1 John

far, far in the north part of India going down the road. So on the side of a road, a straggler, an Indian that had been abandoned by the cavern and left to die on the side of the road. The missionary said he stopped and bent over the prostrate form of the man. There was a little life in him. And he said to him, “Sir, do you have any hope?” And the man with his dying sentence said, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s son cleanseth us from all sin”—and expired. The missionary amazed, for the first time noticed that in his clenched fist was a leaf from a Book. He undid his fist and spread out the leaf and there was a page from the First Epistle of John, the first chapter and that verse, ”the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin” [1 John 1:7].

The Cost of Relevence

I hope this gets 20,000 hits…I have soemthing to write about relevance. I  know this seems strange but I like old stuff as well as knew stuff. I like new forms of worship but I can appreciate the old way too. The thing that I have learned about relevance is that no matter how your doing things, when it comes to relevance, the only way that anything is relevant to you is when you force yourself to make it relevant to you.  You can overdue this and become neurotic or even worse psychotic and make everything that happens relevant to you. Sometimes it is very easy to make something relevant. You just relate everything to your experience. Like right after a scary movie your scared.  schizophrenics do this. They believe a lie and then everything in their experience proves that lie to them  no matter what it is.  But we believe Truth.  This is nuerotic i know but my worst church experiences have been when church is about me….or at least when i think it is about me..I can borderline psychotic on this..you know when you go in and it sounds as if the preacher is picking on you…that gets to me and it is all because i am thinking in the back of my head “this is all about me” when it should be “all about Him.”  I cannot go to church when I am like that. It is me.   The times when the church is at its best in my opinion is when it has nothing to do with me but it is  making Jesus look so Risen and so good that i lose myself in paying attention to the greatness of what He did said and gave. I gain conviction this way.  Then when the Bible is elevated and what it teaches is presented i say …hey that is Truth and i can apply that to my current situation and i  repent (change my mind) and decide to take steps in my life that would put the word of God into action.  A quick way to get there is to take actions in your life that are sacrificial.  When i went to Mexico and i was there the words of scripture just popped out at me.  It is hard work because my tendency is for self improvement or goals  and the like …the wrongs and rights… but it can be excruciating to make the Bible relevant to you.  When you do the right…then it becomes relevant. The reason why is because  it costs. Whenever there is something in your life that costs something….achievement ..marriage, kids missions, giving….usually right smack dab in the middle of the hurt and cost is Jesus.  The greater the cost the more relevant the words of the Bible. It is not easy because usually when your doing it the world will call you irrational.

Lest we Forget

For, called, our navies melt away

On dune and headland sinks the fire

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre.

Judge of the nations, spare us yet,

Lest we forget, lest we forget.

If drunk with sight of power we loose

Wild tongues that hold not Thee in awe.

Such boastings that the Gentiles use,

Or lesser breeds without the law.

Lord God of hosts, be with us yet.

Lest we forget, lest we forget

Preaching the Gospel

one time I read a sermon that spoke about  a book and in this book was described a  character named Marius the Epicurean.  He was a philosopher.  And in this Book written in the first century; written concerning the first century A.D.  This Marius the Epicurean philosopher is seated high up the Roman coliseum, and he is watching gladiatorial combats in the arena.  As you know, the arena of the coliseum was covered with sand so that when the gladiators slew each other and the blood poured out, they could rake away the sand or rake over the sand and bring in fresh sand, and then the bloody combats could continue.  As Marius the Epicurean philosopher sits there in the height of the Roman coliseum watching those bloody combats.  He turns to his companion and he says, “What is needed is the heart that would make it impossible to look upon such blood-thirsty combat, and the future would belong to the power that could create such a heart.”  Following the course of history,  it was the preaching of the gospel that closed for ever that coliseum.  It was the preaching of the gospel that for ever did away with those bloody gladiatorial confrontations.  It was the preaching of the gospel that for ever did away with the execution by crucifixion of a malefactor.  It was the preaching of the gospel that for ever did away with human slavery.  It was the preaching of the gospel that for ever did away with the exposing of children.  It was the preaching of the gospel that elevated and raised womanhood and family life.  It was the preaching of the gospel that brought ministries to the poor, to the suffering.  There was not a hospital in the entire Roman Empire.  There was not an orphan’s home in all of the history of the Greco-Roman people.  It was the compassionate love—it was the caring heart of the Christian witness that elevated the world into another sphere, another life, another devotion.

Named after Martin Luther

When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
When the world is tossing me
Like a ship upon the sea
Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me .

