Christmas Program--New Presentation of Timeless Message

Looking forward to the Children's Christmas program tomorrow at our regular church times and the Christmas fellowship time at 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. This will be a great time to meet new guests. The kids presentation is just a great new way to present the timeless Gospel. See you tomorrow. 

Hope in God in the face of terrible difficulties

I've recently watched most of "The Nativity" DVD again. It has gotten me to thinking about the high cost of God working in our lives. Consider how it was for Mary to be told she’d have a baby w/o being married. What kind of ostracism did she and Joseph have to bear—simply because they were blessed w/ the greatest honor of all. 

What do you think? --Was Mary blessed or saddled with a terrible burden?  I'd love to hear from you.

I just read an article linked to my facebook that Kirsten Powers has recently come to faith in  Christ. To refresh your memory, Kirsten is a Democratic contributor on FOX News and was heavily involved in the Clinton Administration. Her story of coming to faith is intriguing because she tells how she came to Christ only VERY reluctantly. One of the things she said was that her fears gave way to joy as she was being pursued by "The Hound of Heaven".  Joy finally won her heart and I am convinced that joy is the central quality of the life Christ gives us.

Looking forward to seeing many of you at "Heaven Is for Real" this Friday at Mitchell Wesleyan Church at 5 pm or 7:30 pm.  Otherwise, join in the joy of worship on Sunday morning here at MWC!  God bless you!

I am praying for a great outpouring of the saving grace of Christ at our "Heaven Is For Real" event this coming Friday, 5 pm & 7:30 pm. This is a golden opportunity to bring curiosity seekers to hear the Gospel, and I believe each of us should be getting some tickets to give to friends or neighbors to come with you to this event. The Todd Burpo family will tell their riveting story that has become a New York bestseller for several years running.  We only have a few tickets left.  See you on Friday...with the friends you've brought.   

If deep satisfaction in Christ is to be our aim in life, we will face serious challenges to this objective. Just this week many of us were crushed by the inexplicable loss of another brother in the Gospel, Brian Anderberg. How do we pursue joy genuinely while grieving the loss of a dear friend and brother? As John Piper said, "If joy in God were merely the icing on the cake of Christian commitment, this pursuit of joy in Christ would be insignificant." But I'm convinced our satisfaction in God is what we were made for. 

I think Philippians 1:20-21 has some clues for us in this life pursuit for joy. Join me tomorrow morning to explore this passage in light of life's heartaches and our necessity of pursuing joy in Christ.

The words of Jeremy Taylor, the 17th century Anglican bishop, continue to haunt my mind: "God threatens terrible things, if we will not be happy."

I think he's right, but it raises a whole bunch of other questions. For instance...

• Does that mean if I'm not happy I won't go to heaven when I die?
• What if I'm not by nature a "happy" person?
• If I have to endure terrible tragedy in life, do I dare mourn?
• If Jeremy Taylor is right, why don't Christians emphasize God's intent that we be happy more?

Another thought on this, the Bible is indiscriminate in its pleasure language: joy, satisfaction, happiness, contentment... it's all used interchangeably in the Bible. How do I take pleasure in God consistently when life is such an emotional roller coaster? And what if I don't delight in God now? How do I get it? 

I intend to explore this some more this coming Sunday 8:15 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. Hope to see you there.

I am so looking forward to our Dedication and Open House for the new church facility here at Mitchell Wesleyan Church. I look forward to meeting so many new people who have said they plan on stopping by. Our schedule is:
        8:15 a.m. -- Traditional service with dedication prayer
        9:30 a.m. -- Cultivate classes for all ages
      10:30 a.m. -- Contemporary service with dedication prayer
      11:30 - 2 pm -- Facility tours with a stand-up lunch for all who attend

Do pray for this event to be God-honoring.

The Measure of Success

I recommend Tim Keller's book Counterfeit Gods, a great book about the priorities we have in life, and what really matters. As I've been thinking about this the question of success has come to mind. I've been asking myself, "When my life is over, what would I want etched on my tombstone that defines who/what I was?"

While I don't have a precise answer for that yet, I keep coming back to the fact that success revolves around 2 things:

1. A goal/destiny.
2. How we go about arriving at that destiny.

I want my life to matter--to make a lasting difference for good in this world. I keep seeing so many in this world feverishly working at arriving without first determining what the purpose/meaning/goal of it all is first. They keep running faster and faster to achieve a goal that doesn't matter at all.

What do you think?

See you tomorrow in church!

Grace of God needed in our World

I've been reading about the grace of God quite a bit lately. I have a question for anyone out there to respond to: When, & how, have you experienced the grace of God in your life? I am interested in hearing personal stories of the grace of God.  I am convinced that the grace of God is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions in the world. Grace is God reaching down to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.

What's needed today in the broken places of this world like Sudan, Syria, Egypt, etc. is the grace of God poured out. 

