Tuesday, April 24, 2007

THE ICING, THE CAKE, THE ICE CREAM.... DESSERT IS SERVED

Dear friends in Blog Land...
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I am glad that you have taken this journey with me. There are many other journeys we'll make take together in the future, but I have to say this one has been enjoyable. Challenging from time to time, but enjoyable none the less.
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As we wind down our "Question that begs an answer" let me say that what I've gotten from this process is very valuable. I have enjoyed the interaction with the crowd of bloggers and blog readers and have grown by it. I don't know where you are today, maybe you are in a church you feel is dead. "It's the ________________ you may say, no suggestions here, just wanting you to take honest inventory of your own struggle. Others may say "Our church is wonderful, it has the greatest _________________", again, no suggestions, just the interaction with your own thoughts. No matter which church you are in, let me challenge you with a thought that I think puts the icing on the cake...
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ARE YOU WHERE GOD WANTS YOU?
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Before you say a rousing "Amen" or "Oh Me", I ask you to ponder this question of questions for a few moments...
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What do you base your answer on?
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Have you REALLY ever asked God this question?
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In what way did he give you clear direction?
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Can I meddle a little, OK I already have before now, what's the difference. Many of us, yours truly included, have made choices that in hind sight are much clearer. Sometimes it's so clear we see right through it with no true sight of what's right in front of us.
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Some of you are basing your answer on the Pastor, the youth program, the Sunday School class you're in, the small group you belong to, the music your church sings, the color of the carpet, the number of years you've been there, the traditions you enjoy and on and on and on. I could actually go on for a good portion of the night.
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Some of you are no longer where you used to be for some of the same reasons. Add to it that you've had your feelings hurt, been overlooked for things you should have been asked about or to be involved in, you were sick and no one knew it (hospital stays go here), the version of the bible they used wasn't right, that deacon (or some other figure head) was out of line or didn't notice me or didn't shake my hand or... , our pastor does not do, the church should have _________, and again the list could go on and on.
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Can We be honest here for a moment?
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What do all of the above options have in common?
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The person in the mirror...
I would say you, but the reality is a big I is in the way, you base all your expectation on what you find appealing, helpful, blessed, great, powerful, spirit filled and on and on and on. You get the picture, DON'T YOU?
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Before you get our your daggers and want to throw them this way, again I ask you to ponder. All of the above mentioned items are preferences, nothing more and nothing less. Our take, taste and desires play a big part of who God has made us, but when allowed to drive the bus they take the crowd to the wrong place. I am not suggesting everyone is on the wrong bus, but I got to tell you, I have yet to have anyone say to me, "Bill, God is calling me to a smaller ministry so I can learn to love others and be a servant." I have heard, "the church isn't meeting my needs" or "our music isn't really worshipful" or "my pastor didn't ________" or "that Sunday School class should have ________". I don't hear "God wants me to quit my job and take a lower salary so I can work with _______________" very often and when I do, the one who is doing that gets rave reviews until their kids go without a "new" pair of shoes. Or you find out they didn't have grocery money and instead of buying them groceries we hear "they shouldn't put their kids in that type of environment." I know, you may feel these to be extreme examples, but believe me, they are more common that my ears have wanted to hear. Put yourself in harms way and you may be called a KOOK ! Talk about reaching out to people that others are intimidated by (that can be board room of corporate or bum on the corner) and you'll find the church with it's own thoughts, for instance, you may be told you don't belong in that world or we really need them in our church. Listen, not all are called to do things in this type of fashion and would rather be the ones God calls to be successful financially so you can give instead of go. Instead we give out of guilt instead of conviction and qustion where we are with God when things don't match our own description of what God should do.
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Listen to this passage... Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47 KJV). Who added? God. What type of people were among them, if you look earlier you'll see, the passage says, And all that believed were together, and had all things common; (Acts 2:44 KJV). I am not naive, I know humans are well.... human! That's the real reason that God has to be the one to add, and when he does, he doesn't choose any unneeded body parts.
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To close let's look back at our little guy (Ezekiel) in the valley of bones...
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Reviewing where we've come from...
G He was taken by God to the valley in the beginning, He leads us into the same occasionally, read Acts 16 to see where God kept the apostle Paul from preaching the gospel to group of people, not once, but twice before giving him the go ahead to preach in Macedonia.
G He was told by God speak to bones that had no promise of life apart from the one giving the command. Think you have some insight or something to say, apart from God's word, you've got nothing.
G His obedience allowed God to do what Ezekiel needed to be a part of. Understand this, if you don't step up to the plate, God will find others, ask Moses, Elijah or Barnabas.
G Once he was obedient, God began to move among the death before him
G In his awe, he heard the noise of God moving and witness the power of God working right before his eyes.
G Lastly for our review, The only way he saw all that he did was when he followed God's plan to get it done. Be careful, you plan is full of holes, if it has any fabric to it all.
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Now the icing, the cake and the ice cream. Israel was God's Old Testament "Church". The called ones who were to be "salt and light" to the world. They, like us, blew it when they started whining about what they didn't have. "No meat", "No king", "No strength", "No army big enough", "No _________" go do your homework.
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God wants to "party" and he desires to include us, so if we get anything along the way to feed our souls it will be due to our commitment to see "...the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple." (Isaiah 6:1 KJV).
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I can't end this without another reading assignment, there will be no more said about the passage you're about to be challenged to read, but here are some hints as to what to look for... What music was used at this revival. What style of preaching was used at this revival? What evangelism plan was used in this revival? What discipleship program was used in this revival? What passage of scripture was read at this revival? What happened when the preacher "read the word" at this revival? When you answer those questions then you'll have a different focus as to what "church" really means.
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Till next time, read Nehemiah chapters 8 and 9 for your reading assignment. Re-read it if you don't get the answers to all the questions above. Feel free to leave your insights for others to read in the comment section of the blog.
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God bless...

