Getting Scared or Getting Ready?

    Things are looking pretty scary. If you are even a casual student of the Bible, you are aware that in the end times, around the world and particularly in the mideast, events will unfold much like we are currently observing.
    If you know me at all, you know I am not an alarmist. And I’m pretty skeptical of those guys on TV and radio who make a living on convincing their audience that the world is on the brink of Armageddon. (Then the audience in turn sends them a bunch of money….for some reason.)
    But putting aside the abusive and manipulative tactics of those I would call alarmists, Jesus did tell us to pay attention to what is happening in our world. And the Bible does tell us that Israel will become an island, surrounded by enemy nations that will make war with her with the intent to destroy her and annihilate the population. And we are also told that the frequency and destructive nature of natural disasters will increase. Then when I consider Daniel’s prophecy that in the end times, knowledge will increase (that’s an understatement for today!) and world travel will be common, I can’t help but believe the end is near.
    I know, everyone in their time thought that. And I’m not going to set any dates or point fingers at possible candidates for the Anti-Christ. But the end IS near! Jesus told us to watch. Are you?
    In reality, He was more concerned that we watch our selves, more so than world events. But the world events were to remind us to watch ourselves. Jesus wants us to not be caught off guard. He wants us to be ready.
    Are you? Are you ready for His return?
    I don’t know when Jesus will return, or when Armageddon will take place, or the rapture, or any of these things. I know what the Bible says about the events of the end times, and I know about the signs. And a lot of those signs appear to be there now. But Jesus may delay his coming a hundred or a thousand years. For us, we need to be ready, today, tomorrow, next week and next year.
    One teacher decided to encourage her students to better organize their desks and to keep them neat. She invited the principal to be in on her plan, and announced to the class that he will come in once a week and inspect their desks. Everyone with a clean desk would be dismissed for recess five minutes early that day.
    One boy announced that he would clean his desk first thing every morning. The teacher asked, “What if he comes at the end of the day?” He said that he would clean it again before school let out. She responded, “What if he comes during lunch?”
    “I guess I’ll clean it up now and keep it clean all day, every day!”
    That was Jesus’ point when He said, “You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:44).
    The end is near. Get ready!

A Neglected Aspect of Worship

    Stuart Briscoe shared the following account in his book, Playing by the Rules: "I visited a church in Florida, where the congregation had just built a new auditorium that cost $5 or $6 million. With great glee the people told me they had moved in debt free; they had paid for it in cash before they opened the doors. When I asked how they had done it, they told me, "Part of our membership requirement is that people tithe." Then they took me outside and showed me a three-or four-story, $11 million educational wing they had begun to build. Again they told me they’d paid cash for it. How did they do it? By tithing."
    The average church is handicapped because God’s people have forgotten Who’s money it really is. It’s like the story of one preacher who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets." Too many believers have God’s money in their pockets and not only are they being disobedient, they are missing out on the blessing of giving.
    Please don’t give with just with the goal of meeting our church’s budget, because budgets don’t really mean that much. Giving has a deeper purpose; it means you give to God, you don’t rob from Him. When you give to God, you honor Him. You say, "Hey, God, all my money is in trust from You anyway, and I give it back to You with a glad heart." Through our giving we show we’re on His side and that we have compassion for the things and people He has compassion for. We prove our love for Him by giving of ourselves.
    But what if we don’t give faithfully, what if we tip God rather than truly give? What if we keep what belongs to Him for ourselves? That may result from an attitude of first rate stinginess, or maybe it comes from second-rate sacrifice. Malachi warned his people, "Some of you are bringing your offerings to the Lord, and you’ve got to bring a lamb. So you go through the flock and find one that’s lame or blind, and you bring that. Do that to the governor, and see what he’d say! You wouldn’t dare do it to him, but you don’t mind doing it to God."
    Strange, isn’t it, that people feel very comfortable with first-rate stinginess and second-rate sacrifice when it comes to God? Why? Because they lack a reality of the knowledge of God in their lives.
    If you really believe that God purchased you from the slave market of sin. If you really know how much He loves you. If you believe that you are a steward of His property, rather than an owner – you’ll be the giver that God wants you to be.
    The reason that so many Christians are such poor givers is that they really don’t believe God’s Word. If they believed the Bible, It would change their behavior...and it would change their giving. God is generous and those who have His heart are generous too.
    What does your giving say about your heart? Is this an area that needs to be surrendered and that you need to grow in? Then, today’s your day. Don’t miss out on the blessings and rewards that God has for faithful stewards!

