What you don't know...

This week, between the TV camera and the repetition of a 24 hour news media, we have been privy to some amazing feats of immaturity.  Mark Twain once wrote "It's not what you don't know that kills you, it's what you know for sure that ain't true."    What Kanye, Serena, and Joe did not know [or realize at the time] was that they were all acting like 3 year olds in the line at Wal-mart.  Unfortunately there has been ample opportunity for them to learn from their mistakes, albeit the hard way.   

Ephesians 4:11-15

¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ...

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that God gave the church to help Christians equip themselves for the work, and for their maturity to manhood.  Now some might think that manhood is achieved at some certain age level, or by the number of hairs on one's chest, but  as we saw this week immaturity still likes to sneak out of the house. (sometimes for a national audience)  What we don't know as Christians is that most of us are woefully immature.  We act like spiritual children screaming for the candy, and demanding our way. 

So God, in His infinite wisdom, gave us the church, and in the church he gave us pastors.  Now as pastor is simply a shepherd who leads the sheep to where the good grass is growing.  See sheep tend to wander and need a shepherd to lead them.  God also gave them teachers.  Teachers help us get from a place of ignorance by graduating us one level at a time.  We need teachers so that we do not remain in immaturity.  The old proverb says "What you don't know can't hurt you." but in reality what we don't know, hurts us deeply.  Our own acts of selfishness and immaturity keep us from experiencing the life that God has for us.  Our tantrums hurt other people and embarrass us.  Our selfish ways cause us to always want the toys that the other kid is playing with and we are never satisfied.  

This weekend we start a new message series entitled DEEP.  Deep is a word that scares a lot of people because they fear the unknown, they fear what lurks beneath the surface, they fear getting in over their head.  In reality, these same fears keep them from getting in all the way.  Many Christians are drowning in an inch of water, claiming that they are experiencing the Christian life, but are never fully immersed in it.  Sure once in a while they sit on the edge dangling their feet over the side, but never really get immersed.

It is my goal that everyone at Cornerstone, and all Christians everywhere would realize the joy that comes when you stop splashing around in the shallow end, and dive into the deep.  Maybe for you that means getting in a small group, or perhaps reading a book without Fabio on the cover.  Whatever form it takes, it is my prayer that we will all, as Paul wrote, "grow up in every way."

What's Your Big Problem?

Everyone has problems, in fact everyone has a list of problems, and the point of a job, the point of leadership is to solve problems.  In churches there are all kinds of problems, there is the problem of who gets first dibs on classroom A, and who will we get to work in the nursery during the concert etc.  There are all kinds of problems and the good news is that some of those problems are phantom problems, they don't really exist except in our paranoia, some of the problems are self correcting, and some are even insignificant.  So the question remains, what is your BIG Problem.  What is the problem, that is keeping you from moving forward as a leader, or as a church?  What is the problem, that if left undone will keep you from accomplishing the Great Commission.  If you are still saying, I have lots of problems, then your lack of ability to identify the one from the crowd may be your problem.  Identify the problem, the BIG problem.  Kill your Goliath first, then chase down the rest of your Philistines.

Bible Reading Program

Many of you have expressed a desire to continue your Bible reading program.  You can find the chart that I took the readings from HERE.  I am so excited that we read through the Bible twice last week.  I pray it will continue.

Seriously Funny

One of the hardest things for us to realize as a church was to be content with the way that God has made us.  This Sunday we will be looking at how to have Joy in the face of Poverty from Philippians 4.  The lesson here is the same as in John Bogenschutz's cartoon.  God does not make mistakes!

