Something Better

All Night Prayer - Friday Night from 10pm-6am

2010-08-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Well we are back from vacation and I can't think of a better way to get going on our ministry in Woodstown than with a whole night of prayer! It is open to everybody, even if you can only stay for part of the night it is better than not at all. I have been thinking about how the night will be organized. There will be different prayer activities mixed with some singing and teaching time. Please bring your Bible. Yes we will have breaks and plenty of coffee and snacks. I know this doesn't sound like the most entertaining night. This may not break any attendance records but then again who is trying. It may be only a few of us but it is a start. One thing is for sure - if do come you won't be the same afterward and for some people, including myself, that is a good thing. So why not give it a go?
Why pray all night? Because Jesus did. Luke 6:12 "12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."
If it is good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me.
Also, all great movements of God's spirit start with prayer. We need to pray as a church. We need to pray more.
I am looking forward to tomorrow night. We are going to end with breakfast at 6 am.

Do you have anything that you want us to pray about? Send me an email or text or leave a comment here.

Maybe you can't physically be there but want to express your support. Leave a comment and let us know that you will be praying for us!

Blessings! It is good to be home! See you, God willing, tomorrow night.

Solitude - Like a Rolling Stone

2010-07-27T02:34:00.000-07:00

This week we are practicing solitude. Here is a definition of the discipline of solitude:

The creation of an open, empty space in our lives by purposefully abstaining from interaction with other human beings, so that, freed from competing loyalties, we can be found by God. From the Life With God Bible.

Solitude is purposeful. You can be alone for long periods of time and never practice solitude. Because it's purpose is to focus on God and then to be found by God. Many great moments in ministry were preceded by someone practicing solitude. For example, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, Paul. All of them practiced solitude. What great moment in ministry awaits you?

Wednesday morning we are going to practice corporate solitude in the sanctuary at 6:45-7:15 am. In the words of the great theologian Bob Dylan - "How does it feel? To be on your own." Why not find out? Who knows what will happen. Give it a go. Decide today that you are going to create that open space in order to be found by God.

And now "The Boss" and his thoughts on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone."

Simplicity Sale

2010-07-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am practicing simplicity. We are having a yard sale or better yet a "Simplicity Sale." Already sold some wheels, a bike, a rocker, and a painting. Stop by and buy some stuff. Or, if you really need to, take it!

So what did you do this week to practice the discipline of simplicity?

Sunday's topic - Solitude. I will be attempting a version of Bob Dylan's song - "Like a Rolling Stone." See you in worship or at our simplicity sale.

Simplicity

2010-07-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

The Discipline of Simplicity may be new to you. It could be you have been practicing simplicity for a long time and have never given it a name. Here is a definition, one that I found in the Life With God Bible.

The inward reality of a single-hearted focus upon God and his kingdom, which results in a outward liftestyle of modesty, openness and unpretentiousness and which disciplines our hunger for status glamour and luxury.

In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster offers 10 Controlling Principles of Simplicity that condition the inward reality of a single hearted focus. Here they are:

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. “Stop trying to impress people with your clothes and impress them with your life.”

2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. In our media saturated culture it can be hard, but “any of the media that you find you cannot do without, get rid of.” And, “if money has a grip on your heart, give some away.” “Refuse to be a slave to anything but God”.

3. Develop a habit of giving things away. De-accumulate!
4. Refuse to be lured into the need for gadgets and “new” everything.
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. “Simplicity means to discover once again that ‘the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof’.”
7. Look with healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes. Be extremely cautious of incurring debt.
8. Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech (Matthew 5:37).
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others. “In a world of limited resources, does our lust for wealth mean the poverty of others?” Consider buying food and other items that are “fair trade”.
10. Lastly, shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the Kingdom of God. This is ultimately where the heart of true simplicity lives. “always hold the Kingdom of God as the number one priority of our lives. To do so is to live in simplicity.”

These are not rules. Resist the temptation to make them laws. It is about the heart.