Infectious

    There’s nothing like a bout with the flu to help you appreciate good health.
    Brock, Linda and I went to Texas for the weekend, to visit my uncle and cousins. It was a great break from the weather here to enjoy sunny, 75 degree days, hiking and riding trails in east Texas.
    But one of my cousins came down with something while we were staying at her house. She had a high fever, body aches, chills, stuffed head…..you know what I’m talking about. We soon left her house for her sake, but evidently I brought a little of her with me. On Monday, I woke up with a scratchy throat. By Monday night, I had a fever and most of my cousin’s symptoms. I don’t often get sick, and when I do, I get over it more quickly than others. But this time, I was down for the count for a couple of days. It wasn’t until Thursday before I was able to make it back into the office.
    How did I get it? I caught it from my cousin. We hugged when I arrived, and that’s all it took. Viruses are like that. They move from one person to another and you don’t even know it is happening.
    A lot of things in life are communicable. Attitudes, good and bad, are quickly passed from one person to another. Gossip breeds gossip, anger incites anger, envy creates more envy. But on the other hand, love engenders love, excitement ignites excitement, peace produces peace.
    Where are your attitudes coming from? Who is rubbing off on you?
    More importantly, what attitudes are you passing on? How are you infecting your workplace, family or neighborhood?
    The truth is, we are all communicable. We are impacted by others and in turn, we impact others. By being intentional about where our influences are coming from, we can better control our own attitudes and values. And when we understand how our way of thinking is contagious (not altogether different from the flu), we can choose the kinds of attitudes and values we pass on to others.
    You can’t help it that you infect others. It wasn’t my cousin’s fault that I got sick. But unlike passing on a virus, you can choose what you infect others with. You can influence your world for good or for bad. Which will it be?

It's Inevitable

    I just learned that another friend of mine is dying. Without previous warning, he began to experience what he thought were mild symptoms that gave him concerns and went for a check-up. Stage four liver cancer. A follow-up CAT scan revealed tumors in both his liver and his lungs. He still is unsure what he will do, but the prognosis offers no hope.
    Death is all around us. Every time I visit someone in the hospital I am reminded that in that very building, someone is in process of slipping into eternity. People in my neighborhood are dying. Students I went to high school with are dying. People I pastored for many years are dying. Death is all around us.
    And there is no escape. When news of our own impending death comes, it will be a surprise. Most of us go before we expect to. With all the technology we have harnessed, and no matter how much money you may spend to get the best of physicians, you will not be able to hold death back.
    Sorry; don’t mean to be morbid. But death is a reality of life and I think we spend far too little energy contemplating it and thereby preparing. Nelson Bell’s famous quote is so true: “Only those who are prepared to die are truly prepared to live.”
    Are you?
    Are you prepared to die? It’s going to happen before you think. Do you know where you will spend eternity? Are you sure you are going to heaven?
    That is why we do what we do at The Bridge. Everything about our ministry is about getting the word out: Jesus died so that you can live! He defeated death with His resurrection. He overcame death for all of us! If you are connected with Jesus, believing that He died for you and rose again, trusting in Him for your forgiveness, than death is only a portal into an expanded life, with all of the benefits and none of the liabilities of this life!
    John reminded his readers of this, “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).
    Death is all around us. But for the believer, LIFE is all around us! Death only means expanded and eternal life! If you have not received Christ, do so! Receive the kind of life that will never end. Then while this temporal death we are all facing may still come as a surprise, it will be the most pleasant of surprises, as you step into God’s presence and forever enjoy the life He intends you to live.

More Important Than a Super Bowl Championship

    Do you mind if I brag on my Packers just a little bit? Not so much the fact that they just won their fourth Super Bowl and thirteenth world championship….(I believe the Bears have won one Super Bowl and nine championships :-). But I’m more proud of the team for some of the off-the-field conversations they have had and the character they have displayed.
    For example, Aaron Rodgers: I know some have been saying that they are tired of sportscasters making such a big deal over his ability and what he means to the Packers. But bear in mind, he’s a guy that was not recruited by any college out of high school, and did not receive a scholarship until he earned a starting position for Cal as a walk-on his Junior year. He says it only made him work harder and prepare better. Think about what he had to overcome in following Bret Favre and being in the spotlight amidst all that drama! But what I really love is his quiet testimony of faith. The team chose him to lead them in prayer before the Super Bowl. When asked during pre-game hype about his faith, he said, “As a Christian, I believe in taking the Gospel everywhere I go, and using words whenever necessary.”
    Then there’s Clay Matthews. His dad, also an NFL player, was his defensive coach in high school, who wouldn’t start Clay. “You’d think my dad would do me a favor. He didn’t. He made me sit on the bench.” He, too, had no college offers. He says now that it  taught him the narrow difference between those not quite good enough and those who stand out in their fields. He attributes it to inspiration and a “no-quit” attitude. I wish more Christians approached their ministries that way!
    Donald Driver spent part of his childhood on the streets as a homeless boy selling drugs to help his family pay for food. His grandmother took him in and introduced him to Christ. Today, he talks about the decision he had to make in those years to follow Jesus and in doing so, to get away from bad influences. Some of the kids he stopped hanging around with have since spent most of their adult lives in prison. Driver says he thanks God every day for rescuing him and giving him the life he has. He and his wife named their children: Christian and Christiana.

