Is it really all good?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have your kids come in from playing and tell you that you no longer had a back yard?   To look out you window and see that your backyard had begun to slide towards the neighbor's property?  In a twenty-four hour period to be told that you could no longer inhabit your home?  This is the home you planned to raise your children in and grow old in.  Now you no longer had a home?  What would you do and where would you go?

I pray you never face this dilemma, yet a family in our church is having to face this dilemma.  The Walkers have had to leave their home of seven years because the ground around it is no longer stable.  Can you imagine ending up homeless because of a random act of nature?  For many of us, our first question would be, "God, why are you doing this?"  We may question God's wisdom and His love for us.  I'm not sure how I would respond, but my question in all of this has been:  Does Romans 8:28 still apply?  Can even this loss of a home work out for the good?

As you would guess, my answer would be "Yes".  You would probably think I would answer in the affirmative because I am a pastor and that is what I am supposed to say.  You might be thinking that I would answer differently if it were my home.  Perhaps, but eventually the truth of this passage would bear out it my life.  The human author of this verse is Paul, who has spent his Christian life homeless and in peril.  He faces death and prison on a daily basis.  Yet, he knows God is trustworthy.  He has seen how his own trials have added to the Kingdom and how these struggles have opened doors for witnessing.  This passage is not written by a theologian who spent his life nestled away in the safe cocoon of a seminary, but a missionary who has faced every difficulty and threat know to man because of his faith in Christ.  So, yes, the Walkers will see good in this...eventually.  That doesn't mean it's not painful or discouraging, but God still loves them and has good in store for them.

I'm not sure what has threatened the foundation of your life and faith, but I am sure God wants to bring something good from it.  Whether this is a dilemma of our own making or whether it is a dilemma from which we have no control.  I would encourage you to cling to this verse and let God bring about good.  Hold on to your faith, testify to God's goodness and persevere.   I pray that this Sip will refresh you as you face the dilemmas of your life.

Do you know?

Please take a moment to read I John 5:13

This one verse gives us the main purpose of God giving us the Bible - He wants us to know the way of salvation.  John wrote to the church in this passage to remind them that even though they faced overwhelming obstacles, they had eternal life.  He didn't want them to be anxious, worried or doubting.  He wanted them to KNOW they would be in Heaven.

God is not playing a game of hide and seek with us.  He created us and He created a way for us to experience Heaven.  He sent Jesus to die on the cross in place of our sins and then raised Him from the dead to conquer sin, death, Satan and Hell.  Once and for all, our path to Heaven is clear.  It is through making that commitment to Christ and allowing Him to have control of our lives.  Those of you who were at church on Sunday morning saw three people take that step of faith.  They received the gift of eternal life and we will see them again in Heaven when this life is over.  They simply believed what Jesus said and received His gift.

However, our enemy wants to confuse our minds.  You see, the mind directs the feelings.  There is a split second between when an event occurs and we feel something.  In that split second, the mind tells the body what to feel.  For instance, when you are driving down the road and someone cuts in front of you, your first thought directs your emotions.  If you think, "This guy is an idiot and trying to cut me off", your emotions will respond to that thought.  If you think, "This guy must be in trouble, maybe I should pray for him", your emotions will respond to that thought.

Romans 12:1-2 tells us to let our minds be transformed, then we will know God's will.  Everything flows from the mind.  So the question must be asked:  What am I putting in my mind?  Is it the music of the world?  Is in the web sites of the world?  Is it the gossip of our co-workers?  Is it the latest popular TV show?  Am I memorizing any Scripture?  Do I ever listen to praise songs?  Do I have deep conversations with other followers of Christ?  The old saying "Garbage in, garbage out" really is true.  Will you take this time season of Lent as a time to put the good stuff in your mind so you can know you have eternal life?  There are too many American Christians who can name the final contestants on "American Idol" but cannot name the books of the New Testament.  They have seen every "Harry Potter" movie, but have never read the entire Bible.  They can sing along with every song on the radio, but have never memorized a chapter from the Bible which would help them with life.  They faithfully watch NFL games each weekend, but are too tired to spend time alone with God is His Word each day.  Please know, this is not a rant, just an observation.  Is it any wonder the Church in America lacks power and faith.  Our minds are filled with the trivial pursuits of this life instead of the eternal truths that come from God!

