Smile and Love 'Em

It is becoming more apparent to me than ever that families are facing tough times in connection to one another.  We are seeing and hearing about more families than ever going through the struggle of separation and eventual divorce. Subsequently, we are seeing children being reared with different ideals than in previous years. What can the church do to hold on and help others grasp the confidence of living in a dysfunctional society? Well, over the next three weeks, Brad and I are going to attempt to search into the scriptures to see what the Lord might have in store for us. I hope you are able to come and hear something that might benefit you or a friend you know is going through a challenging time.

 

In his regular column for New Man magazine, Dave Meurer humorlessly addresses different issues concerning the family.  In one article about parenting he wrote, “Child-development professionals categorize kids into two main groups: 1) naturally compliant, intrinsically kind, inherently logical children, and 2) your children.”  He goes on to note, “All parents hope to get the children in category #1, but they end up with the children from category #2.” (New Man, May/June 2005)

 

Not only are we called to live a life above reproach as Christ followers, but we are to show our children the way too. This coming Sunday I am going to share a message called, “Living Together Without Losing Your Mind,” as we kick off a series entitled ‘Family Matters.’ May this be a time for us to come and celebrate the joy of Jesus together as we focus our eyes on the One who is the answer for every uncertainty. I pray you may have a blessed week, and I hope to see you Sunday.

 

Mike

 

 

 

Remembering

Remembering is a task that becomes more difficult as we become more “youth challenged.” When we were younger it seemed that we could remember faces and even the names which accompanied those faces. We could remember where we put things so we knew right where to go to find them. When we went from one room of the house to another, we remembered why we were on that journey. But, as we grow older, our memories are not quite as sharp as they once were.

 

This coming Sunday we will be doing some remembering. Being Memorial Day weekend, we want to honor and remember the warriors who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We want to pay tribute to the families who have given the ultimate offering of the life of a loved one. Then we need to remember the greatest gift of all—the gift of God’s Son and the price He paid for our everlasting freedom. I know many of you will be out of town this Sunday, but may we all chose to remember the big picture of living and dying. I hope the following article will help us maintain a proper focus as we celebrate our freedom in Jesus.

 

At the age of 33, professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer.  Until that time, he was a brash young man who believed he was bulletproof.  While lying on an x-ray table, Azinger's perspective of life changed.  His golfing accomplishments felt meaningless as he realized he could die from this disease.  But then another thought hit him: "I'm going to die eventually anyway.  Whether from cancer or something else, I'm definitely going to die.  It's just a question of when."  Azinger then remembered the words of Larry Moody, a Bible study leader on the PGA Tour.  Moody said, "Zinger, we're not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying.  No!  We're in the land of the dying going to the land of the living." 

 

Have a great week as you continue working out your salvation as we all head toward the land of the living in the name of Jesus, our Savior.

 

Mike

 

 

 

Moving Onward and Upward

Our English dictionary would describe ‘maturity’ as being ‘thoroughly developed.’ We look at children and praise them for actions which display movement toward maturity. We gaze into the mirror and quickly see how God is maturing our bodies, whether we like it or not. We watch years pass by us so rapidly and see others become thoroughly developed by the things we observe. In all the development we and others do in the physical realms, we, the believer, should be able to catch a glimpse of what the Lord expects of us in the spiritual realm as well.

 

Eugene Peterson has written a paraphrase of the Bible and in 1 Peter he puts it like this:

“Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.” 1 Peter 2:1 The Message

 

The New Testament thought of maturing in that passage means to continue on increasing in ways of God so that we might become more like the God who saves us. We are expected to grow and mature in our journey with our heavenly Father. Sometimes I just need the reminder of my God’s expectations, and I need to find a way to accomplish that goal.

 

Could I share one way we can all move that direction? There are times in our growing up that we just have to look back so we can travel forward. We look back and remember God’s faithfulness in the past and His promises in the future. If we will devote the time to thanking God for his power and faithfulness, we will be reminded of His willingness to intervene in our current situations.  Psalm 41:12 lets us know we are always in the presence of God. What a great catalyst to send us on a road to maturity.

 

This week is another opportunity for us to gather our hearts around the faithful, unchanging Word of the Father and see how He is going to move us onward and upward. Have a delightful week in the presence of the Living Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

A God Moment!

We have all encountered times when we felt the darkness of the day closing in on us. There are occasions in life when we find ourselves in distress and don’t know where to turn next. You know when the tread on the tires is running thin, and the only thing thinner is the statement in the bank book. The friend you have trusted for years has decided to turn away from you. The only thing running faster than your heart rate is the pace of your day which is the culprit and foundation of the elevated heart rate.

 

So, what do you do? How do you find the peace that it seems everyone else obtains? What needs to happen to cut you some slack in the hectic days of trying to stay ahead? Well, for centuries, the plan of God has not changed.  

 

Paul, the author of much of the New Testament wrote to his friends who were facing challenging times and said, “When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:14-19 New Living Translation

 

It may be time to fall on our knees and ask for help to overcome the trials which attempt to drag us down into the muck of the culture we live in today. Imagine the possibility of experiencing the fullness of the life and power that comes from God? My prayer is that we will come next Sunday ready to be overwhelmed by the power of Jesus as we adore Him together. Have a blessed day as you focus on the Savior of man, Jesus Christ.

Mike