"The Faith Of A Child.."

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."

(Matthew 18:1-5, NIV)

I really enjoyed worship service this morning. Becky, our worship leader, invited some of the kids in our congregation to join her in leading the singing this morning. As they sang, my eyes were drawn away from the screen with the lyrics to watching the faces of the young boys and girls on the stage. From the surprisingly soaring voices of Sarah, Ashlyn, and Grace to Elijah, Isaac, Cade, and Josh singing their hearts out, to Abby smiling so big at her dad and mom I could hardly believe she could sing at all. They were so much fun to watch...and then my eyes fell on my little girl.

Paige was singing "How Great Is Our God" with the group. As she sang, she closed her eyes, tilted her head upward, and her little brow furrowed as she sang those words as passionately as she could. As I watched her, it really moved me. How often do I come to church, mumble through the music, and daydream through the message? Probably far more often than I care to admit, that's for sure. Seeing Paige sing for "an audience of one", I was reminded of the passage above, and of the fact that God wants us to come to Him as little children. For a while, I thought that mean innocent and naive...but I couldn't have been more wrong.

It means to come into His presence with the faith and love of a child. To come to Him without disappointment, anger, fear, guilt, pride, or sadness...to worship Him with no agenda...to sing of His love, acceptance and forgiveness with no worries about what people will think of us...to love so unconditionally. As I watched her, I realized something:

I want the heart of a 7 year old. I was to see God with her eyes...to know and fully believe that He is big enough to take care of any problem I face, and small enough that I can talk to him anytime. I want my "faith like a child" back. I want to jump up on His lap and settle in for a while. I want to see Him like she sees Him.

Here's hoping we can all find our child-like faith today...

Relationship...

While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s Word with fearless confidence. The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.

(Acts 4:31-35, MSG)

Relationship.

This word has been working on my mind all week. It started Sunday morning in our pastor's message about being a contagious Christian. He spoke of the importance of building relationships with those we hope to reach with God's love, acceptance, and forgiveness. In Sunday School after the service, we continued our viewing of "The Truth Project", a great series about understanding your worldview and how to defend it. Sunday's viewing was all about creation, and the many different systems in our body. From our circulatory system, to our nervous system, to many other systems in our body and beyond, relationships between things keep us alive and well. Yesterday, Nicki Resler came and spoke to my KFC kids about her mission trip to the AGC Baby Center in Kenya, Africa. Basically, the main thing they did to be God's hands and feet to those orphans was to just love on them, to give them the relationship of a loving parent that many of them have never known. Finally, the passage from Acts above talks about how the first church shared all that they had and took care of those in need...and how those caring relationship caused their numbers to explode exponentially.

It's seems so simple, yet it's so powerful. I think sometimes we focus too much on "preaching" to people, giving them tracts and books, or sending them CDs or podcasts of sermons, and we miss the most important tool of evangelism: relationship.
Look at the life of Jesus...sure, He preached to thousands of people at a time, but where did He do His most impactful work? He did it one on one, intentionally making time for individuals who desperately needed Him.

From the calling of the disciples to Zaccheus and many others to the restoration of Peter following his denial, the gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus being in relationship with others, most that society devalues and looks over, and how He changed their lives. It's no different today. Making time to connect and build a friendship with someone is the best way to show them Christ's love. When someone knows you truly care about them, it opens the door so wide to be able to share God's love with them. It's one of the reasons I love KFC and The Compass...because it gives me a chance, if only for an hour or two, to be Jesus with skin on to those boys and girls. They may not always remember the lesson I teach, but if they go home and think, "Boy, those teachers I have really like me, are glad that I am there, and they care about me!", then that's enough for me. By planting that seed in relationship in fun and games, they will open their hearts when it's time for me to share Christ with them. As adults, we are the same way...even more so. If we don't think someone cares for us, we will probably dismiss most of what they say, even if it's good and truthful. On the flip side, we can't expect to make an impact for God's kingdom if we're not willing to invest in the lives of those we hope to reach.

Here's hoping we reach out with His love and build some new relationships today...and that we make the old ones stronger.

Bringing Haiti Home...

Last week I read of the earthquake in Haiti. I didn't think much about it until I was on Facebook and one of my friends had a status that read this:

Pray for Haiti...and if necessary, use pictures.

After that, there was a link to an AP photography site. The images shook me to the core. Seeing the devastation, loss, fear, and pain in the eyes of the Haitian people, especially the children, messed me up. We've sent over a donation through Compassion International to help, but it still hurts my heart. I've been trying to find the words to express what I feel about this, but just couldn't find them.