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Rabbits and Snails, the Other White Meat?

Well if snakes are not your type, then maybe a furry little Rabbit is more your style. At this point I must plead your forgiveness, if you are an "animal" person then you are probably find it offensive to hear me talk of rabbits as food, but in my home growing up, it was a staple during hunting season. But rest assured, no rabbits OR snails will be harmed in the writing of this blog entry.
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Have you ever met anyone who had it all together? I am sure you have, even if they didn't they went to great lengths to convince you they did. Well if you've seen one of those people then you've probably met a rabbit. I hope my observations are such that you can identify this animal in the Christian world when I expose it's cute little hop.
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Well let's shine a little light on this furry little nuisance. It's the curse of the "HAVES" and "HAVE-NOTS". I've not only met these folks but at one point in my life I was one. It's a difficult reality and I guess that's what makes me want to be up front about it. Some of you reading this have known me for more years than I will admit in this paragraph.
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Let me explain, some of you may not be on the same page. If you remember the old story of the hare and turtle. That little race that all knew who would win. Well you're beginning to get the picture then. The "Rabbits" are good at telling you where you're not keeping up. It can be anything from praying in public (oh my can a rabbit pray in public, they're so far ahead) to being able to quote Bible verses. It's always "Don't you know about that?" or "I've known that for along time (here the "I'm ahead of you").
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Rabbits are good at running ahead. Let me give you an example from scripture. Round 1... And a certain teacher of the law got up and put him to the test, saying, Master, what have I to do so that I may have eternal life? And he said to him, What does the law say, in your reading of it? And he, answering, said, Have love for the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and for your neighbour as for yourself. And he said, You have given the right answer: do this and you will have life. But he, desiring to put himself in the right, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbour? (Luke 10:25-29 BBE). Hear the "I've got that one mastered", but what this rabbit did not know was that he wasn't messing with a deacon in a church, or some pastor, or even the little old person who was born in church and still hangs out there 100 years later. He had a big one on the line, the Son of God himself. Let's move on to Round 2... And Jesus, answering him, said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he got into the hands of thieves, who took his clothing and gave him cruel blows, and when they went away, he was half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he went by on the other side. And in the same way, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, went by on the other side. But a certain man of Samaria, journeying that way, came where he was, and when he saw him, he was moved with pity for him, And came to him and put clean linen round his wounds, with oil and wine; and he put him on his beast and took him to a house and took care of him. And the day after he took two pennies and gave them to the owner of the house and said, Take care of him; and if this money is not enough, when I come again I will give you whatever more is needed. (Luke 10:30-35 BBE). OOPS, what happened? The first one, the priest, well he was way ahead, he could not break his stride and dirty himself with this project. The second one, the Levite, hear his pace, he also passed by, gotta wonder if there was a "America's Funniest Home Video's" back then, what the look on these two's face would have been, oh well, only speculation. Round 3, the knockout punch... Which of these three men, in your opinion, was neighbour to the man who came into the hands of thieves? And he said, The one who had mercy on him. And Jesus said, Go and do the same. (Luke 10:36-37 BBE) If you can't hear it, Jesus is saying, be like the "dog" and you'll be alright. If you've ever had a big lovable dog, you know they like to lick your face and get all over you to show affection. Good illustration if you ask me, but Jesus didn't ask me, it was good without my commentary. By the way, something else most big dogs like to do... chase rabbits and kill them. Just a thought.
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Es cargo, can't say as I ever had it before, but one thing is sure, this little beast is another one of those dinner table topics that can turn stomachs. Just the mention and you can hear people "argh" or "yuck". So what do this slow moving little slimy creatures look like in the Christian world? Well, I'm glad you asked, I would have not been able to finish without your help.
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There are probably more than two types of snails in the real world, maybe in the church world, but I want to look at two of them today. I'm not sure it makes a snail go slow but I can't say that I would be able to move that fast either with my house on my back.
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You see, there are people, who because of their "load" can be seen as "burdensome" to churches. What usually happens is that these "obstacles" in our church growth plan don't live up to the speed we need to be "a success". What we lack is the vision to see the "down and out" as the means by which God creates real growth, whether numerically or not is immaterial. so for this first species of snails, take a few moments, stop to pick one up and help it's progress by going with it. Just remember, some snails in this group are afraid of heights, so you may have put them back down occasionally and travel at their speed to help them get to the destination. Do not put on one side him who is feeble in faith, and do not put him in doubt by your reasonings. (Romans 14:1 BBE) We who are strong have to be a support to the feeble, and not give pleasure to ourselves. (Romans 15:1 BBE)
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Take a deep breath, we're almost done. There are also people in the Christian world that are so steeped in their own way of thinking, no growth possible for them, they just crawl back into their shell and won't move. What's interesting about this phenomenon is that for some reason, I am not sure all the dynamics, their are able to get a number of people's attention and hold the whole church back. These snails also lack vision, let's see a sample of them in this passage... Then all the people gave load cries of grief, and all that night they gave themselves up to weeping. And all the children of Israel, crying out against Moses and Aaron, said, If only we had come to our death in the land of Egypt, or even in this waste land! Why is the Lord taking us into this land to come to our death by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will get into strange hands: would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, Let us make a captain over us, and go back to Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron went down on their faces before the meeting of the people. And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, two of those who had been to see the land, giving signs of grief, Said to all the children of Israel, This land which we went through to see is a very good land. And if the Lord has delight in us, he will take us into this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. Only, do not go against the Lord or go in fear of the people of the land, for they will be our food; their strength has been taken from them and the Lord is with us: have no fear of them. (Numbers 14:1-9 BBE) Do you hear the tactics of these snails... "if only we had....." or a modern version "if only we hadn't" you fill in the blank in your life as a Christian or for your church. It always has to do with what should or should not be done. No true scripture background most times, just the statement of doubt. Note the difference in the "doubt" in these two different snails.
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One snail should not be looked upon as a burden, the other is a burden to be overcome.
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Well, that's enough for now, dessert is on it's way soon, we'll finish and probably just in time...
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I have to ESC-AR-GO! Sorry for the pun, but my fingers are getting a little tired and out of sorts...
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Till next time...

Friday, April 20, 2007

A Great Question Come Along...