In the midst of tribulation, stand by me;
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me;
When the hosts of hell assail,
And my strength begins to fail,
Thou who never lost a battle, stand by me.

In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me;
In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me;
When I do the best I can,
And my friends misunderstand,
Thou who knowest all about me, stand by me.

When I’m growing old and feeble, stand by me;
When I’m growing old and feeble, stand by me;
When my life becomes a burden,
And I’m nearing chilly “Jerdan”,
O Thou Lily of the Valley, stand by me.

[from “Stand by Me”; Charles A. Tindley]

 

Christmas letter 08

 

                                                    MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

 

John 14:27 says, “Peace I give to you.” Is that what Jesus said? Well, He did say next that this PEACE will not be like the peace that the world gives. Do you remember the old commercial about Calgon Bubble bath, and the “Calgon, take me away” mantra that many mom’s have cried out ever since? This year we have needed not only those Calgon moments but the real Peace only Jesus can provide. During the first part of ‘08 we felt strongly the Lord calling us to move to the other side of the city to better be able to minister to the neighborhood where our church plant is located. God worked many small miracles to get us to where we are now.  One of many being our house sold in two weeks in a horrible market after he had already led us to purchase another home on faith.  We would love to tell you the story sometime!  The kids have loved the new neighborhood and have found many friends. We seem to have at least 5-10 children in our home at all times.  Can anyone say “Calgon”?!  Actually, Jen seems to love having them all here.   The neighborhood is much more diverse ethnically than where we have lived in the past and for that we are glad.  The main purpose of our church is to reach out to, minister to and serve the people of this community in order to lead them to Christ.  .  Please be praying for us and we continue to make relationships with our neighbors. 

Parker turned two at the end of August.   What a delight and joy he is to us! He has the biggest beautiful brown eyes and olive skin in contrast to my two blue eyed fair skinned babies. He decided he was going to wait awhile to walk and talk.  He started walking around 17 months in January and was not talking much until this fall.  He still is a man of few words.  He can repeat anything you say but does not care to say much.  He is very attached to and loves his two blue blankies and his two middle fingers.  He has started Preschool two days a week and loves it.  His favorite thing is to see trucks as we are driving down the road and he points out every one he sees.  Mason, 5, is in Kindergarten and learning how to read. He is such a loving and affectionate boy!  He definitely has a fun loving spirit and wild side.  He is starting basketball with Upward and had fun on the swim team and playing soccer earlier this year.  He loves playing with his dinosaurs and just being outside with friends.  His favorite thing is transformers.  He saw a shooting star and wished for all the transformers in the world!  He just decided to cut his hair the other night and has cut off half of the hair hanging on his forehead.  Just in time for Christmas pictures!  Jen has decided to try and fix it herself with trimmers…uh oh…  Brooke, 8, is in third grade.  She is a blond haired, blue eyed darling and full of spunk.  She LOVES playing sports! This year she has played basketball, soccer, swim team and softball. She won the spelling bee for her class and is going tomorrow to compete in the school wide spelling bee.  She was proud to be “the turkey” in the thanksgiving play at school. She has mastered “the round-off” (a cheerleading maneuver) and she likes to practices it everywhere!  She has a kind and compassionate heart and is bursting with love.  She loves to share her faith and already has two of her friends coming to church with us every Sunday.

Jen is still with the ARC of Greensboro for now.  She and her co-workers may be going through a layoff in 2009 which is still undecided right now.  Jen has a peace about it but loves her job and is praying that it will all work out.  She gets together with her best friends to Scrapbook once a month. She is active with the Children’s Ministry at church and we host Community dinner once per week at our home for anyone in the community that wants to come.  She is still doing Bible Study Fellowship and now Parker is going through the program with her just like Mason and

 

 

Brooke did.  What a blessing it has been in her and the children’s lives!  She is lunch mom for both Mason and Brooke at school every Thursday which the kids love.  The biggest blessing this year is the Mormon family she has been loving on and investing in for over 3 years accepted Christ got baptized and are now members of a Baptist church!  God is truly amazing!  Darryl, the husband, is even blogging with a friend on an apologetic blog to help lead other Mormons to a saving faith in Christ.   Check it out at toughquestionsanswered@wordpress.com.

I am still at Volvo and working nights.  It seems to work best for our family.  It allows me time during the day while the kids are at school to study the Word and listen to as many sermons as I want! The church start we are with is unique and fun. We have about 20 who meet in a garage that has been transformed into a mini Starbucks with carpet, coffee tables and a 49 inch TV.  We drink coffee and praise Jesus.  We have also added to our family this year!  By way of a college student, Bethany Donnell, who is part of the Children’s ministry team at church.  She moved in with us the end of August as she needed a place to stay for the year.  We felt God had provided this home to us to be a place of ministry and we felt blessed to be able to offer her our spare bedroom.  She is an amazing help with the kids too and is very much a part of the family as the kids have adopted her readily.

