——————-

Spiraling Out of Control

Do you remember the sit and spin?  A great toy, right?  Much like you spun out of control tonight in the game in the gym, the sit and spin did the same thing.  You would sit on this toy ping until you thought you were going to spin off of it.  Then you would get up and try to walk and you felt as if you were about to walk into the ceiling.

Physically spinning out of control when involved in a game is fun.  A life spinning out of control is a whole different thing though.

Many times people get some dizzy from a life out of control that they further complicate their life in a variety of different manners:

Drugs, Alcohol, Gangs, Unhealthy relationships, alternative lifestyles, self-harm, and many other things.  They do this to stop the spinning, but they actually speed up the sit and spin of life.  By the time they realize what is going on they are falling on the floor of life, gasping for air, and getting sick from the spinning.

So how do you stop the spinning and start regaining focus?  How do you get it all back under control?

Discipline

Mark 1:35 (NIV)

35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up

1 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

Intimacy with God

Mark 1:35 (NIV)

35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Stop living according to others expectations and start living according to God’s

Mark 1:36-37 (NIV)

36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Learn to say NO! (WHEN NECESSARY)

Mark 1:38 (NIV)

38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Live intentionally and not crazy

Mark 1:38-39 (NIV)

38Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Apparently I made some waves with it. GOOD!  Seriously, I wanted to make some waves with it!  The problem?  Apparently, some people just did not get it.  They said things like, if I was friendly, it would have been like flirting or something.  Really, the only way to be friendly is to flirt?  That is ridiculous.  Saying hey, asking how someone is doing, small talk (weather, how school going for your family, etc) can go a long way in building bridges and making people feel included.  I am sorry, there is no excuse for a cold shoulder by anyone who is a Christian.  We are called to love God with all our heart and then love our neighbor.  This means that we have to show the same kind of Love that Christ extended to us.  You did not see him giving the cold shoulder to people as he did his journey.  I am sorry, Christians today have a problem with love and kindness.  You get shown more love at a restaurant by a waiter nowadays than is shown by most believers.

In order to understand this tirade, you will have to go read the original post at http://www.walters-team.net/?p=84

Peace!

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.  14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

So then he says this, “Ask yourself, Do I believe that the church needs me like the body needs the mouth?”   Do we really ask ourselves this question enough.  So often we turn our backs on the body for so many reasons and never think, “Am I leaving the body without an arm?” “Am I leaving the body without it’s foot today?”  Is the body going to be missing it’s ears today?”  I think we need to work on being a little less selfish with our own time and more concerned about the body as a whole.  The body is hurting in America and it is time for it’s parts to start coming back together!

I guess the reason I am sitting on my blog asking these questions this morning is because I am fearful of the future of the church (universal), particularly here in the south.  Now don’t a bunch of you go jumping down my through saying, you can’t live in fear (yadda yadda yadda).  I am perfectly aware of this.  That frankly won’t help me today.  I am sad.  The place that for so long has been the hotbed of Christianity has turned their backs on Christ.  A good tan or a full stomach is more important than the bread of life.

I guess maybe I am a church nerd.  When I was growing up, we were in church every time the doors were open, even on vacation.  Yes, I said on vacation.  I had perfect attendance in Sunday School for 5 years straight!  When we would go on vacation, I would go to church where we are and get the pastor to sign a bulletin saying I was in church so that I would get my perfect attendance pin once again.  I went overboard, but my heart was in the right place.  I absolutely loved and still love gathering with the body of believers.  I loved talking to them, worshipping with them, praying with them, and knowing that I was being prayed for.  My question…how can people not want this, this fellowship, this connection, this chance to dive deeper with God?  It is so overwhelming….

I know that we are in the end times, but to see believers throwing it all away during this time, not wanting any connection with other believers is so sad.  Here are some of the things that I hear from people as reasons for being out and they all relate to time.   I want to go out with __________, we are spending family time, homework, going to a movie/event.  Sure, leisure time is important, but that used to be what Friday or Saturday nights were for.  Would we dare tell our employer, coach, or teacher the same excuses that we give God for not showing up?

I am not trying to be dogmatic, but when are we going to realize that God and our relationship with Him and his people is more important than the petty things in life.  Our churches in the South seem to be very much like the church described in Ephesus in Revelation 2.  We have a great dislike of immorailty, but very little commitment to God.   We need to repent and do the things we did at first…

Revelation 2

1″To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

If you cannot view the embedded video, see it here…  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7552505

Here are my rough notes from this study…

Commitment and Truthfulness

NAME SOME THINGS THAT YOU ARE COMMITTED TO…

NOW TELL ME THE CONSEQUENCES OF REJECTING YOUR COMMITMENT…

I find it amazing that in this day and age, we have such a hard time with commitment.

The amazing thing is that we commit to things that are not important and we reject commitment to Christ or things associated with His church.

