10 Blessings I Received During 2009

This morning I have been reflecting just a little on 2009, and so I thought, I will make a list of the blessings I have experienced throughout the year. Here goes…….

1. I am totally blessed to have my fiancée, Jaclyn Elliott, in my life. She is an absolutely wonderful person and woman of God. I cannot wait to marry her in April. She has blessed my life this past year in ways I could never put in words. She has stood by me through difficult times. She has showered me with prayers. I must brag about her, and say that she never turned and ran away through the struggle we experienced this past year. She hung in there and showed great character even when others where not being so nice. Jaclyn is real and authentic. She does not try to be something she is not. I have seen her bad side, and I have seen her wonderful side. Actually, I love her even more that I have seen her weaknesses because that let's me know she is not afraid to be genuine. I know she has a heart for Christ, and I am so blessed that she has chosen to be with me.

2. I am blessed to have two wonderful sons. Christian is a blessing to me. He is my oldest. His guitar playing brings joy to me because he shares a gift and talent that I have as well. I am also proud that he is doing well in school. He is an awesome football player on his middle school team. You know, I am even thankful for his strong personality. He will be a great leader someday. No, let me restate that. He is a great leader now, and I know he will exceed his potential in the future. Austin, my youngest son, is also a blessing to me. Austin is daddy's boy. He is really great with children who are younger than he is. It seems that, wherever he goes, little children are naturally drawn to him. Maybe, he has a gift and talent to minister to or serve children. Austin is real. I don't think I have ever seen him fake being who he is. He can be quiet when around strangers, but I think he is just sizing up the situation so he can lay down the boom later. He does not judge people due to their skin color, and I am proud of him for this attitude. And let me tell you, he is a master at video games. I think his expertise will be in technology as he grows older. Anyway, both of my sons are wonderful, and they are certainly at the top of my list of blessings.

3. I must mention Love In Action International Ministries (http://loveinactionministries.com). LIA has been such a blessing to me. Being able to help with ministering to the poor, marginalized, and homeless, has caused me to grow spiritually in ways I could never imagine. I am so thankful for Ken Tuck, Martha Tuck, Mike Shroades, Justin Swasey, and Mama (Susie) Tuck, oh, and let me not forget Franklin Moore. These people are not just people who have allowed me to minister with them, but they are people who have become such great friends to me. My life has been completely altered (for better or for worse, no just kidding, they have truly blessed me) because they have allowed me to enter their's. And I must say, they have stuck with me (just like Jaclyn) through difficult times in my life this past year. To all those that Love In Action has ministered to and served, I say, I love you because all of you have blessed me tremendously.

4. Also, I need to mention all the great friendships I have developed over the past year. All these people truly blessed my life in 2009, even if they do not realize it. Here they are: Bill Price, Jack Kale, Roy Rogers, Mike Hoppe, Mike Pearson, Steve Stock, Bob Pitcher, Mark Fleming, Marty Hamilton, Adam Mashburn, Andy Eckart, Max Morris, Ted Hils, Stu McMahan, Amy McMahan, Jeff Burnett, Cheryl Hidle, Christine Avant, Jaromy Henry, Myrna Henry, Doug Bell, Steve Horn, and this list could go on. I say thanks to you all for your friendship, love, comfort, patience, and prayers. I truly love you all, and you are all dear to my heart.

5. Of course, I say thanks to all the staff at Harvest Church. It has been a great pleasure to minister with you all. 2009 was a great year for Harvest. Grace and Peace to you guys and gals.

6. I want to say a special thank you to my mother and father, my brother and sister. I love all of you. You have been my family my entire life, and you have always stood beside me and gave me encouragement. Thanks for all the love you have shown me throughout my 37 years. You are the reason for who I am!

7. Asbury Theological Seminary has blessed me over the past year. I have grown so much in Christ because of the wonderful teaching of so many Spirit filled professors. You all have really stretched my thinking, and my faith has grown stronger because of it. May God continue to use Asbury Seminary in powerful ways.

8. I want to thank the Haven in Dothan, AL for allowing me to speak to their people from time to time as needs have shown themselves. I have been extremely blessed due to your trust in me. God bless the Haven, and what it is doing in the lives of so many who struggle with addiction.

9. Thanks to the United Methodist Church for allowing me to pursue candidacy for ordination. I am so thankful for your open hearts, open minds, and open doors. I am so blessed by you.

10. Lastly, I am thankful and blessed for, well, myself. I am blessed that I have persevered with myself. I am thankful that I have not let myself fall apart this year. Trust me, I have had reason to, but I must pat myself on the back and say that I continued to looked toward Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and I have sought comfort in my faith and great Christian friends and counsel. I am blessed that I have not given up on myself, my dreams, my calling, and my life. I pray that I will continue to do all I can to ignite a movement of faith, hope, and love with creative passion.

Well, there they are. The ten blessings of my life in the year of 2009.

What about Heaven and Hell?