In July we went with long time friends Jeff and Jennifer Dyer on a sight-seeing trip to D.C. for an extended weekend with no kids!,  We stayed at a bed and breakfast and were told to park our car at the Baptist church down the street.  A day after we were there thieves decided to take our Minivan. We had a “Calgon!! take me away”  moment when we realized it had been stolen and not towed.  Jeff and I just went to a Gaither concert in Roanoke (which was amazing by the way and not just for old folks like Jen had previously thought!) and Mark Lowry said that he feels that God is in the interruptions in our lives.  Our car being stolen was certainly an interruption in our life but God was so present it was amazing!  We had ended up somehow at a B&B that was owned by four homosexual men and catered to the homosexual population.  (which we did not discover until after we got there!)  God gave us such a peace about the theft in the midst of it all and we were able to minister to the police, the Dyers and the straight and gay couples that were at the breakfast table each morning about the faithfulness of the Lord and our trust and hope that we have in the imperishable things of God which the thieves could not steal.  Jeff had an amazing gut feeling that God wanted us to go on this trip for some reason…which he questioned after the car was stolen…but perhaps it was just that interruption that God intended to use for his glory and was the reason for our trip! We had a fabulous time with our sweet friends despite the loss. BTW,

Jesus said, “Peace I give to you.” The Prince of Peace brought himself into the hurly burly of the world and brought something that only he can give…the peace that passes understanding. When I look at Jesus in the manger I do understand PEACE…that peace that no thief can take from us. We look forward to the “ Christ –Calgon take me away moment!  It is then that peace will no longer pass our understanding. Seek Him and find the Peace you are looking for…..You are loved by us!

Our New Address:  6006 Boxelder Cove, Greensboro, NC 27405. 

(So sorry for the long letter, usually I can condense it into one page!  J)

 

 

‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.”                            John 14:27          

ever feel like this?

Just blue, God,

Just blue.

Ain’t prayin’ exactly just now,

Here blinded, I guess,

Can’t see my way through.

You know these things

I asked for so many times.

Maybe I hadn’t,

Or to repeat it

Like it the Pharisees do.

But I ain’t stood

In no marketplace.

It’s just between

Me and You.

And You said

Ask somehow.

I ain’t askin now.

And I hardly know

What to do.

Hope just sort of left

But faith’s still here,

Faith ain’t gone too.

I know how ‘tis is

A thousand years

Is a single day with You.

And I ain’t meaning

To tempt You

With “if You be.”

And I ain’t doubtin’ You,

But I ain’t prayin’ today, God,

Just blue,

Just blue.

Hospitality

Edwin Markham.  This man was an American poet.  And, he was a prophet—he looked like a prophet and he wrote like a prophet—a  tremendous American poet. 

And, the play, of course, was based on his great story: how the great guest came.  And, do you remember it?

A cobbler: a lowly shoe cobbler by the name of Conrad.  A night before Christmas, he dreams in a vivid dream that Jesus is coming to his shop on Christmas Day.  Next day, the Lord Jesus is coming to visit him in his cobbler shop. 

So, early in the morning, he arises and he goes to the woods and he brings in boughs and he decorates his shop for his illustrious guest.  Then, he prepares a beautiful dinner.  And, today—Christmas day, Jesus is coming to visit him in his shop.  So, after he arranges his shop in beautiful order—and we had it up here on the front of this auditorium—and, after he had prepared the dinner—and, we had it spread here at the front of the auditorium—the shoe cobbler is waiting for his illustrious guest.  Jesus is coming today. 

While he is waiting, an old man walks by and he stops at the shoe cobbler’s store.  And, the old man is shivering in the cold.  And, his shoes are in tatters and in pieces.  And, the cobbler invites the old man out of the cold.

And, he visits with him.  And, seeing his shoes and his feet, almost bare, he gives to the old man a pair of shoes that he has made and sends him on his way, with his heart filled with love and gratitude.

But, he’s still waiting for his guest.  And, while he waits for his illustrious guest, who appeared to him the night before, saying, “Tomorrow, I’ll visit you in your shop,” there passes by an old woman, bending under a heavy weight of fagots.  And, tired and weary, the cobbler invites her in out of the cold.  And, as she sits there, he gives her some of the food he has prepared for his illustrious guest.  And, after she has warmed and after she has eaten, she goes on her way, glad and rejoicing. 

