The New Life Tribe

Beyond the Wrapping- Gift of Gifts

2011-12-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

Gift giving comes in a variety of forms doesn’t it? I mean the easy gifts to give are to the ones you truly love, where there is an excitement and anticipation to give the gift. Even white elephant gifts can be fun because of the humor or story that goes into the time. But you know white elephant gifts aren’t the best gifts you have given or received. Then there are the gifts you feel obligated to give. It could be a boss, co-worker, distant aunt, or even a friend you didn’t know you had that type of friendship with and they got you something. Gifts, especially around Christmas can be a funny thing.

That’s why I find it interesting about the gifts that were given by the Magi. The Magi searched for “the eventual King of the Jews” as to pay homage to a literal King, but through their expedition, through their journey they found something very different. And I believe we can learn a lot about giving gifts from the caravan of Magi and company who gave three gifts to baby Jesus.

It’s not what the gifts represent as much as what we can learn from the gifts given. I think the first thing we can learn from the Magi is in Matthew 2:11- “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. . . . .” The Magi gave themselves. They humbled themselves, they bowed down and worshiped a baby, even though they were brilliant, affluent, creative men, they were Magi. But when they saw the baby Jesus, they gave themselves and humbled themselves at the feet of Mary. That is what we need to learn and carry with us, what does it mean to “give ourselves” to others? What does it look like to humble ourselves and give ourselves to those in our life? I believe it isn’t simply something we learn from the Magi, but this is exactly what God did for us. He gave himself for us in the form of a baby, His Son. This Christmas season, take some time and challenge yourself to give yourself to someone; spouse, kids, parents, co-worker, friend, teacher. Don’t worry about the how yet, simply think through and challenge yourself with the “who.”

The next part of the Matthew 2:11 says this, “Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Each of these gifts are gifts of value, gifts of significance. Not only that, each of them the Magi knew how to gather or make the gifts, so they were invested in the gifts they gave. The final thing we learn from the Magi visit is that they gave gifts of value. I’m not talking about the Christmas list; I’m not talking about giving the I-pad, jewelry, Super Bowl tickets, or a new Lexus.

With the backdrop of the first response, “giving yourself” to someone, the gift of value needs to come from who you are. And that is where we slam on the breaks and say I don’t think so. Because when we look inside to who we are, we don’t see a gift of value, we see a white elephant gift, we see garbage. We believe because of the difficult experiences and relationships we have gone through, who we are at the core isn’t worth it, isn’t significant. And why would we give anyone that we love, garbage, give them the “yuck” of what we see and feel.

To be able to give out of who we are, we need to have a transformed foundation. We need to believe the truth of who we actually are. This is who you are,

“I am God’s handiwork, fearfully and wonderfully made, created in His image for such a time as this.”

Say this to yourself.

That isn’t some New Age mumbo jumbo or a rerun of Stuart Smalley from SNL, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it people like me.” No, this statement is the truth and promise of God’s word. I am God’s handiwork (Ephesians 2:10), fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), created in His image (Genesis 1:27), for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). When that is our foundation, our lives change and our relationships change. We no longer have to live out of the garbage; we get to live out of the rich significance of who God says we are.

Which means when we answer the question, what is your gift of value you need to give someone in your life this year? It changes. We give out of who God has created us to be, so maybe the gift of value you give isn’t about the list or pretending or performing. The gift is actually; Creativity, passion, joy, forgiveness, insight, grace, ingenuity, truth, impact, detail, compassion, craftsmanship, service, listening ear, love, patience, wisdom, time and maybe treasure.

I’m not asking you to give something that you haven’t experienced or that isn’t who you are. I’m asking you to give yourself to someone out of the foundation of who you are. I believe if we begin to do that, we will be transformed and the people in our lives will begin to be transformed in ways that are far different than we have experienced. And that this Christmas you will begin to live beyond the wrapping of Christmas.

Today, who are you going to give yourself to and what gift of value are you going to give them?

