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To: kraakerjack@yahoo.com
Sent: Thu, May 3, 2012 10:07:25 GMT+00:00
Subject: Morning and Evening - May 03
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May 03
Morning
"Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods."
Jeremiah 16:20One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan's star shines no longer, and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when he sees us doting upon them above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their dear ones.
It is truly said that "they are no gods," for the objects of our foolish love are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this grievous iniquity!
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee."
Evening
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible."
1 Peter 1:23Peter most earnestly exhorted the scattered saints to love each other "with a pure heart fervently" and he wisely fetched his argument, not from the law, from nature, or from philosophy, but from that high and divine nature which God hath implanted in his people. Just as some judicious tutor of princes might labour to beget and foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behaviour, finding arguments in their position and descent, so, looking upon God's people as heirs of glory, princes of the blood royal, descendants of the King of kings, earth's truest and oldest aristocracy, Peter saith to them, "See that ye love one another, because of your noble birth, being born of incorruptible seed; because of your pedigree, being descended from God, the Creator of all things; and because of your immortal destiny, for you shall never pass away, though the glory of the flesh shall fade, and even its existence shall cease." It would be well if, in the spirit of humility, we recognized the true dignity of our regenerated nature, and lived up to it. What is a Christian? If you compare him with a king, he adds priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king's royalty often lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into his inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his new birth, as a man is above the beast that perisheth. Surely he ought to carry himself, in all his dealings, as one who is not of the multitude, but chosen out of the world, distinguished by sovereign grace, written among "the peculiar people" and who therefore cannot grovel in the dust as others, nor live after the manner of the world's citizens. Let the dignity of your nature, and the brightness of your prospects, O believers in Christ, constrain you to cleave unto holiness, and to avoid the very appearance of evil.
Explore Further 
Today's reading is from:
Morning and Evening
by Charles Spurgeon The beloved devotional, packed with inspiration for each day. Buy it now!
If you enjoyed Morning and Evening, you might also like:
- Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman
- My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
- Beside Still Waters by Charles Spurgeon
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Today's reading taken from Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."
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Thursday, May 03, 2012
Good reminder. Don't worship your kids. Fw: Morning and Evening - May 03
Don't worship your kids.Sent from my Verizon Wireless Droid
-----Original message-----
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Pastor Keith and Pastor Brad talking about "retooling"
Strategies that help you build and share vision.this is how you do it!Sent from my Verizon Wireless Droid
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Today's sermon - Love your Enemies
Today I am going to push you. Actually to be more precise, Jesus is going to push you, as he has pushed me all week.
He is going to ask you to leave your comfort zone, and to follow him into a new place.
Today is the pinnacle of the second section of the Sermon on the Mount. The first section is the beatitudes. They are beautiful, poetic, encouraging, counter cultural, and if you live them right, you will be persecuted. The world will hate you, as it hated Jesus.
Then came the second section of the sermon. This section has 7 points. 6 of the 7 points begin, "You have heard it said..., but I tell you." Each time Jesus states an Old testament law that has become obscured by the way it is being applied during the times of Jesus. Each time Jesus returns the law to its original intent. He does this by saying, "I tell you..." And when he says, "I tell you..." he means, your creator is now setting you straight on some things you have misunderstood about the way you are to interact with each other.
Jesus has corrected the way we see the law, murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation and finally, how we treat our enemies.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Lets break it down.
First, the teaching of the day was that it was good and proper not only to love your neighbor (your fellow Jew) but it was good to hate your enemies (anyone who was not a Jew). We understand the root of this teaching, we find it still today. The best way to be a Christian is to love the people Jesus loves and hate the people Jesus hates. Well, we don't say it that way, but we see it lived out this way.
In brief, the theology goes this way.
A) Nothing we do saves us, only God can save sinners. He chose before the beginning of time those who would be saved.
B) Limited Atonement - since God knew who he would save, it is only necessary for Jesus to die for the sins of those who one day would be saved.
C) This highlights the fact that there are two groups of people walking the Earth today. Some will be saved, and some will be damned to Hell. The first our children of God, and second group is composed of the enemies of God.
This theology fits nicely with the thinking of the Pharisees at the time. God loves some, and hates some, so it is ok for us to love some, and hate some.
To people who believe this, Jesus words are mind boggling.
In verse 45, Jesus points out that God causes the sun to rise, and the rain to fall on both groups. In other words, (and to make Jesus' point) God loves them both.
So immediately we see the cognitive dissonance that is here. Love our enemies? How is this possible?
I suggest there are two possibilities.
1) Detachment. We either change our behavior towards our enemies, and do loving things, and separate ourselves from our feelings (which will revolt at the idea of doing something nice for someone who has hurt us, or treated us unfairly, or attacked our loved ones). While this sounds good, I fear it may be the worst possible solution. We know that attempting to "DO" the sermon on the mount without first acknowledging our inability to do it without God's help, will lead to the same twisted law following that Jesus is speaking out against in this sermon.
2) In following and surrendering to Jesus, we arrive at a place where we truly LOVE our enemies.
I take as my example of this Stephen, who when he was being stoned cried out, "Do not hold this sin against them."
There is also an OT example of this in the way God rebukes Jonah for not having compassion for the people on Nineveh.
Conclusion
I believe it is very difficult to live this passage. As if to highlight this, Jesus concluded it: be perfect, as your Father in Heaven is perfect.
If we are not the ones to be drawing lines between friends and enemies, the question becomes are there any lines at all? Do we arrive at a point where the best thing we can do is live and let live.
I believe there is a line that Jesus wants us to draw. And the line is here. Every day we have two options. We can do what he has asked us to do, or we can do something else. And we can draw a big fat line between those two.
What Jesus asks me to do |||||||||||||||||| Everything else
And what Jesus asks us to do is to love people. Love everyone. Our neighbors. Our enemies.
May God give us the wisdom to know how to do this, and the courage to do it.
Mark Kraakevik of 8776 West Geddes Place, Littleton, CO 80128
Mark can be reached at 720-308-4051
Mark's blog can be found at www.markkraakevik.posterous.com
Mark can be reached at 720-308-4051
Mark's blog can be found at www.markkraakevik.posterous.com
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Annika is looking good
Annika spends her Saturday am on a horse.
