The best three weeks of the year have arrived!

The 64 team tournament is set, and nearly everyone I know cannot wait for the games to begin at Noon on Thursday.

While it is called March Madness, I think it would be good for us followers of Christ to remember a few things as the most exciting time comes upon us.

1.     The last fruit listed in that great listing of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is self-control.  This is important to remember during March Madness. On Thursday there will be 16 basketball games on TV. On Friday there will be 16 basketball games on TV. That is a minumum of 12 hours of live basketball on TV each day.  On Saturday and Sunday, there will be 8 games on each day and that too will be a minimum of 12 hours of live bball. Now, be careful with this. Use some self-control. If you watch, that much basketball over the course of those 4 days there is a good chance you will be neglecting something else…  Perhaps your job, your wife, your kids, the dishes, the mail, your church, etc. Please be careful to enjoy all the bball you want while remaining controlled by the Spirit.

2.     The second fruit listed is joy. I know so many people (myself included) whose personality rises and falls on whether or not Roy Williams calls a timeout to stop a run or whether the Big East referees are blowing the game. This should not be the case. Our joy is from the Lord. Please in these coming days do not allow the bball to effect you and your joy. Whether your team gets upset early or makes the Final Four (or in my case sneaks into the NIT), stay joyful. In fact, if your joy is dependent upon your team or if your team can cause you to be mean, hateful, angry, or sinful then you seriously have a bigger problem. Think about that.

3.     Reading the Bible is a must for Christians. As Jesus quoted, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Let me repeat. Man does not live by bread alone… or basketball alone.  You live by God’s Word. Please, please, please do not let Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to pass without getting in your Bible. You must. If you go four days without the Word, you are going to be weak and hungry and more prone to act wrongly in response to the tourney. This may mean you have to read the Word in the mornings because each day ball begins at noon and goes well into the night.  But I have warned you, so make the steps now to be sure that Bball doesn’t become your god over the next four days.

4.     1 Corinthians 10:31 says “whatever you do, do it all the glory of God.” As you enjoy March Madness, love Jesus through it all. Don’t let these 3 weeks pass and then regret how into it you were. Keep your priorities straight from the first tip on Thursdayall the way until the Final Four in early April. And let God be glorified because you enjoy the gift of March Madness that he has given us.

Go Tarheels! (in the NIT).

Thanks to our great worship pastor, Drew Krutza, I have a new favorite hymn. God often uses creation to cause me to love Him more. Speaking of God’s world, the Bible says:
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3

Its #43 in our hymnal. It is “This Is My Father’s World.”

This is my Father’s world, And to my listening ears,
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, The birds their carols raise;
The morning light, the lily white
Declare their makers praise.
This is my Father’s world, He shines in all thats fair;
In the rustling grass, I hear him pass
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world, The battle is not done
Jesus who died shall be satisfied
And earth and heaven be one.

It was written by Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901).

I did some research and found that there are more original verses to the song than what we have in our hymnal. Here they are 

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.”
This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One, His Only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father’s world, should my heart be ever sad?
The lord is King—let the heavens ring. God reigns—let the earth be glad.
This is my Father’s world. Now closer to Heaven bound,
For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.
No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father’s world. I walk a desert lone.
In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.
This is my Father’s world, a wanderer I may roam
Whate’er my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home.

Many Christians live in the continual struggle of desiring to be liked by others yet trying to not be a people pleaser.

Church people often say things like

“I dont care if anyone likes me.”  or “I dont care what people think about me.”

Yet they usually do not totally mean that. And most people really live like people’s opinions of them do really matter and influence them.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the balance of these 2 opinions.

Jesus says that we are to be loving and serving in a self-less way. Most of the time, if you are humble and loving and serving toward someone they are going to like you. That is why when the Bible lists the qualifications of elders it says “they are to be well thought of by outsiders.” Because they are to love and serve and lead in a selfless way.

Jesus also said that the world hated him so do not be surprised when it hates you. But He certainly never did anything wrong or treated anyone wrongly. So the only reason they hated him was because of His message.  Christians today should work toward that end. Live in such a way that people have nothing evil to say about you. In fact, the only thing they can say against you is that they disagree with your message. If people don’t like you, perhaps it has a lot more to do with you not being like Christ then it does solely your message.

