You will never guess who is going to India...

Well, maybe you will:) After a year hiatus (yes, I checked the spelling) from India, God swung open the door once again and I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity! But I am not the only one from my family that is going...

This Fall, Sharon mentioned that I might want to read a journal entry from Bethany's Bible class. As I read it, I was stunned and humbled. She was writing in response to Genesis 12 where Abraham is called by God to move out in faith. She wrote, "would I listen to God and trust Him and leave my home? I will have to answer that soon, because every year my dad goes to India on a missions trip...I will have to decide in the next few years when I will be going with him...leaving my home to be a missionary to people of a different country. I can relate to Abraham in that way, but will I go out of my comfort zone to go where God is calling me???"

In her prayer of application, she said, "I pray that whatever I decide to do and whenever I decide to do it, that I will be like Abraham and trust you...amen!"

Out of the mouths of...well, youth! When your children begin to wrestle with possibilities like this - desiring to step out in faith while counting the cost - your heart gets a start. Coincidentally;), I had been sensing that God was giving me the "nod" to return to India, but practically, that didn't make a lot of sense. As a new pastor, with tons of ministry happening at our church, I had to find a moment to brave the question, "can I use my vacation to go to India?" Pastor Chris' answer was "yes," and now the journey begins...again...and fresh with the opportunity to take my 14 year old daughter along with me!

So, with doors open wide, the prep underway, and stabs of anticipation creeping upon me in the middle of the night, we embark on a journey, with each other, and...with you.

Will you join us? In prayer & encouragement?

Thank you and Blessings!

P.S. Please stay tuned for future updates about how we will be ministering and what our needs are.

Joyful Giving (electronically)

I would like to invite you to participate in our Electronic Giving program designed to simplify your giving to God's work at FBC Prescott.

Electronic Giving enables each person to make their church offering using electronic funds transfer (EFT). Since you are probably already using EFT to pay your mortgage, car payment or insurance premium through an automatic withdrawal from your checking or savings account, why not extend that convenience to your giving?

Here are a few reasons to consider this option:

There is no cost to you for this new giving option.
If you are currently giving on a weekly basis, you will no longer need to write out 52 checks a year or prepare 52 envelopes.
When you travel or other circumstances prevent you from attending services, this program will allow your weekly offerings to continue on an uninterrupted basis.
This also gives you the opportunity to put your "green" convictions into action, by cutting down on the use of paper:)

To participate in electronic giving, please visit our website at www.fbcprescott.com and click on the “Online-Giving” icon on the right side of the page to begin giving joyfully (electronically)!

If you are not familiar with online giving, and would like more information or help to start the process, please contact our church office at 928.778.9790 and we will be happy to assist you.

Thank you for considering this new giving opportunity.

Things that can't be taken away

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, I ran 50 miles (24 more than I had ever run before). The race is called "Man Against Horse," (I think the horse won:)) At the end of the race I received a belt buckle as my "trophy" for completing the race. But that is not the thing that can't be taken away.

The race begins at the base of Mingus Mountain and winds through river beds, up long steep dirt trails, and then finally back down again. Between miles 29 and 32 there is a very steep and rocky trail ascending perhaps 2000 feet. I was doing fine through 29 miles, but then at about mile 30, in the middle of this climb, I experienced severe cramping in my legs. At first, my calves cramped and then my shins. Normally, I can stretch and keep moving, but these were cramps unlike any I have ever had! My legs seized up, and I struggled to release the cramps. It worked once or twice, but then a few steps later I was unable to free myself from them. I lay on the dirt trail calling out to God for help, for no amount of energy I had would do. I writhed in pain as my calves contorted my feet.

As I lay on the narrow path, calling out to God, I realized my race was over. Now, how could I get up the two miles to the next aid station or down to the previous one? Humanly speaking, I couldn't.

I finally freed the cramps enough to relax in the dirt, praying for a solution. Other runners would pass me by and give me sympathetic looks, and offer to tell the people at the top that a man was down. I called my wife and told her the problem...she had been praying all day.

