Chill pills for all

This weeks blog entry is based on a communion meditation a friend of mine gave one Sunday morning. (thanks Craig)  You're going to have to use your imagination.  Picture with me in your mind I'm holding one white pill in each hand.  To the naked eye they're identical.  Each one is perfectly round and smooth.  They both look like they were made in the same facility.  There's only one major difference.  The pill in my right hand is an aspirin.  The pill in my left hand is cyanide.  One pill could save your life, the other take it.  The pill in my right hand is used worldwide to relieve aches and pains, to reduce fever, and as an anti-flammatory.  The pill in my left hand has been used to deliberately kill thousands throughout history.  Seemingly the same but huge, major differences.  The same can be said about world religions.

About a month ago I was home on a day off when the doorbell rang.  I answered the door and found two well dressed young men.  One of the men asked me if I died today where would I find myself tomorrow.  I told him Heaven.  I guess that was the right answer because both of them smiled.  I was asked if our family attended a church and what I felt my role in that church was.  I answered yes and to seek the lost and help them on the road to becoming a disciple of Christ.  Also, to live my life in a way that God would be glorified in my every action, realizing that I would fail but with God's help is very possible.  Both of their expressions changed, I guess they didn't like that answer.  After a couple more minutes of talking I finally got it out of them they were representatives for the Mormons.  Our conversation abruptly ended when I brought up my personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Turns out they don't think everyone can develop that personal relationship; or maybe they thought I was already "brainwashed".  Only certain men that they deem "worthy" are allowed to be trained to receive revelations from God.  I don't want this to turn into something that just slams without building up too.  These two men have been caught up in a religion that limits their relationship with God, the creator.  To them Jesus was nothing more than a founder of the LDS church...sad, very sad.  The worst part is if you look at the LDS church and your typical Non-denominational church you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  Both reach out to the misfortunate.  Both teach giving tithes and offerings.  Both have beautiful buildings filled with happy beautiful people.  But, only one will allow you to have a close personal relationship with your Lord and Savior.  When you take Jesus out of the equation there's a problem.  John 14:6  "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  Jesus IS the way, the only way to get to God.

Here's a simple test.  First, don't get caught up in a "religion".  Anything can be a religion.  Instead, you want to develop a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  How to do this may be a future blog entry.  Second, if any of the teaching puts someone else above Jesus...don't do it.  This only makes something or someone more important than Jesus.  Don't forget that Jesus is God in flesh.  How can anyone or anything be more important than that?  The reason Jesus came to the world was to save us from ourselves.  I know, I know...there's alot more that I haven't touched on.  I want you to understand that without Jesus we wouldn't stand a chance.  The world would just chew us up and spit us out, then go to the next poor sap.  1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”  God know's the way of man and unfortunately people are going to try and profit using God.  Check things with God's word.  If something sounds too good too be true then maybe it is.  If something smells kind of fishy then maybe that's telling you something.  We all have to be very careful because the world is getting better at making things sound biblical and churchy. God's word has stood the test of time, it's perfect and true and really all we need.  I use a webpage to help me do this, biblegateway.com .

I thought it might be appropriate to close with the final words written in the book of Revelation.  This is Revelation 22:18-21  I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.   He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.  Amen.  This may or may not apply to just the book of Revelation, but, check this out.  Deuteronomy 4:2 "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you."    Sorry Joseph Smith, sorry Sun Myung Moon,  sorry Dalai Lama and this last one may get me in trouble...sorry Pope.  (the Pope is still alive...right?) 

I feel like I'm leaving this weeks entry open and unfinished.  I guess I hope that  I've said something to light a small spark in you to dig a little deeper in God's word.  Feel free to comment, maybe drop me an idea.  Trust me, you won't hurt my feelings if you don't like what I've said.

Peace...

totalheel 

Sweet minute of prayer

Ok, here's the scene. The year is 1972. The American troops were leaving Vietnam. Bellbottoms are in as well as flared collar silky shirts. You either had long hair with wings or a bowl cut...guess which one I had. We're sitting in our kindergarten class and the teacher, Ms. Asbury, is talking about how long a minute is. My mom had already taught me how to count seconds so I was ready. We were all asked to count 60 seconds. I began, in my head of course...one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, etc... Before I could reach 18, one of the other guys threw up his hand and yelled he was finished. The teacher smiled and said just as I thought, you all need practice. I immediately stood up and yelled I didn't need this lesson, I already knew how. To prove it I began to count out loud; so loud that I couldn't hear the teacher asking me to stop. Back in the early 70's the teachers had special ways to punish us, my teacher was no exception. While the other kids went outside to play I was left in the classroom. I was standing, arms straight out beside me with palms up and a school book balanced on each hand. All this while counting to 60. I had to do this 30 times...guess how long that recess was?

