It’s Non-Negotiable

For those of us who are sports fans, things are looking bleak for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.  As I’m sure you are aware, both the NFL and NBA are currently involved in lockouts.  The dispute?  Disagreements between owners and players on how to equitably divide revenues, of course.

The NFL, now entering its fifth month of lockout, appears close to a compromise.  It must reach one by July 15 to avoid delays in preseason games, scheduled to begin in August. Although revenues topped 9 billion in 2010, owners claim decreasing profitability due to exponential increases in player salaries and benefits the last few years.  

Owners want to lower the percent of revenues that go to players and expand the season from 16 to 18 games.  Players reject both proposals stating increased injury risk and short average career life.  They also want more transparency in team financial accounting, which owners are resisting.

The situation is even more complex in the NBA.  The 2010-2011 season was one of the best yet with 4.3 billion in revenues, but average annual player salaries rose from 5 to 7 million in the last few years.  Accounting practices are more open in the NBA, and despite healthy revenues, 22 of the NBA’s 30 teams finished last season in the red.  Players blame owners for poor decision making, while owners claim the financials clearly point to the need for basic economic restructuring in the NBA, a herculean task.

In both the NFL and NBA, failure to reach an agreement will have serious financial consequences for both owners and players, so why do settlements always go to the brink of mutual disaster before they can strike a compromise?

As human beings, we seem to have a basic distrust of one another when our interests come into conflict.  Our fear blinds us to the perspectives and needs of the other side.  We feel our survival is threatened, and cling rigidly to our non-negotiable position, until we reach that brink of disaster and are forced into a mutual compromise.  We settle for less than we wanted comforted by the fact that the other side settled for less too.

This basic fear makes us suspicious of God, when He offers us a non-negotiable contract that looks too good to be true.  He tells us that He wants to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).  He then goes on to explain that these riches are immeasurable, far beyond anything we can think or conceive in our wildest imaginations! (Ephesians 3:20a)  

Jesus knew this offer would be hard for us to accept, so he told a story to illustrate how God operates.  An employer hired some laborers at the beginning of the day to work.  They carefully negotiated the rate of a denarius, a fair day’s wage at that time.  At the end of the day he hired more workers for an hour and promised to pay them what was right.  They didn’t negotiate, but trusted the employer and went to work.  In the end the employer paid the last workers a full denarius too, which they certainly weren’t expecting! (Matthew 20:1-16)

Jesus was telling us we don’t have to negotiate with God.  God is not an owner trying to maximize His profits, but our loving Father who has an unlimited supply.  Say “yes” to God’s non-negotiable contract and let Him abundantly bless you!

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM and hear our guest speaker Becca Greenwood discuss how God reveals His actions with us through the office of the prophet.

Gooder than Good

We all like to get a good deal.  We’ll clip coupons to save 50 cents on our favorite breakfast cereal, or order merchandise online before a cutoff date to get free shipping.  Our car finds it way to the drive-thru when a large coke is free with our order of a burger and fries.  We feel triumph when we find that perfect nightstand for the spare bedroom for pennies on the dollar at a weekend garage sale.

We enroll in frequent flier and cash back reward programs, buy entertainment cards and discounted movie tickets at Costco because we want a good deal. We haggle with the car salesman over price or try to get free upgrades added on, for the good deal of course.  We feel great when we can get a hefty rebate on the latest smart phone or negotiate a large software package for our new laptop.  

We are pros at scouting for good deals because most of us started early.  The free toy in the cereal box looked like a good deal when we were four.  And we learned how to cut good deals by swapping baseball cards or super heroes figures with our friends. The internet has revolutionized the way we search for good deals with endless comparison or discount sites and those pesky pop-ups that assure us they offer sensational deals. 

But we’ve also learned that all that glitters isn’t gold.  That internet, phone, TV bundle sounds fabulous until we read that its a 2 year contract and the discount rates are only good for the first year.  The all-inclusive vacation package looks great until we see the list of fees and expenses that are excluded.  From our first disappointment with the cheesy free cereal toy that didn’t look anything like the picture on the box, we’ve learned to be wary of “good deals.”

Perhaps this is why we find it so difficult to accept God’s free gift of grace and favor to us without attaching some conditions to it.  God clearly tells us that because of His grace and favor, we are delivered from judgment and given all the privileges of Jesus Himself. 

