Angels We Have Heard On High

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid ; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people ; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.    Luke 2:8-17

The angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds. Shepherds were not considered to be the upper class of society. The birth of Jesus was not announced to the mighty world leaders, but to lowly shepherds.
The shepherds were just going about their daily responsibilities when the news was announced to them. It is not written that they were in a prayer meeting, or in the synagogue. They were simply taking care of sheep.

 The next time you feel you aren't important enough for God to use or trust, remember the shepherds. Also remember God can reveal very important spiritual things to you while you are just going about your daily responsibilities.

Troy

What Jules From Pulp Fiction And I Have In Common

In the movie Pulp Fiction there are two characters named Jules and Vincent (played by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta). In one of the scenes someone opens fire on them from point blank range. All of the bullets miss them. John Travolta's character thinks they were just lucky. Samuel L. Jackson's character interprets this moment as divine intervention :

Jules: That was ... divine intervention. You know what divine intervention is?

Vincent: Yeah, I think so. That means God came down from Heaven and stopped the bullets.

Jules: Yeah, man, that's what it means. That's exactly what it means! God came down from Heaven and stopped the bullets.

I believe we all have had moments of divine intervention. Some are very obvious, such as the scene from Pulp Fiction. Others are not so obvious,but they have happened nonetheless. I believe if we look back over our lives whether we want to acknowledge it or not, or whether we were receptive or not,  we have experienced times of divine intervention.

I would like to share with you one of my times. It was very obvious to me when it happened that I had experienced divine intervention, and I  still believe it to this day.  It was October of 1988, the band I was playing in were going to play out of town. Usually the majority of us rode together, but this time we didn't because the van we usually rode in wasn't running. So one of the members and I decided to go together. I drove only because my car had a tape player. I had a little Pontiac Fiero.  For those of you who don't remember those cars, they were little two seat cars with the seats all the way to the ground. It was raining really bad on the way home. Everytime a semi truck would pass me it would cause my car to shake. Well, as one semi passed me my car began to shake more than usual and  the car began to hydroplane. Then I made the mistake of hitting the brakes, which caused the brakes to lock. We began to slide into the other lane with a semi coming. I can still remember the semi honking his horn. I knew that we were going to get hit by the semi.

Let me interrupt the story to tell you at this point in my life I had a knowledge of God like all of us do, but I was not living for Him. I had gone to Sunday School as a child and I knew that Jesus had died on the cross for my sins. I had even asked Jesus to come into my life as a child, but once those teen years hit I lived for myself. I guess you could say at this point in my life I had a head knowledge of Jesus but not heart knowledge.

Now back to the story: As we were sliding into the other lane getting ready to get hit by the semi, I remember putting my head down and saying in my mind, "God please don't let me die." We got hit by the semi on the passenger side, as it went by us it sucked us underneath it and then spit us back out with its back tires. After the car stopped spinning it came to a dramatic stop, which pushed my head into the steering wheel and caused my nose to push the steering wheel into the dash of the car. Well, took make a long story longer, the semi missed our seats by about one inch and tore up the rest of the car. I had a broken nose, but the doctor said it was set perfectly. We had to get all  the glass from the windshield  removed from our faces, and we couldn't wash our faces. But there we were, still alive, still hard to believe. Divine intervention.

I know that there are people who may think like John Travolta's character that we were just lucky. I appreciate their opinion, but I don't agree with it. Some may still argue their point that there is no God, which they have a right to believe, but argument can never win over experience. Let me also be honest enough to acknowledge that though I believe in God, I don't always understand Him. I don't know why I lived, while other people have died in car accidents. I have had the opportunity to pray for people and see them live, or be healed. But I have also prayed for people who still ended up dying, or who are still sick. I don't understand His ways all the time, but that doesn't stop me from believing in Him.

Let me also add that after getting hit by the semi, it still took six years before I finally surrendered my life to Jesus and decided to live for Him. You would have thought that I would have instantly given my life to Him, knowing that He had allowed me not to die. I mean, even Jules in Pulp Fiction after he experiences his moment of divine intervention decides to change his lifestyle. Not me, I wanted to change my lifestyle, but as each day went by, I eventually kept on living the same way.I thank Him for His patience and grace that He extended towards me during that time.Maybe that is why I understand when God has got someones attention and yet they still don't surrender over to Him.

