Up Until Now

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As I was driving to work this morning I thought of all that life has been Up Until Now for me and my family. And I wondered if Up Until Now hasn’t been all that great, or even if it has, what can I do to change it to make From Here On Out better? And would I be willing to make the changes necessary to see something different, something better From Here On Out? I hope so!

I hope so for you too!

Religious Bigotry

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Many of you know that I like to tackle the stuff that many stay away from … and frankly it’s not because I am so courageous, I just speak my mind and like to give my perspective on religious issues, good or bad.

So here are my thoughts on Religious Bigotry; it’s a shame for people of faith, especially people of the Christian faith for whom I am apart, to be bigoted as it relates to faith. Christians are to be people of love, grace, mercy … people full of kindness… right? At least that is how I read the Bible. I do not see room for religious bigotry.

Now let me be clear here, I am a Christian and I believe that Jesus is the way the truth and the life and that there is no other way we are made right with God but by the blood of Christ Jesus that was shed on the cross. Okay, I get it; I believe it and I share it! BUT I see many in my own group who are judgmental, and even hateful of those who do not share our tenants of faith … this my friends is religious bigotry and if the truth be told it’s not very Christ like. I believe we should LOVE people into the kingdom of God, not judge them or even scare the hell out of them! That’s so not Jesus!

I’ve never seen a group more divided and even divisive as the “Christian Church” … each group thinking they have the corner market on biblical understanding and divine truth … often bashing other groups because of their “lack of understanding”. Just nuts! I remember this all to well since I was one of these people years ago … thinking that everyone else was wrong and I (of course) and the group I was in (of course) had the FULL unadulterated truth. Religious pride in its grandest form! It’s disgusting!

All this doesn’t mean that we change our beliefs or that we say others are right and we are wrong … I think it’s more an attitude of the heart, a heart of love and compassion towards other people. And don’t we ultimately defeat our enemy by making them our friend? I think so! Also when you get into absolute truth … truth is truth, but how you come to understand and live out that truth is crucial.

For example if my son came to me with a math quiz and he had said that 5 + 6 = 8 I would lovingly instruct him and show him again how mathematics work to help him reach the truth on his own. I wouldn't tell him that his mathematical skills are stupid and he is going to math hell … that wouldn’t help him. I also wouldn't just say – “your wrong, and the answer is 11 … I am right … I know the truth and you don’t.” And here is another thing I would do; I would have him explain to me how he came to the conclusion that 8 was the answer … then we could discuss.

I think religious people often get defensive, argumentative and upset when someone challenges or offers another opinion because they are insecure and can’t really defend their position because they don’t even know WHY they believe what they believe.

Bible Reading Plan - Weeks 13, 14 & 15

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Week 13

March 26
Joshua 12-15

March 27
Joshua 16-18

March 28
Joshua 19-21

March 29
Joshua 22-24

Week 14

March 30
Judges 8-9

March 31
Judges 10-12

April 1
Judges 13-15

April 2
Judges 16-18

April 3
Judges 19-21

April 4
Ruth

April 5
1 Samuel 1-3

Week 15

April 6
1 Samuel 4-8

April 7
1 Samuel 9-12

April 8
1 Samuel 13-14

April 9
1 Samuel 15-17

April 10
1 Samuel 18-20 & Psalm 11 and 59

April 11
1 Samuel 21-24

April 12
Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52

Messy

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I was thinking today how wonderful it is to be in a messy church rather than in a tighty whitey church where everyone is acting like they are perfect. I attended those kinds of churches when I was younger.

I appreciate our authentic honest culture (and many churches are like this). It’s very freeing. It’s where TRUE FREEDOM happens. “The truth will set you free” … so you can never be FREE when you are hiding or acting like something you are not and lying about who you really are … it’s the truth that frees us! The truth is that we are ALL broken and sinful. And acting like you are not is SINFUL in itself.

There was this one person who was perfect, his name is Jesus … and what is cool about Him and His ministry is that it was MESSY! And the uptight-acting-like-they-are-better-than-everyone-else-religious-pharisees hated Jesus because of it! I love it!

When I say “our church is messy” I mean that our church has real people with real issues in it … and they don’t (some do) hide it. They are who they are! There aren’t many churches where you can be who you are while on your journey of faith. Most churches are attempting to fit you in their little box … their little view of what they think a Christian looks like.