May this Sip from the Well help in transforming your mind!

The "F" Word?

Born in 1856 as a slave on a tobacco farm in Virginia, Booker T. Washington came of age when being a black man in America meant limited opportunities and a hard life.  His mother was a cook in the home and his father was a white man from a nearby farm.  He went to school each day, but not as a student.  He carried the books for one of the Burroughs' daughter who attended school.  It was illegal in the South to educate a slave, so he was not able to study.  In 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was read at his farm and he was freed from the shackles of slavery.  So he moved to West Virginia to live with his stepfather working at the salt mines.  However, he did not desire a life of manual labor, so at age sixteen he walked to Hampton Roads, Virginia with the hope of attending the now-named Hampton University.  Through perseverance, he was able to gain admittance and even returned later to become a teacher.  In 1881, he was named the first president of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.  Such a position had only been available to whites before Washington took such a post.  He worked to bring civil rights to the freed slaves of the South, raising the objections of many whites.  He also urged blacks to work with whites to bring about social change, which alienated him from many blacks who felt he should be more outspoken and critical of whites.  He wrote 14 books and worked to educate the freed slaves to have a place in America.  But he often faced incredible opposition and anger from the very people he was trying to help and those with whom he sought to work.

Why did I mention all of this?  On Sunday, we talked about the "F" word - Forgiveness.  Forgiveness is a powerful word, but it also causes us to give up power in a situation once we forgive.  Booker T. Washington put it this way:  "I will not permit any man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him."  He understood that people will mistreat us, but he also understood the fact that he alone controlled his reaction to mistreatment, persecution and hatred.  Return hatred for hatred only leads to corrupting of our souls which leaves lasting scars.

Who do you need to forgive?  What grudge or wrong are you holding on to?  After church, one of our members talked to me and said he wished he understood this fact several years ago because the person he was angry at is now dead.   Though he has forgiven the person, he has never been able to speak to that person's face and heart in seeking reconciliation.  Don't wait until it is too late.  Luke 23 reminds us that Jesus looked on those who were killing Him and said, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing."  Would you be willing to ask God to forgive those who have hurt you and allow yourself to forgive them?  If so, this Sip will find you experiencing a freedom which will allow you to truly love others and be passionate about following Jesus.

Building Faith in the Home

This past weekend was the BASS convention, which had some wonderful workshops to help us improve as leaders, teachers and followers of Christ.  I chose one workshop called "Building Faith in the Home" by Rachel Key because I want to build faith in my own home.  Studies show that around 60% of teens who go to church will walk away from their faith in college.  I don't want that to happen in my home or in the homes of Hillcrest families.  So, in a nut shell, here is what I learned:

Barna polled youth in church youth groups (Not all youth, just the youth in church) and they found these results:

-48% said they viewed their mom as religious

-Yet only 28% of those youth had ever had their moms initiate a conversation about faith with them.

-23% said they viewed their dads as religious

-Yet only 13% of those had ever had their dads initiate a conversation about faith with them.

This poll is a stark reminder that the primary instrument of faith instruction in the home is NOT the church, but the parents.  

Take a moment to read Deuteronomy 6:7-9

Now list some responsibilities God gives to the family in regards to teaching faith.

How have you been doing with passing faith on to your children?  Your grandchildren?  Your nieces and nephews?

Barna also found that families who had an active faith which lasted shared four qualities in common.  He called them the SLOW families:

S - Serve

The family must serve together.  They find ways to minister together.  They sacrifice personal time to serve in the community.  They might go on mission trips together.  They might serve at a food pantry.  They might be involved in the same ministry at church.  This was the most important variable because it gave children the opportunity to see mom and dad living out their faith.

