Happy Halloween!

Claire as a Green Bay Packer cheerleader!

Release What's Good

Author Larry Crabb says that we Christians often communicate to each other one of these two solutions: “Do what’s right” or “Fix what’s wrong.”Instead, the New Testament holds up a better way: “Release what’s good.” What’s good is the Holy Spirit, already living in us, with all the resources of God at his command.

Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God, 177.

A Constant Renewal

Remember the popular bracelet WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)? It was a vivid reminder to the one who wore the bracelet the actions, words, and thoughts of Jesus. When the individual was tempted to view something on television or in a magazine, the bracelet would prompt the person to think about whether Christ would spend time viewing the material. If the person was tempted to respond with anger or vengeance because of some offense, the bracelet would invoke Christ’s response in Luke 6:27-29, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” I am not sure how effective the bracelet was for the wearer since I have never worn one, but the concept was created to exhort people to think about Christ throughout the day.

I have found a similar concept with my wedding ring. On my wedding day, I received a James Avery ring with the Hebrew inscription from Song of Solomon 2:16, “My beloved is mine, and I am hers.” During the day when I am at work and away from my wife, I wear the ring with the Hebrew letters facing me so when I look down I am reminded that my heart and soul belongs to my wife. When I arrive home, I turn the ring around with the Hebrew letters facing away from me to remind me that I am with my beloved. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a little quirky, but something as minute as turning my wedding ring constantly renews my vows and commitments to my wife.

How will you make God famous?

Usually when you hear about ordinations, you typically think of doctrinal questions or statements such as the following: “Give me your position on Calvinism versus Arminianism.” Though such questions were asked during our deacon ordination on Sunday, the greatest question to the candidate was, “How will you make God famous in your life and the church?” Wow! As I listened to the candidate’s answer, I left the room wondering how do I make God famous.

Some pics from our vacation...

We took a few days last week to visit Pittsburgh for a short vacation and enjoyed seeing a couple of friends from Dallas. In addition to looking at the historical sites downtown, Claire enjoyed her time at the Pittsburgh Zoo.

What is evangelism?

Scott Dawson writes, “A majority of believers in this country do not have enough confidence in their knowledge of their faith to share it with another individual. Could it be that we have assigned evangelism, which is the natural outflow of knowing Christ, to an elite of believers who have achieved something special? My fear is that programs that were developed to enhance evangelism have now elevated evangelism to a level that intimidates most believers. Evangelism in its purest form is me sharing with you what Christ has done in my life” (Scott Dawson, ed., The Complete Evangelism Guidebook, 13).

Presenting the Gospel to Children

Nothing excites me more than hearing the laughter of children ringing through the halls of North Hills. During our Vacation Bible School we have been celebrating the number of children who have come to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I walked through the hall of our educational wing, I was reminded of Jesus’ rebuke to the disciples when he reprimanded them, “Permit the children to come to me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). So many people see children as a nuisance. I admit that it takes a lot of work to work with children. Just this week I have been bit on the arm, tried to soothe a crying child who wanted his mom, kept a child from heading wandering down the hill behind the church, attempted to outrun several kids in a foot race (note the word attempted!), and had many of them jumping on my back for a ride. Let’s us say that my body is not like it used to be.

However, imagine the impact that one can have in a child’s life just by spending a few minutes with him or her. I wish that I had someone who would have spent time with me when I was young and rambunctious. More than just having fun with these children which I believe is a bridge to reach them, I believe that the greatest impact that we can have is to present and model the gospel before them. Tonight I will have that opportunity. During last night’s festivities, a lady visited our church looking for some financial assistance. This divine appointment gave me the opportunity to present the gospel to her. So I asked, “How do you know that you are a Christian?” She replied, “Because I have lived the Ten Commandments?” Listening to her response forced me to realize how the gospel is not clear in people’s minds. If the gospel is not clear to this adult I can only imagine how muddled the gospel has been presented to these children. This leads me to my questions: “How do we present the gospel clearly to children?”