Beyond the Wrapping- Gift of Presence

2011-12-14T15:09:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered- would Jesus have coffee with you? Think about it. Y our favorite coffee spot; could be Exchange Bank Coffee House here in Plymouth, WI or Starbucks or even your back porch. Would Jesus sit down and have coffee with you in the morning or in the afternoon and share life? Would he have an "I Love Bill" coffee mug? In honor of you of course.

I believe that is one element of what Jesus wants to do and promises to do in your life. And why he came, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel… which means… God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23

God with us, doing life with us. Walking with us, challenging us, wrestling with us, correcting our path, loving us and spending time with us. Not only does he say he will come and be with us, he promises he will stay. John 14:16-18- “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

The beauty in Jesus coming is the expression of love, sacrifice, and the fact that he never leaves us. He gives us a gift of the Holy Spirit to be our companion, our guide, and our hope. How may this Christmas season lead you into understanding more of who Jesus is by way of his Gift to you, the Holy Spirit.

I would encourage you this season to take some time and pour two cups of coffee, one for you and one for Jesus and spend some time with him. He longs to spend time with you. Share, allow him to be your companion, your guide and your hope today and everyday. (highlights from Pastor Bill McCaskill's sermon on December 11th, 2011 to listen to it in it's entirety follow this link- http://www.newlifecommunitychurch.us/messages)

Relate: Vision

2011-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

"Without vision the people will perish." (Proverbs 29:18a) We can connect a lot of realities to this verse, it can be physical, it can be corporate or even non-profit. Without a vision the company or non-profit will no longer exist. But how does it apply to marriages?

When we look deeper into the word perish, it actually means "exposed, naked, uncovered," you could also say it means vulnerable, unprotected or directionless. With that deeper understanding, look at the impact of this verse, "without vision my marriage will perish." Without vision my marriage will be exposed, unprotected, directionless.

Which begs the next question, what is the vision of your marriage? Do you have one? Do you have a destination to your steps in marriage and if you do, how will you know when you get there?

I think all of us can have good intentions when it comes to our marriage. I think all of us want to have a healthy life giving marriage. But intentions don't get you anything. Andy Stanley says, "direction, not intention, determines destination." It is the direction of your marriage that will determine the destination.

Which leads to the other reality, if we don't have a concrete vision for our marriage, other things will take its place. Instead of focusing on the direction of a vision-filled marriage, we begin to focus on the past. Either the good ol' days or the past hurts. It's like driving to a destination, but only using your rearview mirror to get there. Looking at where you came from versus where you are going.

Or we focus on circumstances, instead of our future vision. Circumstances come in all kinds of forms and distractions; kids, budget, work, church, working out, grocery shopping, chores, and the list goes on. Don't get me wrong, those things are realities of every day. But if we don't have a future vision, we will be more focused on putting out fires than the growth of your marriage.

So what is the vision of your marriage? God says in Jeremiah that "he has a hope and a future for those who call upon him." And Solomon says in Proverbs that "he will make our paths straight for those who trust in him and not our own understanding." The results of your marriage is exactly what you put into it. If you put into it life giving elements, you will have a healthy life giving relationship. If you focus on other things, like your past and everyday circumstances, you will have a shallow, directionless marriage.

A vision doesn't have to be much; it can be a word, or a statement or a series of words. For my wife Theresa and I, over the past few years we have worked on putting a vision together for our marriage/family. We chose four words- adventure, safe, grace, creativity. We wanted to have a relationship of adventure, where we took risks, had fun, and did what we could to live outside of the box. In the same breath we wanted to have a marriage that was safe. When I say safe, I mean vulnerable, an openness to share from the heart. We also want to have our children be in safe environments for growth and becoming who God created them to be. Grace should sound simple, but in families, sometimes they are the last people we are gracious with. We need to be open to second chances and undeserved favor. Finally creativity, allows us to be who we want to be, as individuals, but also have fun from art to going grocery shopping.

Take time this week to draft a vision with your spouse. Take time to think through the direction of your marriage, because I believe it will give you the opportunity to live life anew with your spouse.

Journey Essentials: No More Fig Leaves

2010-09-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Would you agree with this statement- The largest obstacle in our journey is failure? Why or why not?

I would argue that the largest obstacle that stands in our way from going forward and keeping up with momentum, in our journey is failure. That failure can be mistakes, sin, shame, guilt, you name it, it holds us back from experiencing all that God wants to share with us and do with us.

