Great news from Russia!

Dmitry, the pastor of our sister church in Tula, Russia, sent this and a few other photos of their church under construction, or should I say remodel. We have worked for years to raise the money so they could have their own church and now it's almost a dream come true. I'm excited for Dmitry and for the church there. I look forward to joining them one day in their new church building. This dream has taken a number of years, but it will be worth the wait.

Friends

Sometimes we all just need a friend. Someone to listen and not say a word. Someone who cares and is glad to see us. Sometimes the best medicine in the world is a good friend.

Thoughts for the day

There is a growing discontent with comfortable cultural Christianity. A wind is blowing through the church and it brings with it a passion to be a biblical Christian. Not comfortable with the status quo Christians are discovering a fresh passion to live out their Christian lives in the world and demonstrate a real faith to the world around us. I'm excited to see this wind begin to blow. Are you feeling the breeze yet?

Saturday's cartoon

Solitude

It's a busy world! We live very busy lives. The demands of work, family and everything else takes more than we have to give. It's an understatement to say that we are busy people.

But when I watch Jesus I see a man with just a few years to accomplish so much. People pressing on him all the time. Disciples to train, sick people to heal, teaching that needs to be done and the ever present demand for this miracle or that need nearly every day. How did Jesus cope with all of the pressure he endured? What is his model for us?

Matthew 14:13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.

Matthew 14:23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

With all the demands of his life Jesus found time for solitude. Time with his Father. Time alone. Time to be quiet. Time to rest. Throughout the gospel records we see him seeking time alone with his Father often. There are times when he forces the disciples to go with him to get away from the crowds and the chaos. Solitude, time with God, time to be quiet is necessary if he was to deal with all that was facing him.

A solitude is the audience-chamber of God. -Walter Savage Landor

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Time for quiet moments, a time to be still gives us the opportunity to listen to God, to rest our minds and bodies, to quiet all the craziness and din of the world. It's a necessary part of a walk with God. I think that's why the enemy tries to keep us so busy. If we can believe that busy lives are more productive then we will rarely give time to solitude. And yet Jesus sought it often. He would frequently escape to the desert to pray, to talk to God, to rest.

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If the son of God needed it how much more do we?

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Untold stories

There are times when all we get is a snapshot of life, of amazing people, of untold stories and are left wanting more. Who were these men? What did they do? How did they know each other? How did their lives turn out? A snapshot leaves us with so many questions. What's the rest of the story? What were their lives like?

I love stories. I love to hear about the lives of people I meet. What do you do? Where have you traveled? What have you experienced? But there are so many snapshots that leave us wanting more. As I read the last chapter of Romans this morning I came to a series of names and acknowledgements from Paul that left me wanting more. He wet my appetite for the rest of the story....for the untold story. Here's just one verse of the passage that I want to talk about today.

Romans 16: 7 Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

As I read that simple verse, just one verse, I saw at least five things I want to know more about. First, Junias is also translated Junia in some texts. It's a female name. Was this a woman? We don't know. Second, my relatives....were they? How were they related? What influence did they have on Paul's life? Third, they spent time in prison with Paul. When? Where? Why? I want to know more. Fourth, they were apostles! They had been with Jesus. They were part of his ministry and had seen him crucified and raised to new life. Why haven't I heard about these people before? Did their stories impact Paul before he believed? And last, they were in Christ before Paul. How did their lives weave together? What was their witness to him? I want the rest of the story, but this will be one of those untold stories that will have to wait until the day all our stories are told.

There are so many amazing people living their lives for Christ who have stories we may never hear about. They may be mentioned briefly, but there is so much more to know. There are millions who are following God, living for Christ, with stories that will be largely untold until the day when God tells us their stories.

I can't wait to hear more about these two. I want to sit with them and hear about God's work in their lives. How did he use them? What did they do? What did they see? Was it hard watching a late comer to the faith get all the attention and glory? I can't wait to hear about all the lives that were lived for God and got no glory or recognition in their lifetime. One day God will tell us the untold stories of the lives lived for him. Your life might be one of those stories. Your story might remain untold in this life, like the stories of Andronicus and Junias, but one day God will tell us the stories of lives lived for him. I look forward to hearing about so many who served him, loved him and lived for him while no one noticed, while no one applauded.
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Herschel Finds a Hole in Space

"The Herschel Space Observatory" has made an unexpected discovery: a gaping hole in the clouds surrounding a batch of young stars. The hole has provided astronomers with a surprising glimpse into the end of the star-forming process."

