Just about every day I live, I hear of someone I know dying. I know it is part of the process, but death is the part of life I haven’t gotten used to yet. About eight years ago, my father lost my mother to breast cancer. We miss her. She was, (and still is), the love of my father’s life. Recently, Pat Loomis, a cousin of my fathers, died at the age of 90. Pat was a gregarious woman who loved life. We will miss her. The Loomis family is very, very special to us, (I was named after Pat’s brother, Rich). Between then and now, we have lost aunts and uncles, and other friends and family members. It is hard to let go of each one of them. Sometimes it seems as if life is a series of unanswered questions; “What’s next?” "What happens when we die?" "Am I ready for it?" Or the frightening question, “Where am I going when I die? “ That question used to frighten me a lot, because I was afraid of death. I worried about what would happen when I died. I was unsure of my destination. I felt like a ship without a rudder, being tossed about in the waves. I was tired of that unsettled feeling. I wanted to know where I was going. The uncertainty of it all was very unsettling. Would I go to heaven?
Twenty-five years ago, I got the answers to my questions. One day in the fall of 1985, when I walked into church, I knew that the Lord was telling me that that was the day I should give my life to Him. On that day I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I confessed and repented of my sins to God. He had already done the work for me. I finally knew where I was going. Thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice for me, I had been offered forgiveness for my sins. What about you, are you afraid of death? If so, I know Someone who can help. His name is Jesus Christ. His offer of forgiveness is the same for you as it was for me. If you don’t know Jesus, I believe you have every right to be afraid. I was once afraid, too.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Reflections on Marriage
Last weekend our family had the privilege of witnessing an amazing wedding in Franklin, TN. What was different about this wedding? To be blunt...everything. I could mention the building (not a "church" but a building called "The Factory") or the unorthodox, artsy room setup, or the live band that provided very nice music accompaniment, or the two ministers that presided over the event, I could go on and on but that would not really describe what made it different. What was it you might ask? What made it special were...the people. We have known the family of the groom (Luke) for 16 years. They are a very close family. They are a family that loves God and loves each other. It was exceedingly evident that God brought the bride and groom together. It was also obvious what a good example of a Christ-centered marriage can do in the lives of children. In my mind, the ceremony was a testament to the parents and the model they have provided as to what marriage should be. I will never forget the look on the groom's face when the father of the bride walked his daughter down the aisle. Luke was getting a glimpse of God's gift to him...his bride (Courtney). From the wedding vows, to the tender words Luke shared regarding his wife to the words shared by one of his brothers, to...basically everything about it, this wedding was an example of what a marriage is supposed to look like.
As I reflect on the events of this past weekend I think about the 23 years of marriage that my wife, Barb and I celebrate today. I am so thankful for her. She is God's gift to me. I have never doubted, even for a moment, that The Lord brought her into my life. God is the one to put healthy relationships together. I hope and pray that our children have witnessed a marriage that they would desire to emulate in their lives. God is good. May we honor him with our marriages.
As I reflect on the events of this past weekend I think about the 23 years of marriage that my wife, Barb and I celebrate today. I am so thankful for her. She is God's gift to me. I have never doubted, even for a moment, that The Lord brought her into my life. God is the one to put healthy relationships together. I hope and pray that our children have witnessed a marriage that they would desire to emulate in their lives. God is good. May we honor him with our marriages.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Growing Up...a little more each day
Well, it has been about nine months since the Chapter I blog on our daughter, Hannah. In that post I noted that Hannah was graduating from high school and waiting on God's direction for the next chapter of her life.
During her period of waiting on God, Hannah continued in her involvement in the worship ministry at our church and in her work with Family Christian Stores. It was in that work at the bookstore that the Lord began to reveal to Hannah the direction for the next chapter of her life.
Here is what happened.
Family stores help to get sponsorships for children through an organization called World Vision. Since our family had sponsored a child (through a similar organization for a number of years), Hannah had an emotional, as well as, spiritual connection with this type of ministry opportunity. With that passion, Hannah found God's favor in her ability to find sponsorships for many children through World Vision by way of Family Christian Stores because she had a true concern for the welfare of these children. This led her to consider looking into this type of work and area of emphasis for her schooling. As it turns out, Cincinnati Christian University has a department for this area of focus called the Center for Urban and Global Outreach
So, in January of this year, Hannah began attending CCU. In a variety of ways, God has shown signs of His confirmation of His direction in her life. It has become increasingly obvious that she is where He wants her to be. We couldn't be any happier with His plan for her.
I believe that the lesson here is to wait on the Lord and He will reveal His plans for us. As a parent, it is a wonderful blessing to see God work in the lives of our children. I am certain that it brings joy to Him to witness how our obedience to His direction and timing brings about blessings in our lives.
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
So, what about our other children, you might ask?
Our younger daughter Moriah is the eternal optimist. She sees the "silver lining" in every situation no matter how dismal it might seem. Moriah loves: Jesus, her family, The Bengals (especially Chad Ochocinco), The Daraja Choir, our dog, Sophie, cats, Gus and Sadie and her Lionhead Bunny, Lizzie. Moriah excels in her schoolwork and enjoys math (which concerns me...). She has been taking violin lessons and progressing very well. Moriah has a very sweet, gentle spirit. If you are ever in need of encouragement just talk to Moriah and I guarantee you will feel better.