I just got a call today from a couple who want me to perform their wedding because their pastor won’t because they have been married before. That’s ridiculous and is nothing like the Jesus of the Bible. That is some whacked-out form of religion that turns people away from the love of God.

I will end with this story; a woman in our church told me she attended a “membership class” at another church where they asked if you smoked, and she was honest and said “yes”. And because she smoked she was denied membership. How nutty is that! It makes me want to spit! And this wasn’t like something that happened in the 80’s … this was just a few months ago and here in Olathe! Wow!

I could rant and rave here for hours… I will end with this; Jesus said “come unto me ALL ye …” that is you, me, the drug addict, the prostitute, the stripper, the homosexual, the adulterer, the fornicator, the liar, the cheater, the greedy, the lazy, and the religious nut!

Religious Guilt

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I often talk about Forgiveness and how important it is to forgive those who have wronged, and/or hurt us. Whoever that may be; parents, siblings, relatives, co-worker, boss, friend, church member, an organization … etc. If we hold onto the pain then it only hinders our development on so many levels. When we can forgive and let go of the bitterness we are then freeing ourselves of the pain.

There is another side to this that I have not spoken of very much and wanted to address it here; and that is the whole “religious guilt” deal. We’ve got to be able to forgive OURSELVES too! Forgiveness isn’t something we just do to others to free ourselves, but it is something that we do to ourselves to free ourselves. Example: Maybe your past is like mine, full of very un-Christ-like behavior like drug use, sexual promiscuity, and all sorts of junk? And you feel guilty for the way you lived, or for what you’ve done. You may even feel that God can’t forgive you, or can’t love you because of what you did? And you feel that God does love others more because they haven’t done what you’ve done?

Listen, I’ve been there. I have in years past struggled with forgiving myself of some sinful things … I knew that God forgave me, but I couldn’t really receive it, nor could I forgive myself and let myself be fully loved by God because of what I’ve done that I felt so bad about. Does that resonate with you? Do you struggle letting God in, or other people because of your past (or maybe it’s not even the past … maybe it’s your life now?)

1 John 1: 9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

Just GOOGLE “Scriptures on forgiveness” and you can find all the Bible verses on it … read them daily!

And can I just add here … no one deserves God’s forgiveness, this is what makes it a gift … that is GOD’S GRACE and MERCY at work … receive it, even for your own sins and shortcoming!

God bless!

The Bridge

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I was recently asked, “How can a loving God send anyone to Hell?”

Great question! First, I must say that I am answering this based upon limited personal human knowledge. But this is how I understand scripture. Let me explain it like this; if I built a bridge that connected California to Hawaii (I know, I know … just work with me here) and it’s the only bridge that takes a person from California to Hawaii and I built it because I love people. Now, there are many bridges, but only one that leads to Hawaii, which is where I want to go.

And as the builder of the bridge I write (and or inspire others to write) a book, a manual of sorts with all the necessary details about the bridges history, how it was built, stories that further illustrate the bridges importance, the sacrifices made in building it, people experiences with me while building the bridge, and peoples experience using the bridge, etc. And this book was written by several of the people who were a part of the making of this bridge, people who were eyewitnesses of it construction … people who knew the story. And that book went around the world and was translated into many languages so that the world knew that there was this bridge, the only one of its kind, leading people from California to Hawaii. A story that told you how loving I was, and why I built the bridge and how I longed for you to find the bridge and use it to get to Hawaii.

Now, some people have tried to deny the bridges existence, but if you ask them if they’ve seen it, of course they haven’t … they’ve seen pictures, but “they could be fakes”, they say. Others haven’t seen the bridge either, but choose to believe it’s there because of concrete evidence.

There have been many people who have used the bridge … but there are no phones on the other side, so once you cross over you can’t call back to confirm. But when you cross over you meet the ME, the builder of the bridge, and I welcome you and say aren’t you glad you found the bridge. And I explain to you that I built this bridge for EVERYONE to use! But unfortunately some people just refuse, saying they want to do it themselves, or that they’ve heard there are many bridges … but again, unfortunately, I am the only one qualified to build this bridge and if you want to go from California to Hawaii this is it. And the bridge is FREE! There is no fee, no toll, no tax … it’s a FREE gift pass.

