Thinking about Grace

I was talking to some friends yesterday about questions that bug me (in a good way) ... here are some more I found on the subject of Grace ... this came from another blog who's author is a fellow Pastor

He writes ....

In the church we like to talk about and sing about grace. But do we really believe in grace?

If we really believed in grace, we would quit acting as if everything depended upon our performance.

If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't hold people's past sins against them once they had repented.

If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't write people off as beyond redemption.

If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't be filled with pride that we are not like "them."

If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't be too proud to admit our shortcomings and struggles.

If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't be putting our trust in money, fame and power.

If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't be so consumed with anxiety and fear.

If we really believed in grace, we would be looking for the ways that God is already working among us instead of begging him to bless our grand strategies.

If we really believed in grace, other people would be able to tell by the way we live.

If we really believed in grace, we would be living lives of love, joy and peace.

If we really believed in grace, we would value people more than our theological system.

If we really believed in grace, we would be grateful for the abundant goodness that God showers upon us.

I think I believe in grace. I want to believe in grace. I need to believe in grace.

Think about it ...

Have a good day

David

A Question for you

Here is a question for you to think about.

What if for just one day Jesus was to become you?

What if He—

Wakes up in your bed
Walks in your shoes
Lives in your house
Assumes your schedule

With one exception, nothing changes — health, circumstances, schedule, problems.

He lives your life with His heart, yours gets the day off.
His priorities govern your actions.
His passions drive your decisions.
His love directs your behavior.

What would you be like?

Would people notice a change?
Family see something new?
Co-workers sense a difference?

Would you treat the less fortunate the same?
Would your friends detect more joy?
Would you your enemies receive more mercy from Christ’s heart than from yours?
Would you notice a change?

How would you feel?

What about your stress or mood swings?
Your temper?

Would you see sunsets, death, taxes differently?
Would you need fewer aspirin or sedatives?
Would you still dread what you are dreading?
Would you still do what you are doing or what you had planned for the next 24 hours?

Would anything change?

Think about it.

Have a great Day
David

Asking the Right Question

The importance of asking the right questions to get the right answers and therefore the right results is key to life. Most people ask lousy questions that cripple their results. Lousy questions turn your focus away from what you want and towards more of what you don’t want. And since we ask and answer mental questions every day, our questions wield great power over our results.

As far as the spiritual side of the equation ... I encourage you to come and hear our next sermon this Sunday (Oct 17)

Here is some idea's from a blog I read today ....

Here are some examples of weak questions vs. strong questions:

Upon waking up early

Weak: Can I fall back asleep again? Should I go back to bed?

Strong: What would be the best way to start my day? How can I energize myself? Where can I find something inspirational or motivational to read right now?

When contemplating exercise (and feeling unmotivated)

Weak: Is it too hot/cold to exercise? Can I skip it for today? What difference will it make if I just skip a day? Don’t I deserve a day off?

Strong: Won’t it feel great hitting the showers afterwards? What should I listen to while I workout? Won’t it be wonderful to achieve my fitness goals? How can I make this session more fun?

When considering a dietary improvement

Weak: What foods am I going to have to give up? How am I going to deal with the deprivation? Am I going to have to eat like this forever?

Strong: What foods that I like will I get to eat more of? What new foods can I experiment with? Won’t it be great when I reach my goal weight? Won’t it be wonderful to finally master this area of my life once and for all? Once I succeed at this, who else can I help?

Nearing the end of the workday

Weak: Have I done enough that I can justify quitting for the day? Is this a good time to stop? Can I finish this tomorrow?

Strong: What’s next? How can I complete one more task? How much more can I get done today?

When spending time with the kids

Weak: Why do I have to do so much childcare? How can I keep the kids from draining my energy this evening? What’s the bare minimum I can do to keep them out of my hair? How early can I put them to bed?

Strong: What can I do with the kids that will leave me feeling energized? What do I appreciate most about my kids? What would I enjoy doing with them this evening? What would happen if I let my kids direct how we spend our time together?

When facing an unfamiliar social situation

Weak: How can I avoid looking like an idiot? What should I talk about? How can I keep from being too nervous or shy? How did I get myself into this situation? Can I get out of going?