Bigfoot Seen Fleeing as Hurricane Fay Approaches

Like it or not, our modern culture revolves around stories.  TV, movies, even the nightly news and the Olympic games revolve around the narratives we are so desperate to hear.  So what makes us believe the stories we hear?  Why do we want to believe some stories and ignore others?  This past week a story was told of a Bigfoot in the woods of northern GA.  Though most wont admit it, I believe that it was a story that people wanted to believe.  Those telling the story did a masterful job of pulling all the strings necessary to help us in our desire to believe.  Experts, testimonials, photos and the all important DNA evidence were brought before the ever discerning press.  Yet, in the end, the story now changes from the search for Sasquatch to a search for some story telling rednecks with nothing better to do who were willing to label themselves for life over a big prank.  This week, our favorite story is over the little storm that could, Fay.  Though she tried, she just did not have what it takes to make it to hurricane, but we want so bad to have a hurricane, because that makes for a great story.  No one wants to get on TV and say my home was destroyed by a tropical storm.  The guys selling T-shirts that say, "I Survived Fay" ought to pack them up right now and ship them to the orphanage in Africa.  I think we are smart enough to know now that stories are just that... stories. 
So what about the stories that matter, should we dismiss them all?  What about the story of Creation, the story of redemption?  Do we dismiss them too?  My answer is no, and this is why, at the end of the day we must take our stories and compare them to truth.  There is a vast difference between fiction and nonfiction.  We must discern what stories matter, and what stories are for entertainment purposes only. 
God said in Isaiah 1:18 "Come, Let us reason together says the Lord of Hosts."  God is a God of reason.  Therefore, His story will stand up to reason.  History is reasonable. 
Tonight we begin a new Bible Study series on God.  We will look specifically at the reasons for beilef in God.  In our study tonight we will see that belief in God makes sense because of the law of cause and effect as well as the law of order in our universe.  I would love to see every one of you there.  We are believers, but not without reasons.  Come reason with us tonight at 7:00 at the school.

Doubters Welcome

I am currently reading a book for a course in theology in which the author seems to have written in fear that technology will somehow replace God in society.  His basic premis is that the further science progresses, the farther we drift from God.  This is a fear shared by many in Christianity that somehow, the more people rely on the knowledge of man, the less they will stand in awe of God.  I would submit to you that God is not intimidated by science, in fact, I believe he welcomes it.  Now more than ever man is pushing the limits of time and space and God continues to be there.  In a total turn around, I believe that the progress of science in our world will act as a smelting pot that will separate all the false religions and cults that are based on anything short of absolute truth.  God has always welcomed doubters.  God created us curious.  Science is in all actuality the study of God's omnipotence.  The only ones who should fear the truth are those who have something to hide.  This Sunday, we welcome all doubters to church.  Our study through John will bring us to Thomas' encounter with Christ and we will see how Jesus responds to those in doubt.  Make plans to come, and invite a doubter to come explore.

Good News and Bad News

I really don't know why people begin conversations this way. Especially auto mechanics who are holding your car hostage. But, after putting the mini-van in the shop for A/C work, I told the guy at the counter we had been saving for 5 months to have the work done and to take it easy on me. Expense had already exceeded $1,000 when the call came. It went something like this.

Me: Hello
Guy: Hello Mr. Johns
Me: Hello
Guy: I've got good news and bad news, which do you want first heh heh
Me: what is it?
Guy: I found that part for the hose assembly your van has one of two, and I should get it first thing tomorrow.
Me: okay
Guy: I spent all afternoon taking the old one off (Read milking you for labor) and unfortunately it had leaked freon into your compressor and it too is ruined.
Me: okay, what will that cost me?
Guy: Uh, I don't really know off hand (read, Lots more money)
Me: can you give me a ballpark
Guy: I will call you back in a few
Me: By the way, what was the good news?
Guy: That I found the part I needed


Here is why I share my story with you.

1. To complain and get off my chest my frustration.
2. To eradicate the world of the phrase "good news and bad news"
Here is why: When there is bad news, no one likes to play games. Plus, if all the bad news (you owe another $420.00) is mine and the good news is yours (I found the part) Then it does not apply.

A lot of times people fear going to church because the "good news" is delivered as bad news. The church is seen as negative, and no one wants to be on the bad news end of a balanced "Good News/ Bad News " exchange. What makes the gospel so great is that in spite of our thinking that being a sinner is bad news, and not wanting to hear it from anyone especially a pious Christian, is that in fact all the bad news is take on by Christ, leaving only good news for us. Finding Christ is no more bad news, than to find that you owe an enormous debt and Christ has paid it all. The bad news that we are a sinner pales in comparison, to the good news that we have been saved from the penalty of our sin.

Romans 8:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The Deception of Worry

BoingBoing blogged this Swedish {Correction: Dutch} insurance ad plastered on the back of a bus. It reminded me that a lot of the time I worry about things that only appear to be threats. How do you respond to threats? Do you have something that appears to be a bus barreling toward you right now? Remember that much of what we worry about never comes to pass and that Jesus reminds us not to worry, but to trust. Insurance companies make great money on our worries (read hurricanes) Just remember that it was Jesus who calmed the storm.

