Dying to Live?

Finally he came out with it. I heard today that Lance Armstrong publicly admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs during all 7 of his Tour de France victories. It's a major disappointment for many sports enthusiasts who believed, at least for a time, in the legend of the cancer survivor turned superhero. I have to admit it was inspiring to see what appeared to be a squeaky clean rider waving the American flag in victory so many times.

Armstrong duped many people, convincing them that his legendary status was real, and he successfully fought off questions about his integrity for years. Why did so many people believe him? I think in part, it's because as human beings, we are attracted to the idea of the underdog, who against all odds, works hard, sacrifices and comes out on top. It's an age-old appealing story that always sells well.

We admire those individuals who through strenuous discipline and ongoing sacrifice are able to master and perfect a set of athletic skills and attain top rank in their particular sport. Think of any sport and names immediately come to mind. For example, Michael Jordan in basketball, Mohammed Ali in boxing, the Brazilian soccer player Pele, Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky in hockey, Michael Phelps in swimming or Nadia Comaneci in gymnastics.

All these individuals were driven to excel and pushed their bodies to the limit to attain the goal of becoming one of the world's best athletes. They adhered to strict training schedules and diets, often forfeiting other social activities for years at a time. We might say they were willing to die to one part of their life (the little pleasures the rest of us indulge in and take for granted), in order to more fully have life in terms of their athletic achievements.

While we respect their discipline and achievements, most of us don't see ourselves as made of the same stern stuff. That type of mastery and goal attainment is for an elite few. But did you know that God not only sees you as capable of accomplishing great things, He calls you to do so?

In Romans 12:1 it says, “I urge you in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” And in 1 Corinthians 9:25 we are told, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

No matter how great, every athlete’s moment in the limelight is fleeting. They pay a high price in their dying to ordinary pleasures, for a brief moment of life at the top. Father God calls each one of us to become a living sacrifice, willing to die to ordinary patterns of life in order to become alive to abundant life. He calls this true and proper worship. Can we really die to live? Father God says yes we can and assures us that, in contrast to the athlete whose attainment fades away, our achievement is an eternal reward that will never be taken from us.

Please come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We will be continuing our series, “A Life of Worship,” and my sermon is, “A Surrendered Life.”

Pastor Che

Worship Unaware

Over the holidays, our family saw one of my favorite productions, “Les Miserables.” I have seen it performed on stage several times, and I am always moved to tears. I wasn't sure how it would come across on film, but the current motion picture is outstanding, and I'm anticipating that it will receive some awards at the Golden Globes this Sunday

The musical is one of the most popular ever written. I think, at least in part, its popularity is due to the redemptive nature of the story itself. The main character, Jean Valjean, suffers a harsh prison sentence simply for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister and her child. He emerges from prison a hard, bitter man, convinced he can trust no one and concerned with no one other than himself.

He accepts food and shelter from a Bishop, Meriyl, but then robs him before leaving. Caught by the police red-handed, Valjean is surprised when the Bishop covers for him, assuring the police that he has given Valjean the stolen items. The Bishop’s redemptive act restores more than just Valjean’s freedom. It encourages him to open his heart to trust and care for others again. Throughout the rest of the story, Valjean seeks justice for others, and whenever possible, looks for the good in each one. His world has become larger than just himself.

I think redemptive stories speak to all of us, because to some extent we have all experienced how powerful it is to be affirmed, and how good it feels when justice prevails. Think of redemptive acts that you have performed. Perhaps it was a time when you helped someone who was stranded getting gasoline for their empty tank. Maybe you stood up for a friend who was being bullied, or helped someone carry packages to their car. We've all given away smiles to strangers and momentarily brightened their day.

No one asked us to do these things. We simply saw an opportunity to give or help, and stepped in. We did it willingly, not looking for anything in return, but we always get something very good back. There is a sense of happiness and satisfaction we feel in these redemptive moments that's hard to explain, but it's very real. For an instant life seems a little better, like we've touched something larger than ourselves.

I think what we are experiencing in these moments is worship unaware. That may surprise you, because most people think that worship is something people do in church buildings. But worship is multifaceted. When we honor and respect God in any way, we are worshiping.

