tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51611734959538119992024-03-05T10:20:32.469-05:00Hospital Church BlogChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05393316774783147320noreply@blogger.comBlogger297125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-60503558139927876372015-01-22T09:09:00.000-05:002015-01-22T09:10:19.560-05:00Seasons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8xiT7iR7N6LERuf61nrjgpHZuK-_FjTOKj9dDdpz_TpFMEe3DY2rMblqMkWrC3wWrg4LtvUYXbTQ0R3c_aN_CCdO8sap23tt1heffYAwyoUgup7H89_XKHFCZtnsTzFikxn8yrL5WDqw/s1600/four_seasons_by_nalmes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8xiT7iR7N6LERuf61nrjgpHZuK-_FjTOKj9dDdpz_TpFMEe3DY2rMblqMkWrC3wWrg4LtvUYXbTQ0R3c_aN_CCdO8sap23tt1heffYAwyoUgup7H89_XKHFCZtnsTzFikxn8yrL5WDqw/s1600/four_seasons_by_nalmes.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity
under heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our lives naturally run in seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see the variations that take place in
weather cycles, and we experience the changes the years bring as we age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Florida Hospital Church is taking an opportunity to
enjoy a season of rest from our blog activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are several reasons for this, and we wanted those of you who are
regular and faithful readers to know this is being done with intentionality
rather than disinterest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first FHC blog was posted in 2009, and with few
exceptions, we have posted a new essay every week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We encourage you to look back over the past
years’ offerings for words of inspiration and insight into how God seeks a
relationship with us in our daily lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’d also love to hear from you during this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell us what you liked about the FHC blogs or
what you found frustrating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we
consider future plans, we’d like to know why you read the blog or possibly why
others may not have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What topics most
piqued your interest, and what issues fell flat?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for traveling with us on this journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blessings,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Florida Hospital Church Blog Staff<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please direct comments
to tami@hospitalchurch.org</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Photo credit: http://nalmes.deviantart.com/art/four-seasons-149221264</span></i></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-35806733075354456362015-01-07T22:10:00.000-05:002015-01-07T22:10:27.519-05:00Should Some Things Change?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Increasing numbers of the members of the
Seventh-day Adventist denomination are coming to understand the perils of our
traditional governance structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 19<sup>th</sup>
century model for managing our denomination has no chance of sustaining our
global network. What got us to where we are today is not what will move us to
where God intends for us to be in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For too many decades we have treaded water with some kind of wishful
thinking that everything will self sort because it is God’s work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our God is the creative God who has endowed his
creation, humans, with the power to think and innovate, to will and to do. He
not only equipped us with these gifts but he placed responsibility on us
initially to have dominion and to rule. When here in person he commissioned us
with a mandate that is a moral imperative to—go—make disciples—baptize them—and
teach those disciples to observe all of what he commanded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While obedience to this commission has been given
voice, and even action in our denomination, today, in a 21<sup>st</sup> century
world, the system of governance meant to expedite the gospel commission is
hampering mission fulfillment, and is at risk of killing it altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s
utilization of resources in today’s world is immoral if the gospel commission
is a moral imperative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following data was gathered from the 2013
Annual Statistical Report, which was reporting the statistics as of Dec 31,
2011, prepared by General Conference Office of Archives, Statistics, and
Research. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to their global data
there are 26,859 “Evangelistic and Pastoral Employees” and 27,788
“Administrative, Promotional, Office and Miscellaneous Employees”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are Full Time Equivalent
employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is the ever continuing call from
denominational leadership for greater financial faithfulness from the
membership as the primary answer to church economics. There is no doubt that
across our denomination members should continually be challenged to honor God
with their money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, there is little
doubt that almost all of us could be more generous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But with that said, a system that has a
bureaucratic structure with these office to field ratios is not only unsustainable
but should be unsustainable. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be
unimaginable to visit any business anywhere in the world and have a manager
standing behind every online worker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A simple, and I realize it isn’t so simple, change
of those ratios could serve as a means for becoming more faithful stewards of
the resources we manage on God’s behalf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consider the possibilities based on the following
assumptions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">An annual average cost of $50,000 per FTE</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Office to field ratios shift from approximately
1:1 to 1:10</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Give each office FTE 2 FTE assistants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">New office to field is then </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">3:10</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This would mean an annual savings of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$941,750,000.00!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we only gave each office FTE 1 full time
assistant the savings jump to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$1,090,950,000.00
in annual savings!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, that is one billion!
And remember this isn’t a one time savings but an annual opportunity for
reinvestment in fulfilling the Great Commission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The amazing miracle of God’s blessing is that even
with our current supervision ratios we are still managing to grow and somewhat
maintain the denomination. But the clock is ticking! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May God inspire, give vision and courage that we
might be faithful in making the tough decisions necessary now to be able to
look back from a future vantage point and know that God’s work is stronger,
healthier, and more just because we did the hard work necessary to be a God
honoring Seventh-day Adventist Denomination.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andy McDonald</span></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-70943336705548257292015-01-01T09:09:00.000-05:002015-01-01T09:09:47.028-05:00Makeovers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbyfHzrQKkEUoOA60s4dLRo3MA5UTPFvjqBx8vacVjykqP67XRyjeGkf3PZtp6u4bDQHZeK0vRuPe47PYtMeMRkG09K2nNp1y5l_rBPKVBM37z4hWHGtCoJ3eh0dSqVMc3mujNASjcOxI/s1600/Makeover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbyfHzrQKkEUoOA60s4dLRo3MA5UTPFvjqBx8vacVjykqP67XRyjeGkf3PZtp6u4bDQHZeK0vRuPe47PYtMeMRkG09K2nNp1y5l_rBPKVBM37z4hWHGtCoJ3eh0dSqVMc3mujNASjcOxI/s1600/Makeover.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Today Show chooses a somewhat ordinary-looking woman who is sent off to another room and, a little later on the same two-hour show, is brought back with a whole new look: hairdo, makeup, clothes, and accessories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time magazine features an article describing the television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It tells the story of Alive Harris of South Central Los Angeles. She still remembers the day the good people from ABC volunteered to demolish her house. In 2003, a flood had left the uninsured community activist and her family living in just one bedroom of their destroyed home. Worst of all, the waters had ruined a stash of Christmas toys Harris had collected for underprivileged children. Harris said, “I figured no one was going to come to Watts and help us. No one had ever done that.” But Extreme Makeover: Home Edition found her. Its bullhorn-wielding host, Ty Pennington, shipped Harris and her family off for a week’s vacation in Carlsbad, California, while over 100 workers and neighbors tore their home down to the foundation and built a brand new and bigger one. They replaced the Christmas toys and donated appliances, mattresses, and landscaping to her flood-stricken neighbors. They even threw in a basketball court for the neighborhood kids. Now that’s an extreme makeover.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what does all this have to do with New Years? Simply this—all of these extreme makeovers have something in common: an outsider comes in with a one-two-three program. First, the outsider sees the possibilities the recipient couldn’t see. Second, the outsider does what the recipient couldn’t possibly do. Third, the outsider pays for what the recipient could never afford to pay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you face 2015, remember that there’s an amazing God who is in the makeover business. He’s in the business of transforming your life and mine. He has a similar three-step program. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One: He sees possibilities in you and me that we’re not apt to see in ourselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two: He is able to do for you and me what we simply cannot do for ourselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three: He’s able to pay the price for what He does. We can’t afford the price so He paid it for us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, God’s makeover is slightly different in one area. The reality show makeover is an external job; God’s is an internal job. He makes you and me a new person from the inside out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you face a new year, please, let Him do His work. He’s really, really good at it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill Crofton</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-33884504995581296592014-12-18T13:11:00.000-05:002014-12-18T13:11:27.435-05:00The Gift of Receiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7WA44J86vDiSSVBiqBXofW9MEuJZ8Ff8w-efnpRaPQ39WGYAwZIsU_J0lBaMYnhe-QcF0rBptSvV9IJI5-FkvQuXqtUbG1Qdl1T6bGq1Kz8Epttq7v4Nmcxf7ASp9qpOv6yGw1Sx1AFX/s1600/gift-237536_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7WA44J86vDiSSVBiqBXofW9MEuJZ8Ff8w-efnpRaPQ39WGYAwZIsU_J0lBaMYnhe-QcF0rBptSvV9IJI5-FkvQuXqtUbG1Qdl1T6bGq1Kz8Epttq7v4Nmcxf7ASp9qpOv6yGw1Sx1AFX/s1600/gift-237536_1280.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently heard a story about a missionary who was working
in a farming community of a very economically depressed country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day, one of the local men the missionary
had gotten to know asked if he had a farm back at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The missionary lived in a large city and
replied that he did not have a farm and then thought no more about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several days later when the missionary was
getting ready to return home, this man came to him and, with very sincere
concern, told him that he and his wife decided to give the missionary some of
their land since, because he had no farm where he lived, he was obviously in
greater need than they were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As poor as this family was, their priority was to give of
what little they had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would have been
an understandable response for the missionary to refuse the gift, to assure the
man that he had no need of the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, the missionary’s purpose was to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">give</i>, not to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">receive.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, the missionary understood the value
for this couple in being able to give as well as receive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His response was to thank this man for his
generosity and accept the gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wisely,
before the missionary got on the plane to return home, he requested that the
man and his wife do him a great favor and care for “his land” as their own
since he would not be able to do it himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How comfortable are you with receiving?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only speak for myself, but I don’t do
it very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether it’s a compliment
offered after a project I’ve completed or a birthday gift given to me by one of
my children, I tend to deflect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No, it
was really nothing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Seriously, you
guys shouldn’t have done that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a Christian, I believe giving is a part of who I am
called to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I think the
unintentional message I may send when I don’t receive well is that those
extending their kind words or gracious gifts actually don’t have anything of
value to give me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s the
furthest thing from the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Christmas season is a time of gift giving, but it’s also
a time of gift receiving. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is the
greatest Gift Giver, and the only appropriate response for the gift of Jesus is
a humble, “Thank you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe these are
the only words needed as we learn to acknowledge the great need we have for
each other as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tami Cinquemani</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-78192604809895063682014-12-04T00:27:00.000-05:002014-12-04T00:27:55.481-05:00Looking for Thomas Kinkade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD9omV5HpygY-7UzJgTZQWkCewRfT6b7cge9SI4VDxL483_dE8xjKvpIp-g65wyfJ6D_Oe44KKVexat7Kovxld9AHgPqc1Z427Mmaf6Ig8-eRTLKnpNah1O_WgFcL9TRqBRszjOaGA5JM/s1600/kinkade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifD9omV5HpygY-7UzJgTZQWkCewRfT6b7cge9SI4VDxL483_dE8xjKvpIp-g65wyfJ6D_Oe44KKVexat7Kovxld9AHgPqc1Z427Mmaf6Ig8-eRTLKnpNah1O_WgFcL9TRqBRszjOaGA5JM/s1600/kinkade.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've always enjoyed the paintings of Thomas Kinkade.