I don't know how it happened, but after laying there for 30 minutes, I knew I had to get up. I heard “God’s still small voice” say, you are going to finish this race. Crazy! I couldn't even move! I got up, and stepped with caution; praise God. I took another step, then another, then another. I was on my way, hoping to make it to the top in order to catch a ride to base camp.

At the top, the aid workers asked if I wanted to continue...”how far until the next aid station,” I asked. “Six miles,” was their response. I think I will try. At mile 38, the same question, with my response, "I think I will try."

I crossed the finish line with 10 minutes to spare (they have a 12 hour cut-off). It was truly a miracle to me, because I know where I was physically at mile 30!

So, what can't be taken away, you ask? That God met me in my pain and hopelessness and renewed my strength. He spoke comfort and grace, and I know that it wasn't anything that I could have done without Him. Every step toward the finish line became a special gift for which I returned praise! God had met me personally, again, and that can't be taken away!

How has God met you in ways that are impossible to describe? Give Him praise for the meeting, and hold it close to your heart, and be sure to share it with others...God might just use it to encourage them!

Pastor Dave

Homily for my daughter's wedding

My daughter was married on June 26 and I was privileged to perform the wedding. I wanted to give them some marriage encouragement, but as I thought about it, all of our marriages might be strengthened as we remember these things...take some time to read, and then post what you might have included in such a talk. :)

Jonathan and Amy…

It is my great joy to speak to you for a few minutes about marriage and the great adventure and journey you are about to embark on. It has been wonderful beyond words to see how God has brought you to this place today, and we all look forward to watching the two of you walk together throughout the rest of your lives.

I personally know how taken you are by the Grace of our Lord Jesus. You have given yourselves to Him first and are the recipients of the amazing and sovereign grace of God. In light of that, I have taken the word GRACE and made an acrostic as it relates to marriage.

So, let’s begin…

G is for God! Surprise, surprise:) He indeed must be your foundation as you walk together. It has been my prayer from the beginning of your life, Amy, that God would provide you with a heart for Him and ultimately give you a man whose heart is fully His. In our conversations and in your actions, Jon and Amy, you have demonstrated a heart bent toward Jesus.

Why is having God as your foundation so important? I am glad you asked:) Let’s say that you have an argument, I can’t imagine such a thing ever happening in your marriage, but let’s just say for a moment it does. In those times of frustration, and disillusionment, and grrrrrr, shall I say PAIN, how will you make it through?

Well, you make it through by submitting to your Lord. You experience the emotions, of course, and while this is not easy - you keep humbling yourselves before Him and letting Him teach you, comfort you, guide you, and use your trials to transform you. If Jesus is truly your Lord, you must return to His presence over and over and over again, and gain His perspective, and yield your wills to His!

Now that we have our foundation, let’s move quickly through the rest of our GRACE acrostic

R is for Relationship! You would do well to prioritize and protect your relationship with one another. There will be many things, undoubtedly, that will seek to steal your time away from each other in the coming months and years; jobs, friends, school, hobbies, children…children You must be intentional about carving out quality time together. How do you do that? Well, you go away alone, you lock the bedroom door, you meet for coffee, you turn off the cell phone, you drive or walk places together just to be with one another. It is important to have fun, but also occasionally ask this question, “how am I doing as your spouse?” This question will sometimes bring you grief, but it will demonstrate the priority of your relationship to each other. So, as strange as this might seem to you right now, if you don’t make your relationship a priority, it will not be your priority!

Next

A is for acceptance. This is one of the greatest gifts you can give to each other! Acceptance is that quality of being ok with who a person is, without the intention of trying to mold or shape them into your image. Remember, when you are connected to your Lord, He is responsible for changing and growing you and your spouse into the person He desires. When two people have this goal, they can stop trying to change the other person and freely yield to His work. To be sure, God will transform you through your partner’s influence; through prayer, study together, freely sharing your hopes and dreams – but seek to allow God to move you and them along the path as He desires and in His timing. Learn to accept the person where they are, and the beautiful creation he has made and is making them to be.

Not only are we talking about acceptance of each other, but also of the difficult circumstances that will certainly invade your lives. I hope you understand that I am not talking about just rolling over when challenges come, but there will be many times when you will just have to say, “ok, this is the hand we are dealt, how can we learn from it and use it for the glory of God?”