No doubt the bible is God's love letter to us and it details his pursuit of a relationship with us. But what is unique about the bible is it is also the hall of fame of failure. Throughout the pages, it has names and stories of people who failed, sinned, screwed up, and then had to learn to live with that reality. The greatest of all failures was Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:25-3:13). Take some time and read through their story. And ask yourself these questions:
1. What was Adam and Eve's response to their failure?
2. What is my response to my failure?
3. What was God's response to Adam and Eve's failure?

If you take some time to read through this story and ask those questions, I believe you will be amazed to see how God works.

In most of our failure, we turn and run and hide. We are filled with guilt and shame and so we hide, just like Adam and Eve. But yet, how did God respond? He looked, he came towards, he sought out, Adam and Eve. And he does the same with you and I. We believe that our failure, sin, shame and guilt disqualify us from God's love. But the reality is, God loves us and in the midst of our failure, sin, shame and guilt, he wants to come near us and love on us.

In his book, He Loves Me, Wayne Jacobsen says, "God sees something redemptive even in letting us fail. He seems less concerned about our mistakes than how we respond to them. Do our mistakes lead us away from trusting in our own strength or wisdom and toward seeking what it means to put our trust in him?"

Maybe, from today forward, instead of seeing failure, sin, shame and guilt as an obstacle to your journey. Maybe God wants to use it as a catapult to launch you ahead in your journey, and experiencing the depth of his love for you.

Journey Essentials: His Plan

2010-09-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever started on a journey, road trip or adventure and at some point during your time you realized you forgot something? Or maybe you realized you weren't prepared enough for the long haul? That happened to me on a trip up the Boundary Waters of northern MN back in 1995. I thought I could do the entire trip on eating ramen noodles and beef sticks. Needless to say, by the last night of our 4 day trip I was hungry and sick of my menu choices. It caused me to resort to some drastic action, but that is for another time or listen to the message online. But the point is, I didn't have a journey essential. It may sound foolish, it may sound naive, but the truth is I thought I could get by with a limited menu.

I believe the same is true in our spiritual journey. I believe that we think we can get by with certain things or survive without certain things and we then at some point gravely wish we made a better decision. Maybe that is where you are at right now. Maybe you are walking on your journey and your stuck? Maybe you are at a crossroads and just don't know where to turn? Maybe you have created a belief of how the journey should be, and its not that. I don't know where you are at on your journey, but I do know there are certain essentials we just need to have.

The journey essential I want you to have with you, like food, is this: know that God's plan for you is to experience the depth of his love. Some of you are like "dah" I know that. Just like I know you should pack more than just ramen and beef sticks. But I would argue we don't live that way everyday. I don't believe we live as though God loves us deeply, because we allow things to get in the way. Then we determine that God must not love me today because of the circumstances we face.

We decide that based upon a certain criteria God loves us or doesn't love us. And we miss the truth that at the core of who God is, HE IS LOVE (1 John 4:8 and 16). I know all of us do this, but if we pray or read the bible, we believe God loves us. But if we curse or lie to save our a*# he doesn't love us. If we get a raise God must love us, but if we get sick or loose a loved one he doesn't love us. If we help someone in need he loves us, but if we are bitter with our children or spouse, he doesn't love us. It is as if God's love is like our first grade school crush, and we pick up a flower and pick the pedals wondering each and every day; he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me. It must be a good day.

Folks, our journey doesn't need the added attraction of a roller coaster, up and down with God's love. The Journey Essential you need to have with you each and every day is God loves you period. Not because of anything we do or don't do, not because of anything we say or don't say. Not because of circumstances or failures. He loves you because at the core of who he is, he is love.

Check out this verse:

1 John 4:16, “we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.”

This is the verse I want you to carry with you this week and the steps ahead on your journey. Print it, write it down, e-mail me and I will send you a laminated copy I have here. Hold this truth, this journey essential close to your heart. This will guide you each and every step and will give you freedom to stop striving to make God's love a reality in your life.

This week, rest in this verse and rest in his love.