I took this with Camera ZOOM FX for Android.
http://bit.ly/qH3AhdSent from my Verizon Wireless Droid
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Listen to questions people are asking, give God's answers
Darrin Patrick at #ignite2012Sent from my Verizon Wireless Droid
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Sermon from this morning
The takings and makings of oaths In Daniel 11:27, we find a very interesting verse. "The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time." Two kings sit down and lie to each other. What an interesting description of the interaction between two world leaders. There is an advertisement for Survivor. In it the contestant says, "It ain't survivor, if I am not lying." In other words, one must lie your way to the top in that game. Do you recall a few years back that there was a Christian contestant, and that season there were often discussions about how she would face the ethical dilemmas of building and breaking alliances.
Today we bring that same question to our own lives. If we are going to live like Jesus. If we are going to commit ourselves to conforming to the image of Jesus, we will eventually run into this issue. Are we willing to embrace the third commandment - thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain" and the ninth commandment "thou shall not lie"? Today we turn to the topic of truth telling. And to the topic of "oaths." We are going to do a bit of hoping around through some different passages today, in order to see this subject in the greater context of the Bible. Today we will use the Bible to understand the Bible. We will make sense of this passage, by taking guidance from other passages, so keep your Bible handy. Turn first with me to Matt. 5. We will read verses 33-37. 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Observations: 1) "Do not swear..." This is not a passage about course language. There are other passages that address that, and we are not going after that subject today. 2) From the context we can see that the practice of the day was to choose an object - a "throne," or a place - "Earth or Jerusalem," and to swear by these, thus avoiding the 3rd commandment of taking the Lord's name in vain. A fuller understanding of this is found in Matt 23: 16-21 Matt 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 3) There is little disagreement about the general sense of what this text is telling us to do. "Tell the truth." Do not add a bunch of words to your statements in a effort to make them sound "more true." You may be asked about what you saw, or did, or to report on the progress being made on an assigned task. Tell the truth. If when you start to tell it, others start to doubt your integrity, do not call down curses on your head. If I am not telling the truth... may the fleas of a thousand camels fly up my nose. What it means: 1) What it does not mean. It does not mean do not take oaths at all. The Bible on several occasion instructs us to be careful in taking oaths. Thus implying that we will make oaths. Jesus is not changing the OT law. Lev. 19:12 “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD." Numbers 30:2 "2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." 2) As with the other situations to this point, Jesus is returning to the intent of the law. Be careful with your words. Make sure your words match reality. If you say you will do something, do it.
Application: 1) Check your pride: The vase is broken 2) Be courageous: Better to tell the truth to a friend 3) Remember the law - grace cycle.
Today we bring that same question to our own lives. If we are going to live like Jesus. If we are going to commit ourselves to conforming to the image of Jesus, we will eventually run into this issue. Are we willing to embrace the third commandment - thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain" and the ninth commandment "thou shall not lie"? Today we turn to the topic of truth telling. And to the topic of "oaths." We are going to do a bit of hoping around through some different passages today, in order to see this subject in the greater context of the Bible. Today we will use the Bible to understand the Bible. We will make sense of this passage, by taking guidance from other passages, so keep your Bible handy. Turn first with me to Matt. 5. We will read verses 33-37. 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Observations: 1) "Do not swear..." This is not a passage about course language. There are other passages that address that, and we are not going after that subject today. 2) From the context we can see that the practice of the day was to choose an object - a "throne," or a place - "Earth or Jerusalem," and to swear by these, thus avoiding the 3rd commandment of taking the Lord's name in vain. A fuller understanding of this is found in Matt 23: 16-21 Matt 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 3) There is little disagreement about the general sense of what this text is telling us to do. "Tell the truth." Do not add a bunch of words to your statements in a effort to make them sound "more true." You may be asked about what you saw, or did, or to report on the progress being made on an assigned task. Tell the truth. If when you start to tell it, others start to doubt your integrity, do not call down curses on your head. If I am not telling the truth... may the fleas of a thousand camels fly up my nose. What it means: 1) What it does not mean. It does not mean do not take oaths at all. The Bible on several occasion instructs us to be careful in taking oaths. Thus implying that we will make oaths. Jesus is not changing the OT law. Lev. 19:12 “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD." Numbers 30:2 "2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." 2) As with the other situations to this point, Jesus is returning to the intent of the law. Be careful with your words. Make sure your words match reality. If you say you will do something, do it.
Application: 1) Check your pride: The vase is broken 2) Be courageous: Better to tell the truth to a friend 3) Remember the law - grace cycle.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Sermon: Love unconditionally
February 12th, 2012
Sermon:
Love Unconditionally
Matthew 5:27-30
Matt 5: 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’[a] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Eph 5: 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
I Cor 13: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Last week we talked about avoiding lust, and guarding our hearts, this week we will talk about why we must do that. We are talking about the value of marriage.
1) Jesus is very serious about us protecting ourselves from illicit relationships. This passage is loaded. It is harsh. It catches you a bit off guard on the first read. With the loose morals of the day in which Jesus lived, this would have really made people sit up and take notice.
eyes and hands are important
repeats phrase twice
consequence of not heeding advice is hell
2) We can see from these passages that when Jesus talks about marriage, he is thinking about his bride, the church. For those who have a low view of marriage, and what it means, this passage sends a clear message. Marriage is a big deal to Jesus, and is to be protected, even if it means great cost to the individual.
3) Jesus sets the example for how we are to love, by loving us, his bride. What does that say about how we are to love our brides (and our grooms). How are you doing? How do you measure up?
4) NO OF US MEASURE UP.
5) Marriage is a very humbling experience. Nothing brings out our weaknesses, and underlines our failures like marriage. If we are going to fail as individuals it is seen here first, and if we are unwilling to humbly face our faults, they will destroy us.
6) But, in a bigger picture, this is not about our ability to follow the law, it is about our ability to accept grace and forgiveness. Remember that the point of Jesus overall teaching is not that we must make ourselves follow the law, but that we must receive righteousness, by faith in him. And that he who began a good work in us will complete it. If we have accepted Jesus, we have imputed righteousness (we wear his Righteousness), but our actions are slower to catch up, and we must grow into our righteousness.