Also called the Painter of Light, Kinkade is known for glowing warm light and
idyllic picturesque settings. Many of his paintings evoke in me a sense
of cozy warmth and love, with family members gathered around a warm fire while
the snow falls outside. It’s an ideal Christmas setting, and one for
which I find myself wishing at times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yet, every year at Christmas, the reality is quite
different. Schedules are hectic, stores are crowded, and money is
tight. Family get-togethers are often busy and over too soon. Even
the music that I love so much can start to get old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But before you label me a Scrooge, please understand that Christmas
is actually my favorite time of the year. I love the picturesque images
from Thomas Kinkade and Norman Rockwell not because they are real, but because
they are a glimpse of the ideal. At Christmastime you can see acts of
kindness towards strangers, gifts of love to family, and simple joy and
wonderment in the eyes of a child. You may have to look past the
selfishness and greed that are also prevalent at this time of year, but it is
there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glimpses of divinity in the midst of human brokenness; a
fitting description of what happened on the first Christmas 2000 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chad Hess</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-90723133748520874592014-11-21T16:05:00.000-05:002014-11-21T16:12:41.978-05:00Water - God's Signature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw_pbDzO7v3PG52VcYKixSlFg3s9FiEF9mxASM0DgTkz61a3XzzM2-0HC-rZr-4nY3E14tSA6NvSsWeAbvgHAFHN55f3j81i8DeEm4KuKPs_x1zUSsGGwDESz3OM-D9TzHeDo6SX6fJrM/s1600/splashing-165192_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw_pbDzO7v3PG52VcYKixSlFg3s9FiEF9mxASM0DgTkz61a3XzzM2-0HC-rZr-4nY3E14tSA6NvSsWeAbvgHAFHN55f3j81i8DeEm4KuKPs_x1zUSsGGwDESz3OM-D9TzHeDo6SX6fJrM/s1600/splashing-165192_640.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great artists are usually associated to specific
characteristics found in their masterpieces. These characteristics are used to
distinguish them and associate the piece to the artist. For example, the
structure of Michelangelo’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pietà</i></b> is pyramidal and the vertex
coincides with Mary's head, sharing certain similarities with his <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Madonna
and Child</i></b>, which was completed shortly after. The long, oval face of
Mary is a reminiscent of the Pietà. Mozart’s music is a wonderful
representation of the Classical style; however, clarity, balance, and
transparency are very specific characteristics of his work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interestingly enough, the same trend is also seen in
science. The uniqueness of certain organisms are only found in specific
species,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, the botulinum
toxin, which is the most acutely lethal toxin known to man, is only produced by
one species of the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clostridium</i>,
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clostridium botulinum</i>. Many
people may not recognize that name at first, but mostly everyone has heard
about Botox, which is a commercial product that contains the toxin in minute
concentrations used as a wrinkle reducer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking deeper into science, which by the way is my favorite
subject, we can find the signature of the Creator everywhere in His creation; we
just have to look for it! Let me open a little parenthesis here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a scientist, I cannot (and emphasize
the CANNOT) understand why scientists around the world and across generations
do not believe in our Creator God or lose their faith, many times claiming that
they could not find enough scientific evidence of His existence. On the
contrary, the more I study science and living beings (from microorganisms to
humans), the more I find God in His creation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Water . . . so many people underestimate this simple substance.
Water is composed of two molecules of Hydrogen and one molecule of Oxygen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very simple, right? Well, not really. As with
the simplicity of Mozart’s work, we may underestimate the exceptional power of
His finest masterpieces with simplistic notions of its delicacy. Water is so
important that Jesus compared Himself to it (John 4:10-13, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NIV</i>), and He also said “no one can enter the kingdom of God unless
they are born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5) The word “water” is
mentioned more than 700 times in the Bible. The first mention of water in
Scripture is found in Genesis 1:2 and the last in Revelation 22:17. In between
those two books, water flows right through the pages of Scripture. Amazingly,
there is no specific mention of when the water was created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water was there with God even before light
was created. Genesis 1:1-2 (emphasis added) says, “In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was
over the surface of the deep, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little bit more science . . . everyone knows that our
cells are made of about 80% water, but that does not happen only with human beings.
Earth is about 80% water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All living
creatures have about the same percentage of water, from a single cell bacterium
to a complex body of a mammal. Therefore, we are basically water! Before
creating the world, God was hovering over the waters, and after creating
everything He still hovering over the waters. Just imagine the intimate relationship
each creature can have with the Creator if we allow Him to hover over each cell
of our bodies. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When God designed the living beings, including us, He placed
His little signature, water. The composition of our body is so perfect that, by
being made of water, we do not boil (literally) under the climatic conditions
we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Animals can live under frozen
lakes, rivers, or oceans because the water does not freeze completely (with few
exceptions). In a frozen lake, the water below the frozen surface is always 4°C
(39.2°F), which is suitable for life. In contrast, it is plausible to assume
that the absence of water is, therefore, absence of life. There is a continuing
debate in science about viruses; some scientists believe that they are living
creatures and some do not. Personally, I believe that viruses distort the
definition of life. Viruses lack most of the internal structure and machinery
of cells, which characterize 'life', including the biosynthetic machinery that
is necessary for reproduction and metabolism. In addition to all that, they lack
water in their composition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also use the properties of water to teach children about
the Trinity. Just like God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,
the same molecule of water can exist in three forms. We can get a little more
technical and say that, as the Trinity, water can be three in one at the same
time, and this is called the triple point of water. In thermodynamics, the
triple point of a substance is the temperature and pressure at which the three
phases (gas, liquid, and solid) of that substance coexist in thermodynamic
equilibrium. The single combination of pressure and temperature at which liquid
water, solid ice, and water vapor can coexist in a stable equilibrium occurs at
exactly 273.16 K (0.01 °C) and a partial vapor pressure of 611.73 Pascal. We may
have gotten too technical here, but all of that tells us that, if water can
coexist in three different forms in equilibrium, why can’t God?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God uses simple things to show us that He is always present
and that we can find Him in all creation because He was the One that designed
everything. He is not an “unknown” artist. He wants us to know Him and
understand Him through His marvelous masterpiece. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fernanda Santos<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PhD and Member of FHC</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-33999455628610028412014-11-13T14:35:00.000-05:002014-11-13T14:35:01.057-05:00Seeing People As God Sees Them<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months back I was headed home and got a text from my wife, Jane, to stop and pick up some milk. A convenience store was close by, so I pulled in. To be honest, I don’t know if I would have noticed the guy behind the counter, but the Christian university where I serve as chaplain had recently done a service on the theme of “Seeing People as Jesus Sees Them.” My first thought was to feel bad for anyone who had to work the night shift in a convenience store, stuck behind a counter by yourself all night with nothing to look at but lottery tickets, chewing tobacco, and beef jerky. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He looked to be in his thirties, and that those years had been a little rough on him. For some reason, his scanner wasn’t reading the barcode of the milk, and he was having a hard time ringing up the sale. I asked if he wanted me to get another, but he rather harshly said “No!” even though he was getting more and more frustrated. I tried to engage him in a bit of conversation just to “lighten” the mood, but he was not responding. When the sale finally went through, I smiled and said, “Thanks!” but he never even looked at me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I drove home in the dark, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. I know that man is loved and valued by God, but does he know that? I know there’s a community of believers right down the street at 2800 North Orange Avenue that would warmly welcome and love him, but does he know that? I know that God has important work for him to do, that he was put on this earth for a reason, that he could glorify God in a way no other human being can, but does he know that? I don’t think so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what am I supposed to do? Reach over the counter, grab him by the collar, make him look me in the eye, and tell him that God loves him and has a wonderful plan for his life? Would he hear me? Would he believe me? Personally, I think doing something like that would be as scary for him as it would be for me!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what do I do? How do I love? I’m discovering that “seeing” what Jesus sees and “feeling” what Jesus feels can really mess up your drive home at night! And that was just one person. What about the sarcastic co-worker? The rebellious teenager? The elderly neighbor? The millions who go to bed hungry every night? What about the orphans and widows, and sick, and in prison? What can one person do? What can one community do? It’s easy to get a little overwhelmed by people’s needs—to be paralyzed by the magnitude of the world’s problems, right? Ever felt like that before? Seems to happen to me more and more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill Crofton</span><br />
<br />Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-87289946928018144182014-11-06T11:03:00.003-05:002014-11-06T11:03:45.711-05:00Did I Just Butt Dial God?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve all done it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have no intention of actually making the call, but somehow we lean against
something with our phone in our pocket, and someone in our contacts list
receives our unintentional call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes we realize it while the call is still going on, but most of
the time you don’t know you did it until the person you called calls you
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Hey!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you know your butt just called me?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You’re kidding me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Nope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounded like you were checking out at
Publix.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Weird.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I tried calling your name to get
your attention, but I guess you didn’t hear me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I just hung up and called you back.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You feel pretty silly afterward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you wonder what you might have said that
the person on the other end of the phone may have heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most likely, the voices were pretty muffled, but
if it was a private conversation, it may be a bit unnerving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m reading Richard Foster’s book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Celebration of Discipline, </i>because our church is doing a series on
the 12 spiritual disciplines outlined in Foster’s book. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chapter on Prayer seems a bit too formulaic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I strongly believe in prayer and
am committed to it as a practice necessary for Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I have no idea how it works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing I’m certain of, however, is that it
doesn’t work or not work dependent on the “formula” you use.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I’m being totally honest, I’ll tell you that most of my
prayers do not get answered in the way I would most like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe God’s answers to prayer are “Yes,”
“Not Now,” and “Not in That Way.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So,
it’s not that I don’t believe God is listening and answering my prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just think, for the most part, He and I
disagree on how they should be answered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In his chapter on prayer, Foster talks about using
imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He suggests praying in a
way that visualizes the answer actually happening. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, let’s say you know of a child who