I have a great question that was posed on the blog I would like to share. It truly gets at the heart of decision making when we put ourselves in a place we believe God has called us to. I am including my answer to the question, please feel free to help out on this one...
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Here is the comment/question... Yes, I do think God may call us to dead churches. But will He call us to allow or families to be buried alive under the influence of that church?
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Here is my response.... I can't speak for you and your circumstances but this is a great question. Many times God has called others to the brink of harm, Abraham and Isaac, Job and his children, Peter and John even Jesus himself. I do not mean to imply that this "martyr" mentality be our guide. What I am saying is that when we are following God's plan, even the deadliest of areas have no real threat to our security in Christ. For me, I have caused harm to those come to me sometimes by trying to do things that were not Scriptural, (sincere and seemed like the right thing to do) therefore could not be called of God, and had to make reconciliation with those I have hurt.
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If you have a particular area in mind it would be good to bathe this decision in prayer, scripture and Godly counsel from others. In closing, let me try to give you some helpful things to do when faced with a big decision.
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...First, make sure your own life is currently in fellowship with Jesus. This requires us to "take the beam out of our own eye" as Jesus said in Matthew 7. Many try to fix others or lead others without taking needed time to clear out our own fleshly struggles.
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...Second, do not take scripture and just say "I've found the answer." The possibility that God would call someone to sacrifice their child (Isaac) two times in scripture to prove his trust in a foundational promise to a man whose lineage would become a nation is pretty rare. As a matter of face, God does not repeat that scenario in scripture again. Be careful on just jumping to conclusions without study of the word and prayer.
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...Last, if you have not sought wise counsel from others, then you are short circuiting God's plan to "sharpen iron" (Prov. 27:17). A note on seeking counsel from others. You should speak to three different types (not three people per se) of "counsel". Choose a person who has your walk with the Lord at the heart of your friendship. Choose another person who is not involved with nothing to lose from the decision you are making. Then choose a person who is totally outside of all the stuff, maybe even an acquaintance, who has a Godly reputation. This last person could be a leader from another church.I pray that you have read this info and would love to hear personally from you if I can be of any help.
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Ok Blog fans, if you have any help, let's hear it. All I ask is that you understand this is a time for edification not complication...
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Rabbits and Snails are on the way...
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Till next time...

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Snakes, Rabbits, Snails and other tasty meats...

Ok, ok, so you're saying to yourself, how is that he doesn't write for a week at a time and then three times in two days...
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Well, I've just had some down time and I think too much when I have free time, it's a curse of us people with hyperactivity personalities.
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Now, on with the ramblings...
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Dessert is about set and our sweet ending will be soon, until it is completely done, here is another one of our conversational thoughts whilst we wait...
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I want you to use your creativity and imagination to help you with this entry, otherwise you'll miss the imagery. The setting is a dry place full of dead bones. You may have seen this one someplace before. You are called to be the life in a dead place (now I must say, some of you may be in a dead place, others of you perceive death but are missing the true nature of God's timing, see the previous blog entry). There are some prevailing winds of thought that blow through the Body of Christ in our current day, I want to examine a few of them for our dining conversation pleasure.
