SOMETHING

It's always something isn't it? It seems like always, something is changing, something old, something new, something challenging us, something unexpected. That's the thing about life, it is full of the unexpected "somethings" isn't it? One of the problems I see is that rarely do we credit God for the unexpected somethings in our lives.

I ran across a wonderful story that illustrates this point very well. There's a store-front church which is called Almighty God Tabernacle. One Saturday evening, the preacher of this church was working late, and decided to call his wife before he left for home. It was about 10 PM, but his wife did not answer the phone. The preacher let it ring about two dozen times but she didn't answer. He thought it was a little odd, but decided to finish up a few things and try a few minutes later.

When he tried again, she answered right away. He asked her why she hadn't answered before, and she said that the phone hadn't rung at their house. They brushed it off as a fluke and went on their merry ways.

The following Monday, the preacher received a call at the church office, which was the phone that he'd used that Saturday night. The man that he spoke with wanted to know why he'd called on Saturday night. The preacher couldn't figure out what the guy was talking about. Then the guy said, "It rang and rang and rang, but I didn't answer."

The preacher then remembered the mishap and apologized for disturbing him, explaining that he'd tried to call his wife. The man said, "That's okay. Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did, I prayed, 'God if you're there, and you don't want me to do this, give me a sign now.' At that point my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, 'Almighty God'. I was afraid to answer!"

Does God work through the unexpected? Surely he does! Most of the time I don't think we have any idea he may be involved with the unexpected something in our life, but what if he is, what if God is trying to change our lives, trying to teach us something "Life Changing"?

In Luke 5:1-11 Jesus comes to his apostles who had gone back to fishing. He asks them about their success and they tell him they had fished all night and caught nothing. He tells them to try one more time and they caught enough fish to sink the boats. The unexpected had life changing results. We are told, "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him."

I wonder what God is trying to show us when the unexpected happens in our lives?

New Beginnings

Can you believe it that we are now into a brand new year? I know it happens every year, but it is such an amazing thing if you think about it. One of my favorite quotes comes from the book Anne of Green Gables where she says that "we begin every day new, with no mistakes". That's the way it is with our new year isn't it? God gives us a fresh slate with no markings on it, and it is entirely up to us to decide what is written there.

The New Year also gives us a new branch on our road we call life. Will it be an adventure or a mystery" Will it be a challenge or a time of peace and rest? We never know and as disconcerting that concept is to some, it should breathe into us a new zest for life as we face new challenges, new problems, meet new people, have to adjust our lives and life styles. I don't know about you, but I really don't want a stagnant life! If you are not experiencing change or challenge then your life is going no where. It might not be dead, but then it might also. Growth and change show that something is alive.

Right now, at this time of the year, there are more people trying to make changes than any other time of the year. That's why people make resolutions; to help them as they try to institute changes in their lives. I personally, rarely make a New Year's resolution, because I have so much going on in my life any way, there are constant changes taking place within my life. Some good, some not so good, just like many of you.

I understand that not everyone is wired that way. "I read about one poor fellow who decided to make only resolutions this year he could keep. He resolved to gain weight, to stop exercising, to read less and watch more TV, to procrastinate more, to quit giving money and time to charity, and to never make New Year's resolutions again." (Duncan)

That kind of thinking reminds me of one of my favorite Old Testament passages, Proverbs 24:30-34, where the writer talks about those who refuse challenges. He says: "I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense.  I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson:  A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber."

It really is a time for new beginnings! It is a time to make the changes you have been putting off, which may include you neglecting your relationship to Christ. How about you, is it time for a change, a time to accept a new challenge or take another leg on this adventure called life? Don't put it off, make that new beginning.

Christmas Cards

Christmas Cards, "Bah Humbug," some say… They cost too much, no one really reads them anyway… It's too expensive and takes too much time to send them."

