Odd Ducks

Within the past few weeks, an unusual video about a cat and some ducklings has gone viral. It tells the story of a young couple on a small farm in Ireland who wanted to add some ducks to their other animals. They purchased several fertilized duck eggs, but when they hatched, after searching extensively, they couldn't find the ducklings.

Finally after six hours, they saw a duckling in the mouth of their cat. Assuming the cat was going to eat the duckling, they tried to chase it down, but then they noticed that the cat was very carefully holding the duckling, not hurting it. As they watched, the cat took the duckling to its bed in the barn and deposited it with two other ducklings that were already there. Then the cat protectively surrounded the ducklings, covering them with her paws and nestled with them, purring contentedly.

The couple discovered that there were three tiny kittens sharing the cat bed with the ducklings. The mother cat had apparently just given birth to a small litter, when she discovered the ducklings. With the surge of mothering hormones following the birth of her own kittens, the mother cat’s instincts told her to nestle and protect any small, warm furry creatures. So she adopted the ducklings.

What was even more amazing, the couple discovered that the ducklings had latched on to the mother cat’s nipples and were actually nursing. Since ducklings are born ready to be independent and forage for food, and mother ducks do not nurse their young, this behavior was most unusual. It can only be assumed, that in nestling with the mother cat, the ducklings found a new food source and adapted to it.

The mother cat was not ready for the more independent behaviors of her precocious “yellow kittens.” She was constantly chasing after them, holding them in her mouth and bringing them back to her bed to take care of them. After several weeks, the ducklings were half-grown, but still following their adopted mother cat everywhere.

As I watched this beautiful story of an unusual love bonding between animals that normally have an antagonistic relationship, I realized that it is a powerful parable of how God calls us to love one another. At the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus told them: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people are to know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)

 Father God does not expect us to manufacture this type of love on our own. Scripture assures us that the love of Father God has been shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and we have a supernatural ability to love others, even the “odd ducks” we find in our midst. We are reminded that in loving one another, we are to bear each other's burdens. (Galatians 6:2) That is, we are to be patient with the faults we find in others, not judgmental.

They may differ from us in dress, hairstyle, the way they worship or the type of music they like. They may have doctrinal differences or hold political views we feel are wrong. They may be struggling with various forms of addiction, engaging in sexual immorality or struggling with broken relationships. Like the mother cat patiently loving her “odd yellow kittens,” we are to love these “odd ducks,” and allow the power of God's love to produce Christlike changes in their hearts and in ours as well.

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM. We are beginning a new series entitled, “Father God Loves You!” My sermon this week is, “The Call to Love.”

Pastor Che

Shadow Christians

I was fascinated by my shadow when I was young. No matter how hard I chased it, I could never catch it. Throughout the day it changed shape from being long and stretched out to being short and squat, and then became tall again. And of course it disappeared when the clouds came out. My shadow’s behavior was unpredictable and mysterious, very different from a real person.

It had the general outline of my body, but if you took a picture of my shadow you would never know it was me. You couldn't identify my face or see any details because on my shadow they were obscured by darkness. I often played with my shadow, but there was no way I could ever know or touch it, for it had no substance.

Sadly today, many believers in the body of Christ are “shadow Christians.” Like shadows, they are hard to chase down, and virtually impossible to intimately know. It's difficult to understand what they believe, because they seem torn between opposing views and uncertainty. Their theology can change depending upon what group they are part of. You rarely hear them speak with boldness and conviction about their beliefs, and when faced with adversity their faith seems to evaporate.

If you attempt to really know them, you frequently run into a wall of spiritual platitudes, words that sound right, but seem to lack real conviction. If you remind them of a promise in God’s word, they're likely to smile and say, “I hope so.” They often seem doubtful, but seldom discuss their difficulties candidly with anyone. Apparently keeping up appearances is all-important, and admitting any vulnerability is just too threatening.