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Did you hear the one about the turtle and the rattle snake? One day a turtle was about to cross a river and the rattle snake asked him for a ride. "No, you'll bite me and kill me." "No I won't" said the rattle snake. "Oh yes you will" protested the turtle. "No trust me" replied the snake. The turtle decided to do just that. Once to the other side the rattle snake bit the turtle. With his dying breath, the turtle said "I thought you promised me you wouldn't bite me?" The snake replied, "you knew I would, it's my nature, I just convinced you I wouldn't long enough to get what I wanted."
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Let's consider the snake, a character from pages past in a garden created by God is not the one I'm referring to here. Dead Church... Snake... Dead Church... Snake... Dead Church... Snake... Oh sorry, I was leaning too heavily on the key board and my repeat setting is quite touchy. What does a snake have to do with a dead church? Well, to understand this little mystery let us go to a passage of interest for our point. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. (Jude 1:11-13 NKJV).
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Now, notice some words in this passage, "way of Cain" - jealousy, "error of Balaam - remember the donkey?, Korah - stood against Moses and Aaron, "spots, without fear" - they hurt an assembly because they aren't afraid of their divisive ways, "clouds without water" - ever been dry and watch the clouds (people who could help) walk by without sharing life giving water, "carried about with winds" - popularity, current trends, no foundation, "twice dead" - no big explanations here, they are just dead.
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Let me paraphrase, people who come to church for their own reasons and take and take until they don't get what they want anymore and then cry the place is dead! These are who I will refer to as snakes. Moving from idea to idea, church gimmick to church gimmick and wherever they go they "bite and devour". But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! (Galatians 5:15 NKJV) There have been many throughout history that have followed tradition until it killed them or their church, no room for fresh rain, no real foundation other than the roots of tradition they built (note, not scriptural foundation). By the same token there have been many who have belabored their church with every new fad that comes along and have run the Holy Spirit out the same way the traditionalists have but holler about how we're not "keeping up". Blaine Allen (Author of Before You Quit: When Ministry Is Not What You Thought) when talking about the Israelites crying for meat in the wilderness because they didn't want manna, says it this way, "The pressure is there... The intense pressure to produce to look like a... winner. The wise leader asks, 'Who determined the need.' The church down the street? The church growth movement? Pie chart graphs? Forbes magazine? Statistics on plateaued ministries? Who determined the need (of the church)? Remember God determined the need (manna) Remember there is only one Sovereign. He alone maintains the the right to define 'needs'."
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In our world of "meeting needs" mentality in church I want you to think about this statement made about a man you may be familiar with... "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he... And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed. Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." (speaking of Jesus here) (Matthew 11:11 NKJV), (John 10:40-41 NKJV) John the baptist, no big campaign, and by many peoples definition a loser because it cost him his head. By the way, there's something to be said for the man or woman who will stick it out until they have lost their life living for God's purpose. But Jesus said no greater man was born. Be careful, some of you are to eat, act and be some pretty strange people, but that does not mean without the "miracles" that they are dead.
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Some snakes jump from church to church, some stay forever it seems in the same place, either way, unless God changes them, they will always have the same nature. Watch out for their bite.
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We'll examine Rabbits and snails in our next conversation.
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Till next time

