Blessed

This one is gonna be a little different than all of my other blogs because this is a blog of thanks. I got to thinking a lot during church today about how blessed I really am. I have way more than I deserve and I really couldn't ask for more. I have a family that loves me, friends that are willing to put up with me, members of two church families that are always there to listen to me when I'm having a problem, more than enough clothes, meals everyday and the greatest dog in the world. She is definitely the best dog ever, hands down. Anyways, I'm so blessed that it's not even funny. I have the things I need and even more of what I want, and honestly I'm undeserving. Thanks.

Theological Tuesdays: Humility and Service

We have a guest writer today: Chopper Jr. Check this guy out. Don't be mislead, he may appear to be your average Harley ridin bruiser but he's studying Religion over at the G-dubb and has the Greek and Hebrew down so the only bruisin he does is on the Evil One. In this blog he'll provide us some insight into what it means to be a servant, so without further adue:


Among believers there should be an equality of serving each other. It should not be some people are the servers while others are always the ones getting served. Rather for a community of Christ-followers to function properly, one must serve and allow oneself to be served with genuine equality. In the world however, such as in a workplace or in a public area like a restaurant, we are to be a servant to all, regardless of race, gender, or appearance. We should not serve others with disingenuous motives either, such as “wanting the person to like me.” We should be able to serve someone just for the sake of serving them as Christ would do and has done. We should be able to serve a vulgar person even if they will never become a Christian. This all of course is easier said than done, but when carried out with intentionality, it helps us to have the mind of Christ more and think as he did and see people as he did and still does. One last thing I wanted to write about in this regard is the biggest lesson I believe God has ever taught me in the area of service and humility. In his providence, I believe God used a summer job I had at Cleveland Community College to teach me lessons I would not have learned otherwise. At CCC I worked with housekeeping part of the time which meant mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms. As I mopped the floor, emptied trash, and did other such dirty jobs with other college students my age watching me, God taught me what it meant to serve with a willing attitude. I had to put aside my will and my pride to do the job I had been asked to do. Mopping the floor is never fun, and mopping the floor at CCC is not like mopping the floor at Yale or Harvard. After a while though, I began to mop God’s floor. Thank the Lord this had an effect on me that I hope never diminishes the rest of my life; I want to be a servant the whole time I am alive. I will close this entry with one more thing. I once heard a preacher whom I admire say that on a way to a preacher’s meeting he stopped to help a woman change a flat tire and then walked into the preacher’s meeting late with his tie loose and his sleeves rolled up with dirt on his hands and was proud of himself for being a servant. One of the older pastors pointed out to him that while he may feel good about himself for being a servant this way, a tow truck driver, (although getting paid for it) does the same thing all day long without ever priding himself on being such a good servant. Being a servant is not a good deed we do for the day, rather it is a way of life.

Monday Munchies...Food for Thought: Space-Time Continuum?

Ok, so my last few munchies have been very controversial, some more so than I thought they would be. I hope they have inspired much thought, questioning, and eventually more faith. So with that being the objective of my blog, I’m gonna veer a little away from controversial (at least I think I will) and introduce some of my theology. It is important to note that my theology is just that, my theology. It has been influenced by my experiences and relationships and IS NOT GOSPEL. I don’t think it contradicts anything in the bible, but it’s not entirely scripturally based.

Today’s focus is God and the space-time continuum. But it has to start again with determinism and free will. I used to have a very hard time understanding how God is Omnipotent and we have free will. They didn’t logically coexist for me…in fact, they still don’t. But thanks to some insights from one of my favorite theologians, C. S. Lewis, I began to understand.

He explained it as God sees time and space all at once. He sees future, past, present at the same time. (I go into a little more depth will illustrations about lines and geography in my free will v. determinism Monday Munchies.) This satisfies for me the determinism/free will struggle. However, for this to be true God has to exist outside of the space time continuum. Ok, fine. If God exists outside of the space time continuum though how can He affect what goes on inside the space time continuum? Thankfully, God is also all powerful. Being all powerful means that there is nothing God cannot do. This allows God to exist both in the space time continuum and outside the space time continuum. This means that God can affect the space time continuum. On a side note that’s only somewhat related…God can be both metaphysical and physical at the same time as well.

