Dinner with Jesus

Have you ever sat down with someone and asked, "If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be?" Far and away the number one response is, "Jesus Christ," the most polarizing person ever to walk the earth--and a Superstar (I had the record and saw the show). His life, death, and resurrection has had such an effect on the world that today's date is even based on what happened 2015 years ago. 

Many of us know a lot about Jesus, but we all have a decision to make that must travel the farthest distance--from the head to the heart. I can learn and know about Jesus from what I read and hear, but until I experience him personally, I can't really know him. 

We live in a broken world. It can shake you and it can break you. It can cause you to stumble and fall. Years before I met my wife, I had a surgery to remove some cancer--the first of three bouts over the years. After many tests, the result came back that I was statistically unable to have kids. "If you ever get serious with someone, you may have to tell them that your chances of having children are slim and none." Those words can cause bitterness and despair or they can cause you to place your trust in God. I chose to place my faith in the ladder in spite of these circumstances. “Slim” is now 19 and “None” is 17. As I continue through my latest prognosis, my trust in God’s unfailing love continues to grow.

The Party

Think of the most fun party you have ever been to or been a part of.......OK that's enough time. For some of you it was last night, for others it was kids ago right?  We are told that heaven is going to be like that; times infinity!  A never ending party; the best food and wine, friends, family, and famous folks you only read or heard about. Surf, sand, and Son. Opus One, Grand Cru, Microbrew. An eternity to party on dude! Picture this; Jesus the host, throwing it for us, because we fought for the right to party! Everyone is invited, several RSVP,even then some who accepted the invite ultimately allow excuses to get in the way and don't show. Most, however, decline the invite altogether.

Our fight is not of flesh and blood but spiritual. Working at (Trader Joe's, with the public, I constantly have eye candy dangling before my eyes.  It's a fight to put on the blinders, nine out of ten times I fail.  I'm a much faster repenter than I used to be. Thank God it's by grace through faith, not of doing good deeds or keeping a clean slate, or one would be able to boast and think they made it to the party of their own doing. Nope, it's all about accepting the invite, and fighting to follow through and showing up at the party we have been chosen to attend. How do I get the invite?  I'm glad you asked. 

I want you to think the most famous verse is Proverbs 5:19, but it isn't, it's close, but no. The most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16 Go ahead just blurt it out when you have it. "For God so loved.." the people that go to Church, no...THE WORLD that he gave is only son...everlasting life to party on dude.

So we've established that we all have an invite, what happens next is your response, your RSVP.  In the mean time, check out the life we are called to in Ephesians 1:3-13 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+1%3A3-13&version=NLT  The passage gives us a cross; our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with the world.

You Are Special

You Are Special

You can only protect your kids for so long before our broken world catches up.  We had a V-chip on the TV while our two boys were growing up. They thought TV was all about Zooboomafoo, Arthur, Antiques Roadshow, and of course Charger football because hey, ours only had two channels.  So one day one of the boys friends comes up and "fixes" the TV.  I hear "dad, the TV is fixed." Yes, the kid showed them how to defeat the chip.

Up until the time of the fixed TV, we all watched Veggie Tales, and this one film by Max Lucado called "You Are Special"  It was all about being labeled with "dots" or "stars" that were stuck to you via your peers.  The ending has some great lines. "Who are they to give dots or stars, they're just like you.  Those dots and stars (labels) only matter if you let them. All that matters is what I think, and I think you are special...because you are mine and you matter to me.  For now, just come to me everyday, and I'll remind you of just how special you are. Remember, you are special because I made you and I don't make mistakes."  Even before the world was, we were chosen, adopted, and loved. Ephesians 1:3-7 and Psalm 139.

The Perfect Storm

Read-Ecclesiastes 2:17-23, Matt 6:19-21

Reflect-The Perfect Storm is when a rare combination of events aggravates a situation drastically.