What Genre is your Bible

I read a lot of books. I mostly read how to books dealing with church ministry stuff, but often enjoy a good biography or science fiction like "Out of the Silent Plant." I read newspapers and blogs, I read commentaries and manuals, and every once in a great while I will read some poetry. (the planets all have to be lined up for that) I as this because I always approach my reading differently depending on the genre. Fiction is almost always audio book. (don't email me that it is not reading if I am listening to it, I know, I know.) Commentaries and manuals I go to for answers, Newspapers and blogs I go to for information. Poetry I go to for inspiration or contemplation etc. I asked myself today, what genre is the Bible. Some would argue for for one or the other. I argue it is all of the above. Consider:

* Romance - A love story of of Christ and His Bride
* Fiction - Parables ( don't email me about this either. I know only a portion of stories are fiction)
* Self Help - Instructive wisdom
* Biography - of God
* Poetry - Of David, and Moses
* News - A Revelation of sorts
* Manual - Theology and answers to life's biggest questions
* Historic - A true gospel

I guess the Bible is all in how you look at it. Like a diamond, its beauty is discovered by the many angles and how the Light is reflected through each. Consider the you genre-atical approach the next time you pick up the leather bound book.

Easter Ponderings at 4:30 a.m.

It is 4:30 a.m. on Easter Saturday. A few minutes ago I am lying in bed thinking about Easter. The main thought that consumes me is that Easter is about Christ. It is about worshiping the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. I'm trying to fall back to sleep because in a few hours the weekend will start and it won't stop until Sunday night. I wonder if an Easter Egg hunt somehow takes away from our worship of Christ on Easter. I think about the fact that Easter Eggs and Chicks and the fake grass are all some carryover of pagan celebrations into the Catholic church. I wonder for a moment why the Catholic church would celebrate "pagan" holidays, how they could pervert Easter with fertility rituals. Then I think about the fact that Jesus could have scheduled His death burial and resurrection for anytime of the year. The pharisees were truly willing to kill him at any time. But he chose the season of his resurrection. I remember that as I studied for this weekend's message, that when Passover was instituted that it was to be the first month of their year. Another beginning. I thought it was kind of God's plan for the death of winter to give way for the resurrection of life to spring forth. I wonder if God was the one who scheduled this to be the time of the birthing of new lambs, new chicks, and green grass. That it was His intent all along that we celebrate new life, a new year at this Season. I stop thinking bad about the Catholic church, I stop thinking bad about the pagans, I lay there amazed at how God is in control of every detail and that when we just stop long enough to pay attention, that He will reveal Himself to us. He is GOD! One day we will stand before Him in Heaven. We will fall to our knees in worship. We will finally stop. And we will finally understand that it is all about Him.

Ask Seek Knock

I got an email this morning from a guy nammed Luke. He had some difficult passages that he wanted answers to, and I believe he really is sincerely seeking. Pray with me for Him that God will touch Luke's life in a big way. I will give you his questions followed by my response to him.

Luke’s Questions: I have read passages in the bible which do not represent God’s infinite love and forgiveness.

Exodus 35:2
Deuteronomy 21:18-21
Leviticus 20:13

Plus there are many passages condoning slavery?

My Reply:

Dear Luke,

First let me commend you on your sincere and open take on the subject of understanding God and His word. I have been a pastor for 15 years and Istill come across passages in the Bible that I struggle to understand. That is where faith is essential and knowing that God is just and fair even when we may not see it.

As for slavery, there are two things that will help you.

1. Slavery was a way of life and part of every culture in biblical times. Though this does not make it right, as in the case of Israel's slavery in Egypt. The fact that it appears in the Bible does not indicate that God condones such slavery, but that He addresses the needs of the people in that culture. It would be like God giving instruction to drug addicts. He is not encouraging addiction, but how they ought to deal with their plight.

2. Not all slaves were slaves in the sense that we know it. According to Jewish law, those who had declared bankruptcy would become a slave until they had paid their debts. There was a strict limit to servetude of just 7 years when all jewish slaves had to be freed and every 50 years every debt was forgiven. In a lot of ways this was a simpler way of dealing with people who couldnot handle their bills. By being taken in as a servant, they were housed, fed, and trained in a skill. Also, at any time, a family member could redeem, or buy their freedom.

By this, we see that the Bible is very relevant to issues of its day. Not in a sense of condoning it, but in the sense that it helps people deal with real life issues.

Next, Let's address your specific passages.