There are many examples in the Bible of dramatic moments of divine intervention. The time God parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14), Daniel in the lions den (Daniel 6), Peter getting out of prison (Acts 12). These are just a few instances. But as I stated earlier, there are times that God has intervened into our lives that were not as dramatic, and yet He still intervened.

Let me finish by saying, take some time to reflect back on your life, thank Him for the times He has intervened on your behalf. As you are thinking back, maybe He will reveal to you some times that He intervened that you never thought of before because they weren't dramatic moments. Thank Him for the those moments and also for the revelation of those moments. Thank Him for His grace that He has shown you. Hopefully in the future we will be like Jules and acknowledge when God has intervened on our behalf and not just think of it as luck.

Troy

Loved

There is a God who love us. His name is Jesus. The Bible tells us He is love. Nothing can separate us from His love.

We have all experienced the hurt of being rejected by someone, but God will not reject us. Why? He loves us.

He loves you and has a plan for you. Remember, you are loved. No matter what a mess up you may feel like, no matter if someone has rejected you. Remember, you are loved.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? 36 Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   
Romans 8:35-39 

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Identity

From the time we are young we work at having an identity. If we are good at sports we take that on as our identity. If we get good grades or are smart we take that on as our identity. At the same time others are putting an identity on us.

All of us are blessed with various talents and giftings. God has gifted us and when we are functioning in those gifts, those seem to be the times when we feel the most alive. Why? We were created to do whatever that is.

The danger that we run into is when we try to find or feel we have found our identity in those areas of gifting. There is also danger in trying to find our identity in what we do. All of these things are good. We are to function in our giftings, we are supposed to be good parents, responsible workers, etc.... but if we try to tie our identity to them we are headed for trouble. Why? Well, what happens if you can't do what you have tied to your identity? What if your identity is being a husband or wife and your spouse leaves you? What if you raise your kids a certain way and people say you are a good parent and you take that on as your identity, but then as they get older they take actions that aren't good? Are you not a good parent now? And if you tied your ientity to that you will become disillusioned. If you play sports it is only a matter of time before your skills will begin to diminish. Then what? As a musician I have watched many musicians get older and seen their skills begin to diminish (which is natural) and they get upset and mad. Why? They had tied it to their identity.Even in ministry as a pastor gets older they may stay on longer than they should. Why? Without realizing it they have attatched their identity to their position.

This is the challenge for us because it is so easy to tie our identity to these areas. But can we see the set up for danger by living this way? We can fall into depression, anxiousness, etc.. because in losing whatever we have tied our identity to we have lost our identity.

We are supposed to enjoy the things we are gifted at. We are supposed to enjoy the things that bring us pleasure. But we aren't supposed to find our identity in them. Our identity is to be found in Jesus. Our skills may diminish, others may take stuff away from us, we may lose our jobs, our spouses may leave, but Jesus is eternal. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

It is ok for us to do the things we enjoy even after our skills begin to diminish at them.Hopefully we do them out of enjoyment and not out of identity. But if we are doing them because we still have our identity tied to them we are in trouble. A sterotypical example would be the elderly church organist. Though they can't hear the music well anymore, much less see the music, though their skills have diminished, they won't step down and give someone else a chance to use their gift. Why? They feel I AM THE CHURCH ORGANIST!!! You see it's their idenity. They could enjoy life so much more if they would just play the organ for the love of it instead of trying to find their identity in it. But instead they look at others as competition, they have to speak down about others. etc.... because if they lose their position they lose their identity. You can translate this to any area of life. It doesn't have to be an elderly person, skills don't have to be diminishing, it's just that it is so easy to find our identity in areas we aren't supposed to.

So we have been gifted with talents and there are things that bring us pleasure, but may we find our identity in Christ and not in these other areas. Maybe a better approach would be to thank God for our talents and enjoy them and bless others with them. Enjoy the things that bring us pleasure and cherish the moments we got to enjoy them. And find our identity in Christ. We will enjoy life more and others will enjoy us more.

