The Bridge Blog

The Wisdom of Careful Observation

2013-08-17T15:02:00.000-04:00

What are you pondering this week?

This Sabbath (8/17), we covered a lot of things hat Solomon hit on in his essay of Ecclesiastes. Our tendency might be to walk away and think, “Hmm. That was kind of interesting. He kind made me think. I liked our discussion.”

But if that is all you take into the week, you are missing the point. Choose one verse, one point, one proverb we discussed that you can ponder this week. Ask God to give you insight into this verse.

Then write it out somewhere you’ll see it frequently. Make a mental list of multiple ways you could apply this to your life. Send it as a text to your friend—or to yourself. Post it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or even Pinterest (#ElevationSS).

Soak deeply in the sauna of God’s Word this week with that one verse on your mind. And see if it doesn't begin to sweat out from your pores as it takes root in your heart and mind and God uses it to transform the way you live and think.

Scripture Reference: Ecclesiastes 7:1 - 11:6

Love Big

2013-05-17T21:06:00.003-04:00

Often times I think we tend to forget just how fortunate we are to live here in America. We get upset when traffic is backed up, when the grocery story is out of our favorite soda, when the movie is sold out, when we have to wait in line more than 15 minutes to get on a theme park ride. But when we get sick, we can go to the drug store for medicine, we have easy access to doctors and hospitals, we have to decide what KIND of food we want for a meal, not whether we'll eat at all. First World Problems, indeed.

Meanwhile, outside of our "bubble" there are people dealing with some really heavy, life-threatening stuff, like AIDS. And not just one or two, but 33 million! And you know, there is an amazing thing going on in some of their lives. There are these caregivers....people who might be a friend, a neighbor, or even a complete stranger, who go into the homes of these sick, suffering people and take care of them. Cleaning and bandaging their wounds, singing to them, praying with them, and just being there. Do you remember the old phrase WWJD? This is the answer, because this is exactly what Jesus would do.

Here's the thing, though. These caregivers are poor too. They don't have access to Walgreens or CVS, and even if they did they don't have the money to purchase everything they need. No, they must rely on the kindness of strangers. People they've never met, living on the other side of the world, who do have a little bit of extra time and money to gather the badly needed medical supplies together. These caregivers rely....on us.

On Saturday, May 11, young adults from Elevation lead the Forest Lake Church family in an event we called "Pack the Kits." After unloading several pallets of medical supplies on Friday afternoon, over 300 people came and put more than 750 first aid kits together. Supplies like gauze pads, gloves, creams, soaps, ointments, even a flashlight and batteries, were packed into bright orange bags to be sent over to Swaziland, Africa (where World Vision said there was the greatest need right now).

But that's not all! After putting a kit together, each person stopped and wrote a personal, encouraging note to the caregiver who would be receiving the little supply kit. Prayers, blessings, and thanks for everything they are doing in Jesus' name, letting them know that people they've never met care about them. And love them. And appreciate them.

It's not much, giving a little extra money and a few short hours of time. But even with just that simple gift, God takes it and uses it to touch the lives of so many people. Why? Because God doesn't love people just a little, God loves BIG! Shouldn't we do the same?

What Jesus Would Do

2013-03-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

During the discussion at Elevation a thought came to me, but it was a thought that may be a bit unorthodox. I remember a huge craze a few years back (did I just date myself?) called WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? Well, tonight my mind started expanding on that concept.

Often times in the so-called “modern” church we take WWJD to a bunch of different levels. Who Would Jesus Hang Out With? Why Wouldn’t Jesus Do That? Where Would Jesus Go? We are taking a simple concept of how we should treat others and making it into a box in which we hope to figure out God. The thing is, God is bigger than any box, and we could spend an eternity and STILL be getting to know Him better, it’s what makes Him God.

Let me give an example. The majority of people would probably agree that Jesus would not be seen or go near a bar or night club. I am not one of those people because I think Jesus is there in EVERY bar and EVERY night club. I think that Jesus is the designated driver who gets all of His friends home safely. I think that Jesus is person who carries a drunken friend to His car and sees they get home safely. I think that Jesus is the one who gently brings water and Tylenol the next day when His friends are feeling the ill effects of the previous night’s decisions.

Am I saying that we should go out, party, and get drunk every night because Jesus will be there anyway? Of course not! What I am saying is that we should look at the question: What Would Jesus Do? Let’s look at His life here. Did Jesus just go to the temple every Sabbath and only associate with all the perfectly holy people? No. Jesus did the exact opposite with that. Look at his disciples. There were dirty fisherman, a tax collector, and others who were considered to be the lowest rung on society’s ladder. Jesus hung out with lepers, with Gentiles, with Samaritans, with everyone the world considered worthless and most of Jesus’ people, the Jews, would rather not be caught dead with. Jesus went to places where it was thought that God would never go. Why should we do any differently?

I’m not saying we should get on a soapbox and preach the gospel over the music of some popular club. In His life, Jesus did the majority of His work by example. He could have just come down and told us everything we needed to know, but it wouldn't have had the impact of us seeing HOW to do what was needed. So God showed us in the example of His Son. Let us not try to put God in a box and try to dictate where God could or could not be found. God is so much larger than that; let us take comfort in that instead.

The World We Know

2013-02-01T15:50:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wondered what God sees when He looks down at the world? Speaking for myself, I don't often look at things from God's perspective, but today on my way home from work today I heard a song that really got me to thinking.

I was listening to The World I Know by Collective Soul, and I was reminded of the third temptation of Jesus. You know the one, where Satan takes Him up to a very high point so He can see the whole world. As the chorus came over my speakers, I wondered if maybe this is what went through Jesus' mind as He looked down over the world He had created, but who had turned its back on Him.

So I walk up on high

And I step to the edge

To see my world below.

And I laugh at myself

As the tears roll down.

'Cause it's the world I know.

It's the world I know.

I can imagine Jesus looking down and giving a sad laugh, remembering some of the good times with Abraham, David, and the disciples. But with tears streaking His face because, even though those times may have been good, they were so far from the Good that He intended for us to have before....you know. The weight of that one bad decision and all its consequences, not just for what Jesus knew He would be going through, but for what He knows every one of us goes through each day. How His heart must have just broken!

But even out of that great sorrow, such love for us comes out! "For God so loved the world that He gave..." (John 3:16)! This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (I John 4:10).

Think about it, Jesus came down to our broken, rebellious world, a world that He created with such wonderful things in mind for us. While we were still screwed up, broken, and fallen far, far short of the standard God created for us, He came. Because of our actions, our personal choices, we were supposed to die, forever separated from the God we told we didn't want around any more. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus (Rom. 3:24-25).

When we look out there, at our lives, our world, what do we see? Do we get angry because of the injustice? Do we speak hateful things against our friends because we disagree with their political views? Do we write people off because we figure they don't like us anyway? Do we let ourselves become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of negativity and evil in the world?

Or, like Jesus, do we see hope? Do we see love? God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (I John 4:9-11).

So if God loves us that much, surely we ought to love each other, right?

Sabbath Harvest

2012-12-01T17:13:00.001-05:00

This Sabbath I had the opportunity to work on an assembly line. It was great, we had quite the rhythm going!

But wait, an assembly line on the Sabbath? Aren't Seventh-day Adventists NOT supposed to work on the Sabbath? That's totally in the Bible!

Okay, maybe I should explain a little bit further. This Sabbath our church got together and packed 30,000 lunches to help feed hungry kids in our community. With a number that high, you can see where some Henry Ford style assembly lines might come in handy! Basically we put in some dried veggies, rice, lentils, and a pinch of salt into a bag. The bags were sealed and put into a box, and then the boxes were loaded onto a truck that, at some point very soon, will be delivering them to a local middle school where there are quite a few underprivileged kids who might otherwise go hungry.

'Well, that's all well and good,' you may be thinking, 'but technically I think it's still working on the Sabbath.' I had the same thought, actually. But then I remembered a great story about Jesus that totally fit what we were doing today. And you know, it's in THREE of the Gospels!