What in the world would make me remember that? I'll tell you. This past weekend I went to a men's retreat at Camp Allendale. The guest speaker was a slow southern talking minister from eastern Tennessee. His name was Tommy Oaks. Tommy told stories, he was very good at it, so good in fact that he has a Doctorate (PhD) in story telling. Dr Tommy introduced a concept that I think will revolutionize prayer. Here it is...pray for 60 seconds five times a day. Math was never my strong subject. That's 5 minutes a day, 35 minutes a week, 2 hours 20 minutes a month and finally...28 hours a year. That's more than having your own personal 24 hour prayer vigil. Pretty cool. One minute at a time. Dr Tommy was trying to get 1,000 people to sign up and take the committment to pray for one minute five times daily. That comes out to 28,000 hours a year. I don't know about you but I think 28,000 additional hours of prayer a year will make a huge difference in the world.
How do you start? Well, listen closely because here comes the tricky part. Last night I was at Wal-mart buying something to eat. It's 2am, remember I work a goofy schedule, and the only other people around are stocking shelves. I walk up to the checkout and there stands Edgar the Wal-mart night shift cash register guy. We'll call him Ed for short. Get your pen and paper ready because here it comes. I asked Ed how he was doing and he told me he would be alot better if his wive's knee would stop hurting. Inside I'm estatic, God just gave me something to pray about. On the outside I'm soaking up all I can. Ed and his wife had been married for 37 years, she has a bad knee and the surgery so far hadn't relieved any of her pain. All this started by asking "How are you?" Now...what do I do with this? As I turned to walk out I realized it would take at least a minute to walk to my truck. See where I'm going with this? One minute down, four to go, but don't stop there. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing." Sometimes you can take that time just to thank God for what He's done for you. Sometimes you can sing to Him or simply just be quiet and listen and allow Him to speak to you.

Dr Tommy said to have a way to remind you. He and his family use an I-phone app that sounds an alarm 5 times a day. When the alarm sounds then it's time to pray. I haven't found a way to remind me yet. I don't have a fancy phone. Till I find a more fool proof method I'll rely on God to provide. The title of this weeks entry is "Sweet minute of prayer". Dr Tommy gave me permission to use and talk about this. They have a website I would encourage you to check out, sweetminuteofprayer.com. Kinda catchy.

In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Take a minute and talk to God or just let God talk to you. It's amazing, truly amazing.

Peace...

totalheel

Holy Week Batman

Last weekend we just experienced my favorite holiday, Easter. Easter is one of those holidays that last all week, let me explain. Have you ever wondered why all the extra days? Don't we just need one day to get chocolate and look for eggs? (thank you Wal-mart for ruining the resurrection) I do like chocolate and every once in a while I'll enjoy a boiled egg or two. I think people all over the world have missed the point and don't know what Easter is truly about. Step into my time machine and go back with me...back to a time when thongs were sandals.

Can you think of a better way to end your ministry than what we call Holy Week? Up to this time Jesus had turned water to wine, made a blind man see and He brought people back to life. These are just a few of the many miracles He performed. He spoke with such authority and confidence that people wanted to follow Him just to listen. So much authority that the Clerics and Priests of the day felt threatened. The final week of Jesus' earthly life was a whirlwind of activity.

The week begins with Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. The people were shouting "Hosanna" and waving and laying down palm branches before Him. Jesus knew the same people that were praising Him would soon be crying out for Him to be crucified. He didn't come to kick out the Romans as the people thought. He came to fulfill His destiny on the cross. If there happened to be someone that didn't know Jesus arrived; they sure knew after He entered the Temple. Jesus cleansed the Temple by chasing off the money changers and flipping tables. Several people had "set up shop" and turned the Tabernacle into an indoor mall. This didn't go over too well with Jesus. After everything had been cleared up the blind and lame came to Him and He healed them. This made the Clerics and Priests furious and they began to look for a way to arrest Jesus.

