What If!?

 Growing up I thought my life was one of ease, a life of self in which I tried to control everything, and a life spent living out the moment.  As I grew up…..So much changed!  As a friend of mine once said, "How's that working for you?"

I had to embrace difficulty, care for others and surrender to a greater cause, and learn the life of the eternal instead of the temporary.  I was searching, hoping that one day someone would call me to an adventure worth dying for.  I wasn't searching for God to take me to heaven, but hopes that there was more to this life, than just existing.  I was looking for someone I could follow.  It wasn't until I found Jesus at age 25 that I found the One I wanted to be like.

In becoming more like Jesus.. the Shift from who I thought I was became much more dramatic than one could imagine.  What If!?  Is that possible!?

Jon Tyson explains so well: Jesus left the ease of Heaven to embrace the difficulty of earth and of the cross; Jesus humbled and emptied himself, and he lived for others, not just himself; Jesus moved into a life of obscurity for us; Jesus surrendered, not trying to remain in control of his situation; and Jesus lived for eternal rewards, not a temporary reality.

Wow!  As Mary said, “May it be done unto me!”  

Father, empower me today to surrender to Your Will, Discipline Grace and Joy of Living fully Alive!  Amen.

The Genius of Grace

If God, who has every right to find us guilty, refuses to do so, how can we not forgive one another?  If God, who sees everything we’ve ever done and could easily drown us in our guilt and shame, seeks only to make us whole and give us freedom, how can that not be our intention toward one another?

Even in our current environment, we have what is now known as “cancel culture.”  We ransack the history of every tweet a person has ever written, every statement a public personality has ever made, any joke a comedian has ever delivered, or any mistake a person has ever made in the past, looking for ammunition to end their careers.  We do not allow for change, or growth, or simply the imperfection of being human.

Condemning is easy.  It’s also ugly and inelegant.  Grace makes both the giver and the recipient more beautiful…. Grace believes in your future.

Erwin McManus

The Resurrection and Justice

 When Jesus rose from the dead, he came as the first installment of the power of God, which will renew the world at the end of history.  The Bible tells us that, at that time, God will not just save individuals and discard the world as if were an unimportant shell or chaff.  Rather, "the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God" (Ro. 8:21).  All the effects of sin - all the decay - of the world will be healed.  Not only will there be physical liberation from disease, aging, and death, but there will be social liberation from the poverty, war, racism, and crime that infest our world now, as well as psychological liberation from the fear, guilt, shame, and despair that infect us now.  All things will finally be mended, put fully right.  We ourselves will be made new, but we will also receive a renewed world in which to live with Christ in our resurrected bodies......  In the new creation we will know Jesus, the infinite fountain of love.  We will love one another for his sake  and for their sake.  All relationships, then, will finally be right and just.  So 2 Pet. 3:13 says, "But God has promised us a new heavens and earth where justice will rule."

So, the resurrection means that the liberating, repairing power of God is here now, through the risen Christ and His presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit.  We have not been saved just to be safe, but saved in order to serve.

NT Wright says, Easter means that in a world where injustice, violence, and degradation are endemic, God is not prepared to tolerate such things - and that we will work and plan, with all the energy of God, to implement victory of Jesus over them all.  Take away Easter and Karl Marx was probably right to accuse Christianity of ignoring problems of the material world.  Take it away and Freud was probably right to say Christianity is wish fulfillment.  Take it away and Nietzsche probably was right to say it was for wimps.  

But if Easter happened, it is the secular theories of Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche that will eventually find themselves in the ashbin of history.

Tim Keller

Beautiful Paradox of Jesus’ Great Reversal

 He was sold, to buy us back; captive to deliver us; condemned to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by Him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal  despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal.  In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune.

 John Calvin

GIVE 'EM HELL!

 I remember sitting in the shower room when my coach in his pep talk ended with, “Give ‘Em Hell!”  We ran out pumped up ready to defeat the enemy!

At 25, I was called to reach young people across America to help them discover freedom and eternal life through becoming a follower of Jesus.