Yesterday, a few people asked me if I was serious about having a yard sale this week and getting rid of my "stuff." The answer is Yes! so come and buy my stuff from me. The proceeds are going to missions. Now here are the Supremes for your enjoyment.

Fasting for Lunch

2010-07-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I fasted giving up lunch. My original plan was to use the time in prayer but God had other plans for me. There were some urgent needs of others that needed tending to. So, honestly, it wasn't a big deal. I was consumed by the immediacy of these pastoral moments that I wasn't thinking about the fact that I wasn't eating until I had time to sit down and rest. Then I was consumed by the desire to consume - a twinkie! Part of fasting is taking the feeling of hunger, the "I need desperately to eat" kind of feeling and comparing it to a spiritual hunger for God. Did you know that when people fast from food for long periods of time that they eventually lose their hunger pangs? Maybe it is the same way in our spiritual lives. When we go for long periods of time without feeding on God's word we lose our appetite for God. It is time to get that feeling back! I am going to try fasting again this week. I will report back. Check out the blog entries of Donna and Jenn on Unifyer. Feel free to leave a comment here. How is your practice of the spiritual disciplines going?

Satisfaction - Fasting?

2010-07-06T04:38:00.002-07:00

On Sunday, Eryn Mera preached on fasting. It is the third spiritual discipline we've explored this summer. Spiritual disciplines are door ways to freedom and a deeper relationship with God. Hopefully, you have taken the opportunity to practice the disciplines of prayer and meditation. Tomorrow morning there will be another morning prayer and meditation at 6:45-7:15 am. Give it a try. No one is going to make you pray out loud! Faith without prayer and meditation is like watching TV without a picture. Something is missing.
Believe it or not, the same can be said of fasting. Give fasting a try this week. Today, I am going to start small and skip lunch. Ask anyone at the church office and they will tell you that this is a sacrifice. During the time I would normally eat I am going to spend reading scripture and praying. Will you join me today? Tomorrow we will try something different.
Now here is Mick Jagger who can't get no satisfaction. Maybe he should try to go deeper. Deep Man!

2010-07-06T04:38:00.001-07:00

Fasting today for lunch

Morning Meditations

2010-06-29T04:01:00.000-07:00

How is your meditation on scripture going? Here is a morning meditation that I found on YouTube. Try it out. Tomorrow morning (Wed.) there will be a morning prayer and meditation time at 6:45-7:15 in the church sanctuary. Give it a go and see if it makes a difference for you day. Blessings!

Prayer and Meditation

2010-06-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last night we had an evening of prayer and meditation. We held it in a dark candlelit sanctuary to help block out distractions and focus on God. It was very moving for me as we moved in and out of song and prayer. The hour went by quickly. It was a time to simply enjoy God's presence and to let God's spirit do his thing. Just enjoying God's presence and resting. Hopefully it was meaningful to others. We will do it again soon. There was even discussion of having an all night prayer time!

This Wednesday we will have morning prayer and meditation time at 6:45 am in the sanctuary. We will spend 30 minutes trying different ways of praying and spending some time just enjoying God's presence. Hope you can make it. Now here is one of the songs we sang last night.

Evening of Prayer @ 9:00 pm tonight

2010-06-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Join us for an evening of prayer and meditation tonight in the sanctuary. It will be about 45 minutes long. Great time to practice the discipline of prayer and meditation with others. You won't regret coming! Get deep!

DEEP MAN!

2010-06-21T03:16:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to go to Chicago. Melissa and I are heading out on an 11 am flight to go to the Alpha Conference. You can check it out at www.alphausa.org. Five others from church are heading out as well. Please pray for us.
That's an easy thing to say - "Please pray for us." What would be the benefit of praying for us? Good question. Why not pray about it. "Jonathan, you are so frustrating!" I know. Please pray for me.
This week we focused on the spiritual discipline of prayer. I will be blogging some of my experiences here. Feel free to comment and share your own stories. Focus on 4 A's of prayer. Then take on the challenge of finding time to pray by yourself, with others, with your kids and with your spouse. Give it a go! I'll be praying for you!

