This past weekend I was at a Men’s Retreat. I was part of the team who put it on even though it was for a different church than mine. Because I was gone, I had someone preach at Grace Family Fellowship in my absence.

I want to tell you about the message I missed (actually, I didn’t miss it because I got to listen to it yesterday).

But before I do, I need to tell you what the last few weeks have been like for me.

Simly put, I feel like I have been in a funk. You ever feel that way? There is nothing specific about my circumstances that have put me there, I was just… well… there. My funk was full of anxiety, fear, cunfusion, and frustration. It was one of those funks when you don’t know how to answer the question everyone asks: “How’s it going?”

When  people ask that, I know they don’t want an honest answer. I mean, we all know the correct response is: “Great” or “Fine” or even “It’s okay”. But when you’re in a funk, it’s harder to answer, isn’t it.

Riding up to the retreat, I told my two companions about my funk and they offered to participate in a funk-analysis. I think that’s a pretty good thing to do with friends when you find yourself in funky-town.

It was helpful talking with  those guys and I appreciaed the funk-analysis. But when I heard the message from GFF member Katie Adams, I think I discovered the cause of my funkiness.

Katie was talking about fear and I want to just relate some of her points. They helped me, and maybe they’ll help you, too.

So here they are…

As a Christian, we have already made the only decision that affects eternity– so don’t look back… Just keep going forward with Jesus.

Our culture wants us to fear because it wants us to question or forget the faithfulness of God.

We need to be like Daivd in Psalm 18:  
    The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
        my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
        He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

When fear rises within me, I must follow this fear to the logical conclusion in relation to God’s grace.

To illustrate this last point, Katie told the story of Jack Vinson– a mssionary in China in 1931 during very turbulant times. Vinson was ambushed by bandits who were terrorizing people in the area. One bandit pointed his rifle at Vinson and said, “I’m going to kill you. Aren’t you afraid?”  To which Vinson replied, “Kill me if you wish. I will go straight to God.”

Poet E.H. Hamilton– a friend of Vinson– wrote a poem in memory of his martyred friend. In the poem, Hamilton places himself in Vinson’s shoes as the bandit asks his question– and expounds these thoughts in Vinson’s answer (as an example of what it looks like to follow fear to its logical conclusion in relation to God’s grace).

Afraid? Of What?

To feel the spirit’s glad release?

To pass from pain to perfect peace,

The strife and strain of life to cease?

Afraid—of that?

Afraid? Of What?

Afraid to see the Savior’s face

To hear His welcome and to trace

The glory gleam from wounds of grace?

Afraid—of that?

Afraid? Of What?

A flash, a crash, a pierced heart;

Darkness, light, O Heaven’s art!

A wound of His a counterpart!

Afraid—of that?

Afraid? Of What?

To do by death what life could not -

Baptize with blood a stony plot,

Till souls shall blossom from the spot?

Afraid—of that?

Afraid? Of What?

What I realized from Katie’s message is that my funk was caused by fear.

I think there’s a lot of that going on these days. And I think there is a great opportunity for followers of Christ to approach these fears in a different way than the world. Fear should not affect our choices as we move forward with Jesus.

I know that is not as easy as it sounds. But, by God’s grace, we can do it.

Thanks Katie.

A couple of Sundays ago I was preaching about how religion is all about transactions and Christianity is about transformation. Early Sunday morning as I was finishing my preparation, I came across this blog by Steve McVey from his wbsite www.gracewalk.org  I enjoy reading Steve’s blogs and highly recommend checking out this site.

I wanted to share his thoughts here because some of you asked if I could get you what I read at the end of the message. So, here it is– but understand I got it from Steve McVey and www.gracewalk.org

What if…

What if we’ve got it all wrong about God in the modern church world? What if He is nothing like we’ve imagined Him to be? What if the most basic understandings we have about His nature, His personality and His approach to us completely misses the point?

What if God the Father didn’t didn’t send Jesus the Son to come alone to earth so that the Father could vent His anger over sin against the Son instead of us, but instead so that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit could together come to deal a death blow against sin in order to free us from its grip before it caused us to waste away into eternal nothingness?

What if the work of Jesus on the cross wasn’t to change God’s mind about you, but to change your mind about God?

