Keeping Your Head In The Game

A Prayer for 2012

2012-01-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

Lord God Almighty,

I understand that I am unable to do anything without yourhelp,

so I ask you to enable me by your grace to fulfill yourwill.

Give me grace to do whatever brings most glory and honor toyou,

pleasure and profit to me,

and life and love to others.

Help me to number my days,

spending my time wisely,

living my life with all my might while I still have breath.

Humble me in the knowledge that I am chief of sinners;

when I hear of the sins of others,

help me to not look upon them with pride,

but to look upon myself with shame,

confessing my own sins to you.

When I go through difficulties and trials,

remind me of the pains of hell

from which you have already delivered me.

Place people in my path who need my help,

and give me a compassionate and generous spirit.

Fill my heart with such love

that I would never do anything out of a spirit of revenge,

nor lose my temper with those around me.

Hold my tongue when I am tempted to speak evil of others.

Thank you for the gospel and for the hope of glory.

Help me to live in light of these truths every day of mylife,

so that when the time of my death arrives,

I will rest assuredly in you,

and you will be most glorified in me.

In Christ’s name…

- Trevin Wax (adapted from the first 21 of Jonathan Edwards’resolutions)

Take Out The "Trash Of Regrets" At The End Of 2011

2011-12-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

As we reach the end of another year, 2011, I am reminded of one of the great secrets of life: to live life with as few regrets as possible. I love the testimony of Abraham that says, “Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.” What a coveted testimony, to live your life, determined to come to the end as a “satisfied customer” with as few regrets as possible. The reason this is so important is that this life is not a trial run, YOU ONLY GET TO DO THIS ONCE!

As we close this year, let me just speak to those who are carrying a huge weight of regret. The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb.12:1,2) Regret is a huge weight that so many people carry around their necks. There life is burden by and trapped by the “if Only’s.”

I would have dressed up, only it was too much trouble.

I would have gone out, only it cost too much.

I would have driven, only travel’s dangerous.

I would have eaten, only I weigh too much.

I would have danced, only I didn’t have a partner.

I would have returned, only it brought back bad memories.

I would have gone, only I didn’t have time.

I would have visited, only I wasn’t wanted.

I would have tried, only it was a waste of energy.

I would have helped, only they didn’t need me.

I would have cared, only I didn’t feel like it.

I would have cried, only I wasn’t sorry.

I would have volunteered, only I had better things to do.

I would have voted, only it wouldn’t have changed things.

I would have donated, only they’d made their quota.

I would have spoken up, only I was afraid to.

I would have acted, only others got there first.

I would have felt sorry, only I didn’t feel guilty.

I would have prepared, only it was too much work.

I would have studied, only I wouldn’t have passed.

I would have corrected it, only it was too late.

I would have told the truth, only it would have offended.

I would have graduated, only life intervened.

I would have gotten the job, only they didn’t like me.

I would have prayed, only God only knows.

I would have worshiped, only I hate to sing.

I would have fellowshipped, only I didn’t know them.

I would have served, only I didn’t have the calling.

I would have loved, only it hurt too much.

I would have lived,

If only.

The Nobel Peace Prize awards excellence in the field of science, literature, peace, and economics. It is named after Alfred Nobel. Nobel was a Swedish chemist who made his fortune by inventing explosives and licensing their manufacture to foreign governments for the production of weapons. One day Nobel’s brother died and the newspaper accidentally ran Alfred’s obituary instead of his brother’s. Alfred had the rare opportunity to read how others would remember him. The obituary identified him as the inventor of dynamite, enabling nations to more effectively destroy one another. Concerned that he would be remembered only as a merchant of death, he decided he would re-channel the remainder of his life to more productive efforts. With a sizeable chunk of his wealth, he established the Nobel prizes to recognize and encourage accomplishments that would benefit humanity. This is what he is most remembered for today. We may not achieve the stature of his fame and fortune, but...all of us have the possibility of redirecting our time, our money, our emotions, our energies in such a way that we can live and die without regrets!

According to Hebrews, the goal here is the finish line! One of the biggest lessons life has to teach us is the necessity of arranging life around what really matters in light of our mortality and God’s eternity! You know what I hear in Paul’s prayer and plea? Laying aside every weight and sin, running with enduring keeping your eyes fixed always on Jesus is to live to MINIMIZE REGRETS. Let eternity motivate you to search out the highest and the best, and you will not only live the best life you can now, but, you will also one day see a victorious finish line! God will remain on His throne, sovereign over all creation, and all will be well with our soul, no matter what happens. Perhaps things will not be well with our world, but they will be well with our soul.

There is an odd little carol which is sometimes sung on this first Sunday after Christmas. It begins:

There’s snow on the mountain and ice on the pond,

The Wise Men are home now in the back of beyond.

The Shepherd’s have left us; the heavens are dumb;

There’s no one to tell us why Jesus has come.

Then, it ends:

But God’s in His heaven, and Jesus has come

To show every sinner he’s welcome back home,

To be this world’s Savior from hunger and fear,

And give us new courage to face the New Year.

WE HAVE COURAGE TO FACE THIS NEW YEAR BECAUSE OF JESUS.

HE IS IMMANUEL–GOD WITH US AND FOR US.

Wrapping Up Christmas!

2011-12-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

In many places of the British Commonwealth, today is a holiday, Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, December 26^th. It was for years when I saw this printed on my Day Runner calendar, I thought it was some kind of big sporting event, you know, a boxing match! Well, historically, it goes back to a time when wealthy people in the UK would give a box containing gifts to their servants. Today, it is a bank or public holiday that is observed in Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, when Christmas gifts are traditionally given to service workers. In Canada, for instance, it gives people the chance to take part in the post-Christmas sales or watch ice hockey games. On a more practical level, it is time to start “boxing up Christmas” for another year! I thought this would also be a good day for me to “wrap up” any Christmas-related thoughts and truths, for you to take home with you (or wait until next year).

My specific focus is the whole Christmas tradition of gift giving. It is one of the aspects of Christmas that I have a kind of love-hate relationship with. This is not because I have a hard time being a “cheerful giver” or expressing liberality. God really has taught me over the years the wonderful blessing of giving and not just receiving (Acts 20:35). My dilemma is not even the result of the rank commercialism that defines Christmas for a lot of people, starting on “Black Friday” and continuing through the day-after-Christmas sales. No, my frustration is related to the time-sensitive nature (December 25^th is coming whether you’ve been “naughty or nice”), and the cultural expectations of finding just the right gift for the person you love. After nearly 40 years of marriage to the most incredible woman, Mona, what do you give her that: 1) she doesn’t already have, or 2) she’d really like or need, or 3) that would be a real blessing to her and show her you love her. It doesn’t help either when I ask her, “Honey, what do you want for Christmas?” and she answers “nothing,” and in her case, she means it. She’s happy, we’re still married, we have our health, we’re able to serve God in the most wonderful church in the world (I am totally and unashamedly biased), so, no, I really don’t want anything. Plus, my track record in this area is not the greatest (I don’t think I hit any home runs this Christmas!), not for a lack of desire, but a lack of time and necessary insight. I rely a lot on “Santa’s elves and helpers” (her friends), but even they couldn’t help me much this year.

I am not alone in this dilemma either! Just try working in the “Returns Department” on the day or two after Christmas, as gifts are returned that either are not liked, or that don’t fit, or, they’re not the right color etc. I love the story of the three sons who had grown up, left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were going to give their near blind, elderly mother for Christmas. The first said, “I bought her a big house for Christmas.” The second said, “I got her a Mercedes Benz and a chauffeur.” The third smiled and said, “I’ve got both of you beat. You remember how mom enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can’t see very well. So I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took a preacher 12 years to teach him. He’s one of a kind. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it. Soon thereafter, the woman sent out her letters of thanks to her sons for the Christmas gifts. She wrote the first son and said, “The house you bought is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house.” She wrote the second son, “I am too old to travel. I stay home most of the time, so I rarely use the Mercedes. And the chauffeur is really rude!” She wrote her third son, “Son, you are the only one who has the good sense to know what you mother likes. The chicken was delicious!” You see, it’s not always easy to get the perfect gift!

TO THE RESCUE, come the wise men or Magi in the Christmas story in Matthew 2. The way they help us is by answering the most important question which is, “What do I give to Jesus?” In this area their lives teach us, and are role models for us today what true wisdom is all about. The Magi (Greek, “majoi”) were from the Medeo-Persian Empire. They were the scientists and the scholars of their day, the intelligentsia in a good sense. In them, we find the best educated and finest minds of their time; the kind of “go to” people in times of crisis. Their mission in life was to hunger for and search out truth, wherever they could find it. Their actions model for us 3 gifts that we should present to God 365 days of the year.

THE GIFT OF PURSUIT

Matthew begins by saying, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” In their minds, the fruit of their study and calculations, coupled with the appearance of a very unusual star in the heavens, heralded the birth of a King, the “king of the Jews.” The king that the Hebrew scriptures and prophecies pointed to for hundreds of years. These propelled them to make the almost 1000 mile journey to Jerusalem, which probably took them around 3 months to complete. Just the journey itself was no small feat, but one they felt was completely warranted. You’ve heard about pursuing Christmas? Well, the Christian life is exactly that: it is a continual, day-by-day pursuit to know and to serve God. This is true whether you’ve recently come to Christ, or you’ve been a believer for years or decades. When Jesus said, “follow Me,” He was talking about a pursuit, and one that is entirely warranted and worth it! Listen to the promise in (Jer.29:11-13 ) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart.” According to these verses, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. But, that plan is aimed at triggering a corresponding response in you and me: a lifelong and sincere search. When we read the story and consider their actions, it confirms the saying: WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM!

THE GIFT OF WORSHIP

Man was created by God to be a worshiper. This is why every person inherently will “worship” someone or something. It’s in us, you can’t escape this fact. It was also very clear in the Christmas story that this was the priority of the wise men. They told Herod, “we are come to worship Him.” Then, in verse 11, it says: And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.” Any participation in or celebration of Christmas that does not lead to, or include worship, in the end is either not valid or it is missing something. Jesus told the woman at the well, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23.24) The essence of true worship is seen here: it involves giving God His rightful place in our hearts and lives. In the Christmas story, we see elements of a clear focus on the person of Jesus Christ, along with the awesome reverence and submission and obedience that true worship contains. It is such a moving picture: grown men bowing down before a baby in worship. In 1872, the poet Christiana Rossetti wrote a poem that was later set to music and became a Christmas carol. She was a devoted follower of Christ, who for many years volunteered at a refuge for women coming out of a life of prostitution. Her poem asks and says,

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part, Yet what can I give Him,
Give my heart.

Worship acknowledges the one thing that all of us can give Christ, no matter who were are, and it is the one gift Christ wants more than anything else–and that is our hearts! The beautiful thing about the gift of worship is that it is a “gift that keeps on giving” and one I can give to God every day of the year, not just on a single holiday. WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM, AND WHEN THEY FIND HIM, THEY WORSHIP HIM!

THE GIFT OF LIBERALITY

The key phrase and insight is found in verse 11, “Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Gift theology plays a central role in the revelation of the Bible, and finds an outstanding expression in the actions of these wise men. Our giving is a reflection of God’s giving and it proves the sincerity of our love and devotion. “They opened their treasures.” Jesus told us that “where your treasure is, there will your hearts be also.” This is one reason I also emphasize at offering time that we are “giving in worship” because the clear connection is unmistakable in the first Christmas story. They gave God the best they had, because God desires and deserves the best of our time, our talents, and our treasures. The gifts the wise men gave were not only great in value, but they were even greater in meaning, for what they said about Jesus, the recognition each contained.

Gifts of gold. This is what you give a King or royalty. Jesus is our King!

Gifts of frankincense. This was an important element in Temple worship, and the altar of incense, telling us that Jesus is our Priest!

Gifts of myrrh. This was a spice that was used in embalming corpses. It probably was the strangest of all the gifts given that day, but even at or around His birth, the shadow of the Cross could be seen. It tells us that Jesus is our Sacrifice! This King was born to die for you and me.

Our giving and gifts to God should not be a sporadic or once-in-awhile affair. They should be a lifestyle that is a reflection of and a response to God’s indescribable gift of Jesus Christ! The powerful reality of the wise men’s gifts is that many believe that it was these gifts that financed and made possible the flight into Egypt of Joseph and Mary and the Christ Child. They were strategic in preserving the life of Jesus Christ and advancing the Gospel in their time. I really like the story about the family who chose to celebrate Christmas every year with a birthday party for Jesus. An extra chair of honor was set up at the table that became the family’s reminder of Jesus’s presence. One year an after-Christmas visitor was at the house, and asked the 5-year old daughter, Ruth, “Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?” After a moment’s hesitation, Ruth answered insightfully, “No, but then it’s not my birthday!”

As we prepare to “wrap up” Christmas in 2011, we can learn that these gifts are ones that every follower of Jesus Christ is able to give to God on a regular basis. They are gifts that will not only meet the needs of others, but they will first and foremost give honor and praise to God, and they will bless our lives in the process. I encourage you to keep on giving to God these gifts throughout this upcoming New Year. Let me take this opportunity to remind you one more time: WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM, AND WORSHIP HIM, AND IT CARRIES WITH IT THE FRAGRANCE OF SACRIFICIAL GIVING.

O, Come Let Us Adore Him!

2011-12-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

One of my aims in my Twitter account was to be able to link it directly to my more substantive blog, “Keeping Your Head In The Game.” It is especially hard to take inspiration and limit it to 140 characters! This is what gave birth today to this Christmas article.

One of the many things that sets Christianity apart is singing and the power of song. This is why Christmas and music are synonymous: from music in the Malls, to airports and hotel lobbies, all of the places of business, and, of course, all the radio stations. This is not accidental, cultural, or traditional; but it’s one of the cornerstones of God’s workings in the lives of His people. His people have always been a singing people! Think about some of these truths with me for a moment.

The Melody of Redemption

One unique aspect that stands out about Christianity is that we have a singing faith. This is unique among the religions of the world because singing and song are not a major part of their worship! When was the last time you saw a Muslim singing with joy? Or, the last time you heard a Buddhist breaking out in praise? You probably have not heard an atheist caught up in the rapture of his or her “non-faith”! This is sad because singing is an expression and has tremendous power and ability to influence. Think about how patriotic songs can stir in us a sense of national pride. The air waves are filled with love songs because of the impact they have on people’s emotions. Military training involves the bonding that marching cadences and ballads can bring.

We’re talking about a prominent feature throughout the Bible. God’s acts in creation and redemption have always been accompanied by song! (Job 38:7) says that at creation, “the morning stars sang together” because they were witnessing something truly amazing. Miriam’s song in (Exodus 15:20, 21) celebrated their fantastic deliverance, as they sang, “the Lord has triumphed gloriously.” David’s Tabernacle had the unique feature of employing people in song, music and praise 24/7 (1Chron.9:33). The Book of Psalms was not just inspirational devotional reading, but it was actually Israel’s “hymnal” or songbook (we still sing them today). This reality reaches its climax and finds its ultimate expression in heaven. Heaven is going to be a place of much music, song, and vibrant expression of worship and praise to God and the Lamb! One of my favorite books in my library is by Robert Coleman, “Songs of Heaven,” where he goes through the various songs contained in the Book of Revelation and their meaning for our lives.

The significance of this is that it shows us the activity which takes place nearest the throne of God! “Worship is the proper response of created beings (human or angelic) to the glory of God.” There’s something about the revelation of God: His majesty, His holiness, His greatness, His acts, His love, His glory, and His goodness that demands and gives birth to song! It’s as if these things can only be adequately expressed through the medium of song, because it is the language of the soul. The Christian life begins with a song, it continues with song, and it will one day end with song. The melody of redemption rests in the heart of every true child of God!

The Miracle of Christmas

Christmas is a season for singing! This is why Christmas hymns and carols (comes from Latin word, choral song) are some of the best known songs in the world. Even with the battle with the prevalence of “Politically-Correct Christmas” which gives us the “winter holiday” and “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” instead of Christ and Christmas, songs are part of the season. This is why it seems every musical artist releases his or her Christmas albums, since no one wants to miss out on this lucrative market. I’m not saying that all of this is wrong or anti-Christ, but tradition or attempts at creating an “artificial atmosphere” can never compare with the profound depths behind the real reason of Christmas. Let’s visit the real thing that we find in the angel’s announcement to the shepherds, “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk.2:8-11) Suddenly, this was followed by the fitting response and tribute of a heavenly chorus, (Lk.2:13,14) “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" Only a heavenly choir could do all of this justice. The first Christmas carol was sung by angels in the fields outside of Bethlehem. Billy Graham wrote, “Christmas is not just a date on the calendar. It is not just an annual holiday. It is not a day to glorify selfishness and materialism. Christmas is the celebration of the event that set Heaven to singing, an event that gave the stars of the night sky a new brilliance. Christmas tells us that at a specific time and at a specific place, a specific Person was born. That Person was ‘God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God’ ---- the Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Christmas began with praise, and since then, the birth of Jesus the Messiah has been the inspiration of countless songs and hymns. Luke’s Gospel is filled with music, especially the first 2 chapters, where we find 5 hymns: Elizabeth, Zachariah, angels, Simon, and Mary. I think Mary’s “Magnificat” captures the essence of this as she exclaimed, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” This is awesome because it is sung by a young girl whose mind is obviously filled with Scripture, and her song is like a beautiful tapestry. Ruth Graham Bell captured this by saying, “We should sing when we feel like it, for it is a shame to miss such an opportunity. We should sing when we don’t feel like it, for it is dangerous to remain in such a condition.”

Singing Lessons

Martin Luther who was one of the spearheads of the Reformation fought for two things: the first was to give people a Bible they could read on their own, and secondly, a hymnal so they could sing on their own! There’s a lot of people today who talk about the “worship wars” but my conviction is that strong preaching and strong worship go together. One is not complete without the other. (Ps.47:1;6,7) says, “Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy! Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!” Congregational worship makes possible an intensity that cannot occur individually. Spirit-filled Christianity is a song-filled Christian. (Eph.5:18-20) defines it so clearly, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Carlyle once said, “Let me make a nation’s songs, and I care not who makes their laws.” This is a huge testament to the power invested here. Let me re-phrase one of the disciple’s questions to bring a conclusion here, “Lord, teach us to sing.” This is not talking about becoming the next American Idol or winning the X-Factor or releasing your new CD, but spiritual songs can be learned by each and every one of us. Here are a few brief singing lessons for us all.

Focus on the lyrics. Pay attention to what you are singing. We’re told to “sing praises with understanding.”

Call to participation. A whole lot of today’s “worship music” is a performance, not participation. It might make us feel good, but it is not true worship. If I could also add one other aspect: if it cannot be sung congregationally, especially by men, then it is of limited and not lasting value. It might be a “worship experience” but it falls short of Biblical worship.

Necessity of whole-heartedness. Sing with “gusto.” You don’t need to have a beautiful singing voice, or to possess perfect pitch to sing the Lord’s songs; just do it with your whole heart.

There is a very simple secret here: the harmony that comes out of us must first be within us! Mary’s song came from a surrendered heart. (Lk.1:38)LB “Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever He wants. May everything you said come true.” I remember one of the most awesome worship times I ever heard. It was in Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa, in an area called Ferry Junction. I can remember driving towards the church and turning the corner, passing the U.N. compound on the left side of the road, and just past that to approach The Door Church, and to hear the sounds of the saints of God there singing and worshiping!

