I am proud to be a Christian 1st, an American 2nd

April 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

P1000764Galatians 2:20

New International Version (NIV)

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I love my country and I am proud to be an American.  This country has given me the opportunity to live a life very few who live outside of the United States can hope to.  My father, my brother, my father-in-law have all proudly served this country by serving in the military.  The Air Force, the Navy and Army are proudly represented by my family.  My brother was on the maiden voyage of the Carl Vinson which is the air craft carrier used to dump Bin Laden’s body into the depths of the sea.

I complain that my house is too small, my car is too old and my bank account is too empty.  But if held up to the world standard of wealth my family would rank in the top 1% of the richest in the world.  I can go the doctor anytime I need to and I have a great job that I groan and moan that I have to go to everyday.  I am spoiled.  I have no idea how good I have it here in the good ol’ US of A.

I have been to the slums of Juarez and slept on the concrete floor of a church while we built 2 small houses that would house 2 families of 8.  They were moving into a 800 square foot house after living in a deserted bus. But I was able  to go home to my suburban home and go to church where we were celebrated as heroes for going and spending 3 days in Juarez where others live in obscurity everyday of there lives and so happy to just be alive and loving Jesus.

I love America!  I fly my flag proudly.  But my identity is in Christ and my home is not here. It is with Jesus is heaven.  My goal in life is to live up to Jesus’ command:

Matthew 22:37-40

New International Version (NIV)

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And I am trying to be like the Apostle Paul:

 

 Philippians 4:11-13

New International Version (NIV)

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I am thankful for what I have and I need quit chasing what I do not have.  I have all I need and it all comes from Christ.  Thank you Jesus for all you have done for me and for allowing me to live in such a great country.

 

In Religion, Thoughts on Jesus
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The Desire of Your Heart

April 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

Growing up as a kid I learned to love baseball.  I played it everyday, all day long.

I can still smell the leather of desire of heartmy glove and feel the stitches of the ball on my fingers.  I can smell the freshly mowed grass of the outfield and I can still remember the wonderful crack of my wooden bat when I got a hold of a fastball on the barrel and watched it travel over the fence.  Man those were great days.  In the movie “Moneyball” Brad Pit, who plays the Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane, says “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” I could not agree more.

It was my life’s dream to play in the major leagues.  I wanted to wear the uniform of two teams, the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals.  I just was not good enough to play major league baseball.  And because of a bad arm at the age of 17 I put down my bat and glove for good.  I would go on to play softball but it wasn’t the same as facing a Nolan Ryan fastball.  I wonder if I would have felt my knees shake in fear had I gotten that opportunity.  But that is not what God had in store for me.

After I became a Christian and I started to understand what God meant by giving us the desire of our heart, it became more and more apparent it was about my desire melding with His desire.  My second love was fishing and I found out God wanted me to become a fisherman.  Not of bass or trout or even sailfish but of souls.  He wanted me to be a fisher of men just like Peter.

I still love to fish for fish and I still hold a love for baseball but my true love is to see people’s lives changed and transformed for eternity for Christ.  What is the desire of your heart?

 

In Journey with Jesus, Religion, Thoughts on Jesus
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The Marks of Faith

April 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

tumblr_m9bvba6Otn1rpac06o1_500I want to tell the story of two men of faith.  Both named Mark.  The Marks of Faith.  Both are incredibly strong believers and both are in a literal fight for their lives.  Please keep both of these men in your prayers and pass their stories to your prayer warrior friends.  The more people praying for them the better.

Mark #1 - I have known Mark for a very long time, probably over 20 years.  He has two sons and one daughter and an incredible wife.  A couple of months ago Mark was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.  Some people when they are told they have cancer they naturally get upset and wonder how they were chosen to be the recipient of this terrible disease.  I know if told I had cancer that is how I would react.  But not Mark.  Mark’s reaction was “Well God has allowed me to have this disease and I trust him with the outcome.”