Can you guess what the “C” stands for? If you guessed “Call your parents…” you might be right But today it is for Commitment!

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to stay married for life! It may seem like a mission impossible in today’s world, but it is not impossible. No one stands on their wedding day and says, “I just don’t think this marriage thing is going to work out.” At least, I hope no one is saying that! Yet, so many marriages today don’t work out. There are lots of reasons for this, but I can give you a tried and true way to not end up a divorce statistic! Ready…Don’t quit! It seams easy now, but don’t even entertain the idea! Never, never, never, use the “D” word. Divorce is not an option. Once you begin to entertain the idea of divorce or God forbid, use the D word as a threat, you have begun down the wrong path. By the end of this hour, you will be officially married, and you must not let anyone or anything sway your commitment. Your mission is possible, but you both must have it as your mission…and I believe that you do.

We have seen that God must be the foundation, your Relationship must be a priority, you must Accept one another, Commit to each other, and finally you must

Educate yourselves in how to have a good marriage. One of my guiding principles in life is that I must either “grow or die.” Now, what does that have to do with marriage? Think of it this way, today you are having a baby! No, not a real baby, but something that is very much like a baby – your marriage. When you have a baby, you tend to it, listen for its cry, feed it, teach it, comfort it, yes, even change its smelly diapers as needed – and you do all of this out of love for the baby. You want that baby to grow into all that God has for it. How long would the baby survive if you left the baby in the crib and only brought it out to occasionally show it off? Just the thought is horrible! It helps me to think of marriage that way. Later today, you will bring home this beautiful marriage, but that is just the beginning! If you leave it on the shelf, and only tend to it haphazardly, your baby marriage will suffer great harm. But, if you tend to it, feeding it often with quality food, listening for its whimpers that indicate that something might be wrong, take the time to check its diapers, and read lots of books about how to love for a lifetime, or have a sacred marriage, or speak your spouses love language, your marriage will grow.

At what point will you stop feeding your marriage? Well, when would you stop feeding your baby? That’s right, as long as you want the baby/marriage to keep growing – a lifetime!

So, may the grace of God guide you, and completely overwhelm your lives together, and may this simple acrostic of GRACE remind you how to experience some of His grace in your marriage!

Hermeneutics 099

Now to wrap this up.

This naturally leads to my last point. Think about the intended audience and culture. A lot of the time we read the bible and think every promise and every command and ever word was written to a 21 century man or woman sitting in their comfortable 21st century home and living their 21st century lifestyle. Instead, we ought to realize that a lot of times the words were written to a specific people in a specific culture for a very specific reason, we are a third party. This is not to say that we cannot glean knowledge, wisdom, insight, and instruction from God through the scriptures. We should however always make a point to understand what is going on in the passage as we attempt to learn from the text, and especially before we apply it to our lives. Ask the questions: "Who is being written to/about and why?", and "Is this a specific promise/command for me, or more of a general principle to consider?" Let's change our thinking from "Everything in here was written and meant for me" to "Everything written in here will benefit me, if I appropriately apply it."

My final thought: What bible do you read from? You should find a bible that is easy for you to read. We could argue all day about which one is the best, but it doesn't matter how good it is if you are not reading it because it is too difficult. I think an obvious example is the Old King James; while a decent translation the wording is very foreign and hard for modern day readers to understand. I use ESV and enjoy NKJ, sometimes I'll use NIV for another perspective. I would always counsel you to use the most accurate translation possible. For example the ESV which communicates word for word translation rather than the NIV which communicates thought for thought. But if a paraphrase like The Message is the only one that makes sense to you, I would say read that. My hope would be that as you become more and more accustomed to God's word you would graduate up to a more accurate text. But while going for the most accurate is always a good thing, actually reading the bible is better. So find a translation that will help you get into the word, and not one that hinders you from reading God's message to mankind.

Hermeneutics 098

More tips!