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Two Approaches To Dealing With The Hurts And Pains In Our Lives

Nobody likes to hurt. Whether it be physically, emotionally, relationally, none of us wake up hoping that in some way we can experience hurt or pain in those areas. Yet, it can also be foolish to think that we can somehow avoid hurt or pain. Interestingly enough though, we do think that there are things we can do to somehow avoid pain and hurt. But, pain and hurt come to everyone. I'm not trying to be fatalistic, it's just that no matter how hard a person tries to avoid pain and hurt, I have never met a person who was able to escape this reality of life. So if it is inevitable, how should we respond when it happens? What is the most healthy way of dealing with pain and hurt?

Let's keep this as simple as possible. We humans usually have two approaches to dealing with the hurts and pains in our lives. The leader of the Reformation, Martin Luther called them "theology of glory" and "theology of the cross". These did not originate with Luther, he just gave them names. And they are as relevant today as they were in the sixteenth century.

"Theology of glory" is a way of trying to minimize difficult or painful things, or rather than face suffering and pain, look past them. When we approach life this way, we acknowledge the cross, but more as a means to and end. Luther said in this mindset "we do not know God hidden in suffering". Therefore we prefer works to suffering, we want glory rather than the cross. This mindset is the default button for all of us addicted to control amid measurement. This perspective puts us back in the driver's seat.

Just observe how people deal with painful experiences and you will be able to see which option they are choosing. Have you ever heard someone dealing with a painful experience say in essence," well, anyway it wasn't good", or "but I've learned a lot from the experience." 

Though both statements may be true, when we go this route we aren't acknowledging the pain and the hurt. We try to make something bad sound good. It is a way that we can avoid dealing with the pain and the hurt. Tullian Tchividjian says that when we are operating this way our faith feels like a fight against our realities instead of a resource for accepting them. I have heard people who have gone through a painful breakup say, "God is leading me into a season of singleness." That is someone who is not acknowledging the pain they are feeling and is trying to spin it into something that they are not feeling. The English Poet W. H. Auden said it so beautifully when he wrote,

We would rather die in dread/Than climb the cross of the moment/ And let our illusions die.

The theology of the cross accepts the difficult thing rather than try to change it or use it. It looks at the pain, and calls it for what it is. It is coming to learn that God is hidden amid all of the hurts and pains of our lives. Those who come to learn this through struggle and despair may actually be among those who best understand the Christian life.

In the theology of the cross we are following the example of Jesus. It takes us away from our default way of doing life and we come to learn the principle of winning by losing. Of course, even in saying that, our old nature will try to use it as a new way for self-improvement and protection. What do I mean? We then try to find hurt and pain in everything because we think if we do we are more like Jesus, and once again it is a way of being in control, and living by the theology of glory.  (I'm so spiritual because I love to suffer.)

The theology of the cross happens to us and in spite of us. It's not something we can manipulate. So often as followers of Jesus we come into contact with those who lead us to the theology of glory instead of the theology of the cross. The Theology of glory may seem easier and make more sense, but it doesn't allow us to be honest with ourselves and with God.When we begin to understand the theology of the cross and rid ourselves of the need to try to always paint smiling faces and not acknowledge our hurt and pain we begin to experience hope.

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A Reminder In Helping To Become More Like Jesus

As followers of Jesus we want to act like Jesus. So often though, we don't. When we don't, we get disappointed. To make matters worse, others may let us know that we aren't acting like followers of Jesus. We get discouraged and wonder how can I be more like Jesus? I would like to share what I have to constantly remind myself ....... It's not about me, it's about Jesus.

When I remind myself that it's about Jesus and not me I act more like Jesus. I have to remind myself that it is about what Jesus did and not about what I am doing. It's about what Jesus accomplished, it's not about what I am accomplishing.

As a pastor of a church I recently had to take a strength finders test. One of the purposes of the test is to see what our areas of strength are then try to align ourselves with others who are strong in our areas of weakness. I enjoy these types of tests. I find it fascinating how answering some questions can show what I am like. I felt that the results were very accurate. But I also know that if I have accomplished anything it is because of Jesus' strength. He is usually more glorified in my life by using me in spite of my weaknesses instead of my strengths......... I have to constantly remind myself of what Jesus has done.