Exodus 35:1 - 2 (NKJV)
1Then Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said to them, “These are the words which the Lord has commanded you to do: 2Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

This is probably one of the most difficult passages for us to deal with in our modern context. How does a God who claims to be all loving set in place a law that in our opinion seems to be self serving and oppressive. What we must accept is that God is God. For man to seek honor is wrong, but for God it is not only correct but natural. It is also important that this law was part of the Ten Commandments and was modeled for us in Creation. Where you and I struggle with this is that we feel that the punishment does not seem to fit the crime. We feel that if someone works on the Sabbath they should maybe be punished by being forced to donate all their earnings to charity or something. This mindset I believe stems from lesser view of God. What I mean by that is that we have ignored God for so long that it is hard for even believers to think of God as so reverent that to work on the Sabbath as a crime worthy of death. I think you would agree that God is deserving of all our worship, and that it is wrong for us to worship our paycheck, but I don't think we have a perfect understanding of the extent. remember that the law of the Old testament was given to man in order to set the standard of perfection that only Christ could meet. Yes we fail, But Christ came to save us who were under the law and to give us grace.
Let me boil it down as far as I see it. This law existed because 1. It was right for Israel to set aside one day to worship God. 2. God is infinitely deserving of all our praise. 3. to worship work over God is idolatry and worthy of capital punishment. 4. However Jesus came to free us from the law of sin and death, and the Old Testament serves just as an example of a law that was impossible for sinful man to keep.


Deuteronomy 21:18 - 21 (NKJV)
18“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, 19then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. 20And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

A few safe guards are put into place here. First both parents would have to agree that this was the last resort. Second they would still be required to prove it before the elders (Court) of the city. Again it seems harsh, that the punishment does not fit the crime, but in that society it was extreme provision for keeping order. Wednesday of this week a troubled teen took the lives of 8 people in the mall of Omaha Nebraska. He had many emotional issues but one of the recurring themes on the news is how his father kept asking the police to put his son in Jail. It was as if he knew his son was capable of doing such a crime, but our system had no way of dealing with him. I am not making the argument that we need to change to the Old Testament way of killing the potential villains. I just point to this as a case where this would in fact have saved lives. It is important to understand that the middle east practiced preventative measures rather than punitive. What I mean by that is that without forensics and modern police work, they relied on severe punishment as a deterrent.



Leviticus 20:13 (NKJV)
13If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

This is obviously much more of a sensitive question and seems to be a much debated topic today. I think that it would be wrong to pluck this verse from its context and not admit that the same penalty existed for those who commit adultery and incest. Again I will remind you that the law existed as a standard of God's view of perfection. God's ideal is that a man and a woman marry for life. this is seen in the bible in that he created Adam and Eve, but also naturally as that is how children come about. To put it in the context of that day, it is important to remember that many of the ceremonial laws of the Jews existed to prevent diseases from becoming pandemic. Today it is hard to understand with our modern refrigeration and preservatives as well as health standards, but the risk was so great that they were even forbidden from eating pork which spoils quickly. Now bring that to sexuality and in a very practical sense it was important for the health of the nation that there be very stringent laws on personal morality. Imagine not being able to treat sexually transmitted diseases. Not long and the nation would be extinct. Take AIDS as an example. Personally it is hard for me to believe that it just came about in the last century. It very well may be the reason some tribes and people groups died off long ago. If sexuality was in Israel as it is today, and there were so many people who were not monogamous, it is very likely that a disease such as AIDS or other dangerous STD's would decimate the nation. Again, I think it to be extreme, but we must put it into their context. Their very lives depended upon it, as did the future of their nation.


I believe that makes one a Christian is not arriving in the place where you have all the answers but arriving in a place where you are faithfully believing while you still have questions. Jesus told us to ask, seek and knock, and the Bible is full of godly men asking sincere questions. I have enjoyed responding to your email and please let me know if you have any more questions.

God bless,
Joel

Afraid of Ghosts?

October is just around the corner and it seems that Halloween will be just as big this year if not bigger than last. I have been thinking a lot of what we fear in preparation for a new message series to begin in October called fearless. I have found that the greatest source of horror film fodder centers on two close, but vastly different things. The first is ghosts or spirits without bodies as in the movies ala Sixth Sense and Poltergeist, and secondly the opposite, namely of bodies without spirits such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Frankenstein.