This brings me to point three, understand the context. One of the easiest mistakes is to read a verse by itself, and take out of it what we think it means as a stand alone point this is called Eisegesis. Rather we should desire to let the bible speak for itself and find the intended context of the whole chapter or even the whole book, this is called Exogesis. We have to read versus in context of chapters and chapters in context of books. Sometimes what we think of as a whole or complete thought is merely a part, so it helps to read the surrounding passages. Honestly this is what we do with all other literature naturally, but the bible we try to read into every word every verse and sometimes detach it from its intended purpose. I would even say it is important to understand entire books within the context of the bible as a whole. The bible is not going to contradict itself, so even sometimes it is helpful to take into consideration what the bible has said elsewhere when coming to conclusions. Some questions to ask at this point: Does the bible speak to this issue elsewhere? Has the bible used this language and even imagery elsewhere? Does the bible answer this question elsewhere? ect. A lot of times the answer is yes and we just have to find it.

Next we have to consider the genre. The bible is full of different kinds of literary approaches. There is poetic, historic, prophetic, narrative, parabolic, instructional, proverbial, and even musical. The idea then is to not force one genre interpretation on another. So we should not force parabolic stories into literal history, or for that matter to confuse actual history with parables. To understand that poetry and prophecy sometimes use fantasy type imagery to communicate a point while historical parts do not. Just as instructional is meant to be taken literally and proverbial is not. Just like a narrative might not be exhaustive in all the facts but communicates a important theme. So we need to understand when the bible is using these different genres and appropriately interpret them.

more to come...

Hermeneutics 097

A lot of people have a hard time reading the bible. They believe that it is too difficult to read and even more difficult to understand. I was teaching out of Revelation this past Sunday which is arguably the most difficult book in the bible to interact with. As I was explaining some of the fantastic imagery, I was reminded about how often we pause on certain passages and never get past them because they are confusing or we have missed something: There are going to be Dragons in the future? There are going to be great Beasts and women with stars on their head? The stars are literally going to fall to the earth? These and even less troubling passages give us pause and sometimes end in us leaving the bible and walking away rather than digging in to find the answers. Think of Jesus when he said his followers had to eat his flesh and drink his blood, they misunderstood and walked away. This is a tragedy. God gave us his word to teach and instruct us so that we can live fulfilling lives pleasing to him. So I want to just list a few tips to help you read your bible.

The first and most obvious one is to re-read the passage you have just read. Sometimes we miss things because the style or even the words themselves are foreign to us. We should familiarize ourselves with the wording and meaning of words that the bible uses as much as possible. A secondary taking in of the words can sometimes help us with something we have overlooked.

Second, get a broader perspective. Read the surrounding passages, sometimes we think that because we are in a new chapter that it is a completely new thought. We have to realize that the current breaking of the words with chapter and verses wasn't added until the 16th century to make things easier for us to read and reference. This has helped tremendously but it was a two-edged sword in that it also put unnatural breaks in the flow of thoughts that were not intended. So understand that just because you are in a new chapter doesn't mean the author has moved on from the previous point he was making, sometimes entire books are building on a single theme and progressively mounting up the theology, so reading individual chapters might detached you from the overall point. A lot of times the Bible defines stuff for us if we keep reading, or remember to look back at what was previously stated.

I will have more tips in the following days.

Identity Protection

There are many fears in our current technological age and identity theft is a large one. The idea that a thief might steal my identity and cause financial and emotional harm made me uneasy enough to buy LifeLock protection! I feel more secure having someone help protect my identity.

There is another kind of identity protection that I have and am so thankful for; my identity in Christ! In a similar way, there is a thief that seeks to steal or at least cause me to doubt my identity in Christ...he is the enemy of all Christians - Satan. Jesus says of him (John 10:10) that "The thief has come to steal, kill and destroy..." I am convinced that this "thief" is determined to cause as much harm as he can and so I consistently remind myself of the Life-Lock protection of Jesus. Are you interested? If so...

The first thing we need to do - is be sure of our identity in Christ. Have you ever reflected on who you are in Jesus? There are so many amazing promises that He has given! If you have put your faith in Jesus, you have been completely forgiven (Col. 2:13); you have been adopted as His child, and made me an Heir (Gal. 4:7); you are set free from Satan's control (Col. 1:17); and you cannot be separated from His love (Rom. 8:35-39). Etc! But the enemy of our soul wants us to doubt these things!