is ill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your prayer imagines the child’s
body being healed and them rising from bed to run and play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was another example of the type of
praying I find disingenuous – more manipulation and less “thy will be
done.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in an effort to fully
immerse myself in the process, I decided to give it a try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a friend in a personal crisis for which I had been
praying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I closed Foster’s book and
picked up my computer to check my email, I half-heartedly imagined what a
solution to my friend’s problem would look like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without any intention of it actually being a
prayer, I played it through in my mind – step by step – imagining how each
person in the situation would make changes to bring about healing and
restoration to my friend’s world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, I
gave it a shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On with my day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have always viewed cynically the prayer stories of
miraculous answers, so I wasn’t prepared for the message I received the next
day from my friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In one of the
longest texts I’ve ever received, she explained how her situation had been
changed in what could only be understood as a God-provided miracle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The details she provided were an exact
reenactment of my imagination prayer from the previous day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was overjoyed and speechless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an amazing coincidence!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My pastor chuckled when I told him the story, gently trying
to help me accept this miraculous “coincidence” as an answer to my prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But . . . my prayers don’t get answered like
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, it wasn’t really an
“official” prayer – it was unintentional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I never meant to “call” God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was no “Dear God” in the beginning or “In Christ’s name, Amen” at
the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really more of a “butt
dial.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m still grappling with this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t understand prayer, and I’m not sure
if I ever will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I know I need it,
and God knows I need it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Maybe I'm not meant to understand it all. Maybe all I really need to know is</span>, even when I’m oblivious that I make the call, God’s still
calling my name and trying to get my attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tami Cinquemani</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-64686669511495197042014-10-29T22:03:00.000-04:002014-10-29T22:03:11.240-04:00Ruts—Risk or Reward? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been on some really muddy roads in some very
deep ruts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In those slippery, muddy
situations the ruts can be helpful. When your wheels are tracking in the rut,
they protect you from slipping into a ditch—just follow the rut, and eventually
you are led to a more drivable section of road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, by and large, I’m not a big rut fan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems all of us can fall prey to life
ruts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some might call them routines, and
there is a similarity, but I imagine routines easier to break than escaping
from deep ruts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life ruts aren’t
normally something we chose but something that just happened while we were
living life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It might be the rut of a nice family tradition.
That special place the family rendezvous annually. Could be a holiday rut. Or maybe
one Sunday morning years ago one of the men in the family was up early and
decided to make pancakes for the family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a hit, so a few weeks later it happened again, and then again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before anyone realized it, there was this
pancakes-fixed-by-one-of-the-guys-on-Sunday rut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And over time when someone in the family
wants something else for Sunday breakfast, or to go out, there is resistance
because we find comfort in the rut. After all, it is “our” rut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether we call them ruts or habits, routines or
traditions, we’ve all got them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the
most avant-garde family member has them, even if they are simply the arguments
against having them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t have them, but I
am suggesting that we could be healthier, freer, and more engaged with people
in our communities if we would intentionally consider our ruts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since so many of them just happen while we
are doing life, it is probable that some are really worth continuing, even
fostering, while we would do well to jump from the deep track of many of our not-so-helpful
ruts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I suggest that maybe you make list of your
routines, habits, traditions, or ruts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then, as you have them in front of you, ask yourself these seven questions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If this wasn’t a rut, would I choose to spend my
life this way?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->How does this rut make my life more difficult?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->And conversely, how does this rut make my life
easier, better, richer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Would I have trouble defending this rut to a
close friend or total stranger?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Is this rut so important and valuable that I
would invite others to join my rut?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What might be a better option than this rut?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Thinking wisely with good counsel in line with
scripture, do I now consciously choose this “rut”—habit, routine, or tradition—as
a valuable rut for me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since so many of our ruts “just happened” from
living life, we have the freedom, the power, and maybe even the responsibility
to think about life’s ruts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A verse comes to mind with which I’ve taken a
little liberty in the translation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“There is rut that seems like the right rut but in
the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just seems like a word of advice to all of us
whose ruts may have become just a bit too comfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andy McDonald</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-20327285283798074592014-10-25T16:04:00.000-04:002014-10-25T16:04:46.450-04:00Redeeming Jazz in Gospel Ministry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15jmtpuR1xFR0BKxy3stMYQj3WyELQEEXNhzNGtBLpAYP4SpdhHQDyqli3_5pjtT_5oKQKgl9vQWYZqr4TKgw-rf6U2TZE5C87pj_rECj8SuOkLrVppHTmbKFxm9h4Ry2AMSgvvE6BkWm/s1600/jazz+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15jmtpuR1xFR0BKxy3stMYQj3WyELQEEXNhzNGtBLpAYP4SpdhHQDyqli3_5pjtT_5oKQKgl9vQWYZqr4TKgw-rf6U2TZE5C87pj_rECj8SuOkLrVppHTmbKFxm9h4Ry2AMSgvvE6BkWm/s1600/jazz+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve always had struggles with preaching the gospel.
Sometimes I think about others who have done it so well—the Old Testament
prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Paul, St. Patrick, Billy Graham—and I
feel overwhelmed. Maybe it’s because of the way Christianity has been
villainized in my lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s
how I was raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I don’t believe
enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started taking our church jazz group to the local
community jazz festival a few years ago with the intent of a being a church that
uses their talents to join the community where they are. It has been successful
to a degree of friendship, but it hasn’t been overtly evangelical. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year I played a gospel song for the first time with
“Poor Wayfaring Stranger.” After the concert, my next-door neighbor, who is not
a church attender, asked me why I seemed so apologetic when I introduced the
song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thought it was fantastic. That
moment was an epiphany to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year we are playing mostly hymn tunes that are
fantastically arranged for this medium. We will sing “He Keeps Me Singing” with
the chorus line, “ Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know; fills my every
longing; keeps me singing as I go.” It’s quite a bold break from the past, and
I’m eager to see what will happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Music philosopher Harold Best summed it up best for me when
he said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Serving
Christ while participating in culture in an elegant and reforming way can mean
a thousand things in as many places. It can mean shoveling muck and bringing
clean water to a barrio. It can mean writing a new praise chorus for a
storefront congregation. It can mean translating the Scripture one more time
for one more faraway tribe. It can mean taking old hymns and old ways and
breathing new life into them. It can mean preaching simply yet eloquently,
fearingly yet sweetly. It can mean praise songs cavorting with hymns, and drums
conversing with organ sounds. It can mean complete freedom in the Lord and
stupendous discipline finding common ground. It can mean Bach, blues, Monet,
street art, child dance and ballet, homiletics and storytelling, barn raisings
and homeless shelters, all found within the normal conversation of the
believing church. Elegance, for the Christian, is simply a thousand actions
washed in the blood and carrying the sweet savor of Jesus' love. It is, above
all, the seamless garment of worship and witness.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ll keep you posted on this journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep us in your prayers as we explore bold
and creative ways to redeem culture for the sake of the kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richard Hickam</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-484844716081409002014-10-16T14:50:00.000-04:002014-10-16T14:50:35.120-04:00Greater Than What Divides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdCLb_hxC8fnCCaSfpjBsjkfzpeZlvo8lPekci38CB0p7xhbfqqcesDeSmM8cDP9j4F93Kw27Tk1xvbhRjtooACeTdjUq0CgYKtsoztfCGtFoI1RHIzf_-7swiLmS5jN-qT5Sxo6rUWOC/s1600/dog+and+cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdCLb_hxC8fnCCaSfpjBsjkfzpeZlvo8lPekci38CB0p7xhbfqqcesDeSmM8cDP9j4F93Kw27Tk1xvbhRjtooACeTdjUq0CgYKtsoztfCGtFoI1RHIzf_-7swiLmS5jN-qT5Sxo6rUWOC/s1600/dog+and+cat.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I hosted a get together for a bunch of church AV
techs in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all part of a
big Facebook group for church sound and media techs around the world, but we
get together occasionally at a local church to have fun and get to know each
other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have people from mega-churches
and from small churches, volunteers and paid professionals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our backgrounds are different, our churches
are different, and our opinions are different, but I've discovered that our
similarities are far greater than our differences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we get to know one another, we discover that the issues
we face are all the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have
failing equipment and diminishing budgets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all have grand visions and less-than-grand resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have a heart that strives to give
excellence to our God who is worthy of the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we really get to know each other, we often discover
that we are more alike than we are different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That doesn't mean the differences don't matter, but it does mean that
our differences don't have to divide us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we choose to build on our similarities and see issues from a
different perspective, we can discover new ideas and new relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have gained support and encouragement from others who
understand the struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have learned
from others’ mistakes and have shared my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have learned more about my faith by talking with others who believe
differently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is much to be gained from others if we will take the
time to get to know them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a
real beauty in our diversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God never
intended for His church to be all hands or all arms; we are a diverse body of
different parts that all work together for a common goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-92021843577012552522014-10-09T16:51:00.000-04:002014-10-09T16:59:45.531-04:00The Face of Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mq0U6vyYr0s4xY03y5RWZy1ozgw1OxA1nlZJ9xxdaoKakicxbR6LHjQjsl0O7eUgIXAPRy4yBKYCRTV8NqbWRNa_KvnsonUHfAj9vysGM9JGKD_9ZcXEU-g2yCjZ4u0zl5HoyTBarhqy/s1600/faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mq0U6vyYr0s4xY03y5RWZy1ozgw1OxA1nlZJ9xxdaoKakicxbR6LHjQjsl0O7eUgIXAPRy4yBKYCRTV8NqbWRNa_KvnsonUHfAj9vysGM9JGKD_9ZcXEU-g2yCjZ4u0zl5HoyTBarhqy/s1600/faith.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wrestle with faith; every follower of Jesus should.