I’m honestly not sure how good of a job I did on explaining this, and honestly I’m not sure how much I understand it. But this is a little glimpse of my theology and understanding about God. If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer, I usually try not to respond to my own posts, but seein’ as how this is my theology, I’ll answer for it. If you think I’m wrong, right, crazy, or just confused, let me know, and I’ll holler at y’all next week.

Is there a Revolution on the Horizon?

I have been reading a book called Revolution by George Barna. He is the founder of The Barna Group which is a Christian research company which does polls and research concerning spiritual things. www.barna.org In this book he has been researching a movement that has been going on for about 20+ years under the radar, that he calls the Revolution and the participants of that revolution which he calls revolutionaries. These revolutionaries are leaving “traditional churches” in the millions in search for a lifestyle faith that transforms them and other people. He believes that this will result in the third Great Awakening in America. Most of these statements are not my thoughts; and even some parts are direct quotes, even though they are not quoted, it’s to much work to quote it all. I am just summarizing this book so to speak. It is kind of long, but it is an interesting look at what could be going on now and might happen in the future, so if you don’t want to read it that’s fine, if you do read it respond on what you think about it, your ideas, things you want to happen or be apart of. Do you agree with George Barna’s conclusions? Does that possibility excite and inspire you to be apart of something different and meaningful? Do you feel that you fit the description of a revolutionary? I definitely encourage you to read the book to get the whole gist of what he is saying.

There have been many ages of the Church in the past. The Apostolic Age, Time of the Martyrs, the era of the Desert Fathers, the Period of the Mystics, the Reformation, the Great Awakening, and the Missionary Age, to name a few. He goes on to say that his research indicates we are on the brink of a new age that he calls the Revolutionary Age. It is going on right now and the media, scholars, the government are clueless about it. Christian Churches are vaguely aware that something is different, but they have little idea what it is all about.

We live in a culture where everything is supersized, global, mega-this and biggest-ever-that. This even happens in churches. The pinnacle of church success is to become a mega church. The ultimate in presentations is to have big screen projection systems; evangelism has traded in tent revivals for stadium crusades. Televangelists have moved from local network broadcasting to satellite feeds that reach every nation. Local Christian book stores are closing because of Wal-mart, Barnes and Nobel, and so on. The term revolution is everywhere and has lost its meaning, Chevrolets advertisement slogan “revolution”, the Green Revolution, Nintendo Revolution.

Webster defines a revolution as “an overthrow or repudiation and thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed, and may be a radical and pervasive change in society or social structure.”

Barna describes the Revolution as along these lines. Millions of devout followers of Jesus are repudiating tepid systems and practices of the Christian faith, and introducing a whole new shift in how faith is understood, integrated, and influencing the world. This revolution is a Faith Revolution, where revolutionaries are no longer content with the stuffy, formulaic religiosity and even the feel good invent-your-own spirituality. These revolutionaries are set on Being the Church (capital C) rather than going to church (lower case c). This revolution is a return to the 1^st century view of the Church and its lifestyle and values.

Barna says this is a swiftly growing sub nation, already 20 million strong, who have no use for religious games, whether those games are worship services that drone on without the presence of God or programs that bear no spiritual fruit. They shun organizations that soft sell our sinful nature to expand numbers. They refuse to follow ministry leaders who cast a personal vision rather than God’s, who seek popularity, and are more concerned about their own legacy that that of Jesus Christ. Many revolutionaries are apart of Churches already that have biblical preaching, people coming to Christ and being baptized, fruitful programs, and nice people. There is nothing wrong with anything taking place at such churches. But Revolutionaries realize is not enough just to go with the flow, even though the experience at their church is better than average, it still seems flat. They are seeking a faith experience that prioritizes transformation at every turn, and that is worthy of their Creator. They recognize that settling for what is merely good and above average is defeat. To a revolutionary it is simple, you either stand for Jesus or you stand for all He died to repudiate, there is no such thing as “going along to get along”. They realize they may be going against the flow and might be ridiculed by people, but those people are not whom they will someday give an account to; God is the only person they live to honor and please.