O Come All Ye Faithful

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

Come and behold Him,

Born the King of Angels;

O Come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

O Sing, choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation,

Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.

Give to our Father glory in the Highest;

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning,

O Jesus! For evermore be Thy name adored.

Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;

O come, let us adore Him.

Christ the Lord.

Advent: Ancient Longing and Hope!

2011-12-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

I always try to get inspired to“feed the flock of God” during theChristmas season. My reason forpreaching, teaching, and writing is it has everything to do with beginnings. Mark’s Gospel begins with this statement, “The beginning of the Gospel of JesusChrist, the Son of God.” Beginningsare important because if you’re off here, you’ll be off about other criticalthings as well.

One of the figures of this dramaand the unparalleled event of God becoming a man was a man named Simeon. His testimony was summed up in (Lk.2:25) “And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, andthis man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” This statement talked about a believingremnant in Israel, and it was almost like “code” for those who carried withthem and held on to the hope of the promised Messiah who would answer everyneed in the human heart. Hope was a precious commodity in a dying nation. The Jews had been carried into captivity,many of them living in exile and slavery. Many were cynical, faithless, and embittered. Still, some yearned for the great days of thekings of the past, the glory of David and Solomon. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micahurged the people to keep the faith. Their message was “Wait for one more King. Thisone will be the greatest of all, and He will end our struggle forever.” Micah distinguished himself when he said, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are toolittle to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one whois to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”(Micah 5:2)

This accounts for why there aremore than 300 Scripture prophecies, some of them fantastically specific, aboutMessiah who would come. The Christmasseason is also known and referred to as Advent, which comes from the Latin,‘adventus” that means ‘coming.’ This is why in Matthew’s Gospelespecially you find repeatedly in reference to the birth of Christ thestatement, “that it might be fulfilledthat was spoken by ______.” Christ’sbirth was not an accident, but God’s divine plan from the foundations of theworld, prophecy fulfilled!

John Chrysotom (347-407 A.D.) was one of the most influential earlychurch fathers from the 4^th and 5^th centuries. He served for a time as the Archbishop ofConstantinople. He was known from hiseloquence in preaching and public speaking, earning him the name “the golden-throated preacher.” Here is one of his writings which highlightsthe hope that Christmas brings, even in a pagan culture that either ignoresChristmas altogether, or makes it traditionally into a time of riotous behaviorand debauchery.

So not think you are hearing of small things

when you hear of this birth,

but rouse up your mind,

and tremble when you are told

that God has come upon earth.

For so marvelous was this,

and beyond expectation,

that because of these things

the very angels formed a choir,

and in behalf of the world

offered up their praise for then,

and the prophets from the first were amazed at this,

that He was seen upon earth, and conversed with men.

For it is far beyond all thought

to hear that God the Unspeakable, the Unutterable,

the Incomprehensible, and He that is equal to the Father,

has passed through a virgin’s womb,

and has chosen to be born of a woman,

and to have Abraham and David for forefathers.

Hearing these things, arise, and think of nothing low!

And most of all you should marvel at this –

that being Son of the Unoriginate God, and His true Son,

He suffered Himself to be called also Son of David,

that he might make you son of God.

He suffered a slave to be father to Him,

that He might make the Lord Father to you a slave!

The Christmas Spirit

2011-12-03T21:31:00.001-07:00

*The headlines on the Drudge Report on the day after “BlackFriday” tells it all. This was the listof articles relating to the activity and excess of that day.

Black and Blue Friday
Woman pepper sprays other Black Friday shoppers ‘to gain an upperhand...”
‘Competitive shopping’ turns into chaos...
‘Girls Punching Each Other’ Over Yoga Pants Sale at Victoria’sSecret...
VIDEO: Mayhem over $2 waffle maker...
Two women insured in brawl...
Woman shot, robbed in SC after midnight shopping trip to WALMART...
NC police use pepper spray to break up melee...
Grandfather smashed to ground as he tried to protect grandson fromcrowd...
Police taser WALMART customer...
GUNFIRE ERUPTS AT MALL.........

As I read these headlines thesong that came into my mind was, “It’sbeginning to feel a lot like Christmas...” I know it sounds a bit cynical, and I’m not criticizing anyone who triesto be a “value shopper.” It does,however, illustrate the challenge we face at this time of year: finding balance in our Christmascelebration. How do we makeChristmas joyously special without it becoming either paganized or overlycommercialized? Is the answer a kind of “sanctified Scroogism” that spends mostof its time attacking almost everything, or can I keep my head to make theholidays happily holy?! I am very wellaware that the holiday season is surrounded by the silly, the superficial, andthe senseless. I also realize that atthe same time there is a definite openness of people’s souls that we can capitalizeon to see the true spirit and message of Christmas reaching as many people aspossible. Is there a way that holiday traditions can be applied without allowingan undermining worldliness to clutter our celebrating? How about a few suggestions:

1. Why not be more like the shepherds? The angels incredible announcement to them onthat “night of nights” was "Do notbe afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be toall people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babewrapped in swaddling clothes.” Theirresponse is still the correct one over two millennia later, “So it was, when the angels had gone awayfrom them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see thisthing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known tous." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in amanger. Now when they had seen Him, theymade widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.”(Excerpts Luke 2)

2. Purpose that your goal will be to embrace community not consumption. The practice of gift giving is a traditionthat has roots in the original Christmas story, which is a good thing. However, try to remember that the things thatreally have value is relationships in home, church and those we work with. This will help me approach this seasonwithout becoming overwhelmed by all the things that must be done in order tohave a “good Christmas.”

3. Practice the wisdom of (1Pet.3:15) which says, “Through thick and thin, keep your hearts atattention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up andtell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with theutmost courtesy.” This is not hypebut rather a hope-filled witness to an inquiring world, which is especiallyapplicable to our traditional year-end holidays. I can’t think of too many things that aremore likely to open hearts to Christ than being exposed to the joy of Jesus ina home or congregation where people have learned to make the holidays happilyholy. Sanctify the Lord Jesus first - centering everything aroundHim. Then rejoice! Let people learn what it is to live in theliberty that the truth and Spirit of Christmas really bring.

4. Always keep in mind Who and Why we celebrate at this time of year. (Isaiah 9:6,7) contains mind-boggling truthabout the Child Jesus, the Son who was born on Christmas day! “For tous a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon hisshoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Ofthe increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throneof David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justiceand with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of theLord of hosts will do this.” In theName and Person of Christ is reality that answers to every need in the humanheart!

The bottom line this year andevery year is that it is impossible to live up to all the hype of Christmas....without Jesus! Think about it, Christmas without Jesus is aholiday that celebrates nothing. Holidaytrees, secular music and solstice winter celebrations are all fine, but theybecome a celebration of nothing. I’m not a serial killer about taking Christout of Christmas, but it is sad and sets up people for a horrible letdown. Without Christ, nothing can live up to thehype of Christmas. After the Civil War,when the Union troops captured Richmond, wagonloads of Confederate money weretaken from the city. In the eveningsduring that trip, the Union troops would play poker with Confederate money. Itwasn’t an important game. In fact, itwas a meaningless game. The money wasabsolutely worthless. This reminds me ofChristmas without Christ: it’s like the poker game that isn’t real; and, whenit’s over, nobody wins in the game. Onthe other side, because of the coming of the Messiah, you know what’simportant. You know truth that nobodybut you can know because of Him! This isthe Christmas Spirit that we contendfor year after year, and not just limit it to a holiday, but make it our goalto walk in that spirit all 365 days of the year!

How To Avoid A Blue, Blue, Blue Christmas

2011-12-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Guest Blog by Pastor Fred Rubi.

“I will honor Christmas in myheart, and try to keep it all the year.” – Ebenezer Scrooge (Charles Dickens, AChristmas Carol)

I suspect what makes Scroogesuch an enduring character is that (if we’re honest) there is a little humbugin most of us. Let’s face it ChristmasCheer is not always that cheerful. Thetruth is Christmas exists between the tensions of great joy and profound angst.

It’s interesting to note thatthe first official response to the announcement of Jesus’ birth was fear. The Angel began his message to the Shepherdsin the field with, “Be not afriad;for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all thepeople; for to you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

I don’t think much has changedin two millennia. For some it’s hearingtheir first “Yuletide” carol of the season, for others it’s the sighing of aholiday display at a shopping mall sometime near Columbus Day, or just theweight of having to consider advancing Christmastime obligations. The first thought of Christmas can be rough.

Many people wrongly equatehappiness with an event partly because that has the word’s originalimplication. The word happy comes fromthe old English word “hap” meaning luck, or good fortune. The idea was that a happy person demonstratedthe joy of someone who experienced good luck. It stands to reason that people who go through life waiting for afortuitous moment to bring contentment will be very unhappy most of the time.

That’s why we must constantlyremind ourselves that the true meaning of Christmas is the good news of “agreat joy.” The Angel told Joseph thatMary would “bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He willsave His people from their sins.” Thegreat joy is the promise of salvatioin. The heart of joy is hope not just a good time.

I believe Christmas is a wonderfrom God given to the world so every year the nations will hear theproclamation, “born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ theLord.” I believe it’s also a gift to hispeople that no matter what we are going through we can pause and be reminded(and encouraged) that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord!

Scrooge’s great revelation wasthat the joy of Christmas was something that had to be embraced—something thathad to be honored—because it represents far more than a dreaded holiday season.

Pastor Fred Rubi

Coming To America!?

2011-12-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

Our Bible Conferences areexciting times of personal ministry and edification, coupled with a renewedcasting of vision. One of the greatchallenges is always to hear the Holy Spirit when He says, “separate me Barnabas and Saul (you could put lot of people’s nameshere!) for the work to which I havecalled them.”

This year we announced a newoverseas church plant into Bamenda,Cameroon with Phillip and Kristin Kuti-George. The other part of this venture is taking overthe church in Silver Spring, MD where the Kuti-George’s have labored is Jamile & Yinka Hurst from London,England. To me, the exciting part is wenormally heart about sending workers and missionaries from the U.S. into otherplaces. In this case, the order isreversed: we’re bringing a couple from London to pastor here in the U.S.! Especially in one of the most influentialmetropolitan areas in the country, Washington,D.C. Silver Spring is a suburb, located approximately 8 miles from D.C. The whole area there is an incredible meltingpot of people of various ethnicities and people from many different parts ofthe world. Originally, this was one ofthe incentives for Phillip & Kristin to go there, with its large populationof people from Sierra Leone and other West African nations.

Jamile Hurst was saved inNovember of 1999 in South London, and was originally from the Caribbean countryof Antigua. He has pastored in the U.K. and for the lastfew years he has evangelized throughout England and other countries. I am excited because, first, he is a man ofGod with real vision, and secondly, I think that he will be uniquely positionedto not only relate, but also to transcend many of the barriers between peoplein that area. They have just enlargedand remodeled the building in Silver Spring. The Hurst’s arrived yesterday and the official changeover will takeplace on 12-11-11. Pray that by God’s grace the church is positioned to moveforward and the Word of God can “multiplyand prevail!”

Out Of The Mouths Of...Frogs

2011-11-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday, three of our sisters just returned home from a tour to the land of Israel. We asked them all to give a report, especially the impact that this had on them personally. They came back with a sense of the real urgency to pray for and stand by and support the nation of Israel. (Ps.122:6) clearly say, “Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.” The prosperity he speaks about is not financial, but instead, the security that comes from being in harmony with God and in tune with his plans and workings. This is why I couldn't ignore the abundance of articles in the last few weeks all centered around Iran’s nuclear program and the possibility of Israel’s pre-emptive attack on them in the interest of national security, most of them emphasizing sooner rather than later. Something like this would undoubtedly have profound ramifications for our world today.

Biblical preaching carries with it many dimensions. There is doctrinal preaching: teaching us what we believe as Christians and why. There is preaching about Christian living: the implications of what we believe in our day-to-day living, decisions and priorities. There is preaching that emphasizes the relational: when we make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior of our lives, it brings us into vital relationship with the church, Christ’s Body. Some preaching is purposeful, in that it focuses on the callings and giftings of God: what we’re on ths earth to accomplish. There is also inspirational preaching whose aim is the building up of people’s faith. Then, there is also prophetic preaching. Bible prophecy is a vital part of the Christian life, since it deals with the future aspect of our Faith. The prophetic realm though is not limited to the predictive or being able to tell the future; it is preaching that lays out how things fit into the scope of God’s greater plans. I’ve always been inspired by the testimony of the Sons of Issachar who had “understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do.” They were people who had understanding both of our unique TIMES and also our DUTIES in light of our times. The need for people of this caliber is always with us. Whenever you tackle the subject of Bible prophecy you should do so knowing the challenges. First, is the fact that prophecy sermons are “informational intensive.” Another challenge is that even the best of us “sees through a mirror dimly,” even the so-called “experts.” The other challenge is to take that truth and teaching and make the connection how it relates to our day-to-day living. It’s not about speculation or sensationalism, it’s about the future promises of God motivating us as Christ-followers and witnesses today. The Apostle Peter was a master in this department as he wrote about the last days and said, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (2Pet.3:11,12)

It was with all this in mind that I was drawn to the Apostle John’s words in the Book of Revelation 16:12-16):

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. ("Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!") And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”

You've heard of the saying, “Out of the mouths of babes”...well, this verse spoke to me of “Out of the mouths of....Frogs!” It draws our attention to some very vital considerations, which I would like you to think about with me.

I Feel The Spirit Moving!

In this case, I am not talking about the Holy Spirit, but a different kind of spirit. This passage deals specifically with the period of the Great Tribulation, a time still future, when God turns His focus to Israel nationally. It is very similar to (1Jn.2:18), “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” John is saying that the event (i.e. the coming of the anti-Christ) has not arrived, but there are spiritual precursors to this that mirror and echo the physical reality. In this case it would be the spirit of anti-Christ at work in the world. The spirit that is highlighted here is the spirit of anti-Semitism. The text mentions “3 unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits.” He talks about spiritual forces that have political, international and even military objectives; a kind of “news behind the news.” Recently, at the end of the G20 Summit, there was a very embarrassing and revealing open microphone gaffe. French President Nicolas Sarkozy told U.S. President Barack Obama that he could not stand Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he thinks the premier is a liar. President Obama was heard to respond, “You’re fed up with him? I have to deal with him every day.” When I heard that, my first thought was “anti-Semitism is alive and well” in our world today! I trust that you will agree with the truth of the statement, “No people on the planet has endured more systematic, heavily resourced attempts to wipe it out than the Jewish race.” A quick trip through history should confirm this fact. In Egypt we see the enslavement of an entire nation with Pharaoh’s command to the Hebrew midwives to kill all of the male children. In Persia, we see Hamaan’s hate-filled attempt at genocide, “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children.” In the first century, in 70 A.D., Rome killed a million Jews and took another 300,000 as slaves exiling them to different parts of the empire. More recently were the Russian pogroms of the 19^th century. Then, there was Hitler’s “final solution” during WWII with the goal of the eradication of the Jewish people. Six million Jews lost their lives throughout Europe during this period known as the Holocaust.

All of this only really makes sense when you realize it doesn't make sense, at least not on the natural. It is spiritual and supernatural in nature. (Rev.12:1-5;13;17) pulls back the curtain to reveal a deep, spiritual and demonic roots of both anti-Semitism and anti-Christianity.

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God” – “And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” — “Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

What this presents us with is a majestic woman (the nation of Israel and the Jewish people); a Child destined to rule the nations (Christ); and a great red Dragon (identified as the devil and Satan). All of this is set in the context of the ancient cosmic struggle to damn the souls of men and defeat the purposes of God.

The text is specific, the woman was pregnant and about to give birth. God chose Israel, Abraham and his descendants to be the delivery system for His message of life, truth, love, law and the gift of Messiah. Israel has and will yet pay a tremendous price for this privilege, making them the focus of Satan’s animosity down through the ages. This is the real source of anti-Semitism and why it continues to this day.

A.W. Sac wrote, “Next to the survival of the Jews, the most baffling historical phenomenon is the hatred which he has repeatedly encountered among the nations of the earth. This hostility is to the Jews, which goes under the name of anti-Semitism, is as old as Jewish existence. It is endemic like many contagious diseases; it is always with us to some degree. But under certain circumstances it assumes epidemic proportions and characteristics. It is prevalent wherever Jews reside in sufficiently large numbers to make their neighbors aware of their presence. ‘The growth of anti-Semitism,’ Chaim Weizman declared, ‘is proportionate to the number of Jews per square kilometer. We carry the germs of anti-Semitism in our knapsack on our backs.’”

There is something totally illogical about this, but woven into the fabric of the “world mind” by the Deceiver himself. If you’ve been paying attention, the whole ‘Occupy Movement’ and protesters are filled with an unmistakable anti-Semitic note. Today, we might be dealing with a new face, bit it is the same old spirit at work...trust me on this.

The Alignment of Nations

This is without a doubt God’s domain. The prophet Haggai spoke (Haggai 2:6,7) "For thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations...” Any thinking person would agree that there is a “shaking” being felt today whether it is economic, or political, or international or military. In the Book of Revelation, John highlights this aspect, vs.14, “who go abroad to kings of the whole world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God Almighty.” In order for Satan to try to wipe out Israel, THE NATIONS MUST ALIGN TOGETHER. This is not new, but there is an ancient strategy behind it, (Ps.83:4,5 “They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.

For they have consulted together with one consent; they form a confederacy against You.” Notice, there is an evil confederacy that will one day align nations against Israel. We can clearly see this happening before our eyes today! In fact, recently, there is so much happening it is hard to keep track. One of the most important prophecies in this regard is (Ezek.38:1-6)

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops — many people are with you.”

It’s important because it sheds light on a particular alignment of nations in the last days.

Ezekiel identifies (using the ancient names) a confederacy led by Russia consisting of “Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, Libya will join you too, with all their weapons.” Also “Togarmah” which is modern day Turkey. We’re looking at something that’s reported on in the news on a weekly, if not daily basis today! Let me just highlight a few things for you. What has been dubbed “the Arab Spring” has brought a major realignment of governments with some serious unrest and uncertainty that goes along with it. Just think this year: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen with very possibly, Syria next. All of this has been reported in the news as a populist uprising in response to oppressive regimes with a yearning for democracy. Really? What has happened is a toppling of dictators and governments with an uncertain future at best, but indications of a vacuum that is being filled by Islamic extremists. On the day that Libyan President, Muammar Qaddafi, was captured and killed, President Obama immediately took to the airways to talk about how the dark cloud of oppression has been lifted there. Uhhm, he conveniently forgot to mention the absence of the rule of law in all of this, or where this was actually taking that nation. Not to mention the huge stash of weapons they had! Remember Ezekiel, “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya...with all their weapons.” One commentator remarked, “The worst aftermath is over 20,000 shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles belong to the Qaddafi regime have been ‘dispersed’ throughout the world and are currently ‘lying in wait.”

The most noticeable nation in this confederacy next to Russia has to be Iran, whose burgeoning nuclear program not only has a de-stabilizing effect on the entire region, but it represents the greatest threat to Israel’s security. This was ratcheted up by the 25-page report by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) which confirmed Iran is much closer to having an atom bomb than most thought. The report concluded that Iran is systematically enriching nuclear fuel towards military applications; and that Iran’s nuclear program is no longer run by civilians but by the Ministry of Defense. It stated that Iran did not cease developing military applications for its nuclear program in 2003, as the CIA reported in its controversial National Intelligence Estimate in 2007, but rather accelerated its efforts to develop the Bomb. It seems that the U.S. policy of “containment and sanctions has been unsuccessful, largely blocked by Russia and China. What makes Iran so unsettling and such a threat is the “theological” element embraced by its leaders. They embrace a Muslim prophecy of the 12^th Iman and that in order to hasten his coming, he is waiting for the Muslim world to attack Israel. The real quarrel is not with the Iranian people, but the regime in Tehran that has been hijacked by Islamic extremists, and represent probably the significant threat in the world to global peace and security (quote by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper).