7) We are holy, but not yet holy.
8) This does not mean we get a free pass. The Bible says we must fight against temptation, and keep our eye on the goal and run the race, and throw off the sin that so easily entangles us. We must struggle with everything within us to follow his example (not out of law) but out of gratitude.
9) Obedience is rooted in TRUST. Do you trust that following God's word is the best way to live? We become obedient as we daily surrender to His will, and this requires that we trust what He is telling us to do. We can not obey Him with our full hearts if we do not trust that the direction He is leading us is truly the best. And to be sure, our culture is doing everything in its power to convince us that God's ways are boring and pointless, and too difficult.
10) What simple strategies do you use to keep your marriage strong? Are there things we can learn from each other? What have you seen others do that worked?
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Email I received today from Kristan Hawkins: Making sense of the Komen v. Planned Parenthood Drama
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, this week Planned Parenthood announced that the Susan G. Komen for a Cure Foundation was cutting it's funding to Planned Parenthood. Susan G. Komen grants make up about 1/20th of 1% of Planned Parenthood's annual funding. As you probably saw, Planned Parenthood went ballistic and launched a mafia shakedown campaign against the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Because they are under congressional investigation and their own President, Cecile Richards, has even admitted that 2011 was their worst year ever, they went on attack because Susan G. Komen pulled funding. And this morning the Susan G. Komen Foundation released an ambiguous statement which has confused everyone. We will not know for a few months whether or not Susan G. Komen has caved into the pressures of Planned Parenthood or not, but it looks like they have. But here is what we know: 1) Susan G. Komen alerted Planned Parenthood that would not renew their funding for Planned Parenthood. However, they admitted they will continue grants to 3 Planned Parenthood locations in low-income areas in the mean time, until other community organizations location could receive the funding. 2) On Wednesday, Planned Parenthood released an emergency fundraising appeal announcing that the Susan G. Komen Foundation would no longer fund them. As you probably saw, a mafia-style shakedown has been raised by Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood asked businesses to withdraw funding from Susan G. Komen and asked donors to no longer give to the charity. Simply put, Planned Parenthood told Komen "either give us money or we will destroy you." They were aided and abetted in this hostage taking by the mainstream media. 3) This morning, the Susan G. Komen Foundation issued a statement saying they apologized for the way Planned Parenthood had been treated and will re-evaluate their grant process and "continue to fund existing grants including those to Planned Parenthood." 4) We don't know what this means. We do not know if this means that Susan G. Komen will simply fund those 3 locations they mentioned previously until they find an alternative replacement or if they have caved in to the pressure of Planned Parenthood and will continue funding the abortion Goliath. 5) Planned Parenthood has held women with breast cancer hostage. They have launched a mafia-style shakedown just like they did when the state of Indiana voted to de-fund them. If you remember back a few months ago, they successfully worked with the Obama administration to threaten to withhold all federal medicaid funding to the state of Indiana (money that pays for the healthcare of those who cannot afford it) unless the state re-instated their funding to the abortion Goliath. So, this is what you need you to do: We need you to immediately contact Susan G. Komen (news@komen.org) and tell them not to cave and give into Planned Parenthood's bullying. Tell Komen that their organization should not be aligned with an organization like Planned Parenthood, which is the largest abortion provider in the country, because it is a proven fact that abortion causes breast cancer. (Go here to see the studies that prove the link: http://links.causes.com/s/clALyj) Friends, I promise to keep you alert of what is going on. Please pass on this message and spread the word via e-mail and social media today and this weekend by sending this link: http://links.causes.com/s/clALyz. Also, on a personal note: my grandmother suffered from breast cancer, and I am deeply committed to finding an ethical cure for all cancer. However, I will not be donating to the Susan G. Komen Foundation until we know for sure that they haven't caved to Planned Parenthood's bullying and are not giving one dollar to the abortion Goliath.
Thank you for all that you do for Life,
Kristan Hawkins
Executive Director
Students for Life of America
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Sermon for tomorrow
sermon for tomorrow 1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?[a] 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”[b] james does not mince words. the reason for fighting is that selfishness and rebellion against God. why are there fights because you fight because you do not get what you want. so you will do all kinds of crazy things to try to get your way. we even start to pray crazy prayers with the intent of getting God to do what we want him to do
but instead if we would ask God...and what are we to ask for? From the LORD's Prayer
May you receive glory
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
Give us our daily bread,Forgive us we give forgiveness,Lead us not into temptation then we will understand that god has a purpose for our life, and he mostly wants us to trust him. so the question i have today is, what will we ask god for? dont give me riches, i may forget you gave it to me. dont give me poverty, i may be tempted to steal. instead give me just what i need
do you remember the story of the Israelites making their way through the desert. every day they got manna. just enough for that day, except on friday they got enough for friday and saturday.
and if they tried to store up more, it would get ruined. we can learn so much from this as a church.
God gives us each out own path to walk. Sometimes we think it would be more fun to walk someone elses path. We get jealous. Like a two year old. rules for toys If I have it, its mine
If I was playing with it earlier today, its mine
If I put it down, and you pick it up, but I still want it, its mine
If you are playing with it, but I want it, its mine The problem comes when we apply these rules to adulthood. If I have it, its mine,
If I had it at any point in my life, it should still be mine
If I give it away, and want it back, its mine
If it belongs to you, but I really want it, its mine. I deserve it. So then we pray twisted prayers - dear God, I really want that...give it to me. God doesn't answer, so we take it a set further we turn to the world. and in so doing we become enemies to God. That is what James says. To be friends with the world is to be an enemy of God. I read a quote this week. We no longer plant churches in America. We create worship services. And a friend added "we don't even plant worship services, we create entertainment centers." How do we avoid this? We recognize that we are fighting a battle. A battle that begins inside. We want something. Sometimes it is even a good thing. But God withholds it, so we get mad. We pout. We stomp. We get grumpy. All the while we are not realizing that God has put us here for a reason. There is a lesson to learn. And if we will humble ourselves, and pray that his will would be done, then the situation we are in becomes bearable. It becomes a place of joy and peace. We root out the bitter root, and begin to experience the deeper life we all long for.
