The Walk of Shame

If you make a habit of watching the news, you have been inundated nightly with images of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and reports on “Bridgegate.” Everything about Christie is larger-than-life, from his 5'11", 350 pound frame to his aggressive, unapologetic and “in your face” style. In his own words, Christie admits, “I'm not a subtle personality,” but many people like how he speaks his mind in a straightforward manner.

However, a very different Chris Christie emerged on January 9 when he held a marathon press conference to address the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last September. Looking like an embarrassed college coed facing the walk of shame, Christie was subdued, humble and contrite. He described himself as humiliated and embarrassed, and heartbroken that he had been blindsided and betrayed by staffers he trusted.

Although he disavowed any prior knowledge of the event, Christie did what we expect of a leader when a blunder has occurred. He owned up to the responsibility saying, “I am responsible for what occurs on my watch, good or bad.” After the conference, commentators noted that Christie was either telling the truth or had just delivered an Oscar worthy performance. Everyone agrees that if it turns out that Christie is being less than honest, his political ambitions for the presidency are “toast.”

Chris Christie perfectly modeled the behavior we expect when a significant wrong has occurred and needs to be addressed. We expect to see appropriate guilt, shame and regret convincingly expressed. We expect the same thing of ourselves when we have “blown it.” Our failure may be very private, but we frequently still put ourselves through the walk of shame.

How many times have you raked yourself over the coals for behavior you now regret with self-statements like: “What was I thinking?” “How could I be so stupid?” “I really blew that one.” “I'll never be able to live this down.” “How can I ever face them again?”

We grill ourselves over and over until we have shamed and punished ourselves enough to somehow feel that we’ve paid for our mistake. When people do not act this way, we say they “lack conscience development” and call them “sociopaths.”

This way of dealing with our failures is so ingrained in us that we approach Father God as if He expects the walk of shame from us. We feel so unworthy before Him, and so humiliated, especially if it's a repetitive failure. It's hardly a moment for us to “come boldly before the throne.”

When we do this, we fail to understand the blessing Father God has bestowed upon us by making us righteous in Christ Jesus. When the Lord looks at you, He sees you as sinless and as perfect as Jesus. We are given this very powerful assurance in Corinthians 5:21: “God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Father God wants you to approach Him with boldness and confidence because you are entitled to, and no mistake you could ever make can change that. Jesus Christ took all our failures upon Himself, and obliterated them through His death on the cross. Learn to accept the blessing of your righteousness in Christ and start relating to the Father as His beloved child.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. I am continuing our current series on “The Power of Blessing.”

Pastor Che

The Power of Blessing

As a young black child living in inner-city Detroit, Ben Carson looked like an early failure just waiting to happen. His parents divorced when he was 8, and he reacted to the loss of his father by becoming angry and aggressive. He had a violent temper and frequently assaulted his peers at the slightest provocation. He lost interest in school and by the time he was in 4th grade, he was at the bottom of his class.

As a single parent with little education and no real employment skills, Ben's mother worked 2 and 3 jobs just to make ends meet. Often this meant she was away from home from 5 AM to 11 PM, and Ben would go days at a time without seeing her. Ben's clothing was from the Goodwill and his classmates teased him, which was a constant source of embarrassment.

Ben seemed to be on the fast track to becoming a school dropout and getting involved with substance abuse and/or gang membership. But Ben had a powerful advantage that many children in his position lack. Ben's mother believed in her son and had positive expectations for him. She limited his television time, made his outdoor play contingent upon completing homework first, and required him to read two library books each week and write a written book report.

Ben would have absolutely rebelled at this regimen, but his mother did one more all-important thing. She constantly encouraged him and praised his efforts, frequently reminding him that he could become anything he chose to work for. She was convinced he would go far. She displayed interest in the books he read, and scrutinized his written reports carefully.

Spurred on by his mother's approval, Ben began to love reading and the world of knowledge it opened to him. By the end of the 5th grade he was at the top of his class, amazing his teachers. He graduated with top honors from high school, attended Yale, then medical school, and became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins at the young age of 33. In 1987 he gained international acclaim by being the first neurosurgeon to successfully separate 8-month-old twins joined at the head.

Ben Carson’s story is more than just a heartwarming tale. It is a striking example of the power of blessing in the life and destiny of a person. Ben’s mother continually planted positive words about him in his mind and heart. The power of her blessing opened the doors of a great destiny for him.

