September 2007 Entries
Its a God thing! West Church gets a Building!

Ok -- here is a wild story!!  I finish lunch on Sunday and turn my cell phone on.  I have a voicemail message and so I check it out and it is one of the elders from our West Church.  I give him a call and he tells me -- "you will never believe it -- God gave us a building!" A little history, we launch the West Church in February 2004. They had some up and downs, but with Pastor Bill Heistand at the helm and a clear vision for the future -- the church is on the move.

Gary went on to tell me that a church in Columbia was willing to GIVE West there church facility -- for free!!  WOW WOW WOW!!  God is awesome!  Having gone through the hard word and faith stretching work of building a church from stratch -- this is a God thing! And it is that "break" that you need to take the church to the next level! What a blessing and what a real answer of prayer!

 

posted @ Sunday, September 30, 2007 1:40 PM | Feedback (0) | Tags: NewSong Church
Yanks in the Playoffs!!

Back in May -- I had died hard Yankee fans looking to off load the rest of their season tickets. But for the 12th year in a row the Bronx Bombers are headed for the post season play.  They finished today in 2nd place in the AL East and the wild card team. They will start play this week in Cleveland against a hot Indians team. But the boys will be ready to grip it and rip it!!  Pitching will either bury us or open the door for this to be atruly great season.

On a similar note....the NY Mets completed the season losing their first place position to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets know will be known as the worst collapse in MLB history -- they were 8 games ahead when September started -- they could have coasted into the playoffs.  Instead they lost 10 out of 11 at home to the two worst teams in the NL and they allowed the Phillies to taste the post season! Unbelieveable!  There is a suicide watch across Queens, NY tonight!

I love this game!

posted @ Sunday, September 30, 2007 1:34 PM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Yankees Baseball
Little is Much - When God is in it!

This Sunday was "Hope Sunday" at NewSong. We had our first Hope Sunday in 2004 when we partnered up with World Vision and a number of churches in Lancaster to minister in a small village of Tseikuru, Kenya. You see Tseikuru is one of the many communities through out Africa where HIV/AIDS are significantly impacted the lives of its people. Tseikuru is about 30,000 people and 10,000 are affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.

In 2004, we got involved with sponsoring the children of Tseikuru -- 160 kids!!  Those sponsorships provided, education, medical assistance, food, clothing and spiritual guidance.  In addition, the extra money is pooled to dig water wells and other community wide concerns. In 2004, one of our elders and myself traveled to the village and we were radically affected by what we saw!

This past March, six more from our church went to Kenya and saw the progress that we had made these past few years and also investigated how else we will be involved with the ministry.  Here are some things I have learned these past 4 years partnering in this ministry.

1. HIV/AIDS is devastating diseases and its not a "gay problem." I think we in the USA, when we hear AIDS -- we think a consequence of sinful, anti-social behavior. The fact is AIDS is contracted and spread through some of those avenues, but no matter how a person is infected -- it is devastating lives.  In Tseikurus case -- innocent children are being affected.

2. We need to have a wholistic approach when reaching out to a developing country. I use to think - "bringing a cup of cold water in Jesus' name" is a sneaky way to promote a social gospel! Not so in Tseikuru -- World vision is concerned with water, education, economic development, medical issues, food AND spiritual interests!  You can't have one without the other.

3. The church in America needs organizations like World Vision.  I have publicly admitted that WV in my mind was a liberal Christians breeding ground -- MAYBE IT NEVER BE! I have never met the level of commitment, love and sacrifice in workers like the WV staff -- especially in the Kenya workers.  And here's a novel idea -- WV uses "Kenyans" to minister to Kenyans!  The fact is anglo-americans could never handle the conditions that these WV workers serve under!  we need WV!

4. Little is much when God is in it!  Obviously God is thrilled when people are shown the love of Christ and when those people learn that there is a God who is actively working to touch them!  But also I have seen how ONE CHURCH in Lancaster PA can help turn the tide of AIDS in our generation. In ten years we will see the fruit of sponsoring a few hundred kids. But also see what can happen when churches unite.  As of this weekend - Lancaster churches have sponsored 2800 of the 4000 orphaned or vulnerable children!  WOW!!!