L - Love

They have a love for each other.  They worked at speaking to each other with words of encouragement and affirmation.  Love was expressed in discipline and expectations.  Love was shown in forgiveness and seeking forgiveness.  The spouses enjoyed being with each other, playing with each other and put a priority on their relationship.  This deeply affected the security of the children in the home.

O - Obey

Children were expected to obey their parents.  Parents were expected to obey the laws, their boss, etc.  Most of all, their was an obedience to Christ.  These families sacrificed sports which were played on Sunday so they could obey God to honor the Sabbath.  They honestly evaluated the movies, computer sites, and other entertainment in light of their faith.

W - Worship

They worshiped together.  Too often our churches segregate children and youth into their own worship service rather than allowing families to worship together.  Churches which made an effort to have families worship together aided in this process.  But this worship was more than just a Sunday morning thing.  Families had prayer time before bed and talked about their faith as a normal part of daily conversations.

I share these things with you so that your family will be a SLOW family.  It is never too late to begin instilling genuine faith in our homes.  You don't have to do everything today, but begin to examine these four areas and discuss with your family how you can implement them in your home.  Your children's faith and your faith is worth taking a Sip from the Well.

Do I really need that?

The one profession which lends itself to less accountability than any other is the pastorate.  Any pastor who doesn't want to be accountable for his actions can easily make that happen.  Too often, the pastor is looked at as THE spiritual leader of the church and no one is ever allowed to be close to him nor to question him.  Most pastors rarely have anyone ask them, "So how was your quiet time today?" or "How is your marriage going?" or "Have you been having any struggles lately?"   Seminary teaches us that we are to have all the answers and we are to be the leaders.  But the truth is that pastors have the same struggles as anyone in the pew.  We get discouraged, frustrated, angry, bitter and can even feel overwhelmed, underappreciated and totally insignificant.  There are a multitude of reasons why a pastor falls, but one of those strong reasons is a lack of accountability.

Why am I putting this on a blog for the world to see?  Because I am trying to buck that trend and open myself up to be accountable and allow fellow pilgrims into my journey.  I am sharing this because I need others to speak into my life.  I need periods of refreshment when I can be taught and simply listen and learn.  I need opportunities to not be a leader, but someone who is being led.  Every pastor needs these things, we just don't like to admit it.  That's why I am grateful for the times Shane has been preaching at our church as he works through his final semester of seminary.  That is why I am grateful for the pastors who meet at Hillcrest every Wednesday morning to pray and encourage each other.  That is why I am grateful to have a group of twelve men who receive monthly prayer letters from me and who pray for me.  That is why I am grateful to have deacons who deac and are not afraid to ask me about my personal life and my faith journey.  That's why I am grateful to have the opportunity to go to BASS this weekend and listen to others encourage me and speak God's Word into my life.

Do you need that?  Of course you do.  But do you HAVE that?  Who speaks into your life?  Who knows the times you may go astray or be putting on a happy front while inside you are dying?  Who can call your bluff and speak a hard truth to you?  How are you being led by the Spirit?  The church is the body of Christ - More than one.  We all have a part and we need each other.  Make sure you have a brother or sister in Christ with whom you pray, share and encourage.

This past Friday, I got to speak time with one of my best friends in the world, Evan Dalrymple.  Many of you have heard him sing and he is gifted in this area.  But he is also a close brother.  I have called him in some of my darkest moments and he has been the encourager.  He has told me hard truths that I didn't want to hear, but I needed to hear.  The tables have also been turned and I have had the honor of seeing him in some of the most hurting moments of his life.  We rarely get to see each other since he lives in Denver.  We try to talk consistently by phone and find out what is happening in each other's lives.  The few hours I spent with him on Friday passed way to quickly, but it felt like we had just seen each other yesterday.  There is only one reason for that:  Jesus. 