One day Jesus and the disciples were crossing a wheat field. The disciples started to get a little bit munchy, so they picked some of the wheat kernels to snack on. Well, wouldn't you know that there were some Pharisees around who demanded to know why Jesus was letting His disciples break the Sabbath law by working.

You know what Jesus did? He immediately scolded the disciples for working on the Sabbath. No, wait, that's not what He did at all! Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the time King David ate the consecrated temple bread. He also pointed out that the priests worked in the temple every Sabbath, which the scriptures said they should.

Then He summed it all up very nicely, Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” (Mark 2:27-28).

I've heard this story so many times in my life, but it's such a short one I never really thought that much about it. The disciples were hungry, they ate, and God is okay with that. But this Sabbath it really hit home. I wasn't hungry myself, but I got the opportunity to spend a little time on a Sabbath afternoon with 190 (or so) people from our church putting together lunches for kids who are hungry.

It really hit home that this is one of the things Sabbath is all about. Sure, I go to church and spend some time in worship, but Jesus also said that the Sabbath was about helping people, just like He did. And today I got to spend a part of my Sabbath doing just that.

What an awesome God we have, and a wonderful church who is willing to spend some time helping others...even on the Sabbath!

To get involved, visit www.feedingchildreneverywhere.com and stay tuned, because Pastor Bernie assured us that this will NOT be the last time we help feed some hungry kids!

Let’s Pretend

2012-01-07T08:22:00.003-05:00

Do you remember as a child playing “dress up?” Putting on your parents shoes or shirts and trying not to fall over walking around? You felt big, grown up, if just for a couple of minutes. Oh what fun!

Of course, now you are all grown up and where “big people clothes” all the time. Instead of giggling at how big the shoe on your foot is, it’s just a normal sized shoe on your adult sized feet. But did you know that we adults are supposed to play dress up too? And God has even ordered us to do it! C.S. Lewis explains it like this:

What is the good of pretending to be what you are not? Well, even on a human level, you know, there are two kinds of pretending. There is a bad kind, where the pretense is there instead of the real thing; as when a man pretends he is going to help you instead of really helping you. But there is also a good kind, where the pretense leads up to the real thing. When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were. Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already. That is why children's games are so important. They are always pretending to be grown-ups—playing soldiers, playing shop. But all the time, they are hardening their muscles and sharpening their wits so that the pretense of being grown-up helps them grow up in earnest.

Now, the moment you realize ‘Here I am, dressing up as Christ,’ it is extremely likely that you will see at once some way in which at that very moment the pretense could be made less of a pretense and more of a reality….The real Son of God is at your side. He is beginning to turn you into the same kind of thing as Himself. He is beginning, so to speak, to ‘inject’ His kind of life and thought…into you; beginning to turn the tin soldier into a live man.

- Mere Christianity, pgs. 188-189.

Jesus came down and showed us how to live. And the more we imitate Jesus, the more like Him we are. Not just because He asked us too, but because our lives can’t help but be better when we act like Jesus!

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Eph. 5:1-2

Grace

2012-01-01T00:04:00.000-05:00

"Grace is Christianity's best gift to the world, a spiritual nova in our midst exerting a force stronger than vengeance, stronger than racism, stronger than hate." – Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace

We sing the hymn “Amazing Grace” in church, and while the words are beautiful, what does it mean, really? What does it look like? The Bible talks about it, but how does grace apply to us? The Danish author Karen Blixen tells a story that highlights quite well what grace looks like in Babette’s Feast.

In a small Norwegian fishing village, a white-bearded Dean led a group of worshipers in an austere (and strict) Lutheran sect. What few worldly pleasures could tempt a peasant in the village, this sect renounced. All wore black. Their diet consisted of boiled cod and a gruel made from boiling bread in water fortified with a splash of ale. On the Sabbath, the group met together and sang songs about "Jerusalem, my happy home, name ever dear to me." They had fixed their compasses on New Jerusalem, with life on earth tolerated as a way to get there.

The old Dean, a widower, had two teenage daughters: Martine, named for Martin Luther, and Phillipa, named for Luther's disciple Philip Melanchthon. Villagers used to attend the church just to feast their eyes on these two, whose radiant beauty could not be suppressed despite the sisters' best efforts.

Martine caught the eye of a dashing young cavalry officer. When she successfully resisted his advances--after all, who would care for her aging father?--he rode away to marry instead a lady-in-waiting of Queen Sophia.

Phillipa possessed not only beauty but also the voice of a nightingale. When she sang about Jerusalem, shimmering visions of the heavenly city seemed to appear. And so it happened that Phillipa made the acquaintance of the most famous operatic singer of the day, the Frenchman Achille Papin, who was spending some time on the coast for his health. As he walked the dirt paths of a backwater town, Papin hear to his astonishment a voice worthy of the Grand Opera of Paris.

'Allow me to teach you to sing properly,' he urged Phillipa, 'and all of France will fall at your feet. Royalty will line up to meet you, and you will ride in a horse-drawn carriage to dine at the magnificent Cafe Anglais.' Flattered, Phillipa consented to a few lessons,, but only a few. Singing about love made her nervous, the flutterings she felt inside troubled her further, and when an area from Don Giovanni ended with her being held in Papin's embrace, his lips brushing hers, she knew beyond doubt that these new pleasures must be renounced. Her father wrote a note declining all future lessons, and Achille Papin returned to Paris, as disconsolate as if he'd misplaced a winning lottery ticket.

Fifteen years passed, and much changed in the village. The two sisters, now middle-aged spinsters, had attempted to carry on the mission of their deceased father, but without his stern leadership the sect splintered badly. One Brother bore a grudge against another concerning some business matter. Rumors spread about a thirty-year-old sexual affair involving two of the members. A pair of old ladies had not spoken to each other for a decade. Although the sect met on the Sabbath and sang old hymns, only a handful bothered to attend, and the music lost its luster. Despite all these problems, the Dean's two daughters remained faithful, organizing the services and boiling bread for the toothless elders of the village.

One night, a night too rainy for anyone to venture on the muddy streets, the sisters heard a heavy thump at the door. When they opened it, a woman collapsed with a swoon. They revived her only to find that she spoke no Norwegian. She handed them a letter from Achille Papin. At the sight of his name Phillipa's face flushed, and her hand trembled as she read the letter of introduction. The woman's name was Babette, and she had lost her husband and son during the civil war in France. Her life in danger, she had fled, and Papin had found her passage on a ship in hopes that this village might show her mercy. "Babette can cook," the letter read.

The sisters had no money to pay Babette and felt dubious about employing a maid in the first place. They distrusted her cooking--didn't the French eat horses and frogs? But through gestures and pleading, Babette softened their hearts. She would do any chores in exchange for room and board.

For the next twelve years Babette worked for the sisters. The first time Martine showed her how to split a cod and cook the gruel, Babette's eyebrows shot upward and her nose wrinkled a little, but she never once questioned her assignments. She fed the poor people of the town and took over all the housekeeping chores. She even helped with Sabbath services. Everyone had to agree that Babette brought new life to the stagnant community.

Since Babette never referred to her past life in France, it came as a great surprise to Martine and Philipa when one day, after twelve years, she received her very first letter. Babette read it, looked up to see the sisters staring at her, and announced matter-of-factly that a wonderful thing had happened to her. Each year a friend in Paris had renewed Babette's number in the French lottery. This year, her ticket had won. Ten thousand francs!

The sisters pressed Babette's hands in congratulations, but inwardly their hearts sank. They knew that soon Babette would be leaving.

As it happened, Babette's winning the lottery coincided with the very time the sisters were discussing a celebration to honor the hundredth anniversary of their father's birth. Babette came to them with a request. 'In twelve years I have asked nothing of you,' she began. They nodded. 'But now I have a request: I would like to prepare the meal for the anniversary service. I would like to cook you a real French dinner.'

Although the sisters had grave misgivings about the plan, Babette was certainly right that she had asked no favors in twelve years. What choice had they but to agree?