Our youngest child is our son, Noah who is a freshman in high school. Noah loves doing projects with his grandfather Blair or his uncle Tim, playing video games, playing drums, etc. Noah also enjoys playing soccer for the Landmark Homeschool Soccer team. Noah has assisted in the technical areas at church (i.e. stage setup, video editing, lighting, etc.). He plays drums for youth worship and has, on occassion filled in the adult worship services. I admire his work ethic. No matter what he does, he always wants to be prepared and do it well. I wish I could say the same for myself. I can learn from him.
My goal in this blog was not to boast about our children (really, it wasn't) but I guess it is okay to be proud of them. Actually, I probably see more traits in them that I would like to see in myself.
Oh, I can't forget to include the greatest gift of all to me in my life (other than Jesus), my wife, Barb. I know she is God's gift to me. I love her more each and every day. She is more beautiful to me now than the day I met her. Thank you for her, Lord.
In all of this, God has given me more than I deserve.
All I can say is thank you, Lord, thank you for the plans you have for me.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
In all things, at all times...give thanks.
It seems to me that sometimes we forget that God knows better than we do. It is much easier to thank God for the "good" times than it is for the "bad" times. But even when we don't recognize God's blessings, they are still there. So, whether you are at the peak of a mountain top experience in your life or in the depths of a valley of overwhelming challenges, whether you are relishing in the joys of celebration or being tossed about by stormy waves of chaos, realize that God is at work in your life and how you respond to the situation is up to you. A response of thankfulness would be appropriate.
I thought it would be good to send this reminder to you (and me) to give thanks to God in all things at all times because He loves us all more than we can possibly imagine and wants the best for us even when things don't appear that way.
God Bless.
18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (New International Version)
I thought it would be good to send this reminder to you (and me) to give thanks to God in all things at all times because He loves us all more than we can possibly imagine and wants the best for us even when things don't appear that way.
God Bless.
18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (New International Version)
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Identity
Years ago, Nichole Nordeman released her debut self-titled recording. In advertising the release on our on hold message we mistakenly referred to a song title on the recording as, "Who Are You?" rather than the correct title."Who You Are."
The question: Who are you?
What is your identity?
We are all sinners who can only be redeemed by the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. He paid the price for our sin.
The simple message of the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised again the third day according to the Scriptures. Believing the message leads to relationship with God, repentance and baptism, followed by growth.
Once an individual has gone through this conversion process, scripture tells us that the person is now a “new creation” in Christ.
What does this mean? You were put to “death” in Christ and to the laws of sin.
Romans 6 – The Message
When Death Becomes Life
1-3So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3-5That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.
6-11Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.
12-14That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.
The past is who you were.
The struggle of the Spirit vs. the flesh
Romans 8:9-13
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
When you surrender your life to Christ you discover who you are.
This is your true identity.
If we are in Christ, we are new creations, we all need to:
Embrace who Jesus has created us to be and live that way!
The problem is that we tend to approach God from a prespective of “works”. The truth is we cannot earn God’s favor. We must learn to identify with our new identity in Christ. Once we learn to embrace that identity, our actions will flow from the perspective of a redeemed person re-created in the image of God. Our thoughts, words and attitudes will flow from that place.
Sometimes it seems that we focus more on our struggle with our tendancy to sin than we do on the grace, forgiveness and transformation we receive through our Savior. Why?
Again, remember that you are not who you were.
A transformation process in which the believer becomes more like Christ is called sanctification.
Sanctification –
“That ongoing work of God’s grace in us to make us holy, to deliver us from the acts of sinning.”
Romans 12:2
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Do not conform – this version of the greek word for conform also appears in 1 Peter 1:14
Be Holy
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."[a]
1 Peter 2:24 (NASB)
24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
We do not need to continue to re-earn our salvation. We need to live as the redeemed souls that we are. The sacrifice has been completed for us in Christ. We need to live in it.
We are in relationship with Jesus.
From Brennan Manning’s, “The Furious Longing Of God”:
“The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creations. Not to make people with better morals, but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friends is what it really means to be a Christian. *** Our religion never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us, the great and wondrous things that God dreamed of and achieved for us in Christ Jesus.”
John 8:1-11
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives,2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them.3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
4 "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery.5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?"
6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!"8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"
11 "No, Lord," she said.
And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."
Isn’t this what He is telling us? We are no longer slaves to sin. Let’s begin to live like it.
So, it is no longer the question, Who are you? Or the struggle of Who you were? But it is now living in the assurance of Who You Are.
The question: Who are you?
What is your identity?
We are all sinners who can only be redeemed by the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. He paid the price for our sin.
The simple message of the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised again the third day according to the Scriptures. Believing the message leads to relationship with God, repentance and baptism, followed by growth.
Once an individual has gone through this conversion process, scripture tells us that the person is now a “new creation” in Christ.
What does this mean? You were put to “death” in Christ and to the laws of sin.