Next, he goes on to talk about the state of the “traditional church” as we know it today. If the local church is God’s answer to our spiritual needs, they why are most churched Christians so spiritually immature and desperate? If the local church were the answer to our deep spiritual need we would see two things. First, people who were the most heavily involved in Christian congregations would be more spiritually developed than others. Second, churched Christians would increasingly reflect the principles and character of Jesus. Sadly, this is not the case. Placing all your hope in the local Church is a misplaced hope. Jesus alone is the hope of the world. If the local Church is the hope of the world, then the world has no hope. Barna recognizes that many will label this view as “blasphemy”, but that we should know that the Bible neither describes nor promotes the local church as we know it today. It does not say it is unbiblical either. It is abiblical meaning such an organization is not addressed in the Bible. He points out that being a member of a congregation does not make you spiritually righteous, just as being in Yankee Stadium doesn’t make you a pro baseball player. Being in a right relationship with God and his people is what matters. A “tradition” local church may or may not facilitate that. The Bible does not describe a specific form or type of religious organization. Revolutionaries believe that for years Christians have been inventing church but neglecting to be the Church that Christ commissioned.

The Revolution is not about eliminating or dismissing the local church. Revolutionaries still are active in local churches and even fill leadership positions of the Church, such as pastors or lay leaders. Some are heavily involved even though they do not have a leadership position. Some other revolutionaries realize that the core issue is not whether or not you are involved in a “traditional” local church. They harbor no ill will toward churches, but some out of extreme frustration, and trying to envoke change in local churches only to realize their efforts were in vain have developed alternative means of growing and serving that are distinct from local church efforts. Their mind-set is simple. Do whatever is necessary to get closer to God and to help others do the same.

There are 7 trends happening in our culture, with these seven trends and the emerging Revolution, the spiritual landscape of the future will be dramatically different from the way it is now.

1. The Changing of the Guard: Baby boomers and the Builders are slowly losing their grip on power in society. They younger generations are ascending into positions of power and influence.

2. The Rise of Postmodernism: A new type of thinking and philosophy has come about. Postmodernism claims there are not moral absolutes, which mean truth is whatever you believe it to be. Relationships are becoming the most important element in life. The first point is at odds with Christianity and may cause problems, but the second actually plays to our advantage because it is an important aspect of Christianity also, and is why alternative forms of church are making an impact.

3. Dismissing the Irrelevant: The younger generations dismiss anything that is not relevant and have little patience for anything based on tradition, customs, ease, or social acceptability.

4. The impact of Technology: Everything has changed because of technology. Education, farming, athletics, music and the church. We have access to projection systems for worship and teaching. Internet to get and share information, creating online and global communities such as this one.

5. Genuine Relationships: The younger generation is more likely to want and to develop and pursue meaningful relationships rather than acquaintances.

6. Participation in Reality: People want to be apart of reality and apart of efforts that have results and make a difference. There is more enthusiasm for personal dialogue with non-christian friends rather that just bringing them to a big evangelistic event. Small groups have grown consistently because people like to be apart of a non judgmental atmosphere where their contribution matters. Short-term missions have grown. People want to be apart of the solution rather than just fund it.

7. Finding True Meaning: People are searching desperately for meaning to their life. Barna’s research shows that Americans are more open to understand themselves through two components that have been ignored for many decades: sacrifice and surrender. This is not a widespread view yet, but it is a growing number of people who are considering sacrifice and surrender as the possible missing link in their life.

He gives some facts and numbers on the spiritual landscape now and the spiritual landscape in the year 2025.