Don't Pray For It. Or Maybe You Should?

2010-09-07T11:13:00.001-07:00

The dreaded "P" word- patience. Most folks don't want to pray for it because it takes "forever" as Caleb would say, to receive. But maybe it is more about our perspective on patience than it is on how it actually applies to our life.

My wife Theresa shared in her blog this past week about our son Caleb and gave a great life example of patience. She said, "My little guy turns 6 today. We spent years trying to have another child. Years of heartache and loss. Years on our knees praying for a sibling for Jayda. In God’s perfect timing, He gave us Caleb. Though it was not my timing or the road that I wanted to walk to get him, it was ALL worth it. Caleb amazes me daily." There is no doubt patience was what was needed during that period of time. In our grand scheme of things we wanted 4 kids- two boys, two girls. But God had other plans and allowed us to have 2 beautiful children who are filled with life and love. As I have seen and as Bill had preached about this past weekend, maybe patience is more about waiting on God than it is to have patience with another person who annoys you.

Bill gave a new definition of patience which I think is valuable and necessary as we walk through our journey,

"Patience is waiting expectantly for something of much greater value to happen with God's involvement than you could of achieved by your own intervention."

How true it is. How many times do we "run out of patience" because it isn't going the way we expected it or wanted it or dreamed it? How many times, do we try and crawl up on God's throne and say, "no, I meant life to look like this?" As Bill shared and reflected on David's writings in Psalms, we can grow in patience when we are willing to climb off the throne and trust that what God wants to do is greater than anything we could ever dream or imagine.

This week I would encourage you to look back through Psalm 40 and share with us how you have seen this passage and God's directive, of trusting and waiting upon him, has worked in your journey. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to interacting with you.

Billie Jean is definitely not my lover by Jim Parker

2010-01-14T13:14:00.000-08:00

I played trumpet in junior high band, sort of. I'll never forget those September nights, marching around on the freshly cut grass of the high school football field. I still remember the feel of my mouth piece bumping against my lips with every step I marched. And, how that plastic music holder bounced around atop my trumpet like a bobble head in an old station wagon.

I was never any good at the trumpet. I guess I didn't have the lips for it or something. When Michael Jackson's song Billie Jean was big our band chose that as one of its songs for our half time show. The trumpets all had this solo we were supposed to play. It was the melody to the chorus of the song. I remember struggling through that solo in the junior high band room trying my best to get it down and failing ever more with each puff on the trumpet. Then it happened. This girl who also played trumpet, I don't remember her name, but her face is still clear in my mind offered me some much needed but little wanted advice. She said, "just play it like it sounds." That statement sent me into a bout of nervous pre-teen angst the likes of which would accompany me through most of my formative years.

I grew up in a really conservative family. We had very little music in the house and what we did have was my Mom's old gospel quartet 78 records. I knew that day that my problem was not that I couldn't hit the notes, master the pitch, or keep the tempo of Billie Jean, it was in fact that I'd never heard the song. Here I was, a teenage boy, and I had never heard this Michael Jackson classic. I assumed at the time there were probably people living in caves in the most remote parts of the Dark Continent and that even they knew this song. I felt like such a loser. It was like I'd try to fake who and what I was all year long and suddenly this girl had grabbed at a loose thread and completely unraveled my persona in one tug.

You know a lot of days I still get that same feeling I had that day in the junior high band room. I've come a long ways since those days of red and white polyester band suits and feathered plastic band hats. The last few years I've really begun to discover who I am and what I'm here for. But when I get around the right people and feel someone tugging at that loose thread those same old feelings of insignificance come right back to the surface. Vision is being able to look into your future and see what God MIGHT do if we are willing to let him. Don't let people make you feel that you can't, that you are less, that you don't fit the mold. Vision is figuring out you can't but that God can. Vision is believing something bigger is ahead on the road of life. Vision is you being all God made you to be and understanding that under every persona there is a scared junior high boy or girl waiting for his world to crumble. Don't be intimadated. Go after the dreams God is dreaming with you and for you. It really won't matter if you know what Billie Jean sounds like or not.