In Matthew 25:35–40, Jesus tells us that when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, assist the weak, visit those in prison, we are actually doing it to Him. When our actions with others are redemptive, we are actually honoring and respecting God, because people are made in His image. One of the most famous quotes in “Les Miserables” is the line, “To love another person is to see the face of God”.

We have a choice. We can worship ourselves and reap selfishness and dissatisfaction. Or we can worship Him, enter a world larger than ourselves, and live a redemptive life caring for others and establishing justice in the situations we encounter.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We are continuing our current series, “A Life of Worship,” and I will be preaching on the topic “Pleasing God.”

Pastor Che

What's Your Obsession?

It's New Year’s and often a time we find ourselves reflecting on our lives, how fulfilled we feel, and whether we like the way our life is going. Just what makes life worth living for you?

When asked this question, people have many different responses: family, marriage,  friends, career, creative expression, adventure, being loved, growing and learning. For some people it is attaining wealth, fame, success or prominence in their field.

We only have to observe other people to know what's most important to them. We can all identify people who are obsessed with the latest tech gadgets, beauty, fashion, food, sports, a movie or rockstar, texting, video games etc. A number of years ago a foreign observer summed up our obsessions well in the statement: “America is not a democracy, but a monarchy. Your king is materialism, your queen is entertainment, and your crown prince is sports.”

Increasingly though, many people state that they “aren't sure” what makes life worth living. In a recent survey, one person said, “I'm not sure. Sometimes I think it's what we own that drives us. Our possessions feel like an extension of ourselves, and if we stop now, we fear losing it all.”

Scripture tells us that we become the servant of whatever is important to us. It dictates our priorities, how we spend our time, where we invest our resources, even whom we associate with. To a much larger extent than we imagine, what we deem important controls us. Whether we realize it or not we are worshiping it.

You may think that only religious people worship, but actually we all worship something. Worship simply means to pay homage, idolize or give adulation to something or someone. Whatever makes our life meaningful is what we worship.

Interestingly, psychological research indicates that our brain appears wired to search for meaning in life. Their research concludes: “What makes life meaningful is the deep sense that a unique purpose awaits us. We have only to discover it to be fulfilled.”

We can chase many obsessions looking for meaning and purpose, only to find ourselves dominated instead. What we think we want ends up controlling us, not fulfilling us. This is because we were created to worship Father God, to find our life's meaning in Him.

1 John 2:16–17 tells us: “Everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father, but from the world. And the world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God has abundant life.”

Many people don't want to worship God because they don't want to be dominated by Him. But Father God will never dominate us because He loves us. He reassures us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3) In fact, Father God promises to set us free (John 8:36) Actually, He is the only meaning and purpose in life that will not dominate or control us!

Why not let 2013 be the year you discover true meaning and fulfillment in your life, in a relationship with Father God that sets you free. Let your obsession be the worship of Him!

Come and join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We will be starting a new series, “A Life of Worship” and my son Gabriel will be preaching on “Spirit and Truth”. Happy New Year!

Pastor Che

Totally Deleted!

I love the power of the delete button. With one simple click I can make a whole data set disappear from my screen. I thought I was obliterating the data from my computer as well, but I found out that I was wrong. An IT geek that I know informed me that when I delete a file it is only removed from the directory structure and sent to my computer’s trashcan or recycle area, where it can be easily retrieved.

The deleted file remains in the trashcan until it is written over with a new deleted file. But even then the file is not totally deleted. Recovery specialists can still re-create files that have been deleted and overwritten up to 10 times. Not even reformatting your computer will ensure that everything is totally deleted.

There are data deletion tools that act on your computer files like a paper shredder, pulverizing the file into bits and scattering and rearranging them so that it becomes very difficult to reassemble the original file. However, even these deletion tools cannot always totally delete file information. The only sure way to permanently delete data is to destroy the hard disk.

Our human mind often holds onto data that we would really like to delete. Especially at this holiday season when we are approaching the New Year, it is natural to look forward with anticipation, but too often, also to look back with regrets. Increasingly as I talk with people, I find more of them struggling with regrets that they can't totally delete.