About now you may be thinking “I wish I had someone like that at my back. Someone who really believed in me and encouraged me.” I have good news for you. Father God totally believes in you and wants you to have a great destiny. Psalm 21 assures us, “You (Father God) have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips, for you meet him with rich blessings. You make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with the joy of your presence.”

As you begin 2014, keep your mind and heart focused on Father God’s many blessings to you. Remember that He is totally for you and as the apostle Paul put it, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. I'm beginning a new series entitled The Power of Blessing. This Sunday my message is entitled, “The 10 Decrees of Blessing, part I”. We will corporately begin to decree God’s promises over your life in this New Year.

Pastor Che

The Trade-Off

I am going to do something that I almost never do, recommend that you see a movie. The movie is “Saving Mr. Banks,” and it is currently playing in theaters. It is the back story of Walt Disney's nearly 20 year struggle to obtain the film rights for “Mary Poppins” from the book’s author PL Travers.

Disney is puzzled by Ms. Travers extreme rigidity regarding any screen modifications to her characters or story line. Over time, he comes to realize that her reluctance to compromise in any degree is due to the fact that she is stuck in the personal past that she has woven into her books about Mary Poppins. Disney proposes a unique trade-off to liberate Ms. Travers and gain his long-sought right to produce the movie.

“Saving Mr. Banks” is a movie about personal redemption. For many people redemption is a religious word, but it is simply another way to express the idea of a trade-off. Redemption is the act of regaining possession of something that has been lost in exchange for some type of payment or clearing of debt.

I have pastored for several decades and one of the most consistent needs I see in people is the need for personal redemption from their past. Too many people continue to struggle with past traumas, disappointments, failures and regrets. They are unable to fully participate and enjoy their current life because they are dragging a load of unfinished business from their past. Even though it is self-defeating, they tenaciously clutch this “past baggage” and allow it to hinder and contaminate their present.

Father God wants to liberate us from whatever may be in our past by offering us the trade-off purchased by His Son, Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:13 describes the trade-off. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law of sin and death by becoming a curse for us––for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’ (i.e. is crucified).”

Most Christians understand that Jesus’ death redeemed them by providing forgiveness for their sins. However, not many realize that Father God's trade-off went much further. All injustice and wrong doing, whether our own or committed against us by the actions of someone else, carries a curse of pain, shame or regret that holds us captive to our past. In dying on the cross, Jesus literally became that curse in order to set us free.

Father God's trade-off is the subject of Psalms 30:11–12 and Isaiah 61:3. “You (Father God) have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and filled me with gladness. To everyone who mourns, You give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of morning, festive praise instead of despair.”

Too many Christians have not accepted this full trade-off offered to them by Father God. Release your past to Him and in exchange He will give you freedom and a wonderful present!

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Our Pastor Karl Malouff will be speaking at all three services.

Pastor Che

Refresh or Delete?

It's that time of year again, right before New Year's Eve. Typically this is a time when we look back, take stock of our activities, and consider changes we want to make in the upcoming year. For too many of us, it is a time of frustration and/or regret as we realize actions we cannot undo and resolutions we were unable to keep.

We need to decide what to do with this information. Do we “refresh” or “delete” it? Anyone who has a computer is familiar with these commands. The refresh command reloads the contents of a window or a webpage with the most current data. For example, if you're on a forum and someone posts a comment, that comment will be displayed when you refresh the page.

The delete command essentially does the opposite. You use “delete” when you want to remove, cancel, erase or obliterate data. Typically you are prompted, “Do you want to delete?” Because once you hit the delete button a second time the data is gone for good.

Refresh and delete are simple operations when it comes to our computers, but can be quite complicated when we are dealing with our own memories and self-image. Too often we “refresh” when we should “delete,” and “delete” when it would be more helpful to “refresh.” Let me explain.

All of us do things we regret and wish we could change. Even though that is not possible, some of us nurse and rehearse our failures and disappointments constantly reliving the pain and humiliation. “Refreshing” our self-image this way only makes it more difficult for us to believe in a positive future and go on with hope. We need to “delete,” to be set free from our regrets and given a fresh start.

In contrast, we can also minimize our achievements, especially if we did not accomplish everything we wanted to. We downplay the positive because we are too haunted by the negative and we “delete” when we should “refresh.” We need to treat ourselves with kindness and respect even when we are not perfect. Sometimes we ignore information in our failures that could be very instructive to our future. This is another instance where “refresh” would be more helpful than “delete.”