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks before the Israeli Knesset last week about the Iranian threat were very sobering and enlightening. He said, “If I had to summarize what will happen in our region, I would use two terms: instability and uncertainty. The collapse of Gaddafi’s regime in Libya, the bloody incidents in Syria, the American forces leaving Iraq, the new government in Tunisia, the upcoming elections in Egypt and many other events - these are all expressions of the immense changes occurring around us. These changes can increase the instability within these countries, and the instability between countries....A nuclear Iran would pose a terrible threat to the Middle East and on the entire world. And of course, it poses a great, direct threat on us too....A security philosophy cannot rely on defense alone. It must also include offensive capabilities, which is the very foundation of deterrence. We operate and will continue to operate intensely and determinately against those who threaten the security of the State of Israel and its citizens. Our policy is guided by two main principles: the first is ‘if someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first,’ and the second is ‘if anyone harms us, his blood is on his own hands.’” Clear, concise, accurate and sobering words, indeed.

The other nation mentioned is Turkey (Togarmah). Turkey has been a secular Islamist state for many years, but in recent times is becoming more and more radicalized. The new Prime Minister has targeted Israel by halting all trade and defense ties to the Jewish State, ordering Turkey’s ambassador to leave Israel, and warning of more sanctions to come. Perplexingly, we’re talking about a NATO ally here? All of this represents a kind of ticking time clock, and mirrors the confederacy that Zechariah spoke about in (Zech.12:2,3), "Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.” Religious, political and economic alignment will cause the nations of the earth to conclude, “Israel is the problem; if they would be more reasonable, or did not exist, then things would be safer and more prosperous for everyone involved. I have no idea what will trigger all these events. It is stunning, however, to see that the pieces and players are all definitely in place.

Paying Attention To The Signs

In God’s word, a “sign” refers to an indication or to a marker, usually showing proximity and warning. Today, we see an abundance of signs, of events and alignments which should tell us what time it is. In (Matt.24:33) Jesus said, “So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – even at the doors.” To conclude, the key question though is why? I’m not making any of this up, and I’m not a “prophecy expert” (is there such a thing?!), but why is all of this unfolding before us today? Perhaps, more importantly what should we glean from all of this for our daily lives? Let me quickly suggest 4 things that come into clear focus as we consider the “signs of the times.”

A reminder of the sovereignty of God, that God is in control, orchestrating events according to His purpose. This is a major antidote against fear, that God has not lost control. In our personal lives as well, I can live confidently knowing that my life and my steps are ordered of the Lord.

An encouragement of the love of God, specifically, that God does not judge the righteous with the wicked. (1Thess.5:9) states, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is a powerful argument for the importance and truth of the Rapture of the church: God removes the righteous before judgment (i.e. Lot; Noah; Rahab). This is not saying we’ll escape persecution, but there is a huge difference between persecution and the wrath of God.

A warning for believers to be ready. I do believe God knows human nature, that we tend to lose focus. God, in His mercy, allows these signs and events to remind us so that WE WILL BE READY. Our text carries the blessing, vs.15, “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!" I tell our church, today is definitely NOT the time to be stupid or careless or drift from the things of God!

Preparation for an end-time harvest. Any true understanding of Bible prophecy doesn’t leave us with our heads in the clouds. Instead, it speaks about our own personal readiness, and also our being positioned as workers in God’s harvest (the world) to see souls won to Christ. Jesus Himself exemplified this, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” (Jn.9:4)

I must confess: from the time of my conversion on November 15, 1970, I have lived with the thrill and anticipation over the Lord’s promise of his Second Coming. I know there are those who would scoff and dismiss it all and say, “ You've been saying this for 40 years, and Jesus still hasn’t come.” I’ll be honest with you, when I first became a Christian; I didn't think we’d be here this long! But my answer to those nay-Sayers is simple, “Yes, you’re right, Jesus hasn't come yet. But, He’s 40 years closer than when I was first saved!” KEEP LOOKING UP!

Pedaling To...Somewhere!

2011-11-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Something a little light-hearted, OK? I’m not a “bike racer” but I have been riding my Handcycle for fun and fitness for the last dozen or so years. And, yes, there’s been some “competition” involved, although that can be a bit of a stretch, since generally I am competing against myself and by PBT (personal best time). More importantly to me right now, it is an aspect of my life that signals returning to normal. That’s why even though we were all pedaling and going “nowhere” the truth for me, is that we were headed “somewhere,” which is up and about and business as usual!

For the last 10 years of so, I’ve competed in the annual El Tour de Tucson bike race here in Tucson. Depending on the time I’m able to invest in training, I’ve done the 111-mile portion three times, the 82-mile twice, the 67-mile segment two times, and the 41-mile event three times. This year, because I will still just three and a half weeks post-amputation, it seemed like the streak would be broken. I just happened to talk to Beverly Blohme at the PBAA office who sponsors El Tour every year and she informed me about the “Indoor El Tour” event. Essentially this means riding your bike on a trainer, making you stationary, and instead of racing 111 miles, you do 111 minutes or whatever time amount you desire. I just rounded it off to a nice 120 minutes, or two hours. Anyone who’s ever trained on a resistance trainer knows it can be terribly boring, but the PBAA people were very gracious and allowed us to set up right at the finish line area at Armory Park on S. 6^th Avenue and 13^th Street. - Special thanks to Michele Wyatt for helping us with this facet.

This is what added to “Team Victory” the sports side of things, to go along with the medical and support side. I want to thank those who “rode” with me yesterday for the two hours. My wife, Doug Marcotte who rode my other handcycle, Paul Arbo, Manny Montoya, Mike Hauri, Bill Neil, Lucia Villalba, McKenzie Breckenridge, Larry Priest, and Rick and Susan Surber who came down from Phoenix to participate. It was good time of fellowship and camaraderie.

“Team Victory” was chosen, first, because it emphasizes that true and lasting victory will always involve a “team” effort or dimension. The other part is to highlight God’s fantastic promise of victory, not just as an ultimate goal but a present possession as we “press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Listen to Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2Cor.2:14) Through Christ, we are part of his great victory parade! It is here that he diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge, or the difference he makes in people’s lives, in every place and in every life situation! Yes, there are battles and they can be very intense, but as Christians we hold to the promise of victory in the midst of them all! When talking about the reality and implications of the resurrection for every Christ-follower, Paul erupts in praise and declares “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Cor.15:57) Then, you have the Apostle John picking up on the same theme and talking about how God is making us all overcomers (can’t be an overcomer without something to overcome). “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1John 5:4,5) I like this because the secret to victory is not our incredible strength; no, it is simple faith in Jesus Christ. Faith connects us to a resurrected and victorious Savior and Lord, and that promise is open to everyone who will believe and put their faith in Jesus, God’s only Son!

In any event, there’s something about the finish line that creates a surge of adrenaline through your system. While we did not do the entire 111-mile event, we did what we could at the time, and so the final picture of celebration is fitting.

Just try to imagine the thrill and relief of finishing victoriously in Christ. You can almost taste it, and one day it will be a glorious reality for all of us who walk with Him. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2Tim.4:4,5) Not to be outdone is (1Corinthians 9:24-27) NLT “Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” SO, DEAR ONES, KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT, KEEP RUNNING THE RACE, AND KEEP HOLDING ON TO YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST, AS HE HOLDS ON TO YOU!

Kardashian’s they are NOT...thank God!

2011-11-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

God has allowed me to see and do some genuinely awesome and very cool things in the years that I have followed Christ. I thought about Simeon in Luke’s Gospel, a fascinating character in the Christmas drama. We are told, “At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah.” (Luke 2:25,26) In other words, “Simeon, you’re going to see some pretty amazing things in your lifetime!” I could compile a long list of things, some big, some small, but all are part of the wonderful tapestry of the adventure of doing God’s will. Recently, in the last number of years, my “ministry portfolio” has expanded to include marrying the children of the people (parents) I married 20-30 years ago. It really is something special. It has an almost sacred quality to it, and I try to oblige whenever it is possible, especially since the ones asking and desiring this are the new generation!

Last week was supposed to be a “luxury week” for me. I was going to have plenty of time to read, re-order and re-fill the wells of inspiration in preparation for renewing my preaching responsibilities on November 20^th. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way at all. I don’t know where the time went, but it went by very quickly! But, one thing on my calendar that was a “must” was marrying Claressa Ford and Jordan Suiter Sunday morning, November 13^th. Especially, given the fact that Claressa is an Rn and has been a part of the medical side of my “Team Victory” for many months, I wasn’t going to let a little thing like an amputation keep me from being there.

As I was sitting on the platform before the service, her grandmother came up to me and brought me a picture. This was another one of my treasures because it was the picture of me and Dave and Mariah Ford in 1984 when I was privileged to marry them. I’m not a picture person, as many know, so this is the “customary” (lol) one picture of the bride and groom with Pastor Warner after the wedding! So, as part of the service that day, we quickly scanned the picture so we could project it on the large screen in the church. Why? I wanted to illustrate and set things in context about the awesome power of heritage taking place that day. It is rare that the same pastor who married your parents, the same church setting and worship of Christ, becomes the place where you as a younger person enter in to your marriage covenant! There was such a glorious realization of the power of Jesus Christ as the foundation of marriage and the source of LONGEVITY. As you’ve heard me say so many times, “If you lose longevity, you lose blessing.” Trust me, there was heaps of blessing tangibly present in Sunday’s service.

OK, I could probably be accused of “piling on” here, but I couldn’t help but think of the contrast between what we were part of Sunday, and Kim Kardashian’s seeming mockery of marriage. After a whirlwind romance with Kris Humphries, who she met on October 31, 2010 (that’s Halloween, folks) they were married on July 28, 2011. The marriage lasted an incredibly long 72 days when Kim filed for divorce on the grounds of “irreconcilable differences.” Excuse me if I’m a bit cynical or turn a bit sarcastic about all this. Irreconcilable after 72 days? You haven’t even had time to decide what side of the bathroom belongs to each spouse, the color of your sheets, or even some of the cooking responsibilities. I’m sure there was a huge effort made on her part to make this relationship work. In a statement she released on her website, she said that she married for love and it just didn’t “turn out to be the fairytale” she wanted. Dear Kim, that is simply because “theatrics” and a fairy-tale mentality never does match the true reality of what makes marriage work. You can just imagine the plethora of jokes and tweets about this fiasco. There is actual a hashtag that’s gone viral #ThingsLongerThanKim’sMarriage. Even the author Salman Rushdie tweeted his once-only, never-to-be-repeated “kim #kardashian limerick” by writing

“The marriage of poor kim #kardashian / was krushed like a kar in a krashian. / her kris kried, not fair! /why kan’t I keep my share? / But kardashian fell klean outa fashion.”

Well, Kim has actually hired a famous L.A. attorney, Marty Singer, to do public relations damage control for her (i.e. he’s the same attorney who worked with Charlie Sheen and Arnold Schwarzenneger, which is all you really need to know). The reason for hiring the attorney was to manage the “PR fall out,” especially the allegation by her former publicist, Jonathan Jaxson, saying that her wedding to Kris Humphries was a sham from the start. Others have piped in on the subject. Mona Elyafi: Kim Kardashian Divorce Makes a Mockery of Marriage wrote, “They say that allowing same-sex marriage would make a mockery of the institution of marriage. Really? Then what do you call a celebrity who utilizes her notoriety to deliver and exorbitantly lavish wedding production as a money-making publicity stunt?” Lisa Coffey: Kim & Kris Krash & Burn: What Went Wrong says, “Was it telling that Kim appeared solo on the cover of People magazine, beaming about her ‘dream wedding?’ Is it a coincidence that Kim filed divorce papers the day before her mother’s book hits stores?” I’m sorry, I don’t know Kim Kardashian anymore than what you read in the tabloids, but celebrity or not, a complete and total narcissist does not make for a good marriage partner!

So, please, repeat after me, OK, slowly if you need to, “until death do us part!” You cannot parse away the fact that successful and fulfilling monogamy calls for and is undergirded by longevity and commitment, not feelings and emotions, or your idea of a “fairy tale.” Jordan and Claressa, like their parents almost three decades ago, did not spend $$ millions on their marriage ceremony. They had something better: knowledge of what marriage is all about, and the “covenant glue” in Christ that makes it work.

Someone sent me an article about lawmakers (a bit of a joke to call them that) in Mexico City that are considering a two-year marriage arrangement. Let me just quote from the news article

“Mexico City lawmakers want to help newlyweds avoid the hassle of divorce by giving them an easy exit strategy: temporary marriage licenses. The minimum marriage contract would be for two years and could be renewed if the couple stays happy. The contracts would include provisions on how children and property would be handled if the couple splits. Leftists in the city’s assembly (no different from leftists in our own government) - who have already riled conservatives by legalizing gay marriage – proposed a reform (what they should’ve said was deform) to the civil code this week that would allow couples to decide on the length of their commitment, opting out of a lifetime. ‘The proposal is, when the two-year period is up, if the relationships is not stable or harmonious, the contract simply ends.”

Leonal Luna, the Mexico City assemblyman who co-authored the bill says the proposed law is gaining support and he expects a vote by the end of this year. “You wouldn’t have to go through the tortuous process of divorce,” he declared. One of his supporters, the mayor of Mexico City, has also announced that he would soon step down in order to run for President. Oh, that’s just grand; can you say hope and change?!

Folks, man without God can be incredibly absurd. I think of Romans 1 and the fruit of failing to acknowledge God and His ways that says, “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness...as a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.” (Romans 1:18;21,22) Dear ones, all of man’s “better ideas” about the meaning of life, morals and marriage tends to the irresponsible and the immoral.

It also contradicts the very nature of marriage which is put on display in Christ’s love for the church. Paul’s description of marriage is one of the most profound and definitely challenging blueprints you’ll ever find, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:25-33) I know this can be a sensitive subject, especially to those who’ve experienced a marriage failure, often through no fault or desire of their own, but, he sets the bar very high where it needs to be. This is why to glibly claim “irreconcilable differences” is to insult both the character and love of Jesus Christ for His church.

Since they say a picture worth a thousand words, I’d like you to feast your eyes on these two pictures. Take a good look, and give God the glory!


Dave and Mariah Ford 1984	Jordan and Claressa Suiter 2011

My Friends In Need

2011-11-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is not going to be a longarticle, and it’s not for me anyhow. AsI sit here, I am deeply saddened and hurt for my friends, Bob & Pat Mecado. OnTuesday, their twin 14-year old grand-daughters, Leilani and Luana Fukuiwere walking in a crosswalk when they were hit by a car at the same time, bothending up on life support with severe brain injuries. Leilani died, while Luana is still fightingfor her life.

The purpose of this article isnot to answer the unanswerable, why? That can wait until later. Joseph’s truth, “As for you, you meant evil against me, butGod meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive,as they are today” is a revelation that came many years after his own heartbreakingtragedy. Now is not the time forthat. Right now I just hurt and crytogether for my friend, Bobby. Bobbyworks with some of the hardest convicts in the California prison system, yet hehimself possesses such a soft heart. Tome, he has personified (Prov.17:17) “Afriend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” Heis always building me up to others, to the degree that I think, “Bobby, stopthat, brother!” I want to be that kindof friend to him in this very difficult time of need.

I have linked the KTLA news report, but mostly so that youcan lift them and their entire family before the throne of God’s grace. The God who is “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is ourmerciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all ourtroubles so that we can comfort others.” (2Cor.1:3,4)

Girl Brain Dead, Twin Sister Critical After Accident at Busy Intersection

The "Tebow Wars"

2011-11-02T16:10:00.001-07:00

Stay with me, and continue reading. You haven’t accidentally wandered from Pastor Warner’s blog to a sports columnist’s page! Right up front, I admit that I’m taking a bit of a risk, but I am doing so with my eyes wide open. I’m going to talk a lot about sports, and I realize not everyone is “into” sports. However, many who are, love their sports and can be quite passionate about their team(s), bordering sometimes on the irrational! If you want to have some fun, and maybe start a fight, just say something like, “the Dallas Cowboys are America’s team!” Raiders, Patriots, Bears, Dolphins or Bronco fans will quickly go ballistic (can you say Richard Rubi) :). This is true whether we’re talking about football (professional or college [SEC football is “religion”), baseball (Red Sox vs. Yankees), basketball (Lakers vs. Celtics), English Premier League soccer (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Man U), Aussie Rules Football (West Coast Eagles or Geelong Cats). What you find is that emotions can easily override all else for many.

I’m not a football analyst and I don’t even play one on TV! I know I’m stepping outside my comfort zone or area of expertise, but even if you’re someone who is casually aware, it’s hard to avoid the phenomenon which is Tim Tebow, Along with being a Heisman Trophy winner as a sophomore, he led his Florida Gators to two national championships, and was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, where he currently plays quarterback. He has become a staple of sports talk radio and television discussion, a venue that thrives on strong opinions and controversy. In the social universe or the “Tebow nation” they’ve even coined a word for his public acknowledgment of Christ; they call it “Tebowing.” Where all of this is ultimately coming from is the fact that Tim Tebow is also an outspoken Christian athlete. Hence, some of the headlines like, “Tebow gets a miracle” or references to him as “the chosen one” etc.

What can’t be denied in all of this is that he has become a very polarizing figure. There seems to be not a lot of middle ground: you have the “Tebow haters” and those with “Tebow mania.” “Inside The NFL” commentator, James “JB” Brown teased a segment about Tim Tebow for the show saying, “This is a guy that you either love to hate him or you hate to love him. What is it about him that folks are so polarized?” My own theory is that in our culture, Christians are one of the last groups where it is totally cool to go off on. Read on.

Here’s what caught my attention and piqued my interest, which will hopefully become clear as a spiritual issue, worthy of our pondering. What is the explanation for the intensity of opinion and emotion either way, for or against him? It’s pretty stunning to observe the vitriol-like reaction to him, and much of it is not about his game, but it is personal! Sure, they can talk about the fact he is slow to set up, read the defense, release the ball; or he has poor mechanics and lacks accuracy as a passer, but there’s something more at work. One of the first major incidents involved an ESPN football analyst, Merril Hoge, who literally went on a rant against Tim Tebow that caused many raised eyebrows. This is by no means an isolated event either. Sports writers and football fans have critiqued and mocked Tim Tebow, as if they are almost hoping for him to fail?! One sportswriter compared Tebow’s confidence that he will start in the NFL to blasphemy. The “Daily Show” comedian, John Oliver, declared, “I dislike Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwean dictator). I hate Tim Tebow.” For instance, in his first starting assignment against the Miami Dolphins, the first three quarters was anything but pretty or polished. His stats were abysmal. Then, he engineered a comeback in the final 2:44 minutes, down 15-0 to force overtime, where the team pulled out an 18-15 victory. It’s the largest deficit overcome in a victory with less than three minutes since the 1970 NFL merger. The strange crowd mixture of lovers and haters moved from chanting “Tebow sucks” to the fourth quarter’s melody of “Tebow! Tebow! Tebow!”

