Forever

Today was another great church service spent worshipping God Almighty.  As always during Lent I want to share with you my favorite musical worship moment from today.  Today we sang "Forever" by Kari Jobe.  I want to point out a few lyrics that I absolutely love.

"When the perishable has been clothed with imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'

   'Where, O death, is your victory?
          Where, O death, is your sting?'

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  1 Corinthians 15:54-57

"The moon and stars they wept
The morning sun was dead
The Savior of the world was fallen
His body on the cross
His blood poured out for us
The weight of every curse upon him

One final breath He gave
As Heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever, He is glorified
Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen
He is alive
He is alive..." 

Excepts of "Forever" by Orlando Johnson.

Christ has conquered sin and death and He did it at the cross!  Worship with me the God who is to be forever glorified today.

Moderation in all Things?

Yesterday I wrote about The View's reaction to Omarosa saying Mike Pence believes that Jesus talks to him.  During that discussion besides what I wrote yesterday another thing stuck out to me and it's because I've heard this phrase used abundantly in Christianese.

"As a Christian that is par for the course.  You talk to Jesus and Jesus talks back.  What concerns me is how long is the conversation with Jesus... even in the Bible it says do all things in moderation.  So anything that is too much in concerning." -Sherri Shepard

Often in Christians circles we say, "The Bible says" where the Bible doesn't say.  Do all things in moderation is one of these sayings.  No where in the Bible does it say, "Do all things in moderation."  "Moderation in all things" is a quote attributed to Aristotle or an old English proverb depending on who you trust to certify quotes.  This quote was modified by many including  Oscar Wilde to, "Everything in moderation, including moderation" and Ralph Waldo Emerson to, "Moderation in all things, especially moderation."  Moderation can be a wise thing, but no where in the Bible does it say to do all things in moderation.

When is moderation a good thing?

Moderation is a very good practice in many, if not most, aspects of our lives.  Moderation in the eating of cake is good because it keeps us from gluttony.  Moderation in the drinking of wine is good because it keeps us from drunkenness.  Moderation in sleep is good because it keeps us from becoming sloths.  Moderation in the spending of money is good because it keeps us from going broke.  Moderation is something books like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes champion.  In Galatians 5:23 self-control is listed as a fruit of the Spirit and in many cases self-control and moderation are identical twins.

When is moderation foolish?

Moderation is a good thing unless we are talking about the best things in life.  Moderation in fidelity is no virtue.  Moderation in kindness is no virtue.  And moderation in prayer is not a Christian goal either.

None of the noteworthy Christians that we admire through history are remembered for their moderation in the pursuit of the Kingdom and its righteousness.

Hudson Taylor and Lottie Moon are remembered for their non-moderate desire to bring the Gospel to the people of China.  George Müller cared for over 10,000 orphans on the wings of not-so moderate prayer.  Martin Luther certainly isn't remembered as being a moderate in his passion for the Gospel.  William Wilberforce was seen as nothing short of a radical in his goal of ending the slave trade.

Moderation is good with chocolate, TV or beer but when it comes to obedience to and worship of our God let us be gluttons!

Moderation in many things, yes.  But let us not allow the unbiblical saying of "in all things moderation" be used to temper our walk with Jesus.  Let us never slow our prayer life or our generosity in the name of moderation in all things.  Let us be people that look up what the good book says for ourselves and not fall into the lies Chrisianese can lead us into.

Throw away any thoughts of moderation as you pursue the Author of Life and live life abundantly by recklessly chasing after He who is our life today.

Does Jesus Talk to Mike Pence?

Omarosa said on Celebrity Big Brother that Vice President Mike Pence believes that Jesus tells him to say things.

"He's extreme, I'm Christian.  I love Jesus, but he thinks Jesus tells him to say things.  And I'm like, I'm like, 'Jesus ain't say that."

The country responded to those comments made by Omarosa (the reality star turned White House employee turned reality star... what a day we're living in).  On "The View" Joy Behar likened Mike Pence's alleged communication to Jesus to mental illness saying, "It's one thing to talk to Jesus.  It's another thing when Jesus starts talking to you.  That's called mental illness."  Sherri Shepard responded by saying, in a nut shell, that talking with Jesus is okay but that the Bible says all things in moderation and that includes talking with Jesus.

So, and this isn't political, does Jesus talk to Mike Pence? 

Does Jesus talk to any of us?

I've been writing and thinking about prayer lately.  Prayer is often thought of as us talking to God, but listening is as important if not more important in prayer.  So, does Jesus talk to Mike Pence?

I can't speak for Mike Pence but I can speak for myself and I can relay some of what the Bible says.  Jesus does talk to us in prayer.

How?

First of all, I have never heard the audible voice of Jesus and I don't expect to until I die or He returns.  In fact, I am a hardcore Christian but a skeptic of anyone that says they heard Jesus talk audibly to them.  God did do that in the Bible and God may still do that today, but I'm going to start with doubt if anyone tells me they heard Jesus audibly.