But, the old cobbler couldn’t understand.  And, the poem continues:

 

He lived all the moments over and over

When the Lord

Should enter the lowly door.

The knock, the call,

The latch pulled up.

The lighted face,

The offered cup.

He would wash the feet

Where the spikes had been.

He would kiss the hands

Where the nails went in.

And then at the last,

He would sit with him.

And break the bread

As the day grew dim.

But instead, as the day wore away,

No guest came.

And in the evening,

a little child was on the sidewalk

Outside his door crying.

He carefully asked the child,

The little thing was lost.

It had somehow wandered

Away from father and mother.

And asking the child exactly

Where the little thing lived.

It was on the other side of town.

He dared not leave his shop

For the day was wasting away.

And if he left,

His great guest might come

And he’d be gone.

But the little child was crying.

So he decided to take

The little thing on the other side of town.

And when he did,

And placed the child

In the arms of its father and mother,

They rewarded him

With tears of joy and gratitude.

Then he hastened back

To his little shop.

And the afternoon grew into twilight

And the twilight grew into the night.

Where was his guest?

Then he asked:

Why is it, Lord,

That Your feet delay?

Did You forget that

This was the day?

Then came the heavenly word,

Then soft in the silence

A voice he heard.

“Lift up your heart,

For I kept My word.

Three times I came

To your friendly door.

Three times my shadow

Was on your floor.

I was the beggar

With bruised feet.

I was the woman

You gave to eat.

I was the child

On the homeless street.

He came to the cobbler’s shop.

Fall poems

I entered once a home of care,

And penury and want were there,

But joy and peace withal.

I asked the aged mother whence

Her helpless widowhood’s defence;

She answered, “Christ is all.”

I saw the martyr at the stake,

The flames could not his courage shake,

Nor death his soul appall;

I asked him whence his strength was giv’n,

He looked triumphantly to Heaven,

And answered, “Christ is all.”

I stood beside the dying bed,

Where lay a child with aching head,

Waiting Jesus’ call;

I saw his smile, ’twas sweet as May,

And as his spirit passed away,

He whispered, “Christ is all.”

I dreamed that hoary time had fled,

That earth and sea gave up their dead,

A fire dissolved this ball;

I saw the church’s ransomed thrall,

I caught the burden of their song,

‘Twas this, that Christ is all in all in all.

 

 

The Laymen.

Leave it to the minister and soon the church will die.

Leave it to the women folk and the young will pass it by.

For the church is all that lifts us from the coarse and selfish mob.

But a church that is to prosper needs a layman on the job.

Now, a layman has his business, and a layman has his joys,

But he also has the rearing of his little girls and boys.

And I wonder how he’d like it if there were no churches here

And he had to raise his children in a godless atmosphere.

When you see a church that’s empty, though its doors are open wide,

It’s not the church that’s died.  It’s the laymen who have died.

For it’s not by song or sermon that the church’s work is done.

It’s the laymen of the country who for God must carry on.

Heaven-Tennyson

I heard an old old preacher describe heaven and it blessed me. I always thought the book of revelation was kind of unreal especially when it describes a city in heaven. I always think of the original superman and the city where he goes as a young man to learn how to be super-man and use his powers. (the crystal city) I have known the excitement of moving to the city. When i was 18 i moved to 48th steet in Manhatten. I can’t descirbe what it felt like to experience the energy and heartbeat of that metropolis. But in the last book of the Bible God tells us to be this excited about the city in heaven. I thought OK a city and like i said above, I always thought this was kind of comical. They say words like “stadia” and “Jasper” to describe this city. Neither of these words make any sense. But here is how the old preacher described it and, if this is true, we are in for a pumping energy, high intense, alive experience when we get to heaven. Just think of this..

I quote from the old preacher speaking of the seer in Revelation…

“Then he sees the angel measure the length and height and depth of the city.  And the city measured twelve thousand furlongs.  The Greek is stadia.  When you turn the stadia, the “furlongs” in English, it is one thousand five hundred miles.  The city is one thousand five hundred miles this way, and one thousand five hundred that way, and one thousand five hundred that way…

“It is an enormous city.  It would cover England and Scotland and Ireland and France and Germany and Austria and Italy and Spain and European Turkey and one-half of all Russia.  And when you think of a city in stories, even if the stories were one mile apart, and even if the streets were one mile apart, there are eight million miles of streets in that city.  If you took all of the souls that were born from Adam to this present moment, we would occupy one corner of that vast metropolis.  It is a tremendous city, this heavenly city of God, our eternal home. ”