Some of them are event attenders and conference hoppers, constantly seeking “the deeper things of the Lord.” They frequently return excited, but their enthusiasm rapidly drains until they find another opportunity to sit under a new anointing. Others seem content with the status quo and may actually resist a fresh wind of God's Spirit. It's as if any type of change threatens their spiritual equilibrium.

It would be easy to dismiss these “shadow Christians” as nominal believers, but I think that would be a mistake. Most of them are sincere believers who have made a true decision for Christ and want to do the works Christ said would follow believers, but it isn't happening in their lives.

What is hindering them? I think for many it is a deep sense of unworthiness, often fed by guilt and shame. They trust these negative feelings more strongly than they believe what Father God tells them about their identity. He wants to give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Himself. He longs to enlighten the eyes of their hearts so that they can know the hope to which He has called them, and what are the riches of their glorious inheritance in the saints. He wants them to know the immeasurable greatness of His power to them if they will only believe His word... (Ephesians 1:18–19)

James 1:17 assures us: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadows.” Father God is not a “shadow God.” He means exactly what He says and He values you so much that He has reserved a glorious inheritance just for you!

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM. Our own Pastor Sue Ahn will be discussing our true identity in Christ. Her message is entitled, “Remember Who You Are.”

Pastor Che

The Invisible Homeless

Every year the US department of Housing and Urban Development puts out a report on the state of homelessness in our nation.  We have all seen the homeless, those living on the street who have fallen on hard times, lost their jobs and homes, or are chronic drug addicts, alcoholics and the mentally ill. There has been a small decrease in the incidence of homelessness since 2007, but still well over half a million Americans are homeless, and a quarter of them are children under the age of 18.

But there is another type of homelessness that is increasing in epidemic proportions. I call it “the invisible homeless.” You can't pick them out in a crowd. In fact they may have all the signatures of success: a luxury car, the right address and clothes labels, the most up-to-date tech toys. But deep inside they are wandering, feeling alienated and alone. They can't identify “home”; people and a place where they know they are accepted, welcomed and wanted, not for what they can perform or produce, but simply for themselves alone.

Many are young and unmarried, carrying painful memories of their own parents’ divorce and fearful that marriage commitment will expose them to the risk of another home evaporating. Many are single again, separated or divorced, returning every evening to an empty dwelling full of bittersweet memories. All their hopes for a true home have disintegrated. Still others are estranged from family members, trapped in an impenetrable emotional wall reinforced by years of silence. Some are old or ill, and have been shoved aside to live their lonely lives outside of the community's collective awareness.

All of them struggle within their internal void longing to see a familiar face light up when they enter a room and hear warm words welcoming them. Their invisible homelessness is a daily reality that they deal with in quiet desperation. They see no hope for a true home, but they can't stop longing for it either.

We were created to find our identity and purpose within the context of home and family. The Godhead itself is a family: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God's intention in creating the human race was to extend His family infinitely. We were created in God’s image as a family and told to multiply and fill the earth with family. (Genesis 1:27–28; 2:24)

We can never stop the longing inside to be family for it is encoded into our very spiritual DNA. And Father God feels the alienation and pain of our invisible homelessness, for He longs to see His fragmented family restored and whole. His whole purpose in sending His son Jesus Christ to live among us and die for us on the cross, was to provide an avenue of reconciliation that enables us to join our spiritual family and rediscover our eternal home.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do and it gave Him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:5) Father God never intended for you to be homeless. Receive His gift of reconciliation and become His adopted child today!

Please join us for services this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM. Our guest speaker at all 3 services is Dawna DeSilva, who is highly experienced in the Sozo deliverance and inner healing ministry.

Pastor Che

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle…

Normally I use this space to share insights about various topics as the Lord leads, but today I'd like to do something a little different. I'd like to share the inspired insights of others in paying tribute to the most powerful and often most overlooked occupation: Motherhood. All of us have been shaped and influenced by a mothering person in a way that follows us for the rest of our lives.