So, in prayer how do we listen if we don't hear an audible voice?

There are more ways than I'm going to get into but the main way is in the Word of God.  Jesus is called the Word.  The Bible is called the Word of God for a reason.  This is the main way that God speaks today to His people.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

The Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus has already said.  He often does this by reminding us of Scripture we have already learned or by bringing that Scripture to us in some way.  The Word of God once again is the main way we hear from Jesus today.  The Holy Spirit may prompt us to notice a situation in which we can put the Word into action but He will not speak words that contradict the Bible in any way ever.

There are some that have called themselves "Listeners" like Sarah Young who wrote Jesus Calling however this method of communication from Jesus is not one endorsed by the Scriptures or by orthodox Christianity.  Those who claim to get direct, new revelation from Jesus are to be doubted at best and labeled as heretics at worst.  Many a cult has ended in sorrowful fashion following a leader who claimed to be one who can hear direct, new revelation from Jesus Himself that is not contained in the Bible.  All communication from Jesus that we have today will sound like His voice.  What is His voice?  His known voice is the Word of God, the Bible.

"Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice? Proverbs 8:1

In the book of Proverbs wisdom is personified as a woman calling out to those who will listen.  This imagery is poetic but also a way that we know the triune God speaks to us.  Jesus talks to us through wisdom.  Wisdom, whether from logic or consulting with those more experienced than you or any manner of wise decision making, is in fact a way that Jesus speaks to us.  Many times basic wisdom is coupled with a Biblical principle and a peace that one feels.  Wisdom is a way that God speaks to us today.

I have said that I have had Jesus speak to me.  I've never heard His audible voice but I have been directed by Jesus.  When I was led from teaching and into radio I would describe it as being led by God though I never heard His audible voice.  I felt something in me pulling me away from teaching, although that path made sense.  I felt no peace until I decided to change course.  I truly believe that was God directing my paths, but I made sure to check with Scripture and with those who had wisdom and to pray a lot before changing course.

Does Jesus speak to Mike Pence?  I don't know what Jesus does for Mr. Pence.  Does Jesus speak to Christians?  Yes.  I've been saddened by the reaction to Omarosa's statements on Celebrity Big Brother because it insults my faith, but I also think this is a good time to ask what we mean when we say Jesus speaks to us.  I'm not going to listen to you simply because you declare, "Well, Jesus told me..."  I will check to make sure the voice you're hearing sounds like Jesus and His words in the Holy Bible.

Prayer is about talking to God and it's about listening.  Be sure that when you listen you aren't hearing your pride or your fear talking but that you're hearing Jesus.  Take time to listen during prayer, and that means praying with your Bible open today.

Never Give Up

I prayed about something every single day and it didn't work out the way I wanted.

I was burdened to pray about something.  It was one of those things that I wanted for someone else and it was so good that I couldn't imagine that it would be against the will of God.  In fact, what I prayed for was explicitly commanded in Scripture.  Yet it didn't work out the way I wanted.

So, I quit praying about it.

It was over.

"Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  He said: 'In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

For some time he refused.  But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'

And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?  Will He keep putting them off?  I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"  Luke 18:1-8

I gave up on praying because I thought my prayer didn't work the way I wanted.  The thing I prayed about is still the just thing and should be done.  This parable reminded me that I should pray and not give up.  Jesus told His disciples this parable so they would pray and not give up and then asks will He find faith on the earth when He comes.

Does my prayer life demonstrate persevering faith or that of a quitter?  Will I keep praying even when I think getting the answer I desperately want is impossible or will I keep faith in the God of the impossible?

I'm not quitting. 

One of my neighbors is a sweet Christian woman who prayed for decades that her son would come to faith in Jesus.  He seemed to many like a lost cause she said.  She has said that she would quit praying for him and then start again over the years.  Persistence often is not simply keeping going, but having the humility and courage to restart.  Long story short, after years and years of praying he did come to believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and she saw the impact of her persistent prayers.

I want that kind of a story.  I want to see my not giving up be part of God's work.  Do I know for sure that my prayers will work the way I want it to work?  No, I don't.  However, I am convinced that the burden to pray for this request is from the Holy Spirit and I am convinced that when Jesus said we should pray and not give up that He meant what He said. 

So, I am going to keep praying.

Is there a prayer you need to keep praying for yourself, for a loved one, for your community, for your nation, or for the world?  Have you given up like I did and need to pick up that prayer burden again?  If so, my prayer tonight is that you and I would pray and not give up starting today.

I'm Going Behind Bars

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.  Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters.  Increase in number; do not decrease.  Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.  Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."  Jeremiah 29:4-8

This passage is part of a letter to captives taken by Babylon to live in a home not their own.  The prophet Jeremiah tells the people to not sit and wait to go back home but to work for the peace and prosperity of the land in which they now.