The problem for us is that it is often difficult to determine whether “delete” or “refresh” would be more helpful. And even when we know which one is needed, we may be unable to execute the internal command. For example, no matter how hard we try, we keep beating ourself up for our mistakes.

We need wisdom and power greater than our own to assist us. We need what only the love of Father God can give us. He has the biggest “delete” button of all time. When we come to Him, repent of our wrongdoing and receive His forgiveness, He removes all our failures from us completely, as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12). But this is just the beginning. He doesn't just give us a fresh start; He completely obliterates our past and makes us a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

He also gives us His Holy Spirit, who refreshes us by revealing the truth of who we were created to be, and the future that Father God has for us (John 16:13).

Make this the year you stop trying to figure it out for yourself. Put Father God in charge of your “delete” and “refresh” commands and let Him transform your life!

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, or 2:00 PM. We will have a special guest speaker, Jerame Nelson who has a prophetic word for us about the new year, 2014.

Pastor Che

The Best Gift

When it comes to gift giving at Christmas, many of us struggle to find the “perfect” gift for that special person. We want it to be something they will remember, really like and value. I try to make it easy for my family because there are only two gifts I ever really want, a gift certificate from either the Apple Store or Nordstrom’s. I take my gift certificates and cash in on the post holiday sales and really enjoy myself. But every year my family tells me that giving me gifts is “boring.”

What was the best gift you ever got for Christmas? When asked that question many people respond with a standout gift they received as a child. It might have been their first bicycle, that Nintendo console, a construction kit, cell phone or the new puppy. As parents we are likely to remember the smiles on our children's faces when they opened up the gifts they most wanted. Then of course, there are the cards and Christmas ornaments made by our children that reappear each year for their place of honor on our tree.

Some people cherish the memory of a special Christmas when their parent came home from a war zone early, or the whole family was able to gather together for the first time in many years. I remember one friend telling me that his best Christmas gift was being told by his wife that they were expecting their first child.

Most of us find our gift list with a limited number of names challenging enough, but what if your gift list included every human being on earth? How could you possibly find the best gift for all of them?

This is exactly the situation that faced Father God 2000 years ago during the first Christmas. He had an alienated family, many of whom were lost, in despair and searching for something that always kept eluding them. But Father God knew exactly what to give because He had been planning for that Christmas for an eternity before He even created the world.

He gave the most extravagant gift He could. He gave us His only Son, Jesus. He wanted us to understand how very much He loves us and how priceless we are to Him. So Jesus came to demonstrate what the Father is really like and what His true intentions are towards us. Father God gave us His best gift knowing in advance we would reject His son and put Him to death.

Father God did not retaliate against us, but actually allowed His Son to die in our place bearing the punishment we deserved. He then raised Jesus from the dead to show us that death is not the final word, and that we have nothing to fear because knowing the worst about us, Father God continues to love us anyway.

Christmas is about love and giving. Christmas is Father God's idea. He is offering you the best Christmas gift you could ever receive, life and love in His Son, Jesus Christ. Say “yes” to Him and make this the most memorable Christmas of your life!

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Come and hear about the best Christmas gift. My sermon is “Jesus, He will save His people from their sins”. There will also be a special Christmas production play entitled, “Second Chances”. I invite you to join us for a wonderful Christmas celebration, as there is something for everyone in the family.

Pastor Che

The Wonder of Christmas

I will never forget my first Christmas in the United States. My mother, older sister and I joined my father who had immigrated to the US several years earlier to accept a position as pastor of a Korean congregation located in New England. Of course, being Christian we understood what the holiday celebrated, but I had never seen so many Christmas lights and decorations in my life.

My eyes filled with wonder as we walked by store windows with twinkling lights, toys and mobile displays. There were street decorations in the cities, decorations on homes in the suburbs and Christmas music everywhere. It seemed as if the everyday world had become an enchanted place full of excitement and anticipation.

Years later as a parent, I relived that sense of wonder through the eyes of my young children as they would stare at our Christmas tree or count their presents. We would allow them to open up one gift of their choice on Christmas Eve. Eyes wide with excitement, they would scan their presents trying to pick the best one. They would keep changing their choice until we insisted they give us their final decision.