So let's dig a little deeper in to how we can do this. There are many "in Him" verses in the Bible. Walk in Him,  be built up in Him (Colossians 2:6-7) are just a few examples. Then as we expand the concept of "in Him" we see that He is in us.  "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

Paul the Apostle through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is letting us know that Jesus is in us. What does this mean for our lives? In The Gospel -Driven Life, Michael Horton helps open our eyes to all that "in Christ" means:

Paul does not say, "Be like Jesus." He says,"You are like Jesus."....... It's easy for us to rely on the gospel for forgiveness and justification and then to look elsewhere for our renewal and sanctification. However, Paul says that it's all there: "in Christ." Only after saying this does Paul then issue the imperative to live a life that is consistent with this truth........ Being in Christ is the perpetual source of our becoming like Christ, not vice versa.

Because it is more natural for us to look at ourselves and our performance than it is to look at Jesus and His performance, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the gospel. So what do we need to remind ourselves of? If we are Jesus followers, if we have placed our trust in Jesus for our salvation and not placed trust in our own righteousness, if we believe that it is only through Jesus that we can find forgiveness of our sins. Then the good news that we need to remind ourselves of is that we are already qualified, we have already been delivered, we have already been transferred, we have already been forgiven and redeemed.

We have to remind ourselves of what we are positionally. What is already ours in Christ. We mature as we get a greater realization of what we already have in Christ.You see, we needed someone to be our substitute, and that is what Jesus is. He has done for us and secured for us what we could never do or secure for ourselves.

So we need to constantly remind ourselves of what Jesus has already accomplished for us and stop focusing on our performance. Tullian Tchividjian says:

When we focus mostly on our need to get better, we actually get worse. We become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with our effort instead of with God's effort for us makes us increasingly self-centered and mobidly introspective.

So hopefully we can learn that Christian growth doesn't happen first by behaving better, but by believing better. Believing in what Christ has already accomplished for us.

Troy

 





Mexican Restaurants and New Churches

I was driving the other day and noticed another one, yes a new Mexican restaurant. I love Mexican food. In the area where I live it seems every few months a new Mexican restaurant is opening. It doesn't bother me, it gives me a new place to try. What will their huevos con chorizo be like? How do they make their rice? Oh and of course, what is their sauce like? I don't have a favorite place to eat, it seems I like the way somehing is made at each restaurant. I like the enchiladas at one place, but the carne de res at another. The huevos a la mexicana are good at this place, but awful at another place. I love the chips at one place, but dislike their sauce. I like the sauce at one place, but not their chips. So it just depends on what I am in the mood for.

Many people don't understand that one of the reasons we have so many Mexican restaurants in the area is because depending on which part of Mexico the owners have come from that is how they make their food. Not everyone makes their rice or sopa the same. Not everyone makes their enchiladas the same. My grandpa made his food a certain way, that is what I grew up on so I like restaurants that make their food similar to my grandpa. Somebody from Arizona or California will prefer their food another way. Yet, with all the Mexican restaurants we can sample the variety of ways to enjoy the food.

What I have said about Mexican restaurants can also be said about churches. In our area we have hundreds of churches. Why? Do we really need that many? In my opinion, we don't have enough. When it comes to churches, the majority of them are ok. There are a few organizations that look like they are worshipping Jesus, but are actually cults. But on the whole, the majority of the organizations who say they are worshipping Jesus actually are.

I have been fortunate to have been able to preach or do music or be a guest at a variety of churches. I've been with the Presbyterians, the Lutherans, the Assemblies of God, The African Methodist Episcopalians, The Church of God, The Church of God in Christ, Southern Baptists, American Baptists, General Baptists, and just plain Baptists,  The Roman Catholics, Vineyard,  Foursquare, and others.

Without getting too "deep" let me try to give a few reasons why there are many churches and why we need more. Each one is worshipping Jesus, yet each one has a different "flavor". Then in each organization each church has their own "flavor". Why do we need this? There are many types of people. There are many ways in which God connects with people. For example, you may enjoy a quiet pastor, someone else may like a in your face pastor. You may like lifting your hands while you sing, someone else may like to sit. There are theological reasons for different churches. You may believe miracles still happen, someone else may believe they don't. You may prefer only men pastors, someone else may believe women can be also. The list goes on and on.