Is heaven real? Yes. Is hell real? Yes.

Heaven is a dimension where God lives. A spiritual dimension that is all around us. We can’t see it, and we cannot fully engage in it. Yet, it is real. Heaven is not a place that is a million miles away where God is sitting on a throne looking down at us. God is here living among and with us and even in us, though we do not completely with all of our being encounter Him and His Kingdom.

Heaven is where God is, and it is where God’s will is being done. It is all around us. It is surrounding us. God is omnipresent. His Spirit is everywhere. We get glimpses of Heaven when we see someone healed or see someone come to put their trust in Christ and begin to live with Him as their leader. Heaven is here all around us. We cannot fully participate in it yet, but Jesus has brought it near. Remember, Jesus said, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near” (or is at hand).

In the present, we live in the tension that Heaven has arrived and has been inaugurated; however, it is not fully here. We live in the present where the past (the coming of the Kingdom with Jesus) kisses the future (the full recreation, consummation, the New Heaven coming to the New Earth, and the establishment of the New Jerusalem). This is where we reside. We long to fully experience Heaven, which is all around us, but we can only partially engage with it; yet, the hope of the future experience of Heaven awaits us, and this hope gives us the courage to push forward in faith working in love to co-operate with God in the present to bring Heaven to earth. In essence, we become God’s agents to bring about the recreation of the entire cosmos. Those who choose to join Christ in bringing Heaven to earth in the Present will live with God in the New Heaven and the New Earth in the future consummation.

Those who choose to live with Christ now will live with Him in the future.

Hell is another dimension where God is not. A dimension where God’s will is not being done at all. It is the complete opposite of Heaven where God is and His will is done. Hell is complete separation from God, and because of this separation it is Hell. A place of darkness, suffering, and agony. A place were narcissistic people try to satisfy their selfish desires by feeding on other narcissistic people. Hell can be experienced on earth in a similar way as Heaven, though it cannot be fully experienced at this time. People around the world are suffering, starving, sick, and being treated unjustly. Sin reigns in the hearts of many, and nations war against nations. Unbridled consumerism and materialism are the fastest growing religions that entire countries are bowing down to. Due to this stampeding greed, marginalized people are being exploited and treated in inhumane ways. People of all cultures and religions are blinded to the truth of the Gospel, even some of those who call themselves Christian.

This is but a small example of the Hell that is on earth; however, as terrible as these things are, they do not compare to the full expression of Hell. Those who choose to disregard the way of Heaven in the present will live in Hell in the future, when Christ comes back to judge the living and the dead and to fully establish His Kingdom with the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Those who choose to live without God now will continue to live without Him in the future.

So, we as Christians bring Heaven to earth in the present, and by doing so, we co-operate with God to bring the full expression of His Kingdom at the close of history. We do this as we live out our calling of being blessed to be a blessing. Being a blessing to others through the power of the Holy Spirit actually reduces the impact of Hell in the present, and eventually, as we move toward the full consummation of God’s creation, Hell will be completely erased from His creation, and there will be no expression of Hell in the New Heaven and the New Earth. This is the exciting news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God had its D-Day in the arrival of Jesus, and through His people the Holy Spirit expands the Kingdom until the final day of victory.

Want you join the call to be blessed to be a blessing? The Kingdom of Heaven awaits you!

The Good News is Good News to the Whole World

It seems that most believers think the good news is only good news for Christians, but nothing could be further from the truth. If you remember, the children of Israel were blessed to be a blessing; however, they forgot they had been chosen by God to be a blessing to the world, and they began thinking of themselves as privileged and exclusive. The Israelites forgot about their mission of compassion and justice and mercy and caring for the poor, widow, orphan, and foreigner, and began to think of themselves as the only ones who were loved by God. Salvation became something that was only for them or so they thought. They were the exclusive “in group” while everyone else was the rejected “out group.” Of course, pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness began to consume their lives as they looked down their noses at other peoples and nations.

If you think about it, some Christians have become the same way. Instead of remembering that they are blessed to be a blessing, they think of themselves as the “in group” while everyone else is the “out group” deserving of hell; however, the good news is good news for all people, not just for us Christians. The Kingdom of God has come near, and because it has, God is redeeming the entire cosmos. Jesus inaugurated the redemption of all things. This is good news to all.

If a person is a Christian, they have entered God’s redeeming process in the world, and that person joins other Christians in cooperating with God in bringing heaven to earth. This entails social action as well as conversing about Jesus and His redeeming work in the world. This means joining hands with our Father in caring for the poor, widow, orphan, and foreigner. It means following the Holy Spirit’s guidance in reaching out to the marginalized of society. It means clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, visiting prisoners, and fighting for justice. It also means that Christians are to ask others to forsake their selfishness and to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and Savior of all and to recruit others to join God’s redemptive process of His entire creation.

Wow! Isn’t this good news to all?