Not because our faith is small, or it’s weak. But because it’s a mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Faith is too often talked about as if it were a personal
possession or a character trait. Your marriage didn’t work because you
didn’t have enough faith. Your child died because your faith was weak. Have faith,
and everything will be okay. Then when a spouse leaves the marriage, an
innocent chid succoms to an illness or that promotion goes to a less-qualified
coworker, the reason seems simple: you didn’t have enough faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The solution is equally simple; first beat yourself up for
failing God, then grit your teeth and conjure up more faith! We see faith as
something that is our responsibility to create, and if we do our job well, God
will reward our efforts, “our” faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matt and Bobbye are two of the most faithful Christ
followers I’ve ever known. They love Jesus; they teach Jesus; they live,
sleep, eat and breath Jesus; and they exude the peace, love, and joy of those
that follow Jesus constantly. Yet on June 25th, 7000 volts of electricity
passed through Matt’s body, nearly killing him. Bobbye was present at the scene
to bear witness to the horror. Matt has endured nearly a dozen surgeries
and remains bandaged today, with the prospect of more surgery to come. He
has suffered what has been described as the worst pain a human can endure and
literally lives today with his scars on his sleeve for all to see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet the faith of Matt and Bobbye is intact . . . fully
intact, flourishing, and growing. Why? Don’t they understand that if they
had more faith this would never have happened? Don’t they know that things like
this only happen to those who disappoint God? Shouldn’t they be examining their
lives for their shortcomings? If Christianity is based on our personal
striving, then the answer to all these questions is, Yes! If God is
capricious, punishing those who fall short and rewarding those who work hard
then, Yes! If God measures us, accepting those who earn mercy and punishing
those who didn’t do enough, then Yes! They and we should accept our punishment
and work hard to do better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While this might seem a completely reasonably formula, it is
is utterly unChristian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In John 9, Jesus’ disciples asked him an eerily similar
question when coming across a blind man on the road. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man
or his parents that he was born blind?” Jesus answered "<i>Neither this
man nor his parents sinned… </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matt and Bobbye spent several hours with our staff last
week. They told story after story of people approaching them, asking what
happened, then sharing the hurts of their lives. The woman who stopped
them in the parking lot of the Harley dealer and ended up crying as she
confided her pain to this precious young couple, then was comforted and
nurtured by Matt and Bobbye!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>...this
happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The jaded firefighters whose hearts were broken by this
call.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>...<i>this
happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The medical staff who Matt began praying for almost as soon
as he regained consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>...<i>this
happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The friends and family that have been participating in bible
studies and spiritual support groups led by Matt and Bobbye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...<i>this happened so that the
works of God might be displayed in him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The church that needs to be reminded of the grandeur of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...<i>this happened so that the
works of God might be displayed in him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The World Wide Wake Boarding community who love Matt without
understanding the God he serves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...<i>this happened so that the
works of God might be displayed in him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It would be presumptuous for me to say that this was allowed
to happened so that the works of God might be displayed in Matt, so I won’t say
it. But I will tell you that is the Bible passage Matt shared with us
last Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God does not promise us wealth, or fame, or respect, or
accolades, or an escape from pain or hunger or suffering or even death as a
reward for our faith or anything else. In fact, Christ followers can
expect all those things and more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God, however, offers us the opportunity to share in the work
that he has ordained. He graciously permits us to be his hands and feet
to share his love with a hurting woman in the parking lot of a Harley
dealership, or the back of an ambulance, or a burn unit . . . or with our
neighbors. Faith is the mysterious gift from God that fuels his work. It
flows from God, through us to a world that desperately needs his love, comfort,
forgiveness and grace. And sometimes our pain can give the world a
glimpse into God’s grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t understand it; I don’t always like it, but I trust
the one who is the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before
Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John Monday</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-88139102642142076942014-10-02T09:31:00.001-04:002014-10-02T09:31:54.102-04:00Resisting New Ways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bbIdMmb-pr3TuxfC0CJuAt2jE1dJmeaXjYfqRP8j7lqNkIjcou-I8g8997Lsd2FJ79PJwQZOq7zsHR27Y85f_k3Qbe1_pso1K_r41fB5Ka12-238Nc1zie8w3X2jPoc9sXOFUmw3s6LJ/s1600/chain+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bbIdMmb-pr3TuxfC0CJuAt2jE1dJmeaXjYfqRP8j7lqNkIjcou-I8g8997Lsd2FJ79PJwQZOq7zsHR27Y85f_k3Qbe1_pso1K_r41fB5Ka12-238Nc1zie8w3X2jPoc9sXOFUmw3s6LJ/s1600/chain+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Psalmist and Isaiah both recommend singing a
new song to the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know it isn’t
profound, but by its very nature a new song isn’t an old song! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I’m not just talking about songs, but
practices, procedures, worship practices, and really anything practiced in a 21<sup>st</sup>
century Christian’s life. We could adopt the idea that, if something is not
prescribed in scripture, then it is taboo, but that pretty well throttles any
“new song.” Or instead we might adopt a guide that says, “If scripture, in
direct instruction, in principle, or by inference doesn’t prohibit a practice,
then it is opened to be tried, safe with which to experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, where scripture is clear in setting up
a prescription for the Christian, we would want to follow it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t try stealing things in more subtle
ways or “new ways,” because stealing is prohibited in all of its forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But when it comes to church, the services, the
types, the architecture, the location, the colors, the design, etc., so much of
the Bible seems to be primarily descriptive more than prescriptive. I
occasionally hear people wishing the church today would be more like the New
Testament church in Acts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure there
is much to learn from that early church, but why do we read Acts and so easily
assume the story to be prescriptive. We think we should all be like the church
in the upper room, all in “one accord” and “sharing all things in common.” We
love this description of the early church and think it should be like that
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we don’t think Jesus casting
demons into the pigs is prescriptive for us, or that just because Paul didn’t
die from the snake bite that we should be required to rummage through piles of
fire wood, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The religious leaders were appalled as Jesus
didn’t just do things in a new way, but in a way they thought went against
scriptural prohibitions. We only need to read through the “Sabbath miracles” to
see Jesus ignoring hundreds of years of Jewish teaching based on the “Law of
God” as Jesus sings a new song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paul pushes beyond most of our comfort levels but
certainly seems to be open to some “new songs” when he writes: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Everything is permissible—but not
everything is beneficial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything is
permissible—but not everything is constructive.” 1 Corinthians 10:23<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even in this very open way of thinking, there are
parameters to give some guidance in that new songs (new practices) should at
least be seeking to be beneficial and constructive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In another section of 1 Corinthians, Paul writes
about things which, while not prohibited, might not be wise to practice in
certain groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we might correctly
know that an idol is nothing and, therefore, eating food offered to an idol is
of no consequence, we might still refrain in deference to “the weaker brother.”
