Last week I was reading the story of Josiah, a king of Judah. He became king when he was 8 years old. He later found the book of law in the temple after it had been lost for many years. He came under such conviction that he tore his robes and went on a holy rampage against the idols and high places of the time. It was one of the greatest revivals in OT history. When I was reading, the Lord highlighted to me the name "Shaphan son of Azariah". Out of curiosity I Googled it. The internet can be a beautiful thing as I had instant access to a professor of OT history. Thanks to Claude Mariottini, I found out the entire history of Shaphan and his family.

http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/labels/Huldah.html

It turns out Shaphan was an amazing counselor. I don't know how many 8 year olds you know, but the ones I know can barely remember to brush their teeth, much less run a kingdom. Yet by listening to the counsel of Shaphan and others like him, Josiah turned out to be the best king since David, never turning back once he knew what was right. Shaphan didn't hesitate to go to a prophetic woman, Huldah, to get direction even though women had little value in that culture.

Not only that, but Shaphan must have been a good father. His sons and grandsons were all influential in the remaining days of the monarchy in Judah. They aided Jeremiah the prophet with his mission. His grandson Gedaliah even became governor of Judah once the kings had been taken out by Babylon. The story of Gedaliah is great just by itself. He was courageous in the face of death and refused to kill the man who was plotting to take his life. Gedaliah was eventually assassinated by that man, but the Jewish people remember his sacrifice today in the "Fast of Gedaliah".

http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/2007/09/fast-of-gedaliah.html

I thought all of this fascinating and because the Lord had pointed it out I felt like there was something to it. Later that night I got the confirmation through the language of the Spirit. Since Nicole is pretty immobile nowadays, she and I have been watching old seasons of Lost, our favorite program. That night we watched an episode from season 2, which originally aired November 30^th, 2005, in which one of the characters recited the story of Josiah to explain what he had found that would fill in one of the blanks to the show’s mystery. Now what are the chances that I would be watching a secular TV show that is almost 4 years old, on the internet, on the very same day that I read the story of Josiah? Not very likely, I love the language of the Spirit.

But what it meant I did not yet know until today. Since we are in ND for the summer, I get our church’s webcast a day late usually. I was listening today and while the message did not deal directly with this topic, at the end of message, Pastor Bill was leading some prayers and he mentioned that someone had had a dream that President Obama was hearing counsel from a godly individual, and an ungodly individual, and he hadn’t decided to which man he would listen. When I heard that I knew why God showed me what he did.

We need to pray for President Obama. It is not a statement against his character to say that he is not the most experienced person to be elected president. We need to pray for his staff. He needs good counsel like Josiah; the 8 yr old kid who inherited a kingdom needed good counsel. We need to pray that the gifting and the anointing of Shaphan would be on his staff. That they would give good counsel; That they would seek out the prophetic for direction; That they would be good parents that would raise generations that would impact the government for good; Pray that God would lead our leaders in revival as He leads the people of this nation in a revival like we have not yet seen before.

This is important

-- JT

HT: Desiring God

Crazy Healings on Saturday

This Saturday was my turn in our church's Healing Rooms. We have them open each Saturday and we have 4 teams that each take a week a month to pray for the people who come in to receive prayer. I've been doing this for years, and have seen some pretty cool things. However, this Saturday I saw the most amazing sequence of healings that I've ever seen. A young girl came in who was completely deaf in her left ear. It had been that way for 4 years, ever since she had a tube inserted in it. We begin prayer by commanding the left ear to open up. We then started doing some simple tests of hearing that she was able to pass. When we asked her if she was feeling anything she began to vigorously rub her ear. I asked her what was happening and she said her ear popped. Someone asked if this was normal and she said it hadn't happened in years, ever since the tube was put in. Then it began to pop continuously, which freaked her out a bit. I assured her that if the popping wasn't normal, and hadn't started until we prayed, that God was doing something with her ear. We did a few more tests and her hearing was completely restored! We all praised God and thanked him for His goodness for moment before I asked her what was wrong with her legs. She said she was born with twisted bones in her legs, which had caused her pain since birth. I had her sit down and I brought her heels together to see if her legs were the same length. I could see her left leg was about 3/8 ths of an inch shorter then the right leg. I commanded the left leg to grow out. It immediately started moving rapidly outwards, it came so fast that it actually shot past the right leg until it stopped about 3/8 ths of an inch longer then the right leg! I told the girl not to panic and that I would just command the right leg to grow out. After I did that, the right leg began to grow out until it came to a stop at the same length as the left leg. While I was doing this the girl kept crying out that her leg was on fire. I told her that was a good thing and one of the team members could feel the heat radiating off her leg through her jeans without even touching it. At this point we were all freaking out with joy and surprise. None of us and seen this much healing all at once with one person. I thought I might as well ask her if there was anything else she needed healing for since God was on such a roll. She said she couldn't see very well, and that words needed to be about 6 inches from her face for her to read them. We prayed for her eyes to be healed and had her test them out be trying to read a coffee cup that was in the center of the room.. She couldn't read that but another team member was walking up so I had him stop about 5 feet away and asked if she could read his name tag, which she excitedly said she could. We all praised God in wonder for a few minutes before sharing the news with everyone in the room who was either praying for people or had come in for prayer. There were several other healings reported after as the faith and expectations were raised. I was so blown away by what happened, i just wanted to share with you all that God is still in a good mood and these kinds of things are still happening, I've seen them with my own eyes. Praise Jesus!

Advent

Here is a video that has been playing at my church. I hope you take to heart the message that it provides. What if all Christians stopped getting entangled in all the lights, commercials and useless gifts, but instead gave from the heart. Gave their money, time and effort to share the real reason for Christmas to a friend, family member, or even a stranger!! Do not let this Christmas go by without making a sacrifice for the Lord, for the Gospel.



Be His,
Jake

Crime and Punishment...and Cookies, Part II

Last month I wrote about a ministry we were taking part in where we delivered cookies to prisoners. I wanted to share with you some of the happenings that come out of that ministry. The following is an excerpt from a letter written by the gentlemen who headed up this ministry, Dan Wittig:

On the Kairos weekend, every person sitting around the tables was given zip-lock bags filled with a dozen cookies in each. The first couple of bags disappeared instantly. But after that, the inmates got their fill and the cookies started to stack up. At each break an inmate and Kairos alumnus would hand out another bag of cookies. At the end of the day, I handed a couple of bags that were given to me to an inmate and told him "Here, take my cookies, and sell/trade them." He replied, "No! We have to give them away. You don't understand! You don't know what these cookies mean to us. For many of my fellow inmates, the best thing that will happen to them all year is to be handed this bag of cookies."

At the end of the day on Saturday, the inmates were told to think of the most unforgivable person in the prison. For some that would be another inmate. For others it would be a guard with whom they had a confrontation, but they were told to think of a person that they would have the hardest time forgiving. After a couple hours for reflection, the inmates were then given a bag of cookies. They were told that these were 'Forgiveness Cookies,' and they were to give the cookies to the unforgivable person and tell them that they were forgiven.

The next day there was a time that a microphone was opened up for anyone who would like to share what happened the night before.

Mike approached the mic. He had run-ins with another inmate that led to fights a couple of times. He went to that person's room and found the person asleep on his bunk. Mike gave the cookies to the person's cell mate and left instructions for the person to come see him when he awoke. They eventually got together later that night and spoke. Mike said that the talk must have had a profound effect on the inmate, because later the next morning when the inmate was telling others about the cookies. He told the other inmates in bewilderment "He didn't even punch me."