For those who have not yet acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Savior, the good news is still good news because their world should become a better place for them because Christians are living out their call to be a blessing to others. I hope you are getting the picture here. Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and even Christians benefit from the good news because the good news, when taken seriously by believers, benefits the whole world, not just Christendom. Oh, how I long that we could realize that the good news is not about who is in or who is out. That is missing the point. The good news is that Jesus has brought the Kingdom of God near, that the redemption of all things has been inauguarated, that all people are invited to join God in His redemptive process through Jesus by the Holy Spirit, and that those who do begin to cooperate with God in the redemptive process are BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING TO THE WHOLE WORLD. As Christians live out this vision of blessed to be a blessing, then the whole world benefits, not just believers only. Now that is truly good news!

Stay tuned for: What About Heaven and Hell?

Making the World a Better Place

My last post was about being blessed to bless others. Now, let me clarify something. I am not only talking about money. I am mainly talking about being Christ to all we are in contact with. Being a blessing to someone can take many forms. A Christian can bless someone by praying, or cooking a meal, or visiting, or even speaking a kind word to someone. The idea is to benefit someone other than yourself. A believer seeks to make the world a better place for all people. That is what Jesus has recruited us to do. That is the essence of bringing heaven to earth. Christians bring heaven to earth by being a benefit to other people. Actually, that is a the way the Kingdom of Heaven is expanded. Obviously, as a Christian is working to be a benefit to others, opportunities come to tell others about Jesus and the Kingdom of God. As this happens, the Christian gets to ask others to follow Christ, and when others choose to follow Christ, then they become agents of God’s Kingdom to be a blessing to even more people. There is no dichotomy of evangelism and social action. There can be no true evangelism without social action, and there is no true social action without evangelism. That’s why I am beginning to say, “We are blessed to be a blessing.” As we follow this simple principle of God’s Kingdom, we are in fact spreading the gospel in word and deed. Remember, sharing the love of Christ takes more than words; however, without the words the deeds are empty. Being a blessing to others involves both acting and talking like Christ. Catch the vision and become a blessing to others. That was the original call to the children of Abraham, and since we as Christians are adopted into Abraham’s family, that is our calling as well. Christians are blessed to be a blessing in order to make the world a better place for all. Let’s begin now!

Blessed to be a Blessing

I am reminded this morning of God's promise to Abraham. God told Abraham, "I will bless you so you may be a blessing to others" (my paraphrase). This promise is an exciting thing. As a believer in Christ, I am blessed so I can be a blessing to others. God has given me the privilege of showing others the love, compassion, mercy, and justice of God. That's what I challenge you to do today as I challenge myself as well. Be a blessing to others just as God has blessed you. You know, it's not all about ourselves. It's about reaching out and extending the Kingdom of God to all people, no matter who they may be.

God give me the strength and courage to bless others as you have blessed me. May my heart be filled with a passion to be a benefit to all, regardless of race, gender, religion, socio-economic background, culture, or any other boundary that tends to separate humanity from one another. Father, help me to persuade and influence others to join me.

In Jesus name, Amen.

A Thank You to Greystone UMC

I preached this morning at Greystone UMC. I want to thank Pastor Mike Pearson for allowing me to speak. The entire service was great. I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, and I know that God has great things in store for Greystone and its people. The congregation was extremely warm and welcoming. I really felt the love of Christ being shared. Check out their website at http://www.greystonedothan.org/. The services at Greystone are alternative, which means they have a blended service of both contemporary and traditional means of worship. I spoke about "Knowing God Through Prayer," and the people really seemed to be zoned and focused into the message. I really feel that God ministered to the congregation in a powerful way. It was a great privilege to speak at Greystone, and once again, I thank Mike Pearson and the people of Greystone for giving me the opportunity to minister with and to such a great church.

RPMs -- Recognizing Potential Mates

This creatively driven series of talks will provide foundational principles on how to date and select a mate God's way. We're going to cruise past the cultural myths and embark on a supercharged ride to the ultimate relational destination.

Prayer Post 4

Hello! I know you all have been patiently anticipating prayer post 4. Actually, this post is part two of post 3. It deals with another aspect of praying with gut-level honesty. This post will be based on Matthew 6:5, 7.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men… And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."

1. Do not be like the hypocrite when you pray. What does this mean? Well, the word hypocrite comes from Greek plays. It is a theatrical term. Whenever Greek plays were in existence, the actors held masks in front of their faces to portray their characters. This is where the word hypcorite derives. Hypocrite basically means play-acting. It is acting like something that you are in fact not. It is "wearing a mask." So, when we pray we are not to wear a mask. We are not to pretend to be something we are not. God is not a spectator in a box seat watching our prayer performance. He does not want performance. He desires gut-level honesty. Do not try to pretend to be a prayer warrior. Just be yourself and communicate with God. Do not put on a show or a play, if you will.