Now here are the Mamas and the Papas for your California Dreamin' pleasure. I've been humming this song all week! I must admit, they are not as good as our praise and worship team!

What does it mean to believe?

2009-10-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

This was recorded as a video even though you will only see the "Simple" graphic until the middle of the message where I included a video shown in church on Sunday. This message describes the most important decision you will ever make and it hinges on whether or not you believe and if you understand what that means. Blessings! Be God's.

New Life - Help!

2009-10-05T02:32:00.000-07:00

So I need your help on something. I am working on a new series called "Signs of New Life." And a big question I have is "does having Christ in your life really make a difference?" I love this video because it a illustrates what we are all about. Do you have a cardboard testimony? Watch the video and then share with me your own simple cardboard testimony. I really want to know if there are "signs of new life" out there! Thanks for taking the time. This is a really powerful video.

How Jesus Solves the Problem

2009-09-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Working on Unifyer

2009-09-03T02:23:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days we have been working to populate our Unifyer site with people and content. Dawn and Jodi have been going crazy with forming groups and adding pictures. You should check out what they are doing. It's great. Even Jan, who is a self admitted computer nubie is getting up to speed. Encourage your friends and people in your area of minstry to register and use begin to use Unifyer as our main avenue of communication. Resist the temptation to send out a mass email! Blessings everyone! I am excited about how this going to help us grow together!

Check it out at www.unifyer.com

Why the "Fear of the Lord" is a Recognition of a Love we Don't Want (but really do)

2009-06-22T04:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I shared a message about the tension between knowing God as a consuming fire (don't mess) and God as a Father (who loves and invites us into his presence). I made the claim that it is the consuming fire image that we don't want to know because we are uncomfortable with it. But, if we do not know this attribute of God then we cannot have proper "fear" which in turn makes godly wisdom an impossibility. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." (Proverbs 9). We know this fear as "reverence and awe." It is also a tension between the consuming fire of God and God's inviting love. As often is the case, the mystery of God is in the tension.

But the two, (God's consuming fire and inviting love) are not as opposed as one might think. It is rather our reaction to a love that purifies that scares us. That is the purpose of the fire, to consume what is imperfect so that only the perfect remains. The consuming fire is no different than a parent who molds a child to be the best and most honorable person he can be. It comes in the form of correction and discipline which is a natural part of parenting. It is an expression of love. Love is not permissive. From a child's perspective it can be terrifying (that is what I remember). When I see someone who is acting inappropriately one of the best ways I can love them is to call them on it. It takes wisdom to know when this is appropriate. And in the process we feel the perhaps the edges of a consuming fire ready to envelope us and warns us of the dangers of our actions. The result? We think twice. In Exodus 20, right after Moses delivered the 10 commandments after descending from the mountain shrouded in fire, smoke and the presence of God (get the connection?), it says that the "people trembled with fear." What was Moses response? "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of the Lord will be with you to keep you from sinning." Interesting. Do not be afraid for the fear of the Lord will be with you? Why? To keep you from sinning. That is a good thing. It is a loving act and one that any parent would hope for their children.
The reason we rebel against this idea of the fear of the lord and the consuming fire is that there is something inside of us that either is afraid of this kind of love or rejects it outright. It is the part of us that is at risk of not surviving the fire. Like the impurities in metal that are burned off in the refining process part of us knows that its life expectancy is short if God has something to do with it. God's consuming fire is an expression of God's love.
But once you recognize what is going on in the bigger picture of your life you welcome this fire because you have the wisdom to see that it makes you more Christ-like.
Do you have the "power to see" the "highest and best goal?" Then live with God's consuming fire for a while, live in reverence and awe, and see whether or not it makes you more wise.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." Proverbs 9

THE GOOD DIRT WE LONG TO BE

2009-05-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here are the notes you should have received on Sunday. Happy Gardening!

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

WHAT DOES GOOD DIRT LOOK LIKE?
18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

GOOD DIRT LISTENS

YOU – Are you teachable? Are you hearing?
SOMEONE you know – Are they teachable? Are they hearing?

