As the last little bit of 2009 winds down, and the first decade of this millennium comes to an end, it's the time of year to reflect on the old, dream of the new, and commit to a re-alignment of life.  It's the reason New Year's resolutions are so popular this week.  

Most of the U.S. is under a blanket of winter weather, which gives us a great visual of what's to come.  The temporary death of the trees, the grass, and the crops, gives us hope the newness will emerge with even greater fervency. 

So as the last week draws to an end, I just wanted to take some time (all week) to spend on reflecting on the beauty of newness.  The Braner family has experienced A LOT of newness this year.  Some good.  Some not so good.  But one thing will remain, the beauty of the hope all things will be made more vibrant in the new year. 

As you read the posts for the week, feel free to join in the reflections.  Add new ideas, re-think your own positions, and together we can re-imagine life the way it was intended to be. 

Look forward to hearing from you this week.

I've spent the last year talking to teenagers all over the country about relationships.  It's been a while since a dating book has hit the shelves discussing what's really going on in the world at school. 

I'm almost finished with the 1st draft of a new book helping parents and teen leaders understand exactly what's going on in the dark shadows of the dating world.  And I'd love your help.

If you've got a story about what's going on in your sphere of influence concerning dating, or you've got some new ideas about how we can help a new generation of teens navigate the dating world, please send your story. 

You can comment here, or send me a private e-mail at andy@campkivu.com. 

If you're story makes the book, I'll send you a signed copy of the 1st printed addition. 

Looking forward to seeing if your story matches up with some of the stories I've collected after a year of travels. 

God bless!

Can't wait to share this new work with you.

I love reading the stories of the Old Testament, knowing the implications the past has on future events.  I love diving in the richness of Hebrew heritage, and comparing it to the way we can understand the world as we know it today.

One of the longest told stories of Hebrew culture is called Passover.

It stems from the time of Moses in Egypt.  Most of you know the story.

God told Moses to go and free the people of Israel from the Egyptian slave drivers.
Moses stood before Pharaoh and told him of the plagues to come.
Locusts, Nile to blood, boils on the skin of people, it all had poignant meaning as each plague picked on the Egyptian gods of the time showing Yahweh being the God of all Gods

In any event, the final plague was one where the first born of every household would die, unless the blood of a lamb was used over the doorway to the home.  The angel of death would pass by all homes without the blood, but the one's with blood would remain untouched by this lethal plague.

Can you imagine?

What an unbelievable day it must have been?

I can't even dream the horror I would feel.

But those who lived life the way God intended, were saved from experiencing this death.  

Pharaoh and the Egyptians were in such shock, they had little to do other than let The Israelites  go free, and the event of passover is celebrated even to this day. 

Isn't it interested that Jesus began His passion week just at this time of year.  

I was reading Matthew 26 this morning, "On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"

 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.' " So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover." (Matthew 26:17-19)

It was the beginning of Celebration when Jesus began preparing His own death.
He knew the events unfolding were going to bring much pain.
But, He also knew there would be those set free because of His death.
He knew sin and disease were keeping humanity slaves, and it was going to be His responsibility to create a cornerstone of beginning. 

And that's why we celebrate this time of year. 

It's not about presents, trees, Santa, lights, or any of the sort.  We are free!!!  And just as the Jewish people celebrate passover in light of their freedom from Egypt, we celebrate freedom from the chains and bondage of sin.  

May we celebrate freely, not for the next few days, but for a lifetime!

I remember when Jamie and I were working on naming our children.  We'd go back and forth for the Nine Months, often deciding right before one of our kids were born.  But one name that never made the list, JUDAS!!  You just don't meet any Judas' in the world today.  It's one of those blacklist names that just won't fly.

Everyone knows the story.  Jesus, the son of God, twelve disciples, one betrays him in the end, JUDAS!

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:14-16)

Although I realize the historicity of this verse centralizes around Judas and his work with the chief priests, and ultimately Jesus, I think the lesson is pretty clear.  For sure,  I think at this time of the year, it's worth just sitting back and asking, What are you willing to sell Jesus for?  What's your price?

Christians are often concerned with Power.
Prestige.
Money.
The right to be popular and not embarrassed in front of peers. 
"Right" behavior.
"Right" worldview.
"Right" belief (which is often times more about tradition than true understanding.)

What's your price?

Can those of us who follow Jesus commit to the honest message He came to bring? 
Can we stay true to being disciples, as we follow to the end of the age?

Or, are we full of compromises reflecting the centrality of a culture that is so different than the one Jesus lived?

