Tag Archives: relationships

Exiled at Home: COVID-19 Quarantine

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.” – 1 Pet. 1:1-2

Look, I know this is weird. We are all feeling it. The last place we want to be on Sunday is at home. We love Christ’s bride. We love our church. But the church is more than a building; it’s the people.

Right now we are “exiled,” as it were. During this time, I stand with Peter and pray grace to you and peace be multiplied!

Yours in Christ,

– Pastor Patrick

Soli Deo Gloria!

Do Your Part: STAY INSIDE

“Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past.” – Isa. 26:20

The Coronavirus is nothing compared to the Angel of Death appointed by God at the Passover, but the mandate is similar: stay inside for a time.

I am praying for you. I know these are unprecedented times and we are all in unknown territory.

Make the safest decision for your family.
Do not panic. Place your trust firmly in God for He is, was, and will always be in absolute and total control.

Please do your part: STAY INSIDE.

Enriched In Everything By Him

“that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,” – 1 Cor. 1:5
Everything is enriched by Jesus.

Everything is improved, enhanced, upgraded, sweetened, and adorned by the Son of Man.

Without Him, everything is dulled, decreased, reduced, and lessened.

Do you know Him?

All Godly Will Suffer

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” – 2 Tim. 3:12

This is not an isolated concept found in just one verse.

Also note: Rom. 8:16-18; Eph. 5:11-12; Phil. 1:29; 2 Thes. 1:5; 2 Tim. 2:3; Heb. 13:12-13; 1 Peter 2:19-21; 1 John 3:13; 1 John 3:16-18; Rev. 2:10

Insights from Proverbs 18

strong tower

Insights from Proverbs 18 for the 18th:

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it & are safe (v.10).”

I have become increasingly sensitive to taking the Lord’s name in vain. Our culture is so flippant with OMG. Its like nails on a chalkboard to me. The name of the Lord is important. It’s a strong tower. We run to it. It protects it. Let us not become callous to it’s misuse.

“Death & life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit (v.21).”

We can speak life or speak death. That is tremendous power. More than we know. Be extremely cautious with that responsibility.

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord (v.22).”

A good thing is a God thing. Robert Morris tells the story of a man who called his wife, “Good thing.” She was his good thing from the Lord. If you have found your good thing, thank the Lord & do your best to let her know how much you appreciate her. If you’ve yet to find your good thing, serve the Lord until you do. Then serve the Lord together.

My Good thing is the best thing that ever happened to me.

If this blessed you, please Like & Share!

Insights from Proverbs 8 & 9

wisdom_and_folly

Insights from Proverbs 8 & 9 for the 8th & 9th:

Combining chapters 8 & 9 worked out for me not only because of the Sabbath, but also because these two Proverbs sort of go together; one is about Wisdom & the other is about Folly. Both are personified as women standing by the city gates calling out to passersby.

Lady Wisdom pleads for all to listen to her. Madam Folly does the same. Its a duel; a sales pitch for our very souls.

Lady Wisdom gives beautiful & eloquent arguments: seek her more than silver (with her you will find silver in the long run anyways), kings make laws that are just because of her, and whoever seeks her, will find her.

She then gives her resume; she was there when the earth was created (and well before), she was the craftsman at God’s side – this job filled her with delight day after day (to see God create). She rejoiced with God at the world He had made and at the people. She offers a blessing to whoever loves her. She closes her argument saying that whoever does not seek her, harms themselves and to hate her, is to love death.

Enter loud Madam Folly. She is a brash, crude, and insulting Siren: “If you are stupid, come on in here!” (v. 16, CEV) She spits seductive lies: “Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is delicious” (a metaphor for adultery). She reminds me of that restaurant at the beach where the waiters and waitresses insult you. Some people actually like that. Matthew Henry says Madam Folly is, “very violent and pressing.” She sets traps & snares. She drags her net to scoop up her catch.

Her path literally leads to the grave. Those who are on it, do not even know that they are dead already. M. Night Shyamalan may need to pay Solomon a royalty check.

The bottom line here is that it is a choice. Wisdom & Folly can only offer the path, we must pick one. You cannot straddle both. They go in different directions.

Which path do you choose?

Ref: http://biblehub.com/proverbs/9-17.htm

Why Are Churches Dying?

closed-church

Churches are dying. Some are thriving, but the overwhelming majority are not. Attendance is dwindling. Most are hanging on by a thread. Many will have to shut their doors in as little as one generation.

A lot of this is because we live in a Post-Christian society that embraces the emerging postmodern worldview.

  • Millennials (born ’82-’04) aren’t being reached.
  • Generation X (born ’61-’81) & Y (born ’77-’95) are dropping out.
  • Baby Boomers (born ’46-’64) are ready to pass the torch.
  • The Builders (born ’25-’45) are going home.

Look, people: we are at a tipping point. It is the 4th quarter and we are trailing.

We must re-think, re-tool, and re-frame. We must shift, evolve, and adapt.

If not, we will be mourning church closing after church closing.