And this good deal just keeps getting “gooder.”  He goes on to explain that it will take an eternity for Him to demonstrate His love for us, because it is so immeasurable.  Perhaps He knew it would be hard for us to accept this “gooder than good” deal because He ends by reassuring us that it is a totally free gift, and doesn’t depend on anything we can do to try to earn it. (Ephesians 2:5-8)

Perhaps you’ve heard about God’s “gooder than good” deal and looked into it, only to be turned off by some church’s demands that you dress a certain way, avoid certain activities, music, people etc.  Or maybe the list of religious duties you were expected to perform choked off your enthusiasm, proving once again that good deals are just too good to be true.

Take a second look at God’s offer.  It’s really free and there is no fine print attached, no matter how much religious people try to add it.  God loves you and offers you His free gift of abundant life and a wonderful destiny in Him.  All you have to do is say “Yes!”

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM as our guest speaker Mark Tubbs addresses “Discovering Your Destiny.”

Who Are You?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be someone else?  To have been born in a different country, into a different social class, or in a different period of history?  To be a famous actor or musician, powerful politician or influential business person?  

Judging by the continuing popularity of stories about identity swapping, quite a few of us enjoy fantasizing about having an identity other than our own.  Over a hundred years ago Mark Twain penned a highly successful novel, “The Prince and the Pauper” in which look alike boys, Prince Edward VI and commoner Tom Canty, exchange clothing and for a period of time their lives.  The book relates the story of how each boy struggles to regain their true identity, having learned they do not envy the life of the other.

Books and movies based on some form of identity swapping continue to capture our attention ever since.  Well known movies explore themes of twins switching places (“The Parent Trap”), age switching from younger to adult and the reverse (“Big,” “17 Again”), exchanging bodies with a parent or friend (“Freaky Friday,” “The Change Up”) or returning from death with a new identity (“Heaven Can Wait”).

A common theme in most of these stories is the desire of the characters to regain their original identity.  Although they learn a lot in their identity switch, they decide that being themselves is who they most want to be.  It’s as if they recognize that there is something unique about being themselves that they value, and cannot find in another identity.

Just what is this uniqueness that is “you”?  Who are “you”?  Too often we identify ourselves by who we are related to (spouse, parent child), our age or gender, the groups we belong to, or the professions or jobs we work in.  But these are only our roles or characteristics, not our essence.  Who are you in your essence?  What makes you, you?  Do you know?

God tells us that we are created in His image to be fruitful, creative and to have dominion. (Genesis 1:27)  But just what does this mean?  God wants us to know how truly unique we are: “Before you were formed in the womb, I knew you.  Before you were born, I set you apart for My holy purpose.” (Jeremiah 1:5a)

God gives each of us special gifts that are talents and abilities that come naturally to us, and bring us joy and fulfillment.  He wants us to share them with others and to be enriched as others share their abilities with us. (Romans 12:4-6)  In this way we all mutually benefit from the talents each of us provides.  We find our true identity in our unique gifts through offering them to others.  We only discover who we are through our relationship with God and others.

God does not leave this process of self-discovery to chance.  Ephesians 4:11 explains how God gifts certain people to equip us to discover and share our talents as we relate to each other in Christ.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM.  Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing these God appointed offices in the Church and how they assist us in discovering who we truly are in Christ.  My sermon is on  “Apostolic Wisdom.”

Who’s Waiting in Your Field of Dreams?

“I always dreamed one day we would really be together, you know, really know each other.  It’s been my biggest, lifelong dream.”  Justin sighs and ducks his head as he brushes an escaped tear from his water-brimmed eyes. 

He is 27, and a potential future minister who attends our church.  His father abandoned his mother before Justin was born, and never made more than an occasional guest appearance throughout Justin’s life.  And now he is gone, dead of a heart attack.

I looked at the four young men gathered to meet with me, and realized only one, Caleb, had a loving, ongoing relationship with his father.  Roger, 25, had an alcoholic father who died when he was 16, leaving Roger devastated.  Looking for love, he got involved with his girlfriend and now was sharing joint custody, fathering his 3 year-old son.

Jordan, 22, had recently reconciled with his father, a busy professional, who only had time to make demands and give harsh punishment when Jordan was young.  The two are making slow, but steady progress on the bridge of reconnection between them.

As I think of Father’s Day this Sunday, I am aware that the stories of these young men are all too common in our society today.  Perhaps you too can only dream of happy memories of a loving father that never happened.  Father’s Day may only remind you of that unfilled longing inside that never completely goes away.