There are holes in this analogy, I know … but can you see that even logically when we think of it like that you can see that God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins, and to give us eternal life. He is the only one who has done that … and He did it for you and for me. Now you have a choice whether to believe that or reject that … it’s your choice. As builder of the bridge I do not turn anyone away from the bridge, actually I have done everything in my power to get everyone to take its path. But again, the choice is yours! I beg you, chose the bridge Jesus Christ!

Bible Reading Plan - Weeks 11 & 12

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Week 11

March 12
Deuteronomy 3-4

March 13
Deuteronomy 5-7

March 14
Deuteronomy 8-10

March 15
Deuteronomy 11-13

March 16
Deuteronomy 14-16

March 17
Deuteronomy 17-20

March 18
Deuteronomy 21-23

Week 12

March 19
Deuteronomy 24-27

March 20
Deuteronomy 28-29

March 21
Deuteronomy 30-31

March 22
Deuteronomy 32-34 & Psalm 91

March 23
Joshua 1-4

March 24
Joshua 5-8

March 25
Joshua 9-11

The Struggle

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I think if we are honest we all “struggle” with something; whether its dealing with in-laws, or depression, anxiety, lust, fear, anger, rebellion, hatred, bitterness, gossip, lying, stealing, resentment, judgment, selfishness, greed, etc.

I use the word “struggle” loosely … because some do not actually “struggle” they “give in”, therefore there is no “struggle” going on. When I say “struggle” I am thinking of the person who is engaged in an actual fight against the thing that is trying to destroy their life … taking an offensive stance rather then just giving in to the whims of desire or feelings that lurk in us all.

I think this is the victory we have is that we do struggle, we do fight, we do war within … if you are not “struggling” then you are either dead (which would be weird that you can access the internet) or you have just given into whatever your flesh desires to do. This is what gets people in trouble. Right? Like the guy who desires women, lots of women, and rather than fight the good fight of faith and be true to his one and only, he “gives up the struggle” and indulges himself in a woman other than his wife. Then the trouble begins.

We are all capable of this! Myself included! I think most men I know … if they were honest … wouldn’t be opposed to having Solomon’s problem of having hundreds of wives. It’s just not legal!

I celebrate 15 years in just a couple months and I have not had an affair, but it’s not because I am intrinsically different or better or more spiritual then those who have. I have thoughts, desires and temptations like any other person on the planet … I think the difference is “I struggle”! I fight against those desires that lurk within … those feelings that are leading me away from what is good and right!

So I challenge you to join me in the STRUGGLE against SIN! Live HOLY! And if you do – EVERYONE WINS!

What If ...

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Q: What would be the 10 things (plus one) you would do if you won $1,000,000.00 cash today, tax free?

Here is what I would do:

1) Write our tithe/offering check to my local church (Mercy Church) for $150,000.00.
2) Research a ministry or program to invest in … or start our own ministry to help hurting children and families - $100,000.00.
3) Set aside $200,000 in a trust fund for kids college .
4) Refinance house and put $100,000 down … to bring monthly payment down.
5) Pay off both vehicles - $17,000.00.
6) Pay off Dentist bill (all the families root canals and crowns) - $5,000.00.
7) Invest in our future – not sure where or what … that would be a matter of prayer. - $250,000.00.
8) Finally take the family trip we’ve always wanted to take and haven’t cause of money – Disney World in Orlando Florida - $3000.00.
9) Take a tour of the Holy Land - $5,000.00.
10) Build an office library in our house - $10,000.00 (we have a “reading room” in our house (10X12), which is one of the reasons we bought the house, and it’s unfurnished and just sits empty … we’d like to fully furnish it (desk, reading chairs, etc.) and line the 2 available walls with custom wood bookshelves floor to ceiling for the hundreds of books we have piled around.


Plus one: Put the $160,000 left over in a high interest money market account.

How you answer this question tells a lot about you ... and of course the true test is if what you say is what you really truly would do if you were given $1 million... so be honest here! Here is the reality ... if you don't give your church $100 out of your $1000 paycheck ... there's a pretty good chance you wouldn't give $100,000... "...to whom much is given much is required..."