I know our church has been deeply touched by the Hope Initiative and our partnership with WV Tseikuru! We are now planning to return in 2010 with a team to conduct a spiritual retreat and leadership training.  I will probably board the big bird and hope the pond -- and get ready for God to rock my world -- one more time!

posted @ Sunday, September 30, 2007 1:28 PM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Kenya World Vision
The Difficulty of Evangelism
As a pastor for over twenty years, the most difficult aspect of living the Christian life is doing evangelism. I have taught on it; preached on it; train people on how to do it and literally pushed people into conversations with unsaved.  It is only when people get a Spirit-motivated passion for lost people. Back in 2005, I wrote the following devotion to our church. I hope this lights a fire in your heart!
OK…here are the facts – there are 6,453,628,000 people on the face of the earth. Based on research by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Seminary there are 688,034,000 “Great Commission Christians” living in 2005 – that would be us! So in the simplest of math – 10% of the human race are born-again Christians. NOT BAD! The center determined that there are 197 witnessing opportunities per disciple. Meaning if every other day we were to lead an unbeliever to Christ – the world would be won in a year!! If we were to get that aggressive, please note one other important statistic -- 169,000 --- that’s the number of martyred believers each year! That number would probably increase!!
 
The facts are clear – there are still more of “them” than “us” and “they” need “us” to tell “them” about “YOU KNOW WHO!” It’s called evangelism, and every one of us needs to be involved in the process at some point.
 
Throughout the rest of the fall and into the holiday season, we will be having all kinds of outreach opportunities; but I know that “if we run it” they won’t come unless believers take serious the task of evangelism! So I went through the Bible and picked out some of my favorite passages on outreach. Let’s take a look…
 
Acts 1:8 - “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
            Along with being filled with the Holy Spirit at salvation comes the expectation that we will be witnesses for the Lord to the unbelieving world. We are not left to do the task on our own strength! He gives us power. Talking about power…..
 
Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.“
 
            Paul makes it real clear – if we will give the gospel to people – the gospel will do the work. Like Kryptonite to Superman, he did not need to touch it, just be within its proximity. I believe that if can get the lost around the gospel, the power of the truth will change them. So how can we get them around the gospel? Easy - throw a PARTY!
 
Luke 5:27-32 – “After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
 
            Look what happened, Matthew came to faith. He was a tax collector. and likewise his friends were also other tax collectors. So he threw a party and invited his social group, his friends, to hang with him. The difference is that Matthew invited his newfound friend and Savior to be a part of the party. Matthew became an inviter and contact-person for the Lord.
 
Colossians 4:5-6 – “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
 
            So why will they believe you or me? Because they see a change in our lives, and we conduct ourselves properly with unbelievers. We talk to them with kindness and grace. We speak the truth to them and share words that make them thirsty!
 
John 13:34-35 - “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
 
            Not only do we act wisely towards them, but they also see us acting lovingly towards each other! The greatest magnet for unbelievers is a loving community of believers. When they see the supernatural love flowing from each other, they will know that Christ is the real deal!
 
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 – “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
 
            The final word….God has called us to this kind of ministry. We have been reconciled to God so that we can help reconcile others to the Savior.
 
Listen, at this point I would normally pour on the pressure or make you feel guilty; but I believe that if you read these, and other passages, and apply them to your life, you will see the importance of you and me being involved with leading others to Christ. We are doing our part as a church of staging some easy “parties” to invite your friends to but still you must do your part! Today, will you take a few moments and first ask the Lord what you should do? Second, ask the Lord to bring to your mind unsaved people who you could begin to reach out to? Thirdly, what three elements of evangelism can you practice today – CPR? 
C = Cultivate - be a friend to sinners; develop a real relationship with a lost person! 
P = Proclaim – share the gospel; give a verbal witness! 
R = Retain – include them into the world of Christianity; invite them to church or small group!
 