In the year 2000, 70% of Americans relied on some local congregation to be their dominant source of spiritual input and output. 5% were engaged in and Alternative Faith based community (small groups, cell churches, house churches, cyber-church, and various market place ministries). 5% identified their family as the primary faith pod. 20% of Americans turned to various cultural sources such as the media, the arts, and other institutions to satisfy their faith needs. His research concludes that by the year 2025, 30% of Americans will rely on a local congregation, the alternative faith based communities will jump to 30-35%, the media will increase to 30-35% and the family will remain around 5%.

This Revolution has gone unnoticed because right now the numbers are relatively small compared to the overall population. Also, the groups or alternative church is usually disorganized and led by individuals that don’t have a doctorate degree from seminary, and are poorly structured, inadequately led and lacking in any strategic framework, but have a lifestyle faith that demands perfection and change. This is proof that that the life changing movement is God-driven and not man made. Also, there is a mindset that all legitimate spiritual activity must flow through a local church. Even large parachurch ministries that communicate with millions of people, and raise lots of money, and impact lost of lives are often cast as second fiddle to the local church. There efforts are deemed sub par because they did not originate from a congregational context. In spite of all those things, these groups of revolutionaries are growing and making lasting impacts on the lives of many. They know that God is no respecter of persons, or the false boundaries they create. But God is making incredible transformations and progress in these revolutionaries because these people have made faith and integral part of their life. They want more of God in their lives and it is their intense focus on God, and quest for purity that enables the Lord to use them to do amazing things.

The new revolution differs from the past revolutions or Awakenings in the past, in that its primary objective is not salvation among the unrepentant but the personal commitment of believers to take their faith seriously. The revolutionaries believe that it is not the job of the church to produce change, but that it is their own responsibility. No more waiting on others to do the job, each person handles his duty to be the Church. Each person’s gifts are used and everyone does their part no matter the cost. There is no infighting, competition between believers or churches, or fighting for positions or power and authority like in local churches, because there are no such positions to bed had. Each person is valuable, has gifts, the ministry exploits those gifts and it results in faith that transforms the person as well as the ministry.

This probably won’t sit well with some people. It may be criticized as being unbiblical or from Satan. That it is wrong to become a Christian and leave the local church. When the church appears in the Bible, it refers to people who are “called out” from society to be the full expression of Jesus on Earth. The Bible teaches us to not neglect meeting together, but it doesn’t imply that it should be a church service or congregational event. Such a meeting could be a small group in Starbucks, or dinner and bible study in fellow believers home, or a worship service in a theater or gym, or a chat room. God is more concerned about our hearts than about mindless observance of meaningless routines to impose regulations and religious practices. He wants us to use our creative abilities to glorify Him.

They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'^[b] 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mark 7:7)

I guess I should stop writing; most of you probably stopped reading back when I mentioned it was long, lol. But it is interesting to see what might be happening in the future, so we are able to adapt to the needs of believers and non-believers alike. Some additional passages that are worth reading are Acts 2:42-47, Acts 4:31-35, and Acts 5:17-18, 27-29, 40-42. Let me know what you think.

Theater Churches?

The Winston-Salem Journal recently published an article on theater churches called Curtain Call: Churches finding a home in theaters. There seems to be a new trend of Churches meeting in more "neutral" places these days. Besides, how important is a building anyways? Church isn't a building right? Check out the article: here's the link. Is a non-typical location better to attract the unchurched and non-believer?

Theological Tuesdays: Peter

Matthew 16:18 (NASB)

18"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."

"Stone," what a cool nickname huh? Yep thats right, we might as well call Peter, Stone Cold because people during his day would have been caught off guard when he told them his name was Peter. Peter in the Greek and Hebrew literally means "stone." What's so great about Jesus is that he would call one of his buddies Stone (Luke 6:14) even when at that time Petros (Peter) was not being used as a personal name. Jesus rocks. Petros is the greek word which means stone rock or pebble. And later in this verse we see Jesus saying "upon this rock (petra), I will build My church."