I think the classic movie, “Field of Dreams,” captured that sense of longing for a father in the most poignant way.  Spurred on by a voice and incessant inner urging, Iowa corn farmer, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), begins to build a baseball field in the middle of his corn crop.  As each one of a series of historic players emerge, Ray is convinced his field is for them. 

But in the end, he discovers that his efforts have been in response to his own longing for reconciliation with the father he had long ago rejected.  His father appears at home plate, and the two reconnect as they finish the game of catch that Ray refused as a child.  It is the dream fulfillment so many long for.

Who’s waiting in your field of dreams?  I think we all have a field of dreams that contains all our unfulfilled longings as well as our hopes and plans for the future.  For many of us, one person we keep waiting to see appear is our father, this time wanting and loving us.

I can’t guarantee that your father will ever appear there, but I want you to know that there is a father waiting in your field of dreams.  It is your Heavenly Father and He’s been waiting all your life to welcome and embrace you.

Listen to what He is saying:  “You may not know me, but I know you.  I am familiar with all your ways. You were not a mistake for all your days are written in My book.” (Psalms 139:1,3,15-16)  “I love you with an everlasting love.  I will never leave or forsake you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)  “My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:1)

May this Father’s Day remind you of the One waiting for you in your field of dreams.  Receive Father God’s embrace and live in His never-ending love!

Come join us this Sunday, Father’s Day at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. as we look into the heart of Father God in my sermon, “Encountering the Father’s Love.”

Which Wisdom?

“My Precious-s-s-s-s.”  I remember the first time I heard the creepy, raspy voice of Gollum muttering, as he thought about the ring and lusted to have its power all to himself.  I knew he was going to be a disgusting creature, even before I saw him.  Almost everyone has seen the movie trilogy, “Lord of the Rings,” and is aware that before he became obsessed with the ring, Gollum was a regular hobbit named Smeagol.

Smeagol found the powerful ring by chance, and decided that keeping it all to himself was a wise idea.  He underestimated the ring’s destructive power.  By persistently following his own wisdom, he blinded himself to the way the ring slowly changed him from a decent hobbit, to a slimy, self-obsessed, swamp creature, enslaved to thoughts of owning the ring.

Have you ever made a decision that looked good to you in the moment, but you lived to regret?  Perhaps you even had family or friends advise you against it, but you thought you knew better?  I think we can all remember instances, perhaps many of them, where we rashly followed our own wisdom, and later wished we could undo our choice.

It might be something minor, like choosing to hit the snooze alarm one more time, and then finding ourselves late to work.  Or maybe it was the time we had that one extra piece of pie and were up half the night with indigestion.

Unfortunately, all too often our own wisdom can lead to more serious mistakes.  We just had to have that new 4 wheel drive ATV, and now we are saddled with uncomfortably high monthly payments for the next 5 years.  The salary figure was just too tempting to pass up, but 3 months later we find ourselves in the job from hell, and spend our evenings searching the internet for new job options.

God warns us in scripture that following our own wisdom can deceive us: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but ends up in destruction.” (Proverbs 14:12)  However, there is a godly wisdom from above that will guide you into all the truth and cause you to prosper.  It comes to you through God’s Spirit, and is yours for the asking.  “But if any of you wants wisdom, ask God who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

Which wisdom are you following?  How can you tell the difference between self-deceptive and godly wisdom?  A major clue is the effect it has on you.  Don’t allow yourself to be blindsided like Gollum, by following wisdom that only corrupts your life and tears you down.  

God tells us: “If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” (James 3:14-15)

Contrast that with this description of godly wisdom: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. For the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:13,17)

Be smart!  Pursue godly wisdom and enjoy the consequences of good decision-making!

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM for part 2 in our current “Tapping into the Wisdom of God” series.  Our guest speaker, Lance Wallnau, will provide guidance on how to live in God’s wisdom while actively engaged in the culture around us.

A Royal Invitation

Are you currently married, engaged and planning your wedding, or single, but hoping to find “the right one”?  How would you like to say your vows in front of 2 billion witnesses?  As we are all continuously reminded by the media, that is the daunting experience facing Britain’s Prince William and his bride, Kate Middleton, at their wedding this Friday.  Do you ever dream of being this important?

The media tirelessly focuses on the traditions surrounding the royal wedding, speculations about what various royals and celebrities will be wearing, who is invited and who is not, and of course what Kate Middleton’s wedding gown, will be like.  However, what makes this royal union truly unique is not any of these things, but the fact that the prince is marrying a commoner, someone who does not come from either a royal or a noble family.