Mike sat down and another inmate took the podium. Adam told a story about his mother and girlfriend being murdered. Somehow Adam ended up in prison as well, and once inside the prison system he had been trying to get transferred to the same prison as the killer, ever looking for the opportunity to exact his revenge by killing the murderer. His voice quivered. They both had been transferred to AZ. Adam explained that after several years of trying to kill the murderer, he had outgrown this endeavor and moved on. But with the Forgiveness Cookies, he had been asked to give them to the most unforgivable person in the prison. That would be the murderer of his mother and his lover. He had not been able to connect with the other prisoner as of yet, but he was keeping a bag of cookies and would be making the connection any day now. Rather than receiving a knife blade into some vital organ, he would be handed a bag of cookies and told "I Forgive You."

Please continue to pray that Christ would reveal himself to the inmates and that their hearts would be moved that they would live for Christ.

Peace,
Monte

A God School

I wanted to take a moment to brag on my 11 yr old son, Nick. He was given an assignment at his school to write a paragraph about what he thought a God school is. It almost brought tears to my eyes when I read it for the first time. It is full of passion and zeal and goals that I never in a million years would have thought of when I was a kid. I wanted to share it because I love the glimpse on how his minds works and what his ‘normal’ is. You rock Nick!

“A God School”
My school, Bethel Christian School, is a God school. A regular Christian school has things like healing, worshipping, prayer, etc, but a God school is a whole new experience. It has flagging, fire tunnels, people being drunk in the spirit, and even boys who would feel safe to dance. Now a fully fledged God school is the best thing that can happen to a school, especially a public one. It would have people being raised from the dead. It would have a Godlike atmosphere on campus, and people would have spiritual eyes; the whole enchilada. A God school usually has Christians, or at least people becoming Christians. My school is a church! How cool is that? It’s not a boring church like the kind where you just stand still, and sing hymns all the time. No way! Our church preaches with energy, we worship with enthusiasm. Even baptizing is a glorious experience. The testimonies make you want to praise God even more! So if you’re not a Christian or if you want a God school just ask God to come. Or come to bethel sometime; I bet you’ll love it!

Jon

A Nautical Analogy

When I graduated from high school I was given a gift from my parents to honor my accomplishment. They gave me a charm that was in the shape of a compass. I quickly attached it to a chain and wore it as a necklace. This gift not only means a lot to me because it was given to me by my parents, but because I value the symbol of the compass. The concept of a journey and guiding with true direction is what appeals to me. This relates so clearly to our walk with God. There is a verse I commonly tie to my compass and that verse is PROVERBS 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight.” God is our true North and the Bible is our compass.

This past August I said good-bye to a close friend of mine as he set off to sail around the Atlantic on a reputable sea worthy ship. To encourage him on his journey I removed my compass from around my neck and entrusted it to him to bring back safely. It was logical to me that around his neck during this time was where my compass belonged.

Cody is currently on the last leg of his three month trip sailing the salty sea. He began this journey aboard the Picton Castle in Norway. The ship is 180 feet long and 100 feet high, with a crew of 30 plus and 19 sails. They have sailed to England, Germany, France, Portugal, and Spain. He has seen castles, dolphins, cathedrals, and more water than some of us could dream of. Spending countless hours with the crew Cody has learned about topsails, Clews, bowsprits, and royals.

As I wait for my compass to return in about two weeks, I continue to pray for my friend’s safe return and am pondering constantly the words spoken by our pastor this past Sunday. He was referring to fellowship and described it so simply. “Fellowship is kind of like a bunch of fellows on a ship.” He went on talking about how the daily happenings of a crew’s life on a ship in such close proximity to one another with limited places to hide. I have tasted the blessings that come from the gift of fellowship and the positive impact that can make on a man’s life. (J.O.C. and etc.) I look forward to having fellowship with my friends, that I have not seen for a few months, some time soon. I continue to seek this and understand what healthy, God-centered fellowship looks like I need this and you do too.

If you are interested in reading and seeing some amazing pictures from Cody’s blog, maybe in hopes of making the fellowship analogy a little more clear, the web site is http://codyslettenproject.com/news.html

Election Post Mortem

I was disappointed on election night to say the least. As I have said in the past, I was not a huge McCain fan but am scared about the social and cultural implications of an Obama presidency with large Democrat majorities in Congress. I have already written about some of the specific things I am worried about and there will no doubt be many radical left-wing groups looking for payback from Obama for helping him get elected. I expect we will start hearing more about their "wish lists" in the next few months. Just wait, it will come.

It took me a few days but now I am over the election night losses and am thinking about the future. In the economic sense, the American people got what they wanted and now the Democrats will have total control and must deliver or will suffer the consequences. Socially, they will have the power to influence our culture in many ways for years to come, especially if new Supreme Court justices are chosen. I fear we will move in the wrong direction, especially in protcting the unborn and the traditional definition of marriage.

It is hard for me, as someone who cares deeply about these issues and the future of our country, to remember that this world is only temporary and we should be focusing on eternal things. That is not to say that we should not be passionate about these issues, but we must be careful not to have more passion for them than we do for Christ and his kingdom. We should also not let adverse outcomes shake our faith. God is sovereign and in control of all. He has a plan. He allows leaders to rise and fall. What we think is an awful outcome may be part of His perfect plan to advance His kingdom.

I think Pastor John Piper sums it up well in this video. Watch and enjoy.

Until Next Time,
The Counselor

Bill “Willy” Corley (1918 – 2008)

Last night at 11:00, November 3, 2008, my sweet grandfather, Bill Corley, passed away. It is hard to know what to say about a man who has been a living hero of mine since I can remember. I know I am fortunate to even have memories of a grandfather, let alone one I have had in my life for 40 years.

Grandpa was born in Hollis, Oklahoma, in 1918. He had 3 sisters and 4 brothers and his father, Ezra, was a farmer. The stories my grandpa told me when I was a young about his childhood are the type of true American tales that movies are made of. I could sit for hours and listen to him talk about all the funny things that happened on the farm between him and his brothers. He was a gifted guitar player and singer and would often play for us which we really enjoyed and greatly miss (check out www.youtube.com/user/AZCorleys). He was a true fisherman and I think that was when he was the most content. I say that knowing though that this was a man that never seemed anything but content. He always had a smile on his face and was always whistling a tune. I never once saw my grandpa angry.

Like many of his generation, my grandpa served in the military in World War II while my Grandma was back in the states. He wrote my Grandma frequently, many times in poems and many times in letters that had codes in them so she would know where he was at. After the war he went to school on the GI Bill and again, like many, moved out west where he started a family, drove an ice cream truck for awhile, bought a small home and started a church. He became a school teacher and then a vice principal and retired from teaching in the early 1980s. He truly had an American life and was part of what I believe was the greatest generation.

There is so much more I would like to share with you about him but I just want to give you a brief picture of this great man and try to honor his memory in some small way.

I know as Christians that we don’t deserve what God has given us in our salvation. But I have no doubt that he is now home with God enjoying his heavenly gift. I don’t know exactly what happens to us when we die and I don’t know if Grandpa can have a conversation with God right now. But, if he can, I want God to tell him that I could never tell him enough how much I loved him. I could never tell him enough that he was and is my hero. I can never thank him enough for teaching my father about Jesus and being an example for him, for me, and for my entire family on how a Christian man should love and live. There is no telling the number of people my grandpa has influenced in his live, my guess would be in the thousands. I do know that his impression on me has shaped who I am and has shown me how to love my children, how to love my wife, and how to love my God.

Grandpa, I will miss you greatly. I know you are complete now and I rejoice that you are with Grandma again after so many years here without her. I rejoice that you are home with God. I look forward to the day when I can see you again and quietly listen to the stories of your youth, see your smile, and hear you whistle a tune in heaven. I will think of you whenever I see my boys smile.