When the money arrived from France, Babette went away briefly to make arrangements for the dinner. Over the next few weeks after her return, the residents of the village were treated to one amazing sight after another as boats docked to unload provisions for Babette's kitchen. Workmen pushed wheelbarrows loaded with crates of small birds. Cases of champagne--champagne!--and wine soon followed. The entire head of a cow, fresh vegetables, truffles, pheasants, ham, strange creatures that lived in the sea, a huge tortoise still alive and moving his snakelike head from side to side--all these ended up in the sisters' kitchen now firmly ruled by Babette.

Martine and Philipa, alarmed over this apparent witch's brew, explained their predicament to the members of the sect, now old and gray and only eleven in number. Everyone clucked in sympathy. After some discussion they agreed to eat the French meal, withholding comment about it lest Babette get the wrong idea. Tongues were meant for praise and thanksgiving, not for indulging in exotic tastes.

It snowed on December 15, the day of the dinner, brightening the dull village with a gloss of white. The sisters were pleased to learn that an unexpected guest would join them: ninety-year-old Miss Loewenhielm would be escorted by her nephew, the cavalry officer who had courted Martine long ago, now a general serving in the royal palace.

Babette had somehow scrounged enough china and crystal, and had decorated the room with candles and evergreens. Her table looked lovely. When the meal began all the villagers remembered their agreement and sat mute, like turtles around a pond. Only the general remarked on the food and drink. 'Amontillado!' he exclaimed when he raised the first glass. 'And the finest Amontillado I have ever tasted.' When he sipped the first spoonful of soup, the general could have sworn it was turtle soup, but how could such a thing be found on the coast of Norway?

'Incredible!' said the general when he tasted the next course. 'It is Blinis Demidoff!' All the other guests, their faces puckered with deep wrinkles, were eating the same rare delicacy without expression or comment. When the general rhapsodized about the champagne, a Veuve Cliquot 1860, Babette ordered her kitchen boy to keep the general's glass filled at all times. He alone seemed to appreciate what was set before him.

Although no one else spoke of the food or drink, gradually the banquet worked a magical effect on the churlish villagers. Their blood warmed. Their tongues loosened. They spoke of the old days when the Dean was alive and of Christmas the year the bay froze. The Brother who had cheated another on a business deal finally confessed, and the two women who had feuded found themselves conversing. A woman burped, and the Brother next to her said without thinking. 'Hallelujah!'

The general, though, could speak of nothing but the meal. When the kitchen boy brought out the coup de grace, baby quail prepared en Sacrophage, the general exclaimed that he had eaten such a dish in only one place in Europe, the famous Cafe Anglais in Paris, the restaurant once renowned for its woman chef.

Heady with wine, his senses sated, unable to contain himself, the general rose to make a speech.

Mercy and truth, my friends, have met together. Righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another.

We have all of us been told that grace is to be found in the universe. But in our human foolishness and shortsightedness we imagine divine grace to be finite...But the moment comes when our eyes are opened, and we see and realize that grace is infinite. Grace, my friends, demands nothing from us but that we shall await it with confidence and acknowledge it in gratitude.

Although the Brothers and Sisters of the sect did not fully comprehend the general's speech, at that moment "the vain illusions of this earth had dissolved before their eyes like smoke, and they had seen the universe as it really is." The little company broke up and went outside into a town coated with glistening snow under a sky ablaze with stars.

In the wreck of a kitchen piled high with unwashed dishes, greasy pots, shells, carapaces, gristly bones, broken crates, vegetable trimmings, and empty bottles, Babette sits amid the mess looking as wasted as the night she arrived twelve years before. Suddenly the sisters realize that, in accordance with their vow, no one has spoken to Babette of the dinner.

"It was a nice dinner, Babette," Martine says tentatively. Babette seems far away. After a time she says to them, "I was once the cook at the Cafe Anglais."

"We will remember this evening when you have gone back to Paris, Babette," Martine adds, as if not hearing her.

Babette tells them that she will not be going back to Paris. All her friends and relatives there have been killed or imprisoned. And, of course, it would be expensive to return to Paris. "But what of the ten thousand francs?" the sisters ask.

Then Babette drops the bombshell. She has spent her winnings, every last franc of the ten thousand she won, on the feast they have just devoured. 'Don't be shocked,' she tells them. 'That is what a proper dinner for twelve costs at the Cafe Anglais.'

Twelve years before Babette had landed among the graceless ones. Followers of Luther, they heard sermons on grace nearly every Sabbath and the rest of the week tried to earn God's favor with their pieties and renunciations. Grace came to them in the form of a feast, Babette's feast, a meal of a lifetime lavished on those who had in no way earned it, who barely possessed the faculties to receive it. Grace came to the village as it always comes: free of charge, no strings attached, on the house.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” – Eph. 2:8-10

This year, remember to show grace to others, even when they don’t deserve it….because we don’t either yet God has shown us grace anyway.

By This All Men Will Know….

2011-12-07T21:28:00.000-05:00

Every time I check Facebook, I see at least three posts slamming the government. No, not some crazy regime like Syria or Kaddafi's Libya, but our own leaders. Stuff like the President is _____, Republicans are so _______, Democrats are all __________. On and on and on. Some days I don’t even check Facebook because I don’t particularly care for all the negativity. But I think what really shocks me the most is how much of this stuff comes from people who claim to be Christians, some even in church leadership roles!

So why does a Christian saying (or posting) negative and nasty things about our country’s or state’s leaders bother me at all? Well, because it is one of those things I find the Bible to be very clear about. Peter tells us:

“For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.” II Peter 2:13-14

And Paul, who was talking to the Romans (and that government had no love for Christians at all), reminds his fellow believers:

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

“Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.” Rom. 13:1-7

But the question comes to mind about why Peter and Paul, who had been beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and both ultimately executed by the governing authorities would say what they did. I mean, it would make more sense for them to encourage their followers to mount an insurrection and establish a godly kingdom, right? God has set us free from sin, so shouldn’t we try and free everyone else too? If the government won’t follow what God wants us to do, it should be torn down!

Peter and Paul don’t say that though. In fact, they go completely the other way. Paul says that if we rebel against the government, we are rebelling against God. And Peter teaches us what it really means to be free in Christ:

“It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.” II Peter 2:15-17

So is it wrong to have opinions about the government and politics? Of course not! I know I have my own opinions, but I keep them to myself. So why do I find it odd that Christians would say or post such negative, hateful things? I guess it is because to me a Christian is someone who is a Christ Follower; someone who represents Jesus to the rest of the world. And Jesus gave His followers some very clear instructions:

“I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-25

When I see something on the news or some politician makes my blood boil, I try and take a breath and remember that Jesus told me to LOVE that person just like He loves me. And He loves me so much He died to be with me. So if I say or post something negative or hateful about that politician, I’m saying it about Jesus.

Jesus, I Need a Hug

2011-11-24T21:29:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a bad day? You know the one I mean. That day where nothing seems to go right? You oversleep and barely make it to work on time. When you get to work you get slammed with a large project and become immediately buried behind a mountain of papers that need to be done in an hour. When you finally escape to lunch, you spill ketchup on your brand new white shirt. Then you go back to the office and that cute girl you’ve been trying to get to notice you for a couple of weeks finally decides to come by and chat with you and your ketchup stain. Have you ever had a bad day?

I think that we all have. If you look back in the Bible, almost everyone in there had a bad day. Joseph got sold into slavery by his own brothers. Elijah was being hunted down because he stood up for God. Isaiah was sawed in half because the king didn’t like what he was saying. Jeremiah was thrown in prison. Peter was crucified upside down. Paul was beaten and stoned. John got thrown onto a little rock in the middle of the ocean. A lot of people in the Bible had really bad days. The thing of it is though, most of them embraced the bad days.

Does that mean they enjoyed getting tortured and hurt and run ragged? Heck no! But rather than despair, they looked to their friend God to comfort them, and He always did. That doesn’t mean He always took the bad days away, but He gave them comfort because He was there going through the trials with them. He goes through our trials with us, too.

When I’m having a bad day, I enjoy a hug from a friend. I used to have a friend named Carrie who, even if we weren’t getting along all that well, would give me a hug when I was feeling down. I don’t know how she knew, she just did, and what’s more, despite any disagreement we had, the hug was always there. I really appreciated that! But now Carrie lives several states away, and if I’m at home and my wife is still at work, and no one else is around and I really need a hug, what do I do? I ask Jesus for a hug.