Some may say those things, but not at our house, at our house we love Christmas cards. We love receiving them and love sending them. Granted in the present economic situation in our society we don't mail as many as we once did. But still they are an important part of our lives. Many of us have been forced to send an "electronic" greeting now, which is a great avenue of staying in touch, but I still cherish the old fashion paper cards also.

Each card, each letter, each greeting, (electronic or otherwise), has a message of hope, a message of love, they share precious thoughts and insights about our relationships. We love to get the Christmas letters that often come with the cards, because the truth of the matter is that far too often we just don't stay in touch with those we really care about. We mean to do better, we mean to call, write or visit, but as they say, "life interferes" with our plans.

Christmas cards may be the only time in the year that you communicate with someone you really do care about in your life. We are separated by years and miles from many of our dear friends. People that we love and truly cherish, but some we have not seen for years. People who have touched our lives and helped make us who we are today.

Christmas cards remind us that there is a bond of love and friendship through Christ that can never be parted. As long as we put Him first in our lives we will touch and be touched by others.

We have some old friends that taught us a lesson about Christmas cards years ago while living in Africa. They kept their Christmas cards on the dinning room table and each day when they asked God to bless their food they also chose one card and ask God to bless those people that day also.

Many of you have been a light to our paths in this life fulfilling Jesus' Words in Matthew 5:14-15, "You are the light of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house."

So in this electronic age my wife and I wish each of you a "Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year". And, May God Bless us Everyone.

Promises Remembered ...

"And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth… Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (Genesis 9:12-16 NIV)

As we were driving through Southern Arizona and California last week my wife and I were in unusual weather for us, there was rain, lots of rain. It was somewhat unusual because every now and then the sky would clear and we would have sunshine for awhile. During these times we saw no less than 4 different rainbows, which was quite amazing in itself. But as we saw those we commented to one another about God's promise to Noah and his family after He had destroyed the earth with the Great Flood. God said, "I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant…" He said, "I promise I will never do this again."  

There was another covenant even before that one though. After Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for their sin and disobedience, God Said, "And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring (Satan) and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15) This was his promise even in the very beginning of time that Jesus would come to the world as its Savior.

In Luke 2 God spoke again through an Angel: "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Vs.  9-12)

If there is a message we see reinforced at this time of the year through this holiday the world proclaims as "Christmas," it is that God remembers His promises! Think about all of those who proclaim, "Keep Christ in Christmas."  Many of the Songs that are sung are a reminder of at least part of the promise of God being fulfilled.

We know that the word "Christmas," is not in the bible. We understand that the early Christians did not have Christmas celebrations. We understand that most of what takes place in our modern Christmas celebrations has nothing to do with what is recorded in the bible. However that doesn't make the birth of Christ any less wonderful, any less worthy of being remembered. This one event truly was a miracle that changed the course of our world as well as each of our lives for eternity.

God spoke, He promised, He remembered and He fulfilled that promise through a baby born in a stable. Let's not forget the fulfilled promise of a Savior which was born to us in Bethlehem, not just at this time of the year, but all year long.

JUST SHOWING UP DOESN'T GET THE JOB DONE

I love the Cowboy Culture of the 1950's and 60's! Of course, like many of you I was raised with Cowboys (and Cowgirls), being a main influence on Television and in the movies. You learned why the good guys were good and the bad guys were bad. You learned morals and ethics, you learned respect for others, you learned respect for property and you learned what was acceptable to say and what wasn't, you even learned about the concept of "work ethics".

Though he has been dead for a number of years, no one portrayed what a Cowboy was better than John Wayne. Some say he did it better than anyone else. John Wayne's characters could ride and fight with the best, but he always let his concern for others show through also. He portrayed for us the importance of qualities such as honor, loyalty, bravery and commitment.

In the movie "Rio Bravo," Wayne's character made a statement that echo's much of Christ's teachings about commitment and what he expects from us, when he said "Just showing up doesn't get the job done!"

Jesus tells us, 'If you love me you obey my commandments"! (John 14:15) Because you see, just showing up at worship service "doesn't get the job done," it doesn't do what God demands of us.