So, the second thing we need to do is remind ourselves of our identity! While the enemy can't actually steal our identity, he might make us doubt it and once doubted we might even act as if we no longer belong to God! It is so sad and unecessary, but how many times I have seen this or done this myself! Here is an idea that has helped me in my journey - Make a list of what God says about you and then pray these truths back to God! For instance, "Father, I thank you for making me your child, and placing your Holy Spirit in me. You said that greater is he (God) that is in me, than he (Satan) that is in the world. Open the eyes of my heart to the truth of who I am in you, and help me to live in a way that reflects to my oikos what you have done in my life."

While LifeLock brings me some assurance of a protected identity, that pales in comparison to my greatest assurance - God Himself. My identity in Christ is secured, not by the efforts of man, but by the amazing work of Jesus on the cross - this work is sure and the more fully I understand it, the more grateful and changed I am! Trust Christ to Life-Lock your identity, today!

Stepping on the Scale Sunday Morning

I lost two pounds this week. I stepped on the scale this morning and it flashed back those wonderful numbers that reflected a lower weight. However I’d be foolish to think that I lost the weight when I stepped on the scale. The scale only reflects my choices and actions throughout the week. I’m training for the Whisky Row 10K which means I’m running a couple of miles a day and eating a lot healthier than I was a couple of months ago. It’s in these actions that the weight comes off; the scale is only a mirror of my lifestyle.

In very much the same way I think that Sunday morning worship is the scale that reflects back at you the choices you’ve already made about worshiping God. The New Testament seems to be clear in declaring that worship is not about an action but an attitude or life style. Worship wars are not something new to our generation and even Jesus Himself couldn’t avoid the debate. In John 4 Jesus is talking with the Samaritan woman at the well about styles of worship. I think it’s interesting that instead of facing the conviction of sin in her life, she changes the conversation to worship style (but that’s a discussion for another blog). However, the crux of Jesus’ response is that worship for a Christian is going to be done in the spirit and in truth. This was an idea that rocked the current worldview. Jesus was throwing out centuries of tradition and said the new definition of worship was going to be about a life lived in truth. Paul picks this truth up and summarizes it this way: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

So is this how we look at worship today? Sadly, the answer most of the time is ‘no.’ For the most part when we talk about worship we are thinking about the music portion of our church services. Why is this? Is it because we have a “worship pastor” whose job is to take care of Sunday morning singing? Is it because we have “worship CDs” that includes the songs we sing during our “worship services?” I don’t think these hold the answer. I think the answer lies closer to the example I used of the scale. When talking about weight we look to the scale. Why? Because the scale is the device that reflects back to us the actions of our lives. Just like a love poem reflects the reality of our heart, our “worship time” in church reflects the reality of worship in our life.

So take a minute with me and take a look at your scale Sunday morning. What is your “worship time” telling you about the rest of your life? I’d like to propose to you that if you find yourself apathetic and disengaged on Sunday morning the scale is reflecting back at you a truth that is deeper than ‘not connecting to the music style.’ Could it be this apathy and disconnect is reflecting back an overall life of apathy and disconnect with God? What if your Sunday morning worship is a time of discomfort because your desires or styles aren’t being met? It might be reflecting a life that is about me and my needs, instead of being a “living sacrifice.” What if it’s a time of judgment and cynicism? What if it’s a time of passion and love? What does the scale of Sunday morning reflect about your life?

A Secondary Thought:

I had a friend growing up who always blamed the equipment. Anytime he started losing in any competition he started blaming the equipment and quit. He needed better golf clubs, his soccer shoes were worn out, the basketball was too flat, his game controller was sticky, and on and on. But the truth was, he didn’t want to look inside or push past the complication. He always saw the problem outside himself and in the end he never improved or grew. Is my “Sunday Scale” a fail proof test? No!!! But before you start placing blame on the band, the style, the music pastor or the song selection, look inside first. I can step on the three different scales in my house and get three different responses (which I sometimes do to get the number I want) this tells me that at least two of my scales are ‘off.’ But even though my scales are not 100% perfect they still reflect back the truth, and in the long run they will all tell me whether I’m improving or getting worse. Is our Sunday scale 100% accurate? Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t reflect truth back into your life

My Prayer:

Lord, when I step on the scale on Sunday morning I want it to reflect a life of worship for you. Let it not be about me, my needs or desires. Let my worship reflecting sacrifice, love, hope and faith. And when I notice unhealthy or sinful attitudes in my worship let me repent and align myself with you once more.