So, my question is WHY, what’s at work here? My contention is that it is because of his Christian faith and lifestyle. Jelisa Castrodale, NBC.com commentator, argued: “The NFL’s other backup-turned-starters don’t generate this type of negativity.” CBS analyst and former San Francisco 49's offensive lineman Randy Cross blamed the media for anti-Tebow coverage: “People, especially the media, root against him because of what he stands for.” “Inside The NFL” analyst and former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Collinsworth concluded that much of the hatred against Tebow was based on his religious beliefs. Responding to all the fodder over Tebow’s treatment in the media he admitted, “It’s unbelievable, though, JB, that one of the best kids - just pure kids that’s ever come into the NFL - is hated because of his faith, because of his mission work, because of the fact that he wears it on his sleeve, because of the fact that he lives his life that he talks about.” His co-host, James “JB” Brown pointed out: “There are a number of guys who come into the league with a big marquee, fat paychecks, a lot of attention, and folks don’t seem to hate them with the same intensity that they hate Tim Tebow.” In their back and forth discussion, Collinsworth concurred with him, “I couldn’t agree with you more. And it’s kind of a sad commentary, that, you now, if someone is out carousing every night, the Joe Namath thing (“Broadway Joe”), or whatever, they’re American heroes, and Tim Tebow, who’s working in missions in Asia somewhere, is a guy that we’re going to vilify.”

The vitriol directed against Tim Tebow should not really come as a surprise given how religion and people of faith are frequently treated in the media, which often seeks to remove any mention of religion from public life entirely, including sports. In my mind, this is a fatal dismissal since the Bible reminds us, “Blessed is the nation [individual] whose God is the Lord.” An anti-Christ spirit is definitely loose in the world! Remember back to all the furor during last year’s Super Bowl and the commercial ad promoting “Celebrate Family and Life” which was largely a testament to Tim’s mother, and her decision not to have an abortion even though hers was a high-risk pregnancy. Regardless of your beliefs or your football loyalties, at least concede that Tim Tebow’s story is a good one, and inspirational as well. Uhhmm, were they making that kind of stink over godaddy.com’s sexually provocative commercials during the same Super Bowl! See what I mean?

What we’re looking at is the unavoidable reality for any Christ-follower, because any true Christian’s faith is part of the conversation! It is, after all, the most defining and influential aspect of a person’s identity and lifestyle. Jesus made this crystal clear in (Jn.15:18-21) NLT "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me.” If life for you is about always being popular and accepted, then following Jesus Christ will be a very difficult exercise! In response to one critique of Tim Tebow by Boomer Esiason, evangelical blogger Howell Scott wrote, “In this life, we face ridicule and scorn for following Christ, whether on the football field, in the boardroom or, yes, even in the church house. For Tim Tebow and the rest of us, when we are ridiculed and made fun of because of the name of Jesus, might we hear the master say to us yet again: Blessed are you!” The choice for every Christian in whatever station of life is that if you live the life, you can’t turn it on and off like a light switch whenever it’s convenient. No, it’s a daily constant. Blogger and fan Everette Hatcher wrote: “He had to make a decision when he went into the locker room: Do I live two lives? He decided to talk his faith with him into the locker room. He has lived one life, and I strongly respect that.”

This remind me of the classic story of evangelist Billy Graham playing golf in a foursome with then President Gerald Ford, golf legend Jack Nicklaus, and another PGA pro. The golfer was especially in awe of playing with Ford and Billy Graham (since he regularly competed with Nicklaus before). After the round was finished, one of the other pros came up to the golfer and asked, “Hey, what was it like playing with the President and with Billy Graham?” The pro unleashed a torrent of cursing, and in a disgusted manner said, “I don’t need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat.” With that he turned on his heel and stormed off, heading for the practice tee. His friend followed him as the angry pro took out his driver and started to beat out balls in fury. His neck was crimson and it looked like steam was coming from his ears. His friend said nothing. He sat on a bench and watched. After a few minutes the anger and the pro was spent and he settled down. His friend said quietly, “Was Billy a little rough on you out there/” The pro heaved an embarrassed sig and said, “No, he didn’t even mention religion. I just had a bad round.” The lesson here is that Billy Graham was so identified with his faith, so associated with the things of God, that his very presence brought a realm of conviction to those around him. It was Martin Luther who said “the pagan does tremble at the rustling of a leaf.”

Even with his detractors and the nay-sayers, there’s no doubt as well that Tim Tebow has plenty of advocates as well. Jen Floyd Engel who writes for foxsports.com on MSN published this open letter.

From: Jen Floyd EngelTo: Jason Whitlock, FROXSports.com columnistCc: John Fox, John Elway, Doubting Sports Thomas’s Everywhere
Whitlock, I hate to come at you at a time like this when you must be hurting, your favorite current NFL quarterback, Donavan McNabb benched again. This time for an unproven rookie, Christian Ponder, because what you man was throwing out made the Vikings abandon their playoff hopes a little more than month into the season. Go figure. McNabb is the only quarterback in the history of ever who made Rex Grossman look like an upgrade. Sorry. I need you to stop mourning McNabb’s failed career for a second and answer a question that has been gnawing at me ever since you gleefully joined the non-believers dissing Tim Tebow: Why? Why do you – the last remaining holdout in the Jeff George fan club – refuse to concede the league might be wrong about Tim Tebow? You believe in hopeless causes, Jeff George and Donovan McNabb. Why not believe in the man who inspires hope in Denver and in sports fans who like their stars warm and fuzzy? You called me out in your column. Mel Kiper, Jimmy Hohnson, Merril Hoge, the 24 NFL teams that passed on Tebow in the Josh McDaniels – predicted epic fail for this guy. You know what all of those people have in common? They are wrong all the time about players. They dissect how a guy throws, how far he throws, what he looks like, what his throwing motion looks like, how fast he runs, how much he runs, what he looks like when he runs, his stats, his combine numbers and they forget how often these numbers are wrong, how often the can’t-miss guys do and how the Wes Welkers keep finding their way to prominence. I do not know if Tebow is going to be a great quarterback. What I do know is I am not willing to bet against him. He’s a winner. He’s inspiring. He has it, whatever it is.”

So, what conclusions can we take from all this? It’s doubtful if Tim Tewbow is going to silence his critics, especially after last Sunday’s performance and loss to the Detroit Lions. One potent reminder here is that life is not done by the numbers alone, it’s more than just “scoreboard.” There’s also the dimension that includes the “intangibles.” Whatever your opinion of Tim Tebow might be, the facts and story of his life tell us that he is a “winner.” Jen Floyd Engel wrote: “This is the thing everybody is missing about Tebow. The guy was not a pretty thrower at Florida, either. He won because he was a great athlete and a massively serious competitor. He won because of the great athletes around him and his ability to lead them. He won because he had guts and toughness. And, yes, he won because of his faith. The two cannot be disconnected. It is part of who he is.” I read that this is what Lebron James tweeted about Tebow’s performance, “He’s a winner.” I can’t help but think of the testimony of the unpolished, rag-tag early church that says “AND GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM ALL.” What Luke is describing there are the intangibles: a quality and dimension beyond just numbers, box scores and depth charts. A dimension of God’s grace upon a person and church’s life is very, very real, even if you can’t fully explain it. There’s always been something at work in men (women) of principle that many dismiss or don’t understand or are uncomfortable with.

One parallel story that illustrates this same convergence of sports and religion is “Chariots Of Fire.” This was the 1981 Hollywood story of the British Olympic track team leading up to the 1924 games. Specifically, it focused on the Scottish runner Eric Liddell the son of Scottish missionary parents, who is a very principled man of God and an astonishingly fast sprinter with a lot of doubters. He is competing in the 400 meter event, and just before the race the American coach basically tells his runners not to worry about Liddell because the dude is not good enough. In the film, another American runner Jackson Scholz says “Watch out for Liddell.” Another American runner responds, “Coach says no problem.” To which Scholz replies, “He’s got something to prove, something personal, something guys like coach will never understand in a million years.” In the continuing film narrative Scholz walked up to Liddell right before the 400 and handed him a piece of paper with a verse from (1Sam.2:30) “He who honors Me, I will honor.” Lidell won, of course, griping the note in his hand the entire way around the track. He was not the most talented. He was the most driven. Sort of like our discussion over Tim Tebow!

The other conclusion is that I don’t know if Tim Tebow will ever become one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL, but what I do know is that either way; he has a life that will extend far beyond that stage. Paul writing to Timothy made this plain, (1 Tim 4:8) "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” Top that one! As long as Tebow continues to follow Christ and His Word, he will succeed in God! (Joshua 1:8) gives us the formula, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” I remember personally seeing “Chariots of Fire” for the first time. I distinctly remember that for me the most moving part of the entire production was at the end, when the video was done, and the screen went black with white letters stating how following the 1924 Olympics he went to serve in North China as a missionary from 1925 until his death in 1945. We’ll leave that part of his story and testimony until another time. What spoke to me powerfully was the goals and service and sacrifice he embodied outside of the world of sports!

I’ve got to admit that all of this has turned me into a bit of a fan of Tim Tebow. I’d like to see him succeed and beat the odds. If nothing else, there’s an incentive to pray for him that his testimony remains steadfast on the NFL stage. Oh, by the way, I WANT EVERYONE TO BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN ABOUT ONE THING: there’s coming a day when everyone will be “Tebowing” and taking a knee!

(Phil.2:9-11) states, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

So, we’ve come full circle. Whether you’re a sports fan or not doesn’t matter. What does matter is giving Jesus Christ His rightful place in your life as both Savior and Lord. The time to start practicing “taking a knee” is right now and not later!

One Step...Shorter

2011-10-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

When I startedwriting my Blog, “Keeping Your Head InThe Game,” the title and goal was clearly stated: “the goal of helping people thinkBiblically and have a Christianmindset throughout life’s journey.” This is no light thing since “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”(Prov.23:7) The power of the Gospel is that through Jesus Christ we are given aclean heart and a renewed mind (clear head)! A new way of living is made possible becausewe’re called to a new way of thinking.

I’ve already madethe announcement to the church because I wanted to make sure that I effectivelyand accurately “managed” the flow of information. That way the congregation and others would bebest informed for prayer and the on-going work of God. I also sent a letter of explanation to all ofour pastors with the same intent in mind. Since the readership of the Blog extends beyond our local congregation,I thought I would include it here also.

As you know I have been fighting a chronicwound on my right ankle bone for many, many years. However, the underlying cause and the realissue is osteomyelitis, which is an infection of the bone. It is also a verystubborn infection. This is what necessitated my original surgery on June 29,2011. I have followed the proper treatment protocol which was: 1) debridementof the wound 2) scraping and cleaning of the actual bone of infection (calledsoft bone) 3) at least a 6-week IV antibiotic regimen with some strong medicineto knock out the infection 4) the proper wound care treatment to accompany allof this. This is what has limited myactivity since that time. At the start, I gave myself in my mind about sixmonths to heal fully. It’s very easy to fixate on the wound that is there butthat is NOT the problem, the problem is the infection.

The long and short of the matter is thatafter all this the last MRI showed that the “osteo” is still there and evenused the words “marked progression.” Icould go in for another debridement, followed by a bone biopsy and culture,then another IV (perhaps longer one) regimen, and then the long, long task ofhealing a now much larger wound. I do not think that is the right course totake. I don’t believe it’s the best stewardship of my life, the will of God,and the things God has called me to do. The best treatment option that willeffectively and once and for all remove the infection is amputation. I have alwaysbeen aware that this was on the “radar screen” of possibilities, but we foughtthe good fight to this point, but it is not working. I am not naive to think there is not going tobe a new learning curve associated with this procedure (right now it’s scheduledto be an above-the-knee amputation), but think:

1. I will no longer have a stubborn infectionwhich can be life-threatening

2. It is not as radical as it would be forsomeone who is walking. Nothing changes. I am still sitting in my wheelchair, still functioningand doing all the things I've always done. This includes preaching, pastoring, traveling,riding/racing etc. When you look at theplatform what do you see? You see Pastor Warner sitting inhis wheelchair. OK, still the same thing, only on closer inspection, I will have a shorter pantleg.

3. The healing time frame for this to fullyheal is around 6 weeks. Not six weeks in bed, but six weeks to fully heal outside and inside. Theother option of doing what we've done before would leave me with a much larger wound that wouldeasily take 9-12 months to heal, an IV regimen that maybe has a 50-50 chance to succeed.

4. In talking to the surgeon and asking himwhat I can and cannot do he said, “You can do anything you want.” I’m sure he meant within prudent reason!

5. While not taking it lightly, all of mymedical team is on board with this as the best treatment option for me to take. Also, and mostimportantly, my wife Mona is completely on board as well.

I am taking the path that will allow me bestto do the will of God. Is it wise to fight a war over a piece of territory thatI will never use?! When the procedurewas first put on the table to me by the surgeon, he pointed to his head and hisheart, saying that here were my biggest hurdles to overcome. I’m sure this is true, but isn’t it also truethat much of the Christian life involves focusing on these two things: ourhearts and our minds? (Prov.4:23)admonishes us, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course ofyour life.” The Apostle Paul wroteto the church at Philippi about the supernatural peace of God and the thingsthat help activate this, “Finally,brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whateveris pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is anyexcellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” WhenJesus was talking about the distinctive that is to identify us as His followersHe said, “"So don't worry aboutthese things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will wewear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenlyFather already knows all your needs.” (Mt.6:31,32) He then followed it upwith one of my life verses (Mt.6:33) “Seekthe Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give youeverything you need.” You shouldnotice the contrast: what’s missing in a worldly lifestyle is there is nomention of heart or mind issues, but life is reduced to consumption andappearance. This trumps everything elsein life. As Christians, we have agreater and a higher goal, the KINGDOM OF GOD, His rule in every area of ourlives!

I thought about back to the time in my lifewhen I was first injured in an automobile accident on April 30, 1973, whichleft me as an L-1 paraplegic. Mymentality in that season was “I want toget on with living life and doing the will of God.” I am so grateful to God and His grace whichhas kept me and enabled me to witness and be part of the far greater work thatHe is doing, and to see the impact of the Gospel in thousands of people’s livesin many nations around the world.

In a sense, this is another one of thosedecisions: what will best enable me to be back in the game, doing what God hascalled me to do, and doing itwith the finest congregation of believers that I know of (as you can tell,I am totally biased!). As always, YOURPRAYERS FOR ME HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS AND VALUABLE GIFTS YOU'VE EVER GIVEN ME. The surgery is nextTuesday, October 25^th at 11:30am.

So, if I’m silent for a few days, no Tweets,no new Blog posts, you will know why. Mywife, my inseparable helper and co-worker with her joy and sense of humor askedme last Saturday night how my sermon was coming along. I told her fine, I was almost finishedediting it. Then (knowing this surgerywas imminent) she asked me (with a smile) if my sermons would be “shorter?!” I can’t promise that, but I do hope and praythey are inspired by God’s unchanging Word, filled with God’s grace and power,breathed upon by the Holy Spirit, and extolling the “unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ.”

The Power Of A Good Report

2011-10-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

I didn’t expect to wake up thismorning to the Holy Spirit’s conviction, but you never know when God is goingto whisper to you, or hit you with a sledgehammer! Part of my reading today brought me to (Acts15:12) which says, “And all the assemblyfell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signsand wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.”

There’s a lot packed in to oneverse which I’d like to comment on, but let me just say at the start that thisconvicted me about how I listen to reports. So, this is a bit of confession, since I’veheard “reports” for decades but often listened to them half-heartedly or not asintently as I should. You know what Imean, we listen but we’re not listening. Or, we listen, but we’re not hearing! I am also guessing that I am not alone in my dilemma or practiceeither. If it’s a church service, and Iam preaching then some of this might be the result of really being focused onmy message, but that is really not an excuse as the whole part of a worshipservice is worship, and not just my part. No, what I’m talking about is really a heartproblem that affects my auditory capacity (my hearing).

The problem is that we can fallin to the habit of taking things for granted that should really feed our faithin God. Let’s face it, we hear so manyreports: reports in Sunday morning service about ministry endeavors over theweekend, or during the previous week. Some are about what God is doing in our local church while others arereports of people ministering in other places or churches they’ve been invitedto. Some special reports from some ofour evangelists, a good deal are reports from overseas and some of ourmissionary works in different countries. Some reports are the variety of outreach and local ministry expressionsthat some of our people are involved in. You’d all agree about the tremendous excitement of one of the pastorsgiving announcements about upcomingchurch activities. :-) Then there isthe “mother of all reports,” thetestimonies given during our Bible Conferences, even if they are held to threeminutes in duration. We certainly do tryto showcase “reports from the field” of what God is doing in our baby churches,and through some of our pastors. I knowthat I’ve been guilty of not giving my full attention or appreciation for whatis being communicated.

So, let me share with you a fewthoughts that have been bathed in repentance and being cleansed by the Blood ofJesus to help me put into practice in the future.

The Importance of the Assembly. First, I’d like to point out that the text says “the whole assembly.” Wow! Does that ever happen, that the whole assembly is present at one time in a service? Relax, this is not a guilt trip to boost attendance. I realize people’s work schedules often get in the way and have to be sorted out. I know that people are gone on vacation or other things as well. I am well aware that sometimes for people even to make it to church qualifies almost as a minor miracle of sorts (which is why I’m not always offended if someone starts to doze off in church, although I will qualify this more in a bit). No, the statement is important because it lets us know that behind all this is a view that understands the importance of assembling together regularly, and the age-old tendency is to neglect that. (Heb.10:23-25) lays things out for us, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” They’re all connected you see: a steadfast confession of hope and faith, being able to love and build up one another, all of this is connected to a lifestyle habit that gives priority to assembling together as the Church. The text says to ignore this is to let some bad habits develop in our lives. You see, it’s in the assembly where God is speaking like no place else. The original meaning of the word “church” gives us insight. It comes from the Greek word, ekklesia that meant the “called out ones,” and the history of the word refers specifically to those called out to assemble together in order to hear the king’s message.

The importance of Paying Attention. Back to our scripture which says “they fell silent and listened.” Whoa! They were not talking to their neighbor or floating in and out either physically or mentally. They were not checking their hair and make-up which they did just 30 minutes ago. Your baby is fine in the church nursery, and rest assured, if there was a problem, you would be the first to hear about it and be called. They weren’t hanging out in the hallway or courtyard, you know, “fellowshiping.” No, it says they fell silent and listened; they were giving their full attention to something! I’ve been convinced for a long time of the discipline and the art of paying attention, and the difference it can have. I don’t have time to go in to great detail here, but one of the cultural symptoms of our distracted age is A.D.D.H. (Attention Deficit Disorder + Hyper-activity). I don’t know if there’s a specific gene causing this, but I do know that spiritually such a thing exists and we’re warned repeatedly. “Just make sure you stay alert. Keep close watch over yourselves. Don't forget anything of what you've seen. Don't let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you've seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.” Translated, pay attention, not just for your sake, but for those near and dear to you. I really believe that the challenge of attention and intention is a major issue, especially today; and there is no such thing as putting your walk with God on “auto pilot.” (Heb.2:1) clearly warns us, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” You see, this has always been a problem with human beings, but I believe it’s amplified in our technological age. Albert Mohler wrote, “We are all living distracted lives that promise only to grow more complicated and distracted in years ahead. The discipline and stewardship of attention is a matter of great and unquestionable urgency.” I’m sure that resonates with all of us. I mention it because it is an important quality of Christian discipleship. Mohler again emphasized, “People who cannot maintain mental attention cannot know the intimacy of prayer, and God does not maintain a Facebook page. Our ability to focus attention is not just about the mind, for it is also a reflection of the soul. Our Christian discipleship demands that we give attention to our attention.”