I know you may get tired of seeing me refer to this concept so often in my writings, but I do it because I see it as a major problem in the churches throughout our land. People want to wear the name Christian, but they don't want to take it any further than that. Being a Christian means our lives have been transformed from the very foundation of our being. It means as Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)  It means that you are dead to self and alive to Christ. It means… that we finally understand that just showing up doesn't get the job done. It means we finally understand what it means to be buried with Christ and raised as a new creation (Romans 6:3-4). How about you, do you really understand that "Just showing up doesn't get the job done?"

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT

Recently I have been made aware once again about a great failing on the part of some church leaders. Somewhere along the line some have forgotten our purpose. Some have forgotten that worship is about God and not about those who worship him. Now, I'm not saying that people aren’t important, but I am saying that just perhaps we need to re-evaluate the focus of why we gather together.

There is a great small book titled, "Showtime! Worship in the Age of show Business", by Dan Chambers. Mr. Chambers takes a look at some of the modern worship practices in comparison to what God's Word indicates worship should be. You might be surprised at the extent to which some churches will go to "pack the pews".

I guess in itself that's not new, people in general have short attention spans. Many today need something to keep them in their seats for the 30 to 60 minutes they sit together with the crowd in their church buildings. We see this in our modern "entertainment" mentality is Television programming. They have to change the image every second of so or people get bored. They have to push the envelope of what is accepted or outrageous to keep people tuned in to their programs. Sadly, this has influenced some who plan worship assemblies.

Again this is not new. Several years ago while we were in Michigan I saw a church advertising in the News Paper that they would be having "Belly Dancers for Jesus" at their church, urging everyone to come. I can't question the motivation of the Belly Dancers themselves, but it sure seemed to me that the church was focusing on the dancing rather than Jesus. What have our churches come to when we have to bribe, promise entertainment or trick people to come and worship with us? What does that say for us as a people when we need those things?

There is an old, old song titled, "Give me that Old Time Religion," what has happened to that concept in our world. What does that say about our society when just worshipping God is not enough? Jesus said in John 4:23-24: "But the time is coming, indeed it's here now, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."

"True Worshipers," worshiping in Spirit and Truth indicates it is something we need to do, not have done to us! The idea of Worship carries with it the concept of bowing down before the one being worshiped. It is not about us it is about offering ourselves to Him. Our songs or prayers; our messages should center on God and our love for and service to him.

If you are "going to church" (as the accepted concept is used), with hopes that it will "be interesting enough to keep you awake," or "exciting enough to make you feel good," then just perhaps you are going about it wrong.

Russ Lawson

SATISFACTION

Back in the 60's one of the big hit songs was, "I can’t get no satisfaction," by the group called "The Rolling Stones". It spoke to the constant battle and failure in life to find satisfaction by doing what society expects you to do. Many of us "baby boomers" grew up listening to this music. Many embraced the philosophy of rejecting social norms or socially accepted concepts of right behavior. Today we live in a world where the accepted thing is to just "do your own thing," or "just do whatever makes you happy".

Sadly, this idea has penetrated the minds of many of those who are trying to "find God" or "worship God in their own way". The problem is that though our society may have been bent enough to allow folks to do pretty much whatever they want and still be accepted, God doesn't.

You might be inclined to ask, "What gives you the right to make such a statement?" "Who made you the judge of the world?" My answer is that no one made me the judge of you, it always has been and always will be God that judges. Jesus himself said, (if you accept Jesus as authority in religious matters), in John 12:47-52, "If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." (NIV)

You see somewhere in life many have been convinced that "as long as you love God, you can pretty much do whatever you want and still be acceptable to him". Yet, Jesus said, "If you don't do what I have said you will be condemned". The apostle John shared these words with us in 1 John 5:3, "Loving God means keeping His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome".

So, are you looking for satisfaction? Have you tried looking more closely at what God asks of you? Read the Psalms and see what the writers equate with joy and happiness. You'll find it is having a real relationship with God, not just a nodding acquaintance.