Monte

Crime and Punishment...and Cookies

I spent a couple of hours on Saturday making my world famous chocolate chip cookies. Okay, maybe not world famous but they are pretty good. Actually, there is no big secret to how I make them. Just add ½ cup more of flour than It calls for, an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract, and extra chocolate chips. And oh yeah, don’t bake them for too long, only about 10 minutes max, Probably not the coolest thing for a guy to be putting a recipe on a men’s blog but oh well…I digress…

The reason I was making the cookies is for a friend of ours that found out about a prison ministry that takes cookies to prisoners down in Florence. Seemed like a cool thing to do and a chance that the Gospel be shared through a simple act of kindness. I’m embarrassed to say though that as I was making the cookies, I started thinking about what kind of crime did the person commit that was going to be eating these cookies? Whose life did they ruin? Who did they cause physical and emotional pain? Were there children involved? Basically, it was really negative thinking that I should not have been doing.

I mentioned what I was thinking to my wife and she wisely said, “Kind of like the crimes we have committed against God?” Ouch. She was absolutely right. How many times have I committed a crime against God and how many times has He forgiven me? I can’t even count the times. I’ve taken the “3 Strike” rule to new levels with God. Here I am offering a few cookies to a criminal when God has given eternal salvation and happiness to a criminal who is just as guilty. I’m blessed to have a wife that reminds me to get some perspective on these kinds of things. What an amazing God we serve that forgives our crimes again and again and on top of that, rewards us beyond what we can imagine.

Peace,
Monte

The Vote

I had the opportunity to talk with my father about the upcoming election tonight. I have to say that my dad is not a worrier, but the sound of his voice spoke volumes. We are about to elect a president that will have an impact far greater than his 4 or 8 years in office. We are electing a president who, just in Supreme Court nominations alone, will impact this country for the next 40 years.

As a Christian, I am finding it more and more difficult to understand how other Christians can vote for Obama with a clear conscience. This is not a stab at his fiscal policy, lack of experience or any of the other problems "conservatives" have with Obama. His associations with men like Rev. Wright, Rashid Khalidi, Bill Ayers have to make you pause. I do not understand how someone can believe Obama did not know the beliefs of a man he was friends with for 20 years. Even if this relationship was a coincidence, the other associations he has with people who hate America must be taken into account. Character matters.

During the Q & A at Saddleback church, Obama was asked when human rights for babies begins. He answered that question by saying, "whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question is 'above my pay-grade.'" With all due respect, how can the leader of the free world say that answering any question is "above my pay-grade?" At another rally, he went on to say that he would teach his daughters good morals, but if they made a mistake he would not want his "daughters to be punished with a baby." There are so many references in Scripture that speak to God knowing us in the womb. Life is valuable. God sent His Son to die for us that we may have life. A baby is not punishment, a baby is a gift from God.

Brothers and Sisters, when you vote for President this week, bring your faith into the voting booth with you. While I am concerned with fiscal policy, Supreme Court appointments, and many other things each candidate represents; I am first concerned with electing the man who will most often be in line with Biblical principles. Remember also, that no matter the outcome, God is in control. He wills things for His purpose and we can rest in that.

The Call

I’ve been watching “The Call - San Diego” today. It has been amazing. Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego filled with people fasting, praying, and worshipping. While its purpose was to pray in righteous laws and people in this election season, the first couple hours has hardly mentioned that. I’ve been amazed as the leaders have spent hours leading the people in all kinds of repentance. Evangelicals repenting to Catholics for the way they have treated them at times and asking for forgiveness. Whites repenting to blacks for the way they have treated them asking for forgiveness. Pastors repenting for the death they have introduced into their families through pornography asking for forgiveness. The leaders are repenting for the broken covenants of divorce that is epidemic throughout the church. The founder, Lou Engle, says we the church have no right and no authority to demand the government to have righteous laws unless we the church can own our own brokenness and repent and change from our own wicked ways. It is pretty awesome; a modern day walking out of 2 Chronicles 7:14:

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

I’m excited to see how this proceeds and finishes, as well as the fruit of this historic moment.

A Value System

I’ve spent a lot of time this year in political discussions that were centered on “value systems”. The definition of value systems that we were using would be something like, “A set of core values and high values that dictate a person’s beliefs and which eventually become actions. Core values are values that absolutely cannot be compromised. High values can be compromised, but not easily.” This is a very valuable tool when discussing different and polarizing topics. We were able to navigate through abortion, war, and corporate greed and yet both parties were able to walk away feeling understood and valued. Take abortion for example, it isn’t that one side wants to save babies and one side wants to kill babies. One side has a core value for the life of babies from the unseen time of conception through birth. The other has a core value for a choice in ending the pregnancy from conception to even the extreme cases of post partum/infanticide. Both sides have different values which manifest in different ways while agreeing fewer abortions would be a good thing. I don’t want to go down the abortion trail in this blog. I merely want to use this example of differing value systems, brought to light by the election season to ask, “What does God’s value system look like and how are we aligning ourselves to it?” For example to get the juices flowing, I would say we generally place a higher value on reading the bible then God does. I think we place a higher value on democracy then God does. I think we generally place a higher value on going to church then God does. I am speaking in general terms of the western church, but if I am right that this is the general value system we have in America, then what does God value more then we do and how do we need to adjust our value system? Thoughts anyone?

As a Christian conservative, I have found myself becoming more and more pessimistic about the upcoming elections and the future of our our great country. It scares me that the media is portraying a very liberal and unaccomplished senator like Obama as our 'savior' in these tumultious times. They are relentlessly pounding home what they hope will be their self-fulfilling prophecy of an Obama landslide. I am not a huge McCain supporter, I am just very scared about what the Democrats will do with the Presidency and large majorities in both houses of Congress, which from my perspective could do long-term and irreparable damage to our country. Consider the following list of their likely priorities:

1. Socialized medicine a/k/a national healthcare
2. Destroying the Biblical definition of marriage as between one man and one woman - Even though some Democrats say they want to maintain this, it will be in name only as the same rights, priviliges and protections will be given to homosexual couples, watering down and making any distinction between the two meaningless. Granting these same extra rights and privilges to homosexual couples will be in fact promoting homosexual marriage, which I believe should not be our public policy.
3. Reducing restrictions on abortion
4. Reinstating the 'fairness doctrine' in an attempt to silence conservative media voices
5. Socialistic-type economic policies (wealth redistribution, state 'make work' programs, ballooning entitlements, increased centralized control, etc.) Not to mention the liberal justices that will be seated on the Supreme Court with all Democrats in control.

It is not that I do not believe a Christian can support Obama in good conscience, I just have serious concerns about where a major shift to the Democrats would take us as a nation. I have not given up hope and thrown in the towel, it is just that I feel like things are spinning out of control.

I had this discussion with a close friend the other day and we both agreed that the best thing we can do as believers it to trust in God's sovereignity and pray. Pray often! We obviously should also get involved and vote, but there is power in prayer.

Until Next Time,
The Counselor

Comfort

Recently, at about 2 am, our youngest son Conner woke up in a terrific panic because he could not breathe. Tears were pouring out of his eyes as he tried to communicate to us that he couldn’t get any air. To give you some background, Conner was 2 months premature and had to have a breathing tube put in as a newborn. This caused a permanent narrowing of the airway called subglottic stenosis. When he gets any kind of cold with a cough or congestion, it sounds like the croup and results in a very rough and raspy cough. If it gets bad enough and there is enough swelling in the airway, it can make it really difficult to breath, much like a severe asthma attack. It sounds like a sick seal for lack of a better description.

After 2 breathing treatments, usually one does the trick, he was falling on the floor still very much uncomfortable and unable to get a good breath. Call 911.

The ambulance showed up and his oxygen levels had dropped below normal and they suggested getting him to the hospital right away. Conner chose Mommy to go with him in the ambulance and I stayed home as our 6 year old was asleep in bed through it all.