This world is not our home, at least not until Christ brings Heaven down here to earth.  This present world is something we are sojourners in.  1 Peter 2:11 calls us "aliens and strangers in the world."  This present world is not our forever home, but it is our home today.  We are not to live with our chairs facing east waiting on our butts for Jesus to come back.  Yes, we should eagerly wait for Him to return but we should do it like the first two men in the parable of the talents.  We should be busy waiters.  We should be caught serving our communities when Jesus returns.  We should be caught bettering this world when its owner comes back.

With that in mind, I got a phone call recently asking if I'd be part of the MDA Lock Up.  I will be "in jail" on Thursday, March 22nd until my $2,000 bail is met.  $2,000 will support a person with MDA or ALS or the like going to camp. 

ALS is the disease my step-dad's mother died of and it is awful.  Children with MDA and ALS and other similar diseases need our help so that's why I'm part of this lock up in Waverly. 

My campaign has just started.  Please consider donating by clicking here today.

The Battle Against Whining

My son is nine months old and is getting to be a good manipulator.  Joshua has a fake cry.  It's good that he's not a poker player because his bluff is pretty easy to see.  He also has a fake laugh.  He has had these two for quite a while but those haven't bothered us much; in fact, they're kind of cute.

However, he's begun to realize the effectiveness of whining.  Joshua has begun to be a frequent whiner.  For example, he knows that he's not allowed to play with pens.  He'll grab a pen and I or Christine will take it away and he'll whine.  When he whines sometimes we'll hide the pen or distract him with something else but today enough was enough.  Today Joshua got the pen taken away and he whined at his mom to get it back.  I then got up from the couch and decided that this whining is something we need to nip in the bud starting now.  He understands more of what I say than he can say back obviously, so I talked with him about all the toys he had and could play with and how his whining wasn't going to change the circumstance.

I'm pretty sure tomorrow we will need to fight the same battle against his whining but we're going to fight it.  Whining is a behavior that I don't want my son to have as a habit.  We've got to parent intentionally and from a position of authority early or we're going to fall behind and potentially lose in this area of discipline.

Now don't get me wrong, we aren't mean to him.  Joshua is showered with toys and hugs and kisses and praise for good behavior.  We know he is just a baby but he's going to be parented by us, he's going to be raised not simply grown.

See, I take the pens away from him because I don't want him to jab one down his throat or stab himself when the point comes out.  I'm willing to fight the battle against whining because I don't want him to be like other whiny children I've seen that become whiny adults.  We make it our job as parents to raise our son with love and discipline because he is so important to us.

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when He rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those He loves,
and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.'

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his father?  If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.  How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."  Hebrews 12:5b-11

Being a father has helped teach me about my Heavenly Father.  Today as I tried to correct a behavior in my son I didn't do it because I enjoy giving him a hard time.  If I was looking to do things the easy way I would appease every whine Joshua has, but I'm not looking for easy, I'm raising a little boy who will raise my grandchildren someday.

As I look in the mirror today I ask: Am I whining at God and missing His good?  Am I begging for something harmful when my Heavenly Father knows it will hurt me?  Am I stuck in an infant behavior pattern when my Father is trying to mold me into a man who raises men? 

Today I needed to look in the mirror and the battle against whining is helping me do that.  As I work hard to raise my son I want to think about what God is doing to raise me, to sanctify me and I want to not push against that but instead accept that as a grace from my Father in Heaven today.

Give Me Jesus- A Prayer for A.J.'s Family and Friends

Saturday I found out a friend from college had taken his own life the day before.  A.J. Zaruba was an energetic, kind, talented man who found himself in a dark place but I wish he knew the world was a brighter place with him in it.  I hadn't had much interaction with him since college but I always found him to be a good guy and super talented musically.  The last time I talked with him was over Facebook messenger.  He was going through a rough time but getting help and I wanted him to know I was proud of him for looking for help.  I sent him one of the prayers I prayed for him and his family and I'm glad I did. 

Like many of us that were friends with him from Wartburg or from choir I wish I would have reached out more.  I wish I could have let him know how much he was wanted in this world, but I can't go back and neither can any of us. 

The last song I sang as a member of the Wartburg choir was directed by him.  It was "Give Me Jesus."  The lyrics of "Give me Jesus" are words written as an expression of saving faith. 

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.'  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile... the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  Romans 10:9-13

"Give Me Jesus" has words that have been my prayer in times of pleasure and times of sorrow.  It's the first song that came to mind to pray and to pray for A.J.'s family when I heard the tragic news. 
"Lord, give them Jesus!  God they need Jesus right now to be their source of comfort and strength to make it through this day and all days after."

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:38-39

I don't claim to speak for A.J. and his faith but a Christian is one who has cried out with their heart, "GIVE ME JESUS" and nothing at all in all of creation, and nothing means nothing, could ever separate us from Jesus.  The Apostle Paul says those that cry out sincerely, "Give me Jesus as Lord" and believe it in their hearts will get Jesus and will never be able to lose Him... never.

My prayer today is not for Austin Jacob Zaruba.  My prayer is for all of his family and friends and students whose lives were changed by knowing A.J. and that prayer is "give us Jesus today."