Matthew 5:33-37

33″Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Here is the problem we live in today.

We get saved and thus agree to follow the commands of Christ.

God gives us a list of things he expects and it is written out in front of us.

We know his expectations, yet we reject them readily.  We say God expects too much.  So often we do this with anything associated with Church, but let’s look at the other side of the coin and see what would happen if we did the same things to the world that we do to God.

Talking to God – Never talk to a friend, significant other, club member, or co-worker

Attendance in the house of the Lord – What if you attended school or a job like you attend church?

Doing the work of the Lord – Same scenario as above

Sin – What if you disobeyed a teacher, boss, or parent the way you disobey God?

Through out some other stuff…

Matthew 16:24-26 (New International Version)

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Here is the thing… This comment tells us that our old way of thinking needs to go away and we need to develop a Christ centric method of thought.  Some of us have hung on to or developed a new, old way of thinking.  It is time to be sold out to Christ.  See what Christ said… He did not say to check in periodically with him when it fits our schedule.  No, he said, take up the cross and follow him, indefinately.

WE ARE SO UNCOMMITTED WHEN IT COMES TO CHRIST.

WE ARE SO COMMITTED TO THIS WORLD AND ITS SIN!

We will readily skip quiet times, Bible Study, and church to do anything, but we will rarely skip anything of this world to spend extra time with God.

What has happened?  Why are we so uncommitted to God in this day and age?  Why is anything of God up for question, rejection, and so easy to bail out of?

How can we raise the bar?

Realize that God is jealous…

Deut 6:13-15

13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.

TRUTHFULNESS

Colossians 3:9-10 (New International Version)

9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

PEOPLE THINK A LITTLE LIE CAN PROTECT OR HELP?  No, do not lie to each other.

John 3:19-21 (New International Version)

19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

IF YOU ARE DOING THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO HIDE, THINK ABOUT IT!  Good and light are not compatible with lies and the dark.

No video?  Visit http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7051897

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Here are my personal notes on this Bible Study

The Christian Life on THE INSIDE

Romans 10:9-13

9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Ephesians 3:14-21

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom his whole family  in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

So let’s look at the work of God on the inner man:

New Creation: 2 Cor 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Born again by the spirit: John 3:3-8

3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ”

4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Eternal life/Never Perishing: John 10:25-30

Can hear and obey the voice of God: John 10:27

25Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all  ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

Washed and Sanctified and Justified: 1 Cor 6:9-11

9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Is capable of resisting sin: 1 Cor 10:13

13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

A treasure in the vessel of the body: 2 Cor 4:7

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this allsurpassing power is from God and not from us.

Empowered: Romans 8:11

You, 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.

Final Thoughts:

What happens when you are changed from the inside out?

Philippians 2:1-11

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6      Who, being in very nature ◙ God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7      but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature ◙ of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8      And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

9      Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10      that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11      and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Strengthens by the LAW OF GOD

Colossians 2:6-8

6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Announcements:

Sunday – Grads be in sanctuary at 10:15 am

Sunday – Be here Sunday night to give gifts to new 6th graders

June 2 – Pool Party at the giers

June 3 – Six Flags – Money is due this Sunday, May 23

Camp and WC Money due Sunday!

For about 2 years now we have been homeschooling our children with a local Christian Homeschool cover.  Each friday I take the kids to co-op.  It has been a joy seeing our kids develop new friends and learn so much great stuff.  The relationships that I have built is another story.  I have developed no relationships.  As a matter of fact, I can count the number of people that actually know who I even am on both hands, but I would not need all the fingers.  No one took the time to get to know me, the new homeschooling dad.  #1, I am a dad (most of these folks are women), #2, I am new (pretty tight knit group), #3, I do not look like the rest of them (I am a youth minister, so I dress a little different, talk a little different, act a little different… I actually have more in common with the teens than the parents.)

I am not making jabs, but something was brought to my attention today that hurt deeply.  On the first Friday of each month is homeschool skate day and each month I am there with my kids.  I have been at this skate day at least a dozen times.   Each month I am there with my kids and I usually have my head buried in a book (been trying to finish my masters degree).  I do not necessarily look for interaction as I am able to get alot of studying accomplished while the kids are skating.  I do love it when someone talks to me though, makes me feel less invisible.  I can never find a place to sit unless it is one of the pylons where kids put on their skates or a corner near the exit.  I sit, get comfortable, and read.   Last month, the place was more crowded than usual and I found one place to sit (next to the prize wheel).  I sat their the whole time and then headed home, not knowing I was being stared down and judged very critically.  Now remember, I have been doing this for 2 years and no one knows me.