A Maze In Grace

This past week I spoke to a group of senior adults at a local nursing home, telling the parable of the workers being hired to work the harvest at various times in the day. When the master of the vineyard went about paying the laborers for their work for the day, I told how He started by paying the ones who had worked only 1 hour and got paid for a full day's worth of work. The ones who had worked hard through the heat of the day expected to get paid more than the going rate of a day's wage, but when they got paid they received only what they had agreed to get paid at the beginning of the day. I then asked how do you think those guys felt? Immediately I heard, "That was unfair".
Question: Was the Master (who represents God in the parable) in fact unfair? Is God ever unfair?
As I've pondered that I have run across these quotes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him."       Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship

I will be dealing with "A Maze in Grace", the troubling side of grace tomorrow in church. Hope to see you there at 8:15 a.m. in our Traditional worship time, or 10:30 a.m. in our Contemporary worship.  Discipling classes will be held for us all between the worship times. God bless you!

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him."

WOW! This coming Sunday is going to be awesome!  We're getting back into our building after being away from it for 15 months! And I believe that God is going to move wonderfully to bless and encourage us this weekend. I hope you plan to be with us for this historic time of worship.

I am going to be using Solomon's prayer of dedication of the Temple in 2 Chronicles 6 and John 1 as the Scripture for the message. How do we set our hearts to meet with God and find Him for our daily needs and for our joy?  I hope to explore that with you this Sunday.

Some related questions I have been thinking about:
   Since God is present everywhere, how can there be special "spaces" where we feel God's unusual presence?
   Why do we need to gather together for weekly worship? Can't I just worship God on my own wherever I am?
   What do we need to do to be fully alive to what God is doing in this time of national spiritual crisis?

By the way, if you come at 9 a.m. on Sunday you're invited to join us for a few minutes for an time of prayer at the new church altar. Prayer will be the first activity of our congregation in this new worship space!
SEE YOU SUNDAY.

Life is so hectic and random that I sometimes wonder "Is there a solid core to life?" and if so, "How can I know what that is for sure?" That's why Psalm 19 is one of my all-time favorite Psalms. In it the writer declares that God's fingerprints are all over the natural, created world. But what exactly can I discover about God by studying nature?  ...that God is orderly, loves beauty, cares for the details, is a master mathematician, and more.

But while these things are wonderful to consider, they leave me a little cold when it comes to needing someone to talk to, to confess to, to love and accept me. Is there any way to know if God is personal in those ways? Well....Psalm 19 speaks to that as well. I hope you will read Psalm 19 and be with us then on Sunday to explore it together.

Greg Buchanan His faith story

http://gregbuchananministries.org/bio.html

Greg Buchanan video for July 14, 6 pm concert at MWC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0VwUUiRZ90U

Investors or Consumers

I can't wait to see my Forever Family at Mitchell Wesleyan Church in a couple of hours. Sunday morning is the best time of the week for me!

As we have been talking about serving the last couple of weeks, my thoughts have gone to the subject of investing vs. consuming. They say that Americans are saving at an all-time low rate, meaning we are consuming what we make at an all-time high rate. The Christian faith can be described as investing for the long haul (eternity) instead of living for immediate gratification (consumer mentality).  Jesus called us to invest in eternity (Matthew 16:24-26). We Americans need to hear this well.

Next Sunday evening at 6 p.m. we have an awesome Gospel sharing opportunity. Musician Greg Buchanan is going to be in concert at our MWC Fellowship Hall Sunday, June 14, at 6 p.m. He will be telling his own story of having low self esteem, running into all kinds of self-destructive habits, before the Lord wonderfully brought him to saving faith. This will be a great opportunity to invite unsaved friends and neighbors to a delightfully family-friendly event where the Gospel will be clearly presented.
Why not email and facebook this to everyone you know! Here's a clip of Greg Buchanan in concert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0VwUUiRZ90U

Have a blessed day!

The Church as Family

I had a recent conversation with a friend who told me that he had been given the cold shoulder when attending church some time ago. It got me thinking that the Church is defined fundamentally by our connection to each other through Christ. Because of our adoption into the household of faith, we "BELONG"....to Christ, to the Kingdom, to each other.  That is the most important reality that defines us as Christians. It's more important than anything that would potentially divide us, so we are committed to each other, loyal to each other, and determined to see that the best comes to (and from) our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I look forward to seeing you...my brothers and sisters...tomorrow at our Family gathering for worship!

Thirsty?.....But for What?

I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday at worship. Speaking of worship, I've been thinking about what true worship is and what competes with it in our lives. Revelation 21:1-8 has been where I'm reading and there worship is defined as "thirsting for God". Question:  How do I find my deepest satisfaction in God? Question 2: What do I thirst for that competes with my thirst for God?  The answer to this, I believe, are the idols I have set up against/in place of God.  What do you think?