Strong: Won’t it be fun to meet some interesting new people? If I see someone there who’s a bit shy, what can I do to make him/her feel more comfortable? What can I expect others at this event to have in common with me?

When feeling depressed, anxious, or otherwise negative

Weak: Why do I feel so down? Why can’t I be happy? How come I never get any time to myself?

Strong: What can I do to energize myself? Who can I talk to that would help cheer me up? What can I read or listen to that would inspire me? Are these feelings trying to tell me something — should I go journal about them? How long can I hold a fake smile before it forces me to start feeling good again?

What’s the difference?

Weak questions are disempowering. They keep your focused on your own ego, your problems, and your shortcomings. Weak questions keep you focused on what’s wrong… on what isn’t working. That might seem like a good idea, but all it does is further reinforce the situation you’d like to change. Weak questions will lead your brain to come up with answers that are useless, circular, or even destructive.

Yet weak questions are addictive. At first glance they may even seem helpful, and that’s why they’re so insidious. You might think that if you’re depressed, the best thing you can do is to ask, “Why am I so depressed?” Perhaps if you could diagnose the problem, you could cure it. But it doesn’t work that way. When you’re in a negative state or situation, you aren’t thinking clearly to begin with. You’re in no position to accurately diagnose yourself. Effectively you’re blind. So the answers you get back will be worthless. At best you’ll merely come up with a temporary solution, but the underlying condition will remain, and the problem will simply submerge and crop up again later, sometimes in a different form. Asking why you’re depressed merely feeds your depression. In answering the why question, now you’ve added a story on top of your depression. That goes way beyond acknowledging your depression and trying to do something about it.

Strong questions are empowering. They keep you focused on solutions, on what you can control. When you focus on what you can do, you avoid falling into analysis paralysis. Ultimately the way out of any negative situation is right thinking. Wrong thinking leads you in circles. Right thinking leads to action.

Going back to the depression example, the first thing you need to do is to get yourself to a more positive emotional state. And with practice that can be done in a matter of minutes — even seconds if you’ve studied NLP. Strong questions will help you shift your focus away from depression and the thoughts that reinforce it and towards action. When you focus too much thought on what you can’t control and don’t like, depression is a natural consequence. When you ask different questions to focus on what you can control and what you like, depression will lift.

Mediocre results largely come about from asking mediocre questions. Great results come from asking great questions. If you don’t like the results you’re getting, try asking completely different questions from the ones you’re used to asking. Ask questions that turn your focus towards your goals instead of away from them. Ask questions that allow you to enhance the pleasure in your life instead of creating greater pain.

Have a great day

David

Break a Record today

We all have records posted in the wall of our mind ... form experiences, to actions, in many forms and fashion. Well, I would like you to break one of those records today. Which one? Well it's simple. I challenge you to go out and break the Record for the times you say THANK YOU to others.

Sometimes the simplest words of encouragement are the hardest to say, but they have huge in pack.

Many a task goes unappreciated. Many a favor goes unrecognized. But today, they will get noticed. Today they will be recognized.

Here are some suggestions to saying Thank you I picked up from a book I'm reading.

In Saying Thank You ...

* Put your sentiments in writing whenever appropriate.
* Be specific. Cite a specific moment, gift, attribute, deed. Refer to time and place. Tell what you enjoyed or Valued.
* Be timely. Don't wait until summer to write thank-you notes for gifts received in December!
* Be genuine. Don't overstate your case. Don't underplay your appreciation.

A simple "thank you" will go a long way to encourage a person and life up their day.

Go for it ... break a record.

Have a great day

David

The Compound Effect

Got this from another blog I read ... think about it!

While reading I recently encountered an idea called the principle of compound effect. The basic concept is that small but consistent habits and incremental changes add up to pay big dividends over time.

For example, putting a dollar a day into a mutual fund might not seem like a big investment. But over time, the accumulated deposits and their interest will add up to something exponentially greater than the initial investment itself.

From my experience, this principle isn’t just limited to the realm of finances or business practices. It applies to every area of life. Your work ethic. Your relationships. Your personal development. Even your walk with God.