FARMING TIP – This is a “hard” one. Pray for rain to soften the soil. Sometimes it takes a crisis to really break up the soil. Life can be a rototiller.

GOOD DIRT THINKS

YOU – Are you thinking about the world using the lens of scripture?
SOMEONE you know – Are they thinking about their relationship with God?

Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

FARMING TIP – Knowing what you believe and why you believe is like Miraclegro for your faith. Find a bible study or small group and watch your roots develop before your eyes.

GOOD DIRT LOVES

YOU – is your life producing beauty and nourishment consistent with “the message of the kingdom?” Is your life reproducing that message?
SOMEONE you know – producing beauty and nourishment? Reproducing?

FARMING TIP – Good farmers know what plants need to reproduce.

OUR MISSION AS Spiritual FARMERS – to cultivate relationships and an environment where we and others can be deeply transformed.

90 Day Adventure begins

2009-05-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

Today begins our "Bible in 90 Days." Honestly, I wasn't expecting much of a response. After all, it sounds crazy. But we have 13 people who have committed to read the whole Bible in 90 Days. So, this is going to be a spot where we can gather and exchange thoughts or questions about what we are reading. To post a comment, I think you need to register. Put this in your favs and refer to it regularly. Blessings on your journey! Pray before you read each time. Pay attention to how God is speaking to you. Be aware of how God is working on you. Tell us about it! Support and encourage each other. Ready, set, go!

Blessings,
Jonathan

Advent and Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

2008-12-02T03:39:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. We had our first advent family devotion time. Last night after pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy (delicious), we lit the first candle of our advent wreath. Henrik (my 6 year old) read the opening prayer, Liesl (my 8 year old) read the scripture from Isaiah and my wife, Melissa, read the meditation. I closed with a short prayer, and then we sang the first verse of "Angels We Have Heard on High." It took less than 5 minutes but it brought us together as a family to focus on our faith. We will do it again tonight, and the next all the way to Christmas. It is important to me that we talk about our faith as a family outside the walls of Sunday morning. It makes it more of a reality for our kids and they see that our relationship with God really matters. Plus, we get to be together as a family if even for a moment. We can stop in this hectic pace of life and remember who we are and most importantly remember who God is. I really think Christmas is going to be different for us this year. More meaningful and richer. If you haven't already, I want to encourage you to establish a routine of devotions with your spouse, friends or children during this advent season. Light an advent candle. Use one of the devotionals provided at church or use your own. I encourage you to take responsibility for spiritual leadership in your family.

On Sunday, we read the story of Adam and Eve and how God blocked their way to the Tree of Life by posting two cherubim and a flaming sword at its approach. To many theologians, the Tree of Life is the symbolic image of Jesus himself who is the way, the truth and the life. Christmas is the time when we share the good news that we now have access to the Tree of Life through Jesus. Listen to this Christ
mas Carol which is one of my all time favorites called "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree."
Listen and meditate on the words. Have a blessed advent!

Fasting Round 2

2008-10-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

If you are fasting with us today read the previous blog entry for some instructions. Be aware of others who are fasting and our church. This partly an exercise of deciding who is boss in your life, your stomach or you. Jesus said, you can't serve two masters... So, this is about mastering your urges and deciding that God is going to be your master. Fasting takes practice just like any other discipline. Each time fast you will discover how to make it more meaningful. Take some time to pray, or slow down or find some time to read scripture. Feed on God's word.

If you have a medical condition that prevents you from fasting with out food you can modify your fast to make it safe.

Some may think fasting is not an discipline encouraged by the Reformed faith. Yet, John Calvin writes extensively on the practice of fasting. Here is an excerpt from "The Institutes of Christian Religion" by Calvin.