2. Do not pray to be seen by men. This is another aspect of being a hypocrite, putting on a show for others. Have you ever been to a prayer meeting, and you could see that someone was just putting on a show while they were praying? I have, and I can not stand this. Some people pray as though they are putting on a theatrical drama of some sort. It is all for show. They desire applause. It seems they are performing a speech or even praying a sermon, and sometimes it is at you, not with you. Sometimes these people are praying at God, if you will, instead of praying to God. Actually, some of these prayers are telling God what to do instead of being done in a worshipful attitude of reverence and awe. Anyway, you get the point. Do not pray for show or for the applause of man. Pray with gut-level honesty. Pray like you are your real self. No special words or formulas, just talk to God. Others will greatly appreciate this. Trust me!

3. Do not babble and babble along in your prayers. In other words, God doesn't mind short prayers. Praying for a long time does not get God to hear you anymore than praying for a short time. God is not impressed or moved by the length of a prayer; he is moved and impressed with gut-level honesty and sincerity. Pagans think they are heard because they can pray for hours on end as though God answers a person due to the length of their prayer. Christians know God hears and answers their prayers because God says he does in his word, not because they say prayers like they are running a marathon. Now, do not misinterpret this verse as meaning you cannot pray for something more than once. That is not what this verse means. As a matter of fact, Jesus told the parable of the persistent woman who kept knocking on the door of the judge until he answered her. You can pray more than once for something; this shows faith and persistence, but you do not have to pray for eight hours or even fifteen minutes about one particular subject. You can ask openly and honestly, and you can ask openly and honestly several times until the prayer is answered. If you pray for fifteen minutes, and it is a sincere prayer, that is awesome. If you pray for five minutes, and it is sincere, that is awesome too. If you can pray for eight hours, and it is a sincere and honest and heartfelt prayer, that is awesome too; however, length is not a requirement, but gut-level honesty is!

I hope you are getting something out of these posts. I plan on doing more, so stay tuned. Prayer post 5 will be coming!

Prayer Post 3

Well, I have been making posts on prayer, and today I am posting a third. We have talked about why people do not pray (Prayer Post 1), and we have talked about prayer as conversation (Prayer Post 2). Now, I want to discuss the first characteristic of prayer, honesty. When we pray, we should pray with gut-level honesty. Let me illustrate with some verses from Exodus 5:22-23.

"Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

Here we have Moses talking (remember, prayer is just communicating with God) to God with gut-level honesty. Sounds like he is complaining. Well, in a way he may be, but he is not being irreverent to God, and that's the key. We can talk to God about anything we feel or think. I promise it will not shock God. We can be honest with God, and yet, we can still be fearful of him. When I feel like God has walked out on me, or if I feel like God is a million miles away, I tell him. There is nothing wrong with that. God desires to know about our happiness as well as our depression, anger, and frustration. We can communicate with God just like Moses. Moses felt that God had betrayed him. He thought God had put him up to something only to set him up for failure, and he communicated those thoughts and feelings to God in an honest way. Listen you can do the same. Express yourself (remember that Madonna song) to God in all honesty, but express yourself in worshipful, surrendered honesty. I tell you it is extremely liberating. Wherever you are right not, start talking to God honestly and openly. Do not use fancy words, but just talk with plain vernacular to the Holy One. He welcomes all you have to say.

Stay tuned for Prayer Post 4, which will include part two of praying with gut-level honesty!

Prayer Post 2

Prayer is simply communicating with God! Nothing more; nothing less.

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:1-3

In these verses of Scripture, we see three things:

(1) Sighing is praying, and the Lord considers our sighing. There are all sorts of sighs. Sighs of disappointment, sadness, gladness, and security. All these are forms of praying because they are forms of communicating. We all know that most communication is done by body language and not just merely what we say. Often our body language betrays what we speak and truly reveals what we are thinking and feeling. This is how we detect a liar. Their body language and words do not match. The same is with our praying. We can communicate to God through our sighing and body language. Have you ever considered that? Reminds me of the verse in Romans 8 where Paul says that the Holy Spirit prays through him when he does not know what to say by groanings and utterances. Interesting!

(2) Secondly, God hears our voice. When we call out to God, we can be guaranteed that He hears us. Scripture says, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened." God really does hear our prayers! Of this, we can rest assured.

(3) Thirdly, we need to listen for God to speak to us. Communication is a two way street. It is not a monologue; it is dialogue. Do not forget that. God cares to hear what we have to say, but he desires to speak back to us. He wants to have conversations with us. So, when you pray, listen for God to speak back to you. Guess what? If you do, you will be truly transformed. Praise God!

Prayer Post 1

I think I will do a series of postings on prayer over the next few days. Here is the first.

Today, I just want to give you a list of the most common reasons, I have found, why people do not pray.

1. Not sure they know how to pray.
2. Get bored or distracted while trying to pray.
3. Think your request are too small.
4. Not sure your prayers make a difference.

If you have any comments to make about this list, or if you have more to add, please feel free to comment.