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But remember the weaker brother Paul is
writing about is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i> believer who
hasn’t matured in Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We usually
avoid “new songs” to not offend a long-time believer who still hasn’t matured.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m ready for change. Ready to “sing a new song”
to the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because I believe in the
Almighty God of the universe, I don’t believe it is too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe God can inspire us and others to
break free of the chains of tradition and offer our current culture, the world
today, a new song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can learn to sing
in a new cultural language. We can hold tightly the truth of God’s love and the
story of salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can
simultaneously find a voice, a language, practices, songs to sing that will
communicate and demonstrate that love and story to today’s generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And God’s kingdom, one not locked in time and
space, can find a fresh expression that is new in methods, looks, practices, and
experiences, but simultaneously true in its representation of God and that
honors all that has come before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I join with Martin Luther: “What is not against
Scripture is for Scripture and Scripture for it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andy McDonald</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-77581615666465464902014-09-25T22:03:00.000-04:002014-09-25T22:03:58.289-04:00When We Think The Rules Don't Apply<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms_DQ8hkYgzvBFzs11Wc08i1SkFbzwhwFUZd-UTZ8apRP6GfSnOgwpIsvcT9q9ZWnO5P6g5IAwSu2ZU8rN-netOHylyezK7VqKR3rIyU_KmBChOnbTB4q5eVcuK9PAlcWXFN0MYC7DL2A/s1600/NFL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms_DQ8hkYgzvBFzs11Wc08i1SkFbzwhwFUZd-UTZ8apRP6GfSnOgwpIsvcT9q9ZWnO5P6g5IAwSu2ZU8rN-netOHylyezK7VqKR3rIyU_KmBChOnbTB4q5eVcuK9PAlcWXFN0MYC7DL2A/s1600/NFL.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an avid NFL fan managing three fantasy teams this season,
I am heartbroken by the obvious lack of self control and healthy anger
management displayed by players in this professional sport. While I hold my
breath and pray that there is an end to the stream of players exposed for their
excessive and violent behavior, I wonder if we, as a society, haven’t created
our own monsters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plenty has been written about how professional football
players are trained to be aggressive, rewarded for overpowering those opposing
them, and being paid great sums of money to physically control and “take out”
those weaker than themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot
be surprised when young men with little life experience become millionaire
superstars overnight based on their combat prowess and then inappropriately use
these valued commodities on family and friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so we bash the sport, and we bash the fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those with no interest in the NFL—or
professional sports in general—deride those of us who decorate our homes with
team logos, spend our Sundays glued to the television, and spend hours pouring
over stats in preparation for our fantasy drafts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All for good reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a problem when professional athletes think the rules don’t
apply to them and managers and owners try to cover things up to protect their
star players.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a relief to have people at whom we can point fingers
and say, “Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re really horrible
people!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I certainly would never do
that!.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We view the tape of Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancé, and
suddenly flipping off the guy who cut in front of us in traffic is a rather
tame reaction to our anger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We read about Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount being
arrested on possession charges while we illegally download Rihanna’s latest hit
or a recent blockbuster, confident the artists can afford the loss more than we
can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our hearts hurt when we think of the injuries suffered by
his four-year-old son when Adrian Peterson decided beating him with a branch
was an acceptable form of discipline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And we feel a little less guilt about how we demeaned our daughter for
her poor performance at soccer because at least we didn’t leave visible scars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We shake our heads when Josh Gordon is arrested for driving
under the influence and quickly text our disgust to our friend while driving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jah Reid’s battery charge or Quincy Enunwa’s assault charge
make us wonder how civilized people can beat up on each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we applaud church standards that have
historically caused marginalization based on race, gender, or sexual
orientation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“And
why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye<sup> </sup>when you have a log in
your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get
rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own
eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see
well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matthew 7:3-5 NLT<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m not minimizing the actions of the professional athletes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are inexcusable and rightly have been
called out and given consequence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just
think it’s appropriate for us to consider our own actions and abuse of others
with the same spotlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I’m wondering if maybe it’s time we think about
professional flag football.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tami Cinquemani</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-8364933115518769102014-09-17T21:15:00.000-04:002014-09-22T14:00:20.053-04:00A Last Day Message With No Last Day Music: The Great Musical Disappointment of the SDA General Conference Session of 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Cqsb78SHwEANG99IJoZaHLiCg4l7U7hxuqQNBBfyRjgBJc6y_GjSPFX2AwthRaZvYITe34VagZ-707k0ppDDL6D6t6A3Ur-0G0DbkyouawB1BJUrTjA0jCjQNb-g7cd9uldPgCth-QqM/s1600/gramophone-63753_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Cqsb78SHwEANG99IJoZaHLiCg4l7U7hxuqQNBBfyRjgBJc6y_GjSPFX2AwthRaZvYITe34VagZ-707k0ppDDL6D6t6A3Ur-0G0DbkyouawB1BJUrTjA0jCjQNb-g7cd9uldPgCth-QqM/s1600/gramophone-63753_640.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently tried to look up what song writing events might
be available for the upcoming world church gathering of Seventh-day Adventists
in Houston in 2015. Upon finding nothing I wrote to a very nice gentleman for
some more information, the response is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear <u>(Name Withheld)</u>,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Could you please tell me what music writing events for the
church are being organized for the 2015 G.C. session? I don’t see anything on
the website but find it difficult to believe that our church is not encouraging
any type of new songwriting for the body of faith at large.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richard Hickam<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The response:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brother Hickam, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I regret to inform you that I have not been informed of any
music writing events that have been organized for the 2015 GC Session. I
am copying my response to you to our GC Session Music Coordinator, <u>(Name
Withheld)</u>, so that he can respond to you in the event that I have
overlooked the detail to which you are referring. I thank you, at any
rate, for your interest in our Growth and Development. Blessings to you
and Yours!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As of this date, (months later) I have heard no response and
that’s sad but okay; I will grow where I am planted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is the old story of Isaac Watts complaining to his
father about the quality of songs and singing in the church of his day. Watts’
father, growing tired of listening to his son’s whining challenged him to do
something about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have the blessing today of celebrating with the scores of
generations before us great songs of faith that have inspired through the
centuries, but what about today’s struggles and victories? Who is writing those
songs? Who is writing those songs in the language of the church in 2014?
Hillsong United? Chris Tomlin? Anyone in our denomination?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have a number of talented musicians in our local church with
varying degrees of musicality. As a former music educator by trade I thought,
if I can get them all in the same room together, cast a vision with a timeline
and a destination, we could do some great things together. I could help with
some music fundamentals and pairing the lyricists with the tune writers. We are
a little ways into our journey, and it’s been fascinating. Here are a few
comments from some of our musicians regarding this process:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It’s good for a church to sing songs that are being written
<i>within</i> the church<i>,</i> while having a universal application it has a
certain resonance in the local congregation.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We are the new generation; we are adding to the collective
history of the saints.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I have learned organizational skills, how my thoughts work,
and about the process to create something new.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“After I pray, I feel like God is speaking back to me. I
write the words down and then comes the difficult part of finding the right
music.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It is a process, a long process with many layers—the words,
the music, the arrangement, the instruments, the recording.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I felt like I had a gift, and now I have a purpose to use
it for God’s glory.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ll keep you posted about our continuing journey . . . and
also about some new songs!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Richard Hickam </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and the songwriting team at the Florida
Hospital Church</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-6815458702111403222014-09-11T14:16:00.000-04:002014-09-11T14:16:37.641-04:00Walking By Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtWFd0909vt-pzdp3uV9bKrmibaEfFzSA9jVTSmPl94cLkw3KkLPZje2T41M_jXKSiPZrxVRC9AWumTchQ_UBE3SC4_yvJwDlz7kpQtqo5Ps1B74Wx0YLxss_qsA9DstwoN1gHsfSoHL2/s1600/walk+by+faith+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtWFd0909vt-pzdp3uV9bKrmibaEfFzSA9jVTSmPl94cLkw3KkLPZje2T41M_jXKSiPZrxVRC9AWumTchQ_UBE3SC4_yvJwDlz7kpQtqo5Ps1B74Wx0YLxss_qsA9DstwoN1gHsfSoHL2/s1600/walk+by+faith+small.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walking by faith is hard. Every week our technical
teams send out our worship services into the unknown. We have people all
over the world who watch our stream, but we really don't know who most of them
are. We broadcast live to 2000 TVs at six campuses of Florida Hospital
with no way of knowing who watches and who doesn't. We have visitors
every week in our Worship Center and Worship Cafes. We have members whose
world is falling apart, and we have no idea. But we walk by faith that
the message of hope will reach a needing heart and have an impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At least that's what we try to do. It’s easy to get
caught up week to week and wonder if there is anyone even out there, if it even
makes a difference. That's why it was so refreshing last week when I got
a series of testimonies from the people at our Winter Park Memorial Hospital
Worship Cafes. Stories of families in crisis who received the hope they
needed. Families united in a time of worship, even though one of them was
in the hospital and another was at church. People who have come to
believe in Jesus through our services.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John 4:37 says that "one sows and another
reaps." In evangelism, it is incredibly rare that the same person
who sows the seed will also see the harvest. We each play our own roles,
big and small, seen and unseen. We live by faith that for every story we
hear, for every harvest we see, there are others that we will never see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The same is true in my own life. I’ve had people who
knew I was a Christian even though I never said anything about God, but something
about the way I lived my life told them. We never know when a smile or a
simple word of encouragement will make a difference in someone's day. We
may never know the impact of the things we do, but by faith we can know that it
makes a difference. And every now and then, we may even get to hear a
story that reminds us that this is true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chad Hess</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-61833736405037533202014-09-04T08:27:00.000-04:002014-09-04T08:27:08.066-04:00Touchstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze5xGbUphkcNBpyjkxRdtdj41R4u8LEvKrCr1TU7VQMJm9JhU3wsKbwp9zGZ88N-9A7FDYO2OfdcA7X_krgnNRsnzzn7Slwumvdqc4XzMBjwpj6V5SBfNGJQIFAEOYHyfrmTlnYyQBClV/s1600/Ford+Explorer+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze5xGbUphkcNBpyjkxRdtdj41R4u8LEvKrCr1TU7VQMJm9JhU3wsKbwp9zGZ88N-9A7FDYO2OfdcA7X_krgnNRsnzzn7Slwumvdqc4XzMBjwpj6V5SBfNGJQIFAEOYHyfrmTlnYyQBClV/s1600/Ford+Explorer+small.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m more than occasionally afflicted by sentimentalism, and
my family recently underwent a group case of the disorder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In February of 2000, Vickie and I traded her sporty
Thunderbird for a practical Ford Explorer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was seven months pregnant with Luke, and as awesome as the
Thunderbird was, it wasn't a family car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two months later, we drove our first baby home in that Explorer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Sept 11, 2001, we were on our way to get the tires
exchanged due to the Firestone recall when she heard on the radio that a plane
had flown into the World Trade Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was following her and will always remember watching her get out of her car at a
traffic light and come back to my truck to tell me what was happening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In March of 2003, our almost three-year-old son and I went
to pick up Vickie and our new baby girl, Taylor, in the Explorer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For almost 15 years we drove that car (Sally) on countless
family vacations—from the Florida Keys to Upper Michigan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made more than 1500 trips to school. It
faithfully took us to doctors appointments, church, the beach, and always to
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s safe to say that we drove our
money out of that car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So in August, it was evident that Vickie needed to trade.