Let us now consider the purpose of fasting. Various designs are mentioned in Scripture. The first end in fasting is the denying of self, the bringing of our body and its lusts in subjection unto the will and Word of God. Said the Psalmist, "I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach" (Ps. 69:10). Before men, yes; but not so before God. Our Lord warned us, "Take heed to yourselves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness" (Luke 21:34). The body is made heavy, its senses dulled, and the mind rendered sluggish by much eating or drinking, and thereby the whole man becomes unfit for the duties of prayer and hearing of the Word. That this unfitness may be avoided and that the lusts of the flesh may be mortified and subdued, fasting is to be duly engaged in.

The second end of fasting is to stir up our devotions and to confirm our minds in the duties of hearing and prayer. In this connection it is to be duly noted that fasting and prayer are almost always linked together in the Scriptures, or it would be more correct to say "prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21; Acts 13:3 and 14:23) to intimate that the latter is designed as an aid to the former, chiefly in that the non-preparation and participation of meals leaves us the freer for uninterrupted communion with God. When the stomach is full, the body and mind are less qualified for the performance of spiritual duties. For this reason we are told Anna "served God with fastings and prayers," the design of the Holy Spirit being to commend her to our notice for the fervency of her spirit, which she evidenced in this manner.

Tomorrow morning you can break the fast with break-fast. (that is where the word comes from)

Blessings!

Here is something to chew on.

Fasting

2008-10-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

Today is a day of fasting! Jesus said, "When you fast..." which I take to mean that fasting is a given. So if you have never fasted before here is an opportunity. What is the point of fasting? It has several purposes but the probably the main point is to draw us closer to God and to God's kingdom. Our bodies react violently to even the suggestion of fasting which raises the question, "who is in charge?" You? Or your stomach? There is something about fasting that opens us to a clearer sense of reality - especially the reality of the divine.

Here is my plan for today. I am going to eat a normal breakfast and then skip lunch and dinner and then eat a normal breakfast tomorrow. If muslims can fast from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan I can do something similar for one day! Actually, it is not the extravagant sacrifice that we probably should make but it is a start.

Drink lots of fluids.
Carry a small bible around and open it up whenever you feel hungry. I suggest reading the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7.
Pray - specifically that God will bless our church to over flowing!
Pay attention to your experience.
Let me know if you fasting today and leave a comment on this blog. It will be an encouragement to others!
Now check out this video. I am not sure how this helps.

Jesus and the Bloody Ole Testament

2008-10-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we had our first theology class at church. We had some very stimulating conversation and consequently it was a challenge to stay on topic. Part of our discussion ventured into questions about the Old Testament. You may be able to predict the issues:

Why was God so mean?
Why so much blood?
Why kill animals?
Why did God command the Israelites to wipe out whole communities?

The view many christians hold is that they like Jesus but hate the Old Testament.

The result: We avoid the Old Testament altogether.

What most people don't realize is that this kind of thinking creates more conflicts than resolve.

We like or even love Jesus but hate the Old Testament.

What we need to remember is that the Old Testament was Jesus' Bible. He loved it. He memorized it. He quoted it. He said things like:

Don't think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17

The Law was the meat of the Old Testament. Jesus was honoring it by making it complete.

So ask yourself these questions:

"If Jesus loved the Old Testament then what guage inside me allows me to think differently of Hebrew scripture?"
"Do I have some greater knowledge than Jesus that gives me a more informed and sophisticated perspective?"

Most people would agree that they are not better, or wiser, or even more loving than Jesus. So, if that is case and we respect Jesus then it is vital to our own faith that we embrace the Old Testament just as Jesus did. The important question then becomes:

How do I see the bloody Old Testament from Jesus' perspective?

It starts with your posture towards scripture. If you stand over and above scripture it is easy to feel superior to it. But if you treat as God's Word then it begins to form you. This approach requires a great deal of humility. When we don't understand a story or message that the Bible is trying to communicate our simple prayer should be:

"Lord, help me understand your Word, I am struggling and this passage disturbs me. Please help me understand what I am missing!"

Sometimes it takes persistence and study. Sometimes you won't ever know a satisfying answer. But more often than not, you will be rewarded with understanding that transforms your worldview.