My Parish

"The whole world is my parish!" John Wesley

T.U.L.I.P.

T.U.L.I.P., that's a flower for fairies! We need some daring Wesleyans to stand up and preach Arminian doctrine. Why? Because it's Biblical, goshdarnit! God is love, and love gives freedom of choice. Amen brother! Preach it.

Real Teaching/Preaching

Real teaching/preaching is not about people feeling moved in the worship center; it is about people moving when they get out of the worship center.

Seekers!

Try this on for size:

"Seeker services don't work if there are no seekers in the service."

Erwin Raphael McManus, An Unstoppable Force

Jasmine: An Unbeliever ask for Prayer

Just the other day, I was online doing whatever when I received an instant message from a friend. This friend (whom I will call Jasmine) asked me a peculiar question. She asked,"Can you pray for someone even if they are not a believer?" I quickly responded, "Yes, I can pray for you. You do not have to meet any requirements for me to pray for you."

Jasmine is a professed unbeliever. She has told me numerous times that she has no interest in becoming a follower of Christ. I have even point blank asked her, "Do you believe in God?" Her answer has always been that she believes there is a higher power, but she is not sure the Christian God is the one true God. Once I asked her if she was even remotely interested in spiritual matters. Jasmine answered my question with an emphatic no.

It is because of our conversations that I was a bit surprised when she asked me to pray for her. I thought that maybe she was ready to receive Christ as her forgiver and leader. I stepped out and asked her, "Are you ready to become a follower of Jesus?" She politely typed back and said, "No, I am not. I just want you to pray for me. I have had a bad day, and I am feeling bad. All I want is for someone to pray for me."

Well, I told her that I would definitely pray for her, and I have been. However, I was a bit curious as to how she could ask me to pray for her and still not be interested in being a follower of Christ. It seems to be a contradiction. Yet, most people in our culture feel the same way as Jasmine. Even though they proclaim not to believe in the Christian God, they are extremely open in asking for prayer.

As a matter of fact, it seems that most people are positive about the teachings of Jesus; They just don't want to become a follower of Him, especially if it means becoming a Christian. Why? Upon talking with unbelievers, it seems that what they really have a disdain for is Christianity, not Jesus. They can see a definite divide between the actions of Christians and the teachings of Jesus. They see Christianity as a world religion. To them, the Church has become an institution, an organization not much different than the Red Cross, the YMCA, or our local Health Department. They are so bombarded by non-profit and community organizations they can't see a reason for yet another one. Aren't there enough of these organizations in existence? To them, there is absolutely nothing that sets the Church apart from any other do-good-er group.

Quite frankly, much of this is the Church's own fault. Take a look around at the hundreds of Churches that are on every street corner. It's just as common to see as many Churches in our cities as it is banks, gas stations, and restaurants. And to be completely honest, we have nothing more to offer than convenience in most of our congregations. Where is true spirituality in the Church?

I have personally witnessed how a person such as Jasmine could become indifferent toward Christianity, but feel comfortable asking someone they understand to be a true follower of Christ for prayer. Many Christians are just plain arrogant and are not walking in love. For instance, I have heard well intentioned evangelicals (a group to which I am proud to say I belong) tell people such as Jasmine that their prayers would not be heard by God if they were not believers. Of course, they teach this because they are desiring to win people to Christ. They feel it makes more sense to be a complete follower of Jesus before making requests of God. After all, why would someone be motivated to give their heart to Jesus if they could turn to God while not being a believer?

The fact of the matter is that Jesus never turned anyone away that came to Him. I have never read in scripture where Jesus stopped a person and said, "Before you make a request of me, you must first confess me as your Lord and Savior" (leader and forgiver). It seems that the very act of coming to Jesus was seen as faith and belief in Him. There are many instances of this. One that I will mention can be found in Matthew 9:1-2. "Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.'" (NIV) This man's faith was proof that he believed. Jesus saw his faith and forgave him his sins.

However, Jasmine is honest about her unbelief. She clearly explains that she does not have faith in Jesus. And because of this many Christians would say that she is only interested in what she can get from God. To them I would ask these questions:

Would you say the same of a believer who asked something of God?
Would you say that all the paralytic wanted from Jesus was to be healed?

One thing is for sure, Jasmine is honest about her unbelief. Many of us Christians should learn to live by her example of being authentic and genuine.

How should we respond to Jasmine? She isn't a believer, yet she wants prayer on her behalf to the Christian God. At the surface level, this seems to be an absolute contradiction. I say it is not. Unlike some, I would say that Jasmine's request for prayer is a good thing. Why? It is a step in the right direction. Jasmine or anyone like her should never be discouraged to come to Jesus for prayer. We should respond to them positively and show them the love of Jesus as well as explain the gospel to them.

I would tell the Jasmines of the world that Jesus loves them. He desires to hear from them and about them. Most importantly, I would remind them of the words of Jesus, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44 NIV). "No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him" (John 6:65 NIV).