To say that you dont care about what they think of you seems to say you don’t understand Christs calling on your life.

Here is where I’m getting some of this from.

Proverbs 3:3-4 (notice v.4 especially) “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.”

Prov. 3:4 says that we will find favor and good success in man’s sight. Check Luke 2:52, it says Jesus did that too.

I’m praying God will continue to give us the proper balance and understanding of what it means to live in such a way that God is pleased with us and people like us. I think it has lots to do with living like Jesus. Dead to self, loving and serving.

God has given me 2 sons – Joshua & Eli.

Sometimes late at night once they are sound asleep, I like to slip into their rooms quietly and just look at them. In that moment, I become overwhelmed with deep, deep inexpressible love for them. I cannot speak how heavy and real my love for my sons is. I love them.

Psalm 127 says that children “are like arrows in the hand of a warrior” because “he will not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”

Well, I’m not sure how I may be a warrior. And my boys are 26 months and 10 months which means they are not grown yet. But I desire for God to continue to give me a Christ honoring love for them. So that they may grow up to fear the Lord and follow Jesus. In 2 words, I have goals for my boys: fear and follow. 

If they fear & follow, they will be like arrows in my hand.

God, please be gracious and lead them to fear and follow you!

32 year old Aaron Berry passed away this past Friday. We had his funeral service today. His family chose a wonderful song to be played at the close of the service.

Here are the lyrics to Fernando Ortega’s song “Give me Jesus.”

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15

The past few days have been heavy. Ministry can be heavy. My emotions have been very high and very low from one hour to the next and at times even from one minute to the next.

I went to the funeral home to visit the family of a beautiful 17 year old girl that just died tragically. I studied with great itensity along with 7 other men ‘the manly characteristic of love & understanding in the life of Jesus’. I got a call that a dear family in our church had rushed the mother to the hospital for possibly a stroke. I played my first basketball game in 3 years (and lost badly and played badly). I had two people near to me celebrate birthdays. I was delighted to see so many people working at church this week. I celebrated the birth of a friends baby boy. I praised God because another couple just found out they were expecting. I was informed my very close friends are about to lose one of their family members any day now. I got a call from a parent concerning a troubled kid. I am thrilled to have so many people desiring to go on the mission trip this summer. I spent time with Vale, JJ & Eli at the zoo. I am preaching at a sports banquet tonight. I am taking the fam for pancakes this morning. I got a call that someone very near to us died tragically yesterday.  The family is on my mind and heart.

My heart is heavy. In the past few days, I have rejoiced with those rejoicing and I have wept with those weeping.

 This life is NOT what its all about it.                  Jesus is!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8  

“if we are faithless, he remains faithful- for he cannot deny himself.” 2 Tim. 2:13

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ-6XJzvBeU

This dunk by Lebron James 2 nights ago caught my attention. I don’t know if there is anyone else in the world that can do this type of thing. If you can, pause it at 37 seconds. Notice his head above rim, how far away he leapt from, and how low he brings the ball. Pretty incredible.

By the way, Lebron is changing his number from #23 to #6 because he feels Michael Jordan is the greatest ever. So do I!

 

This Easter, April 4, 2010, we will gather again on the front porch at 7:00 a.m. We will worship the Lord Jesus Christ  and celebrate His resurrection from the dead.

This is a picture of last year’s Easter Sunrise Service. The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining so brightly.

“See what a morning, gloriously bright!”

Tonight I was at a funeral home to see the family of a local 17 year old girl that just passed away.

Again…a 17 year old girl that died on Saturday.

NO ONE SAW THAT COMING! Her mom and dad did not see it coming. Her friends in school did not see it coming. Her teammates did not see it coming. Her grandparents did not see it coming. No one had any idea in the world that she was about to die.

IT WAS PROBABLY THE FURTHEST THING FROM THEIR MINDS. JUST LIKE YOU (OR YOUR LOVED ONE) DYING WAS PROBABLY THE FARTHEST THING FROM YOUR MIND TODAY.

“…yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”  James 4:14
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”  Hebrews 9:27

Are you ready? You could stand before Jesus sooner than you think.

(I must say that I do not know of much else that speaks as loudly and mightily as seeing a beautiful 17 year old lying in a casket.)

This is a video that has been paired up with a great Andrew Peterson song. Please take time to listen and watch this. I can certainly identify.