Dessert is on it's way...

Before dessert is served, I want to engage in a few conversational thoughts, after all this is a progressive meal and we have time on our journey to the next destination to talk...
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Sometimes we don't understand God's timing. It can be very difficult if we are in "dead" or "dry" circumstances to wait God out. But if you know you are called to particular ministry or church, then you must be able to persevere with God's purpose in mind. Here is an excerpt from Paul Harvey that I think shows one particular aspect of God's timing...
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Mrs. Paul, the choir director for the West Side Baptist Church in Beatrice, Nebraska, along with her daughter Marilyn, the church pianist, was never late for choir practice. To the contrary, both habitually arrived fifteen minutes before the 7:30 P.M. scheduled startup. but no on the evening of March 1. Unknown to her mother, rather than getting ready, Marilyn was catching up on some Z's. When Marilyn woke up at 7:15, she and Mrs. Paul knew that their perfect attendance record was spoiled. Come 7:30 P.M. this Wednesday night the choir director and the church pianist would not be there.
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Not necessarily earth shaking except... Ladona Vandegrift, a high school sophomore, was having trouble with her homework. Like Mrs. Paul and Marilyn, Ladona knew that practice began promptly, and she always came early. But this evening she was detained by a particularly baffling geometry problem.
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Royena Estes and her sister Sadie were ready to leave their house on time, but their car wouldn't start. so the two sisters called Ladona and asked her to pick them up. Because Ladona was working on her geometry, the Estes sisters had to wait.
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Ordinarily, Mrs. Schuster was ten minutes early for choir practice. but on the night of March 1 she was detained at her mother's house. The two were preparing for a missionary meeting.
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Herb Kipf was at his own home and would have been early too. but he needed to write an urgent letter, a letter he had put of writing for some time.
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Joyce Black probably would not have been early, but she would have been on time. It was just so cold that evening, she wanted to stay in the house until the last possible minute. So she was late.
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Harvey Ahl would have been on time, but his wife was out of town. That left him in charge of their two young sons. A friend had invited Harvey the the boys out to dinner. Engrossed in pleasant conversation, Harvey was late.
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Lucille Jones and Dorothy Wood were high school girls and lived next door to each other. Lucille was listening to a half-hour radio program that began at seven o'clock. She just had to hear how it ended. Dorothy waited for her.
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Pastor Klempel and his wife were always on time for the choir practice, but not on the evening of March 1. Pastor Klempel's wristwatch - the accuracy of which he was so proud - was five minutes slow that night. the remaining choir members had valid excuses.
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At 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday March 1, 1950, no one showed up for choir practice at the West Side Baptist Church.
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At 7:30 P.M., the basement furnace ignited, setting of a natural gas leak. The furnace blew directly below the choir loft - the empty, and silent, choir loft. (can you hear Paul Harvey's voice here)
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I can hear Paul Harvey now... "Good Day"
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I can't know what good or bad is happening in your life or how the "dead" or perceived "dead" is affecting you right now, I can only encourage you to wait.
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I'm not good at it, so if you don't mind, I'll close now...
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I've got some waiting of my own to do...
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Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. - Psalm 27:14