Many will say, "Yes, but Jesus is talking about coming to Him for salvation, not for prayer." However, no one can see their need for salvation or prayer apart from God working in their lives. Jasmine's request for prayer is the direct result of God working in her life. It is the providence of God. God in some way has moved upon her heart and prompted her to turn to Him. Her request is but a step forward toward God, and believing in Jesus as forgiver and leader. I would explain this to her and encourage her to be sensitive to the drawing of God.

We are all at different levels in our spiritual journey. Jasmine is on her journey. She may have just begun, but I firmly believe God is pulling her to Himself. She is showing that in some way, no matter how small it is, and even if she doesn't realize it, she has become a seeker. Remember, Jesus said that those who seek will find. I can only pray that God will use me and others in love to guide her along her path until eventually she becomes an apprentice of Jesus.

Ash Wednesday

What can I say? The Ash Wednesday service at Harvest Church was great. Actually, this was the very first time I had ever participated in such a service. It was a moving experience to acknowledge and recognize what Jesus did for us on the cross; however, it was also powerful to reflect on my own mortality. Roy Rogers told the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. Then everyone was invited to nail their names upon wooden crosses standing in the worship center. Each worshiper then knelt at the altar as a minister smeared ashes on their foreheads in the form of a cross. As the minister did this, he pronounced, "From ashes you came, to ashes you will return. Remember Jesus." If you have not already done so, now would be a great time to kneel, wherever you are, and reflect upon the death of Jesus and your own mortality.

Running from Culture

In his book, "An Unstoppable Force," Erwin Raphael McManus presents the following question for local Churches, "Is our Church a refuge for the world or from the world?" It has been my experience that many local congregations have become safe havens for their members. While they proclaim to be a light to the world, they are in practice places of refuge for people who want to hide from the realities of their culture. Many Christians view their places of worship as a medieval castle they can flee to and once safely inside they can raise the drawbridge to keep out their perceived enemy known as "The World." In this article, I will use M. Night Shyamalan's movie "The Village" as a metaphor to illustrate the Church's tendency to be a place of refuge from culture.

"The Village" is a thriller about a group of people who chose to separate themselves from modern society. Their decision was motivated by the horrible experiences each had with the evils of culture. A family member or loved one of each person in the group had been brutally murdered. In an attempt to live a life free of horrors, these people decided to move away from society to a remote place where they could be evil free. This is not much different from what many of our Churches have become. Instead of engaging our culture with the Gospel of Christ, we have tucked tail and ran. Our congregations have become monasteries catering to the needs of the Churched and setting itself up to be the enemy of the world while it should be a place offering refuge for the world. We have created our own subculture that has imprisoned the Gospel to the point that anyone living outside of our surreal reality finds it impossible to interpret it. The villagers were living a lifestyle that was hundreds of years outdated. Many Churches are guitly of the same by trying to bring back the "golden days" of the past and holding to tradition. Jesus told us to be in the world but not of it. We have become so focused on not being of the world to the point of no longer being in it. The result is the outright rejection of Jesus' command to "go" into the world.

In order to ensure their new way of life would continue, the group of village elders fabricated stories to keep their posterity in line. The stories were of monsters that lived in the surrounding woods of the village. They were referred to as "the people we do not speak of." Watchtowers were erected and people stood watch to warn the villagers of an intrusion of the imaginary foes. Even rituals of peace were offered to the monsters of the forbidden woods. And to top it all off, the elders of the village would dress as "the people we do not speak of" and roam the village at night to make their lies believable. Fear became the motivating factor to keep their surreal life intact. Once again, this is not at all unlike many of our Churches. Well intentioned Pastors have preached lies to their congregations in an attempt to keep it clean and unspotted. Many Christians have been taught to fear the world. They have been brainwashed into believing that contact with culture is sin. Legalism becomes dominant to keep members in check. Members of these Churches become afraid of society and forget that greater is the Spirit of God that dwells in them than the spirit of the world. Their image of Jesus is that of a strict judge that is out to only punish sin. Becoming like the Pharisees, they do not see how Jesus could associate Himself with prostitutes, drug addicts, and homosexuals. As a result, they never move out into the culture to redeem it and the individuals that occupy it.

As the drama of "The Village" unfolds, one of the leading characters, Lucious, is stabbed by a mentally challenged villager out of jealousy. The elders' worst nightmare is realized from the attempted murder; there is no true escape from evil. In spite of leaving modern society and creating the perfect community, the elders could not stop human nature. The very evil that had driven them into the woods and to create a life centered around deceit was not purged from their existence. Take an honest look at the congregations that have separated themselves from cuture, and you will find that sin can even reign inside their walls. Having successfully isolated themselves in their fortresses from evil, many Christians have become blind to their own sin. This blindness leads to one of the most repugnant sins of all, self-righteousness. Just recall the horror stories of these hermit Churches. Power struggles between deacons and the outright backstabbing of deacon wives have often been the playground of Satan. An isolation attempt from culture does not eradicate the sinful nature of man. Often, engagement with culture reminds us Christians just how much we are in need of God's grace keeping us in check with our own spirituality.

