and bring peace and joy to our planet. Meanwhile Joseph can pick up Mary in his Ferrari and drive on gold streets. Not bad.

Dan

“We are here on earth to do good to others. What the others are here for, I don’t know” W.H. Auden

Wonderful Counselor

Is counseling overrated? Is accountability something worse?

When was the last time you needed a counselor? Did you find one – maybe on the phone, over coffee, or going to see a professional? Did they do any good – i.e. did you change for the better? Counselors worth their salt have “the mind of Christ.” Some do, some don’t. None do all the time.

Accountability means “an obligation to account for our activities.” But I don't think the dictionary definition fits reality - at least not as we Christians use the word.. We have an anger, or gossip, or gambling, etc. problem. So, we meet on a regular basis with someone “less messed up” to hold us accountable. This “less messed up” person is a friend. They sympathize with our lack of ability to change. They are into sympathy not reality. The result? Both people end up with a problem. Maybe sin is contagious and righteousness isn’t.

We’re all messed up. We need a counselor who isn’t. We need a wise counselor who is never surprised by our sickness, who we can be honest with and who knows how to push us when we try to cover, a counselor who is lovingly, brutally honest. We need a Wonderful Counselor.

Isa 9:6 (NLT) “A child is born to us, a son is given to us… And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor.”

Dan


P.S. In the old days we didn’t have accountability partners. CS Lewis and Martin Luther had confession partners. They felt they needed to confess their sins to God in front of someone else (Js 5:16). James says this brings “healing,” and “accomplishes much.” For me having to pray and confess my sins in front of someone else would keep me in line way more than meeting them at Starbucks.

Favorite Quote of the week: Craig McWade – "Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is like expecting the bull not to charge because you're a vegetarian."