4th Dimension Vision

2010-01-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

What would life be like if we all lived with a blindfold on? Can you imagine doing life with a blindfold on? We know that wouldn’t make sense, it would cause all sorts of problems. So why do we insist on doing life without a vision.

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Without vision people will perish . . .” Vision in the Hebrew means to mentally perceive, gaze at, to have a vision of. What would it look like to have a vision for your life? What if you had a vision for your family, career, relationship, spiritual journey?

Take a look at this passage again in the Message version- “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals they are most blessed.”

We want to introduce a new dimension of vision, it’s called the 4th dimension vision. The 4th dimension, as you know, consists of seeing, feeling, and experiencing the movie, as though it was happening. Similarly I want this to be true in our spiritual journey. 4th Dimension vision is this: Seeing God and joining His activity.

What would it be like to see God in your family and join Him in what He wants to do?

What would it be like to see God in your career and join Him in what He wants to do?

What would it be like to see God in your relationships and join Him in what He wants to do?

What would it be like to see God in your journey and join Him in what He wants to do?

Let's share
Take some time to recognize where God is . . . Can you see Him? If so, share it with us, reflect on it. If not, why? What is blocking your vision? What is getting in the way of seeing God? Encourage you to share that as well.

2009-04-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

7 "Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8 Won't he rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" Luke 17:7-10

Are you motivated to serve those around because of guilt or fear or rewards? The idea of, what's in it for me? As long as I get something out of it, I will do it?

Or are you motivated to serve out of love? Maybe it is more about love than it is about you. If we are moving along the spiritual journey continuum and closer to being a passionate Christ follower, what does loving those around you look like?

Jesus shows us what that is with his life, but specifically he show us through this passage

. . . . Having loved his (Jesus) own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. . . . he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:1, 5 (portions)

Jesus lived out and called us to love like this. Really, I believe Jesus points us to this; love is as love does. Think about that statement for a minute. Love is as love does . . . . .

What does that look like for you? How is Jesus asking you to live that out with those around you? I am sure it isn't washing your boss' feet . . . but what is it for you? And it's not for you to get a raise, it is to love. Remember love isn't simply a noun or a feeling. Love is an action, love is a verb, love is a choice.

Love is as love does. Share with us what that looks like for you.

The Journey- Pharisee vs. Tax Collector

2009-03-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Take some time and read Luke 18:9-14.

One of the first questions Pastor Bill asked in his journey guide this week was this:

Do you most identify with the Pharisee or the Tax Collector in the story?…All the time or in certain situations?
Explain.

For me. I used to identify with the Pharisee. I had my reasons why I was better than everyone else. I propped myself up upon my religious "accomplishments" and had a pointy finger for those who didn't "measure up" to my standard.

But thankfully God broke me of that. Granted he kicked out my prop from underneath me, but it was a much needed fall from pride and arrogance to grace and humility. Today, I see more similarities with me and the tax collector. I long for a heart that Jesus gently forms and guides.

I believe the times I struggle today with a judging heart is actually with the Pharisee. I have found it more difficult to forgive and give grace to Pharisees. I want Him to keep working with me on that, because the Pharisees need a change of heart as much as the tax collector. Jesus was about changing hearts, if that is the case, then I need to join him in that by him changing mine and being open to how he will use me to guide others.

Journey Guide 3 weeks late

2009-03-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I would follow the journey guide we are doing as a church and interact with you through the blog. I will try and do this weekly or multiple times a week. If you ever miss the week we hand it out at church, it is always downloadable on our website http://www.newlifecommunitychurch.us/ as well as the sermon.

This week we looked at Luke 15:1-10. One of my favorite passages, the lost sheep and the lost coin. The first question I want to interact about is this:

What does it mean to you to be sought after (as in God seeking after you)?

That blows my mind. When I look at God, at times, I am overwhelmed by how awesome He is, I am in awe that he created this world, but so much more, the entire universe and then some. That he has enough care to add delicate detail to a flower and a glimpse of his power in a lightening bolt. Yet, he longs to be in a relationship with me. Yet, he pursues me with a love that is relentless. He will not stop pursuing me or those around me. That blows my mind.

My God, our God is amazing.

What is your next step?