So now we have the following saying: "Thou art Petros, and upon this petra I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (which means death or the grave) will not overcome it."

Now I'm not a Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic scholar in the least stretch of the imagination but I think this verse carries some heavy implications. If your not familiar with the Catholic Church then you do not know the weight this verse and the following verse (19) carry according to their veiw of the Pope's infallibility or "papal infallibility." Growing up in Sunday School, I had always heard this verse being interpreted that Jesus was saying to Peter that "you, Peter will be the rock which I build My Church." Basically that Jesus was picking Peter out to be the foundation of the early church. I think this is a huge misinterpretation. Here's the issue:

Petros(Peter) vs. petra(rock): "Thou art Petros, and upon this petra I will build My church"

Obviously if we look at these two words in Greek we can see that they are different. But that is not how we have been interpreting this verse. In order for Jesus to have been claiming that Peter was the rock which he would build his foundation he would have just said: "Thou art petra, and upon this petra I will build My church." But he didn't. Yes these words are very similar and sound similar, but similarity of words doesn't imply similarity in meaning, much less, identical meaning. Another point: Petros and petra are two distinctively different Greek words with different meanings. Petros more clearly means "pebble" while petra more clearly means "bedrock." Makes sense right? We could see a pebble laying on the ground and a huge bedrock laying on the ground and we could call both of them a rock, but they are definitely different. I think the meaning of these words was lost in translation when they both were translated as "rock." But I understand that too. What if you had a spanish speaking friend who didn't know English. If your friend pointed to a pebble on the ground or a huge rock on the ground you would probably in both instances tell him that the object was a "rock" because that is simple. He might not understand it if you try to use bigger words like pebble or bedrock. So where am I going with all of this?

I think we should realize that what Jesus is saying here is not that Peter is the foundation upon which the Church will be built but rather Jesus Christ, Himself is the rock and foundation. Afterall this is The Foundation blog, check the verse out at the top. Doesn't make sense for Jesus to call Peter the foundation of the church. We all know Jesus is the Foundation. So he we go the SRV (Spoon Revised Version) of Matthew 16:18:

(speaking to Peter)

Hey I'm telling you that you are a Pebble, you are rocky, and upon THIS very bedrock and foundation(Jesus pointing to Himself), I will build My Chruch and the grave, death, nor Hell will ever overcome it.


So basically Jesus jump starts his teaching here by getting Peter's attention real quick and comparing Peters own "rockyness" to Himself. Jesus is making a true confession about himself, that his life and ministry, his teaching, his miracles, his future suffering, and him being the "I AM" is the bedrock and foundation that he will build His Chruch upon. Thus he is making a prophecy fulfilling statement because elsewhere in the OT Scriptures we see reference to a "stone being rejected" and becoming the corner stone (Psalms 118:22). And later we see God saying that he "is laying in Zion, a stone" a costly stone, which will become the foundation (Isaiah 28:16).

Cool stuff huh? Jesus was a cool guy. I wish he would have given me a nickname and then later I could realize that my nickname was to remind me of Jesus and the foundation which he had already laid for me to build upon. Once we realize that Jesus is the Rock and that he has already done the work, paved the way; all we have to do is be like Peter a couple verses earlier, and confess:

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."' (Matt. 16:16)

Jesus ROCKS, literally!

Monday Munchies...Food for Thought: Once Saved Always Saved?

Grace…God’s free gift to the entire world. A free gift! Nothing we can do to earn or take it away…right? Are the idea of salvation and grace separated? The bible tells us that salvation is a work in progress (Phi 2:12). Grace is a gift, the end. It is given by and sustained by God so it cannot fail, not ever.