II Timothy 2:2 says, "And the things you have heard me say int he presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable me who will also be qualified to teach others."  The goal of the church is to develop men and women who can be entrusted with the truths of Christ and teach others.  Are you trustworthy?  Are you passing these truths on to others?  How well are you teaching?

May this Sip bring a desire to have refreshment in having a brother or sister who walks with you.

Are you tired of anxiety?

Before reading this Sip, please take a moment to read I Peter 5:5-7 and meditate on those words for a few moments.

This past Sunday, we spoke about guilt during the sermon.  Guilt is one of the many things that cause us anxiety.  If we stop to think about all that is going on around us, we might be too anxious to even move.  On an international scale, there is the incredible unrest in the Middle East with revolution on everyone's lips, there are Somali pirates attacking and killing innocent victims, there is the growing power of China looming as a giant economic force and the list goes on.  On the national scale, we have massive debt, governments at all levels are broke, gas is heading quickly towards four dollars a gallon, and the hits keep right on coming.  There is such anxiety that the drug industry cannot keep up with the demand for more powerful and "effective" tranquilizers.  One a personal scale, we all have our own struggles.  Each of us have individuals struggles and anxieties tailored to our own personal experience.  Anxiety is a universal experience, even though as Christians we tried to hide our anxiety.

This passage is I Peter gives a powerful antidote to anxiety:  Humility.  That doesn't sound right, but it is.  Notice,t he passage begins by telling younger men in the church to submit to the elders of the church.  The only way we can really submit is with an attitude of humility.  However, humility is hard to come by today.  We see athletes preening for cameras, thumping their chests and do dances over making a routine play.  We see stars in Hollywood strutting around with a self-importance that makes them feel qualified to speak on every subject as if they were experts.  We see politicians ripping each other and telling the world how smart they are and how ignorant those who oppose them are.  Yes, in America, humility is in short supply.

Humility basically says this, "I don't have all the answers and I need to learn from others."  The passage in I Peter reminds us to learn from those older and more experienced than us.  When we are facing a stressful situations, we can never go wrong by talking with an older brother or sister in Christ - Sharing our fears and struggles with them.  Chances are, they have been through much worse and have come out on the other side with a renewed faith and joy.  Humility makes the most of the opportunity God gives us when He puts these elders into our path.  That's why the church should always show honor and respect to those who have been in the faith for a long time.  Their experience, wisdom and peace can bring us back to our senses and calm out nerves as we trust God to do what only He can do. 

When we were in Hawaii, the church was planning to build a building without incurring any debt.  The first thing the state required us to do was to pay for our own fire hydrant, which was going to take up all of our reserves.  So that meant, we still had a $200,000 building to build with no money - Not the best way to approach a construction job.  After sharing with the church what we needed to do and probably venting a little more than I should have, I was worn out.  Before leaving the church, Margaret Sanders pulled me aside to talk with me.  She was a Godly woman we all called "Tutu", which is the Hawaiian word for grandmother.  She took both of my hands in her hands and said, "Kahu, is God leading us in the building?"  I gave a rather meek affirmative response to that question.  Her response was stern and yet filled with joy, "Then He will provide what we need when we need it".  With that, she hugged me and walked away.  This marvelous saint had seen God move in so many majestic ways in her life that she was not fazed by $200,000.  At just the right time, I heard the voice of God speaking through an elder to my soul.  For those of you who may not know the rest of the story:  It took two more years to complete that building, but it was finished debt-free and God always provided what we needed at just the right time.

What is causing you anxiety.  Would you allow the Holy Spirit to take you by the hand and remind you that God will provide just what you need at just the right time.  Then find an elder who is walking with the Lord to be your prayer partner in this endeavor.  When the anxiety begins to rise, call and pray.  See if you cannot learn the lessons from those who have gone of before you.  If you will take a sip from their well, you will be refreshed!

Are you trying a shortcut?