My point is this:
Seek to see the Old Testament through Jesus' eyes and you will be pleasantly surprised. Seek it on your own and you will always be limited in what you see.

Join us on Monday night at 7:00 for WUD Theology 101.

Now for something fun. Here is another fake Jesus video from Vintage21. Remember it is not about the rules. Jesus wants to go beyond the rules to change our hearts!

Jesus and Divorce

2008-09-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

So, last Sunday we looked at a portion of the Sermon on the Mount
that challenges us to go deeper than the externals of
religiosity. Actually, I think it is more than a challenge, Jesus
commands us to go deeper. So, if you are in worship and you are
still holding a grudge, go and make up with that person and then
come back to worship. Don't murder. It's a good idea. But as Peterson
translates it in the Message, "anyone who is so much as angry
with a brother or sister is guilty of murder." These are demands
that cannot be faithfully followed in our lives without a
transformation of the heart.
And right smack dab in the middle of this teaching Jesus talks
about divorce which I find fascinating. Did one of the disciples
have an issue with divorce? I am sure that was an
uncormfortable moment especially after hearing Jesus talk about
lust. Aw -kward!
I know there are many who are dealing the potential of divorce or its aftermath. So, let me give a shot at the meaning of this passage in Matthew 5.

Here are some of the rules for marriage in Jesus' day that will help put things in perspective.
1. Wives were property. Don't blame Jesus. That is the way it
was.
2. That is why this passage is addressed to men. It is also why it
begins with "Whoever divorces his wife..." (Notice that teaching
about lust is addressed to men as well. No comment.)
3. A man could divorce a woman but not the other way around.
4. A man could give his wife a certificate of divorce for anything
at anytime. If you didn't like dinner or if she smelled funny
you could divorce her. Sounds like the ancient version of no
fault divorce. See Matthew 19.
Take a moment and ask yourself, "How would that fly in our
culture?" Well, it wouldn't. So imagine how Jesus might have
felt about it. It was legal. From outward appearances no one
could fault a guy for divorcing his wife as long as he gave her a
certificate of divorce. But again, like adultery and murder
etc., Jesus has a deeper concern - the heart. The ideal that
Jesus is shooting for is a relationship where a husband loves his
wife and commits to her and chooses to love her despite her
faults or how he is feeling at any given moment. And the
opposite is true as well for women. Jesus is challenging a low view of marriage in that culture -even among religious people.
This is not the only passage that speaks of divorce. Paul says
in 1 Corinthians 7 that if a christian and a non-christian are
married and the non-christian wants to split then that is
sufficient grounds for divorce. However, the christian shouldn't
be the one to initiate the breakup.
It is tempting to become legalistic about all of this. But that would miss the point. Jesus is getting to matters of the heart. When the heart is right (this requires a
supernatural transformation) then painful things like divorce are
less likely to happen.
Maybe that is why this teaching is sandwiched between a warning about
lust and being honest. Deal with those issues and you are dealing with
the marriage relationship itself.
In the end, no one knows the pain of divorce better than those
who are divorced. That is why God dislikes divorce so much - for
the same reasons you do and more. It is not our intention to
divorce when we marry and neither is it God's intention. But God has deeper reasons.
The big question divorced people have when reading this passage
is "am I an adulterer?" Maybe (see Jesus' exception). But no
more than I am an adulterer if I dwell on a lustful imagination and feed it,
or no more than I am a murder when I wish ill will on someone
else. I think most people, if honest, would be guilty of one or
both of these moral failures. So join the club!
The important thing is to be aware of the condition of your
heart. You can't change the past. When you ask for it, God gives you
grace that covers past failures and you get to start again. And
it is the same grace that begins to change your heart because you
cannot do it yourself.

So start again. Clean slate. New. Forgiven. That is God's grace and love offered by the one who is committed to you!

Ok, for those who did not see the video on Sunday or did and want to see it again here it is. Please don't confuse this Jesus with the real one. Vintage 21 church created it. I love their creativity.

See you Sunday!