On Tuesday Jesus predicted His execution and argued with the Priests answering their questions that eventually lead to His arrest. Meanwhile back at the Temple Judas completed the contract to betray Jesus and identify Him to the Romans.

Maundy Thursday is one of those days that some wonder is there was some kind of horrible mispelling. That afternoon Jesus dined with His disciples in the upper room. I know you've seen the picture made famous by Leonardo Da Vinci. During this meal Jesus introduced communion to symbolize the crucifixion so that we may never forget His sacrifice. I have heard two different perspectives on what this day meant. One, it's Jesus' way to show His disciples humility and service by washing their feet. Two, it signifies how we turned/turn our back on Him. Think about it. This day will end horribly for Jesus. He told the disciples that the one who dips bread with will be the one who betrays Him. Judas was sitting next to Jesus so He meant that literally. Things were falling into place, just as scripture said.

Later that evening Jesus took three disciples, Peter, John and James to the Garden of Gethsemane. I feel this next scene was the best proof we have of Jesus' human side. After leaving the three disciples to watch, Jesus found a quiet spot and prayed. Matthew 26:39 “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” The bible tells us that Jesus was very troubled and uneasy about what He was sent to do. It was here that Judas led a group of Roman guards to arrest Jesus.

After He was arrested, Jesus was passed around to different government officials. They knew that they had nothing against Him so they finally decided to allow the people to decide His fate. Crucify Him, they shouted. The same people that cried out Hosanna are now demanding His death. Pilate (the Governor) offered the people a choice, Jesus or a man named Barabbas. Barabbas was a known and convicted killer. The people chose him to be released instead of Jesus. I'm not going to get into the torture and beating Jesus took before He was hung on the cross. I will say that most average men wouldn't have survived it. Jesus was tired from no sleep and was made to carry His own cross. He was already bloody from the beating. It's believed that Jesus hung on the cross for about 3 hours before His death. Without trying to get all medically technical, the cause of Jesus' death was a broken heart...literally. His heart exploded. At that precise time, Jesus took on the sin of the world. God, the Father, turned His back on His son and allowed Him to die bearing all that sin. No wonder His heart exploded. This moment in time changed everything. Time as they knew it was now different. We would now use AD instead of BC. The curtain that kept us from God was now torn and gone. The sky turned black as night for 6 hours. No more would we have to sacrifice animals for forgiveness, the blood of Christ covered all of that now.

Jesus, God's son, was now dead, filled with the sin of all man kind. Sin has no place in the presence of a perfect God so Jesus was sent to Hell. In Hell Jesus proved His power over evil and defeated Satan. Revelation 1:18 I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Finally on the third day Jesus proved to the world He was who He said He was...the son of God. He rose from the dead. Death had been defeated, sin had been conquered through His blood. Direct access to God had been given to us through Jesus. I'm so thankful Jesus did this for me, now I don't have to face eternity in Hell. I know there's probably a better way to tell this story and help you understand.

If you would like to learn more about these events that changed the world read Luke 19:28 to the end of luke, chapter 24.

Peace...

totalheel

Waking at 3:16

I work a swing shift which means every other week I work nights and sleep days. When I say morning it's really the afternoon in the real world. One of the few things I like about the shift work is when I'm sleeping in the daytime I don't set an alarm clock. Most of the time my internal alarm clock wakes me after 6 or 7 hours of sleep. This morning (afternoon) wasn't any different. My eyes opened, I rolled over and noticed the clock read "3:16". This is going to sound a little strange. God spoke to me at that moment. It's hard to explain, I didn't hear an audible voice but I felt compelled to check out some scripture. I felt led to read the 3:16 verses of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). This would be chapter 3, verse 16 of each book. Sorry if my description is too much information (TMI), I just want you to understand where I'm at.

Matthew 3:16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
Cool, the baptism of Jesus. If you continue and read verse 17 it says the voice of God bellowed from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Two things come to mind, first it reminds me of the trinity. This is the first time we hear of these three together. Second it reminds me of the what baptism symbolizes, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. And let's not forget the receipt of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 3:16-19 He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
To me, this is a reminder of the great things Jesus did with mediocre guys. You have 4 fishermen: Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. One guy, Phillip, was listed as a friend to Simon Peter and Andrew. Matthew, the tax collector and Simon the Zealot...a political mercenary. The rest of the guys they're not sure what they did. This sure looks like a strange bunch of guys to change the world. I won't say that I'm better off than any of these guys. I can say that I'm a college educated guy working in an advanced technical field of electronics, big deal. These guys had the trump card, Jesus. He hand picked these men because He wanted disciples not fishermen or tax collectors. Jesus wants me to be a Christian that happens to work with electricity.