God’s Instruments. In this case it was “Barnabas and Paul” and their missionary journey to the Gentiles. You talk about something that was a true paradigm shift, this falls into the spiritual earthquake category! This is not just limited to the seeming “heavy weights” like Barnabas and Paul, but what about what God does through YOUR life! Even if it doesn’t get expressed or recognized, it is just as important as what God is doing through church planters or globally. You too can be a “chosen vessel” unto God. That’s God’s will for your life! That’s all any of us will really be anyhow, we are called to be vessels through whom God can move.

News That Is Fit To Hear. We are inundated with information today. The phrase “information overload” is not an exaggeration. We are inundated and overloaded with information at almost every turn. Technology has brought to our fingertips a staggering amount of information and news sources today, and at real time. Speaking for myself, I have stacks of articles, books and other resources that I need to get to, which I might need more than one lifetime to accomplish! But, news that really matters and news that lasts longer than the regular news cycle today is NEWS (REPORT) ABOUT WHAT GOD IS DOING! Barnabas and Paul were relating and reporting “the signs and wonders God had done through them.” Jesus said “heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall never pass away.” I love Peter’s perspective in (1Pet.1:24,25) when he said, "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news (good report) that was preached to you.” He is contrasting what will be eternally significant from that which at best is temporary and fleeting. That’s the news I want to be tuned into!

My point in all this? It’s not just that we become good spectators. No, God called us to be active participants, but part of that is givingattention to our attention. How does thesong go? “Who’s report will you believe? We shall believe the report of the Lord....” Let’s give heed to God and the reports ofwhat He’s doing in and through people’s lives, both here in Tucson and aroundthe world. Solomon captured this bestwhen he said, “Like cold water to athirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” (Prov.25:25) All thegood reports that we hear will bring a needed refreshing to your soul andmine. There’s an awesome promise backingall of this up, "Truly, truly, I sayto you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greaterworks than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do,that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” To me that says the best is yet to come and let’sbelieve and contend together for “greater thing.” That way there will be more reports to tell!At least I’m committed to trying to do a better job in the future.....so joinwith me!

Daddy Power!

2011-10-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

Last week I tweeted about the power of a praying father! We’ve memorialized over the years praying mothers, and rightly so. There are many powerful Biblical examples of this from Jochebed, Moses’s mother, to Hannah’s deep and earnest prayer to God for a son. “And she vowed a vow and said,

"O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head."

The faith of Timothy was greatly influenced by a praying mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois.

Having said that, however, we should not forget the power wielded by a praying father. Specifically, I have in mind Job. The Bible testifies to him by saying, “So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.” (Job 1:5) Here was a man whose regular practice was to pray for the welfare of his children in regards to the most important thing in life: their relationship to God! There are those who feel Job had some issues with his children and was a bit self-righteous and over-protective, but when the Bible says he was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God and shunned evil,” I tend to view him and his actions in a more positive light. This is not suggesting he was perfect or without flaw, but let’s acknowledge that he was a praying father!

Think about it: he provided for them financially, but he also modeled godliness before them, for Job was a man of integrity who feared God and shunned evil. His children seemed closely knot and enjoyed holidays together; but Job was concerned they partied too much, and he habitually prayed for them, offering sacrifices on their behalf. I would suggest that if there’s a more powerful force in the world than a praying dad, I don’t know what it is! The Bible backs this up big time when it says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 1:5) Do you know why this stirs me so much, especially today? We live in a culture that in different ways is saying “Who needs dads anyway?” Hollywood starlets, who are relational disasters, say forget finding and being a loving and faithful spouse, just send me to the sperm bank. The message makes men optional at best, obsolete at worst. Not only is this blatantly and ludicrously wrong, but it is robbing a generation of young people the vital influence of a father.

Hence, our annual “Daddy Daughter Dinner” this past Saturday, 10-1-11. It has definitely developed into a special time for fathers and daughters of all ages. It has also been a special time of father’s communication with their daughters, telling them why they are so special and unique. This year, Susanna Unruh kind of turned the tables as she presented a poem in honor of her father, Larry Priest. With her permission I wanted to use this vehicle to share with you also.

My Daddy didn’t make lots of money and buy us all the nicest things,
But he played games with us like alligator and hide and go seek
Daddy was the alligator, crawling on the floor,
When we were caught we were tickled and always came back for more
He taught us to play baseball, running around in the back yard,
But I think his favorite was beating us at Monopoly or playing alphabet games in the car
He always had a joke to tell, “Do you know why elephants paint their toenails red?” he would ask
“To hide in cherry trees of course! Have you ever seen an elephant in a cherry tree?
See, it works!” That one always made me laugh!
He took us on long road trips, to visit family and interesting places along the way
And sometimes we went camping or just on an adventurous excursion for the day

My Daddy isn’t a movie star or an all-star so to speak,
But he was there to cheer for us at every game or meet
He was there to encourage us and to celebrate every success
We know we made him proud and to us that was the best
He made an art of explaining words I didn’t quite understand
He used stories and examples so my mind could think and expand
He recognized my desire to worship, though classical lessons we could not afford
He found a way to surprise me with my very own keyboard

My Daddy isn't a pastor or a preacher on the stage,

But he has been faithful to serve in God’s house and hasn’t stopped in his age

I’m sure he had differences with people and didn’t always agree,

But I didn’t hear him criticize or complain about people in our church family

He just strived to be the priest of his home (no pun intended)

We are the fruit of his righteous high standard, blessed

I saw him seek out God’s Word and diligently pray

In fact, this is my father the morning of my wedding day

My Daddy isn’t perfect, no earthly father is

But he loves my mother, his white prairie flower she is

I know that he prays for me and wants God’s best for my life

I knew that his concerns and curfews were there to protect by design

I trusted his judgment about guys I might like

And chose not to move forward without his blessing assigned

I was once was the baby girl you held in your arms and I cried in your lap

I was the bride on your arm, and you gave my hand

Of course as I was writing I thought of some memories I don’t want to share

But I wanted to be honest and let you know I have them, just like you, they are there

Because my Daddy isn’t perfect, he is an earthly father

But you are a good Daddy, I love you, and I’m proud to be your daughter!

By Susanna Joy Unruh

I think Susanna’s closing words to me are the best way to sum this up. She wrote, “My dad was extremely surprised and blessed at the Daddy Daughter Dinner, and we have both been overwhelmed by the response from other people. If God can use our relationship to encourage and inspire other fathers and daughters, then to God be the glory!” I would say, right on, sister! God, give us more godly men, disciples, husbands and fathers.

Value Of Faithful Armorbearers

2011-10-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

There is a very important history and spirit in the Bible related to ARMORBEARERS. In Bible times armorbearers were aides chosenby kings of high-ranking military commander for their bravery and loyalty,and actually carried the shield and armor of his leader as they went intobattle! It would be similar to the AirForce

Aide de Camp, or a general’s executive. Further insight comes from the meaning of theHebrew word, which are actually two words, “tolift up; to support; to bear up; to carry” along with “to end, complete, finish.”

I think my favorite would haveto be Jonathan and his armorbearer in (1Sam.14:1-7). Jonathan had a “somebody’s got to do something” attitude concerning the enemy, thePhilistines. Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, letus go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord willwork for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or byfew." And his armor-bearer said tohim, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with youheart and soul.” Which is a tremendous spirit of faith all the wayaround. It’s obvious that Jonathan’sconfidence was not in his brilliantly devised military tactics, but in God’spower to help with many or with just a few. I love his armorbearers response, “I’mgame. Whatever is in your heart, I’vegot your back!” (a HSW rough translation) The result of this bold move was a significant victory that day thatbrought about the rallying of God’s people.

Today, an armorbearer is not anactual position to find in the Classifiedsor on Craig’s List, as it is a spiritor mindset or attitude a person has. Itdoes, however, still have much to teach us. It teaches us that victory in thespiritual realm is a team effort,made up of covenant-minded people. Reality is we all have out plusesand minuses that answer to eachother. We all have blind spots that are only overcome with the help of others, by anarmorbearer. The lowest pointspiritually in Israel’s history (Jdgs 17:6) is where it says “everyone did what was right in his owneyes.” We call it today, “doing your own thing....being faithful toyour own truth.” The Living Bibleputs it, “In those days Israel had noking, so everyone did whatever he wanted to–whatever seemed right in his owneyes.” Radical individualismthat places the priority of self-interest over the common good is a sureformula for decline.

This brings me to the purpose ofthe blog posting: it is my tribute to Freddy& Mary Lou Gonzalez who have served as our Ministers of Pastoral Caresince 2000. Our policy has always beento “send our best” when responding tothe Holy Spirit when He says “Separate toMe ____ for the work to which I’ve called them.” In our June Conference of 2010, Freddy andMary Lou were announced to go to pioneer a church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Because his paperwork and visa didn't come until May, we decided to keepthem with us until after the June Conference, and then his customary “farewelltour” for him and the rest of the family. I was able to personally pray and lay hands on them last Sunday(1Tim.5:22), and then, yesterday, Freddy preached his farewell service, anexcellent message followed by a nice fellowship. Today, they boarded the plane for theirflight to Buenos Aires, which means “GameOn!” I just want to make it knownthey he has served our congregation with excellence for the last decade, and hewill be missed. He embodies the truespirit of an armorbearer! The one reassuring factor is that God hasblessed us with many, many men and women who also have the same spirit, and arewilling to jump in and help fill the gap!

There is a powerful spiritualprinciple behind all of this: Jonathan hadone (armorbearer) because he wasone, both an armorbearer and friend to King David. The words that defined and inaugurated theirfriendship tells us volumes. “As soon as he had finished speaking toSaul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan lovedhim as his own soul. And Saul took himthat day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David,because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it toDavid, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And Davidwent out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him overthe men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also inthe sight of Saul's servants.” Their souls were knit togethermeant this was more than just a nice acquaintance, but a deep covenant bondthat brings out God’s best in our lives. In the New Testament, it was not the size of the church that determinesthis, but the priorities and commitments of people’s hearts. I love what Alan Redpath said, “It is God’s plan for souls to be knittogether. The human heart has cried outthat it might be knit to another as Jonathan was knit to David. Therefore, every true friendship, every realChristian courtship, every genuine oneness in marriage, is a re-establishmentof this sacred union. It was God’spurpose from before the foundation of the world.”

I was recently reading anarticle about Honoring Your Missionaries,and it mentioned what I think is unthinkable, that in some places they are nothonored. Yes, I understand the blend oflocal ministry and global ministry, and that they are BOTH important. I also know, that you can’t “export” what’snot happening in a dynamic way locally. Church planting is essentially taking the life, the commission, and thedisciplines of evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, Biblical authority andtransporting it to another city or nation through the lives of a God-called andanointed couple. One way that we keepthat call and vision constantly before the minds of people is by the flags of the various nations where wehave workers that fly from the rafters of our auditorium. They are vision-expanding, and a constantreminder that God’s influence through the local church can reach not just ourcity, but also around the world. So asof 10-4-11 under the flag of Argentina, are not just faceless employees, butbeloved armorbearers, Fred & Mary Lou Gonzalez!

When The Doctor Ends Up As The Patient

2011-10-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Note: One purpose of this Blog posting is to give a current statusreport (context) for Pastor Warner’s wound healing.

It had all the potential ofbeing a dramatic time of ministry. Itwas, after all, a homecoming of sorts: Jesus, the Anointed One, was returning towhere He’d been raised, Nazareth. (Lk.4:16) “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was hiscustom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.” Potentialexisted coupled with His own disciplined practiceof regularly going to church (Hmm, I wonder what this says about those whoconsistently neglect the assembly today?!) This potential was further increased when He was asked to publicallyread from the sacred Scriptures. He tookthe scroll and read a passage from Isaiah which was to be His mission statement! (Please center these verses)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me toproclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to thecaptives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who areoppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

I don’t think you can find anymore powerful or hope-filled words about a person’s mission than this! Then, Jesus made this both personal and present, rather than just historical or theoretical when He said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled inyour hearing.” It’s been my experiencethat many men feel that because of their familiarity with where they’ve comefrom, that this will automatically give them some kind of ministryadvantage. That is not always the case. Unfortunately, Jesus was not met with gladwelcome but with serious incredulity. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” where didthese gracious words and outrageous claim come from? Jesus made reference to a commoncolloquialism when He said, “And he saidto them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Physician, healyourself.' What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown aswell.” These were not words of faithor truth-receptivity at all. Theyactually foreshadowed the Cross, if you’re the Son of God, come down from thatplace of weakness and demonstrate your power and strength.

The passage Physician, heal yourself” is sort of how I feel, and where I’m atafter the second debridement of the wound on my right ankle bone. It was a necessary and sound medicalprocedure, and when you’re dealing with wounds, sometimes you have to go bigger in order to get smaller. The overhang tissue had to be “un-roofed” for everything to healproperly and speedily. It did leave mewith a larger wound and the need to go back to an earlier, and stricter healingregimen, a majority of time with my foot and leg elevated. On a practical level, it meant I had to putmyself back on “Injured Reserve”list, and would be unable to preach as I normally would. This is the only way the wound will heal, andI can finally put it behind me. I wasable to preach Sunday morning on “LegSupport,” with the intention of being able to make that announcement to thechurch myself. I think it waswell-received, and I am so privileged to serve such a faithful and dedicatedcongregation of people. The “physician, health thyself” refers tothe fact that you spend the majority of your life ministering to others, andnow for a period of time, you are unable to do so. Some have experienced this praying for othersto be healed, when they themselves are suffering!? So, the doctor ends up as the patient. It makes for some interesting drama.

One of the articles thattriggered this was the TIME magazinecover story (1-2-11), “What I LearnedFrom My Cancer Scare” by Dr. Mehmet Oz. Dr. Oz is a celebrity doctorand the host of “The Doctor Oz Show”watched by millions of people. Theintriguing thing to me was reading about him going from Dr. Oz, renowned celebrity, to Mr.Oz, the patient, and joining theranks of people who receive this kind of diagnosis every day of every year. [Note: I’m not advocating all of Dr. Oz’smedical advice and the things he embraces] As you can probably imagine,that transition was not the easiest. Itbegan with a “routine” colonoscopy around his 50^th birthday, whichturned up some suspicious polyps which were pre-cancerous. He spoke about his personal battles, and howwhat was routine when it involves other people, takes on whole new meaning whenit’s you! The mind races, “How could this be happening to me?” Living a healthy lifestyle can dramaticallylower your risk of cancer, but it’s no guarantee of anything. This is what struck me, “I take pride in being a good doctor and a good family man. But the fact is, I had been a pretty badpatient.” He turned out in many ways to be the kind of patient he hadlectured about in his practice for years. He wrote, “As I lay on the gurney,a snapshot of thousands of conversations I had had in my office with patientson whom I was about to operate formed vividly in my mind. My emphasis in those situations is alwayspointed: I look them in the eye and tell them how I need their help, that thisis a combined effort ad that we will get through this together but that we bothhave responsibilities. I always feelfrustrated when my patients seem to think that precise medical instructionsbased on years of experience don’t apply to them. I wasnow that person.” He was veryfrank about his disobeying his doctor’s instructions. How he stalled and delayed a follow-up testfor a 9 full months!? He even put a name on it, yes, he called it arrogance, how that the statisticssomehow didn’t apply to him. A now muchmore modest Dr. Oz concluded, “The goal,I now knew better than I did before, is not to be a perfect patient, but simplyto be as good a patient as you can be.”

So back to my personal situationand my plan. The irony in this for me,is that most of your life you’ve spent ministering to others, but, now, for a season you are the patient! Even though I am on the “I.R.” list, and can’t preach like I’d been doing for nearly 40years, I do want to be a “good patient.” Two big things are at the forefront of this process: first, keeping myfoot/leg elevated as much as possible so no swelling occurs. The other is to make sure I follow aprotein-rich diet. Both of those thingsI am trying to put into practice. In allof this there is also the element of time. If all goes well, I am looking atapproximately a 3-month span. So while Iam “available” but not “in action” like I’m used to, I want to make it as productive a time as possible. I plan to give priority to as much reading aspossible, and if I can’t preach, then I can write! This gives me an opportunity to increase thenumber of blog postings for your edification on the church website. “KeepingYour Head In The Game.” If you would give it a glance, you will see that ittouches so many areas of life and ministry.

My calling and one of my life verses has been (Eph.3:8) “To me, though I am the very least of allthe saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchableriches of Christ, and to make all men see...” Since sermon preparation had been put onhold, then there’s no excuse to keep writing and communicating those“unsearchable riches.” So, stay tunedfolks. By God’s grace, there’s more tocome!

Counting The Cost

2011-10-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

A letter from Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani who currently faces the death sentence for apostasy. Please continue to pray.

(This message has been translated from Farsi to English.)

Dear brothers and sisters, Salam

In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am continuously seeking grace and mercy to you, that you remember me and those who are bearing efforts for his name in your prayers. Your loyalty to God is the cause of my strength and encouragement.

For I know well that you will be rewarded; as it’s stated: blessed is the one who has faith, for what has been said to him by God, will be carried out. As we believe, heaven and earth will fade but his word will still remain.

Dear beloved ones, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few verses, although you might know them, So that in everything, you give more effort than the past, both to prove your election, and for the sake of Gospel that is to be preached to the entire world as well.

I know that not all of us are granted to keep this word, but to those who are granted this power and this revelation, I announce the same as Jude, earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.

We are passing by special and sensitive days.They are days that for an alert and awake believer can be days of spiritual growth and progress. Because for him, more than any other time there is the possibility to compare his faith with the word of God, have God’s promises in mind, and survey his faith.

Therefore he (the true believer) does not need to wonder for the fiery trial that has been set on for him as though it were something unusual, but it pleases him to participate in Christ’s suffering. Because the believer knows he will rejoice in his glory.

Dears, the “ judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

Therefore those who are enduring burdens by the will of God, commit their souls to the faithful Creator. Promises that he has given us, are unique and precious. As we’ve heard he has said: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”

How can it be possible for a believer to understand these words?

Not only when he is focusing on Jesus Christ with adapting his life according to the life Jesus lived when he was on earth? As it is said ” O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.”

Have we not read and heard: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Many attempt to flee from their spiritual tests, and they have to face those same tests in a more difficult manner, because no one will be victorious by escaping from them, but with patience and humility he will be able to overcome all the tests, and gain victory.

Therefore in the place of Christ’s followers, we must not feel desperate, but we have to pray to God in supplication with more passion to help us with any assistance we may need.

According to what Paul has said: In every temptation, God himself will make a way for us to tolerate it.

O beloved ones, difficulties do not weaken mankind, but they reveal the true human nature.

It will be good for us to occasionally face persecutions and abnormalities, since these abnormalities will persuade us to search our hearts, and to survey ourselves. So as a result, we conclude that troubles are difficult, but usually good and useful to build us.

Dear brothers and sisters, we must be more careful than any other time. Because in these days, the hearts and thoughts of many are revealed, so that the faith is tested. May your treasure be where there is no moth and rust.

I would like to remind you of some verses that we nearly discuss everyday, (Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.) but as long as our human will has priority over God’s will, his will will not be done.

