on Poverty

  As the chaos of the Baltimore riots settles down and as William and Kate and the rest of the world continue to gush over Baby Charlotte we are reminded once again that this world is not fair. Some are born into a life of servants and trust funds while others into poverty. Some young people are given every opportunity while others it seems are just victims of a never ending cycle of poverty. Here are a few thoughts on poverty as well as a challenge to give and give generously.

1) The poor matter a whole to Jesus.
  As I write this I sincerely hope that this can be a renewed mindset for you going forward. My prayer is that your heart wouldn't become calloused but rather become broken by those who don't have enough. Jesus proclaimed in Luke 4:18 that he was anointed to proclaim Good News to the poor.  In Luke 14:13 he encourages that those who are throwing a banquet to invite the poor and oppressed. In Luke 11:21 he reminds the disciples and his followers, "To be generous to the poor and all will be made clean for you."  Jesus' kindness even inspired Zaccheus to give generously back to the poor!
  In my opinion this is the heart of the gospel, lifting up those who are struggling. The struggles can range from physical, to emotional, to social, and for many people they are financial. Jesus' desire is that everyone would be a lifted up from their struggles, from their pain, and from not having enough. The craziest part of all is that he almost always uses human beings to do it. Christ's example inspired the early church to share everything and give to those who were in need (Acts 2:45). Peter and John were inspired to heal a blind beggar near the the temple gates (Acts 3:1-9). The list can go on and on, but one thing is clear if the poor mattered to Jesus they should matter to us as well, because Jesus did promise to us that he would be going away, but the poor would always be with us.
2) Learn to give generously.
  We aren't going to to have a long post today, because poverty is a complex issue. I will be the first to admit, I don't understand nearly many of the facets about poverty. But, I do know that God is good, and one day God will make all things right.
  Many of you reading this post might say, I don't have nearly enough money to pay all of my bills, my family has five mouths to feed, or we have extensive debt how can I/we give to help those who are poor? That is a great question, and I do want to assure you that in no way should you give to the point where your family suffers and has serious consequences. But, I do want you to ask yourselves do we as a family/individual need to visit Starbucks twice a week? Do we need four televisions in the house when we honestly can only really watch one at a time? Does every single person in our family need an Iphone? I think when we start to address poverty in our society by looking at our abundance and excess that clarifies things very clearly where our priorities.
  The poor will always be here. They are in need of things other than money. This summer weed out clothes you don't wear anymore and donate to a local shelter. Clean out your storage garage with furniture that you haven't sat on for years and donate it to your local salvation army. Offer to become a part of a local tutoring group that helps underprivileged students raise test scores. The list can go on and on. The poor matter to Jesus greatly, and likewise they should matter to us as well. 

on The Theory of Everything

  This inspiring yet heartbreaking movie chronicles the early career of Professor Stephen Hawking. The movie begins with Hawking as a young Phd student at Cambridge and it allows the viewer a rare glimpse into his struggle with MLS. Tears were shed when at the age of 21 Hawking was diagnosed with the awful disease, but one could not help feel a sense of personal triumph as he did not let the disease ruin his spirit or limit his academic work.

  Throughout the movie we watch as Jane struggles to provide Stephen with quality care while maintaining the rigors of having three children. A sign of a great movie is that it triggers some sort of emotional response in the viewer, and I couldn't help but feel sad that the disease was slowly paralyzing him, but I also felt overjoyed that Stephen was able to do so much despite being so physically limited.

  His goal in the movie is to come up with a unified theory/equation of the entire universe, a lofty goal I must say so myself. I'll let you watch the movie as you come to the conclusion whether or not he accomplishes this goal or not. But, I do challenge you to ask yourself, "Could his equation be complete if he put God in it?"

  Overall in terms of quality I give the movie 5 out of 5 stars, the story moves along nicely, the acting is brilliant, and while it won't keep you on the edge of your seat in terms of suspense I don't think you'll be disappointed. Some of the humor and themes are above young viewers' heads, but overall the movie had very little language or sexual material. I will give it a 3.5 stars out of 5 in terms of family friendliness.