Now track with me here as I go deep theological on you. What is horrific to us as humans is the separation of the natural body and spirit combo. For those of us living on this earth, we fear the separation of the body from the spirit and therefore fear either one without the other. This is born out of a world view that is based on the natural world as we know it. Philosophers may refer to it as existentialism or to a lesser extent humanism. I am not by any means saying that to fear ghosts or zombies is in some way a conscious philosophical decision, but I am saying that our fear of them is the natural result of our world view.

As Ricky Ricardo would say "Let me splain." If I choose the world view that this life is all that there is, that we all evolved in the past in order to dissolve in the future then I have nothing greater to fear than the evidence of that dissolution - ghosts and zombies. On the contrary, if I believe that there is a Creator God who is spirit in form and dwells in heavenly places. And I believe that our physical bodies are just the temporary shell until our spirit is released to be with Him for eternity, then I do not fear the separation of the the spirit and the body. In fact, I embrace it.

So what should we fear? As people who have accepted Jesus Christ and His world view as put forth in the Bible, we do not have to fear death. For those who have not accepted Christ they must fear death because death is the eternal separation of body and spirit. However, Jesus kicks it up a notch in the book of Matthew chapter 10 when he says...

Matt. 10:28 (NKJV) And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Unbelievers also have God to fear because God is able to kill the spirit for eternity in hell.

Today I pray that you will overcome your fear. That God will help you to accept His world view. And that as a result you will be able to be fearless.

My garage is always a mess

My wife is an excellent housekeeper and has taught me and our kids to take great care of our house. For instance every bed is made and rooms are cleaned before leaving for school at 6:45 a.m. However, the garage is my territory and it is a different story, maybe even a different book. Someone said that a garage is a place to keep $250 worth of junk while a $15,000 vehicle sits just outside. There is only one way to get the car in the garage, you must get the junk out. I will admit that I love my junk and even love the church's junk that I keep in the garage. Like the original sound booth, and even a pulpit complete with a gold leaf cross on the front. Truth be told, my cars may never get to spend a night in the garage. Now from time to time I will organize my garage. I will compartmentalize things and places, I will sweep the floor and clear the biggest spot int the middle of the garage that I can. After these episodes, I usually walk away feeling good about my junk, good about the fact that I can open my garage door without shame. However, it does not take long for the junk to fall back into place. In 1 week, maybe 2 it is a mess again, so I face the embarrassment, and hassle or organizing my junk. In truth many of us do this with our lives. We have a place, a spiritual or emotional garage where se keep all of our junk. While our house may be in order and visitors to our house may be impressed, we keep the garage door locked. We would hate for someone to see the mess that we keep in that junk drawer. The origin of the word holy comes from the same root where we get the word whole Meaning complete. Essentially, if there are areas of our life where we hide our junk, then we are not holy. So what do we need to do in order to stop organizing and rearranging our mess...

1. Identify the junk - We need to look long and hard at the things in our garage. Ask ourselves why are we holding onto them. Are we really going to use that again, are we really going to need a ten year old version of that ten years from now? I think we hold on to a lot of bitterness and anger this way, we think that we may need that old hurt to use on the one who hurt us.

2. Throw it out - Let it go man, just let it go. This is much easier after you have labeled it as junk. But it still requires effort. There are some things that you can easily bag up and set by the curb, and there are other things that are heavy and might require the help of some close friends.

3. Move the car inside - Let your poor garage fulfill its purpose in life. It lives for the car to pull in and to wrap its automatic door behind it. Let it be filled with all the goodness that comes when things are not just organized mess, but exactly as the builder intended.

Now I know what your going to ask. Have I cleaned out my garage? Not yet, but as I pulled out of my driveway this morning I was looking into my garage and thinking it is time to organize it again already. Then God spoke to my heart and said stop organizing your junk, and just get rid of it. So, later today, I will go out to the garage and take step number 1. What will you do with your junk today.

What do you do when you are in a valley?

I love to watch survival shows on Discovery channel. My favorite was Survivorman, a Canadian guy who would lose himself somewhere and video tape his escape by himself, but he must be lost somewhere in syndication now. Man vs. Wild hosted by Bear Grylls is the new top survival show. He is followed by a camera crew, so he is not as destitute as the other guy, but he is much cooler, and better looking, plus his resume includes being the youngest Brit to climb Everest. All that being said, I was reading C.S. Lewis describe life's ups and downs and how that it is all part of life and the it only matters what we do with those ups and downs.