At that time I realized I better get to know the One who called me through His Word.  I quickly learned that I was given a gift called Faith.  When I used it to believe in Jesus, I stepped into a whole new dimension of existence.  My present was altered by the Spirit of Jesus coming in with power and understanding to create a new reality.  I was no longer alone, dirty and sinful.  Instead, I was loved, forgiven and made a container to bring the message of hope.  

We all have the possibility to tap the source who created us by faith, to not only bring good out of present struggles, but to be captured by His Story of creating new life and living forever.  

So transformation begins today and will intensify even greater when Jesus physically joins us to restore and recreate all things lost and destroyed.

I had an old man shout at me one time as I was running out on stage, “Paul, Give them Heaven!”

I understood!

Beautiful Resistance

 Jon Tyson asks the question, How would things change if you resolved to rebel against your own indifference and embody the things you long to see in the world?  If you resolve that you would pursue beauty and resist brokenness?  That you would resist idolatry with worship, exhaustion with rest , apathy with hunger, fear with hospitality, contempt with honor, hate with love, privilege with sacrifice, and cynicism with celebration?  If your life became a parable of what happens when someone lives with integrity and in a community no matter the cost?

God is looking for a people to live this way, in spite of the hopelessness around them.  Those He can use to inspire others, those who pursue His pleasure in a culture of compromise.  

Will you respond to that call?

"Imagine" by Kevin Wheeler

 Imagine you were born in 1900.

When you're 14

World War I begins

and ends at 18 years old

with 22 million dead.

Shortly after, a global pandemic

Flu called 'Spanish' ",

kills 50 million people.

You come out alive and free

You are 20 years old.

Then, at 29, you survive the global economic crisis that started with the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange, causing Inflation, Unemployment, and Hunger.

At 33, the nazis come to power.

You turn 39 when World War II starts and ends at 45 During the Holocaust (Holocaust), 6 million Jews die.

There will be over 60 million deaths in total.

When you're 52, the Korean War begins.

At age 64, the Vietnam War begins and ends at age 75

A boy born in 1985 thinks his grandparents have no idea how difficult life is, but they have survived several wars and disasters.

A boy born in 1995 and now 25 years old thinks it's the end of the world when his Amazon package takes over three days to arrive or when he doesn't get more than 15 likes for her photo posted on Facebook or Instagram. ....

In 2020, many of us live comfortably, have access to different sources of home entertainment, and often have more than we need.

But people complain about everything.

However, they have electricity, phone, food, hot water, and a roof over their heads.

None of this existed before.

But mankind survived far more disastrous circumstances and never lost the joy of living.

Maybe it's time to be less self-escaped, stop complaining, and stop crying.

The Social Dilemma

 OK, whose seen, The Social Dilemma on Netflix?  This is only on Netflix. 

 I encourage everyone who cares at all about the current realities we face as faith driven, thoughtful committed people, to make every effort to watch this. 

I am deeply troubled after watching this with Carol, especially as a minister, but also as a human, by what we're seeing happening in the world today. 

Please take a look at this - watch it all the way thru - please.

I remember when the fight was about Absolute Truth.  Now Truth seems to be dependent upon geographic location along with their particular frame of reference. 

God Shows Up in Suffering

In December Carol and I will be married for 55 years.  From the beginning Carol has always known how to pray and most of all hear the wisdom God has for the moment. 

One of the first times I truly heard God was in a dream at 25.  Carol had the same dream that night.  I’ve always been so thankful how she willingly seeks our Creator for His plan and purpose for our lives.

She loves going on prayer walks most everyday.  I can hardly wait for her return to hear what she has heard from God.  It is always inspiring and divine.

So the latest walk tops them all.  It happened in the midst of this Quarantine, Pain, Suffering, Riots, and Violence.  

She sets out for her prayer walk Sunday morning.   Walking she prays from Matt. 6:26 and following; “But God how could You allow so much pain and suffering when You said not to worry.  You tell me we are much more valuable than the birds.  That they do not sow, reap or store away in barns, and yet You feed them.   Then You say, worrying can’t add a single hour to my life?”   