Church is a place not to be entertained, but to experience God, to enter his presence. When we come in with that attitude, the differences between us are no longer a big deal. God calls us to unity. Let us ask him to lead us.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?[a] 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”[b] james does not mince words. the reason for fighting is that selfishness and rebellion against God. why are there fights because you fight because you do not get what you want. so you will do all kinds of crazy things to try to get your way. we even start to pray crazy prayers with the intent of getting God to do what we want him to do
but instead if we would ask God...and what are we to ask for? From the LORD's Prayer
May you receive glory
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
Give us our daily bread,Forgive us we give forgiveness,Lead us not into temptation then we will understand that god has a purpose for our life, and he mostly wants us to trust him. so the question i have today is, what will we ask god for? dont give me riches, i may forget you gave it to me. dont give me poverty, i may be tempted to steal. instead give me just what i need
do you remember the story of the Israelites making their way through the desert. every day they got manna. just enough for that day, except on friday they got enough for friday and saturday.
and if they tried to store up more, it would get ruined. we can learn so much from this as a church.
God gives us each out own path to walk. Sometimes we think it would be more fun to walk someone elses path. We get jealous. Like a two year old. rules for toys If I have it, its mine
If I was playing with it earlier today, its mine
If I put it down, and you pick it up, but I still want it, its mine
If you are playing with it, but I want it, its mine The problem comes when we apply these rules to adulthood. If I have it, its mine,
If I had it at any point in my life, it should still be mine
If I give it away, and want it back, its mine
If it belongs to you, but I really want it, its mine. I deserve it. So then we pray twisted prayers - dear God, I really want that...give it to me. God doesn't answer, so we take it a set further we turn to the world. and in so doing we become enemies to God. That is what James says. To be friends with the world is to be an enemy of God. I read a quote this week. We no longer plant churches in America. We create worship services. And a friend added "we don't even plant worship services, we create entertainment centers." How do we avoid this? We recognize that we are fighting a battle. A battle that begins inside. We want something. Sometimes it is even a good thing. But God withholds it, so we get mad. We pout. We stomp. We get grumpy. All the while we are not realizing that God has put us here for a reason. There is a lesson to learn. And if we will humble ourselves, and pray that his will would be done, then the situation we are in becomes bearable. It becomes a place of joy and peace. We root out the bitter root, and begin to experience the deeper life we all long for.
Church is a place not to be entertained, but to experience God, to enter his presence. When we come in with that attitude, the differences between us are no longer a big deal. God calls us to unity. Let us ask him to lead us.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Live Like an Alien - sermon for tomorrow
My goal is to write in this journal 7 days in a row. Jan 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 Tonight I am writing my sermon for tomorrow.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. The question is: What does it mean to live as an alien or stranger here on Earth. Big mistake we make is living as if this is all that matters. Our perspective narrows to this life, and sometimes even more narrow to just me. I am all that matters. If I am happy, then life is good. If I am not happy, then life is not good. But this is not the Bible's view on material possessions. Sometimes when preaching about "things," a preacher may take one of two extremes. 1) All material possessions are evil. 2) All material possessions are blessings from God. Neither of these is correct. It is not evil to have material things. May people in the Bible had material things. It is also not evil to deny yourself material blessings. Jesus was homeless. John the Baptist at locust and honey. My personal journey has gone through several phases. a) material things should not be sought.
b) material things are neutral, neither evil or good, and therefore, owning nice things is good, savings is bad - live for today
c) Living without savings is stupid - God gave us a brain, we should use it.
d) The more you have, the more you can give away. Blessed to be a blessing.
e) live simply, give generously recent lessons. 1) contentment/I want better for you. There are things about which I want better, but God says, be content with what you have.
There are things about which I am content, but God says, I want better for you. 2) Impermanency of life.
Buddhist monks make elaborate sand paintings and then they bring in a broom and sweep it all away and start again. Most of us say...what a waste... but it does two things. a) it shows us that nothing is permanent. b) we recognize that the process is more important than the outcome. I disagree on a few levels. 1) God does not want us to waste our lives. 2) Detachment for the sake of detachment is not the goal. 3) God is concerned with both the process and the outcome. It is just that the outcome is not always seen here. "They did not receive the things promised."
How do we develop a healthy sense of impermanency?
http://zenhabits.net/crutches/ reasons for the junk in our life 1) security - fight fear with information, you know how to survive
2) self image and self worth - learn to love yourself as you are
3) Memories and holding on to the past - live in the present
4) love - its not in the thing, its in the giver of the thing
5) possibility for improvement - live in the present
6) comfort - things are not able to fulfill emotional needs
7) Procrastination - take it a little at a time
8) Excitement - gathering equipment for future fun - you can have fun without the "toys"
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. The question is: What does it mean to live as an alien or stranger here on Earth. Big mistake we make is living as if this is all that matters. Our perspective narrows to this life, and sometimes even more narrow to just me. I am all that matters. If I am happy, then life is good. If I am not happy, then life is not good. But this is not the Bible's view on material possessions. Sometimes when preaching about "things," a preacher may take one of two extremes. 1) All material possessions are evil. 2) All material possessions are blessings from God. Neither of these is correct. It is not evil to have material things. May people in the Bible had material things. It is also not evil to deny yourself material blessings. Jesus was homeless. John the Baptist at locust and honey. My personal journey has gone through several phases. a) material things should not be sought.
b) material things are neutral, neither evil or good, and therefore, owning nice things is good, savings is bad - live for today
c) Living without savings is stupid - God gave us a brain, we should use it.
d) The more you have, the more you can give away. Blessed to be a blessing.
e) live simply, give generously recent lessons. 1) contentment/I want better for you. There are things about which I want better, but God says, be content with what you have.
There are things about which I am content, but God says, I want better for you. 2) Impermanency of life.
Buddhist monks make elaborate sand paintings and then they bring in a broom and sweep it all away and start again. Most of us say...what a waste... but it does two things. a) it shows us that nothing is permanent. b) we recognize that the process is more important than the outcome. I disagree on a few levels. 1) God does not want us to waste our lives. 2) Detachment for the sake of detachment is not the goal. 3) God is concerned with both the process and the outcome. It is just that the outcome is not always seen here. "They did not receive the things promised."