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

LET'S TAKE A MOMENT AND PRAY...

If you've seen the news you know the sad circumstances at Virginia Tech. For those of us who know the worth and power of prayer, I call you together, take a moment, now if you can, and say a prayer for these families. As the father of two college students, I can't imagine my response if it happened on their campus.
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If you need help, wondering what to pray for, here are some suggestions...
...Families whose child has been killed, pray for the grief, anger and bitterness and other difficult emotions that can come out of this type of tragedy.
...Law enforcement, there is nothing more daunting that a high profile case with media on one side, legislatures on another side and grieving families, all who want answers you may not be able to give.
...School officials, a burden this great will change their lives, maybe their careers.
...Peace, God is the only one who can handle this or any other tragedy in our lives and give peace to those who are going through a dark valley.
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I have said all these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble: but take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 BBE)
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Keep a card on your desk or in your pocket to remind you to pray for these individuals.
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Thanks for caring enough to pray.
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Bill

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

THEN THE DEAD BONES MOVED...

Okay, put your forks down...
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The first course of this progressive dinner is over and the next course awaits...
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Don't worry, you can go back if you wish, just take a moment to sample the succulent offerings on our next platter...

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You will need that fork with the longer tines on it, the salad fork of last weeks meal will not do here.
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If you've read Ezekiel 37 then you know that after God moves Ezekiel into the valley and tells him to observe the condition of the bones, he puts him to work. Let's take a few moments for reflection on this next chapter in the "Question"...
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G Ezekiel's first call to action was, Thus Says The Lord...


Say to these bones...
If you're like me, you've talked to people in this place before. Some of you reading this may be in this place right now. I have spoke to those who don't want to listen, no matter the topic they are not going to listen, even if it's going to cause them harm. I've seen these people in the youth I've taught, the adults I've preached to and the guy whose hair I comb. All of us at one time or another finds themselves a little dry. Maybe not bleached like these bones in the valley, but nonetheless, not giving your "A" game. Problem one, when man speaks, some listen, but it doesn't make any difference. Mark said it well, "what would it profit a man if he gained the whole world (like having success, popularity, money, whatever) and lose his own soul" (Mark 8:36) Here God speaks, not Ezekiel, he is only the "speaker". I know, I know, not everyone listens when God speaks, but some day all of them will, "every knee will bow, every tongue confess". So the first thought as we put this gourmet morsel on our theological pallet, when God moves, everyone moves, if not immediately, eventually.
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G After God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, the valley
starts to rattle...
Your toe bone connected to your foot bone.Your foot bone connected to your ankle bone.Your ankle bone connected to your leg bone.Your leg bone connected to your thigh bone.Your thigh bone connected to your hip bone.Your hip bone connected to your back bone.Your back bone connected to your shoulder bone.Your shoulder bone connected to your neck bone.Your neck bone connected to your head bone.Now hear the word of the Lord. The noise must have been overwhelming and yet, Ezekiel spoke away! Second helping in our tasty meal, God and God alone is the agent of change in a life that's dead, we're only the vessel. No cup ever said to it's owner, here let me go get you some water and you won't be thirsty anymore. It is not the cups prerogative as to what it holds or where it goes to get the life giving fluid.
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G Once the "noise began" God took the assembly and
caused it to be connected...
"And looking I saw that there were muscles on them and flesh came up, and they were covered with skin". (Ezekiel 37:8 BBE). This is an important step, without the "extras" those bones were still dry and not going anywhere, let alone in God's direction. Spoonful number three, when God begins to move, watch his attention to detail. You see, God didn't need Ezekiel to jump in and tape some skin on or sew some tendons into place, he spoke God's word and the power of God made things happen. One last thing before I finish with our dessert for the evening, BE CAREFUL, our tendency here is to say AMEN but put our "take" on this process. I.E. "a true believer will act like...", "if you really love the Lord you'll...", "you don't _______ like you're supposed to...". That's all our denominational takes, not our Saviors ways. Jesus said this, By this it will be clear to all men that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. (John 13:35 BBE), and then there is the ever poplular words of Jesus to the "religious" of the day, "And he said to him, Have love for the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest rule. And a second like it is this, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself. On these two rules all the law and the prophets are based. (Matthew 22:37-40 BBE) the "have" and "have not" attitudes do not show the world love, but division, a sign of the enemy. A good indication of God moving among us is the prayer Jesus said in John 17, "I pray they will be one as you and I Father are one."
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G Now, the last spoonful of this evening meal, even after all this activity, one phrase says it all... but there was no breath in them. (Ezekiel 37:8 BBE). You see, all the noise and activity didn't bring life. Remember Elijah... Then he said, Go out and take your place on the mountain before the Lord. Then the Lord went by, and mountains were parted by the force of a great wind, and rocks were broken before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earth-shock, but the Lord was not in the earth-shock. And after the earth-shock a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a soft breath.
(1 Kings 19:11-12 BBE). Don't rule out the noise, but don't count on it to be God.
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Well, that should keep you chewing for a while.
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Till Next Time, Happy Smorgasbord.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