As the movie climaxes, the elders' realize their survival depends on going back to the society they left to get Lucious the needed medications he needs in order to live. Lucious' fiance is sent into the "towns", and she returns with the proper medicines. In the same way, the Church can not continue into the future without engaging culture. The Church must have a missional mindset. Our mission is to lead our communities to Christ and redeem culture. In order to do this, we must do more than evangelize. The Church must see herself as a community of missionaries. Missionaries get engrossed in the culture. They learn it and live among it. Many missionaries to foreign countries have been known to wear the clothing and hairstyles of the people they were trying to reach. In like manner, we are missionaries to our communities. We can not effectively reach them without becoming as them, or at the very least, we must appreciate their ethos and understand their metanarratives. The Church is one generation away to being exstinct. It is our responsiblity to engage culture so the Kingdom of God can be advanced through His Church.

Even after obtaining medicines that saved Lucious' life, the elders were still adamant about mantaining their surreal life. Is this not often also true of the Church? Many times the Lord draws people from the culture into our local Churches and instead of acknowledging the opportunity for new life the Church systematically conforms these new believers to its subculture. Within a short amount of time, new believers have lost total contact with the culture they once were apart. The consequence is evident. An opportunity to redeem culture is lost and the Church slips further away from its surrounding community. It seems as though congregations are more concerned about winning people over to their subculture instead of bringing people to Christ and training them to reach others in their context. Being open to culture is vital to the growth, maturity, and advancement of the Church. There is absolutely no way around it.

"The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:2-3).

Sin of Authenticity: Being Real can be a Real Sin

I published this on facebook, but I figured I would post it here as well.

There is a new buzz word in the Church that needs a bit of clarification. That word is authenticity. Encouragement to be real is popular in many growing Churches especially those that call themselves postmodern. Being genuine is believed to be helpful in building true community in the Church. After all, a faith that in superficial is repugnant to everyone, believer and unbeliever alike. However, if authenticity is not properly explained it can be taken as a license to sin.

Romans chapter three makes it very plain that we are sinners who are naturally inclined toward sin. Being real is often seen as an excuse to avoid repentance and confession of sin. The beginning of Romans tells us that the human race persisted in being themselves by succumbing to their sinful desires. As a result, God turned them over to their sinful nature to do exactly as they pleased.

Mark Driscoll in his book "Radical Reformission" writes, "This tragic fact has conveniently been ignored by many emerging church leaders ministering in the postmodern pandemonium. The list of young pastors who have been known to be fired from ministry for fornicating, committing adultery, frequenting strip clubs, and getting drunk is troubling. When confronted one such pastor weakly argued that he was being authentic and muttered some misquote of Scripture about not judging people. As we work among cultures that value realness, we must not forget that the kingdom first values repentance" (p 167).

This explains why Jesus commanded that we are to deny ourselves and to take up the cross. Actually, the truth of the matter is that we are to be as Jesus. We are to forsake everything and follow Him. Crucifying the flesh and its desires should be on our priority list.

When making authenticity a value of high priority, we must clarify exactly what we mean. First, the motivation to be real is often the rejection of the "holier-than-thou" attitude. Everyone is repelled by self-righteousness, and no one wants to be around someone that's judgmental. However, we must understand that being gung-ho about genuineness often leads to self-righteousness because the person becomes proud in her authenticity and believes she is fine the way she is while becoming blind to her need of repentance. Secondly, the value of being real is supposed to keep us honest about our humaness. But once again, being truly honest about our humaness brings us to repentance. We should not be enslaved to habitual sin for the sake of being real, genuine, or authentic. Thirdly, rejecting superficiality is believed to help build community because it encourages us to accept one another as-is. I mean it does seem completely logical that since we are all one big hunk of sinful flesh saved by grace we should be completely acceptable of everyone and their shortcomings. While it is loving to accept someone as-is, it is also equally hateful not to be truthful with them about repentance. Authenticity should not trap us into being blind to sin in our own lives or the lives of those we are in community with.

So, what is a correct understanding of authenticity? When we encourage people to be authentic, we first want them to be as Christ. Next, Christ is truth and is truthful, so someone who is being real is being truthful and living by the truth. They are not deceiving themselves or others. They are completely honest about their sins, but they are also repentant of them and are being transformed into the image of Christ daily. A truly authentic person is not just transparent. They are also progressing in their walk with Christ. A lack of Christlike fruit and the absence of victory over habitual sin is actually a sign of a faith that is superficial and not authentic. Thirdly, a person that is living by Christlike authenticity is discovering their God given gifts and purpose and using them to advance the Kingdom of God. A Christ follower that is progressing in their gifts and ministry is learning to be truly genuine, and they are becoming who God created them to be; a unique individual that is a vital organ of the living organism, the Church of Jesus Christ, by walking as Christ would walk if He were in their shoes. Finally, real authenticity as God intended it to be is a life marked by denying one's self, following Christ and His commands no matter the circumstance, and serving and loving our neighbors.