Luke 3:16 John (the Baptist) answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
This reminds me that the only way is through Jesus. Do not follow man and get caught up in smooth talking preachers.

John 3:16,17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
This is the grand daddy of them all. How many times have you been watching a sporting event and some guy with a rainbow afro is waving a poster with this on it? One thing I've noticed is they always leave off verse 17. I think verse 17 is more important than verse 16. Let me tell you why. Jesus came to save me, not condemn me. His motive for the trip wasn't to see how many He could point the finger at and send to hell. Trust me, He is the only one in history that could do this. He didn't come for that, He came so that you and I would have a chance to accept His free gift of grace. Yes He loves you and I. He loves us so much He wants to spend eternity with us and was willing to give up everything. Everything meaning a throne in heaven, countless angels to serve Him, unexplainable beauty.

God can work through an alarm clock. Some may say that's reaching and creating an illusion of God's presence. How big is your God? My God works through all creation. He can be your God too.

Peace...

totalheel

Beware of Angels

Before I start, I gotta tell you this week's entry might get some people mad at me.

Hollywood has given us a confused understanding of angels and ghosts from helping us understand the meaning of Christmas to making pottery. It's a common misconception that after we die we are issued wings while standing in heaven's check-in line. Well, I do believe we'll be able to fly but without the assistance of wings. I believe we will experience amazing, wondrous and unexplainable things. The next thing they'd have us believe is that we're assigned someone, somewhere to protect. I don't know about you, but when I die I don't want a job...I want to enjoy being in the presence of God.

There's only one ghost I believe in, the Holy Ghost. I'm sorry but I never have and probably never will believe in ghosts. Ghosts are something people concocted to explain things they deem unexplainable. I do believe in demons though because the bible tells me they are real. Oh boy, here we go throwing out the holy lingo again. Throughout the gospels, Jesus drives demons out of people. The demons even recognize Him and beg Him to be merciful (Matthew 8:28-34). That's a strange behavior for something with such evil intent. Demons are actually fallen angels driven out of heaven by God after a failed uprising by Lucifer. Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Thanks to Hollywood this sounds a little far fetched and hard to believe, but it's true. I don't know if demons want to make Grandmas dress fly around or slam doors. I do know they love to possess people and cause all kinds of chaos. Even today, the Vatican teaches a class on Demonic Exorcism, real stuff.

Angels are the touchy subject too. Everyone wants to believe that Uncle Biff (random name) is now this great angel sent back to protect us from stepping in front of a speeding FedEx van. Angels are God's work force, created to solely serve Him. These beings have no gender, no soul and have no faith. They are like an army with different ranks from general down to foot soldiers. Some exist for the sole purpose of praising God all the time.
1.Seraphim constantly praise God and His creation.
2.Cherubim protect the throne of God.
3.Archangels are the highest ranking angels, it means 'chief angel'.
4.Angels are the lowest ranking angels, and the closest to humankind. They are also the most recognized. They are God’s messengers and also serve as intercessors.
Angels are used throughout God's word, announcing the arrival of Jesus (Luke 2:8-14), wrestling with Jacob (Genesis 32:22-32) and even to wipe out a generation (Exodus 12). To this day, the Jewish people still celebrate God sparing their lives when the death angel "passed over" their homes. I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't want to be an angel. These guys are like God's hitmen. My wife said that if an angel came to our door, she'd be terrified and wish she could run the other way. Yes, angels protect us and yes, angels are among us. However, we will never become angels. This is something I've struggled with myself. On July 8, 1995 God called my mom home, she lost her earthly battle with cancer and gained a heavenly home. I still think about her about every day. Sometimes in a crowd I hear her voice or smell her perfume. I know she's not really here but I still feel like she's with me. I look at it this way...why would I want to take her away from heavenly perfection and bring her back to protect me?

Like I said before, these are touchy subjects that Hollywood has graciously clouded and confused for us. Please take the time to explore God's word on these subjects.

Peace...

totalheel