Joe & Tia Bennett have a great little blog I love to read. They share the writing, and whatever they put on there is always from the heart. It's really good stuff, and I highly recommend adding them to your "favorites" list.

Joe wrote a post about Haiti and how it has affected him. It touched me deeply, and was exactly what I wanted to say. I insist that you click here and read Joe's thoughts...you'll be glad you did.

Thanks, Joe...

The Widow's Mite...

Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!”

(Luke 21:1-4, MSG)

"The Widow's Mite", as this story is commonly called, is one of my favorites in the Bible. I love it because not only did the rich people who only gave for show got put in their places, but more so for the widow who gave two cents, but it was the only two cents she had...she gave all she had to God.

Every time I hear this story, I'm reminded of how blessed I am, and yet how little I do to share that with others. I have good intentions, but rarely do I follow through with my ideas to reach out and give to others in need. I'm glad many around me are being worthy leaders and examples to follow in this area, and I'm going to highlight a few:

Derry and Janelle Prenkert and Nicole and Todd Owens are both in the process of adopting a child from overseas. Not content to know that there are children who have been abandoned around the world, the are reaching out to open their hearts and homes to one of those children, and making them a permanent part of their family...which is a much bigger offering than any I have ever made. As an adopted child, I am so proud of the Prenkerts and the Owens families for their obedience to God in this area.

Sarah Damaska, another friend of mine, had a great idea for not only sharing her blessings with those in need, but in teaching her children the joy and value of giving, too. In this post, she talks about replacing a meal with rice and water and using the money the dinner would have cost to support initiatives for clean water worldwide...the impact on her kids is amazing. I want to do this with my family...

Finally, my son.....In KFC, the Wednesday night class he attends and I teach, we just started a new project to send homeless kids in the Phillipines to camp for a week to learn about Jesus. We gave each kid a little bank and sent them home. The next day, Cade had taken apart his big bank in his room and filled up the one for our project. I got him another one on Sunday, and on Sunday afternoon, without being asked, he picked up and swept the whole house to hopefully earn some extra money for the project. We paid him, and he put all of it into the bank, along with the rest of his personal bank change. It didn't quite fill it all the way up, but in his service, he had made an impression on his little sister, and she opened her personal bank to give him enough to fill it up. As a dad, there have been few moments that have made me prouder of him than this.

I know there are many, many more doing many good things to bless others....and many worthy of these words of praise...but I also love the ones that do it quietly, for no other reason than to just serve God and share His love.

Here's hoping we can give it all to Him sometime this weekend...just like the widow are her two cents.

Funny Picture Friday!

Been a while..but found a few that made me chuckle...

I'm sure this is a nice group of ladies that enjoy doing latch-hook pillows or something else like that...but it sure looks funny on the sign...



Not the best place to put these two signs....and I'm not hungry anymore.



Be honest...which one of yours would you toss?



And finally, my favorite....how pumpkin pie is really made....



Enjoy the pie...and have a great weekend!

"Questionable Reputation..."

By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.

“Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’

Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

(Luke 15:1-7, MSG)

This is a very familiar story, and the picture of the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the one lost sheep is a very powerful analogy...but I was draw to another part of this passage today. It was the very first verse..do you remember it? Let me give it to you again:

"By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently."

I love how Luke puts this....he's not just saying that a big crowd was surrounding Jesus...he was judging these people, and they weren't getting good reviews. They were probably tax collectors, prostitutes, idol worshippers, or anyone else looked down upon in that society. Not only were the Pharisees ticked off at this, but at least one disciple was bothered by it, too, enough to write about it in his account.

See, the Pharisees were a closed society. To be a part of that group, you were basically selected from the time you were born, specifically trained your whole life for it, and finally you ascend to being part of this group of religious leaders. If you were a Pharisee, you had "made" it, and most thought themselves to be above the rest of the "normal sinners". At first, they wanted Jesus's full attention, to have Him be part of their little clique...but Jesus wanted no part of that...He just wanted to love.

He loved them, right where they were, right in the midst of their sin. That was a rare gift in those times...and still is today. Sure, Jesus was an amazing preacher, giving some of the most powerful sermons ever written...but there are so many instances in His ministry of Him just showing love in very personal ways. Just the fact that he acknowledged these people of "doubtful reputation" was unexpected to them...let alone taking the time to talk, listen, and pray with them.