I'm looking forward to seeing you--my Mitchell Wesleyan Church family--tomorrow in church! This is the highlight of my week!  Tomorrow I will be reading this quote on worship:
“In all of knowable reality, God is unique. He is knowable not like the multiplication table or the table of elements; he alone is knowable as the one totally in control of being known. He is not at the disposal of the human mind. He is known when he wills to be known. Yet he is known in and through created reality, which is known naturally. Therefore the glory of God is exalted most not when we know God apart from observation and reading and study, but when we know God as a result of his free and gracious self-revelation in and through our earnest observation of and meditation on his work and Word in history.”
― John Piper, The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God    
I hope you all will ponder this great thought leading up to our church service in the morning.  See you in a few hours!

ORDINARY MEN--EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS!

It's early Sunday morning. It rained last night to freshen everything up again. I love Sundays! We get to get together as the Forever Family of God and we get to worship the most awesome God of all!

I will be speaking about the fact that God takes delight in using the most ordinary of us to do His greatest work. For instance, I am astonished that God chose to link the once in history plan of redemption with "the most ordinary, average group of 12 guys"! There were no super stars among the disciples--only the most common, average guys--fishermen, a low level tax collector, small town workers, etc.  Why?  God could have chosen anyone with any amount of skills or abilities.

And then I think about my calling to preach--God must have seen some talent in me!  Until I remember...God one time used a dumb donkey to speak His message to Balaam, so I guess maybe it's not about the messenger at all....and it's all about the message!

Looking forward to sharing worship with you in a few hours!!

I've been thinking about this question this week:  For what would I be willing to die?  There aren't very many things so important to me that I'd sacrifice my own physical life to protect. Matthew 10:26-33 has been a help to me in this & I will be using it for my text this coming Sunday.  Any thoughts out there?

Growing in Grace: Mother's Day

Growing in Grace: Mother's Day: I always look forward to seeing the Mitchell Wesleyan Family on Sunday. This is the high point of my week. I look forward to seeing you as w...

Mother's Day

I always look forward to seeing the Mitchell Wesleyan Family on Sunday. This is the high point of my week. I look forward to seeing you as we explore the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 

Growing in Grace: Last week I encouraged us all to be "contagious Ch...

Growing in Grace: Last week I encouraged us all to be "contagious Ch...: Last week I encouraged us all to be "contagious Christians". I'm wondering if there are any stories out there where that has h...

Last week I encouraged us all to be "contagious Christians". I'm wondering if there are any stories out there where that has happened to you in these past few days.
I'm going to be talking about the power of the Holy Spirit tomorrow morning (Sunday-5/12). I hope to see you all there and to hear in conversation of how God is working in and through all of us to reach our world with the Gospel of Christ. 
My question for us to ponder this weekend is this: "What are we doing that can only be explained by the Holy Spirit at work in and through us?"

Growing in Grace: As I've been thinking about Christ being full of "...

Growing in Grace: As I've been thinking about Christ being full of "...: As I've been thinking about Christ being full of "GRACE AND TRUTH", I have been wondering how this affects our view of the wor...

Growing in Grace: Several in our church body here at Mitchell Wesley...

Growing in Grace: Several in our church body here at Mitchell Wesley...: Several in our church body here at Mitchell Wesleyan have sensed that God is leading us to a new spiritual awakening here, so many of us hav...

Several in our church body here at Mitchell Wesleyan have sensed that God is leading us to a new spiritual awakening here, so many of us have been praying for revival and spiritual awakening. But what does that look like exactly? Spiritual awakening is nothing more nor less than believers being fully responsive and committed to living in the presence and blessing of the Lord. That means being as fully obedient to God's leading as we can be.  Part of that awakening means having a heart for the world as Jesus does:  Matt 9:36-38--When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37  Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."   If we are to be fully alive to what God has for us, we must have a compassion for reaching the world for Christ. Every mature, awakened believer has a passion for worldwide outreach.

We are hosting our annual Missions Festival starting this weekend with veteran missionary to Asia, Randy Freeman. We are calling believers to make Faith Promises for the coming year for the support of missions through Mitchell Wesleyan for the coming year. I am praying these times together focusing on worldwide ministry will further stir us to have a heart that matches Christ's.

See you on Sunday!

As I've been thinking about Christ being full of "GRACE AND TRUTH", I have been wondering how this affects our view of the world. If we are to be marked by grace in our lives, then we have no choice but to care about the world's lost who need the grace of God. And, at the same time we are under no delusions about what the truth of the world's situation is--dire and in trouble. Unless the Lord comes to our rescue we are all headed for disaster. But I am convinced that God has better things in mind. That's why we have an annual missions Festival to emphasize a worldwide focus for our church as a whole. I urge you to come this next Sunday to hear Randy Freeman, a good brother in the Lord who has devoted his entire adult life to reaching the world's lost--especially in Asia and the South Pacific.  See you Sunday!

Grace and Truth are so often seen as contrasting principles. For instance Truth is crisp, with clear boundaries--legalistic, demanding, firm, etc. Grace is inclusive, accepting, non-judgmental, etc. But Jesus somehow saw them both as essentials for life. Somehow He did not play them against each other, but was filled with both grace & Truth simultaneously. We need that!

I'm considering John 1:14, 17. What does the Word mean saying that Jesus was FULL of grace & truth?