Sally squeaked (or talked according to Taylor) at every bump and turn in the
road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The oil stain on the driveway was
becoming embarrassing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The carpet was a
series of stains (or memories according to your perspective), and you were
reminded of the leak in the back window by the vague musty smell every time you
opened the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet when the time came, it was hard to see the Explorer go.
Intellectually, we understood that a car is just an arrangement of steel and
plastic, glass and rubber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has no
soul, no heart, no personality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet we
sense an emotional bond, a loss at seeing it go away. Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be human means to experience loss. The older we get, the
more acutely we understand our ultimate inability to hold onto anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We lose childhood homes. We move from the
cities or towns of our youth. We leave one school for another; we get a job and
leave a job. We lose friends and relatives to time, space, and eventually to
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these things are the
touchstones of our lives, be they a friend, a house, a parent, or a car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These touchstones trigger the memories that make us who we
are. Anyone who has ever revisited an important place from their youth will
understand. When you walk into a home or down a school hall that you haven't
seen in decades, or when you reconnect with a friend or relative who has been
missing from your life, the lost memories flood your mind. When we lose a
touchstone, we instinctively realize that we are losing a part of ourselves, a
set of memories that we may never recapture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loss is death . . . but it’s not supposed to be that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God whispers that we were built for life, not for death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That death and loss are unnatural. That there
is a reality of eternal discovery, exploration, and relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality that we were made for, the
reality that our spirit is testifying to every time we sense the pain of loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Jesus hung on the cross, the thief next to him, being
convinced that Jesus was indeed a king who would survive this crucifixion,
uttered the words, “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” I love those
words. He didn’t ask to be saved or spared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He didn’t seek pity or mercy. He asked to be remembered. So many seek to
be remembered, to leave a legacy, to make a lasting impact, but this
remembering is different. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus’ response to the request to be remembered was to
declare that the thief would be with him in paradise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus displayed himself as the ultimate
touchstone, the cornerstone on which our true reality is founded. To be
remembered by Jesus is not to leave a legacy—it’s to be his legacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be remembered by Jesus is to be completed, to be healed,
to be restored to the divine intention—to return to the eternal life of
discovery, exploration and relationship. To be remembered by Jesus is to never
lose or be lost again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He has sought us, and he has saved us. He has done
everything to restore us to the eternal life that’s written in our hearts and
declared in his word. He loves us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So our Explorer is gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a little sad, but it’s okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, it’s just an arrangement of steel and plastic, glass and
rubber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just a small touchstone of
loss to remind us of a greater reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John Monday</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-45792659055811612692014-08-27T13:01:00.000-04:002014-08-27T13:01:11.402-04:00My Singular Intention<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oOZT7TqXxPMjx5vXbanJ7Hkj-BGTf00P_mECXIo-7uZSlqjiMlUybcWZY6lnCq-7H8kNYN2bKW-8X_Q4kCCy3qa1wd8lO1edNI-8YVzSQFW1qEDcfBDESGJFZfdTE5CVVyo_wJs89VTu/s1600/Beach+Sunrise+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oOZT7TqXxPMjx5vXbanJ7Hkj-BGTf00P_mECXIo-7uZSlqjiMlUybcWZY6lnCq-7H8kNYN2bKW-8X_Q4kCCy3qa1wd8lO1edNI-8YVzSQFW1qEDcfBDESGJFZfdTE5CVVyo_wJs89VTu/s1600/Beach+Sunrise+small.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm spending the week at a condo on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s our annual family beach trip when we
take the week off to rest, relax, and decompress in the sun and waves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no agenda, no schedule, no work, no
pressure, no distraction from the simple intention of reconnecting and
celebrating the love we share for each other . . . and the beach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of what makes this such a wonderful experience is the
planning and preparation done in advance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We spent untold hours searching for a condo that would accommodate our
growing family, give us a front row seat on the ocean, and offer comfort and
quality while staying within our budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We wrote out menus and grocery lists, packed swimsuits and games, put
holds on mail and newspaper delivery, and lined up redundancy plans for work
responsibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought ahead for
what games, movies, and sport equipment we wanted to include.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My daughter even cancelled the Facebook App
on her phone, determined to take a break from even this distraction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The addition of Adelyn, our six-month-old granddaughter,
into the mix has called for some new considerations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us sport outfits complimented by
spit-up, we’re more quiet when she’s napping, and we know any excursions taking
place outside the condo need to be planned before her 7:00 pm bedtime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these adjustments are happily accommodated
with respect and consideration for each family member. Our singular intention
is to be available in every way for the overall experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I doubt my family is unique in how we plan for a
vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people reading this blog
will be nodding their heads, remembering their own trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Then
the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival.
Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be
sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will
come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Exodus
19:10-11<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the Lord invited the Israelites to meet with him at
Mount Sinai, he instructed Moses that the people were to take three days to
prepare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three days of planning,
preparing, and intentional activities so they could be fully immersed in the
experience – fully present in the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God’s invitation required—and deserved—this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are invited on a weekly basis to meet with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His invitation is as real and important today
as it was over 3000 years ago to a group of ancient Hebrew wanderers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do I put the same kind of time and energy into meeting my
God—the Creator of the universe, the Savior of my soul, the Provider of my very
existence—that I do in meeting my family for a week at the beach? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is my aim for quality time as determined?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I as careful to respect and consider the
experience of the rest of those around me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is my singular intention to accept God’s invitation and be available in
every way for the overall experience?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If not, why not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
practices can I incorporate in my life to make that change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do I move from looking at my weekly
corporate worship experience as more than a routine task to check off my list
and become fully immersed in the sacred moment?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tami Cinquemani</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-74228469277951654402014-08-21T12:26:00.000-04:002014-08-21T12:26:05.753-04:00When Things Aren't "Right"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Dni-y42M-ozBDJ4JypXkQ_kgq-dNxx3RQvCFOCcRqpaLDivCU2vyOjbsJVO7zFqA4hYNpjDK7dvVghfzIRaiq_DWcLcRFPwmyKEdbwPMJIy5EP5yGk9MUC2KG5XeiEtt1cqV1eACx_FR/s1600/despair+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Dni-y42M-ozBDJ4JypXkQ_kgq-dNxx3RQvCFOCcRqpaLDivCU2vyOjbsJVO7zFqA4hYNpjDK7dvVghfzIRaiq_DWcLcRFPwmyKEdbwPMJIy5EP5yGk9MUC2KG5XeiEtt1cqV1eACx_FR/s1600/despair+small.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our natural tendency is to want everything to go well. We
all want a "and they all lived happily ever after" kind of life.
But it's not to be. At the worst, really bad stuff happens, and at the
very least, not all our dreams come true. How do you face difficulty?
When things go wrong, when bad stuff happens, how do you manage?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of the source of anger we feel when things go badly is
that our agenda, our plan, our expectation was blocked. We get married
and have all these expectations of life, love and belonging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there's the accident or disease or
growing apart, and instead of all our visions of the future, the marriage ends
and the anger we feel, at least in part, finds its source in our blocked
agenda. We sign up for a class we really want to take, and we believe
that the class will enable us. We imagine painting masterpieces, or becoming a
math wiz, a computer game designer, or a wise financial investor, but the
teacher isn't very good or the class is at a very different level of expertise
than we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe we try some of the
class ideas, and we just can't seem to master them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we get mad because the agenda of our
expectations is blocked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When life throws us a curve ball, how do we handle it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most insightful helps to handling the bad stuff
or the good stuff gone bad is something I read about in Jim Collin's book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good to Great</i>. He writes about an
interview with Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was tortured over 20 times during his
eight years in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp. Jim asked him how he could
deal with that incarceration not knowing how the story would end.
Stockdale said, "I never lost faith in the end of the story. I
never doubted, not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in
the end an turn the experience into the defining event of my life which, in
retrospect, I would not trade."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Collins asked him who didn't make it out, I was
surprised by the answer. It was the optimists. Stockdale said,
"The optimists were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.'