Let’s help turn the tide and see the world evangelized in our generation!
posted @ Thursday, September 27, 2007 7:55 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Outreach
Invitation to the Celebration
My entry title was the title of our Lobby Dedication speaker Dr. Charles Zimmerman's message this past sunday. If you have not listened to it yet I would encourage you to link over to the church's website  www.newsongfellowship.com and go to Sunday sermon -- it was incredible! The occasion of this special message was the completion and dedication of our new lobby. We broke ground on Easter Sunday and re-entered our building after a number of weeks meeting Lancaster Bible College's chapel. It was an exciting day seeing so many new people and everyone finally back from summer getaways and weekend trips.  Our attendance for Sunday -- 788 -- a record attendance. Add to it our Monday night service - 50 people and that is a grand total of 838 for the weekend. What an amazing thing!  To God be the Glory!  If you don't have a church home and you live in Lancaster -- please let this be your "invitation to the celebration" -- as each week we celebrate our New Life in Jesus Christ.
posted @ Thursday, September 27, 2007 7:38 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Church Lancaster Encouragement
Yanks - 2 1/2 games out!
Amist the spiritually enlighting blog entries you have become accustomed to at walkinginwisdom.org, I feel its important to broaden your horizons. Therefore, let me share the incredible news that the New York Yankees are just 2 1/2 games out of first place in the Eastern Division of the American League.  Next to the "Great Collapse of '78" when the Yankees were trailing the Red Sox by 14 1/2 games in August and came back to catch them and defeat them in a one-game playoff in Boston....when Bucky Dent hit a monster of a shot over the GReen Monster -- this might be the greatest comeback in modern baseball history.  You see for near 90% of the entire season Boston has led the Yanks.  How de-moralizing it will be to the neo-fites of Beantown -- if there beloved Sox's blow their lead and the lowly Yankees overtake them and win the division. Tonight the Bronx Bombers will go for the sweep in Baltimore and the BoSox will try to squeek a game from the Blue Jays -- north of the border. If the Yankees win and Boston loses -- we are down to 1 1/2 games and memories of Bill Buckner's suicide watch will inacted with most of New England!  Stay tune for more Bostoin bashing!!!
posted @ Wednesday, September 19, 2007 3:44 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Yankees Baseball
A Vision to Grow By!
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18
 
Realize ten years ago, vision was not talked about in a church context; and if it was, it was attributed to some fringe religious groups who claimed to “hear God’s voice” and weighted their own words equal to Scripture. Now, we believe clearly that the canon of Scripture is complete and that God is not bringing forth new revelation. No one can claim with authority that their words equate with the prophets’ - “thus saith the Lord?” The only authority we have is the proclamation and explanation of the Holy Bible.
 
However, we do believe that God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives. Jeremiah states…For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you…Jer. 29:11, 12
 
Peter encouraged his readers with the fact that we have been saved for a specific reason and vision…. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…” 1 Peter 2:21
 
The prophet Joel foretold that the Lord was going to work in people’s lives and give them a picture of what God had for them….”‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams…” Joel 2.
 
Rick Warren’s acclaimed best seller “The Purpose Driven Life” has forced us to deal with these questions of vision – “Why am I here and what does God have for me to do in this world?” So, in some respects all of us need to grapple with the issue of what is God’s design, purpose, and plan - HIS VISION – for each of our lives!
 