How do we develop a healthy sense of impermanency?
http://zenhabits.net/crutches/ reasons for the junk in our life 1) security - fight fear with information, you know how to survive
2) self image and self worth - learn to love yourself as you are
3) Memories and holding on to the past - live in the present
4) love - its not in the thing, its in the giver of the thing
5) possibility for improvement - live in the present
6) comfort - things are not able to fulfill emotional needs
7) Procrastination - take it a little at a time
8) Excitement - gathering equipment for future fun - you can have fun without the "toys"
Friday, January 20, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
The heavens proclaim His glory
Be content with what you have! There is beauty all around; in the smile of a face of a child, in a snow flake, in a song on the radio. How is it that we become so blind? Why do we doubt God's faithfulness, and His goodness?
Monday, January 02, 2012
Keep it simple
Yesterday the sermon was from Hebrews 13:5. (paraphrased)
Keep yourself from the love of money
Be content with what you have
Because God has said,
I will never leave you or forsake you.
This week, I hope to keep it simple by return to those truths.
My golden retriever knows how to keep it simple. willow is all about chasing a ball. This week I am chasing a ball too. Six words on the ball: BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Prayer request
please pray for James Salazars grandma. She fell today. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Monday, December 26, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Advent Devotional for today - from the perspective of the shepherd
A promised gift Some gifts are unexpected. Some gifts surprise us. I am a small man, with small thoughts. Simple thoughts. I don't have big plans. I don't get a thrill out of power or money or stuff. I just try to live a simple life. I work hard. I pay my bills. I do my best to lend a hand to those who need a little help. I do my best to stay out of trouble. I don't go looking for the spotlight, and I certainly don't consider myself to be elite by anyones measurement. I am just a simple guy. That is what makes it so crazy. So unbelievable. Why would angels come to me. Why would God send his Heavenly host to talk to a bunch of shepherds. To announce to me the birth of His son. The birth of the messiah. Certainly the messengers were supposed to go to Jerusalem. Perhaps they got lost. There is no way they mistook us for royalty. We were in a field, not a palace. And we were watching sheep, not tending to the affairs of government. You really can't make this stuff up. Imagine what it was like for me. What were you doing for most of this week? Maybe sitting in a office. Or Perhaps you were running errands, or getting in that last minute shopping. Imagine, if this last Wendesday night, as you walk out of store, with your dog food in the cart, and all of a sudden the sky opens up and in front of you is an Angel of the Lord proclaiming to you that there is a new King, just born, in a garage in Lakewood. And as soon as that Angel stops, an entire army of Angels start singing. It was the craziest thing. Why would God choose us. Why would he send word to us. To be honest, I did not have much time to think about why. You see when someone comes from Heaven to tell you to go somewhere and see something, you go and you look. And that is what we did. We went, and low and behold, there was the baby just the way the Angel's said it would be. But not at all as you would expect. I guess as I reflect on how God works, it lines up with my own life. So many promises of God have been fulfilled, and yet fulfilled in the most unlikely fashion. God promises he will care for us. He promises that he we protect us, and watch over us, and lead us and guide us, and He does! He does! But if were to script it, would you expect Noah to float to safety, with a pair of every animal onboard? Would you expect Old man Abraham to have a son? Would you expect Joseph to go from rotting in jail, to chief of staff in the Pharaoh administration? Would you expect the stuttering Mo-mo-mo-moses to demand the release of an entire race of slaves? How about the battle plan given to Joshua - march and sing, march and sing, blow trumpets on three, 1, 2, 3! And the walls came tumbling down. That is how is was. All my doubts. All my questions. All my thoughts of how crazy those old stories sounded. Those walls between me and God came tumbling down. As I looked in that manger, and I saw that baby, I knew it was true. I knew the whole thing was true. We all long for that. We all long for a moment of clarity. And once we get it, it changes everything. If God is real. If his promised gift is real. Then God has given us his very best. And as the joy wells up in our hearts, what can we give in return? What will we do? The very best thing we can do is to give Him our hearts. I know this is hard. Our hearts take a pounding in this world. We trust in people, only to be let down. We "put ourselves out there," only to be hurt, abused, forgotten or ignored. So when I say that you should love God, that you should trust God, that you should live a life of complete abandonment, following God, loving Him with all your heart and mind and soul. I know you may have doubts. I know you may think it too good to be true. I was just like you, till I walked into a barn, and saw God's promised gift. Trust me, its true, and if you give him your heart, he will never, ever break a promise.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Joy! Sermon for Dec 18 2011
Joy to the world In the Old Testament, in the Prophet Zephaniah we read. Zephaniah 3:14-17 New International Version 1984 (NIV1984) 14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” This paragraph is found at the end of a book that is for the most part not nearly this upbeat. Listen to chapter 1 10 “On that day,” declares the LORD, “a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.11 Wail, you who live in the market district[d]; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with[e] silver will be ruined.12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs,who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’
If we were to take the time to read the whole book (all three chapters) one gets the idea that something odd is happening here. God is proclaiming judgment and blessing at the same time. Do you remember the story of Paul and Silas Acts 16 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” Praying and singing hymns to God.
Perhaps they were singing Zeph 3:17 17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” I was rereading some of one of my favorite books. Desiring God, by Dr. John Piper. And in it he explains some things that greatly impacted me early in life.
1) Passion is not bad, it is good and is to be encouraged.2) Christians should not avoid pleasure, or to put it another way most Christians do not live the life they were created to live because the spend so much time trying to diminish their God given desires.
3) We were created to desire, to delight, and to find joy in God. And only in God does our heart find satisfaction.
4) Thus the subtitle of the book, "meditations on Christian Hedonism." These are really powerful ideas, and as we journey together as a church, I expect we will dig deeper into these truths, but today, I want us to consider what implications this might have for our Christmas celebration this week. The older I get the harder it is for me to find joy in Christmas. Is this true for you as well? Perhaps it is just the time of life I am in. The pace of life speeds up to an impossible speed. The tension between buying the perfect gift, and the lack of funds in the checking account creates stress. Pretty soon that jail cell that Paul and Silas were in starts to sound kind of inviting. Its quiet. There are no cell phones, or email, or Christmas letters to write. And yet we find in Zephaniah the direct imperative: Be glad and rejoice with all your heart!!! Be glad? Can we order our emotions? Is God unaware of my circumstances? Does he not see how hard life is? And suddenly something clicks. Suddenly, Ebonezer Scrooge wakes up. Suddenly, the Grinches heart begins to grow 3 sizes. Perhaps the joy is not to be found in the circumstances. Perhaps the Joy is to be found in God, who freely gives joy to all who seek him. What is the object of our delight?