I can’t describe the feeling of strapping my 4 year old in to the gurney and watching him loaded up in to the back of an ambulance, all the time with a breathing mask over his face, little tears in his eyes, looking to me to assure him that everything was okay. I did my best to give him a big smile and thumbs up and expressed how cool it was that he was getting to ride in an ambulance and that mommy was right up in front with him. From what I could tell, he seemed to get some comfort out of my reaction and what I was saying and seemed to think that everything would be okay after all. And it was okay. He is home now resting and doing much better.

I’m not sure at the age of 4 if Conner has learned to get comfort and reassurance from anywhere other than Mandy and I. It’s a great responsibility as a parent to provide that kind of comfort but I do think it comes naturally. You just love your kids so much that you always want to reassure them that everything will be okay. I wonder at what age you grow out of that and need something more to comfort you. I hope that as a father, my sons will always get some form of reassurance from the things I tell them. But more importantly, I look forward to the day when they receive comfort from God as I now do. I wonder how people who are lost can get along in life without that source of comfort…

Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God.I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
(Isaiah 41:10 as read from The Message)

Peace,
Monte

Heaviness of Heart

Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel a heaviness of heart? I am not talking about the moments when you feel as if someone you love has been in an accident. I am talking about a melancholy feeling when you just want to sit quietly and contemplate your life. A time when you want to let the busyness of life just melt away and really explore your deepest desires and thoughts. I had one of those moments the other day.

As I went to bed, I said goodnight to my wife and just laid there with the light on. I stared at the wall and tried to be quiet and listen to God. It is not easy for me to not have a quiet mental moment. My mind usually has no problem staying busy thinking about life, school, family, etc, etc. I think I may be an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder. Sometimes I really feel that God wants us to slow down so He can speak. This means that we do not talk, we just need to stop and listen to that still small voice. The voice that says, “you have been shutting me out to long, we need to spend some quality time together.” It is this voice that the mundane nature of each day can so easily squelch.

Why is it that God is the one we push out when life get’s busy? I remember hearing a story about an old theologian who was very busy one day. His secretary was telling him that he did not have time for his usual one hour of prayer that morning due to his busy schedule. He looked at her and said she was right. He was so busy he would have to start his day with TWO hours of prayer.

It is that type of dedication to our Lord that I admire. The kind of “sold out” mentality that our Lord expects of us. It is that kind of life that I want to lead. I don’t want to be the type of Christian that uses God as an ATM, only going to him when I have something I need to get. I want to be the type of Christian that looks to the Lord first for all that I need and all that I have to offer. I want to show God that it is for Him alone that I strive to be the best. I want to show God that He really is important to me and worth my effort. To show God that I know it is He alone that allows me each day with my wife and daughter.

I ask that you join me today in praising God for all He has given us. The beauty of the gospel is not a one time deal. It is something that we need to be mindful of each day. Join me in taking the quiet moments, when your heart feels heavy, and look to the Lord. Slow down and listen to the Creator as He so intimately calls us into relationship with Him.

The Big 4-0

Friday, September 12: As I write this, I’m 39 years old. In a few hours, I turn 40. I’ll admit that when I turned 30, I didn’t handle it gracefully. I moped around the house for a couple weeks feeling sorry for myself. I didn’t expect that was how it would be so I’m not sure how I’m going to feel when I wake up in the morning, a 40 year old man. Let’s wait and see…
Sunday, September 14: Well, it wasn’t quite as bad as I thought. Maybe I’ve gained some perspective on age since 30. I’ll admit though, I did run through quite a few “it’s not so bad because…” thoughts in my head. I’m a big fan of the show “Friends” and after all, almost all of the Friends are 40 or older now. So 40 must be the new 30, right? Here is some real perspective from what was going on when I was born in 1968:
· #1 song of 1968 – Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding
· Best Picture of 1968 – Oliver
· The Vietnam war was in full force
· Johnson was President
· Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated
· The musical “Hair” opened on Broadway
· The Beatles release the “White” album
· Planet of the Apes in theaters
· 2001: A Space Odyssey in theaters
· The Banana Splits television show debuts
· Also born in 1968: LL Cool J, Hugh Jackman, Molly Ringwold, Josh Brolin, Eric Bana, Will Smith, Owen Wilson, Brendon Fraser

So you are probably thinking, “Wow, that’s old, he’s the same age as Wolverine???” Okay, maybe you aren’t thinking that but yeah, I am as old as the “White” album.
In all seriousness though, what I’ve been thinking about most, is how 40 years is just a blink of the eye in terms of the rest of my life in heaven. I can’t even wrap my mind around what this life is going to seem like 100, 1000, 10,000 or 435,000 years from now. I think about how fast my life is going, especially now that I have kids, way too fast. And I think about the fact that I may have lived half my life on earth now. But there is such a better life that is prepared for me in heaven; that God has promised to us. If you are down about life’s trials, like turning 40 or like having a terrible week at work (which I am having sad to say), try to remember how short this time really is and look forward to eternity.

Peace, Monte

One thing that has been highlighted as a weakness in our western churches is when a congregation relies on the pastor to have the relationship with God and then having their relationship vicariously through him rather then taking on that responsibility for their own. It is problem that has been around since the beginning of time, for example, the Israelites told Moses that they didn’t want to talk to God but would rather have him do it for them. I think most people around America would agree that is a common problem, but what I’d like to suggest here is that it goes deeper then just outsourcing to leadership the responsibility for relationship. I’d like to propose that people also outsource changing their environment to God and call it “the sovereignty of God”. They do this in order to escape responsibility that he placed on us. “God is in control and Jesus is coming back to fix everything” or “whatever happens, happens. God is in control” are two phrases that capture that attitude. That sounds good and pious on the surface but it comes attached with the lie that we do not have responsibility for our world or environment. The truth is that we are called to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, and to destroy the works of the enemy. Jesus didn’t die just to get us saved, he died to reconcile us with the Father and so that we can do what he did and even greater things; heal the sick, calm the storms, set the captives free. That is our mandate. God IS sovereign and Jesus IS coming back. But we do both God and the world around us a terrible disservice when we outsource all of the responsibility to Him. Jesus is coming back for a bride that is pure and spotless, not one that is weak and hiding in a cave! I am not trying to take anything away from God; rather I’m trying to add to our responsibility in bringing about change. There is a good story that illustrates the point. A preacher came to visit a church member who was also a farmer. The farmer was taking him around to all his fields as they visited. With each field, the preacher would say, “Wow, look what God has done with this crop”! Finally after hearing this for each of his fields, the irritated farmer says, do you want me to show you the field I let Him do by Himself? The farmer wasn’t trying to take credit away from God. Any farmer out there knows he can’t make the rain come, he can’t make the seed grow, and the sun shine. All the farmer was trying to say is that there are two parties involved in raising and harvesting crops. It isn’t that God can’t or won’t do it by himself; he just wants us to be able to share in the joy of the good works being done.

Let me know what you think,

Jon

After You

One of the few tasks around the house that Mandy and I have unofficially decided is handled by me is bath time. I’ll spend about 30 minutes giving the boys their bath, letting them play, and just goofing around in general. At the end of bath time lately, we’ve been playing the guessing game which decides who gets to get out of the tub first. I’ll hold my hand behind my back and they will take turns guessing how many fingers I’m holding up. It is amazing how many times you can explain that they need to pick a number between 1 and 5 and you still get “0”, “8”, “twenty-thirty”, and all kinds of choices. I’m not sure why but Brandon is usually the one that gets it right, although I have to admit that sometimes I change the number so Conner can win.