Over the years people have come to me struggling with these same issues, hoping that for a moment I could morph into an Old Testament prophet and declare, with that “thus saith the Lord” ability, “this is what God has for you!” Instead of giving them my idea of what that vision was, I shared some principles to help them discover their specific purpose. It has become eye-opening to many that it is not a mystery. So let’s have a blog-wide counseling session – you are in my office and you have asked that question – “How do I find God’s vision for my life?” Here’s my counsel:
1.   Walk in WISDOM – Start with the known and let God worry about the “unknown.” The known in your life is to grow, mature, and become established in your faith. I tell people way to determine your growth is to walk in WISDOM (the reason for the blog's name!). That stands for Worship, Instruction, Stewardship, Discipleship, Outreach, and Meaningful Fellowship. When all of those things are operationally spiritually in your life, then you will be in a position to know what the Lord wants you to do with your life.  Its like soccer....before you do a "Pele-like scirror kick over your head....you need to learn how to dribble, pass and head the ball.
2.   Discover Your Giftedness – A lot of times God has connected your purpose to the spiritual gift He gave you upon your new birth.Paul writes…”For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us…” Rom. 12:4-6a. We have been gifted in accordance with our purpose. Romans 12 is the complete list of gifts given to believers - they are: teaching, serving, giving, leading, exhorting, prophesying (in the sense of proclaiming) and mercy.
3.   “To Thine Own Self Be True!” – Know how God has wired you…your personality, your passions, your abilities, your background, your hobbies, your interests. You are a masterpiece, and God has painted you with His divine paint brush. Your uniqueness will determine your vision!
4.   Try, Try, and Try Again – Early in the journey towards discovering God’s purpose in your life, you begin to experiment and attempt different things. Investigate, experience, try things out…all of that will lead you to know what you like and dislike!!
5.   What Are People Saying About You? Here is an important one – seek counsel. Proverbs 1:5 – A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels. Go talk to your spouse, small group leader, elder, Pastor….whoever will give you honest, forthright counsel. Remember…”Wounds of a friend are better than kisses of an enemy!”
6.   Examine the Fruit – What fruit have you produced and in what context did that fruit come? Years ago, I knew a brother who desired to teach God’s Word; and he tried and tried, doing everything he could to become a good Bible teacher. But to be honest, he could not teach if his life depended on it. He was boring, couldn’t communicate well, and didn’t have the mind for researching facts and making them relevant. However, that guy could organize and administrate an operation like nobody’s business. Fortunately, someone came along and said – “Look at the fruit that has been born from your administrative abilities. Stop trying to make fruit from NO SEEDS!”
7.   Be More Concerned with the Direction and Not the Destination. Ps. 119 – “The word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path”…I heard James Dobson once say that God usually doesn’t tell us what will happen 20 miles down the road, but he does reveal each step as long as we remain in tune with His Spirit and carefully mark our steps by His Word. I know in my life I would have never figured out on my own that God would have me pastoring a church like NewSong in Lancaster, PA. But I know I am where I am today because of my commitment to listen, watch, and wait on Him for every step along the way and to open the doors for me to walk through!
8.   Don’t Forget the Church! This might be a new concept for many of you, but I truly believe that the key to discovering your personal vision and calling is connected with the church you are a part of. What are the church’s needs….what are the ministries they have…what is the leadership saying is its direction? A lot of times, God has placed you in a church where your personal vision will be fulfilled through your church! Are you consulting the church? Have you asked them to pray? Let me tell you how serious I take this point ---I have a standing rule that if another church or ministry would call me, inquiring whether I would be interested in leaving NewSong and joining their ministry, I would answer this way: “Hey listen, here are the phone numbers of a couple of my elders. If you can convince them that God is releasing me from my calling at NewSong and leading me to your ministry, then I will consider what you are offering.” Funny, but no one has ever called those men! Why do I do that? Because I believe that God could, and will, use the leadership of our church in a major decision like that. I am NOT espousing that every decision – like buying a home or car, getting married, or changing professions needs to be consulted with our leadership like some extremist Christian groups may claim. However, certainly tap into their wisdom, discernment, and common sense.
 
All of us need a vision for what God wants to do with our lives. He has a plan and purpose for all of His children.  He desires that all of us would grow in our vision -- and grow because of the vision!
posted @ Tuesday, September 18, 2007 5:53 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Spiritual Gifts Vision
Meeting a Martyr
In 1990 I had the privilege to meet Arif and Kathy Khan. Arif was a former Pakistanian who had come to Christ and had a desire to reach his people and turn theological books into Urdu. Akthy was his faithful wife, devoted to the Savior equal with her husband and committed to support her family and ministry vision. The Khans had met one of our New Hampshire church elders and he invited them to come and preach to our church. Arif was a compelling minister of the gospel. That one weekend encounter marked my life.
The first thing I remember was his eyes, they were filled with fire. When he talked about reaching Pakistan he was so excited and fixed and focused. It was his burden; it was a calling; it was his cross to bear! Sometimes God gives us burdens that are not meant to hamper and cripple us but to motivate us. This cross was the main impetus which drove Arif.
The second thing that always impressed me about Arif was his loyalty and love for his pastor and church. He was one of the first missionaries who was truly “sent” and under the care and authority of his local church. Every time he spoke about Trinity Baptist it was the greatest love and respect. As a pastor, I had prayed that our missionaries would have that kind of loyalty. In a day of independent operator in missions, Arif broke the mold! He desired to reclaim what Acts 13 spoke about – a church like Antioch sending their best and most capable minister to a strategic location to expand the gospel.
The third thing I have always appreciated about Arif and Kathy was their clear priorities concerning their family. When their kids struggled, they turned their attentions to deal with their kids. They recognized that their children had to come to personal, genuine saving faith on their own and not live off of Arif and Kathy’s faith – but they also accepted the responsibility to build into their children’s lives and teach them truth to save!
The final thing I was always was encouraged about the Khans was the belief that the greatest thing people needed was to get the Word of God into their minds and hearts. That meant he was thorough and devoted to accurately divide the Word of God. He also never believed in watering down the gospel – he was devoted to “let the Bible do its work.”
The Khans had ministered in Islamabad for the last decade full-time and prior to that would make strategic visits, a radio program and translating theological books in Urdu to do its pre-evangelistic work prior to moving there permanently. They established Grace Protestant Church and was making an impact.
On Monday, I stopped by the office and open what I thought was the Khans monthly newsletter. The opening line knocked me to my chair…. “with great sadness and deep grief we want to share with you on August 26, 2007 Arif and Kathy Khan were murdered in their home while serving Christ.” The details are spotted and it really doesn’t matter. Arif and Kathy are with the Lord and receiving their rewards from the Savior for whom they introduced many to in their short life on earth. The nation of Pakistan has lost a couple that loved them more than any radical religious fanatic could ever claim, because the Khans wanted to give Pakistanis the good news of eternal life and the true way to reach God. It is that salvation that is needed more then any thing else! Those in that country don’t realize what they have lost!
I called my pastor in NH and he was shocked. I called my wife and we grieved together. I informed my mission pastor, because I had asked him to get the Khans to come to NewSong for our next Global Festival. All were stunned. Then someone said…”they are true martyrs!”   My grief began to lift…I realized I had the awesome privilege to have known a martyr of our faith. What an incredible thing! And like any other martyr in the history of Christianity, their blood will be the fuel for many others who will go and share the gospel to a need, angry, violent, tumultuous world! But they will go and Arif and Kathy was motivate or hinder!
posted @ Thursday, September 13, 2007 1:41 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Missions Crime Terrorism
Holding Out Hope
This past Sunday was our glorious kick-off barbeque and Worship in the Park Sunday! The weather was fantastic. The set up and serving team was a “well-oiled” machine. Worship is a public setting was a special time of testifying for the Lord It was also the end of our “Virtues that We Value” series. This Summer we have been looking at character qualities that should be seen in every Christian’s life as we grow into a mature believer. Literally it is the “fruit of Christlikeness.” The last virtue is HOPE.
I said on Sunday……..“Hope is the virtue that believes no matter how bad things are…. it ain’t over until God says so!" God is the writer of all last chapters of every story. That is what makes Him a Sovereign God. And as His children, we can believe that when we go through a difficult time or are facing life threatening situations – we can HOPE in God and how He will work in our lives.
So what does the Bible say about hope….here are eight scriptural principles in building hope in our hearts.
I.        Hope is a gift
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NASB95)
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