This is the light bulb. This is the key. God is the source and object of our joy. To the extent that we make proper use of the things and events in our life to see God, we will find joy. We find this truth right in Zeph. "The LORD is mighty to save." Do we have a clear picture of who God is? "He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." You might ask, "Why does God take delight in me?" When you give a present on Christmas morning, and the gift you give lights up the eyes of the one receiving the gift - we, the gift giver, experience delight." It is the same for God. He delights in us, as we delight in him. It is not something we muster, as sometime we must at Christmas. We think of clever things to say if we receive a gift we do not want. a) Now there is a gift!
b) That will look great in my basement
c) I have been looking for a picture for my laundry room
d) I really don't deserve this But the great thing is, when God gives us himself, he gives the very best. And our joyful response, while it is commanded, is hard wired into our created being. two applications: 1) Have you, like me, taken your eye off of Jesus, and allowed your circumstances to dictate your disposition? Stop it. 2) This Christmas, do not expect to find joy in the things and the experiences, but in the creator of the things and the experiences, JOY TO THE WORLD...THE LORD HAS COME!
If we were to take the time to read the whole book (all three chapters) one gets the idea that something odd is happening here. God is proclaiming judgment and blessing at the same time. Do you remember the story of Paul and Silas Acts 16 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” Praying and singing hymns to God.
Perhaps they were singing Zeph 3:17 17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” I was rereading some of one of my favorite books. Desiring God, by Dr. John Piper. And in it he explains some things that greatly impacted me early in life.
1) Passion is not bad, it is good and is to be encouraged.2) Christians should not avoid pleasure, or to put it another way most Christians do not live the life they were created to live because the spend so much time trying to diminish their God given desires.
3) We were created to desire, to delight, and to find joy in God. And only in God does our heart find satisfaction.
4) Thus the subtitle of the book, "meditations on Christian Hedonism." These are really powerful ideas, and as we journey together as a church, I expect we will dig deeper into these truths, but today, I want us to consider what implications this might have for our Christmas celebration this week. The older I get the harder it is for me to find joy in Christmas. Is this true for you as well? Perhaps it is just the time of life I am in. The pace of life speeds up to an impossible speed. The tension between buying the perfect gift, and the lack of funds in the checking account creates stress. Pretty soon that jail cell that Paul and Silas were in starts to sound kind of inviting. Its quiet. There are no cell phones, or email, or Christmas letters to write. And yet we find in Zephaniah the direct imperative: Be glad and rejoice with all your heart!!! Be glad? Can we order our emotions? Is God unaware of my circumstances? Does he not see how hard life is? And suddenly something clicks. Suddenly, Ebonezer Scrooge wakes up. Suddenly, the Grinches heart begins to grow 3 sizes. Perhaps the joy is not to be found in the circumstances. Perhaps the Joy is to be found in God, who freely gives joy to all who seek him. What is the object of our delight?
This is the light bulb. This is the key. God is the source and object of our joy. To the extent that we make proper use of the things and events in our life to see God, we will find joy. We find this truth right in Zeph. "The LORD is mighty to save." Do we have a clear picture of who God is? "He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." You might ask, "Why does God take delight in me?" When you give a present on Christmas morning, and the gift you give lights up the eyes of the one receiving the gift - we, the gift giver, experience delight." It is the same for God. He delights in us, as we delight in him. It is not something we muster, as sometime we must at Christmas. We think of clever things to say if we receive a gift we do not want. a) Now there is a gift!
b) That will look great in my basement
c) I have been looking for a picture for my laundry room
d) I really don't deserve this But the great thing is, when God gives us himself, he gives the very best. And our joyful response, while it is commanded, is hard wired into our created being. two applications: 1) Have you, like me, taken your eye off of Jesus, and allowed your circumstances to dictate your disposition? Stop it. 2) This Christmas, do not expect to find joy in the things and the experiences, but in the creator of the things and the experiences, JOY TO THE WORLD...THE LORD HAS COME!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
My thoughts on Story of the Rich Young Ruler
My thoughts on Story of the Rich Young Ruler
Matt 19:16 1) The rich guy wants eternal life, he does not mention "a relationship with God."
2) Jesus points to the "Holy One" - a person, and that if you want life, live in right relationship with Him (obedience).
3) Which rules must I obey?
4) Lets start with a few of the Big 10...
5) Oh I am all over those...
6) How about selling your possessions. (This is an odd request in light of the culture. Riches = Blessed, Good people get good things, bad people have nothing). To be poor is to step away from the Blessing...
7) Man walked away sad, he had great wealth.
8) Jesus says, " Such a shame that guy is so far away from entering the Kingdom."
9) Disciples blown away, laughing at Jesus' analogy, and a bit puzzled..."Who can be saved?'
10) With man this is impossible, but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
11) Peter says, we have left everything to follow you...
12) Then Jesus says, When everything gets renewed, and I sit down on my glorious throne, you who have followed me will sit on your own thrones and judge the 12 tribes. And everyone who has left stuff will get 100 times as much and inherit eternal life.
13) the first will be last and the last will be first (Disciples first - poor Jesus followers. Rich man last - rich rule follower) ---------------- Advent lessons: In a world dark with weight of law (and all of us law breakers), Jesus came
Jesus left all of his possessions and came to earth as a baby born in a manger
This act of love puts on display God's love. Jesus also models for us what is required to follow him. We must become like him.
Who can be saved? - - - no one, BUT WITH GOD...you and I can be saved because of Christmas (and Easter)
Peter says, we left it all
Jesus says, one day you will have it all
Matt 19:16 1) The rich guy wants eternal life, he does not mention "a relationship with God."
2) Jesus points to the "Holy One" - a person, and that if you want life, live in right relationship with Him (obedience).