All this started me thinking about the survival shows and what they did to survive the long hikes out of the wilderness and back to civilization. This is the nugget of truth that I learned and want to share with you. When Bear is dropped off, the first thing he will do is to climb to the peak to gain perspective and catch a vision for his walk. However, he cannot remain on the mountain top because 1. He will never reach his destination and 2. There is no food to sustain him on the mountain top. Application: When God allows us to reach mountaintops in life it is only for perspective and direction, not a place to camp out, no matter how great the view. (Read Matthew 17:4 for Peter's thoughts on this)

Bear knows that life sustaining water is actually in the valley and if he is going to live and complete his journey then he is going to need to pass through the valleys. Spiritually, we tend to depress the valleys. We talk so much about how we pass through the valley of death and how miserable it is to be in a valley, but maybe we are not thinking correctly about the valleys. Maybe we need to change our thinking about what we do when we are in a valley? Bear takes time to get fresh water in the valleys. The pools of water on mountain tops are often riddled with bacteria, but the springs of the valley give pure water. He will also build a shelter for a place to rest, the weather on the mountain top is too extreme for rest, the valleys are the best place to rest. Finally he will gather food for the journey in the valley. Because of the water in the valley, there is fruit for him to carry with him.

So what do you do when you find yourself in the next spiritual valley? rejoice! No, you can't see the future from here, but this is the place to find living water, rest and nourishment for the journey ahead. So when you find yourself in the valley, take some time to rest, spend some time to refresh yourself with the Living Water, and gather the fruits of the spirit into your life for the journey ahead.

Space Shuttle Launch

I almost drove to Titusville yesterday to see the space shuttle launch. I have never been that close and usually settle for going out in the yard. I have determined that the next time it goes up, that I am going to go. I tried a couple of years ago, but it got scrubbed and I had to turn around and come home, having wasted a half a day. But it is something that we should see as central Floridians. It would almost be a crime not to. Gabe's son Ethan was over and it was fun to show him the real Buzz Lightyear. I wonder if the real thing lived up to his expectations? On that note, we will be talking about expectations in church tomorrow. I expect you to be there! Here is something from the devotional blog that I wanted to share with everyone.

Eph. 3:20 (NIV)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

The imagination is a powerful thing. A children we would spend hours playing in the pretend world of our imagination. Life however has a way of exchanging our imagination for reality. In fact it is very hard for us as adults to imagine very much at all. I read this quote in a commentary on Ephesians this week, and it struck me so much that I had to go and make Amy read it.

"I read of the rockets and the probes into outer space. I read concerning man's braggadocio declaration that he will go to the moon, and that he will use the moon as a springboard to reach Mars! And then I remember that every major judgment God has sent upon this earth was preceded by the desire of God's creatures to by-pass God and become gods themselves."

It is hard to believe that in 1963 that space travel as we know it was thought to be "braggadocio" that going to the moon or to Mars was thought to be an attempt to "by-pass" God. I though about this last night as I stood in the front yard with my family and my neighbors and watched the space shuttle Atlantis blast into orbit. Wow! Somebody imagined that, when others were saying things like this guy, who by the way will go nameless.

I only bring this up to make the point that we as believers can easily kill the very imagination that God has given us. God does not want us to live in this human reality, God wants us to live in His reality. And His reality appears to be a lot more fun, a lot safer, and the only true reality. I don't know about you, but I am going to spend some time today imagining what God can do through me, and what God can do through Cornerstone. Then I am going to talk to Him about it and then go read this verse again and know that He is able to do immeasurably more than I can even imagine.

Every Member a ...

This Sunday we will be talking about expectations at church and it has me thinking about what I expect out of the people of our church. As part of a church planting school that I attended a few years back, I learned that I often have overly optimistic expectations of other people. I am still not happy being told this, because for me, they should all just step up.

However, there are some times that I can see where I have put too much stock in the abilities of some who ended up hurting the church as they were unable to accomplish the task. I remember one time having a teenage boy sing a solo on a Wednesday night youth meeting and feeling sooooooo bad for him as he took a great song and destroyed it. The bad thing was that he knew he was killing it and it was killing him. Where I thought he had room to grow, and that I could develop him in the area of music, actually turned around to embarrass him and teach me a lesson in the process.

So what is too high of an expectation or a misplaced expectation? What should we as pastors expect from God's people the church? I will say without a doubt that our expectations should line up with the pattern laid out in the Bible. Therefore, as a leader, and recognizing that people are all at different stages of growth, the end goal is still Christ likeness. My expectations of the people of my church is that they are becoming more like Christ every day. It is not too much to expect a level of devotion to God that is better than before.