II.            Hope is from God
Psalm 43:5 (NASB95)
5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

III.          Hope is unseen
Hebrews 11:1 (NASB95)
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:9-10 (NASB95)
9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;
10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

IV.         Hope is secure
1 Peter 1:3-6 (NASB95)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

V.           Hope is essential to the gospel
Colossians 1:3-5 (NASB95)
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel

VI.         Hope preserves us
Romans 8:23-25; 28-30 (NASB95)
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

VII.       Hope is based on the resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NASB95)
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

1 Corinthians 15:55-58 (NASB95)
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

John 14:19 (NASB95)
19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.

VIII.     Hope is confirmed by the Holy Spirit
Romans 15:13 (NASB95)
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Why is hope important? There are times that our faith is assaulted or we become discouraged and we need a “jump start” in our faith! We go out to our car and believe by faith that it will start each time. But some time a battery fails or an alternator stops working and so we need “jumper cables” to rely on to get started. Hope is the “jumper cables” for our faith! The issue is that we must have the cables in our trunk – we need to travel around with our hope before faith starts to drain!! Let me encourage you to determine the “reason for your hope” and in doing so hold out hope as an anchor of your faith!
posted @ Thursday, September 13, 2007 1:11 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Spiritual Growth Fruit of the Spirit
Childrearing: Independent yes -- isolated NO!

A couple of years ago I realized that all of the counsel or recommendations I had given to parents when I was a youth pastor was brilliant but unrealistic. I was idealistic in many ways, but having not been a parent yet, I had gained that practical, get down in the dirt, horse sense that you need when raising kids. Now havng been a parent for 15+ years (its hard to believe!) -- I play back my youth pastor wisdom daily, but this time with some experience to boot.

One of the things I beleieve is that parents need to instill in our kids a sense and skills to be independent.  I mean it starts with picking up their toys, picking up their clothes, getting themselves up in the morning with an alarm clock (as a college RA I saw too many 19 and 20 yr olds who could not do that) and even how they handle money!  By the time a young person hits 13 or 14 they should be showing signs of independence and the ability to care for themselves on most basic needs.

However, something happened in our quest to create functional young people -- they became completely isolated from their parents and other adults.  What I mean is that most young people are "detached" from their parents and they live in their own little world. For the most part, parents are not invited into that world and if they are they would have no clue how to relate. What happened?