Eph. 1:4-8 tells us that grace and salvation are inseparable. Eph. 2:4-9 tell us about how amazing this grace is. It doesn’t matter what kind of sins anyone has ever committed, God’s grace is enough. So then, does this grace continue through salvation, in other words, is “once saved always saved” a feasible idea? Yes. It’s hard to believe that someone can be saved, become the worse sinner there ever was and still get to heaven. That’s grace. Now there is a question to be addressed of if someone really became a believer, had faith in Christ, and knew Him as Savior and Lord if they would be able to become the worse person in history, I think not. However, even if this did happen, grace is enough. It’s amazing, beyond my imagination, but it’s true. I don’t understand how a God can be so merciful and loving, but it’s true! John 10:25-30 says that Jesus doesn’t loose what has been given to Him. When you are saved, you belong to Jesus. Therefore, once you are saved, you are always saved. How can this be?!

I don’t understand, that’s how big God’s grace is. There is danger here, however. As amazing as God’s grace is, what a crime it would be to cheapen it. A close relationship with Jesus won’t cheapen grace. And that’s what we should strive for, even if our salvation is secure. Doesn’t it make sense to try and be close friends with the person you will spend eternity with?

Sunday Scoop- "A Psalm"

"O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.

Let a righteous man strike me- it is a kindness; let him rebuke me- it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.

Yet my prayer is ever against the deed of evildoers; their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. They will say, "As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave."
But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge- do not give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass in safety". - (Psalm 141)

Everyday we face evildoers, sometimes it is ourselves whom are guilty of this. It seems that the more normal I become or feel in this world, the farther I feel I have become from the Lord. I know that we are not perfect and things aren't easy being a Christian at times, but I guess what I'm trying to say is... there will be traps, there will be barriers, and we will run into battles. We just have to fight and face them, no matter how scary it may be. It will only make us stronger; we will overcome with the Lord. The Lord can make you strong in perfect weakness. Trust Him.

Narrow Vision

Well I thought I would resurrect one of my old writings that I did almost three years ago when I sent out a weekly email. This was one of the first couple of emails that I ever sent and I think it still rings true today. It talks about having a 'narrow vision' or in other words, viewing the world through a lens which is focused upon Christ.

You always hear people talk of being open to new ideas. Looking at the broad, or big, picture of things is a common secular perspective. You are taught in many classes, by many people that having a broad perspective in any situation is what's correct. I don't necessarily think that all these people are wrong by any means, but I think that in the Christian's life there is a better perspective.

One of the main Christian concepts is that in every thing you do, do it as unto the Lord. In other words, focus on that which brings God the glory in doing. In Philippians 3:14 Paul writes, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." It seems to me that in order for Paul to win the prize he must not have a broad perspective, a wide secular vision, but instead a NARROW VISION.

So what is a narrow vision? 1 Peter 1:13 says "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you.." Having a narrow vision means that we first prepare our minds for action. This means we develop the discipline of feasting on God's word daily and through prayer having a personal relationship. Then we must take control of our lives by living consistent and self-controlled. Finally we must focus (or have a narrow vision) on what really matters, Jesus Christ.

Theological Tuesdays: Dead Sea Scrolls

Today we are going to look at the "Dead Sea Scrolls." The reason I chose to check out the Dead Sea Scrolls this week is due to my once in a lifetime opportunity to see the scrolls first-hand over the weekend which are now located in Charlotte, NC at the Discovery Place, (see link), for 100 hundred days after 2300 years spent in the desert. Some of these scrolls have never left Jerusalem before and will probably never come back. I urge you to try and find the time to head to the Discovery Place and check out the Scrolls. It is a truly amazing experience. It is almost surreal to read (if you know Hebrew) the Word of God written by someone's pen almost 2300 years ago and it still be just as alive today as it was then. Amazing.