3) Which rules must I obey?
4) Lets start with a few of the Big 10...
5) Oh I am all over those...
6) How about selling your possessions. (This is an odd request in light of the culture. Riches = Blessed, Good people get good things, bad people have nothing). To be poor is to step away from the Blessing...
7) Man walked away sad, he had great wealth.
8) Jesus says, " Such a shame that guy is so far away from entering the Kingdom."
9) Disciples blown away, laughing at Jesus' analogy, and a bit puzzled..."Who can be saved?'
10) With man this is impossible, but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
11) Peter says, we have left everything to follow you...
12) Then Jesus says, When everything gets renewed, and I sit down on my glorious throne, you who have followed me will sit on your own thrones and judge the 12 tribes. And everyone who has left stuff will get 100 times as much and inherit eternal life.
13) the first will be last and the last will be first (Disciples first - poor Jesus followers. Rich man last - rich rule follower) ---------------- Advent lessons: In a world dark with weight of law (and all of us law breakers), Jesus came
Jesus left all of his possessions and came to earth as a baby born in a manger
This act of love puts on display God's love. Jesus also models for us what is required to follow him. We must become like him.
Who can be saved? - - - no one, BUT WITH GOD...you and I can be saved because of Christmas (and Easter)
Peter says, we left it all
Jesus says, one day you will have it all
Friday, December 09, 2011
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
A salute to MN from Jeff Foxworthy...
Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Minnesotans: If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Minnesota. ... If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Minnesota ... If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Minnesota ... If you measure distance in hou.........rs, you may live in Minnesota .... If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Minnesota .... If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you may live in Minnesota ... If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Minnesota ... If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Minnesota ... If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Minnesota ... If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Minnesota ... If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you may live in Minnesota ... If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Minnesota ... If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you may live in Minnesota ... If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Minnesota .... If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly', you may live in Minnesota ... (If you actually understand these jokes, and share them to your entire Minnesotan friends & others, you definitely live in Minnesota!)
Friday, November 18, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Come listen to the sermon from Oct 30 - my second best sermon ever.
My new episode "Sermon - 4th Birthday Party - I Cor. 13", has finished processing is now live on PodOmatic.
To view this episode, follow the link below:http://theedgecolorado.podomatic.com/entry/2011-11-12T09_23_06-08_00
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Family reunion - We will miss you Gordy
I got this email this morning.
What a great family heritage I have. I am humbled and grateful for those who have gone before.
I have no doubt that my dad's Uncle Gordy will be welcomed with a "well done, good and faithful servant."
See the email below
Mark
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, 6am
Greeting to all.
Just to let you know a Peterson family reunion began last night when dad received his promotion to join the ranks of saints. I spent the day and night with him and was with him when he transferred residency to heaven. It was a beautiful time together. We are in the process of arranging a service, possibly next week. I'll keep you posted as to when that will be.
Thanks for your continued prayer support and love to all of us.
Love, Gwen
Monday, November 07, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
A case for re-electing Obama?
– Twitter Oct 18, 2011
: I have not yet had the chance to watch a GOP debate. Who should I vote for?
– Obama :-) Oct 19, 2011Mark Kraakevik – Haha - yes, of course. So make your case. Why should I vote for Obama? I love his speeches, I am not quite as thrilled by some of his policies. And, in general, the country is not doing so great under his watch. Oct 19, 2011
Holly – I understand the frustration folks have about how we are doing. So why are we still in this funk and how did we get here?
Of course, the answers are not simple, but extremely complicated. Anyone who says it is one person's fault (even if they say it's GW's, my favorite villain) is just plain wrong.
Nonetheless, I do believe the policies promoted during the Bush years were hurtful. I was not in support of the war in Iraq, but even if it had been a "good war", it was short-sighted to not make a plan to pay for it. Bush added an amazing amount to our national debt through the war and through tax cuts that went primarily to the better off (thus, those who don't need to spend it immediately and so it didn't go back into the economy as quickly as it would have otherwise).
But of course, Bush didn't come up with all this by himself. De-regulation began with Reagan, I believe, and that contributed greatly to the economic crisis we are now in. The idea pushed for so long (and certainly for Libertarians still is core) was that an unfettered economy would naturally lead to growth and everyone would benefit. Trickle down. Float all boats. Accordingly, we just needed to cut down on (or better, cut out) all these regulations, and Capitalism would prove its merits. This idea was applied to the financial markets as well, and so innovation thrived unhindered, including those mortgage-backed securities that led to the Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis which has become a global problem, making it extremely difficult to get out of this mess quickly.
-- On a lighter note, I just love the Onion article of November 5, 2008: Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job (http://www.theonion.com/articles/black-man-given-nations-worst-job,6439/). --
These are just a few of the ways we got to this position. Clinton isn't blameless either. As I understand it, his administration pushed for every American family to own a home and that policy became the goal rather than a policy that promoted ownership only when it was the best financial decision. Home ownership isn't best in all situations, but facts get in the way of policy sometimes.
Since countries around the world are facing financial crises and we are in a global economy now, no longer insulated as much as we were, I don't see how we can bounce back quickly. What I am looking for is someone who will lead us forward through the storm with policies and plans that support the least among us, for they are certainly the ones who get hit the hardest no matter what kind of storm it is. That seems a lot more Christ-like than making sure the well-off can keep the money in the family after they die or seeing that taxes are low. Jesus made it clear 2000 years ago that he is not interested in tax policy but in people living their lives for God, doing what he says (Mark 12:13-17). And since God has said a whole lot about caring for the poor, that seems to me to be one of his stronger priorities.
Obama is not the savior we so wanted him to be 2008. No one on Earth could single-handedly get us out of this position. He is not pleasing anyone very much. But that is because he is much more moderate than those who enthusiastically supported him in the 2008 election and, I think, demonized by vocal groups on the right. The middle moderates tend not to speak out much nor are they as inclined to vote. So, along with the fact that those in power (extremists more than not) work to stay in power (e.g. redistricting, resisting or changing bills for election reform), we are trapped in a political culture that honors those who draw a line in the sand and refuse to compromise or negotiate. This means little or nothing gets done. Our system is set up with checks and balances which prevent any one branch from running away with power. It also just slows us down at times like this.