I think there are a number of forces at work to separate parents from their kids. Part of it is the governments continuial intrustion in places where parents have the say on what should happen. I heard last night that a young 10 yr old girl went and received an abortion in New York this past summer without parental awareness or approval.  Just alone consider that young girl facing the medical and physical trauma and not having her family to support her.  However in NY State, the government says that if a girl wants to get an abortion without parental consent -- she can!  thanks God it is not that way in PA -- but there are always those in the govt and out of the govt, tryiong to GET GOVT to over reach its bounds of authority.

I think technology has played a part. With computers and the internet, kids can have a cyber-relationship with all kinds of people -- people who their parents have NO CLUE ABOUT!  Computers and the internet have made our kids most boraod of their knowledge of the world and what the world has to offer, but with their lack of maturity and emtional instability, that knowledge becomes a dangerous weapon. Then there are things like IPODs.  We noticed this with our son, we get in the car for a hour or two ride, and we may say one or two sentences the whole trip. He puts on his tunes...and goes into his world.  There was a day that parenst and kids would have significant discussions while driving along.

Finally I think we have isolated our kids -- we as parents!  We forget that for a season of life, parenting is a main focus of life.  Our time, energy, interest and leadership is to be focused on our kids.  We have them for 18 years then they are gone.  I have seen too many parents in recent years look at parenting as a tremendous burden and annoyance. I think that some parents PUSH independence on their kids so they will care for themselves and give the parents FREEDOM to go do what they want to do. At night we wnat to know what he did in school, what he had for homework, I want to see his work before he turns it in and I keep in touch with his teachers via the internet (see I can use techonology to my advantage!). It is my responsibility (there is that ugly and annoying word - RESPONSIBILITY) and therefore -- for a season -- I am to be involved and engaged in what my son is doing.  I want to know and meet his golf team friends. I went in and introduce myself to all of his co-workers.  I even listen to his IPOD occassionally to check out what music he is listening to and have learned how to delete it when necessary.  Gosh, most families would be revolutionized if they would commit to having dinner together 3-4 times a week and talking!!!

This summer I recognized that for all intensive purposes -- my son is with us three more years!!! We have done a pretty good job with him, but he is still 15 years old.  I don't want him thinking that he is his won authority or that he does not need me completely.  I don't want him making money decisions completely on his own. He does not determine what activities he is involved with -- unless he runs it by my wife and gets approval on the family calendar! We have allowed him plenty of ways to learn and experience independance -- but without isolation from his parental authority.

Young people today are turned loose on their own -- too soon!!!  Ths lack of parental involvement is not only a detriment to them but a societial cancer.  Growing up channel 5 WOR TV use to start its 10PM News program with this simple reminder... "Its 10PM - Do you know where your children are?"  I think we need to replay that often -- like ever morning, afternoon and evening!

