I have posted a link to a youtube video below...to describe it as "entertaining" does not do it justice.  Let's just say our Brother Franklin knows the meaning of celebrating before the Lord.  It reminded me of the story in 2 Samuel 5 and 6, describing how God appointed David as king over Israel and blessed him as he obeyed God.  In chapter 6, it desribes how David praised God by celebrating with all his "might before the Lord" which included dancing.  Saul's daughter, Michal, saw this and didn't think this was how a king should act...in her view, it was a bit "vulgar" and "undistinguished." 

What was David's response?  He said, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD.  I will become even more undignified than this..."

David didn't care if he looked a bit foolish dancing before a God who was worthy of his praise.  Are we willing to look a bit foolish in the eyes of the world in order to give God the glory in our lives.  Take a lesson from David and Brother Franklin...enjoy the clip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pUAnrVWUkk

-Chad

Okay, let's admit it...it's easy to get wrapped up in the business of the Christmas season.  Somehow, the significance of the birth of Christ can sometimes get pushed aside by fighting through crowded stores to buy presents, trying to figure out how you're going to pay for all the presents you just bought, sending out Christmas cards to everyone you've known since the 1st grade, making food for and attending numerous family, church, and office parties, and the list goes on and on.  Our life becomes a factory of needs..."I need more time," "I need more money," "I need more rest"...and we can quickly be robbed of the joy God has intended for us.

That's why God says we need to be reminded of his mercies every day and draw upon His strength.  Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  It's amazing to see when we take time to reflect upon the one who is the "reason for the season," how He gives us the encouragement we need.  Pastor John Piper writes this about the importance of reminding ourselves daily of the power of the gospel:

"That’s just gospel—perfectly timed, perfectly applied, perfectly suited to my need. That’s why the Bible is so thick—because there are so many different needs that you have. And there are suitable places where the gospel is unfolded for you, so that if you immerse yourself in the whole book, always with an eye for what Christ has wrought for you and purchased for you in this thick, glorious history of God’s interaction with people, he will give you what you need."

-Chad

I was recently reading a book by Erwin McManus called "Wide Awake."  He tells the story of how he once injured his back while playing basketball.  He went to several doctors, but nothing seemed to help.  He went to one physical therapist who started digging into his stomach.  Surprised, McManus said, "What are you doing?  It's my back.  You've got the wrong side."  The physical therapist explained that everything is connected to your abdomen and that you have to work on the stomach, or your core, to help you with your back.  Turn on your TV late at night or early in the morning and you'll probably see a TV info-mercial with a "very enthusiastic" personal trainer talking about the importance of core training.

McManus makes this connection to how many of us live our lives.  He says, "We do the tanning booth and the Botox and the collagen so we can look healthy on the outside, but we're really weak in our center...you have to know who you are and who you long to be and not violate that on the journey.  At the same time, you must strengthen your core in order to be flexible in every other area of your life."

I think that relates well to how we live out and reflect our faith to others.  In Colossians 3, Paul tells us that at the core of who we are, we should "let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts" and "let the word of Christ dwell in us richly."  Then, in chapter 4, he says "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  So, the idea is that we can be strong in our convictions about who Christ is without always coming across as rigid and dogmatic.  We are to live centered in the hope and joy of Christ as the core of our lives, yet have enough flexability to find ways that relate Christ to those around us with grace, gentleness and respect.

-Chad

I opened up my facebook account this morning and found a series of messages from concerned friends.  To make a long story short, someone was able to hack into my account and send a spam e-mail to all my friends that looked like it was from me.  Of course, my initial reaction was "how could this happen?" and "What did I do to allow this to happen?"  As I traced back my e-mails from the previous couple of days, I realized I responded to an e-mail sent to me from a friend with the same message.  I soon realized that he was hacked as well.  So, after I calmed down and began resetting passwords, I realized I should have been more careful.  I should have been more mindful of what messages were trying to get through.

Then, a few verses from Colossians came to mind.  Colossians 3:1-2 says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."  In the following verses, Paul goes on to explain that as we set our hearts and minds on Christ and take seriously our identiy as new creations, we should rid ourselves of practices that don't reflect that change.  Some of the things he lists are sexual immorality, anger, slander, filthy language, and lying. 