Dead Sea Scrolls: This is the name given to a large group of ancient Jewish Manuscripts which have been discovered from a series of caves along the northern edge of the Dead Sea located about 15 miles east of Jerusalem in what is known as the Qumran community. They were discovered in 1949 by a young Bedouin shepherd boy who was wandering around into the caves looking for a lost sheep. While he stumbled around in the caves he discovered several clay jars which contained the manuscripts. The manuscripts included fragments of Old Testament books and even entire Old Testament books like the famous Isaiah Scroll. The manuscripts dated back to around 300 BC and as recent as 100 AD. They included OT writings, as well as other Jewish writings not found in the Bible. What makes these Dead Sea Scrolls so important to defending our faith is that they outdated the previous Hebrew Manuscripts by almost 1000 years. Before the Scrolls were found the oldest manuscripts of the OT that had been discovered dated back to the 10th century AD. What an awesome discovery to find the Word of God written by someone's hand some 300 years before Jesus walked the Earth and yet the same words written in the Isaiah Scroll are found in the manuscripts found 1000 years later and even today some 2300 years later. I hope you can see the significance of this discovery. And what a coincidence that a shepherd looking for a lost sheep found the scrolls. Sound familiar? Reminds me of the passage found in Luke 15: 1-7 where Jesus reminds us of the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the one lost sheep and how there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than 99 righteous persons.


So now you should be able to tell someone what the Dead Sea Scrolls are when they ask you about the exhibit in Charlotte. If you plan on going to see the scrolls you need to call in advance and get tickets. The day we went, every time slot was sold out for the entire day. You can't purchase tickets the day of. The exhibit takes about and hour or so to go through and it includes all kinds of displays on the Jewish history and the group of Essene Jews which lived in the Qumran community and who are thought to be the writers of these manuscripts. It's a definite must-go thing. Hope you enjoy!

Sunday Scoop- "He is your rock"

Everything happens for a reason- EVERYTHING. It is interesting to pay close attention to the simplest things in life that complete the puzzle. Think about it... If you live your life by chance... you aren't living by faith. If you live your life in doubt... you aren't living by trust. It's easy to worry. It in our nature to do so, and sometimes we don't even realize that we are doing it. I would like to share a few God sent messages that I have had in the past 6 months... messages that I failed to notice before my rebirth. Firstly, He brought me to rock bottom. It wasn't by coincidence that I found myself in a hole, deep enough, that I couldn't pull myself out of. Key word- pull! I needed someone to "pull" me out, lend a hand, because I wasn't capable of doing it on my own. The credit all goes to God. Second message, God spoke through one of my friends from Church (that I don't speak to much)... He said "God wants to use you- He will use you. He has big plans for you and your family so continue to trust Him". Coincidence, not at all. At the time, my family and I were battling many obstacles and it was impossible to see a bright future. Literally! So that's just two of the million messages that had a huge impact on why I am who I am... and why I am here now. If I were to subtract those two pieces of the puzzle, I would be incomplete- lost- astray...

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." - (Psalm 62:1-2)

Poetry: Orchestration

I'm currently reading a book called, Story: Recapture the Mystery, written by Steven James, a professional storyteller. In this book he presents the Gospel story through a narrative format, as well as poems, and stories which really brings the Gospel message to life. His story of Cain and Abel is awesome. Anyways you should check the book out and read it. So I thought I would post some of his poems on here for you to read because I think they are so awesome.


when i pause long enough to listen,
i hear noise rather than music in my soul.
the chords of my heart strain to find the first harmony.
it's there, somewhere in my distant memories,
i hear snatches of it sometimes
in the silences, in the corners, on the outskirts of my dreams.
but my days are all so busy and
my moments are all so heavy,
that they pull my hope down again into minor key.
is harmony even possible anymore
in this out of whack, out of tune world?

lead me into the music again.
show me where the breeze of your harmony blows.
for only with your help
will i ever be part of the original song
again.

orchestration.




(Poem quoted from: Story: Recapture the Mystery. Steven James. Page 31.)

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Ok guys, here's the new logo that we've been working on. Let me know what ya think.

Do we really believe that a life can be saved?