posted @ Monday, September 10, 2007 12:33 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Family Children Youth
Editorial: Barnstormers Honeymoon is Over!
Many of you know that I am a crazy basebal fan.  If i can get to Yankee Stadium is the ultimate but two years ago Lancaster got its own stadium and a non-affliated minor league team, the Lancaster Barnstormers.  This year the team has taken a down turn in a number of areas and recently i sent the following editorial into the Intelligencier for publishing. I am not sure they will print it, so her it is.....
Dear Editor:
I was not sure who to write my concerns to, but because of the public nature of the Lancaster Barnstormers inception and seeing their lack of performance  affects the community -- I thought you would be a good place to air my feelings. I was the 50th person who purchased season tickets when the team launched nearly four years ago. I have enthusiastically supported this idea to bring baseball back and spend the millions of dollars on that stadium. And up until this year, I have been nothing but positive about the team ---but the honeymoon is over.
The first year of existence we were driven by the novelty of the stadium and the fact that we had a fun, family oriented activity to do through the summer that was not a lot of money. The second year was great – again for the fore mentioned reasons plus the team played well. It was exciting to see a two-year-old team win a championship. Then this year came along, the big hook was supposed to be an All-Star game, but to be honest it was a bust! This league’s players rotate in and out so much that is it difficult to get excited about “All-Stars” that could be gone in a few weeks. Not to mention, we see all of them play anyway. It is not like seeing players from another league whom your team never gets to see!
So last week I get my bill for NEXT SEASON and for the first time -- I am vacillating on whether or not to purchase my season tickets. This year has been such a downer, I am not interested in spending that kind of money to have to agonize through another summer! Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a “fair weather fan.” If they experienced some injuries and misfortunes along the way, I would still write the check. Yet my concern is that there are things that the Barnstormer’s organization has to begin to work on and take responsibility for, before getting unquestioned loyalty from the good people of Lancaster. There are things that they have just NOT done this year in hopes not to spend the money and the quality of the experience is wearing away support. I believe that there are a number things that the club needs to do asap, if they don’t clear the stadium for good! Here are my suggestions:
1.       Secure a viable and creditable manager who is committed to stay with the organization and not use it as a stepping stone. The Tommy Herr situation was so incredibly disappointing. All we heard the first year was “how his dream came true to manage a team in his hometown” and when an opportunity came along to manage in a “real league” – he jumped ship on us. Somerset has had former major league reliever Sparky Lyle as their manager for six years – he is loyal and qualified. Find a manager really committed to Lancaster and minor league baseball and pay him what he wants. We were hurt by Herr’s ambition and his real desire to manage in the majors.
2.       Separate your ties to the other teams in our league. You need to be competitive and when you are in bed with your competition I have to wonder if you are really going to play to win. Being under the same ownership of York and Camden is a real problem. Look we loss an excellent GM so that he could go over and get York established. The net result is that the champs are the chumps and York is shining!  You can not tell me that when a player is available that you are not considering the other teams under the ownership! Baseball is a capitalistic venture not a communistic experience.
3.       Get aggressive with securing some big name former players who are in the twilight of their career. Lancaster has a lot to offer a major league player looking to settle his family down and finish out his playing days and still have fun. This league use to attract some fantastic players – in recent days all it is a haven for college players who did not make it in the minors or horrible “one-hit wonders” from the MLB. If a team is playing poorly, but I still get to watch a former big leaguer play – I am there! Other minor leagues have the opportunity to see players on their way up….the Atlantic League was made for players on their way out of baseball!
4.       Get “I-AM-FUN” Back and fast! At least when the ‘Stormers were losing the evening was really enjoyable with I am Fun hosting the event. The entire package was what I really appreciated. When “I AM FUN” was running the “on field show” – you had a winner every night. No offense….but the people MC-ing the between inning activities are terrible. They are not made to do what is needed to stir up the fans and get crazy. The Fun Patrol has little to no personality. The kids working last year talked with the fans, acted silly and made fun of each other. Waiting for Janelle to attempt to throw a Frisbee was hilarious – even if we were down by five runs! NOW – you don’t even know the patrols names. That “FUN” element has vanished this year. You have gotten lazy, living off the loyalty of fans from the past two years. There is no creativity…no spontaneity…no FUN!
I think before the Barnstormers take one penny from its faithful supporters, they need to answer some questions and start making the moves to produce a quality evening every time you go to the Clip – win or lose! This community has handed them thousands of season ticket holders and plenty of corporate money – so don’t tell me they don’t have the money. Forget about using “fireworks’ as an incentive for attendance. Show me some fireworks on the field and during the game. Trust me, you duplicate this past season and you will have so many empty seats, you will have to send Cylo out on Prince Street to give away tickets – paying people to come and watch! (By the way, Cylo’s costume needs an upgrade – you are even letting that go to pot!) I am calling on the management of the team to act fast and for season ticketholder to hold back until they start showing us that they are going to produce a winner in all aspects of the organization!
posted @ Monday, September 03, 2007 2:20 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Baseball Lancaster
Disappointment with "Extreme Home Makeover"

Last night was an unusual Sunday evening and having nothing to do!  With no church meeting to attend and no one coming over it was a night for us to sit and "veg-out" in front of the tube! Trying to find something for the family, we turned on ABC's "Extreme Home Makeover."  This show started with the idea of finding a needy family,whose home was falling apart and within seven days transform the home. As the years have added up, instead of taking an existing home and doing some creative remodeling, that basic tear the house down and build a completely new one.  The plot line of each show is the same some family stricken by tradegy states their case and Ty and the boys bulldoze their home! I came to the conclusion last night -- I can not take it any more.

I know the show must have a complex screening process of who gets a new house -- but the families they have on there are too contrived.  It is no longer a show that surprises unsuspecting families who are living their lives and doing some good things in the community and then whammo they get a "upgarde on their home" -- not a completely NEW ONE!

Also I was thinking last night -- "if this family is hurting so bad and needs help -- where is the community's help before the show whows up?" I mean it is a wonderful thing to see a hundrend people show up to help when the cameras are rolling, bt what about when NO ONE IS WATCHING. It seems to me this is more of a publicity stun and not a community service project or an act of benevolent care!