Mark has not had one “oh whoa is me” moment.  Instead he has kept a very positive attitude and has trusted God.  He has endured 8 weeks of radiation and 8 hours of surgery so far.  The great news is today after the surgery and after the pathological report came back, the doctor declared Mark cancer free. He still has a long road ahead.  Mark faces recovery from his current surgery, one more surgery in 12 weeks and then 6 months of chemo.

Mark is the king of puns and calls himself “Chemo-sabe”.  My favorite memories of Mark are the pop bottle rocket fights we had with his kids in a field outside of Denver.  Yes it was not very smart but I assure you it was fun.  I still have a shirt with burn holes in it!  He is a good man and Jesus loves him and I do too.

Mark #2 – I have just started getting to know Mark and Sara Bender over the last couple of weeks.  Mark has an incredible story.  About 6 weeks ago Mark and Sara were in Hawaii celebrating their anniversary when tragedy hit literally out of nowhere.  Mark was body surfing when a rogue wave came up and flipped him over the front of his board and snapped his neck leaving Mark paralyzed.

Mark and Sara are from the Seattle area but now find themselves in Hawaii and instead of going home, are now having to spend several months at Craig Hospital in Denver.  The company Mark works for, HTC, generously allowed his family to fly from Hawaii to Denver in their corporate jet and have told him to not worry about his job.  Mark will have one waiting for him when he gets better.

I met Mark with a friend of mine at church on Palm Sunday at the hospital.  I will be honest I wasn’t sure what Mark would be like when I went into the hospital.  The person I met was smiling and welcomed Brad and I like he had known us a long time even though this was the first time we met him.  We spent some time talking about his injury and then with his family, Brad and I prayed and prayed with tears running down our cheeks asking God to heal Mark and give strength and courage to his family.

The doctors say that the prognosis for Mark to walk again is slim but Mark has faith in a very, very big and powerful God.  At that first meeting he was not really able to use his hands and now he has excellent motion with his arms and the doctors are amazed at the improvement  his hands and fingers have shown.

My wife and I went to see Mark and Sara last night and asked him how his faith had changed after the accident.  Mark said he has never been closer to Jesus.  He admits that he had taken a lot of things for granted before.  Don’t we all?  But now he is taking everything to the Lord and seeing and feeling him work.  Mark said he has never been closer to Jesus.

Mark and Sara are very active people who love the outdoors and taking in all of God’s creation.  Mark was training competitively for track cycling hoping to compete in the national championships.  That is still a goal he keeps in front of him as he endures hours of grueling rehab.  The Bender family has a faith not found in many people.  God has big plans for them during and after this journey.  I am so glad I got to meet them and become friends.  They are an inspiration to me.

Here is a link to the Bender support Facebook page.  They welcome any prayer support we can give.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-for-the-Benders/319325408170717

Both of these “Marks of Faith” live out Hebrews 11:1 in their lives everyday.  Their strong faith make me think about how I live my life.  How many things do I take for granted?  How many things do I complain about?  I am not sure I would handle the challenges they face with the same grace, humility and faith the “Marks of Faith” have shown.

 

In Journey with Jesus, Men of Christ, Religion
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Tenebrae Service at Rocky Mountain Community Church

April 8, 2013 — Leave a comment

TenebraeMaundy Thursday March 29, 2013 at Rocky Mountain Community Church we held our first Tenebrae service.  Tenebrae is Latin and means shadows or darkness.  The service took place in our sanctuary with all of the windows covered in black curtains, the lights were dimmed down so that the sanctuary was nearly in total darkness.  The only light in the sanctuary were several candles, with one special candle called the Christ candle.

During the service a person sang a very heartfelt song followed by another person reading a passage of scripture.  The passages were from Matthew 26:36 through Matthew 27:66 which tell the story of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.  After each passage of scripture was read the reader extinguished a candle.  At the end only the Christ candle remained lit. The darkness represented the torture of Jesus and the scattering of the disciples leaving Jesus utterly alone.

Then our Pastor carried the Christ candle out of the sanctuary followed by the singers and readers in complete silence.  The congregation then left the church in silence to contemplate the meaning of what they just witnessed.  It was one of the most moving and beautiful worship services I have attended in my Christian life.  I would post a video but the camera quit working at the start of the service.  It wasn’t meant to be filmed, it was meant to be experienced.