That might seem strange to some people, asking the Lord Almighty for a hug. It might seem irreverent or just plain nuts, but for me Jesus gives the best hugs EVER. There have been times when I’ve had an incredibly bad day, am depressed, stressed out, and feel all alone. I just lay it out for God; I pour my heart and soul out to Him, and when I’m done I ask Him for a hug, and you know what? He gives me one. It’s like nothing else, but I feel a million times better afterwards. I feel like smiling, like laughing, like jumping for joy! Is the problem still there? Yes, but rather than getting discouraged I feel more ready to handle it because I know my friend God is right there beside me holding my hand.

The next time you’re despairing and feel as if you have no place to turn, turn to God. He’s there, He’s willing, and He’s definitely able. If you’re feeling blue, look up and say, “Jesus, can I have a hug?”

Collaboration

2011-11-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

Listen to what King Solomon said, ““Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” It’s about people working together, it’s about collaboration... It’s about joining each other and God in the work that He is doing.

There is power in collaboration and teamwork. It is said that if one horse is capable of pulling 5,000 pounds, two horses can pull 20,000. Now there has been plenty of discussion about this concept and some people believe that it has less to do with the physics of two horses pulling together than the psychology of knowing you’re not alone... That you are part of a team and that thought alone is capable of increasing your effort exponentially.

Maybe that’s why God was so intent of making sure man was not alone... That he a team by giving him Eve. This concept was pretty evident in the book of Acts. After the huge boom of the early Christian church it became necessary to think strategically. In chapter 13:2, 3, “2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Some pretty interesting stuff happens after this sending off of Barnabas and Saul. They have a confrontation with a nasty magician and they make him blind... Pretty awesome stuff! But the chapter ends with both of them being run off and being persecuted. It's never fun when people are chasing you trying to kill you. Verse 52 wraps it up by saying, “52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Really? Joy? I have to belief part of the reason they were able to keep this joy was partly because they knew they were not alone... They had someone to collaborate, someone who had joined together in the work that God was doing.

Now, it is important to understand that just because you are together doesn’t mean you are together. Togetherness has nothing to do with proximity. People can be part of a team and not be part of the team. In order for you to be part of a team there has to be a spirit of COLLABORATION. Otherwise you are just together but not together. It’s what they say... “One bad apple...” the implication is that one bad apple can ruin a whole batch. They are together but that togetherness in this case is a bad thing. If you look at the Old Testament you can find plenty of stories of collaboration... Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful and multiply... Need we say more! If there was ever collaboration they had it going on. Working together and joining God in His work. Later we find Moses and his brother Aaron teamed with a little known man named Hur.

Exodus 17:12, “8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.” A fascinating story indeed. I’m not sure how that went down or how they figured it all out, but the end result is the same victory through collaboration. They noticed God working, in a very odd way, but they noticed and they joined each other and God in what He was doing.

Moving to the New Testament. Jesus at the wedding... Out of wine! Mary’s statement was one of collaboration and teamwork... “Whatever he says, do!” You might not understand it or get it, but just be team player. The roof guy! Remember him? He couldn’t get in to see Jesus, but he had some friends... Some team members! They collaborated and put this guy on the roof and lowered him in front of Jesus. Jesus even gave them credit. The bible says that Jesus, “seeing their faith...” the faith of his friends... Jesus realized this had taken teamwork.

So, where does this leave us? Very simple, the key to significance is collaboration between you, me, and God. It’s a brilliant move to see where God is working and join Him.

All of these stories have something in common. These stories all led to significance! We all want to be part of something significant. We all want to live a life that matters. Here’s what you do, collaborate with each other, join God in His work, and you will find significance.

Boldness!

2011-11-01T08:56:00.001-04:00

Bold is not dumb!

Acts 4:29-31, "And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness."

How willing are you to begin to behave BOLDLY, to pray BOLDLY, to speak BOLDLY? Maybe it’s time that we, like the believers in Acts start praying for BOLDNESS. Maybe it’s time we begin to live BOLDLY.

Maybe, just maybe, we should start demonstrating the same bold faith of the early Christian church.

God gives ordinary people extraordinary boldness. And when your destination is BOLD, your journey will be epic. The Bible is the story of BOLDNESS. It is filled with stories of ordinary people doing some really dumb things.

Think of Gideon and his 300 hundred merry men taking on 1/4 of a million soldiers with some torches and flutes. Well, we know what happened, what’s so weird about that? Or David picking up some stones to throw at a giant. Or three Hebrew young men boldly standing when everyone else was bowing down, knowing they would be thrown in the fire. What was their response? Basically this, “We know that God is able to save us, but if he does not!” There was no certainty of deliverance... That’s what made it bold! There is no such thing as boldness without risk.

The story of God has been defined and will continue to be defined by extraordinary acts of boldness. That story includes you and me. Remember God gives ordinary people extraordinary boldness. How will your story read? What will be your defining act of boldness?

We are pretty familiar with Ephesians 6:10-17, “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” But listen to the last part of this section, “18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Maybe you’re not the speaking type, like Peter and John, and Paul. You’re reading this thinking, I’ll never be able to speak boldly. You don’t have to. Maybe you just need to behave boldly... Perhaps that means taking a stance at work for an injustice, disagreeing with a superior in order to uphold Jesus. Maybe it means saying “No” or “Enough” for the first time in your life. Maybe it means gathering your family around and saying, “I have failed to be a good father... I’m sorry!” Maybe it’s holding your spouse’s hand for the first time in years and saying “I love you!” It’s not just about speaking boldly, it’s also about behaving boldly.

And yet, there’s one more thing we can do and that is to pray boldly. Not just wimpy prayers, but prayers that will challenge your faith... Prayers that will stretch you... Prayers that will make you nervous. Big audacious prayers.

What is the difference between dumb and bold? Jesus... When you do things in the name of Jesus the dumb become bold... The ridiculous become courageous... The ordinary become extraordinary.

--
dany

www.deeperfaith.org

www.forestlakechurch.org

www.the1project.org

Together Is When We All Win

2011-10-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.' (I Peter 2:5)

This is what the Lord God says: “The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’

“Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

“Look at what’s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored. You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops. I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.

“Does anyone remember this house—this Church—in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! But now the Lord says: Be strong, my people. Be strong, all of you still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when I led the Israelites out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.

“In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Church. I will fill this place with glory. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine. The future glory of this Church will be greater than its past glory. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Eph. 2:19-22)

Who are you?

2011-10-21T13:45:00.000-04:00

Who are you? Who do people think you are? Are those answers different? Do the answers match? If they don't there's changes that need to me made. This question can also be ask corporately not just individually. Who are you as a church? Who do people think you are? Are those answers the same? Are they different? Are you and the church living a life that is consistent with the life of Jesus? Why do you do the things you do? Both individually and collectively? How are you reacting to the influence of Jesus in your life?

Acts 3:1-10, "1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him." Two things I'd like for us to take away from this story. First, John looks at him and says, "Look at us." What did this lame man see? Wrinkles, dust, faces... Normal people... Ordinary people... With weaknesses and issues. That makes people uncomfortable because when you say, "Look at us" you're basically saying, "this is who we are." "This is who I am." It's okay to be different, it's okay to be who you are, because God created you. You don't need to conform to anything or anyone except to Jesus. If you love Jesus, then be like Jesus.

It's what James talks about in James 5:16, "16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." I'm not telling anybody anything about me... What will they think? What James is saying is that we need to be able to get to the point were our failures are not our secrets. Where we can say, "Look at me..." it's okay. I can bare my soul to you, 'cause I know there won't be any gossip, any backstabbing, any rejection. I can talk about my weakness, my struggles, my doubts, my frustration and in turn I will receive, encouragement, support, and friendship.