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One of the last great frontiers is space. Nearly every week we are discovering new things we have never seen or known before. There is so much we still don't know.....so much still to learn. Discovery is ongoing.

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How could anyone claim, "there is no God?" With all we still don't know how could anyone make such an ultimate statement of knowledge? There is still so much to know. How could anyone know that God is not there?

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The real answer to this claim is not based on knowledge, but a choice to turn away from the God they know exists. The claim of the atheist is never one of knowledge. It's always a decision of emotion. It is, ultimately, a decision of faith for a people who claim no faith. David described it this way when he wrote, "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

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While we observe the heavens to discover what is out there God is, at the same time, observing us to see what's in our hearts. While we watch the heavens he watches us! While we are still discovering, God already knows. He knows each one. While there is much we still don't know, there is nothing God doesn't know. He's sees the ones who refuse to see him. He knows each one even if we don't know him. Space continues to amaze us, but space was created to show us God. God made it all so we would declare, "there must be a God who made all of this!"

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Take a look....

We were sitting on a park bench enjoying the beautiful day. He was only yards away on the corner soliciting the interest of those who walked by. His sales appeal was simple. As people walked by he would softly call to them, "Take a look..." and then with a flourish of his hand he would point to the booklet in his hand. Each person would hear the same appeal, "Take a look..." but none responded. I watched those walking by. Some would turn their eyes away, others would look down. None responded. None were curious. Everyone walked by without stopping.

I was extremely curious. What was he offering? What was his product? It was all in the brochure, but I didn't want to deal with his sales pitch to find out. What did we all pass up? What did we all miss? Was it a wonderful gift for anyone who would give him their time? I have no idea what he was selling, but his appeal was interesting to me. "Take a look....take a look..." A simple appeal, but most were not the least bit curious.

Could the gospel message be any simpler than this man's appeal? Could it be any easier? "Take a look..." It's the most amazing message and gift of all time, but most pass by. Most look the other way. Most have no idea what this simple invitation offers. "Take a look....eternal life....free for all...take a look."

Some will stop to inquire. Some will be surprised by the amazing offer of life free of charge. Some will look and take the gift. Others will walk by with no idea what they are missing. The gospel is such a simple offer. Such an amazing gift. "Take a look..." What do we miss when we ignore this simple invitation to see what God has provided? It's free. It's eternal. It's amazing....take a look....

Happy Mother's Day!

For all of you who have a mom this is the day we remember them. Mom is an amazing person. She cares for, loves and raises children when they are most annoying to be around. If it weren't for mom none of us would have survived.
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So, to all the moms who have survived their children and still retain your sanity, Happy Mother's Day!

Saturday's cartoon

I just finished reading 1 John 2 a few minutes before I saw this cartoon. It seemed appropriate in light of John's words,

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1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

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It's funny what we value.....money, beauty, things, fame, success.....you know the list as well as I do. We value the visible and temporal. We value the stuff we can touch and hold onto. The stuff that makes us look good to others. If we could take it all with us it would make heaven as bad as it is here. Those that have it all win. Those who don't lose. The stuff is how we measure success. Success is how we feed pride. Pride and significance is what we most value. It's these things I have to counsel people about weekly. Your value as a person. Your value eternally has nothing to do with the stuff...the money, the houses, the cars, the clothes, etc. Your value is in who you are and whose you are. All this stuff is passing away. Don't value the trash and lose the treasure.

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It all means so little to God that when he's done with this world he's going to burn it all up and start over. His focus is on the people. We are what is important to him. The only eternal things on planet earth are people. They are the only things you will take with you. They are the things of value to God. If we could only value the same things God does it would change our perspective on what's of value and who's important. As Henry Brandt said, "It's not my goal in life to compare my pile of ashes to your pile of ashes." If the stuff of this world is what's important to us we are focused on ashes. "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." How could you describe what's important any better than that?

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Almost gone!

I'm running low on one of basic food groups- COFFEE! It seemed like only a few weeks ago that I bought 20 pounds of raw coffee beans. We have roasted almost all of it and I need to make another run to my bean supplier. I love roasting my own coffee. It's a great hobby and we get to enjoy the results.

I'm sure there will be coffee in heaven. I'm convinced the book of Revelation describes the coffee tree when John writes that the fruit of the tree will be for the healing of the nations. What else could that be but coffee? So, off to my bean supplier when I can get away......I can't run out of coffee!