Reinventing the Wheel

2008-07-31T02:56:00.000-07:00

Some people get a whole lot of satisfaction from cramming 1000's of songs onto their iPods. Set it to "random" and you are good to go. I, the other hand, have 1 album (can I still use that word?) on my little iPod "Shuffle" and I listen to it to death. Every once in a while I will find one that I really resonate with, one that stirs up something deep down and it receives all my listening attention. Lately, there are two albums that fall into this category. The first is Jill Phillips, Nobody's Got it All Together. Boy, ain't that the truth. If you are on the verge of packing it in, or you are struggling with your faith and need to hear a little grace in your life then, Nobody's Got it All Together, is for you!

Andy Gullahorn is an artist I discovered just this past week. Awesome! He is a little goofy but underneath are some powerful lyrics. Check out "God Loves that Guy" and "Desperate Man." Wow! I found a commercial for the album on Youtube.

Do Something Different

2008-07-22T01:31:00.000-07:00

In 1968, Dick Fosbury changed the world of high jumping in a way that propelled athletes to newer heights. For the first time in Olympic competition he jumped over the high bar backwards and it won him the gold medal.

The "fosbury flop" is now a standard in the high jumping world. Sometimes when you don't seem to be getting anywhere in your faith you need to do a spiritual "fosbury flop." Do something different than your regular routine or "system" that keeps you where you are - going nowhere.

In Jesus' day there was a man who sat by a mysterious pool called Bethesda. Legend had it that the water had healing powers. His goal was to get into the pool before everyone else so that he could be healed. I don't know how long he had been at it but John 5 says he had been disabled for 38 years! Something about his system for healing was not working. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well, instead of answering yes he gave excuses. I am not sure he really wanted to get well. My guess is that he was becoming comfortable with where he was even though he knew in the back of his mind there was something better. He needed to do something different in order to reach new heights. He needed a spiritual "fosbury flop!" He needed to break out of his self imposed way of doing things in order to become spiritually well.
What do you need to do differently? Well maybe it is as easy as just doing what the master tells you to do without any excuses. He told the man to "Get up, pick up your mat and walk." He did it. No excuses. What is Jesus asking you to do? If you give excuses then it may be a sign that you don't really want to become spiritually well. The number one excuse I have heard is - NO TIME! That is an excuse to keep you where you are. If you want to experience new heights you need to learn to flop! Approach the bar differently.

May you flop this today!

Here is something different that can break you out of a routine - go on a mission trip. We just came back from the Dominican Republic and helped to further the completion of our sister church in Alondra. We spent 10 days digging, painting, 2 medical clinics, 2 VBS's, 2 worship services with our Dominican brothers and sisters and a lot of relationship building. We had an awesome team headed by Laurie Miles. If you want to do something different find a mission trip.
Before going on the trip I weighed myself to test out the weight reducing potential of spending 10 days in the DR. When I came back I weighed in at 238! One lousy pound and I guarantee that it was mostly sweat.

From Float to Flying

2008-07-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

The Woodstown Presbyterian Church was well represented in the Woodstown Fourth of July parade on Friday. Buck and co. did an incredible job putting together this year's float (as always) and we won a third place trophy! Later that weekend Buck won a gold medal in our tennis tournament. Nice show! Thanks to everyone who cheered us on and to the kids who road on the float and passed out VBS invites and candy.

On Sunday we recognized vets and families of military service men and women. Please keep in your prayers the Zastrow family whose son Jared is headed to Afghanistan tomorrow. He leaves behind a wife and 5 month old and a baby on the way. We are organizing a bulletin board at church with pictures of soldiers and ways to support and pray for them. Mary Lou Short has volunteered to be the keeper of the board. Thanks Mary Lou!
Here is the "Letters from War" video we showed on Sunday.

Finally, the DR Mission Team is taking off tomorrow at 7:00 in the morning. I will be part of the team. Please pray for us. You can watch for updates on our website.
I know some people think we lose weight on these trips. So just to test whether a mission trip can be a good weight loss idea I weighed myself this morning. Today I am 239 pounds. My long term goal is lose 29 more pounds! I'll let you know how I do. Find out what you need to do to be healthy and take care of your mobile Temple and go to www.realage.com.