How does this work on a corporate level? How does the church say, "look at us?" Are we an authentic enough organization that we can confess our sins, and share our weaknesses, our struggles, our doubts, and our frustrations? Are we authentic enough to say, "We blew it..." or do we continue to portray a different image of who we really are? Are we really loving, or do we just like saying we are... Are we really accepting or do we just like the idea of being accepting.

The desire for preserving our image sometimes is greater than our desire for preserving His image. But that is exactly what we are supposed to be... His image.

This is how Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 "17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Listen how The Message puts it verse 19, 20, "19 God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing.20 We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you." So, who am I? Who are you? When we talk about Authenticity as, "Being who you are and giving what you have" the first thing to realize is pretty simple... You are Christ's representatives... Bottom line, go represent! I know, that was cheesy! Be who you are, give what you have.

--
dany

www.deeperfaith.org

www.forestlakechurch.org

www.the1project.org

Less Than We Think We Are

2011-10-15T08:11:00.001-04:00

Recently my friend Terry posted a link to this video on Facebook, and it really got me thinking.

You may have heard this song on the radio, or you may have it in your playlist (I do), but I would encourage you watch the video that goes along with the words. The message is just so powerful. People have all sorts of problems from shame, anger, guilt, lust....the list goes on and on (even more than the blackboard can hold here). But the story doesn't end there. When people meet Jesus, He can wash away that sin from our lives and make us a NEW person, a person like Him.

Jesus is not afraid to be associated with or love people with problems, even problems that scare the rest of society away. Like Father Damien and Mother Teresa, Jesus hung out with lepers. He counted a tax collector as a disciples. He turned one of His greatest persecutors into one of His greatest missionaries. He didn't care what society thought about these people, He just LOVED them.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

So here's the question that smacked me in the face this morning: Why isn't church like that?

A church is supposed to be filled with Christians, and Christians are professed followers of Christ. So why don't we act like the Man we claim to follow? Instead, we gather inside our buildings each week and invite others to come join us, if...

If you dress the right way
If you look proper
If you will abide by "the rules"
If....If...If

There are "progressive" or "new" churches that have sprung up out of the "old" churches. They want to focus on Jesus and His message, but maybe in a more alternative way (drums & guitars instead of organs & pianos, jeans instead of suits, etc.). They invite people who have been turned off by church to come back, to belong again, if...

If you like being different no matter what
If you like what we like, the way we like it
If you do things the way we do it
If...If...If...

But regardless of the church, "new" or "old" the bottom line is still the same. If you don't fit in the mold, you should go elsewhere.

I don't recall Jesus inviting people to come to Him with an "IF" clause. Jesus said, "Come to me, ALL..."

All: The whole number of

And now for the hard part. What do we do about it? How do we take our church from an "IF" church to an "ALL" church? A "come back in nice clothes" church to a "we're glad you're here" church. A "like how we do it or go someplace else" church to a "how can we serve you" church?

Those are tough questions, I know. But Jesus didn't promise following Him would be easy, He promised it would be rewarding.

What do you think?

There’s Always Tomorrow

2011-10-13T08:05:00.001-04:00

I came across something humorous the other day. We’ve all seen those “successories” posters around, probably in the place you work in. This one, however, is a “distressory” which is basically the cynical outlook on life.

It’s easy to dismiss that as just a piece of humor from the common working man, but that saying stuck with me. I began to wonder how that might relate not just to my spiritual life, but to my life in general. As I was mulling this over, I was reminded of the parable Jesus told in Luke 14:16-24 about the rich man’s banquet.

“A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’

“The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”

I began to look around, and it occurred to me that sometimes I was like the rich man’s friends. I would be asked to help out at church, to go somewhere or do something that maybe I didn’t feel like doing, so I begged off with some excuse. I have a lot to do with work, school, and trying to spend a few minutes with friends, I just don’t have a lot of free time. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have less to do and can help out.

We’ve all seen it. A new ministry is starting at church and a pastor or layperson begins asking for volunteers to help out. Many people have excuses, or simply don’t say anything at all. I know for me, asking people to help with a ministry or church function is the hardest thing to do because, even when you ask people individually, there’s always an excuse, or sometimes, sometimes there’s no response at all.

As I look at my spiritual life, as it is compared to where I would like it to go, I see all the times I’ve said no, coming up with some excuse as to why I can’t do something. But then I look at some of those times where I don’t have an excuse and have ended up doing something I might otherwise not have, and the funny thing is, those are some of the best memories! It just seems like God knows what we need, even if we don’t think we do. Once again I’m comforted by the awesome wonder that is God, and I’m so thankful that He’s infinitely wiser than am I!

Complicated Simplicity

2011-10-04T18:22:00.000-04:00

Growing up Adventist I was exposed to a lot of “dos” and “don’ts” in my life. I was allowed to watch nature shows on Sabbath, but I wasn’t allowed to watch cartoons (unless they were about Biblical characters). I was allowed eat whatever I wanted, as long as it wasn’t meat. You could go swimming…so long as the water didn’t come past your ankles. Is this starting to sound familiar?

Now that I’m older I’ve given some thought to all these rules and regulations. It seems to me that the Christian Church as a whole tends to be very official and demanding in what it says God wants of us. Now, most Christian religions won’t go so far as to say you won’t be saved if you break some of the lifestyle rules the church has laid out, but for most it is implied. No one says you will be saved even if you happen to break a rule here or there.

Well, in my experience, being told you couldn’t do this, than, and the next thing on Sabbath gave me a very distorted view of God. I saw a God who was like a policeman, waiting for me to do something bad so He could zap me. The sad thing is that at church, in Sabbath school, this idea was perpetuated to the point where I left the church for awhile.

To me this goes against everything the Bible says about God. The Jews in Jesus’ time were even more into rules and regulations about God and the Sabbath than most religions today. You couldn’t walk more than a certain amount of paces outside your house, you couldn’t spit, you couldn’t do this, that, or the other thing because you were supposed be focused totally on God. But then God Himself, in His Son Jesus, set it all straight.

Jesus practiced a simple lifestyle. He didn’t seek wealth, riches, and to force people to worship Him through action or inaction. Jesus wanted people to follow Him because they chose to out of love. Not only that, but Jesus said that we should always be willing to help our fellow man, no matter what day of the week it is. This simplistic teaching, which made salvation so easy to obtain for all men, did not go over well with the religious leaders of the day, and eventually they had Jesus crucified. In doing so, however, they reinforced everything He taught.

One thing Jesus said when talking to the Pharisees really sticks out in my mind. He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Jesus wanted us to take a day out of the week to relax, get away from our daily stressors, and just enjoy the simplicity of things. He didn’t want the Sabbath to become and even more stressful day just because we were so caught up in doing or not doing something to please Him. God’s reasoning behind the Sabbath was to designate a day that we could hang out with Him, as friends, and just enjoy each others company. How complicated is that?

What is Fourth Service?

2011-09-27T18:15:00.000-04:00

As you have no doubt noticed, the Deeper church service is no more. When Deeper started, it was to meet a specific need: to connect the disconnected with a loving church community. The idea was simple, we were growing a deeper relationship with God together as a community (Deeper with God, Deeper with each other), and the little Deeper service that met each week in the Youth Center grew to be a real blessing for the church. Eventually, though, so many people were coming to Deeper that the Youth Center could no longer hold them all, and Deeper moved to the Schmidt Auditorium that was graciously offered by Forest Lake Academy.

While the Schmidt definitely had enough space for the growing community, it took Deeper further away from our church family. People could no longer take their children to Sabbath School and come to Deeper easily. We were not connected to any of morning Bible studies going on all around the church. And while the Academy was kind enough to lend us the use of some of their classrooms, we no longer had that close sense of connectedness with the rest of the church. The Bible calls us to work together as one body, one family, sharing our talents and spreading the Good News about Jesus to everyone. By having Deeper way over in the Schmidt, and at the same time as the Third Service at Forest Lake to boot, we were cutting ourselves off from our church family.

After much prayerful discussion and consideration, the Deeper leadership decided that there was no longer a need to have a Young Adult specific service. And so, Deeper the service ended. However, the Forest Lake Church is a very large and vibrant church, and with so many people coming to worship each week, the three existing services are very full. There is a definite need for a Fourth Service at our church, and the leadership has been working for several months with Forest Lake to create that Fourth Service.