And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. 'We're going to be out by
Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and
then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On page 86 in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good to
Great</i>, there is the Stockdale Paradox. On one side—Retain faith that you
will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties . . . AND at the same
time on the other side—Confront the most brutal facts of your current reality,
whatever they might be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As one of the farmyard animals in the movie Babe, said,
"The way things are is the way things are." When our agendas get
blocked—the simple agenda of being to work on time and there's a traffic jam, to
our life agenda with a life partner and all that entails ending by the tragedy
of death or divorce—how will we handle it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully, we will move forward best with both faith and
candor. Faith that we will prevail in the end regardless of current
circumstances, and without illusion or fantasy, confronting the cold hard
brutal facts of our current reality and not live in denial or dishonesty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shifting from our personal experience when things aren't
right for us, what about where things aren't right in our world? Injustice is
real. People get shot—with intention or by accident. Forty-eight million
Americans will experience inadequate food this year. Young girls are
stolen from their African village. Rampaging extremists kill all the men
in a town. Children are sold and enslaved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With all the evil in the world, we might be tempted to say,
"It will all work out," or we might simply be overwhelmed by the
badness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But an alternative in our own lives and in our culture could
be to become people of faith who hold tenaciously to the hope that one day all
will be set right (God wins) and who, in the mean time, acknowledge the hard
cold brutal facts in order to push back and be instruments of peace and justice
where things aren't right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, to what place of paradox is God calling you? Where
are you uniquely equipped to hold prevailing faith in one hand and
confrontation with reality in the other? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andy McDonald</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-5848240494925638662014-08-13T22:28:00.001-04:002014-08-14T07:23:55.737-04:00Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mo2fxfW1FcfrF-sWxSikiFrkgs66VpgSgqLPd0qwDkJnrQZ4dkGCwpSJ1vl8asmQ9-vKN4oAMW_oLMszzm41k0MyXqG5QxUHEnFVFdch-lhyb0li65bci3j2Tt7nZ5QNZIh5FrzLEltx/s1600/change.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mo2fxfW1FcfrF-sWxSikiFrkgs66VpgSgqLPd0qwDkJnrQZ4dkGCwpSJ1vl8asmQ9-vKN4oAMW_oLMszzm41k0MyXqG5QxUHEnFVFdch-lhyb0li65bci3j2Tt7nZ5QNZIh5FrzLEltx/s1600/change.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been fascinated in life by change. Some find it difficult; others seem to celebrate it. Culture changes. My body changes. Countries around the globe change. Our children keep changing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another thing is for sure: eventually, if you live long enough, there is the possibility that change will break your heart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A friend of mine’s parents were married over 50 years, and then one of them developed dementia that eventually required constant care in a facility. So my friend took them there. The first night he went to tuck his mother into a room with a little single bed for her to sleep in, and it broke his heart. She said to him, “But where is my husband? I always sleep next to my husband. I want to sleep next to my husband.” He wasn't prepared for that question. The only thing he could think of to say was, “But Mom, this bed is way too small.” She simply replied, “But I could curl up into a real small ball.” My friend hates change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little girl used to put her head under the pillow at night so she couldn’t hear her parents, whom she loved, yelling at each other. Then one night the yelling stopped because her mommy and daddy were not going to live in the same house anymore. This little girl hates change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A man has a job he loves. It wakes him up in the morning. It gives him significance and identity, people look up to him, and people seek him out for advice. Then one day he’s told he’s too old, or one day he has a stroke and he no longer can speak a full sentence coherently. Suddenly, none of those people are coming to see him anymore. This man hates change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a change-crazy, heartbreaking world. So what do you do? Where do you go? Maybe these are questions you’re asking yourself today, or maybe they’ll come tomorrow. What do you count on in a changing world? In my opinion, you count on what the Bible names as the only hope of our heartbroken, change-infected human species.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"In the beginning you [God] laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end." Psalm 102:25-27</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then God summarizes this great TRUTH in the ancient book written by the prophet Malachi, where God makes this statement: “I the Lord do not change.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have watched despair infect many people. This is a truth about God, one of the great truths about God. You can build your life on this truth. You can count on God. The Bible says you can count on God because God ALONE does not change. He is the only sure foundation in a heartbreaking world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill Crofton</span><br />
<br />Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-26119298761147031002014-08-06T22:22:00.000-04:002014-08-06T22:22:30.070-04:00Fire and the Giant Trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapbTDvf7fktSQwabETHQ3s0G7oI4MOXLbynC-b7AimssrhTQueH4ztQwGrni3h_O55Kt4-vUSgGFPYxhGmLrhpWtTyfaPVpQ3MfN_g1xFRyZLWv_rBM8jR0HEdSg-x8NgNGK4j0Rxv58n/s1600/tree2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapbTDvf7fktSQwabETHQ3s0G7oI4MOXLbynC-b7AimssrhTQueH4ztQwGrni3h_O55Kt4-vUSgGFPYxhGmLrhpWtTyfaPVpQ3MfN_g1xFRyZLWv_rBM8jR0HEdSg-x8NgNGK4j0Rxv58n/s1600/tree2.JPG" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The long drive through the arid valley of Central California was finally ending. While it was interesting to see the grape vineyards, pistachio trees and endless citrus groves, the excitement was building as we started the ascent into the hills. We had come here to see the big trees.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Specifically some of the largest and oldest living things on earth - Sequoia trees. As we were driving into the forest, the large sugar pines were in themselves far larger than the pines I was used to in the East. But they were mere appetizers as we rolled down the windows to see who could catch the first glimpse of the ancient ones. The aroma was noticeably different; there was a sweetness to it, and the air was getting cooler. And then we saw one, massive in girth and Herculean as it rose skyward. We eventually made it to a grove and walked the trails to take it all in. We were all children in the candy store. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-c5d96da0-ae41-905c-2947-4647565d69ae" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few facts about the Sequoias:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They are the largest trees by volume.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They only grow on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas of California between 4600 and 6600 feet.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The trees have need to have wildfires to be able to reproduce.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Xrv_Y_zY6002kWbc57a9tUzVT1OQcrAYwcekBnv8aTIqsFPOI8gdPVRMJEMJ2PGE4hK-NuZwRJFzR8ULkTc77wc5bYxQ1QPPj3ZmFgvqORS-wFo5l_F_bCZrKPLcqJjs6LZrQSJsffIM/s1600/tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Xrv_Y_zY6002kWbc57a9tUzVT1OQcrAYwcekBnv8aTIqsFPOI8gdPVRMJEMJ2PGE4hK-NuZwRJFzR8ULkTc77wc5bYxQ1QPPj3ZmFgvqORS-wFo5l_F_bCZrKPLcqJjs6LZrQSJsffIM/s1600/tree.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The trees come from a very small seed.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although the trees are giants, they have a very shallow root system.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being around these trees gave me a sense of something sacred. I realized that the trees in this forest were very young when King David was ruling in Israel. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The one interesting fact that I kept thinking about was the need for fire to be present for the tree to survive for future generations. We, as Christians are reminded by Peter about the fires in our lives as well for growth:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.… I Peter 4:12-13</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we continue to face the inevitable fires in our lives, let’s remember the Sequoias, the great ancient trees that, like us, must have fires to grow into the future.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Richard Hickam</span>Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-3793774965046077412014-07-30T19:20:00.000-04:002014-07-30T19:20:48.717-04:00Behind the Facade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxhrVAU02h8GWzbj9VhIMruv_a1gdQ0usTgNuTSnQS3riV6L9HF2oC3Zkvbm-L_NoA4tkFpl_5Go2ptePpHwtYqRU6JFasPpYjKQRvH-c_dlHf2bU4O2CJE6eOnciGaWQ0z8E6BtC7AXx/s1600/mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxhrVAU02h8GWzbj9VhIMruv_a1gdQ0usTgNuTSnQS3riV6L9HF2oC3Zkvbm-L_NoA4tkFpl_5Go2ptePpHwtYqRU6JFasPpYjKQRvH-c_dlHf2bU4O2CJE6eOnciGaWQ0z8E6BtC7AXx/s1600/mask.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I had the opportunity to visit with a friend who is in the hospital recovering from a serious accident. As I was visiting with his in-laws, they were talking about the conversations that had taken place while he was under the influence of anesthesia, or pain medication, or whatever. They mentioned that you really get to see the character of a person in these situations. The effects of the medication removes our filters, and "the real you" comes out. In this case, it was simply more proof of what an amazing man my friend is.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This story had me thinking about how open and honest we are with each other. In this age of photoshopped pictures and manicured social media profiles, how exposed do we allow ourselves to be? It has been said that character is who you are when no one is looking. Would people truly recognize the <i>real</i> you from your "public persona"? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several years ago I had to confront my own dichotomy between who I was and who I presenting myself to be. I took a chance and opened myself up. I found friends who embraced me and loved me in all of my vulnerable sincerity. I found a new freedom to live my life with honesty and genuineness. I trusted the love I received because I knew it wasn't based on false pretenses. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regardless of how we present ourselves to others, God knows us. He sees the things we hide, and he is not fooled by our facades. And yet he loves us - more than we can ever understand. When I recognized this fact and truly embraced openness and honesty with both God and those around me, I experienced love and freedom like never before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chad Hess</span></div>
Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-39306814749142980362014-07-24T09:20:00.000-04:002014-07-24T09:20:58.727-04:00Weeds & Waiting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb53fRVr3k8K2MYbWPd7xMdgHC4TVgKwS69BUewjh0GKOhya1GAeNiclh1n41IvmpbmbZiOiEwIcGn0Zkp3xtT-On3GSQNY4gqokwl7LYx0AlG4whDGdiyebRC_bQXgwXlC72xpux3XQZp/s1600/Weeds+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb53fRVr3k8K2MYbWPd7xMdgHC4TVgKwS69BUewjh0GKOhya1GAeNiclh1n41IvmpbmbZiOiEwIcGn0Zkp3xtT-On3GSQNY4gqokwl7LYx0AlG4whDGdiyebRC_bQXgwXlC72xpux3XQZp/s1600/Weeds+Small.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up too.”</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat too. Let them grow together until harvest time. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew 13:24-30 (The Message)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I think back over my years of pastoring, the most frequent question that people, ask is, “Why doesn’t God do something</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tragedies happen.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Horrific accidents devastate lives and families on a DAILY basis.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tyrants and bullies force their own plans on people and crush opposition, and they seem to get away with it. (This happens in church systems as well.)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And again, sensitive souls ask, WHY is God apparently silent? Why doesn’t he step in and stop it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me be clear, there is probably no direct answer that can be given in this life that will satisfy most people, even believers. But parables like the one above do show that God’s sovereign rule over the world isn’t quite as straightforward as people sometimes imagine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consider:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would we really like it if God were to rule the world directly and immediately, so that our every thought and action were weighed, instantly judged and, if necessary, punished in the scales of his absolute holiness? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the price of God stepping in and stopping a campaign of genocide were that he would also have to rebuke and restrain every other evil impulse, would we be prepared to pay that price?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we ask God to act on special occasions, do we really suppose that he could do that simply when we want him to, and then back off again for the rest of the time?</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The farmer waits for the harvest time, watching in frustration as the weeds grow alongside the wheat. Not only the farmer, but also the birds wait for the tiny mustard seed to grow into a large shrub. And that’s what God’s Kingdom is like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus’ followers, like us today, didn’t want to wait. If the kingdom was really present where Jesus was, then they wanted the whole thing at once. They weren’t interested in God’s timetable. They had one of their own and expected God to confirm to it. (Does this sound familiar?