It was a case like this the other night that brought about an amazing reaction from my 4 year old. I had the number 3 behind my back and after several rounds, neither of them was getting it right. It was late so when Conner said “3”, I changed my hand to 3 fingers, revealed it and declared Conner the winner. Brandon immediately was distressed as he hates to lose and Conner just kind of got a lost look on his face. I told Conner that he had won and he said, “Do it again”. When I asked him why, he said that he liked it when Brandon won and that “Brandon was the best”. I didn’t know what to say or do so I granted him his wish, did it again, and made sure that Brandon won. And Conner was happy with that.

I always felt that as a boy, in general, we were always taught to win, maybe not intentionally, but that was kind of the general rule growing up for boys. You competed and although it was said that it was not whether you win or lose but how you play the game, we all secretly knew that winning was really what matters. It is always interesting to me how many women don’t understand that when we explain it to them but that is just the way it was for boys and probably still is. I think competition can be healthy and bring out the best in us; after all we are competing every day. Sometimes it’s in our jobs to try and get that sale and sometimes on a higher level it is competing against the world and what is being thrown at us.

But, as my 4 year old naturally reminds me, God does not want us to put ourselves first:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:3-4

So it’s not something that is in our nature to want to do but clearly is the way God wants it.

Peace,
Monte

Like a Child

I love the Narnia books by CS Lewis. They are entertaining, colorful, and packed with insight on the kingdom. When I was kid I thought there were just the first two aspects, the entertaining and colorful part. But as an adult, thanks to the recent re-release of the book’s movies, I’ve re-discovered the insight on the kingdom. The kingdom parts are subtle and hidden but they were there and even though I didn’t recognize them for what they were as a child, I believe that they really had an impact in shaping my receptiveness to the kingdom as an adult. I feel like they were training my mind and shaping my values for honor, courage against impossible odds, fighting for justice, and a hunger for the supernatural. Lewis was brilliant by weaving the kingdom into those stories meant for children.

Jesus said whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. That is a pretty strong statement. How then does a child receive the kingdom? Children receive the realm of the unseen with joyful expectation. Children will believe most anything because they have not yet experienced the contrary. Experience is the cruel enemy to a child’s beliefs. Experience teams with Reason, and together they join to kill Faith. Why do you think the world offers tales of Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny while God offers the stories of women becoming pregnant at an old age, of paralyzed people walking, of storms being calmed with the spoken word, and of eternal life? The world lumps all of the things unseen together and then discredits the whole as foolishness, “What makes God any different then the tooth fairy? It is something made up to make you feel good about loss. Come, let us be reasonable. That is your mom’s handwriting that says, ‘from Santa’ ”. On the surface, the world appears right. It does look silly. Like something we believe because our parents created that idea for us. Once you dig deeper, or seek God out, then find out how real it is. Like Paul said, to them it is foolishness, but to us who are saved it is POWER!

So, beware of reason and personal experience, and Hooray for Sunday School and Aslan!

Peace
Jon

Time to Choose Sides - Part II

A few weeks ago I joined a discussion on another blog regarding the upcoming presidential election. Below is my response to a fellow Believer who was considering voting for Obama because of frustration over their perceived 'lack of progress' under President Bush. I hope this speaks to others who may be feeling the same.

I could not resist responding to your last comment. First of all, I think you are missing the big picture and need some historical perspective. It seems like what you are frustrated about is our inability as believers to quickly turn back the clock on many of the secular progressive policies that have infultrated our country over the past 40 years and you are longing for us to restore our strong moral foundation, rooted in Judeo-Christian values, namely the Bible. This moral relativism teaches that there is no absolute truth, and thus no real right or wrong. Therefore, we should not make moral judgments and definitley not enshrine such 'close-minded and intolerant' moral judgments in our laws. Thus, if a woman wants to abort a baby, who is to say that is wrong if it is 'right' for her? Who is to say that homosexual marriage is wrong? It took many years, starting in the 1960's, to erode our moral culture to where we are now. We will not take it back during one president's administration, even if that president is a committed conservative Christian, especially if the president has a Democrat Congress to work with, like Bush does now and has had for the past 4 years. Please do not blame President Bush for not making as much progress as you would have liked in the past 8 years. Trust me, we will move a long way backwards in this regard if Obama is elected President with a Democrat congress to push their agenda through, especially with the likes of Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) at the helm. We as Christians need to be in it for the long haul and stay committed, knowing that it will take years of hard work and prayer to take our country back.

Finally, to specifically address abortion and gay marriage. Both are primarily regulated by the individual states and what a president can do on both is currently limited by the courts. Abortion, especially before the second trimester, is specifically protected as a woman's 'choice' according to Supreme Court decisions. After that, neither states nor the federal government can put 'unreasonable' restrictions on abortions. Without a change in policy by the Supreme Court, Bush did about all he legally could do by pushing through Congress and passing the partial birth abortion ban, so give him some credit.

Gay marriage is also regulated by the states. They can either outlaw it or legalize it. Most states currently outlaw it, but it is legal in a few (Mass. & Cal. I believe), with more likely to come. The Federal Defense of Marriage Act says that a state which prohibits gay marriage does not have to recognize a gay marraige from another state. But that law will soon be challenged and probably be stricken down as gay couples move from state to state and want their marraiges recognized.
This brings us to the real crux of the matter, the fate of these two important issues really lies in the hands of the Supreme Court. The court is curreently split with 4 liberal justices (Stevens, Souter, Breyer, Ginsberg), 4 conservative justices (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia) and 1 swing vote (Kennedy). Pleae note that Bush's two appointees are Roberts and Alito. We all know that the President nominates the justices, with the approval of the Senate. So ... who we elect as our President and Senators really matters when it comes to these issues. I think so many people forget this whole aspect of elections and how it directly impacts us and our families, not to mention the moral culture of our country.

Obama has a very liberal voting record in the Senate and has said he would NOT nominate justices like Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Roberts, who are the moral conservatives on the court. Also keep in mind that being pro-abortion has been a long-time litmus test for leaders of the Democrat party, especially so for Democrat nominees to the Supreme Court. With the liberal interests that Obama will be beholden to, I would put the chances of him nominating a pro-life or anti gay marriage justice to the court at ZERO!!

Even if you are not a big supporter of McCain, please consider voting for him for this reason alone, as he has made it clear he would nominate conservative justices.

Until Next Time,
The Counselor

Gifts

I recently had the opportunity to see my wife baptized and my baby girl dedicated. I cannot tell you what a special day this was for me. I know that there is no Biblical reason to dedicate your baby, but it is a chance for my wife and I to go before our God and our friends to commit to raising our daughter in a Godly fashion. It is a commitment that both my wife and I do not take lightly. I cannot tell you the number of times that we have prayed that we allow Abigail to be the woman of God that she is intended to be. It is hard to say to God that you can use her, even if it that means she will not always be close (in proximity) to Erin and I.

Seeing Erin get baptized was surreal. It was surreal in the way that I never thought I would see it happen. Erin was baptized as an infant, but recently felt led to get baptized as an adult to show a sign of a decision that she made in her life. I am proud that she listened to God’s call on her life to get baptized. It was made even more special that Abigail was dedicated on the same day.

An unexpected gift came when our friend Mandy was also baptized. Mandy is the type of person that is perfect friend for Erin. Mandy is outgoing, a little wild yet very conscientious. Erin, by contrast, is more quiet and conservative (but she is also conscientious). Mandy has an amazing testimony and it was great that she could share in the day with us.

This got me to thinking about why God designs us all differently. We all have different gifts and abilities (Romans 12:6). We are supposed to use those gifts for the glory of God alone. In watching Erin and Mandy give their testimonies, it helped me to better understand how each one of them can use their testimony to reach different people. Mandy can relate to people Erin can’t and vice versa. This is true of each of us. God has designed us for His glory and will use us whatever way he sees fit.

