change of venu

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Titantically living

I know I am one of the very few people who do not care for the movie Titanic. But I have never minded being in the minorty. For some reason I just don't care to watch an inevitable tragedy happen. One of the saddest things to watch is when people are dumped into the ocean and while trying to tread water to save their own lives, they'll pull at anything to stay above the water line. And often times they shove other people under the water to their deaths, while struggling to stay alive. That image is a vivid portrait of a life that is not lived in truth. It is a person who lives a life that is clouded with words that dance around truth but never embrace it. And the longer it goes the more holes their ship takes on until one day they find themselves treading for their lives in the cold waters of dishonesty. What seemed perfectly harmless at first of not being transparent can lead to a way of life that drowns the best of intentions. The end is almost always the same as they flail about for their lives, they grasp for anything to stay afloat. And too many times they end up drowning those around them for a few more seconds of air. Treat the truth like gold. Embrace it. Make it a way of life. Let your yes be yes and your no, no.

I have a dream

I have a dream that we actually do what we say we're going to do
I have a dream that water tastes like pepsi
I have a dream that we stop looking for hidden motives behind people's answers
I have a dream that the Chicago Bears win every Super Bowl for ten years
I have a dream that we speak truth to one another
I have a dream that slow drivers stay out of the left lane
I have a dream that we demolish pride in our own lives
I have a dream that deer hunting is legal year round
I have a dream that what is said in private is broadcast before every church service
I have a dream that my front tooth grew back in
I have a dream that we take accountability for our decisions, rather than covering our mistakes
I have a dream that extreme makeover is knocking at my door

Wreckless drivers

"First pride, then the crash, the bigger the ego, the harder the fall."
Proverbs 16:18 - The Message Bible

island dwellers

I realize each one of you is entirely too sophisticated to have ever watched more than one episode of Gilligans Island; but I am 40 now and I am willing to admit that I have seen nearly every episode. The thing that really catches your attention if you go back and watch it again, is how well each person adapted to being deserted on an island. And I know entirely too many people that are living their lives on an island and rapaidly adapt to that lifestyle. Unless you have built in accountability, the more responsibility you are given, the more your instinct is to isolate yourself and become an island. Why? Because the more people expect of you the more you are unwilling to admit you are human and submit yourself to accountability. The worst part of becoming an island unto yourself is eventually, the more you stock pile your inadequacies and are unwilling to come clean to anyone, the more painful it will be when someone else makes it ashore and all of your island secrets come out. There is no subsitute for accountability. If some of the great ministers of the past that have fallen to temptation would of had it, there is a good chance they would not have lost their future. We all need someone that we meet with on a regular basis face to face, that we allow to ask any questions and to remind us we are not perfect and not expected to be either. Set yourself up for success. Build accountability into your lives.

Seasons change

Only a very small portion of the worlds population can understand it. There is a season change happening Jan. 15. That's right, deer season will end for another year. (I know it's too sad to even think about) But it is reality; it is truth. The Bible says that there is a season for everything. So there is a beginning and an end to everything on earth. Seems especially obvious. Yet many people fight the end of seasons in their lives. Some even deny it's existance and convince themselves that through their own abilities they can somehow change the seasons. Not the end of their lives, but a change in a season of their lives. Many retired people escape to Florida or Arizona when the winter begins to settle in. But just because they are in a place of warmth where they run to does not deny the reality that the seasons have changed where they were. It's the 40 year old guy with a mullet who still wears his high school letter jacket. When we fight against the seasons that God allows in our lives we may very well be fighting God's will for our lives. We get so used to the warm summer days that we wish it would never end. But if summer never ended we would miss God's awesome creative beauty that comes with fall. Some of the most miserable people in the world are those trying to hold on to a certain time, position, or circumstance in their lives. Unfortuneatly it is usually a result of pride and selfishness. If God has blessed you with a great summer season in your life, trust him enough for what is next.

Hp held hostage

No, the computer saga is not over. I won't use the company name, but let's just say I will never purchase another computer from the "worst buy" store. But I actually have a few minutes in front of another computer, so let me share something with you that we touched on in service last night. In a recent edition of the Metro Voice there is an article concerning a pastor and one of the largest churches in the nation. He and his church literally created a new paradigm of how to grow a church many years ago. It was based on being "seeker friendly". However, a recent research study report from within in his church has discovered that they have failed. Not at church attendance but in producing disciples of Jesus Christ. Here are a few quotes from the pastor "We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and became Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become self feeders." A separate quote from the author of the article says "The mention of sin, salvation, and sanctification were taboo and replaced by starbucks clones, strategy and sensitivity. One of the saddest aspects of this article to me is that too many pastors are wandering "now what do I do?" Who's program do I follow now? With all do respect, how about seeking God, studying His word and following his voice for your church? Just a thought.

My dad taught me a lesson along time ago; don't divert too far one way or another. Plow a straight line. In the church world we continue to swing the pendilum of how to to do church from one extreme to the other. We went through many years of walling ourselves in the church and making living a Christian life unattainable for almost everyone. That is unless you dressed a certain way and addressed everyone as brother or sister. And out of that we produced generations of religious people who lost touch with God's mission.

Then we completely swung the other way. Now we don't want to preach about sin because it might offend someone. We desperately try to make our services resemble Hollywood so people will feel comfortable. We cut out altar calls because of peoples schedules.

So now we have reaped a harvest of people that rarely

read their bible, (unless we put the words on our screens on Sundays), they don't know how to pray, and then we push them into ministry positions and we wander what they are replicating.

We have no one to blame but ourselves. We have failed people. The church that God builds is the one that stays the course. The church that stays relevant without compromising God's Word. If we don't become enabler's we are becoming the very obstacles to people that Christ warned against.