on the Frustrations We Endure

One very common complaint amongst many folks is that there are too many big problems in our world today. The sides are too divided, people are too entrenched in their own mindset, political ideology, or the goals they may have for the future of their church, family, or even country. All the mire where it appears no progress is being made to solve issues of poverty, hunger, racial injustice, violence, war, heartache, and pain can leave a heart that is heavy and a mind that is confused. So the question remains: how do we as the body speak into the brokenness, address the pain, and are we able to do anything?? Well, let's dive into some ideas and see where that takes us. This may be a few different blog posts, but here goes nothing. . .
1) Place your anger in the right place
  If you watch the news or read the latest headlines you are bombarded by tales of brokenness, pain, and loss. Frustrations mount, discouragement sets in, and hands are often thrown out and our hearts shout out, "WHY!?" I've been there, even during my years of studying theology, church history, and scripture my mind often reflects back to the TOUGH question. Why doesn't God do something about all the brokenness and evil in the world??
  I've always been brought back to the purpose of the Cross. As Jesus hung on the Cross, and the sin of the world was poured on him, he had every opportunity to stop the Cross, but he finished the mission. Jesus endured the Cross to save you from your sin. Jesus saved all humans from their sin. The Cross is enough to satisfy sin's demands on human beings. The Cross is the ULTIMATE game changer, and the Cross is Jesus' loudest message that human beings are free from sin, can conqueror their struggles and temptations, and that all human beings are saved by Jesus' alone.
  Remember that God created all, redeems all, and desperately desires to be reunited with all human beings in glory, but we need to remember that all human beings are broken and in need of forgiveness. I hope this year we can remember that all human beings are in need of God's grace, love, and forgiveness and remember to love human beings and be motivated enough to rid our lives of sin that holds us back from living the life we were always intended to.

Journey with Jesus Day 1

  During our Lenten journey it is so crucial for us to wrap our minds around the incredible journey that led Jesus to the Cross. Our desire in this journey with Jesus is for you to use to be encouraged and inspired. In John 1 we are reminded of how powerful faithful obedience can be. In verse 43 Jesus calls out to Phillip and says, "Follow me." I want to make sure you do not miss what happens. Phillip doesn't question Jesus at all, doesn't ask what he'll get out of it, doesn't ask if it will be easy, doesn't ask if people will think well of him or even if he can bring anything along.

 All Phillip does is follow Jesus without question or hesitation. He was so inspired in fact that he tells Nathaniel that Jesus is the real deal and the one who Moses wrote about in the law and prophets. (John 1:45). Please note that all Phillip uses in his message to the others is his experience with Jesus. Going forward can we live like Phillip with unconditional resolve to let Jesus be first place over our entire life and tell others about the difference He has made and is making?

Lord, help me to be a vessel for your light and allow me to be a blessing for you today. AMEN

on Faith, Hope, and Luck Round 2

  If you watched Andy Stanley's first video we learned and saw a good foundation for our faith. The big thing I hope you took away is that our faith needs to be constant, not based on experiences or life's circumstances. Our second lesson dives into a fundamental concept that we as Christians need to wholeheartedly live out in all areas of our lives: our faith is a sure thing. Stanley's teaching dives into the popular ideas and notions of what people think about faith and how it shapes and affects their lives.

1) Faith is a sure thing. Stanley gives great real life examples of ways we misuse the term faith. Faith has been a term as Stanley points that people confuse with hope. Examples being let's have faith he'll come through. Our team might win the game if we have faith in them, and the list can go on and on. The encouragement he uses is to substitute the word hope into the above sentences. The Steelers hopefully will beat the Ravens. Let's hope she'll come home. We are hopeful they can turn things around, etc.

The difference is that faith is a guarantee and hope is more of a good chance. Stanley encourages you to bet on hope and to be hopeful in many areas of joy and struggle in your life. But, the conclusion is that faith is and will always be certain.

2) Faith is certain because of who it is in. The Apostle Paul reminds in Romans 8:31-39 that nothing that could ever happen to us on this earth could ever separate us from the love of Jesus Christ. The biggest challenge many people struggle with in their faith is that they forget they've placed their faith in a living God who loves them even more then they could ever ask for or dream of.

One of the challenges I encourage you to partake is to begin being very open and honest with God about your feelings, your hopes, your dreams, and expectations. God's pretty tough so he can handle some difficult things you may be going through. But, I also urge you to explore why you're feeling the way you are. The biggest mistake you can make is to allow negative feelings and doubt in your heart without working through them. Turn to the word of God and allow the wisdom of scripture to illumine your heart and mind. Ask questions of those around you, learn from their stories, and tell your story to help others understand and work through their feelings. Go with the confidence and knowledge that God is sufficient, and God is enough.

3) Joy is one of the biggest by-products of faith. Stanley was very clear in the message that your faith doesn't grow during your journey, but what your faith does do is produce spiritual fruit. There are many spiritual fruits that will be made manifested in your spiritual life. One of the biggest fruits that will be noticed and admired by others will be joy. Nehemiah reminds in Nehemiah 8:10 that the joy of the Lord will be our strength. So, I want to leave you with this question is the joy of following and being in a relationship permeating from your being? When was the last time you've laughed? Complimented someone out of the blue? Or even smiled?

Your faith in a loving, living God will produce much joy in all areas of your life. People will notice that your life is changing for the better all the time. Step out in faith each and every day of your life with the certainty that God goes with you, God knows you, and your future in Jesus Christ is set. Your joy and happiness will overflow in all areas of your life, and you will be an inspiration as you continue to live out your life with joyfulness during its painful moments. Bet on faith. Not because of how spiritual you are, how many books or Bible studies you've attended, but because of who your faith is placed in.