Going our own way

How have we come to a place where we think we can find God's best by completely ignoring what he says? How do we rationalize disobedience and still want God's blessings? But we do! I see it every day. Sad and broken people in my office, one hurting beyond anything I can imagine while the other one says, "I just want to be happy." How can we believe that going our own way, against God's instructions, will ever bring happiness? Let me state clearly, just in case you are in this position, you will never find happiness disobeying God! There, I've said it. And yet, do you know what I will hear today, as I hear it every day, "I know God wants me happy. And besides, he'll forgive me, won't he?" How did we ever come to this strange place where we condone our sinful choices with our claim of God's approval? How can we imagine that forgiveness is permission?

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What is even more amazing to me is when we begin to experience the results of our sins the verbal protest is, "how could God let this happen to me?" May I reply? "Excuse me....what did you expect?"

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Personally, I'm grieved by what I see and I'm tired of the lies that Christian people believe. We are giving ourselves permission to sin because God will forgive?....because we want to be happy?....because we know best? I'm in the middle of the book of Ezekiel right now and the clear message is that there are consequences for sin and they aren't pretty. Sin always has consequences. There is always a price. There will always be fruit from our actions.

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The first Psalm deals with these very choices. They are choices of relationship and response. Who do you hang out with? Who do you listen to? And what will you do? Most people seem clueless to the fact that our relationships mold our responses. We think like those we hang out with. We act like those we associate with. That's why the very first Psalm is so important. It gives guidance for both relationship and response. Read it carefully. Look at the results of choices made. Realize that these basic truths have never changed. They are the same today as they were in the day they were written because we haven't changed. We still need to choose our relationships because they influence our responses. And our responses, our choices, always bear fruit.

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Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

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Wonderful meetings

Have you ever been in just the right place at just the right time?

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Have you ever had the opportunity to bless someone you never met before?

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Have you ever had the joy of being nice for no reason at all?

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I have.
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While in Seattle over the weekend we were in the Pike Place market enjoying all the excitement of a Saturday morning when, from behind me, I heard applause. I turned to witness a young man proposing to his girlfriend. Camera in hand I began to shoot. No one else was documenting this wonderful event so I took on the task gladly. It was a great event in the middle of the frenzy of the market. As he put the ring on her finger and received a "yes" and a warm kiss I asked for a posed photo with them both, flowers in hand. It was a great treat for me. I gave the young man my card with these words, "If you want the photos just let me know, I'll send them to you." Without knowing it until yesterday, before their trip to Seattle, he had e-mailed his sister in law and told her, "if I could just figure out a way to have someone there taking pictures it would be perfect." And then he writes in his e-mail to me, "And there you were...thank you for helping make that day perfect." -Tyler. I was thrilled to get his e-mail asking for the photos, but even more excited to send them. It's great fun doing something nice for no reason at all! Best wishes Tyler and Magan. I hope you have a wonderful life together and I hope you all enjoy the photos that were my great treat to take....

When you live forever

We were walking down the street in Seattle, enjoying the weather and the day, when we passed a retail store with this display in the window. The handwritten sign asks a profound question,

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"When you live forever, what do you live for?"

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Obviously the display is for apparel related to the Twilight movie series, but the question goes beyond the fictional life of vampires.

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The truth is that we are each eternal beings. We don't have to become a vampire to achieve this status. It's our destiny. Everyone one of us will live forever. So, when you live forever, what do you live for? Most people live for now, for the moment. Most of us cannot look beyond next week let alone into eternity and yet what we do now has impact on eternity. Our eternity, our destiny and destination is decided now...in this life. A simple question meant to advertise vampire merchandise offers us in the real world a profound question to consider.

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Peter gave this response, it may give some direction for anyone willing to seriously ask this simply question. He wrote,

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1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among those in the world that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

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Paul offered this as his answer,

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1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
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When you live forever, what should you live for? Live for the glory of God. There is no better answer to the question, "what should you live for?" It has eternal results. You will never regret it. The next question for you to ask yourself is much more complicated, "what would that look like in my life?" Now you are on the way. There is no quest more exciting.

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So, since you will live forever, what should you live for?

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On the way home

Sorry for my absence, but my wonderful wife and I took a long weekend and escaped to Seattle. It was a great time to reconnect and rest. More stories later, but I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive and much rested. It's great to get away once in a while, but it's even better to come home. We are on our way home now.

Much thanks to Larry and Michelle for making the trip possible!