After ripping paper and squeals of delight, it was so difficult to calm them down for bedtime. And of course, they were up at the crack of dawn, hoping we would appear in the living room so they could open up their presents. I don't ever remember getting very much sleep the night before Christmas!

Even though we are no longer children, I think most of us can still feel some of the wonder of Christmas. It may be when we hear a certain Christmas carol, smell some of our favorite holiday food, see a decorated tree or reunite with family and friends.

Christmas is indeed a wonder-filled time, but in the midst of our holiday busyness and the memories of Christmas past, how many of us take time to contemplate the true “Wonder” of Christmas? The familiar carol “O Come All Ye Faithful,” describes the “Christmas Wonder” well.

            Highest most holy, Light of light eternal
            Born of a virgin, a mortal He comes.
            Son of the Father, now in flesh appearing
            Oh, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

The real “Wonder” of Christmas is impossible to understand or describe. The God of the universe who created all that is, and sustains it by His power, literally came to this Earth in human flesh as one of us. Almighty God became helpless as a baby and lived an ordinary life in a small, rural village for 30 years. He then began a public ministry that lasted 3 years and culminated in His death and resurrection.

Why did He do it? He so loves us that He wanted to demonstrate that love in a way that we could comprehend, a way that would be meaningful to us.

Jesus Christ is the true “Wonder” of Christmas. His birth signaled the greatest miracle of all time, the infinite God becoming one of us in order to love us back into relationship with Him. This year, take a little time to contemplate the true “Wonder” of Christmas!

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, or 2:00 PM. I will be speaking on the dilemma that Joseph faced in my sermon, “Joseph’s Encounter with God.”

Pastor Che

The Biggest Holiday Bargain

Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2013 are now history. While Cyber Monday produced a significant increase in sales over last year, Black Friday disappointed with a 3% drop in sales. Where did Americans find their best bargains? According to analysts, Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy led the pack. What type of bargains were Americans looking for? Mostly big-ticket electronics like big-screen TVs, digital cameras, computers and tech toys like Xbox One.

Unfortunately, the annual shopping frenzy once again resulted in violent confrontations and some injuries at stores throughout the country. There was even a stun gun fight between customers at one Philadelphia mall. The belief that Black Friday contains the best bargains of the year encouraged over 2 million shoppers to spend most of Thursday night in lines outside big-box retailers waiting for the doors to open. Many Americans even compromised their Thanksgiving celebration to capture bargains at stores opening earlier on Thursday evening.

Just what kind of bargains did shoppers find? Actually, often the bargains were more apparent than real. Retailers used a number of ploys to make bargains look more attractive. Benchmarking is one commonly used practice in which products are repriced with a higher original price tag, then sold at the regular price marked as a bargain. Off-brand and second rate quality merchandise is frequently offered at rock-bottom prices. Ample supplies of merchandise are often advertised as “limited quantities” to pressure customers into impulse buying.

All too often the true, deeply discounted bargains advertised prior to Black Friday are extremely limited in quantity and disappear within the first few minutes of the sale. Most shoppers never bag the really big bargain they were looking for, and many return home with items they never intended to buy.

All this commercialism is impacting the attitudes of Americans toward Christmas. While 71% say it is still one of the most important holidays of the year, 81% don't want to hear Christmas music or see decorations before Thanksgiving and a whopping 45% say they would like to skip Christmas altogether.

Increasingly, many Americans apparently feel forced to participate in a holiday that has less meaning for them with each passing year. This is really unfortunate because Christmas actually is a celebration of the biggest bargain ever offered in the history of mankind.

On a clear, starry night, Angels announced the bargain in song: “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace to those with whom God is pleased.” Then an angel made the following announcement: “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior of humankind has been born this day in Bethlehem.” (Luke 2:10–12)

What the Angels were announcing was that God had sent His only Son here to earth to be born as a human being and live among us. Through His teaching and acts of compassion, He demonstrated Father God's love for us. In His death and resurrection, He canceled the debt of our sin and paid for our complete restoration as children of God. In doing this, He offered us the biggest bargain of all time.

Regardless of how successful you were this past Black Friday, you can still gain the biggest holiday bargain, an eternal relationship with Father God. Accept His Son, Jesus Christ as your personal Savior today!

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM or 2:00 PM. One of our pastors, Matt Dunn will be speaking on “Immanuel: Our Eternal Hope.”

Pastor Che