Growing up an ordinary person and marrying a prince is the stuff fairy tales are made of, but in the thousand-year history of the British monarchy, it is an extremely rare event.  In fact the last time it occurred was in 1660, when Anne Hyde, the daughter of a politician, married James, Duke of York, who later became King James II.

In countries like the U.S. with no history of monarchy or aristocracy, we have difficulty understanding class barriers and how they shape major life decisions and behaviors. 

However, even in our society, we are aware that there is always an “inner circle” in every social setting: school, work, social or service club, church, and sometimes even in our own extended family.

Have you ever been on the outside, and longed to be a member of the “in group?”  Unless someone extends an invitation, you remain in effect “a commoner,” shut out of association with the privileged few.  That exclusion is often very painful and deeply wounding.

Prince William is extending an invitation to Kate Middleton that will permanently end her status as a commoner.  As she leaves Westminster Abbey Friday, she will no longer be Kate, but the Princess of Wales.  Through marriage she will be a royal, and her children will be in line to ascend to the throne.

You may be “a commoner” in your social world.  Perhaps you feel ignored, overlooked and unappreciated.  Maybe you even think it’s hopeless, your life is always going to be tedious and ordinary, never special or exciting.  But did you know that you have been issued an invitation to be a royal in the most powerful monarchy on earth?

God is inviting you to become His child and a member of His own family.  He tells us in Revelation 1:5b-6a: “Jesus loves us and has freed us from all our sins by His own blood.  He has formed us into a royal race, and priests to our God and Father…”  The apostle Peter wrote:  “You are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation.  You are God’s very own possession…for He has called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” 

Don’t live your life as a commoner.  Choose to be a royal.  Say “Yes!” to God’s invitation to become His child and join the royal family!

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM, as we look deeper into the royal ties that bind us into God’s family.  I’m discussing parenting principles in my sermon, “Successful Parenting“, that is part 1 in our new “Family Ties” series.

The Biggest Loser

As he clenches his fingers in his sweaty palms, he knows it all comes down to this moment.  Did he do his best?  Did he do enough?  Did all the countless hours of training pay off?  Have all the months of self-discipline and self-denial been worth it?  Can he beat the challenger and win the ultimate prize?  He steps forward onto the platform and closes his eyes as the numbers spin.  Then his heart leaps into his throat as he hears the announcement, “You’ve done it!  Congratulations, you’re the biggest loser!”

If you’ve ever watched the highly popular, TV reality weight loss program, The Biggest Loser, this is a familiar scene.  The program takes 20 contestants, pairs them into teams and then has experts work with them on diet, fitness and self-esteem over a period of months.  Their goal is to be the biggest loser and win the grand prize of $250,000.  But even those who are eliminated say they are winners by what they’ve learned about losing weight and getting fit.  They all get a chance to start a new life. 

Have you ever wished you could start over, erase something from your past, or have a new identity or a different life?  Apparently millions of us do, judging by the explosive growth and popularity of makeover reality shows in the last few years.  There’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition, What Not to Wear (wardrobe, hairdo and makeup), and Clean Sweep (decluttering and room redesign) to name a few.  But there are several dozen currently airing that address everything from kitchen and garden makeovers to smile (dental) makeovers. 

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a “Biggest Loser Life Makeover” program where you could lose all your past mistakes, regrets, feelings of guilt and shameful memories?  A program that could dissolve all your past hurts, pains, and fears, and set you free from bad habits, addictions and everything that currently hinders you?  You could be a new person, have a new identity and a fresh start on a better life!

While you may never be chosen to participate in a TV makeover program, you are invited to be “the biggest loser” in a real life makeover.  The person issuing this invitation to you is God Himself.  He says to you, “Anyone who comes to Christ Jesus becomes a new person, a new creation.  Their old life is gone and a new life begins.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

God wants you to lose everything in your current life that is weighing you down, holding you back, robbing your joy and hope, and defeating you.  If you will give Him your current, less than ideal life, He promises to give you a new abundant life in Him.  “If you cling to your current life, you will only lose it (be a loser).  But if you lose (give up) your current life for Me, you will find it (a new abundant life).  (Matthew 10:39)

Why not accept God’s invitation to become the biggest loser by giving up your current life, and receiving a new life in Christ.  When you are the biggest loser, you have everything to gain!

Please join us this Easter Sunday at either 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM, and hear more about what God is inviting you to lose and gain.  My sermon, “The Power of the Resurrection” is part 3 in our current “Power of Love” series.