In conclusion, our main priority is to be transformed into the mage of Christ. Learning to be as our Master is the only real, genuine, and truthful way to be authentic. "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21 NKJV).

New Believers' Class

Tonight was our third session of the New Believers' Class at Harvest Church (http://www.harvestdothan.com/). This is a study that last six weeks, and I teach it 3 to 4 times a years. It is included as one of our Spiritual Maturity Classes as class 101. We have four foundational classes at Harvest. They are: class 101, New Believers'; class 201, Growing in Christ; class 301 Walking in the Spirit; and class 401, Finding your Gifts and Ministry. We encourage everyone who attends Harvest to go through this series of classes. Why? Because we believe in spiritual maturity at Harvest, and we desire that everyone grows closer to Christ and learns to live a victorious Christian life. Anyway, it is an absolute blessing to be able to teach the New Believers' Class. It is actually a class that teaches the way of salvation as taught and preached by John Wesley. We cover topics such as: the Trinity, Original Sin, Prevenient Grace, Converting Grace, Sanctifying Grace, Christian Perfection, Christian Disciplines, the Church, and Glorification. It is a privilege to be able to lead others into a deeper understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus!

Singles' Appreciation Night

Our Singles' Appreciation Night at Harvest went great! God met us with His Spirit as He always does. Worship was awesome. Alan Watson led us in acoustic worship. He done a fantastic job. After worship, I preached a message on dating, and then we had a time of fellowship just before watching Second Hand Lions. We also had popcorn and refreshments. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. God is truly good!

If I were a Poet

If I were a poet, what would I say?

Would I speak alot about nothing,

or a little about everything?

Would I write of love's rapture,

or how hate the heart of men can capture?

Would I speak against war,
and ask, "What is it good for?"

Or Would I promote peace,

and ask for every prisoners' release?

Would I warn of man's demise,

and seek with all to compromise?

Would I be bold against prejudice,

and seek for all colors to have justice?

Or would it unknowingly be my fate,

to encourage others to do what I hate?

Would I let fear rain on my parade,

and cower to expose humanity's charade?

Would I even have the courage,

to speak so much and not be discouraged?

Could I stand and yell please,

find a cure for all disease?

And would I my bank account plunder,

if it would wipe out world hunger?

Would I even dare to write,

for a world movement to ignite?

Could I even take up my pen,

and ask God to forgive the world's sin?

So I ask, "What would I say,if I were a poet?"

by Brian Turner

The Perfect Minister

I ran across this during my reading, and I just had to share it.

After hundreds of years, a model preacher has been found to suit everyone. He preaches exactly 20 minutes and then sits down. He condemns sins but never hurts anyone.

He works from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. in every type of work from preaching to custodial services. He makes $60.00 a week, wears good clothes, buys books regularly, has a nice family, drives a good car and give $30:00 a week to the church. He also stands ready to contribute to every good work that comes along.

He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He is tall and short, thin and heavyset, and handsome. He has one brown eye and one blue; hair parted in the middle; left side, dark and straight; the right side, brown and wavy.

He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all this time with older folk. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work.

He makes 15 calls a day on the church members, spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched, and is never out of his office.

As I pondered upon this perfect minister, it struck me! This is a description of Pastor Mike Shroades. If you do not know who Pastor Mike Shroades is, well, you are missing out on the perfect minister. Check out his blog here: www.mikeshroades.blogspot.com.

I love you Mikey Mike.

Love In Action

I just wanted to write and say how awesome it is to be a part of Love In Action Ministries. Ken and Martha Tuck are the bomb. We had a great board meeting tonight, and I know God is doing, and will continue to do, some really tremendous things through LIA. The homeless, marginalized, and poor are close to the heart of God, and they should be close to our hearts as well. It is such a privilege to be ministering with such a great group of people. You all know who you are. God bless you all!

"Understanding poverty in all its dimensions (economic, political, cultural, physical, and spiritual), Wesley took the command of Jesus, to minister to and live with the poor, with utter seriousness. For Wesleyans, aiding the poor means making them more capable to fulfill their God-given gifts; it does not mean making them dependent. Simply giving money, however, important, will not release people from poverty unless the other dimensions of poverty are addressed. This means, of course, that the systems causing impoverished conditions must be changed. But it also means that disciples of Christ must be intimately related to the poor so that the poor can be fully brought into life-giving community. One of the most distinctive aspects of Wesley's teaching was that, while one cannot earn one's salvation, one's experience of the joy of salvation is to be found in the midst of what God is doing in and with the poor" (The Wesley Study Bible, p. 247).