I'm committed to trying to figure out the truth of Jesus' message.
I want my life to be about the news He came to give us, mainly; I want to view the world like Jesus viewed the world. 

A world where the God of the Universe came to make all things new. 
A world where the creator of all things cared enough to interrupt the 'normal' course of sin and death to offer forgiveness through His son.
A world where hope is the central theme, rather than desperation and despair.  

I think if we are willing to see Jesus for what He came to do and who He came to be, there wouldn't be enough silver coins in the world for me to trade Him. For, if the creator of the Universe was willing to come and live WITH us, we must live it out, and watch the world spin a different direction.  

Are you willing to follow Him? Or, Do you have a Price?

This is one of my favorite stories a the end of Matthew.  Jesus is teaching in Bethany, probably reclining at a meal, when all of the sudden a woman bursts in.  She breaks an alabaster jar of perfume near His feet.  Well..just read it for yourself.

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Matthew 26:6-13)

The interesting part of this story is the woman's perfume was expensive!!  Some scholars have speculated it may have been worth almost a year's pay.  Can you believe that?  This woman understood the importance of who she was sitting with, and she was willing to give all she had. 

It's a common theme in Jesus' ministry.  The rich young ruler was required to give up all his possessions to follow Jesus.  The widow that gave her two mites, gave all she had.  Some of the disciples gave up their livelihoods to follow Him. 

It's almost like a continued requirement. 

If you are going to follow Jesus, you have to sacrifice the things of this world.  You have to look at the world and understand at the core of your worldview, it's going to cost.  It's going to cost you pride.  It's going to cost your significance.  It's going to cost something of you.

The days of pastors saying, "it's a free gift" are over.  Sure, salvation is free, and Jesus came to set you free from sin, death, and the ills of the world.  But it's imperative that we understand, there will be a cost. 

We need to tell people, and be honest, Following Jesus will cost you. So before you buy into this life, a life more abundant I might add, you need to count the cost.  Are you willing to follow Him and freely give up some things that impair your understanding of His Way?

I'm convinced, no matter the cost, it's worth it. 

To make Jesus name great.
To follow Jesus with all i have.
To implement His teachings to watch the world become a better place.
To see the ultimate greatness come to fruition.

I've counted the cost, and I can't wait to give all I have for beauty of Jesus to come. 

May you recognize those things that might cost you, and give.
May we see the value of Jesus in the world.
May we set aside all things that might hinder our following. 

May God bless you today!

It's easy to forget the reason for Christmas isn't really about the manger, the wise men, the shepherds, or the star.  The real reason we celebrate this time of year is the fact that God is With us.  He isn't just AT us, rather; He came to earth to walk with us. 

I was reading Matthew 26 today, and found the beginning of the passion week. 

 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. "But not during the Feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people." (Matthew 26:1-5)

Of course Jesus was on a mission to make it to the cross, but in real time, often we forget it was the religious leaders that plotted His death.

They wanted to take Him out.
He was stirring up too much controversy.
He was allowing the faith to be back in the hands of the people, and that threatened the religious rank and file.
He turned the law on its ear.
He made the truth known to the poor.
He took the prideful authority away from the priests, pharisees, and sadducees. 
He was giving the faith to all who would believe and be brave enough to accept the gift.

Jesus' faith isn't dangerous, except for those who hold power. 
The central theme of Jesus' message is to love the creator, and love those around you.

And...when we dilute the competition from one group over another, it's a controversial concept for those in power. 

God with us...I keep thinking...Emanuel.  How wonderful He is!!

We're coming to the end of our eschatology section in Matthew 25.  And once again, It's the part where Fear, has become the lexicon of spiritual advisors in our western culture.  You see, I've heard so many sermons talk about the separation of the sheep and the goats as it relates to those who are "in the club" and those who are "out."  But is this really what Jesus refers to in Matthew?

It's written, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:34-40)

Can you see it?
Do you see the way this can be interpreted to those who are "in" versus those who are "out?"
We may read this and identify ourselves with the ones who are "in" but take a closer look.  Who are the one's the king invites to the Kingdom?   

You see, when Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) He was saying to the 1st century Jew, 'you have ways, but you must come and follow my way.'  And this is why the first century Jew referred to Jesus' movement as "THE WAY."

When He tells the disciples, "Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19) He wasn't necessarily asking the disciples to recruit men, but rather; if you come and follow me, people will come to this way, just like the fish just came to the boat in Peter's first encounter with Jesus. (Luke 5:4-11)

And...then idea where the two greatest commandments are "To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it, 'To Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  (Matthew 22:37-40)

If we begin to add all these commands in a logical conclusion, isn't it interesting when Jesus says, "If you've done this to the least of these my brothers, you've also done it to me" AND, there's a welcoming to the kingdom for the care for others? 