Back to your original question: whom to vote for. Looking at all the candidates, I see no one who will lead us out of this mess quickly. The Republicans are offering mostly people who are eagerly courting the Tea Party voters: way too far right (and promoted by Libertarian corporations, e.g. Koch). The Republican candidates are much further to the right than Obama is to the left. Of course, that is not the way the political operators want us to see it, but I think the actions and words clearly bear it out. They have tried to denounce Obama as a Socialist, but his record doesn't bear this out. Mitt Romney might be along the closest to a traditional Republican conservative and therefore more palatable to me than his fellow Republicans, but not better than Obama from what I can see.
I know you are a thoughtful person, open to learning from a variety of opinions. I love that. We may or may not vote the same way, but I am so grateful that you are who you are and that you listen to others, trying to understand a different perspective. It's refreshing.
Give Heidi my love and a big hug! Oct 20, 2011
Mark Kraakevik – I love that you took the time to write this out. This is very insightful. Thank you. I want to copy it and post it on my blog, so others can see it. I am guessing it will not get the attention it deserves here. Would that be ok? Oct 20, 2011
Holly – Sure. Thanks for the confidence booster! Oct 20, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sermon from The EDGE Co - Matt 5:17-20 - The Perfect Law
This next part of the Sermon on the Mount is all about God's law.
Jesus here reminds us that He has a very high view of God Law.
He says He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
This is an interesting statement. A quick read of the gospels might lead you to believe otherwise. Jesus eats food with his disciples on the sabbath. Jesus touches lepers. He stops religious leaders from stoning a woman caught in adultery. He says, "Neither to I condemn you, go and sin no more."
Some of us when we hear this, forget everything else we know about Jesus, and take this to mean that while Jesus may seem like a friend to sinners, he is in fact "keeping score" and if that is true, we are all in big trouble. The next phrase, rather than alleviating our fears, only makes it worse.
Jesus illustrates the eternality of God's law with a popular story line from contemporary Jewish teachers (5:18). Jesus' smallest letter (NIV), or "jot" (KJV), undoubtedly refers to the Hebrew letter yod, which Jewish teachers said would not pass from the law. They said that when Sarai's name was changed to Sarah, the yod removed from her name cried out from one generation to another, protesting its removal from Scripture, until finally, when Moses changed Oshea's name to Joshua, the yod was returned to Scripture. "So you see," the teachers would say, "not even this smallest letter can pass from the Bible." Jesus makes the same point from this tradition that later rabbis did: even the smallest details of God's law are essential.
Live it or teach it poorly, and you will be called the least in the Kingdom
Live it and teach it well, and you will be called the greatest.
Here we should remember the significance "greatness" has in Jesus' day. We read that the disciples were constantly fighting. And that their ongoing fight was "who is the greatest disciple?" "Which one gets to sit at his right and on his left?
And on several occasions Jesus is quizzed on what he believes to be the "greatest commandment."
To be called great is the World Series MVP award.
Last night, the TExas Rangers won the American League Penant. Nelson Cruz was selected ALCS MVP after his postseason-record sixth home run of the series, and he also had a record 13 RBIs. Young hit a pair of two-run doubles in a nine-run third inning that sent the Rangers on their way to becoming the AL’s first consecutive pennant winner since the New York Yankees won four in a row from 1998-01. Cruz is a great hitter.
Unless your righteousness surpasses the lay leaders and seminary professors -
Can you imagine someone saying, unless you can play baseball better than the Texas Rangers, you will not make it into the kingdom of heaven. What is Jesus taking about?
I would hope that all of us could agree that what Jesus means by this is that we must have genuine heart change. What does that look like?
Zacchaeus is an interesting fellow. When he climbs town that tree, his life completely changes. Everything that was important to him - money, personal safety - no longer matter, because Jesus loves him. He is now free to love others.
Saul, who becomes Paul, is another guy who experiences a complete life change. He is a pharisee that is on his way to evict Christians from their homes when he encounters Jesus (who speaks from heaven). Years later, Paul writes the letter of Galatians. The Christians in Galatia had decided that in order to really be Christian they had to obey all the Old Testament rules. In 2:15, he says, "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."
I listened to a sermon by Erwin McManus where he talked about the intersection of Buddism and Christianity. Erwin had met a Buddist who had just read the whole Bible in a week. Erwin McManus asked him what he thought, and he said it made him said. "Why?" "Because if it is true then I have to die and start all over again."
And a few verses later, Paul says, "19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”[d]
Let me see if I can sum this up.
Here at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he is laying out some basics for us. 1) The Law is eternal, and the no part of the law will ever be compromised. 2) Living, and teaching the Law correctly determines our greatness in the kingdom of heaven. 3) Unless our righteousness surpasses the religious superstars you know, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
This final truth could be said this way, "Only perfect people get to go to heaven."
One begins to understand why sinners like Jesus. Because he put everyone on the same level. Basically this teaching says, "Nobody gets to go." And thus the ones who had made more mistakes no longer felt judged by the ones who had made fewer mistakes.
But it goes deeper than this. Jesus begins the part of his sermon saying that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill them. To complete them. Jesus came to live the perfect life. And while the religious leaders thought Jesus was breaking the laws, he was in fact fulfilling the law at a level they could not even understand, let alone practice.
Then when Jesus dies on a cross, he is able to take upon himself the sins of the world. He exchanges his perfect life, for our imperfect life, in such a way that who ever believes in Jesus will not perish, but have eternal life. You might say, "only perfect people get in!" And I would say, that is why it is crucial that the life we live now is "in Christ." He declares us righteous, and then gives us the freedom to go and live life in his power.
Response:
1) Joy - we are free from the condemnation of the law we could not keep
2) Worship - Jesus died for us, and he alone deserves our worship and adoration
3) Righteousness - what we were previously unable to do, we now can do, because we have the Spirit within us.
Mark Kraakevik of 8776 West Geddes Place, Littleton, CO 80128
Mark can be reached at 720-308-4051
Mark's blog can be found at www.markkraakevik.posterous.com
Mark can be reached at 720-308-4051
Mark's blog can be found at www.markkraakevik.posterous.com
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Friday, October 07, 2011
Sunday, October 02, 2011
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