Most people tend to take the approach of trying to make large, periodic investments in order to initiate growth in these areas. And usually because they have fallen behind. You get behind on your work, so you wake up every morning at four for a week to get caught up. Your marriage is struggling, so you go to a conference. You feel distant from God, so you rededicate your life.

Sometimes it’s necessary to do these things. But rather than having to periodically overhaul your life to make up for deficiencies, adopting the smallest daily habits might be the best path towards excellence and long-term sustainable growth. Anyone can put in a lot of work for a short amount of time to get their game back up to par. But the people who do this usually slip afterwards because they did not learn to do the small things that could have kept them up to par and moving forward the whole time.

I’ve recently challenged my staff to begin improving their areas of responsibility by just one percent every day. To be one percent better in their communication. Their efficiency. Their performance. And to then in turn challenge the people they lead to do the same.

One percent is manageable, identifiable, and attainable. And it’s a daily increase and deposit that over time will take our church to an exponentially greater level than the work we’re putting in to get there. And without us ever losing a step and having to make up ground.

In your own life, imagine what would happen if you committed to improving yourself by one percent a day every day for the next year. If you committed to improving your parenting abilities. Or the way you love and honor your spouse. Or your eating habits. Or your spiritual disciplines.

Nothing would be drastically different initially. But a year from now you would discover that you would be a completely new person.

And that’s because it’s often the smallest things done consistently that have the greatest potential to change everything.

Have a Great Day

David

How many ways can you Suffer

In preparing for this Sundays talk ... I came across this from a church in Seattle Washington ... a very good read.

The following fifteen categories of biblical suffering include both kinds of suffering that Peter mentions. Before proceeding, three items merit noting.

Some suffering will be impossible to categorize. Human life is more complex and less clear than theological categorization, so whereas this series of blog posts may be helpful, there is no way for those of us who formally or informally counsel others to correctly categorize everyone’s suffering.

The suffering of one person rarely fits into just one category. So, when counseling someone, it is often necessary to explain multiple categories of suffering

When there is widespread suffering (e.g., flood, famine), multiple, if not all, categories of suffering are in effect and are being applied to different people differently.

All of this to say, while there is no way to answer all of the questions surrounding suffering, this series of blog posts is a humble and simple introduction offered in an effort to help those who are suffering and help those who help those who are suffering.

1. Adamic Suffering – Because Adam is our first father, representative, and head, when he sinned all of us were implicated; we inherited a sin nature (Rom. 5:12–21) and were born into a fallen world (Rom. 8:18–23), so there is some suffering that is simply the result of being part of Adam’s race. Practically speaking, this means that everyone will suffer to varying degrees and in varying ways because of Adam’s sin, our sin, the sins of others, and the curse that permeates all of creation. This will remain the case until Jesus returns, removes the presence of all sin and its effects, resurrects Christians from death, and ushers in a new creation. Subsequently, Christians must accept that suffering is part of life on this side of the Kingdom; instead of questioning the existence or goodness of God, they must devote their energies to not wasting their suffering but rather using it for God’s glory, their joy, and others’ good.

2. Punishment Suffering – God judges unbelievers and punishes them for sin. Biblical examples include Sodom and Gomorrah, and God’s judgment on Pharaoh and Egypt. This kind of punishment serves many purposes. First, it reveals the justice of God. Second, it brings the work of horrendous sin to an end so that those people suffering at the hands of evildoers are given reprieve. Third, it reveals to unbelievers the urgent need to repent of sin and place their faith in God to avoid eternal punishment. Fourth, it encourages believers that God will not be mocked and that faith in him is not in vain. Lastly, God does not punish Christians in the same sense that he punishes non-Christians. This is because Jesus already paid the penalty for the sins of a Christian and therefore God would be unjust to also punish Christians. Subsequently, even though a Christian and a non-Christian may endure the same suffering, there is a different cause and consequence for each.