As we have learned from him in Gethsemane, he surrendered his will to the father, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

What we are bearing today, is a difficult but not unbearable situation, because neither he has tested us more than our faith and our endurance, nor does he do as such. And as we have known from before, we must beware not to fail, but to advance in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, And consider these bumps and prisons as opportunities to testify to his name. He said: If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

As a small servant, necessarily in prison to carry out what I must do, I say with faith in the word of God that he will come soon.”However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Discipline yourself with faith in the word of God. Retain your souls with patience. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly.

May you are granted grace and blessings increasingly in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.

Yusef Nadarkhani
Lakan Prison in Rasht
2/June/2010

I’ve enclosed an email/blog from Trevin Wax which he posted of the letter sent last year from Youcef Nadarkha who has been convicted in Iran and now faces the death penalty for apostasy. His crime? He believes in Jesus and is a faithful pastor. As I read this many thoughts came to my mind in no particular order.

Christians around the world still suffer persecution for the Gospel. This is not just Fox’s Book of Martyrs, this is the New Millennium. This is today!
Freedom of religion is a precious thing which needs to be cherished and defended in our nation.
The Bible calls us to remember and pray for these, acknowledging a special bond of fellowship. Heb 13:3 “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” When one member suffers, all members suffer with it.
Pray for Youcef, and especially his family. Any word to our State Department cannot hurt. Government only responds to one thing, public pressure.
Here’s a real pastor: although he is going through great suffering himself, his concern is for the sheep and their welfare. Especially to see them unmoved and standing strong for Christ and the power of genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
This kind of faith to endure suffering is supernatural, and it is only possible and sustained by the power of the Word of God. There will be times that this is all we have to hang on to, but in those times, it will be enough!
I also couldn’t help but think that our trails in the West are nothing compared to what others have to endure for the sake of the Gospel. At the same time, if Jesus tarries, a Biblical faith in Jesus Christ will continue to bring persecution our way in America since, “ALL who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2Tim.3:12).
Are we really dealing here in radicalized Iran with a “peaceful religion?” This is a powerful illustration of the difference between a religion of conversion (Christianity) and a religion of coercion (Islam).
Finally, it confirms the “Mount Everest” of promises that God makes to His children in (Rom.8:35-39) no matter what your particular situation might be. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I woke up this morning, and this was one of the first things that I read, and I’m sure it will affect me all day long (as it rightly should). Even though for a short time I am unable to be in church because of my issues of wound healing, it is nothing compared to this man and his family. Brethren, we can’t all do everything, but we can ALL be faithful to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all of our hearts.

Special thanks to Trevin Wax who made this available so we can be aware and respond as the Body of Christ here in Tucson, AZ.

Ten Years After

2011-09-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

I know it’s not Monday, so Iguess this can’t “officially” be called “MondayMorning Musings,” but you’ll get the point. Sunday was truly an awesomeand memorable day. Knowing that the 10^thanniversary of the 9/11 terroristattacks would fall on Sunday, we wanted a way to commemorate this from anhistorical, a national, and a Biblical perspective. There should be no question in people’s mindsthat this was a day that changed America in so many ways.

It will be a day forever etchedin people’s minds and memories. Many ofus can remember exactly what we were doing, and where we were on that momentousday. I personally remember it distinctlybecause of the overall surrealquality it carried. My wife and I (Mona)were celebrating our 29^th wedding anniversary which was 9-10-01 (youcan do the math - last Sunday was our 39^th)! We were at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara, CA. Generally, a high-end and expensive resort like this would be beyond ourbudget, but because of my friendship with their executive chef, David Reardon, he had arranged anaffordable rate for our 10-day “anniversary vacation.” After a beautiful dining experience onMonday, our anniversary night, September 10^th, we awoke to theshocking and horrifying coverage, pictures, and images on the early morning of9/11 (PST). The surreal part was beingsurrounded by extremely comfortable surroundings, and trying to “enjoy” avacation, knowing that your nation had just been attacked by enemies. I was riveted to the news coverage not onlyon 9/11, but on the days that followed, and as the events unfolded. At the hotel, they knew that I was a pastor,so I became the “unofficial” chaplain of the resort in a Prayer/Remembrance service held on the following Friday for thehotel guests and others. I thank God forthat very meaningful opportunity to present the Gospel in that situation, to bea truth-teller in times of tragedy.

Our challenge for a 9/11 tributewas what kind of approach should we take. What resonated in my mind were two things. First, the iconic images from that day;strong and graphic, yes, but ones we should always remember. Secondly, were the words by Pastor JimCymbala, “God’s Grace From Ground Zero.” I did know that what we should commemoratewas not just the actions and consequences of a group of terrorists, but rather we needed to concentrate on God’s actions throughout this debacle.

It was clear whowe would be honoring: it was a time to remember the victims of that day, andtheir family members. It was certainly atime to remember and pray for our nation and its needs. The 1^st Responders (who areoften taken for granted) came to the forefront on that day. It was also a time to remember our military,who since 9/11 have been thrust into action and taken up the charge of fightingtwo wars. Also, along with the “who” of9/11 we were also remembering the “what.” In particular, the courage, the bravery, theselfless service, the duty and determination of our first responders. All in all, there were 343 NYC firefighters,23 NYC police officers, 37 Port Authority officers, and 3000 innocent civilianswho had lost their lives on 9/11. Trustme, 9/11 produced a plethora of stories and heroes who exemplified the behaviorwe’ve talked about. The video montage weshowed concluded and “froze” with the words and sentiment, “WE WILL NEVER FORGET.”

What really topped off thetribute was the decision to also “go local.” We wanted to find a way to honor some of Tucson’s first responders aswell. I was made aware of some specificneeds that our police and firefighters have. Specifically, policemen were doing their shift without adequate bulletproof vests, which cost about $800 each. Our prayer was “Lord, what can we do?”

As a result we able topresent the Executive Director of the Tucson Police Foundation (Rob LeMaster) acheck for $1600 to buy two vests for our officers. We also had 4 of Tucson’s fire fighterspresent in the tribute, and were able to present them a check for equipment andinjured fire fighters. I was impressedby the congregation’s response as they gave these men (and who theyrepresented) a standing ovation! It waseasily the “icing on the cake” of that day!

The challenge for me after allthis was transitioning into the preaching ministry. The difficulty was that the intensity levelof the Tribute was so high; it was hard to switch gears into preaching. My Title, “TEN YEARS AFTER” wasn’t about theguitarist Alvin Lee, and the rock group of the name (!!). It was a sermon on where we are spirituallyas a nation 10 years after 9/11. Knowingwe might have “peaked” too soon because of our Tribute, I told the assembly mygoal was to do all this in 20 minutes! After the congregational chuckle (they know me!?) I read from (Lk.12:54 - 13:1-5). I won’t go over all the details, but one ofthe original inspirations was NYC’s mayor, MichaelBloomberg’s decision that the 9/11 memorial would be without pastors orprayers?! Of course, there was roomfor Presidents and politicians, but not room for prayer, or evenfirefighters? To remember 9/11, butexclude any kind of faith narrative is, first, extremely arrogant (not healthy forany nation to leave God out); but it also presents to the world and to ourchildren an inaccurate and incomplete account of history related to thismomentous event. The penetratingquestion Jesus asked from our text is “whydo you not know how to interpret thepresent time.” I was tryingBiblically to interpret things ten years after.

The heart of my message dealtwith the contradictory climate we seetoday. From prayers and packed churcheson the weekend following 9/11 to 10 years after at our present time,Christianity has been largely dismissed from much of the public discourse. The mentality is that it’s almost best toleave religion out of the agenda, specifically Christianity. At the 9/11prayer vigil at Washington’s National Cathedral they had a Rabbi, a Buddhistnun, an incarnate Lama, a Hindu priest, the president of the Islamic Society ofNorth America, and a Muslim musician...but they DID NOT INCLUDE ANYREPRESENTATIVE OF EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY! This is symptomatic of a widerdismissal today. Those who hateChristmas, we’ve called Grinches. Well, we need to discuss those who arevehemently opposed to God today, they are theophobes.! We look at the tragedy of how far we’ve pushedJesus out of our government, schools, and the public discourse and...ourpersonal lives. So, tolerance is consideredthe supreme virtue today, unless you happen to be an Evangelical Christian. Inthis climate, they are fair game. We’vebent over backwards not to offend any Muslims, but Christians are an easy andacceptable target. You can be sure asthe 2012 Presidential race heats up that this will increase. Today, one of the greatest vices that acandidate can have seems to be having a Christianworld view that actually matters to their thinking. Governor Rick Perry was accused by a WashingtonPost columnist Dana Milbank of beinga theocratbecause he holds to traditional Christian beliefs and values. Mr. Milbank needs to do his research: there’sa big difference between theology anda theocrat. The danger is that in our politicallycorrect system gone amok, it can affect and produce beleagueredChristians. Others who water-down theirtheology and their message to make sure no one leaves offended.

Finally, ten years after, onething that is clear is that people are looking for The Hope Package: who has and can deliver one of our deepestlongings for HOPE. I believe that theGospel of Jesus Christ offers the best “HOPEPACKAGE” for people’s hearts and minds, wherever and whenever. In the end, the only way to save America is by saving Americans! One of thecommonthreads in many of the grace stories that I read was the references tohaving an unprecedented opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ toothers! It is not a coincidence thatafter Jesus warned His followers (Jn. 15:18-20) of the world’s hostility, thefocus He left us in (Jn.15:26, 27) was of a loving,steadfast, Spirit-filled witness. This is the hope and passion that is needed ten years after! If a handful of terrorists could cause suchincredible devastation, what could we see God do through an army of devoted Christ-followers in theselast days?!

Oh, by the way, 20 minutes. Well, not quite. This is what someone texted me after the service.

Proof I can do it!

As I've said earlier, Sunday was truly an awesome and memorable day. Here are some other pictures.

Prayer for one of our young men entering military service.

Pastor Harold Warner narrating our tribute portion of the service.

Sharon reads poem "The Shock Heard Round The World."

Many moved by the song "America the Beautiful"

“Why Don’t We Be A Blessing To Others?”

2011-09-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the experienceof someone telling you something that is true, and you know it.....but youreally don’t want to hear it, or like hearing it at that time? You can even sort of resent the truth or thefact that someone is actually bringing this to your attention? I know I have been there, and I am guessingthat many of you have as well.

There’s a back story to all of this that gives context to what I’msaying. I am the Chef de Jour in my house. I’ve have always liked to cook, especially when there are others whotruly enjoy the end result and compliment the chef! So what started off as a hobby has nowevolved into a full time job (i.e. menu preparation, some grocery shopping etc.). If I don’t plan and cook, then we probablywouldn’t eat (I am not suggestingthis for every marriage by the way). Onthe other hand, my wife who is not wild about cooking, really does like toclean and has no problem cleaning up the mess I make in the kitchen, and doesit gladly. One of the lessons in cookingand food preparation that I’ve learned is that there is no substitute for good product. Sometimes, it ends up being a bit moreexpensive, but the end result is generally a “home run.” All of this has been taken to a new level inthe last two months, post-surgery, where part of the wound care healing regimenhas to do with diet, eating well and getting proper nutrients that will helpwith both God’s and the body’s healing process. So, in order to accommodate this I had stocked the outside freezer in mygarage with a number of different food “treasures.”

Then, last Friday. I had come home from some doctor’sappointments, and Mona was going to run out and do some errands. She came in and told me that the freezer doorhad not closed properly, that there had been some kind of obstruction. And now, the Tucson summer heat in anenclosed garage had caused all the food to defrost. The food was not bad, it was still cool, butdefinitely defrosted. You can’t reallyre-freeze food that has been thawed. Myfirst reaction to seeing this was a deep, “Oh,no! You’ve got to be kidding!” Unless I was prepared to enter a food-eating contest, all of this food(and the money to buy it) had been lost. As a bit of a “foodie” thiswas a mini-disaster in my mind. Beautiful Scottish salmon, thawed. Mexican raballo (snook or white fish), thawed. Pork shoulder which makes delicious greenchile, thawed. A nice roasting chicken,thawed.

Things were wet and dripping andmessy in the freezer, and I knew that I had to immediately respond and dosomething. So I initiated a “culinary yard sale” on the spot. The food was still good, but it had to beeaten either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I started calling people and neighbors. Freddy Gonzalez was there, so I told him to take what he wanted. My neighbor, Bobby, had just started a diet,so I called his wife to come pick up some nice grouper. Another neighbor, Kelly, her husband likes tocook, so I called her and she came over and took some product. Leonard’s kids came over and they took thepork shoulder, which I heard ended up in some delightful red chile. Then I called Wesley and Hannah, who hadrecently been married, and asked them, “doyou want to eat well over the weekend?” Ifso, then get over here quick! Sinceshe’s from Cape Cod, I gave them a box of Maryland Crab Cakes and otherthings. I’d be lying if I told you thatall of this was fun for me. There was apart of me still saying, “Oh, no” asI gave over away what was now a depleted freezer. It was in the midst of all of this that mywife, Mona, uttered words I didn’t really want to hear at the time, “Wecan bless others!” It was true,it resonated in my spirit as true, but my emotionshadn’t yet come into line with my mind or my will, so I wasn’t overly excitedhearing it, although I did sort of nod in agreement.

One of the reasons that I lovethe Bible, that I read, study, meditate and hide it in my heart, is because itis a means of bringing men into an intimate and satisfying knowledge of thetrue and living God. It is not just abook of religious platitudes, it also provides us with a road map for victorious living, in every situation of life.

One of the truths to all of thisis that what we go through, what happens to us, what we receive and become, isnot just for our benefit alone, but for the BLESSING OF OTHERS! Listen to God’s promise to Abraham, the“father of the faith” where He said to him, “Iwill make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and YOU SHALL BE A BLESSING.” (Gen.12:2) Christians talk a lot about the “blessing of Abraham” and generally in afinancial setting. But the full promiseand working of God in Abraham’s life, and in our lives is always to flow out toothers. “You shall BE a blessing.” He works in us, so that He can work throughus, in order to flow to others. This iswhat real maturity and Christian living is all about.

As you study the Scriptures youdiscover that this is a profound reality. Consider with me briefly a number of settings.

Financial prosperity. (2Cor.8:13-15)NLT Of course, I don't mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. As the Scriptures say, "Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough." The principle of mutual and timely blessing is clearly seen. There are times of plenty where we can be a blessing to others, and there are times of need where we find ourselves on the receiving end of things.

Work. We just had our Labor Day weekend. There is tremendous value in a good’s day work! This is why our current unemployment crisis is so difficult, especially for men. But, the Bible enlarges upon this, and says there’s more than you and I having gainful employment. Paul wrote to the Ephesians where he said, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Eph.4:28) The blessing of honest work is that it enables us to be a blessing to others! I can still remember the joy and deep satisfaction I had when I got my first job after becoming a Christian, and was able to pay my tithes. I was blessed, but first and foremost, I could honor God with my finances and with the fruit of my labor. I was learning that money was “me in spendable form!”

Trials, hardships & difficulties. This really speaks to the times in life where the going gets rough, and the way gets hard. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2Cor.1:3,4) Paul is extolling the faithfulness of God to give us strength and courage in times of adversity. Then he tells us that one of the reasons is “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.” This is not some glib or superficial response, but this is a deep and experiential, “I know what you’re going through.” One of the reasons for the things that we go through, especially the trying seasons of life, is that we have experienced grace that we can extend to others in similar circumstances. The beauty of a healthy church congregation is that there are faithful saints there who have gone through incredibly tough times, and have experienced the “many-colored graces” of God, which becomes instrumental in helping others in their time of need.

A life of ministry. (2Corinthians 1-6) is the richest exposition of a ministering life, of “able ministers” that you will find in all the Bible. Paul touches one of the keystone promises and realities of this kind of living, “All of this is for your benefit. And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.” (2Cor.4:15) Look at the kind of chain reaction that he describes. First, our life is lived not just for ourselves, but for others, for their benefit. This grace reaches them and ministers to more and more people. The end result is that God receives more and more glory!

So, when my wife told me Friday,“We can bless others,” she wasechoing a truth that the Bible teaches us over and over again, and one that sheherself has learned and embodies. Andyou know what, it wasn't long before I came around too! My “mini-disaster” was turned into otherpeople’s blessing and full bellies! Ithelped when I asked one of the brothers how he liked things and he sent me atext, “Pastor, did I eat that food? Honestly, I did not know food that goodexisted!” So the message I want youto hear in all of this, and one that I am still learning, is that I want mylife (and yours) to be as much of a blessing as it can possibly be. My prayer is not just, “Lord, bless my life” which He abundantly has. It is also, “Lord, make me a blessing here, and in whatever place or situation yousend me.”

I will also be accepting spare change toreplenish a now empty freezer! LOL. Just kidding!

“Who Would've Thought That 40 Years Later…”

2011-09-01T20:46:00.002-07:00

Report by guest blogger - Bill Cox

My son David and I had the privilege of going to minister for Pastor Paris Dominguez and his wife Josie in Takh Mao, Cambodia in early August of this year .We also preached for Pastor Sasha Ofitserov and his wife Lyuba in Phnom Penh. We had a wonderful time and saw people respond to the preaching as well as a number of people healed in the services.

As part of our trip we made the mandatory visit to the memorial at the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum at the former Khmer Rouge prison called Tuol Sleng. It was a very chilling place as it accurately portrayed the terrible devastation that was wrought in the country by the communists only 35 years ago. The Khmer Rough launched what they called "Day Zero" for the new Cambodia of their mad design. Now the last of their leaders is on trial and what we sensed in the country is instead the early days of a powerful move of God to bring rebirth and revival to that nation.

The Dominguezs are doing a wonderful job of building a fruitful work that will be established for the long term. They have a number of young men in the church who are being discipled and trained as future leaders. Pastor Dominguez has a very good strategy for training these men and others whom the Lord will bring to the church. During my time in Cambodia, I gained a renewed appreciation for what a price that missionaries pay, but also the wonderful grace and dominion that God places upon their lives. Only Eternity will reveal to us, the powerful impact that our brethren have had as they planted their lives in foreign fields.

The Ofitserov's church is located in a wonderful harvest field, a factory district near Phnom Penh airport. Many young Cambodians move from the countryside to work in the clothing factories in the area. Every day, hundreds of them pass by the church and are curious what's going on. We saw several of them come into our services and respond to the gospel. I couldn't help but think of Jesus' admonition to His disciples to "lift up your eyes for the fields are white to harvest". I was very impressed on my trip, as well as hearing reports from China, that it is Asia's hour for a great outpouring of the Spirit of God before Christ returns.

In the Wednesday night service we preached in the Takh Mao church , God gave me a word for Pastor and sister Dominguez from Isaiah 43:4-6: "Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable and I have loved thee, therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life. Fear not for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, give up and to the south Keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." This is obviously being seen in the Takh Mao church but it is also true of the Dominguez's impact in other parts of Cambodia and Asia.

On a trip to Saigon , they met a young man named Ty Son who was very open to the gospel. He is from the central highlands of Viet Nam where there is a move of God among the indigenous Montagnards. He is interested in coming to Cambodia to be discipled. They also met a Vietnamese girl named Cao who is very open. At the end of our trip , we went to Saigon. The Dominguezs went with us on Friday and Saturday and introduced us to Ty Son and Cao. They also helped us rent a hotel meeting room for a Sunday service. Ty Son came and brought 3 friends; Cao also brought a friend. For good measure, a Ukrainian man and another Vietnamese girl walked in off the street. I preached a simple message on the new birth, gave an altar call and everyone responded! We had a coffee fellowship after and got contact information for Pastor Dominguez. The wonderful thing was everyone in attendance spoke English. Despite the communist government in

Viet Nam

, there is a great openness among the people, particularly the young. Like I said earlier, I believe that it's Asia's hour!