A few years ago the phrase "every member a minister" began floating around church world. We realized that there is no room in the church for people who just want to leach ministry from the body like a cancer, but that every member should be involved in giving back to the ministry. This is a great step for most churches as the age old statistic says that 20% of the people do 80% of the ministry. If we could flip those numbers imagine the amount of service we could do!

However, our expectations cannot end there. Remember that Christ likeness is our goal, and that takes more than ministry. We must now go beyond "every member a minister" to the new step of "every member a missionary." Missions is ministry but with two distinctives.

First, mission is simply ministry that takes place outside of the church. Where ministry watches babies in the nursery, mission watches the baby next door. Where ministry is a friendly greeting and cup of coffee to a guest at church, mission is a friendly greeting and cup of coffee to the homeless. It moves from self serving to serving others.

The second distinctive is that mission is ministry with purpose. We become missionaries when our babysitting is done to share Christ with our neighbor; when our coffee and greeting leads to a conversation about God's love. If we do ministry without this purpose then we have failed to do mission.

2 Cor. 4:5 - 6 (NKJV)

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bond servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

So what do I expect? I expect that everyone who is a member of Cornerstone will be in the process of becoming more like Christ, in holy living, and in action. Namely that we will reach the goal of "every member a missionary!"

Devotional Blog

Last month I began chronicling my personal Bible time on a blog. {inthedaily} It was my goal for the month to read through the book of James 1 chapter a week, and every day boil it down to a single word. Sometimes I fell behind in blogging and have run way ahead in reading, but today I will begin a new study. I am still trying to decide what to do. I write this to tell you that today I am struggling with a situation, and when I opened my devotional thought for last week, God used last week me to preach to today me. It is funny how the lessons of a week ago will so quickly be forgotten. Blogging is one way that we can remember God's faithfulness in the past as we look fearfully into the future.

Elk Lock Horns and Die

I ran across this picture from the Smithsonian. Apparently like humans, Elk tend to lock horns. They become territorial, take a position and stand their ground. Unfortunately, for this pair and for many who choose to be like them it was pointless for both. How often do we lock horns in our marriages, at our work, and in our churches? Do we take a stand, not on moral principle, but on personal preference. Then, when someone threatens our position, we lower our head state our opinion and lock horns. This Sunday, we will be talking about Words of Affirmation. Words can get us into trouble, the words we say, the positions we take. Words are hard to take back, before we know it we end up defending a position we really do not care about, but for the sake of argument we stand our ground and lock horns. A battle of the wills, a battle to the death. What are you tempted to lock horns over? What arguments should you simply walk away from?

I have never seen the sun

I have never, in my life, seen the sun. No I am not blind, but every attempt I have made to look at the sun has been a failure. You see, each time I try, the light is so bright that my human eyes are unable to see past the light, to the surface of the sun.

Even though I have never seen the sun, I do believe that it exists. Why? Because without the sun, I would not be able to see anything at all. I believe in the sun, not because I can see it, but because of the light that it sheds on everything else.

One day, I will have new eyes and will be able to see the sun, but until then I am content to live in the knowledge of its presence and walk in its light.

Thank's for Goliath

I wonder if David ever thanked God for Goliath. I wonder if he thanked God for Saul's javelin, or for the cave of Adullam. I am sure that David prayed about Goliath as he gathered stones from the brook, I am sure that he prayed the kind of prayer that Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. Father, if there is any other way, let it be so. I am sure that David prayed for his Goliath to go away, for him to just give up and go fight somebody else. I do not think for a minute that David would have asked God to bring Goliath at him head on, but that is exactly what God did. David, did not pray for God to help him escape Goliath, in fact in 1 Samuel 17:48 it says that David ran to meet Goliath. Far too many of our prayers go unanswered because we are asking God to remove the very Goliaths he has purposefully brought into our lives. For some reason we see these obstacles as God's punishment or lack of attention, so we plead with him to remove them, when God is saying don't run away, run toward your Goliath. After all, the verse before that tells us that David told Goliath that "the battle is the LORD's." If God had made David's Goliath go away, then we would not even know of him today. What is your Goliath? What are you desperately asking God to take away? What are you praying that God would help you get out of that God wants you go through. I think that before the giant's bones turned to dust, that David was able to thank God for not making his Goliath go away. So... run. Not away, but run ahead.