What if God isn’t nearly as concerned about what you’re doing or not doing as He is about how you see and understand Him?

What if God is smiling as He looks at you right now and you could never do anything to wipe that smile off His face?

What if the coming of Jesus wasn’t God’s reaction to Adam’s sin, but was carrying out a plan that had been made long before Adam was even created?

What if the primary characteristic of who God is has nothing to do with being a judge, but has everything to do with being a gentle, loving, Father?

What if you could never cause God to become angry or even disappoint Him?

What if you didn’t need more faith, but only need to depend on Jesus to express His faith on your behalf?

What if you were the child God always wanted?

What if fulfilling God’s plan for your life didn’t depend on you at all?

What if God loved Muslims and atheists and homosexuals as much as He loves you?

What if you were a part of the inner circle of love shared by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

What if?

What do youthink about this? Comment if you’d like.

I wrote this on January 1, 2009…

Last night, I had a blast!

A couple from our church organized a New Year’s Eve gathering. Actually, it has become a bit of a tradition. Jim and Dale Browning have hosted a New Year’s Eve festival for about the last four years. Any Grace Family Fellowship families in town are welcome to join the fun. Jim uses his incredible gift of planning awesome competitions (think Amazing Race or Survivor) to create activities for everyone present– from youngest to oldest.

I’ve always enjoyed these annual gatherings… But, for some reason, last night seemed especially wonderful. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t sure who was able to attend or not. Lots of people were out of town and others had several things going on. But by “game time” several families had arrived (Brownings, Haupts, LoAlbos, Bransons, Kittrels, Schancks, and Chavez–although it was just Meggin Chavez because her twin girls were under the weather and Dave was on his way home form overseas). Enough for four distinguished teams to battle in dance-offs, pool, Pictureka, Tek Dek, and House of cards.

In addition there was food… lots of food. I now realize that I love “pot luck” gatherings. You can just graze all night. And graze we did. There was wine too (I know that may make some people a little uncomfortable, but I wanted to mention it because I will mention it later). There was also music. Yeah, we played CD’s and stuff, but I’m talking about live music. The Branson’s brought drums and a Shofar (yeah, I said Shofar!). The Bronwings provided a piano and guitars. And the rest of use had our vocal chords handy to fill in the blanks.

Although I could talk a lot about the competitions (the light blue team was very impressive– although we didn’t win it all), the post-competition celebration was the best part of the evening. After announcing victory for the red team (a surprise by all accounts) there was some shameless taunting. However, it quickly turned into a victory celebration for all of us.

I don’t know exactly how it all started… Maybe it was Tim Branson busting out some blues on the guitar, or Hillery Schank sitting cross-legged on the floor– booming out a Shofar blast on his way to mild hyperventilaion. Maybe it was Tracy LoAlbo’s victory dance, or Kevin Kittrel’s celebration shuffle. Or maybe it was just the kids and thier exuberant laughter. All I know is that the red team’s victory became all of ours– and we had FUN! We began chanting things for people to do– everyone had a chance to “bust a move” (kids) or “an ankle” (adults) ending in a conga line (I believe started by Dan LoAlbo). There was singing and cheers and laughter and high fives, there was hugging and dancing and shouting. There was… Joy.

And I can’t stop thinking about it today. It’s January 1st, 2009 and I feel like the year is off to a great start. Even though the economy is bad, the unemloyement rate is up, Christmas bills are due, Israel is at war with Humas, and the Redskins didn’t make the playoffs, we were able to celebrate like– well– like none of that could take away the fun we have together.

There is something really right about gatherings like last night. Something even spiritually uplifting.

This morning, I was thinking about Jesus’ first miracle. Do you know what it was? Do you know where it happened?

He was at a wedding. More specifically, he was at a wedding celebration. These were big deals in his culture. They lasted a long time (like a week… these people knew something about parties!). And something happened that could ruin everything. They ran out of wine. Talk about a faux pas. This was a big no no. But it happened. And Jesus stepped in and turned water into wine (told you I’d mention wine again). And not just any wine– but the best wine. He didn’t just fix the mistake, he went above and beyond. He didn’t just let the celebration continue– he raised it to a whole new level.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus kicks off his miracle-parade with this one? What’s the big deal? It was just a party… A little embarrasment for the host and couple that will fade in time, right? Well, I think it was a big deal and I think it’s a big deal for us too.