I fear we are much like the Pharisees today. For those of us that have grown up in a church or attended the same one for many years, it's easy to create "holy huddles" and make our small groups a closed circle. When someone we don't know comes to visit, it's easy to ignore them, thinking someone else will make that connection...but as Christ-followers, we must remember that it is our job to be His hands and feet, and not to wait for others.

Sure, it's out of our comfort zone...and sure, those new people could just be some one's relatives in from out of town for the weekend...but they could also be people desperately in need of a Savior, drowning in the storms of life, and frantically seeking any help to pull them up from the depths...and God brought them there especially for you to be their friend.

Here's hoping we have His eyes and heart and reach out to others today.

This Broke My Heart...

While perusing my blog reader, I came across a post on Flowerdust, the blog of author Anne Jackson. She reported on a study on activism done by the University of Akron, and it delineates what causes "conservative religious activists" (Christians) and "progressive activists" (people with no closely held religious beliefs) hold dearly. The results shocked me...and then it broke my heart.

Here's the results....



Now, I'm not saying I believe in abortion and same sex marriage...but how sad is it that we're more willing to fight for those causes than to address poverty and disease right here and around the world? While we sit in our ivory towers and debate rights and wrongs, people are getting sick and dying all around us, shivering in squalor as we sit in our piety next to our roaring fireplace.

I'm not saying I'm Mother Teresa, but God's really been working on my heart in this area. As Christians, we tend to talk a good game, but stink at living it out. When is the last time you've personally reached out to someone in need? When did you take a meal or a box of food to a family you knew truly needed it? When did you sit and hold the hand of someone who's dealing with a health crisis? When did you last get beyond yourself and go be His hands and feet, instead of thinking "That's not my gifting or mission...someone else will take care of them."?

The old song says that "they will know we are Christians by our love". How are we really doing? I share this because it's something that I struggle with, too. I need to be more active in not just sharing my faith, but living it in what I do for others. My KFCers (4th and 5th graders) are in a series on missions and servanthood, and one of the things we hope to do is teach them that they can serve right where they're at, right at the age they are at. God can use any of us if we're willing, and I know when I serve, I end up more blessed than who I've served.

Remember these words of Jesus:

I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

(Matthew 25:36-40, MSG)

Here's hoping I can start doing a better job of that today.

Kicking and Screaming...

The two men said to Lot, “Do you have any other family here? Sons, daughters—anybody in the city? Get them out of here, and now! We’re going to destroy this place. The outcries of victims here to God are deafening; we’ve been sent to blast this place into oblivion.”

Lot went out and warned the fiancés of his daughters, “Evacuate this place; God is about to destroy this city!” But his daughters’ would-be husbands treated it as a joke. At break of day, the angels pushed Lot to get going, “Hurry. Get your wife and two daughters out of here before it’s too late and you’re caught in the punishment of the city.”

Lot was dragging his feet. The men grabbed Lot’s arm, and the arms of his wife and daughters—God was so merciful to them!—and dragged them to safety outside the city.

(Genesis 19:12-16, MSG)

This is my third time going through the Bible now, and I never really caught this passage before...I mean I know about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot's wife turning to a pillar of salt, but I never noticed the passage above until today.

Did you see it? Lot was dragging his feet. Though he knew he was in the midst of a bad situation and he was even told that if he stayed, he would be destroyed, along with every one else. He was warned numerous times, but still he stayed. Finally, the angels said "Lot, dude!! You've got to go now, or you're going to die!!!" You would think Lot's response would have been to turn and run...yet still he stood right where he was at, afraid or unwilling to leave that which he knew for something better God had for him down the road.

God could have left him there. He could have just said "Fine...have it your way, Lot...and enjoy the fire and brimstone." He could have turned his back on him...just like Lot did to God....but He didn't. Instead the leaving the foot-dragger there to be punished, the angels literally grabbed him by the arms and pulled Lot out of the town right before it was destroyed. God wasn't content to let Lot make a stupid decision...so He took matters into His own hands and delivered him anyway.

Sometimes, I think we're the same way. We know we're in over our heads, and in need of a Savior, but we're too unwilling or prideful to make the call. Sometimes, He'll let us walk down the road of consequence...but sometimes He drags us away, just like he did with Lot, and down the road we see that God's way was so much better than ours.

For me? I'm just glad I have a God that's willing to drag me away, kicking and screaming, from things which will hurt me. Here's hoping He doesn't have to drag me very often...