What a timely Christmas message, If you reach out to take care of others, you can enter in the kingdom of heaven.  The king will welcome you for your thoughtfulness for other people.  Much like the King of the Universe came to give us an example through the birth of a son, we can embody that kind of self sacrifice for others, and thus be a part of the inheritance, the kingdom that was built before the creation of the world.  

May we be a people who Love God with all that is within us.
May we see the beauty of the Christmas season as we give ourselves to others.
May the world see that we are a group of people who care for their whole being. 
May you, NOT FEAR the world today, and go out with strength and confidence to give.

God bless you.

When we decided to move to Colorado to operate Camp KIVU, it was a huge leap of faith.  We'd been in Branson Missouri for ten years.  We developed some WONDERFUL friendships.  My wife's family was 100 yards down the road.  And...our church was, and still is, AWESOME!!  There's a lot to staying that made sense.

But when the opportunity came to move out to Durango and invest everything we have in the future of raising up strong, spiritually confident, honest teenagers; we couldn't pass it up.  It's the gift God gave us. 

Much like Matthew 25, when Jesus says, "It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.

 "After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'

 "The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'

 "The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'

 "The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

 "'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness." (Matthew 25) MSG

What are you doing with the gift God gave YOU?

Are you hiding them away in the dark corners of the world because you're frightened to let anyone see them?
Are you investing them for the Kingdom to come?
Are you tucking them away so no one knows how good you are?

I saw this last year at the British "American Idol," and it blew me away.  What a great example of someone who finally had a chance to showcase a talent.  Hope you enjoy!!

One thing we are all so concerned about, at least here in America, is Time.  What time is it?  When are we going to ....?  Time is money! You only have so much time on the planet. 

You've heard all the cliche's before. 

But the more I read Jesus, the less I'm concerned with Time as it relates to the gospel. 

I don't think Jesus set the hourglass and wanted us to watch in urgency as time simply drifted away.  I don't sense, at least through Matthew, that the message of the gospel is "Get it done Cause Time is running out."

Rather, I sense even in the eschatology (big word for 'end times' study) Jesus simply uses time to show us how we should be living every day. 

In other words, the whole of the gospel has little to do with when the earth is going to end and Jesus would come back, but maybe the more important facet to look at is the idea it could end any second. 

It makes my soul smile when I hear end times teachers try to predict the end of the world, as if to instill fear into the listeners to hurry up, get it done, because you never know.

Well, the fact is, you NEVER KNOW!  But the response shouldn't be a fearful one. 
We shouldn't be concerned with seeing the gospel like a race.

I think the faith living should be an every second deal, not weighed by looking at the clock ticking, but more like it's just the right thing to do.  It's the transformation occurring on the planet that causes us to live every second, every minute, every hour, and every day as if Jesus has come to make things right. 

That's the Peace which dwells in the heart of those in pain.
It's the key to facing death with an attitude of resolve.
It's not the fear which brings about satisfaction.
It's the daily understanding of God's plan for the world.

Jesus told a story of virgins waiting on a bridegroom.  (Matthew 25)  Some of them took oil for their lanterns, and others left the oil and let their candles burn out. The former knew they needed to prepare for a wait, the later were so excited they forgot it might take a while. 

While they were waiting, the ladies who ran out of oil asked those who had prepared, "Can we borrow some of your oil while we wait?"

The whole of the parable is about the coming of the Son of man. 

Some people will prepare and see LIFE comprehensively, while others will see it as a rush to the end. 

Jesus follows the parable up by saying, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."  And we don't. 

We don't know the day or hour when Jesus returns.
We don't know the day or hour when the earth exhibits tragedy.
We don't know when violence will strike.
We don't even control the successful celebrations. 

It's almost as if Jesus is saying, "CHILL OUT! Live Like I told you to live, and keep watch.  I'm coming.  Don't worry.  Don't fear.  RELAX!"

So for you today, let this be a reminder.

Following Jesus shouldn't be wrapped in anxious fear.
We shouldn't be scared of what is coming, or what might come.
For, "Greater is He who is in Me, than He that is in the world."

I know that doesn't raise much money, or gain a great audience of fear mongers.  But it will bring peace to you when you focus on the main parts of the faith.  How are you loving God TODAY?  How have you loved others TODAY? And let the end times be just that....then end. 

May God grant you the Peace that Passes all understanding this holiday season.
May He give you a vision of living life to the fullest, without fear.
May He comfort you in time of pain and need. 

For the God we follow is the only hope for a broken world.