Romans 6 – The Message
When Death Becomes Life
1-3So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3-5That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country.
6-11Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.
12-14That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God.
The past is who you were.
The struggle of the Spirit vs. the flesh
Romans 8:9-13
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
When you surrender your life to Christ you discover who you are.
This is your true identity.
If we are in Christ, we are new creations, we all need to:
Embrace who Jesus has created us to be and live that way!
The problem is that we tend to approach God from a prespective of “works”. The truth is we cannot earn God’s favor. We must learn to identify with our new identity in Christ. Once we learn to embrace that identity, our actions will flow from the perspective of a redeemed person re-created in the image of God. Our thoughts, words and attitudes will flow from that place.
Sometimes it seems that we focus more on our struggle with our tendancy to sin than we do on the grace, forgiveness and transformation we receive through our Savior. Why?
Again, remember that you are not who you were.
A transformation process in which the believer becomes more like Christ is called sanctification.
Sanctification –
“That ongoing work of God’s grace in us to make us holy, to deliver us from the acts of sinning.”
Romans 12:2
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Do not conform – this version of the greek word for conform also appears in 1 Peter 1:14
Be Holy
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."[a]
1 Peter 2:24 (NASB)
24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
We do not need to continue to re-earn our salvation. We need to live as the redeemed souls that we are. The sacrifice has been completed for us in Christ. We need to live in it.
We are in relationship with Jesus.
From Brennan Manning’s, “The Furious Longing Of God”:
“The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creations. Not to make people with better morals, but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friends is what it really means to be a Christian. *** Our religion never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us, the great and wondrous things that God dreamed of and achieved for us in Christ Jesus.”
John 8:1-11
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives,2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them.3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
4 "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery.5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?"
6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!"8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"
11 "No, Lord," she said.
And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."
Isn’t this what He is telling us? We are no longer slaves to sin. Let’s begin to live like it.
So, it is no longer the question, Who are you? Or the struggle of Who you were? But it is now living in the assurance of Who You Are.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Each And Every Moment Counts
This week 55 people from our church had the privilege of traveling to Panama City, FL for the BigStuf Conference . From Sunday thru Wednesday we participated in times of worship, teaching, sharing, devotions and recreation.
The theme for this year was, "Time". If you were to tell the story of your life, would it be a compelling one? Are you merely existing? Are you caught up in past negative thoughts that are discouraging you from enjoying the present and preventing you from moving, in a healthy way, into the future. Are you too busy? Are there time-stealing activities preventing you from having adequate times of rest.
As human beings with free will, God has given each one of us a choice as to whether or not we follow Him or deny Him. If we have chosen to follow Him, it is important for each one of us to make the most of each and every moment. Instead of dwelling on issues from the past or dreaming about an idyllic future, it is important to make the most of today. It is my hope and prayer that each one of us chooses to thank God for today and uses it to bless others and give glory to Him. We need to be sensitive to opportunities He provides that sometimes go unnoticed. One amazing thing to remember about God is that He loves you more than you can possibly imagine. He cares about every detail of your life. In return you (we) should use each and every moment for Him.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
The theme for this year was, "Time". If you were to tell the story of your life, would it be a compelling one? Are you merely existing? Are you caught up in past negative thoughts that are discouraging you from enjoying the present and preventing you from moving, in a healthy way, into the future. Are you too busy? Are there time-stealing activities preventing you from having adequate times of rest.
As human beings with free will, God has given each one of us a choice as to whether or not we follow Him or deny Him. If we have chosen to follow Him, it is important for each one of us to make the most of each and every moment. Instead of dwelling on issues from the past or dreaming about an idyllic future, it is important to make the most of today. It is my hope and prayer that each one of us chooses to thank God for today and uses it to bless others and give glory to Him. We need to be sensitive to opportunities He provides that sometimes go unnoticed. One amazing thing to remember about God is that He loves you more than you can possibly imagine. He cares about every detail of your life. In return you (we) should use each and every moment for Him.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
Monday, June 8, 2009
Eternity
The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word Of God stands forever... Forever we will stand with Him. Forever is the time frame that matters. If we really believe in the Christ of eternity, why is it that we spend so much time and effort concerned about today?
I had two conversations this week that emphasized the need for us to focus on "eternal things". I heard it put this way, "100 years from now will it matter?" If the answer is, "No" then don't waste time on it now. If we would only live that way what an amazing amount of time we would not waste on unimportant things. How much of what we worry about or waste energy on is worthless in the eyes of God?
So, what is important? God and family and telling people about God in hopes that they can become a part of His family. God and family...the family of God. It makes sense to me. I hope it does to you as well.
God Bless
I had two conversations this week that emphasized the need for us to focus on "eternal things". I heard it put this way, "100 years from now will it matter?" If the answer is, "No" then don't waste time on it now. If we would only live that way what an amazing amount of time we would not waste on unimportant things. How much of what we worry about or waste energy on is worthless in the eyes of God?
So, what is important? God and family and telling people about God in hopes that they can become a part of His family. God and family...the family of God. It makes sense to me. I hope it does to you as well.
God Bless
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