Now, I learned my lesson when it comes to being careful about what e-mail messages I allow through.  However, what other messages do I need to be aware of that could affect my relationship with God?  What tv shows am I watching?  What kind of music am I listening to?  What kind of people am I surrounding myself with?  Now, I'm not saying we need to seclude ourselves from the world and exist inside our little Christian bubble.  However, we need to be aware of what kinds of messages are trying to get through in our lives and how they affect our attitudes towards God and others.  God's Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit act as our spiritual anti-spam software and allow us to filter unhealthy messages.  Paul concludes by saying that when we do this, we are clothing ourselves with "compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience...and love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." 

-Chad

A friend and I were talking the other day about the current state of the economy and how difficult it has been financially for many people we know.  He brought up 2 Chronicles 20, a story about Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.  In the story, there is a "vast army" made up of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites coming to make war against Jehoshaphat.  In the NIV, it says Jehoshaphat's intial reaction was that he was "alarmed."  Another version even describes Jehoshaphat as being "afraid."  Now, I don't think anyone of us would hold that against Jehoshaphat.  I feel safe in admitting that I have had similar reactions when faced with overwhelming obstacles in my life.  But, it is interesting to see how Jehoshaphat responded.

Jehoshaphat could have allowed his initial shock and fear to overwhelm and paralyze him.  Instead, he proclaims a fast for all of Judah and brings the people together to seek help from the Lord.  He stands up in the assembly and reminds himself and the people that God is in control (vs. 5-12).  Out of his obedience and leadership, it says that the Spirit of the Lord comes upon a man named Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, and that he tells Jehoshaphat that the battle is not his, but God's (vs. 13-15).  Jehoshaphat responds by appointing men who will go ahead of the army and sing praises to God.  As they begin to sing, it says that the Lord set ambushes against Jehoshaphat's enemies and that they began destroying one another (vs. 20-23).

When was the last time you sent praises ahead of an overwhelming situation in your life?  We are sometimes quick to worry, stress, get angry, and complain about a situation instead of learning from verse 15 that "the battle is not yours, but God's."  Take some time today to remind yourself of the victories and blessings God has already given you...the ways in which he has already proven to you that He is in control...and let that boldness and confidence guide you towards victory in your current situation.

-Chad

It's amazing the ways in which God uses things to remind us of spritual truths.  After reading 1 Samuel 14, I was reminded of a quote from Han Solo in "The Empire Strikes Back."  As a child of the 80's, I have to admit that I've seen the Star Wars movies more times than I can count and so remembering famous quotes from the movies is not a difficult task.  In the movie, Solo is navigating his ship, the Millenium Falcon, through an asteroid field when C-3PO states, "Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1."  Han Solo, always quick with a humorous one-liner, replies, "Never tell me the odds."

In 1 Samuel 14, the Philistines have been ruling over Israel despite God's promise in 1 Samuel 9:16 that Israel will be delivered from them.  Now, the man who was supposed to do this was Saul, who had been appointed king.  However, we read in 1 Samuel 13 that Saul had disobeyed God and had not taken back the land that God had promised.  Jonathan, who is Saul's son, had seen enough and despite the numbers he was up against, he decided he would take his armor-bearer with him and confront the Philistines.  Now, I don't know exactly how many Philistines there were in total.  I've read some estimates in the hundreds and others in the thousands.  All I know is that the odds were not in Jonathan's favor.  However, in verse 14, it says Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed at least 20 men in about half an acre.  It then says panic struck the whole Philistine army (a panic sent by God) and they started "striking each other with their swords."

So, what can we learn from Jonathan?  There are times you and I will face decisions and situations that seem so overwhelming.  Our natural response is to question or doubt God.  However, in Jonathan's case, he stood on the promise of God and stepped out in faith when no one else would.  He didn't get caught up in the "hugeness" of the situation.  Instead, he chose to focus on what was in front of him...what he could handle.  He took on the 20 soldiers in the half-acre surrounding him and left the rest up to God.  Whatever challenges you may be facing today, try not to bite off more than you can chew.  Choose to focus on what you can take care of and let God come through on his promises to overcome the odds and take care of the rest.