They are many fascinating elements to this story (hey, why don’t I list a few?!?)

1) Jesus was invited to the wedding.

This may not seem that significant, but think about it. In the planning stages of the wedding celebration, someone said or thought, “We gotta get Jesus here– that will be a blast!” Jesus was included on the guest list. I bet he was fun to have around. We know he could tell a story, but I betcha he could tell a good joke too. Do you think he did impressions? Did he sing or play a drum? Did he dance with the bride– or his mom (she was there too)?

Are these thoughts and questions making you uncomfortable. I mean, we don’t usually think about Jesus this way, do we? But one thing is undeniable– he was invited. It says so right in John 2.

2) Jesus went to the wedding.

After gathering his disciples, Jesus gets down to the work he came to do. The disciples must have been pretty excited. After all, they left their jobs and homes and friends to follow Jesus. They were committed. I wonder what they were thinking when they joined up. If it were me, I would imagine a great theological lecture in the synagogue, a mystical spiritual experience on a mountain top, a clothing drive for the poor, or even a planning session to outline goals, objectives, and action steps.

What I would not imagine is a wedding. That seems like a waste of time. Kinda frivolous, isn’t it. I mean, if it was a wedding at the palace or something, I guess I could understand– but the couple isn’t even famous. I wonder if any of the disciples thought to themselves, Aren’t there more important things for us to be doing with our time… Did I leave my fishing business to watch a bride shove wedding cake into her new husband’s face?

We don’t know what they were thinking. Here’s what we do know. They were there. And I have a feeling that they had fun. I betcha that Peter even did a Hebrew break dance at some point in the party.

Why? Because I think they saw Jesus having fun. He went there to celebrate with the bride and groom. And when the wedding was winding down, he not only kept it going– he notched it up!

Here’s the point: I think Jesus liked parties. I think he liked to sing and laugh and dance and hug. In fact, I think he would have been one of the first ones to jump in with Dan LoAlbo shouting, “Conga line!” What do you think? If those thoughts seem irreverant or off-base, read John 2 and expalin it to me.

3) Jesus turns water into wine.

It’s miracle time. The wine is gone and they party is, therefore, winding down. As I mentioned, this was a social blunder. But Jesus saves the day. He takes a dying party and injects some life.

And the people enjoyed this wine. Jesus probably enjoyed it. But perhaps, he was thinking about more than just this particular wedding in Cana.

I wonder if he was thinking about the wine he would hold at the last supper. The wine he would call his blood? The wine he would say is a “new covenant”. I wonder if he was thinking about how he was going to inject some life into all of us one day– his life– so that we could celebrate at the wedding feast of the Lamb one day.

Again, we don’t know. We do know he made great wine. And he made a lot of it.

4) The people received his gift/miracle with great pleasure.

What Jesus did achieved what he wanted. The wine flowed, the party continued. But it was bigger than that. John 2:11 says that it “revealed his [Jesus'] glory and his disciples put there trust in him.”

Wow. That’s a lot to come from a party, huh?

Which brings me back to how I feel today– the day after the night before. I received a lot of gifts last night: Jim’s gift of planning and overseeing delightful competitions; Tim and Karen Schanck’s gift of music (Karen played the piano); the kid’s gift of excited exuberance; various gifts of cooking; Wade and Cooper’s (the Browinings oldest sons) gift of service (they didn’t participate in the events– instead the ran them for us to enjoy); Dale’s gift of hospitality; Anne and Kit’s gift of French; Hillery’s gift of unbridled passion; Dan’s gift of determined dancing; Meggin’s gift of unquestioned and immediate involvement;and Sandra’s gift of song and laughter. Everyone present gave me the gift of their love and friendship and presence.

And I realized this: It is good to celebrate as a family.

I don’t think we do that enough in our churches. I know that we haven’t. Even in a small church, you can get caught up in the little things. It can steal your joy and cloud your vision.

That’s why it’s probably good to stop and play, sing, dance, and laugh together sometimes. Actually, it’s probably better to do that more than anything else.