When they should have hope for their future they're stuck with remorse for their past. They’re plagued by thoughts like: “If only I'd…,” “What was I thinking?” “I wish I'd never…,” “Why did I do that?” These self-condemning thoughts recycle in their minds, robbing them of peace, hope and joy. It becomes impossible for them to move forward. They can’t give themselves a break because they are stuck with data from their past.

Father God designed the human mind and He understands how our mistakes and remorse make lasting imprints on our thoughts and create negative feelings about ourselves. He has a perfect program to set us free by totally deleting our past regrets. The program is called “forgiveness.”

Father God assures us: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is His love for those who reverence Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:11–12) He completely forgives us and removes our mistakes and regrets from His memory.

But He doesn't stop there. He totally deletes that self-condemning data from our memory as well. He promises: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) He completely replaces our old heart that is indelibly imprinted with our mistakes, and gives us a brand-new heart free of all remorse and regret. We have a “clean slate,” and can look forward to our future with hope and joyful expectation!

If you find yourself recycling a lot of old data as you approach the New Year, why not let Father God totally delete those old files, give you a new heart and put His Spirit within you? Only He can set you free permanently!

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM for worship and a powerful message as we close out this year with thankful hearts.

Pastor Che

Overcoming Love

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

I stared at these words quoted in a tweet from NBC reporter, Ann Curry, a few days ago. I was still struggling to comprehend the horrific tragedy that had occurred at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. That anyone would break into a school and shoot innocent 6 and 7-year-old children was beyond my understanding.

Like most Americans hearing the news, I wanted to hold my children and grandchildren close, thank God for their safety, and offer some type of comfort and consolation to the grieving families in Newtown. In her tweet, I could see that Ann Curry was suggesting a powerful way to overcome the evil represented in that act of terror, by responding with kindness. She called the proposal, “26 Acts of Kindness,” and stated, “Please consider performing 26 acts of kindness in memory of the Sandy Hook victims.”

Her suggestion immediately went viral and responses began to pour in, as hundreds of thousands of people worldwide chose to respond to the evil act with good. One person tweeted they were buying homeless people lodging and breakfast. Another person was leaving anonymous gift cards on cars in a parking lot. A Texas man bought coffee for everyone in the city of Newtown. A group of women in Atlanta were collecting teddy bears for all 400 children in the school. A young child reported buying school lunch for a friend who had no money. Someone else was putting money in expired parking meters.

On and on it went, people doing random acts of kindness for strangers and most of the time doing them anonymously. What a wonderful way to drive back darkness and hate, with the light and love of kindness and good acts! So simple and yet so powerful! Immediately I thought of Romans 12:21 which says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

I began thinking about the first Christmas and the hardships that Israel faced under Roman rule. Imagine for a moment being a conquered people, having your city occupied by foreign troops, and being commanded to participate in a census that you know is going to increase your taxes. Many of your rights have been taken from you, but you have no recourse. There are no laws to protect you.

Imagine how dark and despairing your life would be. Constant oppression with no way out. But Father God was not overwhelmed by the cruelty and evil represented in the Roman Empire. He possesses a love that overcomes all evil no matter how great. His response was to send His Son, Jesus, to become one of us, so He could show us the heart of the Father, and demonstrate the overcoming power of the Father's love.

Christmas is a love gift from God to each one of us. He says to us in our times of personal discouragement, disappointment, pain and despair, “My love for you is more powerful than any evil or darkness you can ever face. My love for you is everlasting and I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) He promises us in Romans 8:37, “In everything we are more than overcomers through Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us.”

Say yes to God's overcoming love this Christmas, and let Him show you how that love will drive out the darkness in your life, and in the lives of those you love.

Please join us for a special Christmas program, “The Promise of Christmas” this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We will continue to look at “Mary's Faith, Part III” as we consider how to have a faith-filled Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and your families!

Pastor Che

Birthed in Love

Like many American families, we enjoy the tradition of hanging our stockings on the mantle over the fireplace. When our children became adults, we modified our tradition a bit to begin including their spouses. Every family members’ stocking now hangs under their baby picture. This year we have a new stocking to hang for our little Annabelle. But her picture is a little different; it's a sonogram. You see, Annabelle hasn't been born yet, she's due February 2, 2013.