    Driver is a mentor to Greg Jennings. While Jennings is in every way the Packers #1 receiver, with twice the yards and three times the touchdowns than any other. After the Super Bowl, when talking about Driver’s injury in the second quarter, he said, “….when our #1 receiver went down….” I appreciate that rare example of humility from a professional athlete. Jennings looks up to Driver in many ways. The two are like brothers….as friends and fellow Christ-followers. Jennings is the son of a pastor and tries to live his faith out in life. When mic’d for for the NFL network’s FX, he could be heard shouting, “Glory to God, glory to God,” at the close of the game, even before he was aware that the world was watching and listening.
    Honestly, if these same guys played for the Bears, I’d still be proud of them!
    If they played for the Vikings? Well, it would be a little harder. :-)

Snowed In

    So what did you do on Wednesday?
    Hailing from Wisconsin, I have seen a fair number of blizzards. The storm of ’67 that so many talk about in Chicago hit us even worse. I was six and still remember being afraid that my dad wouldn’t be able to make it home. In college, my sister and I were once stranded in a tiny town when roads were closed and we were forced to spend the night at the county jail (with about 50 other stranded motorists). About five years ago we were on a highway when it was closed and an entire string of traffic was forced to sit in one place for several hours, until traffic in front of us made it off the exit ramp.
    But I don’t remember any like this week’s. The combination of heavy snowfall, cold temperatures and high winds, made this one stand out. Many do not ever remember the city of Chicago being brought to a standstill the way it was Tuesday-Wednesday. 900 cars were stranded on Lake Shore Drive Tuesday evening. Some motorists took the risk of leaving their cars and 200 abandoned vehicles were still littering the roadway on Wednesday. High winds coming off Lake Michigan caused icy waves to be so strong that a man walking was swept into the sea and drowned. Babies were born in vehicles because moms were not able to make it to the hospital soon enough. And on Wednesday mid-morning, when the city that is always bustling with activity and traffic, it appeared to be a ghost town.
    What did you do? I woke up early, looked outside, and realized there was no use trying to get anywhere. So….I went back to bed and slept like I haven’t in a long time! Brock and I enjoyed clearing snow at our place and with our neighbors. We went out with a couple of other men in the church to help some families whose husbands we knew were out of town. And we enjoyed sitting in our warm house, by the fireplace, reading and talking. Wednesday was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time!
    Sometimes we just need a day like that to take us out of our routine, to do some things for a few others, get added relaxation, and enjoy our families. When you think of it, in past generations, people had the whole winter to huddle together by the fire and recharge to get ready for spring planting. Today, we tend to just go at full throttle all year long. At least I do. I needed a day like that in the middle of the week.
    Yep, Wednesday was a good day for me.

I’m Not Usually a Rainbow Kind of Guy

    I’m like everyone else. I like to see a real rainbow. It’s a wonderful symbol from the Great Flood in Genesis chapter nine that speaks of God’s promise to protect and preserve His people.
    While I love a real rainbow, you won’t see any painted unicorns galloping through a multi colored arch in my office or at my house. As far as decorations go, it’s not for me. And that would probably be the case even if the symbol had not been hijacked by those promoting an unbiblical lifestyle.
    But when it comes to God’s rainbows, I love them. The other day, I saw the most unique one I had ever seen. And if you saw it and told me about it, I’d probably wonder if that is really what you saw. But look at the picture for yourself and you’ll see, I’m not making it up.

    My wife and I flew on Wednesday to visit my brothers for a couple of days in Nevada. While waiting in the plane, my thoughts began to be filled with church and family related plans and concerns. Along with great responsibility comes great concern, and my mind can sometimes get overwhelmed. We took off and as I always do, I watched out the window (have never lost the thrill of flying). As we broke through the heavy cloud cover and into the sunlight, I looked down to the clouds below and I couldn’t believe what I saw: a perfectly round circular rainbow. It was something I had never seen before, but that’s not all. Right in the middle of the inside of this rainbow circle was the shadow of our plane reflecting on the cloud below. I sat there staring at it, and it stayed in view, just as the picture shows, for several minutes.
    It seemed as though God was reminding me that I am surrounded by His promises. The concerns that were flooding my mind would never flood my world! “Let it go! Trust me. I’m here and I’ll always be here, and if you honor me, I’ll take care of you!”
    And that’s exactly what Jesus promised in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
    I didn’t need to see a rainbow to remember that. But it sure helped!