Feel free to think about and discuss areas where your faith has produced great spiritual fruit how has that made you feel and what did that look like?

Reaction to Faith, Hope, and Luck Round 1

 I do apologize that this first reaction from the first video was so long forthcoming. But, we are here and I will say that I'm pretty stoked. Faith, Hope, and Luck is an online study by Pastor Andy Stanley. The first lesson Better Odds contained much spiritual truth about Christians in all areas of life in our country today. Let's dive in a little bit and see what we can learn from this video.
1) Experiential faith vs. Mature Faith
  I will say that Andy presented a lot of good ideas and truths in this discussion, so it can be easy to miss something. He described experiential faith as having one's faith changed and altered based on your life experiences. For example your faith could be full of life and energized after you come back from a meaningful, spiritual retreat, but your faith can easily fall away after you receive some terrible health news from your doctor. There are countless other examples of both experiences and events in life that can either strengthen or diminish an experiential faith. 
 Stanley highlights this classic struggle very well and even suggests that many believers go through this tension almost on a daily basis. Part of the dangers of an experiential faith can be found in Jesus' account of the parable of the sower. A few things to note in this classic parable:
1) This is one of the few parables that Jesus actually explains in great detail. Most of the parables of Jesus are left unexplained, but oddly enough Jesus tells everyone what the meaning behind the sower is. Why does he explain just this one? Well, my view is that the truth and power behind the parable is so powerful that Jesus wanted to make sure no one missed it: in our faith journey we all believe in the same and Lord and Savior, but if our faith falls on rocky soil or we allow weeds to grab our heart then troubles can emerge.
  Take the time to develop a regular prayer life and relationships with Christians who are both stronger and weaker than you in the faith. Remember to be patient, because the Christian life is a marathon not a sprint.
2) The word of God should and does travel everywhere! The word travels to those who genuinely want a life change and to grow a deep faith, but it also goes to people who just want a quick fix to be happy. So, my encouragement to you is be an example of a deep mature faith. Be honest in all situations, learn to season your words with grace and love, work hard, love your family, and the list can go on and on. Human beings learn very well from example, and you could be a great example of what God is doing in your life. In the time when many people make new year's resolutions can you or your family make a resolution to more intentionally live out your faith?

Stanley goes on to quote Hebrews 4:14 as the scripture verse of his message.

on Into the Woods

  This will be my first of a few movie reviews coming out hot and fresh into 2015. I hope and pray that the holidays were relaxing and blessed for all this past year. One of the great truths that each new year brings is that it brings a fresh start and new beginning to all those who felt down, hurt, and disappointed by the previous year. As we journey together in this year, let us remember that learning and developing the skills to think theologically are absolutely crucial for mature Christians
  Movies, music, television, video games, books, and all forms of entertainment and amusement are areas that challenge us to think theologically about the messages that are embedded in them. Into the Woods is a fun, entertaining movie/musical that came out in theaters across the country on Christmas Day.
  Without giving too much of the plot away the story centers on a baker and his wife who learn early on in the movie that their neighbor who happens to be a witch has placed a curse on their family line. The curse is that their line will be barren. However, after the witch finishes explaining the curse she informs the baker and his wife there is one way to reverse the curse. They need to find four items: 1) a cow as white as milk, 2) a cape as red as blood, 3) hair as yellow as corn, and 4) slippers as pure as gold. All four items correspond with a different fairy tale: Jack and the Bean Stalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella.
  The baker and his wife must find all these items in the woods before the stroke of midnight on the third day. It's a zany, musical adventure that leaves you guessing, laughing, and cheering all the way until the very end. The movie fairly seamlessly combines several fairy tales as it tells a new story for the viewer to enjoy. It does seem a tad long at points, and it doesn't end at the moment you would expect, but overall it was a very satisfying movie. The music was excellent and all the cast is very proficient in their singing abilities. One criticism of the story is that since it combines many fairy tales into one some of the story lines do appear underdeveloped and rushed. The bottom line is that the cast is amazing, the costumes great, special effects are superb, and the music will leave you wanting more. I give it four out of five stars in terms of quality.
  Looking at the movie from a theological perspective there are some good truths that we can pull out. One of the main truths of the movie is that our decisions do have real consequences for all of those around us. We do not make our decisions in a vacuum, and the choices we make do affect others in both good and negative ways similar to the decision that the baker's father made to steal the witch's beans. The second truth and there are many more in the movie is the idea that we need to be there for each other in the good and bad times. The characters will have both many good and sad moments during the movie, and I think you will be inspired to see how they respond. We as the church have great opportunities to respond in both good and broken moments to each other as Christ would have responded to us.
  In terms of family friendliness the movie is rated PG. This movie has no cursing or sexual innuendos. However, it does have some violent and at times sad moments. I would rate it 4.5 out of 5 in terms of family friendliness.