Point of Difference

Can you imagine a place where we are able to concentrate on the only things that matter,which is His renoun. in the 1st few verses of Colossians 3 says we are to in that in this very place, not having to imagine. We are to let the things of this world that are binding us to fall away around us so that we can concentrate on Him, our Hero, our Savior. My prayer this morning is that all the false idols that i've built up in my life that I'm continually polishing will fall away, so that I can consentrate on my Father.

"Open the skies, flood the earth with Your light. This is Love to break a world indifferent. As we lift our eyes, fill our heart with Your fire. In a world of the same we will be the different, the difference."

Short Circuit

There was a movie that come out in the 80's, I think, called Short Circuit. It was about a robot that somehow had a mind of his own and he began acting quite human. He was Alive. He would laugh, joke, be sad and had a whole gamit of emotions that are common to you and I. But he had one of the cooloest names, Number 5. Yeah nothing out of the ordinary, maybe just a stock number, but I can still remember the arabic decendent calling out, "Number 5 is alive." I know that's just Hollywood, but it also reminds me of My relationship with the Lord. Many times in my daily walk with the Lord I'm being robotic. Working to get this done, or running to meet with this person. Colossians 2:13-15 says that have been made alive with Him. that he bore my penality and sin and nailed it to the cross, and later aross and is alive at the right hand of the father anticipating and making intercession between Me and my Heavenly Father. God knows me, and you too. He knows our weeknesses and strengths and desires for us to live outside of the normal parameters of life. He Want us to have a John 10:10 kinda life. You may feel like just a stock number. No one that sticks out in the crowd, but God has redeemed you and reconciled you and me to himself so that we may know him and truly be ALIVE.

No Secret Handshake

You know sometimes I fall victim to not fitting in with the crowd that I often run with. Probably because most of the time thay are between the ages of 12-18 and I'm a whopping 33. Yeah, being in Youth ministry you feel as though you grow older twice as fast. I seems like only yesterday I was like the kids older brother now I've even been refered to as Grandpa. But when ever we go somewhere with students i see almost a right of passage. The Sacred Handshake. If you don't know the handshake you don't fit in. Have you ever fallen victim to not knowing the handshake? It seems with students that if you know the handshake you break through years trying to gain trust.

Colossians 2 11-15 says that there is nothing secretive about your relationship with Him and nothing that is mutually exclusive too your relationship. He says I've came to conqure the grave for all and that those who would simply call on my will be saved. He destroyed the power of sin on the cross. Our sins forgiven, we have a clean slate with Him.

Isn't it nice we are already in, we are that insider. He knows us as we are and continues to love us anyway. No secret handshake, just hold onto the nail pierced hand of Christ.

Simply Amazing.

Blessings

Telescope, Microscope, Horoscope

This morning after reading the 1st half of chapter 2 of the book of Colossians i thought you should read it as I have.

Colossians 2:6-10

6-7My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
8-10Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.

Amazing simply amazing. Get out there and LIVE!!!

Set Your Mind at Ease

This morning I'm reminded of why i do the things that I do how how I need to focus my efforts on the way that I do them. I'm always wanting to be the best and see the most results. You notice the I in that previous phrase. My goal or verse tht has inspired my life is from the incredible book of Colossians 3:17. It simply states that whatever I do whether in word or deed I do I do for the Lord Jesus Christ. i love this verse, it keeps me aware of my surroundings at all times and continually lets me know that it's not about me it's about Jesus. This morning I was reading in the last verses of Colosianns and it sank in. A spiritual aphifinanny (whoa really don't know about spelling there, but you get the point) Paul is in prison and remarking about His love for the Church, amazing in itself, but he comes back and challanged me and my ministry right here and right now it says,

Colossians 1:26-29
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.

May that be my mission here and yours. No more, no less Christ!!!!!

What would Jesus do with Pizza or Donuts?

Today starts like every other wednesday, waking up and realizing that God must have chosen the wrong person for this caliber of work. But I roll out of bed and by the time i finish brushing my teeth i'm ready to "seize the day." Over the past couple of days i've noticed a disturbing trend. Yesterday while going to bible club i noticed a large amount of people from one particular class. I wondered where was everyone else. One of the responses i had is hay more pizza for us. This morning a similiar response. While at another school, the frist students appeared and they asked if they were the only 2 students if they would get all the donuts for themselves. Is that were we are now. We don't want to invite more people to bible club so we can gorge ourselves on our own greed. We want pizza but non one to know the Lord. I'm appalled honestly. I love the students, but i'm appalled that the cost of a souls for us accounts for little more than a donut or a extra slice of pizza. Come on Jesus died for all those who would call on his name.

Anyway this morning I notices that Paul must be going through the same thing while addressing the church. He Mentions at the endo f the 1st chapter that Christ died for the church and that he was now a servant to the church. I've coem to realize that servants don't always get the shiny happy jobs. They are constantly looking after the needs of the owner. An as a servant to His church I need to constantly be looking after the things of Jesus.

Does Jesus like donuts and pizza. I'm sure He would, but He would be more than willing to give away His share to share His love with you.

Are you unwilling to invite others to church because you may loose your seat for a week, are you unwilling to share the love of christ with someone because you may loose you fictional status of sole dependence. COme on Let's act like children who know our Father and are proud of Him. It's not about YOU it's all about HIM!!!!!

Delight

This morning I was reading a chapter from the book The Name by Franklin Graham. And in the second chapter of the book Franlin explains that he was asked to speak during the memorial services for the Columbine students. He said that He didn't know what exactly to preach or share, but he prayed prior to speaking that the name of Jesus be lifted up. So he spoke a powerful message i'm sure and after finishing turned it over to Vice President, Al Gore. They then made their way to a memorial site that was littered with cards and flowers and notes to the victims and a man approached Franklin and told him he was offended. And Franklin replied, "Yes sir." After thinking about that it is amazing that he had the spiritual boldness to step in front of a mourning country and turn a "mess into a message," as Drew would say. I'm here writing this encouraged not by the message that Frank gave, but by the response to the man. His unwillingness to apoligize inspires me. I should not have to apologize for the way that I believe, as long as my life is lifting up the name of Jesus.

Colosians 1:15-23 tells us of the way that God loved His Son and how he found delight in Him. That delight or even a that-a-boy when His death reconciled us back to Him. I can only imagine one of the roman soldiers after Christ had arose going to him while He was with His disciples and telling Jesus that he was offended when the water and blood sprayed him in the face. I think Jesus would have simply said Yes, sir. He was not willing to back down off the cross for you and me, the least we should do is not be willing to back down for Him.