God's Day-Timer

The disciples had their next few days all planned out. It had been a busy time of ministry, so busy that they did not even have relaxing times to eat. They were tired. They needed a break. In Mark 6:31, Jesus announces that He is taking them on a retreat. A few days without the crowds. A few days alone with Jesus. The disciples had their next few days all planned out.

As they head towards their retreat, the people figure out where the disciples are headed. So the people (5,000 of them, not including women and children) ran ahead to meet them. Jesus sees that they are sheep without a shepherd so He begins to teach them. And then He decides that it is a good time for the disciples to feed them. So the disciples spend the first day of their retreat as waiters for a crowd of well over 5,000 people.

Have you ever thought of how much work that would be? Even though they are not cooking, they are constantly on the move, delivering food to more and more people. They started the day exhausted. I can't even imagine how they feel at the end of the day. But their day is not over. They still need to get into a boat and row to the other side of the lake. In heavy winds.

Late into the night, they see a person walking on the water. Turns out it is Jesus. He gets into the boat and the wind ceases. And then the text tells us this: "And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened."

Here is what I think happened. The disciples have a plan in mind. They have their next days scheduled. And then God interrupts the plan. He has something on His agenda for the disciples. Like a miraculous feeding of a huge crowd. Like seeing Jesus walk on water. While the disciples see these events, they do not enjoy what God is doing. God is not acting within the bounds of their day-timer and they struggle to get past that.

I make schedules. I make daily lists and plans for myself. I can easily see myself responding as the disciples do. My prayer is that I will always be ready for God's interruptions to my day. My prayer is that I will not become so preoccupied with my schedule that I reluctantly participate in God's plan for today. And to do this I need to be careful to not procrastinate, creating artificial, crisis deadlines because of my own poor use of time.

Deadly Legalism

In Matthew 15, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees. In vv. 8-9, He quotes Isaiah to describe their spiritual condition. Two things stand out. First, their lips honor God but their hearts are cold. Second, their worship is vain because they teach their own commandments as doctrine. In other words, they are legalists.

Legalism can be one of two things. First, legalism occurs when we add to the requirements for salvation. We are saved by grace through faith plus nothing. If we replace the "nothing" with anything else, we have become a legalist. Second, legalism occurs when we add requirements than what appears in the pages of Scripture. Often this happens because we do not like what Scripture says (in this case we usually wish it were more strict). So instead of living by God's Word, we seek to add greater requirements to people's lives.

There are three deadly dangers to legalism. First, it leads people to moralism. We become moral people without a passionate heart for God (see Matthew 15:8). This is what Jesus' next teaching is about (vv. 10-20) when he talks about how the Pharisees are very pleased with their cleanliness before eating (moralism) but not about their heart condition. Second, it can lead people to rebellion. Many people leave the church (indeed, many teenagers upon leaving the home) because of the rigid legalism at their church. Third, legalism can greatly damage a church. In Matthew 16:5-12, Jesus calls the legalistic teaching of the Pharisees: leaven. Leaven permeates the whole. A little legalism in a church is deadly because it will eventually permeate the whole.

We need to be people of God's Word. We need to read it, study it and live it. And we need to have enough faith in God to trust Him even when we wish He said something different in His Word!

Blogging

The internet, through all its temptations and shortcomings is not bad within itself. It is just like any other tool in life, it can be used for good or for evil. we think it is high time that the church started using it for some good. This blog is just one effort in that quest to redeem the internet for Christ. This blog will be run by the pastors of FBC Prescott and will consist of our thoughts, prayers, devotions and challenges. Please feel free to subscribe, or become a fan of us on facebook where these blogs will also post.