I dedicate the following to every mother:

“Motherhood is more than a stage–it is a lifelong calling from God.” (Unknown)

“Making a decision to have a child–it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” (Elizabeth Stone)

“Mothers write on the hearts of their children what the world's rough hand cannot erase.” (Unknown)

“All I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. I remember my mother's prayers and they have always clung to me. They have followed me all my life.” (Abraham Lincoln)

“My mother made a brilliant impression upon my childhood life. She shone for me like the evening star.” (Winston Churchill)

“The future destiny of the child is always the work of the mother.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

“The mother is the one supreme asset of national life. She is more important by far than the successful statesman, businessman, artist or scientist.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

“Only God Himself appreciates the influence of the Christian mother in molding the character of her children.” (Billy Graham)

The apostle Paul also remarked on the influence of Christian mothers and grandmothers 2000 years ago: “Timothy, I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. I know how from your childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.” (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15)

This one is to make you smile: A second grade teacher gave a science lesson about magnets. To see how much the children had learned, she asked her class the question: “Name something that picks up things and begins with the letter “M”. In unison all the children yelled: “Mom!”

I want to close with this stanza from a classic poem:

“They say that man is mighty,
He governs land and sea,
He wields a mighty scepter,
Over lesser powers that be.

But a mightier power and stronger,
Man from his throne has hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle,
Is the hand that rules the world
(William Rose Wallace)

Please join us this Mother's Day Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM. We will be honoring mothers and my sermon is “The Sacrificial Love of a Mother.”

Pastor Che

Happily Ever After?

It's the last line of so many fairy tales, “and they lived happily ever after.” In fairytales it all seems so simple. Find the right person, fall in love and you too can “live happily ever after.”

We live in Pasadena, just a stone's throw from the fairytale capital of the world, Hollywood. There's not a week that goes by that the rumor mill doesn't cycle fresh gossip on who's seeing who, who’s living with who or who's engaged to who. The text is accompanied by candid snaps of the lovers beaming as together they make a hasty exit from an exclusive restaurant or trendy night spot.

Inevitably in the following weeks more information leaks about the extravagant engagement ring, the lavish wedding plans, the possible destination wedding setting and of course which guests are on the “A–list.” Fans eagerly lap up details on everything from color schemes to wedding favors. Often, celebrity weddings easily cost more than the average American home.

I confess this type of knowledge would never have registered on my radar except for the fact that my son just got married. Our whole family became acutely aware of the wedding industry and the pressure it can exert to do the fairytale right. So many major and minor decisions had to be made on everything from chair covers (yes or no) to entrées (vegetarian option?) centerpieces, printed programs, meaningful wedding mementoes etc. I was shocked to learn that the tab for the average no celebrity American wedding today is around $28,000.

There seems to be an increasing need to create the perfect fairytale wedding almost as if that will ensure the perfect fairytale ending. But does one lead to the other? That happy, loving Hollywood couple all too often reappears several years post-wedding as two estranged, completely miserable, singles exiting divorce court. Unfortunately, many will repeat the same cycle again with a new partner.

As I watched my son make his covenantal vows of marriage, I found myself praying that he would find happiness and fulfillment. The wedding was lovely, but I knew that no matter how “fairytale right” it appeared to be, that it was simply window dressing. We all long to live happy lives, but we will never find “happily ever after” in the wedding details, no matter how perfect they are.

There is a path to real happiness that God offers to all of us. Ephesians 2:10 tells us: “For we are God's own workmanship, re-created in Christ Jesus that we may do those good works that God has planned for us before hand, and that we may take paths which He has prepared for us ahead of time so that we should walk in them and live the good life which He has prearranged and made ready for us to live.”

Father God has prepared a wonderful life of happiness and fulfillment for you, but you will never find it by trying to create fairytale perfection. Make a decision to step out of the fairytale and start living a real life, the one God has established for you.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM. Our Lead Pastor, Karl Malouff will be giving the message.

Pastor Che