Blessings! PRESS ON!

Facing Fear

2008-07-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

If I were to make a top ten list of things that keep us from growing closer to God, topping that list would be fear. Fear can paralyze us and rob us from joy in life. Fear can keep us from being used by God. Fear stinks. You know what they say, you can smell fear.

Fear is often rooted in a false sense of reality.
There is a story in Mark 4 where the disciples were going for a boat ride and the wind started to pick up. In fact it got so windy they started to fear for their lives. Jesus was in the boat but the wind didn't seem to bother him. In fact, he was asleep! On a pillow! The disciples wake him up to try to speak some sense into him. But at that point, if you were to choose, who had the better grasp on reality? Jesus or the disciples? Common sense would say the disciples. But in the back of our minds we know the answer is really Jesus. He was asleep because he knew that at any moment he could say the word, wave his hand and everything would be back to calm. But the disciples did see that reality. That is why they were afraid.
When we understand the power of the one who is in the boat with us, the closer we are to seeing the reality of any situation, no matter how threatening. Fear looks at the waves. Faith sees the one who is in the boat with us.
You even after the sea was calm the disciples were afraid. This time they were frightened by Jesus. Actually, the greek word used to describe their fear means something like, "awe" or "reverance." That is the only kind of fear that mixes well with faith. It is the kind of fear that sees more clearly the reality of Jesus.
Next time you sense fear paralyzing you, stop looking at the waves and keep your eyes on the one asleep in your boat!

PRESS ON!

Jesse Owens is a great example of someone who faced fear rooted in a false perception of aryan supremacy. He demonstrated the reality of his athletic superiority by winning 4 gold medals on Nazi turf. Awesome!

Noise

2008-07-02T05:17:00.001-07:00

This morning our men's group met at our regular 6:30 am time. Today's Nooma video was titled "Noise." This really "resonated" with me as I am thinking about PRESSING ON (Philippians 3:14). In a nutshell, as a culture we have become so immersed in noise (cell phones, tvs, radios, ipods, pagers, email, and on and on) that it has become difficult for us to hear God's voice. The book of Hebrews says, "look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith." In the greek, the word translated "look" means block out all distractions and focus. What if we've become distracted by all this noise? What if it keeps us from focusing on Jesus? Find some silence today that will help you to focus and block out the noise of life. During that time pray for our Wednesday men's group and for the leadership of Jamie Danner. Here is a clip from that NOOMA video.

Building Endurance

2008-07-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

"Lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely.." Hebrews 12:2
How do you build spiritual endurance? Part of the answer is to carry no more than you need. Hebrews says that we are carrying around sin that weighs us down. So, drop it or you will drop out of the race. Here is the skit with Bob Newhart that I mentioned on Sunday.

Maybe it's not the most sensitive advice but sometimes we need to "stop it" in order to "drop it." After all, you don't want to live your life weighed down. That sounds unpleasant.
Sometimes we need more such as the power of God and supportive relationships. In the end, do whatever you can to "drop it."

Of course, the second strategy for building spiritual endurance is focusing. To hear the rest message go to our website.

PRESS ON!

Press On!

2008-07-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Every summer our church has a theme. Last year it was "Endless Summer" in the spirit of the Beach Boys' greatest album from the '70's. With the Summer Olympics taking place this year we thought it would be fun to play with idea of the image of the olympic athlete as a model for the christian life. The apostle Paul uses this analogy several times in his letters challenging believers to run the race of life as one who is going for the gold! He writes in Philippians 3:14, "I press on to the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." So that is what we are doing. Pressing On. We are figuring our what that means. In most cases it means exerting more effort in pursuing God than we are right now.
It means making a decision to really want to know Christ. It means dedication and commitment. The christian should have the drive of a Wilma Rudolph. Check it out.

Don't be a spiritual couch potato. Get in the race!