Over the last couple of weeks on the blog, there have been a variety of authors and people commenting on the posts. While we are all different, we need to rest soundly in the fact that God is using each of us in a different manner to reach a different group of people. This is even the case for the folks on Christian television who sit in big gold chairs. They may be reaching a person that you or I could never reach. I appreciate the differences we share and ask that you celebrate God’s perfect plan to use us and our imperfections for His glory and his alone. Remember, even the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:40), but He chooses to use us.

Be His,
Jake

Hands in the Air

Sunday, is a day of rest. What better time to think about life’s questions than on a day of rest. This past weekend at our wonderful hall of fellowship the topic of worship was brought to center stage.

What is worship? When I think of worship in a church setting, I think of song and some of these very dramatic songs that are labeled worship songs. I think a more accurate definition would be declaring that God is God and I am not and admitting that we continually need Him. And how about noticing and recognizing who He is and His beauty. What is cool to know is that worship is so much more than music at church. But I value our time of worship at church but often don’t outwardly show that I am worshiping unless it is a song that I really like and is more my style. And don’t even think about me raising my hands to worship, that is so uncomfortable, but at times I kind of want to. It is a mixed feeling kind of thing. So I thought about this last Sunday and came to the conclusion that I don’t even lift my hands in worship when I am alone with no one else watching.

I believe a good amount of people feel this way, especially guys. So when might we feel comfortable lifting our hands as high as we can in the air to worship? Let me add that I think it has much to do with the condition of our and it should not matter how is around but have we ever done it when we are alone. I think the answer for the majority of us is no.

I would like to attempt to paint a picture for you. Pretend for a minute that you have the opportunity to take some time away from our currently busy lives to do some day hikes at a near by national park. You take the necessary items carried in a backpack. You bring some water, a few snacks, a coat, and if you are feeling that tug maybe your bible. Oh, and fellows, don’t forget to bring your Swiss Army Knife. You plan to start early in the morning down a trail that will take you a few miles through some beautiful scenery, like thick forests with moist green trees, or a more desert lands like the Badlands where the God’s beauty is seen in all the colors and shades in the rock formations. Or it might be that you are fortunate enough to hike through the majestic mountains that never fail to amaze. After some time marching through nature, feeling as though you were made to be present in this setting, you come to a clearing in the trees or a cliff over looking a sparkling lake as the sun has just begun to come over the trees. Here you find your self in awe of GOD’s beauty. And it is not just because of what you have just seen but a combination of your relationship with Him and what you have gone through in your life the last few months. I find that this would be a time, when I am all alone, that I would lift my hands in the air as high as I could and praise God for this freedom and being in His presence.

I have often dreamed of standing at the top of a hill here in the Missouri River Valley of North Dakota, overlooking an extravagant scene of beauty that God has created in front of me. And with my arms as high and wide as I can get them I am melting in God’s arms as I listen to a song from Skillet containing the words, “I rest in the shelter of Your Love!”

This is what I long for even now in my heart. I need this. I encourage you this day to keep on lifting your hands if you have been, but if you are one like me, find a time when you can lift your hands when you are alone. Worship our God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Who knows? We might even become so comfortable doing it alone that you will see us do it at church.

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

-Matt

It's Personal

I’ve always been the kind of person that although it seems I may not care what people think about me, I really do. I almost always want to leave any situation involving some type a relationship knowing that I’ve left it with a positive impression on that person. Because I’m a quiet person, I’ve often got the opposite reaction throughout my life. People have told me that only after years of getting to know me did they really know who I was. Yeah, unfortunately, my shyness or lack of an outgoing nature often came across as arrogant or indifference. But it is important to me how people feel about me. I guess being in sales that I have to make a living out of being liked. It is a constant battle though within me because I am a quiet, low key person.

More than once, I’ve left a situation really worried about a particular individual’s feelings by something very simple that I may have said, not intending to be offensive but worried later that it may have been taken a certain way. I find myself wanting to go and make sure that they are okay, their feelings are not hurt, and that they did not in fact misunderstand what I said.

I tell you this to say that it is not a regular occurrence for me to have personal conflicts with people. On some occasions though, I know people have left a conversation we’ve had with very negative feelings, and that was okay with me. Usually, not always, but usually after having time to think about it, I seek to either just move past it and forget about it or I seek to make sure that things get patched up, feelings are mended, and we both can move on. I think that is what God has called us to be as peace makers (a bit of a shout out to our current Bible study group).

This kind of leads me in to one of my favorite passages in scripture. It is a short statement that Jesus made that for most of my adult live I read through multiple times and never really noticed it. It speaks so wonderfully of the loving, human nature of Christ. It happens just after Jesus has risen from the dead and Mary Magdalene and Salome are headed to the tomb to anoint Jesus:

Here is the statement from Mark 16:7:
“But go and tell his disciples, especially Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."

What I finally noticed in that verse is the phrase “especially Peter”. Of all the disciples, Peter had an extra weight on his shoulders for sure. He had denied Christ just before His death. Surely, Jesus knew of the impossible grief that was on Peter at that moment. And He wanted to make sure that of all of His followers that were suffering over his death, He gave a little extra attention to Peter to make sure that he, especially, could receive the news that saves us all. Jesus had real, loving concern for how Peter was feeling on a very personal level and I think it is important through scripture to understand the truly personal relationship that Christ wants with us.

Peace,
Monte

Freedom (Continued from Aug. 21)

I hope that you all have wrestled with this thought a little more during the last couple of days. I value the comments that were made and some very good points were brought up. The following are my thoughts on the matter.

Why is it, that God gives us this freedom to make our own decisions?

God has given us the freedom to follow and love Him, or go our own way. We say, by our very nature, “I’m the Captain of my own life. I am going to do things my way!” This is the choice we have and often make.

So if there is good and bad, right and wrong, or God’s way and our Way. Why did God leave it up to chance weather or not we might follow? Why didn’t He create us to love Him without question, kind of like a robot?

I believe that God knows how much more powerful it is that someone chooses to love you rather than being forced to love you. I have seen that this is an important part of relationships and He is all about relationships, not some perfectly structured being that has no feelings or choices.
In reference to my decision about the job offer in my recent blog, I think the issue that made it so difficult was the waiting to make a decision or having the time to do so. It is a difficult thing to wait on somebody but I think it is what we do during the waiting that is most important. Could it be that God uses these times of waiting and thinking to build and strengthen our relationship with Him. I think so.

I would pray about my situation and say, “ God I want you to be Captain of my life,” but the next morning it felt like God wasn’t the Captain anymore because he gave control back to me, so I could give it back to Him, thus entering into an exchange that only strengthens a relationship.
Take for example the ordinary life experience of a road trip with a friend. You drive 100 miles to a destination and on your way home your car breaks down 30 miles from any town. You call for a tow truck but you are going to have to wait at least an hour. What an awesome opportunity to build a relationship with a friend while waiting. This could be looked at as a blessing for God.
During these times God wants us to wait, trust, and have faith that He loves us. Which is all part of a having a relationship.

I want freedom! The freedom to choose to love God causes love to become more abundant and real. When we choose to love, a relationship is the most important thing. We desire just to spend time with the one we love.

I am now looking forward to learn more as I try different ways to relate and spend time with God in these times of waiting. These exchanges are what God is all about and that is why He gives us the freedom to make our own decisions.

-Matt

Brothers and Sisters

I have read all of the comments from the previous day's posts. I encourage discourse among believers to edify and sharpen one another. I also know that when we disagree or have different interpretations of the finer points of scripture, then we need to proceed with grace. It has been said that we "have unity in the essentials and grace in everything else." It is my belief that when we are speaking of things that are not essential (ie, exactly how and when God heals), we need to do so with grace and love. I have spoken to many Christians who say that as they have gotten older, there portion of grace for other Chrisians has increased. Not all wisdom comes from experience, but experience certainly shapes a believer. I pray that as we discuss differing views, we do so with grace.