The danger for many churches regardless of denomination affiliation is that the times change, but the church stays stuck in the past. We get comfortable in how the good old days were. The problem is, we still think its current. We don't realize we are living in the past. So what helps someone who wants to connect with Jesus yet can see that a church may be stuck in the past? New Churches.

With all the variety of people, with all the cultural varieties, we need a variety of churches to be able to help each person to be able to help connect with God and come to experience living an abundant life.

 I could deeper, so let me stop here and encourage you today,if you aren't in the habit of eating Mexican food or going to church, go get some Mexican food and go to church this week. If where you go doesn't appeal to you, try a different place. Since we have a large variety in our area eventually you will connect with a restaurant and a church.

Troy

After Blowing The New Year Resolutions

This is the year. It all starts now. We've all done... Resolutions!!! Our favorite time to do this is at the beginning of the year.  We promise ourselves that we’re going to quit bad habits and start good ones. We’re going to get in shape, eat better, be nicer, lust less, waste less time, be more content, more disciplined, more intentional. We’re going to pray more, serve more, plan more, give more, and read our Bibles more. Some have put on their list to start going to church. Others have put to start going to the gym. Some have both on their list. We’re going to finally be all that we can be. No more messing around.


We might make some great strides this year. I’m hoping to. We hope to make a lot of improvements over the next 12 months. But don’t be surprised a year from now when we realize that we've fallen short…again.
For those who try and try, year after year, again and again, to get better and better, only to find that it doesn't seem like you are making any progress. Or for those of you who have already broken your New Years resolutions…I have good news for you: you’re in good company!

I was recently reading a blog from Tullian Tchividjian and he gives an account of someone who kept trying to change aspects of his life. Here is an account from the life of Samuel Johnson (a literary giant of the 18th century)  to fight sloth and to get up early in the morning to pray. Taken from Johnson’s diary and prayer journal, He gives us a record–through the years–of Johnson’s life-long resolutions, failures, and frustrations:

1738: He wrote, “Oh Lord, enable me to redeem the time which I have spent in sloth.”
1757: (19 years later) “Oh mighty God, enable me to shake off sloth and redeem the time misspent in idleness and sin by diligent application of the days yet remaining.”
1759: (2 years later) “Enable me to shake off idleness and sloth.”
1761: “I have resolved until I have resolved that I am afraid to resolve again.”
1764: “My indolence since my last reception of the sacrament has sunk into grossest sluggishness. My purpose is from this time to avoid idleness and to rise early.”
1764: (5 months later) He resolves to rise early, “not later than 6 if I can.”
1765: “I purpose to rise at 8 because, though, I shall not rise early it will be much earlier than I now rise for I often lie until 2.”
1769: “I am not yet in a state to form any resolutions. I purpose and hope to rise early in the morning, by 8, and by degrees, at 6.”
1775: “When I look back upon resolution of improvement and amendments which have, year after year, been made and broken, why do I yet try to resolve again? I try because reformation is necessary and despair is criminal.” He resolves again to rise at 8.
1781: (3 years before his death) “I will not despair, help me, help me, oh my God.” He resolves to rise at 8 or sooner to avoid idleness.

You have to admire the never quit effort of Johnson. Doesn't he sound like us? Try and then fail. Try again only to fail again. A few successes a few failures.

We all know the frustration that comes with trying to keep a resolution. When we don't suceed we beat ourselves up. Of course, our enemy is right there to tell us what failures we are. He is there asking us why do we even try. He tells us we will never change.

I came across a paragraph from Tullian Tchividjian that I think is a good way to look at all of our successes and failures with New Year's resolutions:
What I’m most deeply grateful for (as was Johnson) is that God’s love for me, approval of me, and commitment to me does not ride on my resolve but on Jesus’ resolve for me. The gospel is the good news announcing Jesus’ infallible devotion to us in spite of our inconsistent devotion to him. The gospel is not a command to hang onto Jesus. Rather, it’s a promise that no matter how weak and unsuccessful your faith and efforts may be, God is always holding on to you. The glory of a new year (and of every year) is the chronicling of God’s successes perfectly meeting my failures.
It’s ironically comforting to me as this new year gets under way that I am weak and He is strong–that while my love for Jesus will continue to fall short, Jesus’ love for me will never fall short. For, as Mark Twain said, “Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, your dog would get in and you would stay out.”
Thank God!
Troy