The powerful thing for me personally about the service in Viet Nam was it fell 42 years almost to the day from the day I got on a plane at Ton Son Nhut airbase after a year in the war; disillusioned, strung out on drugs, lost without hope. If you would have told me in 1978 when I limped into the Door in Tucson that one day I would preach in Saigon, I would said you were crazy. Thank God for his second chapters!

Going back to Viet Nam was a revelation for me in a couple of ways. While the media caricatures of Viet Nam veterans as forever "Still in Saigon" are no doubt overblown; still war is a profound experience for anyone. A famous journalist during the war named Michael Herr stated "Instead of happy childhoods, we had

Viet Nam

." This might be likewise overstated, but I know for me, even a generation later, the war has always held a fascination. Part of this is because events in the war were very instrumental in my later conversion to Christ. Without the profound philosophical questions the war drove me to, maybe being saved would have been less likely. Part of my fascination no doubt stemmed from the fact that war is such an out of the ordinary experience that you never quite forget it. It's here that one of the revelations I had comes into play. We went to the Cu Chi battlefield which was exactly the area my infantry unit operated in. As we drove from Saigon to the battlefield, the terrain looked familiar, but it held no terrors; there were no ghosts in the hedgerows. The revelation I had was how powerfully I have been transformed by the power of God. His grace and His blood have transformed me not just on the outside, but to the depths of my being. It motivates me that no life is too far gone that the mercy of God can't transform it!

The other thing I realized as I interacted with people in Saigon is how universal life is and human need. That culture which once seemed so alien to me as a young man from my western New York factory town was so different now as an older man and a mature believer. Whether speaking to the young people who attended our service or older men such as a Vietnamese street evangelist we met who has endured much persecution; we saw the longing God has placed in all of our hearts for significance. As Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, God has put eternity in our hearts. Jesus' commandment to "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations" seems much more doable when you rub shoulders with the harvest field. A phrase that came to me during the trip was the term "outside the wire". In war, it refers to the fearful territory outside the safety of the fire base. I was thinking how we can adopt that posture as Christians here in America and the West. We can view the foreign fields, particularly in the Third World as a hostile place when in reality these are places of tremendous opportunity for the gospel.

I am still processing the things God did in my heart and life through the trip. It renewed my appreciation for the wonderful, world impacting fellowship we're part of. Pray for God to continue to pour out his Spirit in Southeast Asia. The best is yet to come!

The Race

2011-09-01T16:06:00.011-07:00

THE RACE (a poem by D.H. Groberg)
"Even if godly people fall down seven times, they always get back up" (Proverbs 24:16).
"Quit! Give up! You're beaten!" They shout at me and plead,
"There's just too much against you now. This time you can't succeed!"
And as I start to hang my head in front of failure's face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
And hope refills my weakened will as I recall that scene.
For just the thought of that short race rejuvenates my being.
A children's race - young boys, young men - how I remember well.
Excitement, sure! But also fear; it wasn't hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope; each thought to win the race.
Or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
And fathers watched from off the side, each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad that he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they went! Young hearts and hope afire.
To win and be the hero there was each young boy's desire.
And one boy in particular whose dad was in the crowd,
was running near the lead and thought, "My dad will be so proud!"
But as they speeded down the field across a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought to win lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself his hands flew out to brace,
and mid the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.

So down he fell, and within him hope; he couldn't win it now.
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face.
Which to the boy so clearly said: "Get up and win the race!"
He quickly rose, no damage done; behind a bit, that's all
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs; he slipped and fell again!
He wished then he had quit before with only one disgrace.
"I'm hopeless as a runner now; I shouldn't try to race."
But in the laughing crowd he searched and found his father's face.
That steady look which said again: "Get up and win the race!"
So up he jumped to try again, ten yards behind the last.
"If I'm to gain those yards," he thought, "I've got to move real fast!"
Exerting everything he had he gained eight or ten,
but trying so hard to catch the lead he slipped and fell again!
Defeat! He lay there silently, a tear dropped from his eye.
"There's no sense running anymore; three strikes: I'm out! Why try?"
The will to rise had disappeared, all hope had fled away;
so far behind, so error prone; a loser all the way.
"I've lost, so what's the use," he thought. "I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad who soon he'd have to face.
"Get up," an echo sounded low, "Get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here. Get up and win the race.
With borrowed will, get up," it said, "you haven't lost at all.
For winning is no more than this: To rise each time you fall."
So up he rose to run once more, and with a new commit
he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn't quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he'd ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran so as to win.
Three times he'd fallen, stumbling; three times he rose again;
to far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
They cheered the winning runner as he crossed the line first place.
Head high, and proud and happy; no falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngster crossed the line in last place,
the crowd gave him the greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud.
You would have thought he'd won the race to listen to that crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, "I didn't do so well."
"To me, you won," his father said. "You rose each time you fell."
And now when things seem dark and hard and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
"Quit! Give up! You're beaten!" They still shout in my face.
But another voice within me says: "GET UP AND WIN THE RACE!"

Poem by D.H. Groberg and thanks to Bill Conrad for sending it to me.

Monday Morning Musings: “I’m Not Sure About Everyone Else....But, I Had A Wonderful Time!”

2011-08-23T09:13:00.001-07:00

I have to relate the story of God’s working by picking up the story in the middle, which would make it Sunday morning. We’ve just finished a “non-revival revival” (not a scheduled series of revival services) or as I liked to dub it, a “ministry sandwich.” We had Pastor Greg Farrell, and his wife Tina, from Busselton, West Australia here for our annual Marriage Retreat. “Sandwiched” around this was his preaching our Wednesday night midweek worship service, and then staying over to minister both services yesterday, on Sunday.

Greg and I have been friends for years and enjoyed a wonderful bond of friendship in Christ. One reason contributing to this is that we share some mutual loves and interests. We both love to fish. He has a major leg up on me in this department since he lives right on the ocean, and I am a desert dweller! We also both love to cook fish as part of our personal and family menu. In this department it’s probably neck and neck with each of us sharing with the other different ways to prepare and cook fresh fish (the key word here being fresh). While Greg can actually go out and catch his own fish, stocking his freezer, I have to buy mine at my local fishmonger which supplies excellent product. The final and most important link in this bond is that we both have a deep love for the Word of God. I would consider him one of the handful of people that I can sit around with and talk about God’s Word and the inspiration and revelation the Holy Spirit brings.

This is why I thoroughly enjoyed the richness of the preached Word this week. On Wednesday night the message from (Ezra 8:21-23) focused on how the God of the Book becomes the God of Experience; a spiritual alchemy which needs to take place in every Christian’s life. One of the aids available to all of us in this process is the “prayer factor” that Ezra practiced. Prayer is not just the means of us getting what we want from God, it is also indispensable in theology being translated into reality in our lives. The Marriage Retreat was truly an outstanding time, and I think one of the largest attendances ever. Launching everything was Thursday night’s message on Jealousy as the “silent killer” that resides in the selfishness of our hearts. Friday morning was a very practical message on Greed, or how money affects and cannot be divorced from marriage. The statistics bear this out that money, or better yet, disharmony on how we view and handle money, is behind the breakdown of many marriages. Friday night concluded with a masterpiece on the subject of Communication, the quiet achiever. The word communication literally means “to connect” and it involves a lot more than just words. In fact, we can speak words without really communicating. Words account for about 7% of communication. Real communication is made up of a number of important ingredients, beginning with words, yes, but also involving tone (around 38% of communication), and also gestures (accounting for another 55%). So, it’s not just what you say, but it’s also how you say it that matters.

Sunday morning was my first “back-to-back” since my surgery in late June, meaning I was able to be in both the Sunday morning and evening services. There was such an awesome presence of God, that having missed so many church services was like an elixir to my soul! This was the middle of the story that I began this article with. If Pastor Farrell was not preaching, I was almost prepared to give the altar call after the worship and prayer time. That’s how real and precious it was. He preached on “Gold Fever” and Rehoboam’s act of replacing Solomon’s gold shields with his bronze shields. We can hold the shields, they “look” like gold or the real thing, but deep down inside we know there’s something missing. The wonderful grace of God available is that the “gold” is not all that far away from any of us. Jesus admonished the lukewarm Laodecian church to “buy of Me gold tried in the fire.” I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where there isn’t some kind of advertisement on the advisability of buying gold as a means of protecting our assets or future. Jesus is telling all of us that the “gold” is not far away, we can have it back in our lives, our worship, and our service, if we desire it.

Sunday night we ended the week of ministry with a kind of “unplugged” ministry. A combination of excellent music, worship, and woven through all of it was truth about God’s reality, and stories that were a wonderful confirmation of that fact. (Use pictures I sent you). Like a fine coffee, all of this was a wonderful blend. The one thing that made all the difference in all of these different settings was a real manifestation of God’s presence. It is when God shows up that everything changes, people’s lives are helped and transformed, and nothing is impossible!

Report: Sunday After Revival In Gabon Africa

2011-08-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

I know I'm like a proud parent/grandparent but news about what God is doing is never boring! It's awesome!

Report from Garett King:

Just a quick report. We had our biggest service yet this morning with
109 in attendance & fourteen people praying for salvation. We had rented 20
chairs in anticipation but were still left short.

God is really moving in this area, it is as if we threw the net on the other
side of the boat. After the service we went to the beach and baptized 9 new
converts from the revival.

The seed is sprouting and growing and me, myself, I don't know how!!!
Time to put in the sickle!!!

"The Prisoners Were Listening..."

2011-08-18T19:59:00.001-07:00

God has many ways of blowing our minds with expressions of His grace and power. Ephesians sums it up by saying, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church.” (Eph.3:20) Yesterday, I was talking to Bob Mecado (“Chaplain Bob”) who told me that the prisoners at Chino State Prison were asking, “How’s Pastor Warner doing?” They were praying for God’s healing in my foot and post-surgical wound. I have frequently expressed both in sermons, writings, and conversations my extreme appreciation for those who pray for me; I don’t take it for granted. But, I was really stunned that these guys in prison, whom I never met, “know me” and have been praying for me!

Bobby Mecado is "an" all facilities chaplain for the L.A. Sheriff’s Department. This happens to be the largest jail in the world, having some 22,000 inmates on any given day. He is also a volunteer chaplain at the Chino State Prison, and visits many of the facilities throughout the State. Although he is considered a “non-compensated employee,” he has incredible access to the California penal system, which given his background and testimony, is nothing short of God’s hand and favor working in his life. This is why he has complete access and freedom to our tape room, since he disseminates our CD’s throughout all the prisons he goes to! I have a general “two-year rule” in our tape room concerning sermons we make available online etc. The reason for this is because of my travel schedule and opportunities to preach in many places, I need “fresh” material that has not already been used by pastors in that church or region. Not so with Chaplain Bob: he can have as many as he wishes, since I don’t have too many “revival meetings” scheduled in the California prisons! As a result, Pastor Warner is “preaching” God’s Word in all of these facilities: from L.A. County Jail, to Pelican Bay, to Chino, to Corcoran, even to McAlester Prison in Oklahoma. Because of Bobby’s calling and gifts (and his undeserved expressions of me), I have a “rep” in many of those places. Pretty amazing in my mind! Bobby has made his jail ministry motto Joseph’s life and jail experience, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." (Gen.41:52)

When I was a brand new Christian we’d sing the hymn, “God is moving by His Spirit, moving through all the earth. Signs and wonders where God moveth, move O Lord, in me.” That tells us that God is not passive or removed, but God is active in our sin-cursed world. One of my favorite, reference-point scriptures is (2Chr.16:9) “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” This especially includes our prison system and those who are incarcerated. This had better be the case since, according to Charles Colson, when he was released and started to work in prison ministry, there were 329,000 inmates. Today, there is over 3.3 million! This should tells us that as a nation and a society we are experiencing a moral and ethical free fall.

It is intriguing to me that a lot of God’s activity and the Bible’s testimony revolves around prisons and jails!? Who can forget Joseph’s stellar testimony of being sold into slavery in the land of Egypt, eventually finding himself falsely accused and facing trumped-up charges that landed him in jail. It was part of God’s testing process and forging iron in his soul! Daniel did time in a pretty unique jail setting which was the lion’s den. John the Baptist’s faith was purified, if not actually reaching a pinnacle when he ran afoul of an unclean and vindictive woman, Herodias. Even though he had lost his freedom, he also gained a private audience with King Herod who came as an “audience-of-one” to hear God’s Word through John! Then, there’s the Apostle Paul’s ministry journey. It was said that wherever Paul went he experienced either a revival or a riot. The title of this blog post came from his momentous experience while in jail in Philippi. God orchestrated for him a “heavenly jail break” beginning with an unwavering testimony as he and Silas were beaten and in stocks yet “praying and singing hymns to God” and listen...the prisoners were listening to them! This was not because they were humming one of the “Top 40's” of the day, but the undeniable evidence of the Holy Spirit’s power was so very compelling. This was followed by an earthquake, the prisoners being set free, and the eventual conversion of the jailer and his family. What an amazing day it was!

This was so woven into his ministry fabric that the sufferings of Christ that set him apart included, “in prisons more frequently.” (2Cor.11:23) Listen, I haven’t even had time to mention his two years in prison at Cesarea, his “house arrest” in Rome etc. He was obviously no stranger to being locked up. Isn’t it ironic that some of his masterpieces of Epistles came during these times! They are referred to as his “prison epistles” and are still blessing people today!

All of this should tell us something about prisoners and prison ministry today. The Gospel may not change their circumstances (it does not promise a “Get out of jail free” card), but it definitely does and will change their hearts! (Heb.13:3) reminds us, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” Celary, this refers first to our persecuted brethren, jailed because of their allegiance to our Lord Jesus Christ. But, there is also an identification with others in jail that will at least motivate us to pray for them, and if possible get involved in some kind of ministry to them (maybe remembering if we’re not there, its not always because we’re so good...we just never got caught). Many have learned who their real friends were while doing time in prison. The other powerful reminder is Jesus’s words in (Mat.25:34-36) “Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'” This provoked a huge surprise from some of his hearers who said “when did we hear that you were in prison and visited You?” Jesus set the bar and motive for ministry when He said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

So, to the saints in Chino: thanks for remembering me and praying for me. It means a lot! I count it a privilege to be on the SAME TEAM with you. KEEP LISTENING!

Note: I’m not personally familiar with a lot of reputable or longstanding prison ministers, but I can highly recommend Bob & Pat Mecado. They are the real deal! Their ministry is not about photo-ops but ministering the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to men and women imprisoned, facing rock bottom, as well as to their family members on the outside. Their own personal testimonies for Christ are truly awesome. “Jesus I know, Paul I know...and Bob and Pat I know.” Plus they listen to me, are teachable, grateful, and are not a “law unto themselves.”

They can be reached at:
Mecado Ministries Inc.
14519 Rockenbach Street
Baldwin Park, CA 91706
626-337-7465
www.mecadoministries.com

Monday Morning Musings - “A Little Girl’s Dream”

2011-08-15T18:10:00.061-07:00

I don’t know who was more excited about yesterday’s service, but there are good odds that it was the Pastor himself, who happens to be me. It was the first time in six weeks that I’ve been in the pulpit since having surgery on my right ankle for osteomyelitis. This might account for some “pre-game jitters.” Like a golfer’s swing, getting my preaching voice back was an issue. By the grace of God, to use baseball terminology, I was able to “preach a complete game!”

My first official service back just happened to also be a wedding: Tim Fay Georgia Smith (Pastor Smith & Renee’s oldest daughter). Whenever there is a wedding ceremony as part of our regular worship service, it does change some of the normal dynamics and parameters. There are time considerations, family and numerous guests along with the Body, but it still creates an important time to preach and teach the Word of God; especially to fulfill the Bible’s admonition to “Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband.” (Heb.13:4) In this case, the message was from (Prov.22:28) “Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.” Landmarks refer to boundary lines, especially having to do with property and inheritance. There is a reminder here that LIFE HAS BOUNDARIES: just trying driving your car while ignoring the “boundaries” of the white or yellow lines...you will hurt yourself or others too. Well, love and marriage also have boundaries established by God. That’s why all the talk about “free love” simply doesn’t exist. Years ago there was a book titled, “Love is never having to say you’re sorry.” That, my friend, is not love, but is completely ludicrous. Since this particular verse is mentioned on a number of occasions, I think it means that God knows us as individuals. It indicates that there’s a tendency in human nature (context is usually for personal gain) and a complicit that is always trying to move God’s boundaries! This is why the battle to re-define marriage is not a light one which we can’t ignore. We should never, never give up because simply put: it matters!

The United States’ credit rating is not the only thing that has been downgraded. There’s what I call a “commitment downgrade” affecting marriage that’s been going on and escalating over the last few decades. This is why a recent headline caught my attention, “Living Together Too Much Commitment For Today’s Couples.” We’ve been battling the increase and deception of cohabitation for a good while. It seems that even that commitment is too much today?! The new relationship agreement that is gaining popularity is called “stayover relationships”. The article went on to say, “Instead of following a clear path from courtship to marriage, individuals are choosing to engage in romantic ties on their own terms without the guidance of social norms.” Most particularly, it is not society’s norms that matters, it is God’s Word and guidance for marriage that is under assault today. Jim Daly (President of Focus on the Family) said, “From television to movies to music, the bonds of matrimony are often lampooned as chains that bind and confine as opposed to the great anchor of stability God intended them to be.” A number of years back I was at Bally’s gym and a guy out of the clear blue said to me, “I see that you’re doing your time.” I had no idea at first what he was talking about, but then I realized he had seen my wedding ring and he viewed it more as a life sentence then the huge dividends that loyalty and faithfulness bring in a committed marriage relationship.

It was the author and radio talk show host, Dennis Prager, who wrote some thought-provoking thoughts in a piece, “If You’re Thinking of Marrying.” While acknowledging the difficulty of finding the right person to marry he did bring up a number of critical questions to ask/answer before you think of marrying that special someone. I will resist the temptation of commenting on all of them, but at least think with me about them.

Is the person your best friend or at least becoming so? It’s easy to find a lover, or get excited about a new person, but one of the single most overlooked questions among couples, especially young ones is this, because over time, friendship is the greatest bond between a couple.

Aside from sex, do you enjoy each other. Again this sounds trite, but enjoying each other may actually be the single most important characteristic of a happy marriage.

Does the person have a number of good friends and at least one very close friend of the same sex? It is a very good sign if the person you are thinking of marrying does not have good friends of long duration. This alone should rule out the person from consideration.

How does the person treat others? Notice the emphasis here on “others.” Of course in dating and courtship, they’re always going to try and put their best foot forward toward you. So, see how he or she treats waitresses, employees, workmates, family members, and people who can do nothing for them.

What problems do the two of you have now, and are trying to suppress? Here’s a real secret: marrying will not solve any problem you have with the person.

How often do you fight? No two people are going to experience a conflict-free relationship. But, if you’re constantly fighting, and conflict-resolution is not part of your maturing experience, then things will escalate and not go away.

Do you share values? Opposites may attract in the beginning, but like stay together for the long term. The values that are the most important are those grounded in God’s unshakable Word. Your mutual commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ is part of the “glue” of a happy and lasting marriage.