OK, OK, I'M NOT DEAD... OR ...EXCUSES ARE LIKE ARMPITS

No, I'm not dead...
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Have you heard the old saying... "Excuses are like armpits, everyone has a couple and they both stink." I've got a couple and as the saying goes, well, you get the picture...
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Thanks for your patience, I hope you've had plenty of time to catch up on your reading project. If not, you are not going to want to proceed reading this blog entry until you do.
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Well, what'sa been up to? I've been having a great life with 9 new cancer patients referred to our ministry. That's not really great for them, but I'm thankful we've have the confidence of others who feel thay can call us when they have a friend whose facing cancer...
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Now back to our regularly scheduled program...
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Remember the question? Would God ever call us to attend a dead church? Many of you have chimed in and I'm looking forward to the comments after we jump into this quagmire.
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So, here we go...
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Both hands forward, now lean into the dive...
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Ezekiel 37 is a wonderful passage full of interesting things about God's character and his love for His people, here are a few observations of this to start our journey...
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G God is clearly the one who knows the condition of things...
...........................................and people...
Carefully note the following phrases...
"valley full of bones" Vs. 1
" there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry." Vs. 2
"And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live" Vs. 3
" I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live" Vs. 5
" and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD." Vs. 6
"but there was no breath in them." Vs. 8
So Virginia, yes, God truly is the only one who knows if something is dead, but sometimes he allows others, for the sake of the dead one, to see it.
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G God is the one who decided that Ezekiel was to go to the
..........................................valley of "dry bones."
You can tell me all you want that God has "CALLED" you to judge whether the bones were dry, but in reality, he put Ezekiel in this valley and set him before "death"to teach him and his "congregation" (Israel) a lesson.
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G Even if Ezekiel wanted to raise the dead without God,
.........................................he would have found it "impossible."
"And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest." Vs. 3
When asked if the condition would change he did not answer "of course not".instead he turned the question to the one who knew the answer. Whether you like it or not, God's questions to you and I are not for HIM
to find information, instead they are for YOU AND I to learn truth. When you look at Jobs life (probably the one who asked God the most questions in scripture next to the writer of the psalms) you see an interesting course of events.
First, God didn't answer his questions. You need to understand this point before you move on. God owes you no answers, if he decides to let you in on what he is doing, it's so you will find the path of obedience, not the path of intelligence.
Second, when Job got done asking questions, God asked a few of his own, all of which were rhetorical (which means the answers were obvious).
Last and certainly not least, Jobs questions, the lack of answers and Gods little quiz only brought Job to the natural conclusion all of us would come to if in his place,
"Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:1-6 NKJV)
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My brain is tired and it's getting late, till next time, I think I've given you enough to chew on
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Happy molars!