So today, the crowd was thinner than normal and I actually got a table.  I sat down with my iphone and a book and proceeded to read.  Then someone came over and introduced themselves with the comment, are you new to our group?  I said no and told her how long I have been doing this.  She said, “and I am just now meeting you?”  I tol her how I can never find a seat, so I usually find a corner and read.  She said, “were you sitting next to the prize wheel last month?”  I said yes.  She said, “I got several e-mails about you last month, worried about the guy by the door.”  I said, why?  Well, they said you were by the door and looked sketchy.  I said, “I looked like I do today (black t-shirt, jeans, converse), do I look sketchy to you?”  She said, honestly, no, but you do not look like the other homeschool parents either though.  I said, I have been doing this for 2 years and you are one of just a few people who has even bothered to get to know my outside of my church members.  I went on to tell her that I am a youth minister, about my family, etc.  We had a good conversation.   She apologized to me for the others in the group not being more welcoming.  See, this is The big problem, NO ONE HAS EVER TRIED TO GET TO KNOW ME!  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  This burns me up. See here is the thing, if people would have taken the time to observe closer, they would have see a christian t-shirt or to write love on her arms shirt.  They would have seen me reading the book, “Knowing God.”   Homeschoolers who gripe about the lack of social acceptance of their chosen educational path who are judging one of their own with no effort to get to know me.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe they need the same recognition as public or private schools!

Here is the deal though, if I, as a minister got judged this way, think about the lost who do not fit our cooker cutter mold.  I am sorry, but I do not ever plan to wear pullover knit golf shirts, dockers, etc.  That is just not my style.  I am not a typical 35 year old.  I am a 17 year old trapped in a 35 year old body (just ask my wife).  I do not like the typical church mentality, I think it scares off the unchurched!   When will we stop trying to fit people to the mold we want to start going to the lost like Christ did.  We have become the Pharisees and the Sadducees.   Christ went to the weirdos, misfits, and ostracized people of this world.  Here is the thing, what if I had been depressed, overwhelmed, feeling lost and abandoned.  All these people would have done is written a bunch of e-mails talking about the guy by the door and never would have done anything to reach out to me.    This is unacceptable behavior by people in the church.  It is time for us to start reaching out instead of slamming people down based on appearances (clothing, skin tone, tattoos, body piercing, whatever).

Now, please don’t get me wrong, I love our homeschool group (I wish we could keep doing it).  I love the group activities.  I love the faith based education.  The problem, they shot one of their own and do not even know it.

Well, I shall now climb down from my soapbox.  I apologize if I offended, but this needed to be said.

The greatest thing we could learn to do with out tongue is healing broken relationships and praising God.   Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”

=====Here are my notes=====

Sharpness of the tongue…

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.  Really?

Think to some of the events of recent past.

2 students in the past 2 years have made national headlines with suicides attributed to bullying of students via web and text.

I am sorry, I think the most powerful weapon on the face of the planet is the tongue because it can cause death and destruction without laying a hand on a physical weapon or a person!

Think about it… When was the last time someone said negative about you (whether it was true or not)…  Here is the problem.  The tongue hurts, but it hurts even worse when it is said about you and not to you.  Would you rather someone say something negative about you to others or tell you to your face?

We are going to talk about several things tonight, but lets first review one verse.

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death

The tongue has the power to correct people and bring them back into proper fellowship with you and others.  It has the power to uplift people.  It has the power to bring joy.

The tongue also has the power to complete obliterate someone even to the point of death.  When you talk negatively about someone’s appears or features, talk about wrong they have done to you (but to other people), rip them apart behind their back, etc, you can lead them into reclusion, depression, and possibly even lead them to suicide.

Well you are all very familiar with ways your speech can be helpful.  Let’s examine what the Bible says about harm.

James 3:5

Taming the Tongue

1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt ◙ water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Ok, so let’s examine the tongue in great detail:

Psalm 34:13 (New International Version)

13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.

Ephesians 4:29 (New International Version)

29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)

18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

James 1:26 (New International Version)

26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

1 Peter 2:1-3

1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

So from this what do you consider evil talk?

Slander – Defamation – Tearing down a good name

Gossip

Talking back at authorities

Hate speech

Tearing down someone

When I returned, my mom gave me this…

Instead of asking, “What will I do if…

ask…

What will God do if …?

I the maker of heaven and earth, will:

-perfect everything that concern you (psalm 138:8)

-work all thing togerher for your good. (romans 8:28)

-contend with those who contend with you. (Isaiah 49:25)

-fight this battle for you. (2 Chron 20:15)

-equip you with divine powers. (2 Cor 10:4)

-delight to show you mercy (2 Micah 7:18)

-meet all your needs according to my glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)

-give you grace that is perfectly sufficient. (2 Cor 12:9)

-be your power in weakness. (2 Cor 12:9)

-do immeasurably more than all you could ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within you. (Eph 3:20)

He will have no fear of bad news, his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord, His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end, he will look in triumph on his foes.  (Psalm 1127-8)

I am strengthened by the power of God’s word today and by the power of His spirit and ready to fight the good fight and finish the race!