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notice in particular what the servants say about the weeds. They want to go out immediately into the field and root out the weeds. The farmer restrains them, because life is NEVER that simple. In their enthusiasm to eradicate the field of weeds, they are very likely to pull up some wheat as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you think Jesus had an eye on the revolutionary groups of his day, all too ready to step into God’s field and pull up what they considered to be “weeds”? There were many groups, including some of the Pharisees, who were far too eager to fight against “pagans” on the one hand and against compromised Jews on the other. The servants may have intended to do God’s will. They were longing for God to act and were prepared to help him by acting themselves. But part of Jesus’ whole campaign was to say that the TRUE Kingdom of God does NOT come like that, because God is not like that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me, the heart of the story of the weeds and the wheat is PATIENCE—not just the patience of the ‘servants’ who have to wait and watch, but also the patience of God himself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do not believe God enjoys the sight of a wheat field with weeds all over the place. But nor does He relish the thought of declaring “harvest-time” too soon, and eliminating wheat along with weeds. This is an incredible insight into the heart of the Father. COMPASSION is at the heart of God’s delaying. We must never forget that. Delaying his judgment so more people could be saved at the end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somehow I get the feeling that Jesus wanted His followers (and us) to live with the tension of believing that the Kingdom was, indeed, arriving in and through His own work, and that this Kingdom would come, would fully arrive, not all in a bang but through a “process” like the slow growth of a plant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saying that God is delaying His final judgment can look, outwardly, like saying that God is inactive or uncaring. But when we look at Jesus’ own public career, it is impossible to say that God didn’t care. We who live post- Calvary and Resurrection know that God did indeed act suddenly and dramatically for the whole universe at that moment! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When today we long for God to act, to put the world to rights, we must remind ourselves that He has already done so, and that what we are now awaiting is the full outworking of those events. We wait with patience, not like people in a dark room wondering if anyone will ever come and turn the light on, but like people in the early morning who know that the sun has risen and are now waiting for the full brightness of midday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill Crofton</span><br />
<br />Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-91285083761281961992014-07-17T08:37:00.000-04:002014-07-17T08:37:53.760-04:00Earning Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV2yIsukgH1bkmlAD4qN2T3phd61hq02K50qe0DL-gwP6yfETOSJbi2iL3VOmeWciMdAO3Y8SH72jAyKLhdxNYc2WA6Zdx08q5cepK89hcuZ6ksOjD2_mKjNEB4KHXj1ghhSYn8QPe_RL/s1600/climber+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV2yIsukgH1bkmlAD4qN2T3phd61hq02K50qe0DL-gwP6yfETOSJbi2iL3VOmeWciMdAO3Y8SH72jAyKLhdxNYc2WA6Zdx08q5cepK89hcuZ6ksOjD2_mKjNEB4KHXj1ghhSYn8QPe_RL/s1600/climber+small.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Will God keep me out of heaven because I don’t take better care of my mother?” It was an unexpected question that came from a soul that had been tortured for more than fifty years. The question was followed by a litany of explanations for her behavior and decisions regarding her mother. It seemed important that she be able to justify her behavior and convince me, or perhaps God, that she was a good person despite the way she has treated her mother for the last 50 years. </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-b992c781-4447-7275-2c41-d19e7b4b3403" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Truth be told, after listening to her torment of the last fifty years, I had a hard time finding fault and was not at all sure that I would have done any better. But the thing that was most concerning was not her behavior or decisions. It was her deep need to justify her actions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will God keep me out of Heaven because . . . ? It’s not such an unusual question. I’ll bet you’ve asked it yourself, if only silently. Will God keep me out of heaven because . . .</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m divorced</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t stop drinking</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m gay</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I abandoned my kids</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wear jewelry</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t give enough money to church</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t stop looking at porn</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I belong to the wrong denomination</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of my business practices</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Church people disgust me</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I smoke</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was born in the wrong country</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father abused me</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m a bad person</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't been baptized</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I quit going to church</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe you see a question here that resonates. Maybe yours simply hovers in your conscience. I expect that, as you look over this list, you may see some things that cause you to say, “Why would anyone even think that’s a problem?” and others for which you might banish people, were you God.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is much talk inside and outside Christian circles today about “sin”, and we all seem to be trying to nail down exactly what it is and what it is not. We want a good definition, a list, a standard to which we can measure ourselves (or more likely each other) to see if we’re sinners . . . if God finds us acceptable. If we can’t gain sufficient comfort in a list of rules, then we search for reasons why we’re not responsible. “I abuse my kids because my father abused me,” “You have to be shrewd in business to survive,” “The people at church are money grubbers and hypocrites.”</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve become tired of the conversations around determining what is and what isn’t sin and how our environment or genetics are the truly responsible agents. I’m tired because these arguments are framed to miss the point.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have become a society, and all too often a church, that advances two ways in which we can be justified. We convince ourselves that either: there is nothing wrong with what we’re doing, or It’s not our fault. Either of these conclusions cuts us off from the redemption we find in Jesus.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The truth is that we are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hopeless and helpless sinners mired in our own depravity with no capacity whatsoever to rise above our own sin, AND there is nothing on the above list or any other that can separate us from the love of God through Jesus. We will never develop a list that will keep us from being sinners, and we can never use our human condition to mitigate our responsibility.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be human is to have shadows on our conscience. What makes all the difference is what we do with them. We are sinners. Jesus is our friend, our Savior, and our only hope. When we truly embrace these core truths, perhaps then we can explore all those questions of secondary importance without the need to either condemn or justify ourselves or our brothers and sisters in Christ.</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ultimately, I passed along to this tormented soul one of the few truths of which I’m certain and on which hang all my hopes. “There is absolutely nothing that we can do to get us into heaven and nothing we can do that will keep us out, and that is good news indeed for me.” </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Monday</span></span>Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161173495953811999.post-46084710449214279812014-07-09T10:23:00.000-04:002014-07-09T10:28:35.369-04:00We Are All Contemporary Worshippers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWne_MCM5XDI4b9F63p0RK_RuQFDTzck6ekRw-x4LDYno6OOh2qD4C-HCZA3RWOCHPwLL7fumuKZ2N9vywqe2-JdxDd1iBM3wBN3BFqD5inTimloEog3Rc0RkCtzebwyqcAcLwiKT8gu2/s1600/ancient+modern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWne_MCM5XDI4b9F63p0RK_RuQFDTzck6ekRw-x4LDYno6OOh2qD4C-HCZA3RWOCHPwLL7fumuKZ2N9vywqe2-JdxDd1iBM3wBN3BFqD5inTimloEog3Rc0RkCtzebwyqcAcLwiKT8gu2/s1600/ancient+modern.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a little sad how we turn words into villains. Some
aspect of a word seems to be “against us,” so we become needless enemies of the
whole of the word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In church circles,
one of those words is “contemporary.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">con·tem·po·rar·y</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[kuhn-<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">tem</b>-puh-rer-ee]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">adjective</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. of same time: existing at or
dating from the same time period as something or somebody else. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. existing: in existence now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. modern in style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. of the same age: of the same or
approximately the same age as somebody else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of church-going people hear it as a threat to tradition
and even to theology. I think it is the third definition above that causes the
uneasiness: modern in style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality
is, when you take the whole of the word, it is really a great descriptive word
from which we can’t easily escape. And it is a word that describes us! Like it
or not, we are (as every preceding generation has been) “contemporary”
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There aren’t a plethora of
options; we are contemporary, or we are dead!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We all exist here, right now, at the same period
of time as one another, so we are Contemporary Worshippers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Even if some would prefer to go back in time and
others forward, the reality is we exist in the NOW, so we are Contemporary
Worshippers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We drive ourselves to worship, wear clothes of
our modern current existence, email one another, talk on our cell phones, use
our computers and tablets, and make donations at kiosks in the lobby because
the vast majority of us don’t write checks and certainly don’t carry much cash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->In our worship, we speak in a modern style, we
like air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter, and we use sound
systems and lighting so, regardless of the “worship element,” we are
Contemporary Worshippers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.5in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We are all of the same age range as some other
persons in our worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
Contemporary Worshippers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because we are contemporary people, we are contemporary
worshippers:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Whether we are singing a brand new praise song
or a hymn from the 1640’s<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Whether we are reading a parable of Jesus or
dramatically acting out a story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Whether we are accompanied in our singing by
organ or sitar or banjo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Whether we are responsively reading scripture or
a quote from today’s newspaper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Whether we are placing an envelope in the
offering plate or giving on our cell phone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Whether we are seeing a pastoral scene or a
movie clip on the big screen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Whether we are engaging with those gathered or
taking a moment for God and us alone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IF we have come to worship God, then that is what we are
doing, and corporately we are CONTEMPORARY WORSHIPPERS!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i>
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can do worship re-enactments like
those who re-enact the Civil War, and we can pretend to be in heaven
surrounding the throne of God and act out what we believe that worship might be
like some day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for us to worship, we
only have the opportunity to be contemporary worshippers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adam and Eve were contemporary worshippers,
Abraham, Daniel, Jesus, the Disciples, the Reformers—EVERYONE who has
worshipped had only one option—to be a Contemporary Worshipper, there aren’t
other options!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, as a Contemporary Worshipper, I might sometimes really
connect if the music is a certain style, and even within a genre, a certain
song might really move me into connection with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This same song might have no positive effect
on the person seated next to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
reading of a text might move my seatmate to tears, and I might just not get
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a Contemporary Worshipper I am
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into using only what has been used before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I seek to connect with God, and all the accouterments of a
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different languages that enable people to connect with God and worship him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully, as a group of contemporary worshippers who are
seeking God and who value one another, we will continually seek a wide variety
of styles in worship. Of course, the greatest determiner of whether our
contemporary corporate worship service will be a meaningful experience for each
of us and for the God we worship is how contemporary our private worship was
throughout the week in preparation for our corporate experience. May we be
contemporary worshippers who worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andy McDonald</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tamihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17664919367617855038noreply@blogger.com0