The Fourth Service will meet at 6:00p each Sabbath at the Forest Lake Church. There will also be Bible studies starting at 4:30p and a social mingling time starting at 5:30 so people can catch up before the service. The sermon will be the same for Fourth as it is for First, Second, and Third, and though the music at Fourth may sometimes have a more modern flavor, the worship will include everyone.

Beyond just another worship service, Forest Lake is also hoping to further engage people in our community, so you may see artwork from a local artist, hear music in the atrium from a neighborhood musician, or get a snack in the lobby prepared by a community chef.

So is the Fourth Service just Deeper in a new time slot? No. The original purpose of Deeper was to connect the disconnected to a community of similarly disconnected people. Deeper carved itself out of the church to meet a need (and many, many people were blessed). The need Deeper was created to help fill all those years ago is different now. The mission of the Forest Lake Church is: To Teach the Word of God, lead people to Jesus, and help others to do the same. As part of the Forest Lake Church family, we are still working towards our mission to share the Good News about Jesus with those around us, and the best way to do that is to work together as a family. Therefore all of the worship services at Forest Lake Church (First, Second, Third, and Fourth) have a renewed emphasis on connecting people with a big, loving, Jesus-centered church family.

And don't worry, Deeper isn't going away. It is still a vital ministry of the church targeted at meeting the specific needs of Young Adults. There will still be Deeper small group studies, game nights, potlucks, and other social gatherings.

So what is Fourth Service? Like the

First, Second, and Third Services, it is a time where God's people can come together to worship Him. More than that, it is a place we can all develop a stronger relationship with Jesus together and learn how to share that relationship with our friends and neighbors.

If that sounds like something you want to be a part of, come join us at Fourth (or First, or Second, or Third)!

To Lost to Be Saved?

2011-09-24T15:40:00.001-04:00

I was listening to the song Tourniquet by the band Evanescence the other day and was once again struck by something. The song is somewhat deep--and I guess you could say dark--in spots, yet in the chorus of the song, Amy, the singer, asks a very powerful question (one of the reasons I love the song so much): "Am I to lost to be saved?"

Wow. I can't speak for humanity in general, but personally I know that I've asked that question to God before. Let's face it, we've all done things that we don't want anyone else to know about, especially church people. Sometimes it seems like in my own life I really lead a double life, the one that people at church see and the more worldly one.

To me the question of being "to lost to be saved" has more than one answer. I think that most Christian churches would answer “yes, it is possible to be that far gone.” Jesus Himself said it was possible, but the only way Jesus said you could be to lost to be saved was by being lost and refusing to be saved. Did you catch that? The only way to not be saved is to not want to be saved! Most churches disagree with that, I think. Sure, they agree with that in "principal" but in most it takes a lot less than total rejection of God to be considered "unsaved."

One way to be unsaved, according to most Christian churches, is premarital sex. Wait, did I just say that out loud?! We can't even talk about it without giving it the same connotation as hellfire and brimstone! It's evil, it's bad, and you're a MEGA sinner if you've done it! Now, I'm not going to argue the right and wrong of it, but what I am going to say is simply this: everyone makes mistakes. Should we continue to hold those mistakes over them forever?

Another example I thought of, at least in my experience as an Adventist (although I see similar trends on other Christian churches too) is that if a marriage doesn't work out, we're "friendly" to the divorced person, but mostly they are treated like a leper. This might come as a surprise, but of all the Adventist churches in Orlando (and there are plenty) only one has a ministry for divorcees. This isn't to say that other churches don't care, but sometimes not talking about it means it didn’t happen. Is that logical? No, it’s not, but it makes people more comfortable, which at times seems to be the most important thing.

So what about it then? Am I to lost to be saved? I have fallen on my knees and asked God this question many times, often in the aftermath of having committed some grave sin (or at least one I feel particularly guilty for). Every time God leaves me with the impression that no, I'm not to lost to be saved, and the reason why is that I'm actually asking Him that question. Do I still think I'm a screw up? You bet! Sometimes I think about the people I sit in church with "if they knew some of the stuff I've done they wouldn't want me here any more." But God, in His infinite wisdom, answered my questioning prayer with something real, something tangible.

I've been taught of late what it means to be a part of a real authentic Christian community. In this community there are some wonderfully screwed up people, and the thing that so attracts me to them is simply their attitude, which says: "We're all broken, messed up human beings, but Jesus loves us anyway. So come as you are, because that's all we expect you to be." For most churches, it's not so much "come as you are" but "come as we think you should be" and that's not what Jesus would do. So, am I to lost to be saved? No, because like Jesus said: "The only way to not be saved is to not want to be saved."

God's Priest - Hero of 9/11

2011-09-11T09:30:00.001-04:00

Father Mychal F. Judge was the son of Irish Catholic immigrants from County Leitrim on May 11, 1933, the firstborn of a pair of fraternal twins. With his twin sister Dympna and his older sister Erin, he grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. during the Great Depression.

His lifelong affinity for the poor began at a young age; he often gave his only quarter to beggars on the street.At the age of six, he watched his father die of a slow and painful illness. To compensate for his father's inability to work, Judge shined shoes at New York Penn Station from where he would visit St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street. Seeing the Franciscan friars there, "I realized that I didn't care for material things," he later said, "I knew then that I wanted to be a friar."

In 1948, at the age of 15, Judge began the formation process to enter the Franciscan community. He trained at three seminaries in New York, New Jersey, and New Hampshire before receiving his BA degree from St. Bonaventure University. He completed his training and was ordained a priest at Holy Name College in Washington, DC in 1961. Upon entering the Order of Friars Minor, he took the religious name of Mychal.

From 1961 to 1986, Judge served at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, St. Joseph Parish in East Rutherford, NJ, Sacred Heart Parish in Rochelle Park, NJ, and St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, NJ. For three years he served as assistant to the president at Siena College in Loudonville, NY. In 1986, he was assigned to the Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31st Street, New York, where he lived and worked until his death in 2001. Around 1971, Judge became an alcoholic, although he never showed obvious signs. In 1978, with the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, he became sober and continued to share his personal story of alcoholism to help others facing addiction.

In 1992, Judge was appointed Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York. As chaplain, he offered encouragement and prayers at fires, rescues, and hospitals, and counseled firefighters and their families, often working 16 hour days. "His whole ministry was about love. Mychal loved the fire department and they loved him."

In New York, Judge was also well known for ministering to the homeless, the hungry, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, the sick, injured, and grieving, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and those alienated by the Church.

For example, Judge once gave the winter coat off his back to a homeless woman in the street, later saying, "She needed it more than me." When he anointed a man who was dying of AIDS, the man asked him, "Do you think God hates me?" Judge just picked him up, kissed him, and silently rocked him in his arms.

Even before his death, many considered Judge to be a living saint for his extraordinary works of charity and his deep spirituality. While praying, Judge would sometimes "become so lost in God, as if lost in a trance, that he'd be shocked to find several hours had passed."

"He achieved an extraordinary degree of union with the divine," said Judge's former spiritual director, Fr. John McNeill. "We knew we were dealing with someone directly in line with God."

Upon hearing the news that the World Trade Center had been hit, Judge rushed to the site. He was met by the Mayor of New York, Rudolph Giuliani, who asked him to pray for the city and its victims. Judge administered last rites to some lying on the streets, then entered the lobby of the World Trade Center north tower where an emergency command post was organized. There he continued offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured and dead.

When the south tower collapsed at 9:59 AM, debris went flying through the north tower lobby, killing many inside, including Judge. At the moment he was struck in the head and killed, Judge was repeatedly praying aloud, "Jesus, please end this right now! God please end this!"

Shortly after his death, firefighters found Judge's body and carried it out of the north lobby. This event was captured in the documentary film 9/11, shot by Jules and Gedeon Naudet. Shannon Stapleton, photographer from Reuters, photographed Judge's body being carried out of the rubble by five men. It became one of the most famous images related to 9/11.