Despite the fact that she hasn't yet arrived, Annabelle is very much with us, and she is very much a unique person to us. The other day, I was talking with my daughter, Joy, who is Annabelle's mother. She was telling me how she already “knows” Annabelle as an individual, and even though Annabelle has done nothing yet, Joy has fallen completely in love with her. Annabelle already occupies the hearts of both Joy and Kuoching, her husband.

The conversation reminded me of the anticipation and joy that my wife, Sue, and I shared as we waited for the birth of each of our children. And I thought back to that first Christmas and tried to imagine the excitement that Mary and Joseph shared as they waited for the birth of Jesus. How did Mary experience the personhood of God within her? We know His presence was there, for when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant, the baby in Elizabeth's womb, the future John the Baptist, leapt for joy at experiencing Jesus in Mary's womb.

We know that God was overjoyed at the birth of His Son, Jesus, for He sent a host of angels to give the birth announcement. But I think that Father God's joy on that first Christmas was also in anticipation of the future births of a whole family of sons and daughters.

We are told in Psalm 139:13–14 a, “You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” And again in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart.”

Did you know that you were on God's mind and heart before you were ever born? That He had a plan and a wonderful destiny for you even as you were being conceived and formed before birth? Before you had ever done one thing, Father God was completely in love with you.  No matter what your personal circumstances, you were anticipated; you were wanted; you were birthed in love. God meant for you to come into being, and to be here now.

Why not make this Christmas the most unique one of your life by saying “yes” to the love of your Heavenly Father? Let God spiritually birth you in love and welcome you to His forever family. He is a Father you can completely trust.

Come join us this Sunday for a special Christmas celebration at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. I will be completing the series on “Mary's Faith.”

Pastor Che

The Perfect Gift

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, we are now in the frenetic homestretch to Christmas, and the search for “the perfect gift.” You know the one I'm talking about. It may be for your spouse, child, parent, fiancé or friend, but you want to get them something that they really like, something that expresses how much they mean to you.

Of course, Madison Avenue and a host of retailers are only too eager to be of help in your decision-making, pitching everything from Mercedes to the latest tech toys to this season's new perfume. They flood television commercials, online pop-ups and billboards with pictures of overjoyed Christmas recipients of their products. They make it look like finding the perfect gift is the easiest thing you can do.

Personally, I've learned after years of varying success, that I can't always identify the perfect gift. For instance, it's taken time, but I know when it comes to my wife, Sue, that I'm far more likely to hit upon the perfect gift if its sentimental, rather than clothes or perfume. This knowledge has come only through experience, and unfortunately more than a few disappointing Christmas gifts.

As a parent, the perfect gift for me was watching my children's excitement as they opened that special present which contained the toy they wanted most. We always tried to capture the moment on camera, and now that our children are grown, those memories are priceless. Now I get to share those precious moments with grandkids.

Every year as we gather around the tree surrounded by presents and full of anticipation, I am reminded that the most perfect gift will never appear under the Christmas tree. It's actually an ancient gift, given 2000 years ago, but still continues giving today. It is the gift Father God presented on the very first Christmas, the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. It was a gift that cost Him everything, but He spared no expense, for we mean that much to Him.

In giving His Son, Father God wanted us to be assured that He loves us so much that He would never deny us any good thing. Scripture states it plainly in Romans 8:32, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

Have you ever wondered what is the perfect gift you can give to God? After all, He's “the Guy with everything,” right? Actually, you have something to give that He desires so very much. Like any loving parent, Father God wants to see our joy as we accept His gift and allow Him to give us all the blessings He desires to pour out upon us.

This Christmas, give the perfect gift to the One who deserves it most. Give yourself, your heart and your loving trust to Father God. Put a smile on His face and let Him show you how very much you mean to Him.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM for a special worship and Christmas service. We are continuing our present series, “A Faith Filled Christmas.” We will look again at “Mary's Faith, Part II,” and see how this young woman presented her perfect gift to God.

Pastor Che