“Churches across this country are going out of business, closing their doors, because they’ve lost their relevancy. They chose not to change with the times. They chose to keep people over 60 happy and forget about reaching people under 30. They, like my granddaddy, measured faithfulness by doing things the same way year after year, regardless of the response or the results.” – Edward H. Hammett

Please read that quote again only slower this time.

(I can feel you nodding your head in agreement.)

Traditions are great. But if traditions are only servicing personal preferences, then we need to take a hard look at them.

  • Are we inwardly-focused or outward?
  • If we closed, would the community even notice?
  • Are we a museum for saints or a hospital for sinners?

I know these are tough questions, but they need to be asked and honestly answered.

I’m convinced that people love Jesus, but have lost their love for church. I’m not saying that is correct, I’m just saying that seems to be the trend. The next generation does not see the relevancy church.

How do we reach a new generation for Jesus Christ? How do we help them fall in love with church again?

Ref: Hammett, Edward H. Reaching People under 30 While Keeping People Over 60: Creating Community Across Generations (TCP the Columbia Partnership Leadership Series): TCP Books, 2015.

http://thomrainer.com/2017/08/dying-churches-die/

Please Take Jesus Personally

Lunatic liar lord

How many times have you been told, “now, don’t take this personally, but…”? Well, I want you to take this personally: Jesus is THE ONLY WAY to God.

The postmodern ear may bristle at that, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Jesus, Himself said that. Not me. Not anyone else. JESUS.

“No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

Either you believe that or you reject it. There is no riding the fence. John Duncan called this argument, “inexorable” (meaning unbending, unyielding, & unstoppable). It is black or white, one way or the other, but it can never be both or neither.

For a much more eloquent argument, look up C.S. Lewis’s “Lunatic, Liar, or Lord” trilemma in Mere Christianity.

Exclusive claim? Oh Yes. The claim is indeed, exclusive,but the invitation to accept it is 100% inclusive and universal (Gal. 3:28)!

So, please take this personally! In fact, it doesn’t get any more personal!

How do YOU answer the very same question that Jesus asked His disciples: Who do YOU say I am? (Matt. 16:15)

– If this post blessed you please like and share!

Ref:

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1952; Harper Collins: 2001) 51-52.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis%27s_trilemma

http://merecslewis.blogspot.com/2010/11/deciding-about-jesus-liar-lunatic-or.html

Christians Are Like Tea Bags

teabag

I heard this saying attributed to either Chip Ingram or Greg Laurie:

“Christians are like TEA BAGS; you don’t know what they’re made of until you put them in hot water.”

Isn’t that about the truth!

Is the heat being turned up in your life?

This is where “the rubber meets the road,” right? Anyone can act nice when everything is going their way, but what seeps out when things aren’t? What comes out of that teabag?

  • Fruit or works (Gal 5)?
  • Fresh water or salt water,
  • Bitter or sweet (James 3:11)?
  • Or… are you like a box of chocolates?

Something you may never have thought of is the fact that teabags are useless without hot water, aren’t they? It’s actually IN the hot water that teabag finds their purpose and usefulness.

Try to remember this the next time you find yourself in proverbial hot water. Pray for me as I pray for you.

If this blessed you, please Like & Share!

Ref: https://www.facebook.com/moodyradio/posts/848812451813491

ttps://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1944-a-woman-is-like-a-tea-bag-you-never-know

Do & Teach; The Holy Knot

Knot on the ropeMy mom is a retired educator. My wife is an educator in a family of educators. So, I know firsthand the real life of teachers: the extra hours, the out of pocket expense, and the grading papers late at night. They have hilarious & heart-warming stories. Stories of triumph & defeat. Stories of devotion & sacrifice. Stories of life.

I also know firsthand the absolute LOVE they have for education and for the future of “their kids.” You see, they are like family.

I have had many wonderful teachers in my life. However, there is One that stands above them all; the greatest Teacher ever, the Master Teacher: Jesus.

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” – John 13:13

In Acts 1:1, Luke says that he is writing “of all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Calvin called to do and teach “a holy knot that cannot be untied.”

That’s a teacher, isn’t it? Do and teach. They not only give you the tools, but also show you how to use them! They get right in the trenches with you! They fight with and for you! Teachers get up every morning to inspire, encourage, and challenge.

Eternal wisdom is imparted from Jesus (John 7:16). Every word that falls from His lips instructs and improves. Abide in the teachings of Christ (2 John 1:9)!

Recently a co-worker was talking about how much his mom hated Latin. Yet Latin was never mentioned. The comments were all about the teacher. The teacher made it a bad experience. Ironically, my mother also took Latin… but loved it.

Same subject. Different teacher. You see, a good teacher can even make Latin come alive.

If you love a subject, thank the passion of a teacher. If you excel in a subject, thank the encouragement of a teacher. And in all things, thank the Teacher of us all, Jesus Christ.

Ref: http://biblehub.com/greek/1321.htm

https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/acts-1.html