I do not want to stop the discussion. By no means is that what I want to do. I do want to encouarge the discussion to maintain a certain level of understanding. I know that there is another post coming in response to Jon's original post. I also know that JT is approaching in an inquisitive manner and not in an attacking manner. If this is not the intention of the person responding, I would ask that you stop and reconsider how to word your comments in order that we as believers are encouraged.

Thoughts...

Some clarification and summary on a few things that I think people are getting hung up on.

One belief we have is that it is God’s will to heal everyone; not that God will heal everyone. A parallel example is that it is God’s will that all would be saved, yet not all will be.
There are things that prevent both from happening, most have to do with the choices that humans are allowed to make. He chooses to give us freedom and a measure of control over our lives and environment; that does not make him less Sovereign. That makes him willing to share control.

We are in a war here in our city. I’m not speaking figuratively when I say this. I’m being very literal. We are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but with the armies of hell. As any good soldier knows, moral is very important. We can not afford to be distracted or to lose faith. So while I know there are cases in the bible and in real life that seem to contradict what we are believing, we choose to focus only on that which we know to be in alignment with our mission. These are found primarily in the life and teachings of Jesus. We also focus on what God is doing, not on what he is not doing. We don’t ignore the facts, but we focus on who he is (a good God) and what he has done. We’ve had tremendous breakthrough for which we are thankful and we have seen God move in mighty ways. That is what we celebrate. We have willfully engaged in this and we have burned the bridge we came across to do so. There is no turning back; we are in this fight to win. Retreat is not an option. No longer will the Philistines taunt God’s people from the other side of the battle. No longer will the champions against cancer be found only in the world and not among the Christian ranks. It bothers me that everyone knows Lance Armstrong and others from the world as the biggest opponents of cancer but not everybody knows if the church is against it or not.

I’ve been feeling increasingly on the defensive as this discussion moves on. Remember, I will never require others to agree with me. However, I will require that they respect my beliefs. If the tone changes from “I don’t understand, tell me more”, to “I’m going to ask questions to prove you are wrong”, then I will disengage. It is no longer productive or enjoyable to continue.

Peace and blessings,
Jon

A Response to "A Declaration of God's Goodness" - Part 1

I'm writing this in response to Jon's September 5, 2008 post called "A Declaration of God's Goodness." I found that my response has become too long to include in one post, so I'll break it up into at least one more post, if not two.

Psalm 25:8 tells us "Good and upright is the LORD."
Psalm 100:5 tells us "For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
James 1:17 tells us "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

The goodness of God is certain; the scriptures declare it. It is a divine attribute, therefore God would cease to be God if he were not good. He *is* good, and may He be eternally praised for it!

You ended your post by writing "Let me know what you think about this and if you have any questions." These posts will contain what I think about this and questions for you, so I hope you enjoy it.

First, I grieve for you and all the friends and family of those you lost to cancer last week.

You wrote that your home body (what I might call the local church I attend) have declared that your city will be a cancer free zone. You went on to define that a cancer free zone is "[a] zone where the presence of God is so strong that cancer absolutely can not exist."

Since I'm not familiar with these sorts of declarations, I'm led to ask several questions:

1. By what authority do you declare that your city will be a cancer free zone?

2. Are these sorts of declarations Biblical? If so, can you cite some examples? For instance, where do we find someone in the Bible declaring that a city will no longer be afflicted with a particular ailment?

3. If God is omnipresent as Jeremiah 23:23-24 tells us ("Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.), what does it mean that His presence is strong in a zone?
3.1 What must be done for God to strengthen His presence in a zone?
3.2 How much strength does God need to provide in order for cancer to not exist in a particular zone?
3.3 What is the boundaries of the zone? For example, is it only the city? Let's say that God's presence was so strong cancer didn't exist in San Francisco, would it still exist in Oakland, or is the zone more regional in nature?

4. If you declare that a city be cancer free, why not a whole metropolitan area, county, state, country, hemisphere, or the earth itself?

5. Is the declaration effectual, or is it God's reaction to your declaration effectual?

You went on to write "When we appear to have setbacks like this last week, we won't pretend that they didn't happen and ignore the facts. Instead we embrace them, and then stand on what we know, that God is good all the time and his will for us is to have healing all the time, because he is good, and by being [a] good God, he can't have it any other way."

You write that the death of your friends is a setback, but I don't understand exactly why it is a setback.
6.1 Were these deaths setbacks because the declaration wasn't effective?
6.2 Were these deaths setbacks because it was up to you and your church to work hard enough to convince God to remove the cancer?
6.3 Was it up to you and your church (not God) to heal your friends?

7. What does it mean to embrace the setbacks?

8. Why do you think they died?

9. You write "...his will for us is to have healing all the time..."
9.1 Do you mean that God will always heal us from every illness?
9.1.1 If so, what is your scriptural basis for this assertion?
9.1.2 If so, why does everyone die?

I'll end this post by asking you this: is God sovereign over all things?

In Acts 4:24-28, we read:

"And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’ —

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place."

I believe that God is sovereign over all things, including the trial and murder of the Lord Jesus. In fact, it was always God's plan to send Jesus to die for our sins, which by our perspective might seem heinously evil. But, since we know that God is good, we must distrust our perspective and strive to see this, and all things, with the divine perspective.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28.

JT

Soli Deo Gloria

A Declaration of God's Goodness

If you know anything about me, you need to know that I believe God is good all the time, and everything that I look at or encounter in life is framed in that perspective.

This last week in my home body we lost two beloved friends to cancer. This is a huge deal to us because we as a body have declared that our city will be a cancer free zone. A zone where the presence of God is so strong that cancer absolutely can not exist. That may sound like a pipe dream but that is what we have been striving for and we believe it will happen. When we appear to have setbacks like this last week, we won't pretend that they didn't happen and ignore the facts. Instead we embrace them, and then stand on what we know, that God is good all the time and his will for us is to have healing all the time, because he is good, and by being good God, he can't have it any other way.

Here is an excerpt from a sermon mix that was done on this topic.

God is good all the time. The devil is bad, all the time. We would do ourselves a service if we could just remember the two. God- Good. Devil- Bad. Cancer- bad. I wonder where it comes from. Here is problem: The church of this nation has become so deprived of the real Gospel that we have formulated ways of thinking that are anti-Christ in nature and they are called "spiritual". They embrace sickness and disease as a gift from God to help us become better people. It is a lie from hell. It is blasphemy to attribute to God the very work of the devil. It is inconsistent for Jesus to pay a price for our healing and for us to believe that it is not God's intention to heal. Now, here is the conflict, you pray for somebody and they didn't get healed and they died. So we have to live with this tension of what I understand and what I don't understand. Through out church history, we have this puzzle of, "aunt Martha dies, we prayed, we fasted we did everything we knew how to do; it must have been God's choice not to heal her". Well is that true? You see, 2000 years ago God chose to heal her, that is why Jesus went and bore 39 stripes on his body. Enough stripes on his back to remove the skin and expose his internal organs. It was a payment he made, it says he was punished, in the punishment that I deserved, so that we can get what he deserves. How can he decide to not buy something he already bought. It is too late, it is already paid for. That is why the scriptures declare, by his stripes you were healed, the work was done, it is accomplished, it is finished. So why then do we live with problems that don't get answered. What the church does then, is it wants answers so badly, it begins to make up answers to feel good about our present condition. But to do it we have to take one of the absolutes of God's goodness, we bring it over, and we sacrifice it on the alter of human reasoning. And so then we have people that will stand up and say, "God gave my relative leukemia to teach a perseverance." No, No No. What does the bible say? He forgives all your iniquities, he heals all your diseases. We would never think this: Let's say we have someone who committed a horrible sin, and then they come to me and say, you know, I was praying the other day, and I did something stupid and I asked the Lord to forgive me and he said, no, he really doesn't want to. It would never enter our mind that God would in some way turn someone down who needed forgiveness of sin. Because we don't yet get it that when Jesus taught of forgiveness of sin he taught of physical affliction in the same breath. "Which is easier to say, "Son your sins are forgiven or pick up your bed and walk?" The Christian life is an invitation to live in between two conflicting realities because you see, the cross is not bearing up under physical affliction. The sufferings of the bible are not physical affliction, the sufferings of the bible are living between two conflicting realities and living with trust and praise at the same time. He is still good all the time.