Blessings,
The Staff of FBC Prescott

Heaven

Last Night at Code Red youth group we talked about heaven. I got flooded with questions like: “Will there be roller coasters?” or “Will we be able to skate board?” or even “Could there be a concert like Woodstock?” I was reminded of how often we think about heaven; we try to imagine our favorite pastimes and multiply them times a million and decide that’s what Heaven will be like. We have to understand that Heaven is not an ethereal realm where we float on clouds being bored, nor is it a super enhanced form of what we enjoy most. Our understanding of Heaven must come from the Bible itself. The Bible communicates that we will be in God’s presence and we will finally see him and will know him truly. (1 John 3:2-3, John 17:3, Rev 22:4) And while it does describe a New Heaven and New Earth and our glorified bodies (Rev 21, 1 Cor 15:35-56), our minds instantly start to imagine what we will do to not get bored. We are discontent before we have even gotten there! What we fail to realize is that our very idea of contentment and entertainment is fallen and corrupted by sin. We do not even begin to understand the true joy of being in God’s presence this side of eternity. (1 Cor 2:9) That is not to say there won’t be amazing experiences in Heaven, but to think “It won’t be heaven without…[insert desire]” is to not understand that God has so much more for us. He will absolutely blow our minds with the amazing things he has for those who love him. I believe we will stand in his presence in a state of constant amazement, he will satisfy us! He has so much more in store for us than we can even imagine because God is absolutely holy and perfect. Lord haste the Day! (2 Pet 3:12,13)

The Christian Life is Lived in our Responses

Have you ever been to a professional baseball game? I went to my first baseball game when I was in college in Chicago. It was the Cubs, at Wrigley Field, and I was instantly hooked. But it’s not the sport or the players that drew me in; it was two other things. First I loved the crowd. I’m a people watcher and other than the airport there is nowhere in life where you get such a diversity of people in one place all interacting with each other. I could sit and watch the crowd at a game all day long. But secondly, and more importantly, I love the food. When we get to heaven and we sit down to the great feast, I’m convinced that there will be ballpark food served at the banquet. At my wedding Julie had charge of everything but put me in charge of the food. And so at our wedding reception we had ballpark food, corndogs, soft pretzels, cotton candy, nachos, and everything else wonderful in the world.

I was reading Proverbs 4 this morning and it brought to my mind an experience I once had at a baseball game. I had spent the first two innings wading through all the wonderful food options and was now returning to my seat with the bounty that would last me at least until the seventh inning stretch. As I was working my way down the row the Cubs made a good play and the crowd leapt to their feet. With this about a quarter of my Dr. Pepper splashed out of my cup onto the people around me. But this is nothing new to baseball fans; they were just excited for their Cubbies. I made the rest of the way to my seat, giving high-fives, and fist bumps along the way. When I finally sat down I found that I had lost almost half my drink. As I looked back down the row I saw people drying their shirts and pants from all the Dr. Pepper I had spilled along the way.

In Proverbs 4:23 is says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”^[1] What is in our heart overflows into our life, and what is in our life overflows on to the people around us. The Christian life is not lived in stated beliefs. It is easy to talk about beliefs, it is easy to plan and carry out certain actions. If we want to really see what our life is about, bump into something and see what spills out. I would say that the true measure of our Christian life is not in our actions as much as it is in our reactions. We live our Christian life in our responses. We say we trust God, but then we bump into a hard economy. We say we love others, but then we bump into a conflict. We are defined by our attitudes (the beliefs of our heart) and at no time are our true attitudes displayed more clearly than when we are reacting to something unexpected. In speaking about attitudes Paul says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” ^[2] When I am walking through life bumping up against others, both in good and bad situations, what spills out of my life often comes from the first half of Paul’s list and not the second. How about you? When you get a promotion what spills out? Pride or gratefulness? When someone disagrees with you, what spills out? Defensiveness or compassion? When you bump into life, what spills out?

My Prayer: Lord, fill me up with you. I want to be so full of you that anytime I bump into another person it is you that spills out of my life.

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^[1]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version., Pr 4:23 (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001).

^[2]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version., Eph 4:31-32 (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001).

Oikos Continued

Today we complete our 10-week series on Oikos. Your oikos is the 10-15 people who God has naturally placed into your life so that you can be an instrument of grace in their lives. And even though we complete the sermon series today, the oikos concept should continue indefinitely in our individual lives and in our church's life. That is the point of this morning's sermon.