-Chad  

I was reading the other day about the influence of faith and God on the founding of our country.  It was amazing to learn that the first Contintental Congress opened with two hours of prayer on October 14, 1774 and that the first session of the Supreme Court began with a four-hour communion service.  What a great reminder about the importance of prayer!

Our founding fathers knew the task before them was far beyond their ability to accomplish on their own.  They recognized the need for divine wisdom, insight, and strength.  Now, many of us don't find ourselves setting the foundations for an entire nation, but our lives can sometimes be overwhelming, nonetheless.  There are pressures and stresses everyday as we strive to live out godly lives at home, at work, at school, etc.  Now, I'm not saying we have to set aside 2-4 hours everyday.  God is not necessarily concerned with an amount of time or the number of words we pray.  Jesus even said in Matthew 6:7, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."  Jesus was speaking to those who thought thougt it took a long and eloquent prayer for God to hear them.  Jesus was saying that it's not about the words or the outward appearance, but rather the heart.

Through out His Word, though, God calls us to be "praying constantly," (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to "be persistent in prayer" (Romans 12:12).  The example our founding fathers gave us should motivate us to see the necessity and power of prayer.  Pastor and author John Piper describes prayer as the "breathing" of our spiritual life.  He says you wouldn't go more than a minute or two without taking a physical breath or you would die.  In the same way, we need to be constatnly breathing through prayer in order to maintain a strong and healthy spiritual life.

-Chad

Many of you may have heard by now about the death of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter in May.  Maria Sue was the youngest of their children and she was adopted from China.  Tragically, she was killed when one of her teenage brothers ran her over with his car in the family's driveway.

The family has understandably taken the last couple of months to begin grieving their loss.  However, they recently did interviews with Good Morning America and Larry King about the accident and about how they have found strength in their faith and in each other.  I can't even begin to imagine how they are doing this, but it's a great testimony of hope through tragedy.  I've included some links below to the Larry King interview from YouTube.

-Chad

Part 1 - www.youtube.com/watch

Part 2 - www.youtube.com/watch 

Part 3 - www.youtube.com/watch

Part 4 - www.youtube.com/watch

Part 5 - www.youtube.com/watch

Part 6 - www.youtube.com/watch

It's easy to turn on the news and become discouraged or even fearful after hearing reports of war, high gas prices, and overall difficult economic times.  It's easy to become overwhelmed by circumstances around us that seem hopeless.  In Scripture, we find the example of Timothy.  In 2 Timothy, Paul's last letter, we find Paul encouraging a young Timothy who is getting ready to take over the regins of Paul's ministry. 

The date of the letter was around 66 or 67 A.D. and during this time, there was great persecution against the church by Emperor Nero.  The purpose of Paul's letter was to encourage Timothy, who seemed to struggle with fear and timidity through out his life.  In 1 Corinthians 16:10, Paul told the Corinthian believers to see to it that Timothy had nothing to fear while he was with them.  And, in 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul told Timothy to not let anyone look down upon him because of his age, but to set an example for the believers in speech, life, love, faith, and purity.  Then, in 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul says that we do not have a spirit of fear or timidity, but one of love, power, and self-discipline.

Paul made sure to make a point in reminding Timothy of the power of Christ and how his strength and provision should be the things "filling and thrilling" our hearts, not fear.  Perhaps Paul knew that his message was meant for more than just his friend Timothy and that we still need to be reminded of these things today.  There are certainly difficult circumstances that can get us down, but there are also many things to rejoice about.  Which will we choose to focus on?

-Pastor Chad

I am posting the link to the video we showed on Sunday morning.  I've received a few questions about it.  It's from a 2003 Czech film called "Most" (The Bridge) and it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film.  It's based on a true story and does a wonderful job of illustrating God's love for us and the sacrifice that was made for us on Easter morning. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRLRSXd4fzA

- Pastor Chad

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