After all, Jesus likes parties and has a doozy prepared for his children that we will experience for eternity. And I think he kinda likes it when we start right now.

I was thinking about Acts 2:42-47 again this morning. And I decided to share a couple of additional thoughts on the passage…

The first one comes from Katie Adams. She shared it with me right after the message Sunday and I want to pass it on to ya’ll.

As she was listening to how the Holy Spirit came on the believers and then they came together in an incredibly intimate, “new” kind of community and life, she was reminded of a similar occurrence earlier in the Bible.

Remember the Christmas story? An angel tells Mary that she will have a baby– and Mary questions it. Here’s a part of the exchange from Luke 1:34-35:

    “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

    [35] The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

The Holy Spirit conceives the baby inside of Mary. The Spirit is involved in the birth of Jesus. Jesus then begins his ministry, teaches about the Father and the Kingdom of God, goes to the cross and rises from the dead. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus provides a way for us to have an incredibly intimate, “new” kind of community and life with God.

See the connection? The Holy Spirit is involved in another birth in Acts 2—the birth of the church. The church is a means to bring life to the world by living and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We’ll talk more about this in the weeks to come (because as I’m writing this, I just got a great idea for another message!).

The second thing I thought about is from Acts 2:46-47…

    Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, [47] praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

You see I highlighted “praising God”. I think I sometimes forget that the church is all about praising God. I know I’ve forgotten that in the past. Sometimes I would make it “praising my wonderful insight” or “praising this 3 step process to self improvement” or even “praising the programs of the church”. These things may have value, but they can never replace praising God.

You ever notice that sometimes we Christians can focus more on what is wrong in the world than what is right with God. I so often can point to what I or others are failing at and miss what God is doing. When I do that, my eyes are focused on us rather than on God—I’m looking down not up.

I just reread what I wrote (because I am not sure that I am writing clearly) and realized that I haven’t been specific enough. We don’t focus on and praise Jesus Christ. He is our rock, our hope, our strength, our life.

The cornerstone of the early church in Acts 2 is Jesus. That’s our cornerstone too. Whether we know it or not… whether we acknowledge it or not… whether we believe it or not.

My prayer is that we will always be a church that is about “praising God”. It won’t get old; it won’t get boring. Instead, it will continue to bring a new, fresh, invigorating life to all of us—and it will draw others to the party!

If you have any thoughts about last week’s message—or anything to share—go ahead! That what a blog is all about (that’s why there is a “comments” opportunity at the end.

Last week there was a big change in this country. We elected a new President. As always, with any election, some people were happy and some disappointed. But it seems that this election created either great happiness or great disappointment. How do we dea with that? How should we deal with that (whether we are happy or disappointed)?

Well, i wanted to look at Scripture to find the answer. This message asks a lot of questions that we will be wrestling with in the days and months ahead. Hoefully, it will provide a “leap off point” to finding answers.

god-and-government-romans-13

Also, Rick Knapp e-mailed this qustion after last Sunday’s message. I think it is a good one for us to “blog” about. If you’d like, join in and comment.

Here’s the question:

John was referred to as “the disiple whom Jesus loved”. Did Jesus really love John the best? And how come John is only referred that way in the Gospel he wrote?

This message focuses on how inportant it is the receive Jesus’ love and to boast about His love for me rather than my love for him.

the-disciple-jesus-loved-11208

This is a mesage by my buddy Craig Snyder. Craig is a good friend and a dear Brother in Christ I (that’s right, I said “dear” and I mean it!). In this message Craig presents some truths that can set you free to live the life Christ desires for you. These are incredible, exhilerating and unbeleivable– and, most importantly, basd on Scripture.

Enjoy!

what-christians-need-to-know-va-beach

Check out our continuing study of Galatians… The sound quality isn’t the greatest (sorry, we are meeting in a new place and the speaker moves from the microphone).

galatians-part-9-41-7

This past Sunday was a special one at GFF. We dedicated four precious children back to God. It was a time of celebration as we came together as a church body to affirm our committment to these kids and their parents.

gff-child-dedication-intro

gff-child-dedication-service

Again, Paul reveals some incredible and amazing truth!

galatians-part-8-315-25