I think if a family was chosen and Ty and the team went in and just did some simple -- yet creative and costly refurbishing of a home -- the family would arrive from Disney and move the bus and say -- "WHAT IS THIS....WHERE IS MY NEW HOUSE -- YOU HAVE CHEATED US!!!" Good bye.... "OH MY GOOOODDDD!" Good bye gratefulness. Good bye the reason the show is on.

This is a real lesson to us as Christians when we are looking to do "good works."

  1. Do it to "truly needy" people. What really concerns me about some of these families is that the reason they are in a bad way is the terrible decisions that they have made in the past. Is the show giving them counseling and training on how NOT to make the same decisions?  Are these people in need because of commissioned sins and poor judgment or are they truly needy people from some accident or uninitiated act or decision.
  2. Don do the act of kindness for publicity. Hey ABC -- here is a twist -- use your investigative abilities and use hidden cameras to find construction companies that do what you do all year long or on a regular bases with out the shows pubilicity!
  3. The church should help before ABC shows up. The fact is the church has the man power, money and creativity to give those in need a "Semi-extreme home makeover." A number of years ago a man in a former church came down with MS and was bound to a wheel chair. His home was ill fitted to handle it. Men in the church spend a month or so retro-fitting the house with ramps and widening door ways so the man could stay in his home!  Where were the cameras on that makeover?
  4. Finally if you do something long effort it gets old! That is why constantly we must be looking for different ways to reach out and impact different people in different ways.  We have done "In and Out Sunday" for the past two years -- being involved with community service projects on a given Sunday.  This is the third year coming -- we need to re-think what we do so it doesn't become OLD and MECHANICAL!

There you have Ty....ABC are you listening.....SEARS reconsider what you are doing?  You have a great concept in a show and in the beginning it seemed real and sincere and not so commericalized.  Now all it seems like is a staged construction of a new house with a family screaming "Oh My God!" at the end.

posted @ Monday, September 03, 2007 1:25 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Outreach
Mastering Our Flesh
This summer our church has been looking at the “Virtues that We Value.” Simply put – what are the character qualities that we need to BE as believers? Or what are the traits and virtues of Christlikeness? The list is endless but we have landed on 10 virtues and this week I preached on the ninth one – self control. I have to tell you, it is a misunderstood virtue. When you think of self control you immediately think that you are talking about discipline, legislated behavior or positive think from useless activities.
The fact is the phrase “self control” means to have mastery over our flesh. It is the idea of putting a governor on the fleshly appetites in each of our beings and that could overtake us and drag us deep into sin. Self control is really spirit control living for the believer, where as the believer yields to the super natural power of the Spirit when we need His assistance to fight back the power of the flesh.
From my study I came to understand that the self control or Spirit controlled life occurs when we get in the “right zone” or position for God to have the freedom to fill us and take control. There are four ways we cultivate self control-ness in our lives….
1.       Surrendering to the Spirit. Each of us needs to understand and recognize what the “filling of the Spirit” is and how we sense the Spirit’s prompting in our lives. Everyday we experience temptations and choices that of itself is not sin, but they certainly can open the door to sin and our flesh from coming alive. Yet the Spirit of God indwelled in us will tell us the direction we should take. Do you know what that experience is like?
2.       Saturate Your Mind with the Scriptures. The fuel of the Spirit is the Word of God. If we are obeying the Bible we will be experiencing the filling of the Spirit. Paul wrote that the Word of god is the “sword of the Spirit.” It is the instrument or weapon that the Holy Spirit uses to fight back our flesh.
3.       Starve the Self-Life or better our FLESH. When we come to Christ we now have the opportunity to have power over the flesh but we are not free from its influence. The old man is still lurking in the shadows of our soul to trip us up. We are “co-conspirators” with our flesh when we expose our minds and hearts to flesh food….those things that ignite our flesh and set it on fire.
4.       Surround ourselves with the Saints. Look all of us need accountability, encouragement and loving admonishment at times to experience self control. Hebrews tells us NOT to forsake the assembling of one another – it diminishes our spiritual lives. All of us need fellowship but not just to “feel good” – we need each other to stir up the Spirit-control life God desires for His children!
There you have it the keys to self control living. One of the missing links in today’s church is the regular teaching of this important truth. With the number of people who struggle with addiction, life dominating sins and living in a flesh charged world – we need God’s answer to fight off the power of sin and our SELF-LIFE!
posted @ Monday, September 03, 2007 12:57 AM | Feedback (0) | Tags: Spiritual Growth Discipleship