I'd never lost in the game Monopoly.  To win, you buy properties, place homes on them, and ultimately place expensive hotels on them.  Essentially, you make more than your peers, while picking up as many properties as you can.  In real life, I tried to follow that model.  Paid off house; not enough. 40 apartment rentals; not enough. A bunch of Victorian homes; nope, not enough. Hotel investor; now I'm set. But wait, there's more...The economic events of 2008 wiped it clean, a vapor, dust in the wind...hebel!

Hebel: Emptiness, futility. a vapor that vanishes quickly and leaves nothing behind. The economic perfect storm of 2008 could have been avoided if I hadn't been so success driven. It is is something I never should have had to put my family through, it caused immense stress and we nearly didn't make it through the storm.  Matthew 6:19-21 talks about what can happen when all your time, effort and money gets invested in the here and now, rather than seeking and trusting God first in all things.

Having to start over a few years ago gave me a new perspective; a paradigm shift from making money, to making a difference. 

 

React-Gut check.  Are you all about the money, the cars, the homes, the college your kids are going to go? Maybe it's time to audit where you spend your pursuits of time, effort, and money?

Sweet Communion

Theme: Breaking Bread in Nicaragua

Read: “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27 (NLT)

Reflect: I've been both affluent and I've been jobless and poor. While I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am in, I've never been destitute to the point that there was no hope for the future.

My youngest son and I just returned from spending time with widows and orphans in Nicaragua. This is a communist country where $80 a month is a typical wage for a family of five, which sounds to me like a hopeless situation. I thought we would go and bless these people, but instead we were the ones who were blessed. While we didn't have the elements of bread and wine shared this weekend, we were able to spend time sharing simple meals of rice and beans and clean water. 

At the end of our trip, they encircled us and prayed for us, shedding heart-felt tears. Such a sweet communion we enjoyed with them; one we will treasure the rest of our lives. We didn't need to know or speak much Spanish to enjoy the unity we experienced in our weeks spent there. The community we enjoyed in Christ broke through any language barrier, country boundary, or economic wall I may have thought existed.

React: Esperanza or hope is one of the benefits we have in Christ. Celebrating the hope we have in him as we break the bread and drink the wine reminds us we are united in his love.

A Dad Moment

It's been twenty years since my dad graduated from this life.

At his ceremony, it was standing room only, and the line to get in ran around the block.  Rather shy and demure, he rarely spoke but let his actions speak louder than words.

The day of his passing still to this day brings tears to my eyes, so let me just give you a glimpse of his servanthood style.  Hospice said that day would be his last, so the whole family was present in the kitchen remembering some of the funnier stories we each had of him as a dad, spouse, friend, son, and brother.  All of a sudden, we heard a thump down the hall.

Mom loved to take extended baths on Saturdays.  It was Saturday.  My dad had pulled out all the tubes, and crawled on all fours to the bathroom to run water for my mom, when thump, he slipped and fell in. A servant to the end. Later that day he passed, his hands raised and a smile on his face as if reaching for his heavenly father.

Who do You Know?

Theme:  It's Not What You Know, it's Who You Know  

Read: Matthew 28:19,20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Reflect:  When we were living in Atlanta, Pastor Andy Stanley would often say "Go and be the person God has called you to be, and as people cross paths with you, eventually there may come a time when the conversations cross paths with talking about God."  I run a local wine room, and anyone who has been in tasting with me knows I can be fairly passionate about what I know about a certain wine. Eventually, if you come often enough, (some do come every day,) I am able to leverage what I know, with who I know!

 

Everyone in our small group started through that wine room!  Now, I have to say some don't attend Eastlake Church where we go, or any other church for that matter, so for some, we are their church! We are currently going through the Right Now Media series "The Grave Robber" and the first installment was about Jesus first miracle of turning water into wine! Talk about spirited discussion, I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't turn water into "Two Buck Chuck", but rather a 100pt wine for the ages! Now here's a thought that might piss off your Baptist friends- If they ran out of wine, let's put it this way; no one was driving home. UBER would be the call, yet Jesus still made more.

 

React: Eventually, as you "go and be," God has created each of us with unique talents and strengths, and He will strategically place people in your path that need faith, hope and love, are you ready?