2009-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

As a tribe, why do we exist? As a church, what are we about, what is our mission?

To help spiritually confused people become passionate Christ followers.

Everything we do as a church, is filtered through that mission. And as I studied Jesus and his interaction with his disciples I saw the same thing. We always assume the disciples are these iconic stainglass figures who started the early church with impecable and fearless faith. We overlook where they started. We overlook the fact that these men were simply just ordinary men who were called by Jesus to, "Follow Me." It was in that pursuit, in that journey where these men, through years of following became passionate Christ followers.

I believe the same is true of us today. But I want to see, what is the bench mark of a follower. What is it that Jesus pushed them on, in becoming a passionate Christ follower?

Mark 3:14 "He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that he might send them out . . . "

Two things come jumping off the page for me when I read this. Jesus wanted his disciples to follow him in two areas, intimacy with Him and influence with others. Because we are all on a journey, somewhere between spiritually confused and passionate Christ follower. It is good to identify, where are we on our journey? And what is the next step I need to take?

Specifically, this week, what is the next step you need to take in growing in itimacy with Christ? What is that next step you need to take where God is more active in your day to day things? Can you ask God, what do you have for me next? Does that draw you closer to him?

Share with us, what it is for you and how you want to be challenged in that next step. Thanks!!

Life a year from now?

2008-12-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

Another year is upon us. What will this new year bring? New resolutions, new promises, new habits . . .

What is it for you? What do you want to see happen this year? Maybe not so much about habits and promises as it is God at work in and around you.

What would it be like, a year from now, to see the impact that you left in this world? What would it be? What impact do you want to make this year?

Curious

2008-11-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

I thought of this question when I was driving home from church last week (Nov. 16th).

Why do you go to church?

This isn't a question motivated by guilt. It is a question that challenged me and I was curious why others go to church. Let me know, take some time and respond.

Thanks and have a great day.

Experiencing You- Your Desires

2008-11-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

What satisfies you?

Let's hear it . . . what satisfies you?

Experiencing You: Who Am I?

2008-10-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Who am I was yelled from the top of a building structure by Jackie Chan in his movie, "Who Am I?" back in 1998 and I think it is a question we wrestle with day in and day out. Sometimes we get caught in the mundane and simply settle for, "I am who I am." But who am I? What is my identity? And how can I live out of who I am if I don't know who I am?

I think we need to get back to creation to see who we are at the core. According to Genesis 1:26a-27 it says:

Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness . . . So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

According to this verse, we are made in God's image, his likeness. Which means, from my understanding, that we are righteous, holy, loving, forgiving, free and the list goes on. But I don't think many of us live out of that identity on a daily basis. Why?

Because there is a twist. And that twist is sin. Sin has given us a new description of who we are. Remember, sin is anything that opposes God, either through our heart or our actions. Instead of freedom, we are burdened by the ugliness of who we are now in light of what we thought we were. And because God opposes sin, we deserve His wrath. Romans says that "the wages of sin is death." Not simply a physical death, because we will all die, but a spiritual death which is seperation from God for eternity.

Thankfully there is another twist. Graciously Jesus took on the weight and the payment of our sin to the cross and conqured death. Jesus took the wrath of God to give us life. Take a look at Ephesians 2:4-8:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Through Christ alone, he gives us a new identity, actually he gives us our old identity. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” The old identity is gone, the new identiy, the one you had a creation is the one you should be living in. And because of Christ's activity in the world and our lives Ephesians 2:10 nails who we are, “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Who am I? I am "in Christ" and if I am in Christ the picture is, I am clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) and if we are clothed we should be wearing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and then some (Colossians 3:12).

Who am I?

I am in Christ, living each moment as Christ is living through me with grace, kindness, gentleness, compassion, humility and love in order to make a difference in people’s lives.

Who are you? Share with me your thoughts, struggles, questions as it relates to your identity and where it is found. Would love to interacte with you on this.

Experiencing God- His Activity

2008-10-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

Do we recognize God's activity as a question or as a statement?

Is God active in my life? OR God is active in my life!