Ten minutes into her walk, she looks up at a very tall street light with a bird sitting on it.  Suddenly the bird falls to the ground and hits so hard she hears a thud.  She walks over where the bird is lying on it’s side, and it looks dead.  Carol says, “God, what is this all about? That’s not suppose to happen when I’m reminding You of what You said.”  

She gets no response and continues to walk 45 more minutes, returning to the scene of the fallen bird.  It is still lying there.  She stops and stares at the bird when suddenly it flutters and flies away.  

Then God speaks to her with such emotion addressing her struggles with our own lives through this crisis.  He says, “Carol, there’s Life after a blow!  There’s Life after a Death!”  Her mind is then filled with the reality that this life is temporary, but yet it counts. 

We tend to grieve over how things used to be, or memories of what we called normal.  But God has so much more ahead for us.  There is Life after Death.  

Can you imagine God saying to you during this time, “Seek My Kingdom above all else, live righteously and I will give you everything you need!  This is not a suggestion, but a command.  I divided time into days, nights and seasons so you can have manageable portions of life to handle.”

Be blessed today!  God has a planned future for you filled with Hope!

Paul

Pick a Fight!

The first time I heard someone speak from the story of Jonathan with his Armor Bearer in 1Sam. 14, was my first experience hearing Erwin McManus.  Jonathan says to his Armor Bearer hiding at bottom of a hill of a Philistine Garrison, Let’s go up and pick a fight and Maybe God will be with us!  

It’s a rare story in the Bible about Picking a Fight.  But I’m glad it’s there because there are times to Pick a Fight.

I see people across this country exhausted from isolation without sufficient income let alone with pent up energy of wanting to get back to work!

Watching people willing to risk being jailed, fined, criticized or labeled a rebel is everywhere.  Goes along with our Son’s latest book; “Beautiful Rebellion” where students are saying, “Enough!  I’m only willing to live a life worth dying for!  The life I see in normal people can’t be it!  I’m going to Pick a Fight and Create Change in this Culture!  Maybe God will be With Me!” 

In 1969 God gave us a dream to reach the high school students of America.  Quite our business and started the band thinking, Maybe God will be With Us!  We would sing in 4 to 5 high school assemblies free a day violating every Christian norm thinking Maybe God will be With Us.  Hundreds of students coming to Jesus many days through the 70’s.

By the end of the 70’s we were offered the Job of Entertainment Director at Disney World, but instead, let’s be a Youth Pastor; Maybe God will be With Us!  Carol started a Youth Choir of 75 kids.  Booked tours up and down the east coast during their summer break.  But these students weren’t normal Christians raised in the church.  Bad hair, Bad clothes, with No understanding of Christian behavior or language.  Maybe God will be with Us!  Their first song, many old timers stood up and walked out because they didn’t sound the part or look the part.  Betrayal can stop some, but not these kids.  Let’s keep going!  Maybe God will be With Us!  We switched to singing in Inner City Churches.  Those poor people stood on their feet on the first song, and they are clapping, smiling and finding Jesus.  We finished the concert with hugs, kisses, and people renewed in their faith, not wanting to leave.  Why?  God was With Us!

As Youth Pastors, after a few years we experienced betrayal along with the senior pastor destroying the church.  Through the chaos, we were asked to move into the senior pastor position which scared us to death.  We felt God saying, Come On!  Let’s Pick a Fight.  I’ll Be With You!  Ok!

 Could it be that wounds get too deep and the feeling like I can’t take one more blow, not one more betrayal, not one more time?  Have decisions been made causing your passion to feel minimized, beat up, and criticized leaving you all alone?  The Gospel is very simple but very serious, and it must be embraced with your heart.  Once you do, the warmth of God’s embrace will heal, energize you with renewed passion to empower you to pick a fight.

Let’s go to the outcome of Jonathan and his Armor Bearer.  They went up to the Uncircumcised Philistine Garrison and killed all 20 of them.  

Most of the time our fight is not against people.  Erwin later said, “A Warrior fights with all his might for Peace.”  There is a Beautiful Wonder of knowing the reality that God is Good!  He is the Prince of Peace.  Could it be said of you, “I have fought a Good Fight, and laid up for me is a Crown of Righteousness?”