Father Judge's body bag was labeled "Victim 0001," recognized as the first official victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Former President Bill Clinton was among the 3,000 people who attended his funeral, held on September 15 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan. It was presided over by Cardinal Edward Egan. Clinton said his death was "a special loss. We should live his life as an example of what has to prevail." Judge was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa, New Jersey. On October 11, 2001 Brendan Fay organized A "Month's Mind Memorial" in Good Shepard Chapel, General Theological Seminary, New York. It was an evening of prayer, stories, and traditional Irish music.

Some Catholic leaders recognize Judge as a de facto saint. His helmet was presented to Pope John Paul II. France awarded him the Légion d'honneur. The U.S. Congress nominated him for a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2002, the City of New York renamed a portion of West 31st Street "Father Mychal F. Judge Street", and christened a commuter boat "The Father Mychal Judge Ferry". Alvernia University, a private independent college in the Franciscan tradition in Reading, Pennsylvania, named a new residence hall in honor of Judge.

The Father Mychal Judge Walk of Remembrance takes place every year in New York around the 9/11 anniversary. It begins with a Mass at St. Francis Church on West 31st Street, then proceeds to the site of Ground Zero, retracing Judge's final journey and praying along the way. Every September 11, there is also a Mass in memory of Mychal Judge in Boston, attended by many who lost family members on 9/11.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 25:31-40

God’s Temple

2011-09-07T19:46:00.001-04:00

Sabbath is perhaps one of the most well known practices of the Seventh-day Adventist faith but at the same time the least understood. The Sabbath is seen as a day filled with rules, regulations, and restrictions that must be suffered through once a week. But Jesus and His disciples seemed to enjoy the Sabbath, so what is it really all about?

Sabbath is the English translation of the Jewish word Shabbat. Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word "Shabbat" comes from the root Shin-Bet-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel points out that before we can understand what the Sabbath is, we must recognize that the universe around us is made up of two things, space and time. Space what we do. We acquire things in which to fill it, we work, labor, and toil in it, space is basically everything you can see, touch, and feel. Time, on the other hand, is eternal. It is around us every day, but unlike space time goes on forever, and no matter what we do we cannot really affect it. According to Rabbi Heschel, time can touch every piece of space, and it is time where God lives (since God lives in eternity).

All right, to apply that concept that looks like it came out of Star Trek to the Sabbath, let us look at what the scriptures have to say.

The first mention of the Sabbath is in Genesis 2:2-3:

On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

But wait, you might say, the Sabbath isn’t mentioned there at all, just that God rested on the seventh day. Let’s look at the verse more closely. “On the seventh day God finished...” The Hebrew root word Bet means “to end” and another word for ending something is to cease what you are doing, and the Hebrew root for “to cease” is Shin. “...He rested on the seventh day...” The Hebrew root word Tav means “to rest.” You have Shin-Bet-Tav, the root word of Shabbat (Sabbath) right in the Genesis account.

Of course, any discussion about the Sabbath wouldn’t be complete without looking at Exodus 20:8-11:

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

This fourth commandment is the one that most Adventists hold up to justify all the rules, regulations, and restrictions that we generally associate with the Sabbath. We tend to focus in on the “not working, as God did not work” portion of the commandment, and in doing so we miss the most crucial part.

Look at the first word of the commandment: Remember. In the other commandments, God firmly says THOU SHALT NOT...not covet, not lie, not kill, not steal. But not so with His commandment about the Sabbath. God does not do that with the fourth commandment. What God is asking us to do is REMEMBER.

What are we supposed to remember, exactly? The commandment tells us what to do. “Remember the Sabbath day” it says. “In six days the Lord made the heavens, earth, sea, and everything that is in them (including we humans) but on the seventh day He rested. The Lord blessed and set apart Sabbath day.”

God created everything we know in six days. He filled the empty space around us with birds, plants, trees, animals, even humans. The seventh day He made for us by setting it aside so that we could stop what we’re doing and spend some time remembering all that He did for us and all that we have to be thankful for.

You might ask “So God made the Sabbath? Isn’t that still creating?” The simple answer is that yes, God did create the Sabbath. But it’s more than that. Think about temples and churches that have been built to honor God over the years. There was the Tabernacle of Moses, whose fabrics have long since rotted away. We can’t worship there any more. Solomon’s Temple was the most glorious ever built, until it was razed by the attacking Babylonians. Then the returning Jews built another temple of the remains of Solomon’s, which was built over by King Herod when the Romans took over. After Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, Herod’s temple was ruined. Then the Moslems constructed the Dome of the Rock to honor God. Do you see a pattern? Temples and places of worship have been constructed and torn down for centuries. Anything we build in the space we live simply can’t last forever.

God recognized this, so God built His temple in time. God’s temple is eternal, it can never be broken down, bombed out, razed, or pillaged. No matter what we do in the space around us, God’s eternal temple will always be there.

There is a story of a rabbi who was thrown into a deep, dark dungeon. He could not see the sun, the moon, or the stars. After awhile he lost track of the days because they all seemed the same to him. But he always knew when Sabbath was because he felt different. His spirit told him that he was entering into the Temple of God to worship.

So what is this sacred space, this Sabbath? It is a temple made by God Himself in which we can put aside the things of this world and go and worship Him, to spend time with Him. The Sabbath is not about a bunch of rules and restrictions, but about coming before the Creator to thank Him for what He’s done for us. As Jesus so wonderfully put it in Mark 2:27:

“The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”

What If Church….

2011-08-23T22:03:00.001-04:00

My friend Sebastian posted this on Facebook the other day, and it really got me thinking about church, in particular my church. Forest Lake is getting ready to create a 4th worship service, and I have the privilege to work with the team helping to put the service together.

As we were discussing worship styles, music, etc. etc. etc. Pastor Geoff reminded us that one of our best tools to build bridges with our Forest Lake Church community is to show humility in everything we do with the 4th service. As the discussions go on, I just keep coming back to that point. In everything we do, we should be humble (and not just for church).

We should lovingly accept someone in a full suit & tie and treat them the same as we would someone in shorts & sandals (James 2:1-12). There are people in our church who love the choir and love organ music, and there are people who love to rock out at full volume. We must, must embrace those who have a different idea of what worship should be than we do, just as we hope they will embrace us (but love them all the same).

Jesus taught that we should treat others as we want to be treated, not treat them the same way they treat us (Luke 6:27-38). What we can't do is sink into an "us/them" way of thinking because the biggest thing about being part of a church community is that we aren't and "us/them" but it's a "we." At the end of the day we must put aside our differences and move forward with a common purpose: teaching people about Jesus and making disciples

That's how people will know that Forest Lake is full of God's people, because we love each other, PERIOD.

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35)

Isn’t that the kind of church you want to be a part of?

Do Unto Others

2011-07-26T06:45:00.001-04:00

I have often found it easy to be thankful and praising of God when everything is going well. I’m amazed, however, at how quickly I can go from “God is great” to “how could You let that happen?” when times grow harder.

I think of Job and everything he went through. Here was a devout man of God, so good that even Satan knew of his faith. When Job lost everything, though, he crawled into the down dump and sat in ashes for a week. He questioned God about why these things had been allowed to happen, and if they were meant to happen why did God allow him even to be born. Of course, Job did not once turn his back on God, merely questioned when things got unbelievable hard and he had nothing.

Not too long ago many people in the Gulf region of the United States lost everything in the devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina. People of all walks of life, from the very richest to the very poorest found themselves on equal footing as both had but the foundations of their former homes left. Every space they called sacred, from their homes to their business to their places of worship, and been blown away in the storm.

Gulfport, Mississippi was near the center of the storm, with the loss near total. But there was one person in Gulfport who saw that many people were hurting and lost and decided to do something about it. 11-year-old Kelsie Buckley saw that the Gulfport library no longer had any books, furniture, and it barley had walls. Kelsie realized that many people enjoyed those books that the library had within its walls, and she decided to try and raise some money to help put books back on the shelves. As she put it, “Books help you get your mind off of any bad things that are going on.” So Kelsie rode her horse back and forth across Mississippi and raised $9,000 in pledges.