For more go to http://www.jesusculture.org/
media player, message mix
It is titled God is Good by Bill Johnson.

Let me know what you think about this and if you have any questions. It may be a bit out there for you so I'd be happy to address anything you might have.

Peace,

Jon

Second Chances

Back in 1986 when I was a junior in High School in San Jose, CA, my friend Rich and I decided to go off campus for lunch one day. From what I can remember, I think we were headed to Burger King (side note: my typical order at Burger King in High School was a double cheeseburger, chicken sandwich, large fries, large drink and a large shake, all of which I ate in several minutes and felt no pain afterwards). We hopped in Rich’s small convertible MG that he had just bought used, no seatbelts. We were making a u-turn right in front of the High School and the last think I remember was seeing one of my friends crossing the street and turning around and making eye contact with me. The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and was hunched over in my seat staring at the floorboard. There was blood all over my legs and I was sitting on Rich’s glasses that he had been wearing. Rich had made a turn right in front of another car that was going about 60 mph and hit on my side of the car, just to the front of the passenger seat. Thankfully, even though we didn’t have on seatbelts, I was tall enough so that me knees went through the dashboard and kept me from flying out the window (I still have the scars). Rich was a smaller guy so his head hit the windshield. Finally realizing what had happened, I got out of the car and limped over to the curb spouting off a few expletives while Rich was still unconscious in the car surrounded by many of our friends. I remember passing out on the sidewalk while one of my friends held me there with others around. Many had thought I had been hit or thrown from the car since I was out on the sidewalk. Shortly, the ambulance came and I remember my friends asking if I needed help getting in the ambulance. Of course I needed help but I said I didn’t and they let me attempt to walk over to the ambulance myself. The principal, Mr. Huffman, came up to see if I was okay and I passed out right as he got to me. I’m told he caught me and dragged me to the ambulance. Rich apologized the entire ride to the hospital. I was only there for a few hours with some deep cuts but amazingly, no stitches and no broken bones. Rich spent a couple days in there but also, no stitches and no broken bones. I remember how terrified my parents looked, arriving just when they wheeled me out of x-ray and they were standing there with tears in their eyes. I don’t even want to imagine what it was like as a parent to get that phone call.

After a few days I was back in school on crutches and I have to admit, the attention I got was awesome. When I went to see Rich in the hospital, he showed me some pictures of the car his parents had taken. I couldn’t believe what I saw. The car was completely mangled, especially the passenger side where I had been. If you had seen the car and didn’t know what had happened, you would have absolutely thought that any passengers had been killed.

The day I was in the wreck, God chose to give me a second chance at life. But I really have no idea how many second chances God has actually given me, you know? How many times have I screwed up and asked for forgiveness and been given a second, third, forth, infinity-plus-one chance? Plenty of people have “cheated death” and been given a second chance but only God truly has no limits on chances. I turn 40 this month (yippee) and I figure that if I’ve sinned 10 times a day (this would be on a good day) since 1968, that’s about 150,000 times I’ve sinned and I’ve been forgiven for every one of those times. And I often forget that He’s asked us to do the same:

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?". Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18, 21-22

I think that is one of the coolest things in scripture. God is so merciful in His willingness to forgive us as many times as we ask Him to. Of course that’s no excuse to do whatever we want, we all know that. But what a loving Father He is to continually give us another chance.

Peace,
Monte

Time to Choose Sides

I was planning to hold off on the political posts for a while, but with the happenings of the past week I just cannot wait any longer. As a strong social and economic conservative, I am usually an enthusiastic “grass roots” supporter of the Republican nominee that can be counted on to spread the word to family and friends, volunteer and occasionally even donate. Up until this week, however, I was not very enthusiastic about John McCain. But with the recent ObamME lovefest (also known as the Democratic National Convention) and the personal attacks levied against Sarah Palin and her family (husband, daughter and even her daughter’s fiancé!), I have come home and am now officially FIRED UP! This new-found passion has as much to do with being AGAINST Obama as it does with being FOR McCain.

For fear of coming on too strong with my emotions currently running high, I will hold off on addressing the many specific issues that are running through my head. I will focus this post on encouraging everyone to get involved, even if you support the other side.

I believe we as Christians should educate ourselves on the issues, choose a side, and engage ourselves in the debate. I am not going to lay out some sophisticated theological argument for why I believe this; suffice it to say that I want believers collectively to have an influence on what the county our children inherit looks like. If we do not fulfill this responsibility, we will fail future generations.

I look back with disappointment on cultural battles lost in prior generations and think, “Where were all the Christians? Where were they when prayer was taken out of schools, when abortion was legalized, when sexual openness and drugs became cool?” I am not blaming prior generations of believers for these lost battles, but want them to be a reminder to us of what can happen if we sit on the sidelines. Our current generation is on the verge of losing the battle over the definition of marriage. In many ways, I think we have already lost.

Think of the country you want to leave your children and grandchildren. It will not happen on its own. There are many forces out there competing for America’s future. It’s time to choose a side.

More to come…
Until Next Time,

The Counselor

Debt

The other night my wife and I were watching some TV and there were all these ads for credit cards. I remember this email I got recently about the ads of the past and how they look so foolish to us now. (See below) so I prophesied from my couch, “some day we as a country are going to look back on these credit card ads and laugh because it is so obvious to us how ridiculous they are”. Then I read this commentary from Merrill Lynch: (emphasis added)

Attitudes about debt are shifting
Barely more than 5% of the banks now are reporting rising demand for consumer credit – at the 2003-05 debt bubble peak, this number had approached an unprecedented 40%. The Fed survey showed that 0% – not one – bank reported positive demand growth for either subprime or nontraditional mortgages, and a mere 2% reported rising demand for prime mortgages!

People’s attitude towards debt is changing – after this parabolic past 5-10 years of credit extension far in excess of underlying personal incomes, debt is now being viewed as a four-letter word at best, a ball and chain at worst. The public wants to climb out of the morass – you see it in the data; you see it in the polls. The economists don’t believe that people can change – but they will. They are, in fact. People do have the capacity to change, and we see that in many areas right now – imagine that miles driven by the average American now are down 0.5% from a year ago and that oil and gas usage in real terms has declined 1.2% as well in the face of punishingly high prices.

To read the rest of the article check out this link:

http://research1.ml.com/CFCR/GetDoc.aspx?q=13TbOfQ%2B2NHltljEpgrEYA%3D%3D

To make this an official “Christian” entry. Here is some scripture:
Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

So if you are a servant to VISA, how can you fully serve God? Ouch, did I say that out loud? Well now that it is out there, I suppose I’ll roll with it.

If you are ruled by the rich, how can God rule in your life? They tell you how much they want, when they want it. So if God tells you to give a 100 to the visiting missionary, you have to say, sorry, my MASTERcard says I have to give them that 100. Ouch. I’m not perfect, I admit I have a balance on my credit card currently, but I tell you it will be gone soon. I encourage you all to enjoy the same freedom as well.

And here are some of those ads:

Peace,
Jon