I think as much as we long for God's activity in our life, there are things within our life that hinder us from experiencing him on a daily basis. According to Isaiah, and then reiterated by Jesus in the book of Matthew 13:15-16, he shows us what that hindrance is: “For this people's heart has become calloused; ‘they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' "

We have a hard time experiencing God in our lives at times, because our eyes are blinded, our ears are muffled, and our hearts are calloused. There are a variety of things that cause this to happen, but my challenge is more, how do we take the blinders off, how do we take the ear plugs out, and how do we soften our heart?

Two ways: Continual connectedness to God and a radical responsiveness to the moment. John 15:4-5 says, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
We need to be connected to the source of life and if we are, he will open our eyes, soften our hearts and take the ear plugs out of our ears. We stay connected by his word, prayer, and other disciples encouraging us.

As we become comfortable doing life with God, we begin to experience the power of his life flowing up into our often lifeless world – a power that brings peace even in the storm, a power that gives self control even when we’re angry, a power to live a life of freedom from the chains that enslave us, a power to develop deep authentic relationships, a power to love even the most difficult people and the power to experience joy in moments of each day as every moment of life becomes alive with new possibilities.

Right now, in this moment, are you aware that God is here and wanting you to experience him?

My challenge to you right now is, how do you see God active in your life? What moments, throughout everyday have you seen his activity in your life?

Experiencing God- God's Motivation

2008-10-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

I would like to lead with a quote from Erwin McManus, in his book Soul Cravings:

I think many of us have rightly given up on God at times in our relationship. We’ve been told that God is a reluctant lover and that his standards must be met before there can be any talk of love. This is lunacy. Love exists because God is love. Our souls will never find satisfaction until our hearts have found this love that we so desperately yearn for. God is not passive, for love is never passive, but always passionate and passion always leads to action.

God's motivation for us is LOVE, but we have gotten in the way of that love. We have convinced our selves that we are not worthy of His love, that we are too screwed up to receive any love, much less a love from the God of the universe. We are more driven to play a hopeless romantic version of love with a bouquet of flowers. With each pedal we pick, we simply ponder, "He loves me, He love me not, He loves me, He loves me not." And depending on how we finish the flower, will determine the love God has for us. For instance, “he loves me (because I said a kind word to my co-worker), he loves me not (because I cut off a guy and "pointed" at him in traffic), he loves me (I made it to church), he loves me not (I didn’t put anything in the offering plate), he loves (I called my mom on her birthday), he loves me not (I forgot my wife's anniversary).”

Romans 5:8 says it perfectly, “God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We don't have to get our act together for God to love us. God loves me personally, passionately, and longs for me to live out of that love.

My prayer for you, is that next time you pick up a flower and begin to wonder does God love me, the scenario would look like this: He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me . . . . . . . . . He loves ME.

God longs to be in a relationship with you because he loves you, are you willing to love him back?

Experiencing God- His Pursuit

2008-09-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought of God as a God who is in hot pursuit of you? I am betting, if you have it is probably because you think he is chasing you down like a police officer for the bad things you have done. I am sure flash backs of Dukes of Hazard run through you mind, like Roscoe is chasing the Duke boys down.

I would like to challenge your thinking on this type of pursuit. I believe God's pursuit is motivated by something more than the wrong we commit. I believe God pursues us because of the love he has for us and the value that he has place on us.

Have you ever lost something of value? And depending on the value of the item determined how intense you sought after that item. The same is true of God. He pursues us because of the value by which he has placed on our lives and on our relationship with him. Take some time and read Luke 15, specifically verses 8-10. Jesus talks about a woman who lost a coin and searched her entire house for this coin. So many times we run right past these three verses because we assume it is simply a penny. And all of us have hordes of pennies under the seat cushions of our couches. But to understand the text completely you need to understand the value of a coin. In this story, a coin represented a days wage. Not only that, she only had 10 such coins. Which meant that she had lost a tenth of all she had. To what extent would you search if you lost a tenth of all you had?

How much more valuable are we to God? My encouragement for you this week is read Luke 15 and see how God pursues you because of the love he has for you and the value that he has placed on you. Also, keep your eyes open for how God may be pursuing you and let me know.

Thanks, have a great week, and hope to hear some God sightings.