Kelsie got the attention of CBS News correspondent Steve Hartmann, and after he did a story on the news about what Keslie was trying to achieve for the Gulfport library, money and pledges poured in from around the country. Now Kelsie says she would like to raise $10,000 for all the libraries in the Gulfport area, 7 libraries in all.

But there’s a couple of things you should know about Kelsie. The first is that she and her family lost everything in Katrina and now live in a FEMA trailer. Yet for some reason this little girl is trying to raise money to help her community, not herself. And the most amazing thing is that this little girl who is riding her horse across a devastated state to help get books for her library is that she is very nearly blind. You see, Kelsie has a rare disease that has all but stolen her eyesight, and some days she can’t see anything at all. But she is determined to bring back stories and laughter to those around her.

Sometimes I feel like I have it bad, but I have a roof over my head, food on my table, and I have a church to worship in each week. If I lost all of that, all of my sacred spaces, would I whine and complain (as I would be sorely tempted to do) or would I have the courage of an 11-year-old girl and help rebuild those sacred places, not for me, but for those around me?

A Humble Man

2011-07-18T13:00:00.001-04:00

I remember watching Indiana Jones going over a riddle in his head in his quest to save his father with the Holy Grail. The riddle stated that “a humble man kneels before God.” Well, our pal Indy figured out that this simple act of penitence would prevent him from losing his head. But what about in this thing we call “real life?” How easy is it for us to be humble?

When many people look at the thought of being humble, they think that it means they have to be turned into doormats; a truly humble person gets walked on and doesn’t fight back. The world’s view on humbleness is that it is synonymous with being spineless. God’s view is a bit different.

Jesus came to Earth to show us God’s love as it should be lived out in our daily lives. He was an example of a humble man who stood for nearly everything the Jewish faith had forgotten and discarded. Jesus was constantly being challenged by religious authorities, but He never once backed down. He simply painted a picture of how God’s way was not only the wiser and simpler course, but the more practical one. He rarely told them outright they were wrong, He instead showed them what was right through illustration. He challenged their intellects. He met them on their level. And all the while He was humble. Even at His trial He would not condemn them. Even as they beat Him, He stood humbly for God.

Jesus is a wonderful example of what it is to be humble, but we humans seem to need constant reminders of what being humble is. I’m sure any one of us can think of a time when we screwed up and were humbled when it was pointed out to us. Humans don’t like to be wrong. “I’m right, and if you agree with me, then so are you.” This mentality is not what God is looking for, and He will remind us that He is right, and we need to believe in Him because He is bigger than everything.

There is a great example of God reminding a mere human that He is God and he is not. It is found in the Book of Job. Job has been having a rough time. His friends have been counseling him to do what they believe God wants him to do, and Job has been debating and arguing with them. As Job is sitting in a pile of ashes, covered with boils, God shows up and gives Job a little reality check. As my friend Katie put it, “God gets sarcastic.”

God begins to question Job, “Were you there when I separated the land from the water? Can you call lightning across the sky? Can you talk to a whale?” (Job 38-41) God isn’t doing this to make Job feel stupid. God is showing His friend Job that no matter what his problems are, God is there and God is bigger than those problems. If Job humbles himself before God and has faith that God is bigger than his problems, then he will find comfort.

The next time you run into a major problem where your pride is getting in the way, take a moment and remember God’s conversation with Job. Swallow your pride, be humble, and take God’s hand and He will lead you. Remember that no matter how big your problem might seem, God is bigger than that problem, and while a prideful man thinks he can solve anything by himself, a humble man kneels before God.

What Is Prayer, Really?

2011-06-10T17:57:00.001-04:00

In this post-9/11 world, you hear a lot about prayer. The power of prayer, prayer this, prayer that. But really, what is this “prayer” thing all about anyway? Sure, it’s talking to God, but is that it? Or could it possibly be something more?

I was raised to pray before each meal and before I went to bed each night. I still do that, thank God for each meal and a short little prayer before drifting to sleep each night. Somewhere along the line, though, it just became words. I began to feel, as the pastor at my church put it, “as if my prayers were just bouncing off the ceiling.”

It’s like the scene at the end of the movie Bruce Almighty where God tells Bruce to say a prayer, and the first thing he does is the “Miss America prayer” of peace on earth, feed the hungry, etc. God tells Bruce that his prayer is all well and good, but that he needs to really pray. So Bruce prays for his girlfriend, not that she takes him back, but that she be happy. Bruce prays an unselfish prayer, praying about someone else with no more thought of what benefit it might be for him.

In Acts 2:42, Luke lays out the four foundation pieces for a successful Christian community. These fundamental elements are not from a model of what should be, but of how the Christian community of which he was a part was. One of those four essential parts is praying together. Did you catch that? One of the basic foundation blocks of any Christian community is that its members pray together. But why together? Why does Jesus say that where two or more are gathered together there He’ll be?

The more I think about it, the more it becomes clear to me what Jesus’ reasoning for teaching us to pray like this. When I am praying in a small group or one on one with someone else, I’m not praying for me. I’m praying that the person I’m with has success in life, is able to make it through a stress at work, a happy marriage, a sick relative. I’m praying for that person, but what I’m not praying for is myself. I believe that Jesus wanted us to pray together because, by asking that God be with those around us, we in turn receive a blessing. In John 17 Jesus, just before He died, prayed long and hard for His friends, and then He prays for all of us. Here He was about to die, and He prays for you and me.

I know that for me, when I sat down and really looked at it, I am praying for myself all the time. God, please give me this, grant me that, and so on. It’s like sometimes I think God is a magic genie there to grant my every wish. But by praying for others, it becomes less about what I want and more about what they need. Does that mean I should never ask God for anything? No! But it does mean that when I do ask Him for something, it will be for something I actually need, not some frivolous thing I want to make myself look cool.

By praying for others, we begin to realize what’s really important in life. I challenge you to look at your own prayer life. Does it look like Bruce’s selfish prayer, or the unselfish prayer of Jesus for His friends?

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” – James 5:16

Little Fish, Big Help

2011-05-30T10:03:00.001-04:00

What do you think of when you think of a fisherman? Maybe you think of that guy in that TV commercial in a yellow rain jacket, soaking wet, advertising fish sticks. Maybe you think of a guy in a little rowboat in the middle of a lake sleeping with a pole dangling in the water. Perhaps you envision a businessman on holiday standing waist deep in a stream swinging a line back and forth hoping to catch a trout.

Regardless of your image, you are most likely thinking of someone just catching a couple of fish and not really doing much of anything. You probably don’t picture people doing that for a living and if you do, you probably don’t think the living is very good. Even though without fisherman a lot of food that we eat would not be available, that’s not what I was thinking about. I was thinking of another story of simple fishermen.

Back in the early days of World War II, the Nazis were having phenomenal success in taking over the continent of Europe. The British had sent troops to help reinforce their French allies, but it was to no avail. France fell, and the last of the British and French troops were trapped with their backs to the sea at a place in northern France called Dunkirk. The Nazis were bearing down on these men, who believed they were going to die or be captured, which was worse than dying because they would be sent to join the Jews in concentration camps. The water where they were holding out was very shallow, and the British Navy could not get any transport ships in to get the troops to safety. All hope was lost for these brave men, whose number was nearly 340,000. It was only a matter of time before the Germans overtook them.

Back in Britain an amazing thing was happening. Hundreds of little fishing boats and private yachts were massing in London harbor. Where the Navy could not go because of its size these fishing boats could because of theirs. Over the next ten days these little boats successfully navigated the channel between Britain and Dunkirk and brought those stranded troops, who had abandoned all hope, safely back home.

Fishermen have played an important role in our history. Four of Jesus’ most trusted disciples were fishermen. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all big, burly, smelly fishermen, yet they spread the news of Jesus throughout the world. Jesus called out to them, and still calls out to us today:

“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matt. 4:19)

If God can use fishermen to save the world, and these guys are the meanest and ugliest guys around, don’t you think he can use you, too? You may only reach one person instead of a multitude, but in the end, that’s one more heavenly neighbor.

“But now I am sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 16:16a)