This morning as I was listening to the news, a report has just been published about the dangers posed to youth and children who drink energy drinks.  Though this study is not comprehensive, there has been very little information about the impact of energy drinks on people.  The ingredients listed for "Monster Energy Drink" are:  carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, taurine, sodium citrate, color added, panax ginseng root extract, L-carnitine, caffeine, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, niacinamide, sodium chloride, glucuronolactone, inositol, guarana seed, pyridoxine hydrochloride, sucralose, riboflavin, maltodextrin, cyanocobalamin.  There is also a warning label which tell the user to not drink more than three per day.  Now, I am not the sharpest tack in the box, but I can look at the ingredient list and know this probably isn't something I should be ingesting.  If it comes with a warning, I definitely need to stay away from it.  So why are these drinks so popular?  They are a short cut to having energy.  Rather than doing what is necessary for the body to have energy (Get a good nights' rest, eat healthy/balanced meals and exercise), we take a short cut.  Eventually the body, spirit and emotions pay a price for taking this short cut.  The report this morning warns that teenagers drinking energy drinks can have serious physical and emotional problems as a result of consumption.  This is just a reminder that short cuts really don't work.

Jesus was tempted to take short cuts in becoming the Messiah.  In Matthew 4:1-11, Satan tempts Jesus in three different ways.  But all three ways boil down to one temptation:  Take a short cut since you have the power to do so.  Take a short cut to satisfying your hunger by turning stones to bread.  Take a short cut to having people worship you by throwing yourself off the Temple and the people will be in awe as the angels keep you from death.  Take a short cut to being Lord, rather than dying on the cross, worship Satan and have all the Kingdoms.  Do you remember how Jesus fought the temptations?  Yep, He utilized Scripture - The Scripture that He had spent the first thirty years of His life learning, studying , memorizing and living.  Thirty years of preparation for this time of temptation.  He didn't take the short cut.  Even at the end of His life, as He prayed in the garden, He was wanting a different solution to our problem of sin.  When God revealed that Jesus must drink the cup of suffering, He went out to face persecution, abuse and His death.  He became sin for us.  There was no short cut He could or would take.

How often do we want to take short cuts to maturity?  Rather than spending time alone with God studying His Word and praying, we want to "mulit-task" by listening to Scripture while we drive or cramming our prayer time into our commute.  God rarely gets uninterrupted time with us, yet we expect our shortcuts to bring about spiritual maturity.  Sorry, it just don't happen that way.  Jesus knew Scripture because He had actively memorized Scripture.  There is no short cut to having God's Word hidden in our hearts, but to study it, memorize it and put it into practice.

How often do we try to take a short cut to building a relationship.  Rather than turning off the TV and computer and video console to spend time talking/listening with our spouse and/or children, we try to make quick moments happen on Valentine's Day.  Instead of going out on dates and having honest communication, we stay busy doing our "important" things, like church work.  A meaningful relationship takes time, sacrifice and investment in each other.  There is no such thing as quality time without quantity OF time.  We give our spouse and children our leftover energy or try to make up for it with a family vacation.  The time passes much to quickly to do this.  We must be actively involved in their lives on a daily basis.  There just isn't a short cut for this.

When a difficulty comes our way, we gripe and complain to God and ask Him to take away the pain.  We want a shortcut out of this struggle.  Yet God has incredible lessons for us if we will simply persevere and be faithful to Him.  He has brought this struggle at a specific time for a specific purpose.  Taking a shortcut will keep us from growing the way God planned for us to grow.  I have a book which puts it this way:  "There Are No Instant Grapes In God's Vineyard".

The list of shortcuts we try to take goes on and on.  If we are honest, we can truly admit the shortcuts we are trying to take.  We know that eventually they harm more than help.  It is in the moment of decision when we are tempted to cheat and go in the wrong direction.  Would you ask God for the strength and wisdom to take the long way and learn in the process.  He's a loving God and will answer that prayer.  Take a Sip from the Well of His leadership and be refreshed on your journey.