This week, I noticed oikos naturally appearing in the Gospel of John. Andrew met Jesus and then went to get his brother, Peter, to introduce him to Jesus. Philip meets Jesus. And then Philip goes to find Nathanael, so he can be introduced to Jesus.

Oikos in the New Testament. Oikos in the last ten weeks. Oikos continuing tomorrow. Who are you trying to introduce to Jesus?

By wisdom a house is built...

I’ve heard it said “youth is wasted on the young, when they have no wisdom how to use it and wisdom is wasted on the old when they don’t have the energy to act on what they know.” I never really liked the saying because it just comes across as fatalistic and pessimistic, but in truth it is how many people play out their lives. When they are young and full of energy they blindly follow their heart and the wisdom of life seems to elude them, and when wisdom finally catches up to them they feel too old to ‘go at it again’ and settle into a “I’ve done my time” mentality, simply wishing they had done their time better. I’m trying to fight this pattern in my life in two ways. One is I want to never see myself as too old to change or to pick myself up and try again. Life is short and I hope that as long as I am alive I will have the heart to keep on keeping on. I don’t think we should retire from life, ministry, or service. I hope that I will continue to be effective for the kingdom of God until the day I die. If you go into marriage knowing that divorce is not an option when you hit walls you don’t run away but instead you work things through. I’m trying to face my life of ministry the same way. I don’t want to do ministry until it gets hard or until I get tired, I want to be able to look back on my life and like Paul say “I’ve fought the good fight.” This doesn’t mean that I am expecting to be a youth pastor in the same church for the rest of my life (although I would not argue if this is where God chose to keep me) but it does mean that if I ever move I want it to be God who moves me. I want to always be in the ministry where God has placed me and I never want to walk away from that ministry because of my own reasons or desires. The second way I am fighting the pattern is I am trying my best to spend a lot of these early years in my life learning from the wisdom of others so I don’t look back and say “what a wasted youth.” One of my goals in life is to be the type of person who doesn’t have to go through a trial or hardship to learn a lesson for myself. If I can learn from the mistakes of others or if I can learn a truth and apply it before it becomes a mistake in my life I think I will make great strides toward getting wisdom in my life now. I want my life to reflect what the Proverbs say, “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.”^[1]

My prayer: Lord when I am young give me the wisdom of the old and when I am old give me the energy of the young.

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^[1]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version., Pr 24:3-6 (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001).

Zeal

I was reading in John's gospel this morning. In the second chapter, Jesus goes to clean out the Temple. The people have turned the Temple into a house of trade, a commercial zone instead of a house of prayer. So Jesus overturns tables and throws people out and pours money onto the floor. I found verse 17 to be fascinating: the disciples remember an Old Testament prophecy about the coming Messiah -- "Zeal for your house will consume me."

There is one thought that I haven't been able to get out of my head: if Jesus came to church today and exhibited the same zeal as He did on that day, what would He want to remove from the church? The commercial zone in the Temple was serving as a buffer that prevented people from being able to worship God. What have we created that serves as a buffer to keep people from worshipping God? Legalism (rules that we create that are not in the Bible)? Tradition (methods that worked in the past that need to change if we are going to introduce the next generation to God)?

My prayer today is that I will have a zeal for God that will demonstrate itself with a passion to remove everything in my life (and in the life of FBC Prescott) that serves as a buffer to keep people away from God.

Introductions

For those of you who don't know me or if you are following this blog and you don't attend FBC Prescott... Hi! My name is Jesse Burke and I am 28 years old. I was born and raise here in Prescott, AZ and made the foolish mistake of telling God that I would never end up back in this town. But honestly, I love it here and couldn't see myself anywhere else. I graduated Prescott High School in 2000. Four years later I graduated Moody Bible Institute in Chicago with a BA in youth ministry. A year later I married my high school sweetheart Julie (Laipple) and we decided to make Prescott our home. I have been the pastor of student ministries at FBC for 3 and a half years and I love it. I love youth and I love youth ministry. Currently I am also working on my M.Div. from Phoenix Seminary. All in all life is pretty crazy busy... but with a loving wife my side and an incredible God showing the way, who can complain?