1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers (Romans 9:1-3)

It just amazes me that Paul could say that with such boldness and conviction. Paul, before he became a Christian, was a Jew and he persecuted and killed many Christians. When he met Jesus on the road to Damascus he was transformed and went on to preach the gospel, plant churches, and write a majority of the New Testament. With an attitude like what we see in Romans 9, it’s no wonder he did so many great things. He believed in the death and resurrection of Christ so fervently, and the implications of that belief, that he was willing to be cutoff form Christ for the sake of his brothers. I think if we had the same attitude about the lost as Paul did, our approach to evangelism would change.

God also has a heart for the lost and cares for them.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:1-7)

Jesus also tells us that the fields are ripe for harvest!

34Jesus said, "The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. 35As you look around right now, wouldn't you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I'm telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what's right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It's harvest time! (John 4:34-35)

Too many times, non-Christians are met with criticism and condemnation instead of acceptance and love. What reasons do non-christians have to not participate in the sinful things of this world? Why do we expect them to live up to the same standards we try to live up to? We expect people to clean themselves up before coming to church. That is so backwards to what is found biblically. We can’t clean ourselves up; we need Jesus to do that. Let’s be honest with ourselves at this point. In the church, how much effort do we put into the task of going out and looking for the lost? If we don’t lift a finger, then we are fooling ourselves and we don’t have a loving concern in our hearts for them.

We have a great responsibility to share the gospel with everyone. Sadly, not everyone will become a Christian. Think about your life and your relationship to God. Do you think you have any more right to receive God’s grace than anyone else? I thought about this the other day. Am I wasting the chance that God gave me? Since not everyone will be saved, would it have been better if someone who might have been the next Billy Graham be saved in my place (this is all hypothetical and just something to ponder on). God has plans to use all of us to spread His message of salvation, don’t waste this awesome opportunity to make an eternal difference in the life of someone who has the same right as you to hear and believe the gospel.

Lets take the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). Aren’t we sometimes like the son who stayed at home and resented the attention that the father gave to the prodigal son? Sometimes we get the attitude that church is just for believers. We are comfortable with how it is, and wonder why we have to go through the trouble of evangelism. Those people can make their own choices, why should we worry about them? We may think we have a concern for the lost, but this parable really questions that concern and our relationship with God also. I think Jesus warns us that there are people lost to God outside the church, and people lost to God inside the church!

35Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. 36When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. 37"What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! 38On your knees and pray for harvest hands!" (Matt 9:36-38)

It all begins with our attitude or heart. Is your attitude for the lost one that would chose to be cutoff from Christ for the sake of others, or one that selfishly refuses to share the gift of life that has been give to you? Ask God to fill your heart with His love for the lost.

Leighton Ford said that “Evangelistic concern is born when, like Jesus, we walk with God among people. Break either of those contacts and we grow cold.”

untitled

I don't really know how to start out this week's blog. I'm just gonna say some things that I've been thinking a lot about lately and it's something that I just can't comprehend so that's why it's untitled. I remember the first time that I went to see The Passion and how I felt when I came out of the theaters. Now I was fired up and I felt like I just wanted to go fight somebody for what happened to Jesus. Now when I look back I realize that what I wanted to do is the exact opposite of what Jesus wants me to do and it just show me how blind us humans can be. Jesus was up on that cross because of his love for us and by being up there he was showing us that we need to love each other. It was like his final lesson while he was here on Earth. If you look all through the gospels you can see how many times everyone else thought he was crazy for the people he hung out with or who he associated himself with but he was just trying to show us the love we should have for all people. Now here comes the brain busting part, the part that I just can't believe. Jesus was beaten, spit on, stripped naked, his clothes were gambled away by guards, he was mocked, given a crown of thorns, nailed to a cross, was given the most disrespectful deaths of that time, hung on the cross and eventually stabbed by a spear. And right before he died some of his last words were, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." This is what I cannot understand. People today get upset at each other over the dumbest of things, and sometimes never find it to forgive each other. During those days hardly anyone accepted Jesus and the same can also be said today but he loves each and every person and even after all that stuff had happened to him he asked for us to be forgiven. All I can say is wow.