Is the person unhappy? Try and marry a person who is an essentially happy person, because you will need it. A happy person doesn't always lift up an unhappy person, but an unhappy person tends to bring down a happy person.

What do people you respect think of the person you’re considering marrying? Yes, I know you think you’re the only person in the world who knows what’s best for you but, the input of people you respect and have experience is something you should listen to.

So what about a little girl’s dream? I’ve known Georgia Smith (Fay) since she was born, and from her time with her parents in Sierra Leone. We even had then our special handshake, which I was glad to use as part of their wedding ceremony yesterday! Earlier in the month I asked her about her upcoming marriage and my role and this is what she wrote me. Much of it was very humbling and undeserving, but it was from her heart.

“My whole life you have been a 2^nd dad. I’ve gone through a lot in my family and learned to depend on God at a young age. It’s the only thing that is stable and true, the only thing that kept me sane. If I didn’t have God, my father, and you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Strong men have shaped my life and having you marry me is a dream come true because it sets a standard for me. I’ve reached a huge mark in my life. I kept myself pure, funny story: when I went to the Doctor he was flabbergasted when he found out that Tim and myself were virgins. He said, ‘Who told you this?’ and I replied, ‘God did,’ but it’s a choice you make on your own. The Doctor just looked stunned and asked to shake my hand because he considered it to be very ‘abnormal.’ I love it! When I came back to think about you Pastor Warner I think of the fact that you’re not just my pastor but my second daddy. In Africa we came up with our own hand shake and we always had a good relationship. Ever since I was younger I said I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THE DAY PASTOR WARNER MARRIES ME. It was my dream and now my dream came true!”

Life in These Parts: New Building and Remodel

2011-08-10T12:28:00.002-07:00

“Always a fantastic blessing to hear what God is doing from and through one of your ‘sons in the faith.’”

Life in These Parts: New Building and Remodel: "We have been very busy the last couple of weeks as we were blessed to find a new and bigger building. Our old building was nice but it was small; just a hall with no facilities, not even a toilet. We were packing in people every week with the children having to sit outside on the steps. It had been like that for some time and we were diligently praying for a new building. - (Guest Blogger Garett King)

The Buck Stops Here..No, I Mean Over There!

2011-08-09T18:08:00.070-07:00

When I first started writing this blog, “Keeping Your Head In The Game,” and later expanding to a Twitter account, two things were at the forefront. First, was the inspiration of truth-bringing, and taking advantage of the many opportunities available for communication today. The second was the parameters I put into place to guide me: it would be Gospel-oriented, Spirit-driven, and culturally relevant, with only limited personal anecdotes. I do recognize, however, that there are times and places where things intersect: where Kingdom, culture, politics, finances, and righteousness all come together. It is at these moments that we need to be like those men of Issachar who have “understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do.” So, I’m not stepping outside my calling by giving attention to some of the state of affairs in our nation today. At the outset, let me make clear, I am not a professional pundit or economist. What I do bring is a measure of common sense garnered over nearly four decades working with people and being a diligent student of human nature. This is basically a layman’s look at and lessons from the debt crisis.

President Harry S. Truman was the 33^rd President of the United States, inaugurated in 1948. On his desk in the oval office of the White House he had a 2 ½" x 13" sign mounted in a walnut base that read, “The Buck Stops Here.” This was not just a decorative piece, but it was something he believed and it was an influential part of how he governed. The etymology behind it came from the slang term, “passing the buck” or passing responsibility for things on to someone else. He referred to this desk sign in public statements on more than one occasion. The most memorable might have been his farewell address to the American people in January of 1953. He spoke to this concept very straight-forward when he said, “The President–whoever he is–has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.” I think the reason this stood out so to me is how it runs so completely counter to the current climate in Washington D.C.

I’m speaking specifically to the crisis over the U.S. debt ceiling, and the historic downgrading of America’s credit rating to a AA+ rating from its standard triple A rating. This is the first time in our nation’s history where this has occurred. It has Wall Street and markets around the world reeling, and we hear phrases and read headlines like: “Barack-alypse Now,” “Obama-geddon” or “Debt Man Walking.” President Obama is definitely not the one solely responsible for our current fiasco, but everyone is extremely reluctant to say “The buck stops here” (especially in an election cycle where the spinmeisters are all hard at work). The headline that caught my attention more than anything and the inspiration behind this piece was, “Capitol Hill’s blame game demonstrates S & P’s disgust.” The blame game and the finger pointing has kicked in full force.

The age-old adage, “shoot the messenger” seems to be the order of the day in D.C. There’s plenty of blame to go around, and the list of “culprits” is substantial. Some people’s strategy is to attack the credibility of the rating agency Standard & Poors. The President blames Congress or President Bush (how long can they keeping whipping this?). Congress blames the President. Democrats blame Republicans, and Republicans blame the Democrats. The two that really caught my eye was Congressman Barney Frank’s blaming the military, even though defense represents a meager 4% of our nation’s budget. I’m sure that makes the men and women who are putting their lives in harm’s way feel greatly appreciated. The other politically-expedient target of the media and many politicians is to blame the Tea Party. You know, those elected officials who were sent to Washington D.C. largely over concern about our countries’ fiscal policies, and to help put our house in order. Senator John Kerry called the downgrading of the U.S. credit, “The Tea Party Downgrade.” This was also echoed by Obama’s advisor David Axelrod on CBS’ “Face The Nation” when he said “The Tea Party brought us to the brink of default.” Liberal pundits have likened them to suicide bombers and terrorists, saying they were guilty of an act of treason. Yes, the audacity of these freshmen Congressmen and women to stand on principle and promises to actually cut spending, and institute a policy of fiscal responsibility. Why, the nerve of them to suggest such a thing!

All this reflects one of the deep pathologies at work in our government from the top down: from Washington D.C. to “Podunk County” anywhere; from the President down to the common man on the street. Biblically, the trait of passing the buck is as old as man (“it’s the woman You gave me”), and as a result is deeply ingrained in human nature. If you do a Google search using the two words “Obama - blames,” you get over 6 million hits! This practice is also one of the tenets of our entitlement culture today, that is more aware and vocal about perceived “rights” while silent about “responsibilities.” Sadly, this is how Washington operates, which is one of the many reasons Washington and much of the media is so dysfunctional. One Tea Party critic (Rep. Steve Israel D-NY) said it was the “roadblock Republicans” that forced House Speaker John Boehner to side-step a deal with President Obama. He said that would’ve prevented the downgrade. This shows the level of ineptitude in D.C. since the real problem is not the downgrade but the size of the debt and the out-of-control spending! Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) said the downgrade strengthened his position that America needs fiscal restraint. “This deal was not a serious attempt to solve our spending and debt problem - it was a political solution meant to kick the can down the road.”

Enough of the blame. More important is a basic understanding of how we got into this fix. I can tell you it didn’t happen overnight, it has been coming for a generation. For years, fiscal conservatives have warned against the dangers of out-of-control borrowing and spending. Current and past Presidents and Congresses have ignored them, rolling up massive national debt. I read a great article by Ken Connor on “Government In Denial About Natural Laws of Finance?” It’s not like we couldn’t see this coming. We are $14.5 trillion in debt, and the spending addicts in the Congress just raised the debt limit! Our “spend-aholics” on both sides of the aisle keep squeezing the turnip, and are shocked with feigned outrage that the country now finds itself in this predicament.

“Well what on earth did they think was going to happen? When you continually spend more than you take in and refuse to change your ways, disaster is inevitable. At some oint the well will run dry, but the bills still have to be paid. And when they aren’t, your credit rating suffers and your sources of revenue dry up. You reach the point where you are forced to make adjustments. It’s not that complicated. For years, our government appears to have been in denial about the natural laws of money and finance. But denying that natural laws exist doesn’t suspend their effect. You can deny the law of gravity, but if you jump off the Empire State building you will soon discover that your personal opinions about the matter are irrelevant.”

And now, we’re going to have the so-called “super committee” to tell us how to get out of this mess, tasked with finding $1.2 trillion in additional deficit reduction by November 23^rd. The irony is some of these appointing and being appointed helped create this situation!? Where else but in Washington D.C.! To put all this Biblically, “that which a man sows, he will also reap.”

So, what needs to happen? Remember, I am a novice, a nobody. I am just moving from a common sense, Biblical platform. A few things stand out in my mind.

Begin with God! The Scripture formula is “seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Haggai’s words resonate to our present circumstances (it has a national context to it also), “Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.” (Haggai 1:5-7)

Look at our own heart and lives. While our government has been out-of-control, people themselves have been busy borrowing and spending like fiends. The NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote,

“The generation that came of age in the last 50 years will be remembered most for the incredible bounty and freedom it received from its parents and the incredible debt burden and constraints it left on its kids.” Friedman calls this the “clash of generations.” Charles Colson commented on it by saying, “The greatest generation scrimped and saved; their kids, the boomers, went on a big shopping binge.”
Get rid of some of these knuckle-heads whose spending appetites know no discipline or restraint. In their place, elect fiscal and social conservatives who will live and stand by their principles.

We need right leadership. It was grieving to read a headline that said, “White House: No plan, No Specifics, No Strategy, No Responsibility.” Unlike President Truman’s understanding, the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, echoed what the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said, that the White House bears no responsibility for the historic downgrade in America’s credit rating. As I said clearly earlier, the President is not the one entirely responsible by any means, but to claim no responsibility is one of the manifestations of the toxic environment that exists today.

Wean ourselves from the entitlement mentality. As painful as it might be this, and the accompanying class envy today, is rampant. Digest this: HALF of American pays NO taxes at all. Like the Tower of Babel, we’re building our financial tower on a false world view. Government cannot create jobs; but they can create an atmosphere that encourages or discourages economic growth and recovery. Get out of the way and let the dynamic entrepreneurial quality of America work and inspire.

Hmm, I wonder...if I raise my own debt ceiling will it end my crisis? Yeah, I didn't think so. It doesn't work on an individual level, and over time as we’re discovering, it doesn't work on a national level either!

It's A Man Thing (Or Is It?!)

2011-08-05T18:08:00.008-07:00

It is a well-documented factthat men and women are very different! This difference is frequently at the heart of jokes, anecdotes andplenty of good-natured ribbings. Thetruth is that there are actual physical, emotional, mental and relationaldifferences that have been observed and can be quantified. There are actual differences in the waywomen’s and men’s brains are structured and the way they react to events andstimuli. This is what has given birth tovarious “man-isms” that we've heard over the years that have taken oncliche-status. The reason somethingbecomes a cliché is because it contains a certain degree of truth! One such man-ismis that “men hate asking for directions.” They will drive out of their way for milesrather than stop and simply ask for directions. As a man, we don’t always like to be asked or corrected in these areas. We have a ready answer, “Of course I know where I’m going!” I have a friend who told me that once he actually ended up in anotherState because of this quality (he told me it “cured” him). Closely related to this is men don’t like to readthe instructions. “Sure, I know how this works, or how to putit together, why do you have to ask?”

Call me delusional (it’sactually pride), but I thought that Iwas somehow above the fray, and had moved beyond mere clichés in myactions. Well, I had a little wake-upcall last week! For almost three yearsI’ve driven a Volkswagen Passat station wagon (there’s another story here: thetransformation of Pastor Warner into driving a “soccer mom” car). The car has actually grown on me, where now Ikind of like it, especially when I have to fill up the gas tank. My only complaint was the air conditioning that wasn’t really thatgood, and it took a long time to cool the car down and make it comfortable,which is a big deal in Tucson summers. This was all true in my mind until last Sunday when I was coming homefrom church. Leonard Gastelum wasdriving, and he started looking at the various buttons on the console, andpushed what turns out to be the re-circulating button and voilà...much cooler air! It turns out I had been trying to cool thecar using outside air (really hot) instead of re-circulating the already coolerair in the car. All this was confirmedand reinforced when we read the car’s instructionmanual. You know...that big, thickbook that comes with the car when you buy it. Yeah, that book. The one I nevertook the time to read, and now it’s almost two weeks shy of having the car forthree years!?

Sometimes things in life can besimplified to this: read theinstructions! The Bible is God’s instruction manual for all oflife! It’s not all that complicated,really. John spells this out, “As he spake these words, many believed onhim. Then said Jesus to those Jews whichbelieved on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”(Jn.8:30-32) Discipleship is about sticking and following His manual. If that is not enough, then what about “If you know these things, happy are you ifyou do them.” (Jn.13:17) Oh, if wewant to go back even farther, didn’t God tell Joshua what was the key to success? It was not attending the latest Tony Robbins success seminar, ordeveloping a positive mental attitude (PMA) because “your altitude is determined by your attitude.” Instead, “Studythis Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you willbe sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper andsucceed in all you do.” (Josh.1:8)NLT

The Book of Proverbs, the bookdedicated to wisdom or skillful living,emphasizes this as the bottom line. “Theend of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments [read& follow the instructions], for this is the whole duty of man.”(Eccl.12:13) The dividing line between the wise and the foolish boils down overand over again to those willing to listen to and receive instruction anddiscipline, and those who are not. Theopening chapter of Proverbs sets the stage to all that is going to follow:

"I called you so often, but you wouldn't come. I reached out to you, but you paid noattention. You ignored my advice and rejectedthe correction I offered. So I willlaugh when you are in trouble! I willmock you when disaster overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, whendisaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. "When they cry for help, I will notanswer. Though they anxiously search forme, they will not find me. For theyhated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. They rejected my advice and paid no attentionwhen I corrected them. Therefore, theymust eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm." (Prov.1:24-33)NLT

If we want the favor of God inour lives, then we must learn to seek and value (pay attention) His counsel,instruction, discipline and correction, and keep from becoming complacent. Otherwise, as I discovered, your car doesn’tcool off like you’d like in the middle of the summer! Instead, now, I’m definitely a lotcooler in less amount of time. This certainly makes August in Tucson a lot moreenjoyable. Plus, in the future I’mdetermined to take the time and effort to read the manual! This is true whether you’re a man, a woman,young, old, no matter what your ethnicity or background. It’s pretty simple, God’s put it all in HisWord to help us, so He can bless us, and we can glorify Him by fulfilling ourpotential.

Are You Invested?

2011-07-28T11:36:00.002-07:00

I was recently reading someone’sshort blog posting and observation about our ministry and others. It was in the context of a commitment to world evangelism. He said:

“But unless you’re Pastor Warner, Mitchell, Rubi, Stephens, and otherswho are heavily invested in worldevangelism, and who have to support regardless of how much and sadly how littlecomes in month after month.”

It was the phrase “heavilyinvested” that jumped out at me, which I could certainly relateto. It echoes Jesus’s “treasure principle” which he spelledout in (Mt.6:20,21) "Do not lay upfor yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and wherethieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in andsteal. For where your treasure is, thereyour heart will be also.” Jesus isclearly talking about our eternal investment portfolio, or ourlives and investments in the light of eternity. In the last two or three years, many people’s investments have taken amajor hit, suffering some significant losses. This is why there are all sorts of companies, large and small, whospecialize in “investment strategies” to help build and protect your portfolio. I’mnot sure how successful many of them have been, but I do hear at least a half adozen radio advertisements every day about gold as the place to be, the onlysafe haven with a falling dollar and the prospect of hyper-inflation etc.

It was the earlier blogreference and assessment of things that was “spot on.” A few years back, our accountant, who doesour annual financial compilations, remarked that he had not seen a church withsuch a large percentage of its operating budget dedicated to missions. Sometimes, this puts you me into a precariousstate of mind, wondering if we aren’t over-extended in the pursuit of theLord’s Great Commission. I was surprisedlast week by the title of an article that said, “The End of Church Planting” - A look at whether churches should expandthrough a missionary model rather than relying on professional entrepreneurialpastors to plant churches. It turnedout to be a discussion about methodologies, but I couldn’t get the title out ofmy mind since it so contradicted the priority of being heavily invested inGod’s harvest. I couldn’t help but compare that title with the recentinternational church-planting announcements from the Tucson and Prescott BibleConferences: Bamenda, Cameroon; Dar esSalaam, Tanzania; Yerevan, Armenia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Praia, Cape VerdeIslands, Pusan, South Korea. Churchplanting is certainly not over in my mind!

To be “heavily invested” inworld evangelism is not the same thing as living life with blinders on, orbeing a monomaniac. It means being invested in God’s entire planof redemption in all its many aspects. From winning souls and unchurched people, making disciples, edifying thechurch, gifts of the spirit, family and marriage ministry, training in service,and raising up new leaders, all with the goal of reproducing the same life ofChrist in other cities and nations. Paul’s motivation captures this when he said, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls.”(2Cor.12:15a) The Message version put it, “I’dbe most happy to empty my pockets, even mortgage my life for your good.”

All of this is not simply thepromotion of a program as it is the ignitingof the heart in the direction of God’s burden. Again, I think about how prominently thisfigured into the thinking, the theology, and the passion of the apostlePaul. How many times did he refer topeople as “my joy and my crown” or the focus and fruit of his investment. To the Philippians he said, “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved andlonged for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”(Phil.4:1) To the Thessalonians his heart overflowed, “Or what is our hope or joy orcrown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” (1Thess.2:19, 20) He is affirming what he isheavily invested in before the Lord. Finally, he verbalizes his ultimate goal at the end of his life in(2Tim.4:8) “Henceforth there is laid upfor me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, willaward to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved hisappearing.”

The exciting thing about this tome is that he is not excluding the rest of us. In fact, he opens the door wide to us all to be invested when he said, “not only to me but also to all who love Hisappearing.” It is also important torealize that this investment will not always be immediately repaid, butrealized and fully-amortized in heaven!

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past.
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

LET’S STAY HEAVILY INVESTED,MY BELOVED BRETHREN!

Vive La France!

2011-07-26T15:25:00.009-07:00

The Tour de Francejust ended on Sunday, and a new winner was crowned. While some of the sporting world’s attentionwas riveted on this grueling and iconic cycling event, that carried 167cyclists throughout the nation of France, another event was getting ready tobegin in the city of Marseilles: revival services with Evangelist MartyCarnegie! Marty was and still ispreaching for Desmond and Matilda Bell our church there, that was pioneered byCharlie and Dawn Forman. I was excitedand anticipating good things going in, but I thought I’d give you brotherMarty’s report so far!

“We kicked off revivalhere in Marseille last night, it was very good. Desmond said he’s never seen the crowds or the response that God gave uslast night. As the singing began, it wassupernatural as we watched people just start flowing in. It was like a faucet opened in heaven andthey came. The building was so packed,they overflowed to the sidewalk. I sawfolks standing in the back looking for seats. The altar call reminded me of a crusade in Africa, people getting up andcoming to pray. I’m sure I counted between 10-12 who received Jesus. Many other visitors mentioned coming back tonightwith their families. This is realpastor, this is a move of God. CharlieForman must know, God sent him here years ago for this purpose. Don’t know how we’re going to manage the nextfew nights with space. Imagine, this isFrance. Maybe this is the backfire Ipreached about in conference. The deviltried to sink France in atheism and unbelief, but now it’s backfired andcreated even more interest in the gospel. Jesus is drawing them in. Watching last night’s service, you feel a fire rising that’s going tospread. The Gospel changes everything.”

Hallelujah! Pray thatthe seed of God’s Word takes foot and brings forth fruit abundantly: somethirty, some sixty, some one hundred fold! What a blessing to see God continue to raise up an evangelistic,disciple-making, church-planting center in this city and nation!