If you have never had the chance to experience a tenebrae service I urge you to try and find one next year during Holy Week.  I will guarantee you the Holy Spirit will move you to see Jesus’ suffering in a more meaningful and thankful way.

In Thoughts on Jesus
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What does God say about suicide?

April 7, 2013 — Leave a comment

In the past couple of days the internet is flooded with news about the tragic suicide of Pastor Rick Warren’s son.  No matter who the person is or what family that person came from news of someone taking their own life is possibly the worst news a person can hear.  I have personally known of a few young people who felt their was no hope and the only way to end their misery was to take their own life.  Each one hurts equally bad.  You always wish you could have been there to stop it but you weren’t.  Why did it have to happen?  What could possibly be in a person’s life that would cause them to such an extreme end?

I too dealt with the type of feelings in my own life many years ago.  I was young 18 year old who had his whole life ahead of him.  It was around Christmas time and I got really upset over something that happened.  Feelings of despair and worthlessness had been building in me for awhile. I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus to help me and I really felt alone, desperately alone. What caused the feeling isn’t really important but how I almost dealt with the feeling is.  I took out of the house and got into the car.  I decided I was going to end my pain by driving as fast as I could by running my car into the nearest pole without a seat belt on. I know, brilliant.  I got the car running as fast as I could but when I was about ready to point it at the pole, I felt something tell me not to do it.  So I didn’t, thankfully this one time in my life I listened and stopped.

Now that I am older I think back to all of the things I would have missed and all of the lives that would be different if I hadn’t listened.  I would not have met my wife, had beautiful girls, moved to Colorado, climbed a mountain, traveled the world, met my in laws.  But the biggest thing is I would not have known my savior, Jesus Christ and I would have spent my eternity separated from him.  Thank you Lord for saving me from my own pain and despair!

It’s interesting to note that their are several suicides recorded in the Bible:

Abimelech (Judges 9:54) – Dying of a skull fracture during a siege ordered his armor-bearer to kill him.

Samson (Judges 16:26-31) – Killed himself to gain revenge against the Philistines.

Saul (1Samuel 31:3-6) – Wounded and defeated in the battle with the Philistines, asked his armor-bear to kill him. When he refused, Saul fell on his own sword. The armor-bearer did likewise.

Ahithophel (2Samuel 17:1,23) – Plotted to overthrow David by advising Absalom, David’s rebellious son, to kill David. When his plan failed, he hanged himself.

Zimri (1 Kings 16:18) – Tried to take over the throne of Israel and when he failed, he burned down the palace around himself.

Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:4-5) – Hung himself after betraying Jesus.

Does-God-Care2Despair and depression can happen to anyone. Others have shared these feelings, even great people in the Bible have had these thoughts:

 Elijah

He (Elijah) came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.  1 Kings 19:4-5

 Paul

For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn-conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him.  2 Corinthians 7:5-7

If you are having feeling of anxiety, despair, hopelessness, depression coupled with suicidal thoughts, GET HELP.  Call Someone and  remember these things:

-          You are not alone.  God is with you.  You are precious to Him, even when you do not feel that is true.

 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

 And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 15:20

 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9

 -          If you do not have a relationship with God or have not pursued your relationship with Him for awhile, start one!  We fight an enemy who wants to see us fail, but God will help us win!  Believe and trust God and His promises to you.

 Genesis 22:1-19 – Abraham and Isaac.  Is there a more difficult task we could be asked to trust God with?

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23:19

 -          These thoughts and feelings are not of God.  We battle against an enemy who wants us to believe God doesn’t care.  We know He does!

  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.  John 16:33

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

 Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you. Deuteronomy 3:22

 -          Pray for strength and the ability to overcome these feelings

 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm 18:6

Psalm 5

Those of us who dealt with these are not alone, even when the enemy of life tells us differently.  God does care and he love us more than we can possibly know.

In Religion
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