3. Consequential Suffering – Suffering is reaped because of foolish decisions. Examples are littered throughout Proverbs: the lazy become hungry, those who choose evil friends suffer the consequences, people who enjoy the company of adulterers sin, fools suffer harm, and poor financial stewards are not blessed by God. Practically, much of the suffering that people deal with is consequential suffering as a result of foolish life decisions. Examples of suffering from my own recent pastoral experience are largely consequential suffering. A Christian woman was dating a non-Christian and got pregnant by him and was unsure what to do. A man did not live off of a budget for many years; his home was in foreclosure, his credit cards were seized, and he found himself destitute despite the fact that he had earned over $100,000 a year for many years. Another man had eaten poorly and not exercised for many years, neglected his doctor’s counsel, and found himself in chronic pain and continual sickness with no one to blame but himself. The sad reality of consequential sin is that many people do not repent of their lifestyle sins with any sense of urgency until they have done such great damage to their own well-being and the well-being of others that they are in crisis.

4. Demonic Suffering – Because Satan is alive and at work in the world, he and the demons in his service cause very real suffering. This includes torment (Acts 5:16), physical injury (Acts 8:4–8), false miracles (2 Thess. 2:9–10), accusation (Rev. 12:10), and even death (John 8:44). Sometimes demonic suffering can be difficult to discern, and, sadly, Satan is too often blamed for seemingly all suffering so that people are not held responsible for any part they may also play in their suffering. Nonetheless, demonic suffering is real for some and therefore should not be neglected just because some people wrongly blame shift everything to Satan.

5. Victim Suffering – This is the pain endured by someone who has not sinned but rather has been sinned against. In pastoral ministry, this is a constant and heavy part of the work. Since I started Mars Hill Church in the fall of 1996, I cannot recall a week in which I have not heard about someone in our flock who was beaten, raped, molested, stolen from, cheated on, and the like. A recent example is a woman who lost her virginity at the hands of her father who raped her. All I could do was bawl my eyes out as she told me of the violence she endured. Those who are not on the front lines of ministry cannot imagine the amount of painful suffering people are carrying inside them as a result of sin committed against them and how evil evil truly is.

6. Collective Suffering – This is what happens by virtue of being part of a people who are suffering. One obvious biblical example is the Old Testament prophets’ frequent repentance of not only their own sins, but also the sins of their forefathers and nation as they lamented the suffering God had permitted to come upon them for chastisement. The truth is that we are not isolated, autonomous individuals. We are born into this world as members of families, nations, and cultures. Subsequently, some suffering is experienced simply because of who your family is or what your nation is. Practical examples in our day would be Christian children born into nations and cultures hostile to the gospel; they will suffer by virtue of their parents’ devotion to Jesus in a place opposed to him. Likewise, those born into poverty, famine, hardship, war, conflict, and the like experience suffering simply because of where and when they were born.

7. Apocalyptic Suffering – This is increased suffering that signals the end of this age. Examples include the prophecies of the Old Testament (e.g., Isaiah 24–27; Jeremiah 30–33; Ezekiel 33–48; Daniel 2–12; Zechariah 12–14) and Jesus (Matthew 24–25; Mark 13). While we do not know when the end of this age will be, or when Jesus will return, we do know that Christians living in that season will suffer greatly as a result of their devotion to the forward progress of the gospel of Jesus Christ. While we should not live in fear of this future, nor seek to predict its timing, these sections of Scripture will serve as a particularly helpful guide when they are needed most.

8. Disciplinary Suffering – God chastens believers in order to mature them. Examples can be found in such places as Proverbs (3:11; 13:24; 15:5), the prophets (Zeph. 3:7), and the New Testament (Heb. 12:7). The Scriptures are clear that this kind of disciplinary suffering comes from God who loves us and operates in a way that is akin to an honorable father who corrects and matures his children. While this kind of suffering is not pleasant at the time, later we see the effects of God’s work and thank him for loving us so much that he continually works for our growth in holiness and fruitfulness.

9. Vicarious Suffering – Servants of God suffer because the ungodly oppose them. Examples include the Old Testament prophets, the New Testament apostles, the Christians who received 1 and 2 Peter, and Jesus Christ. This kind of suffering is sometimes physical, but more often verbal. Physical suffering causes some to painfully die for Christ, whereas those who experience verbal suffering painfully live for Christ as they are maligned, lied about, falsely accused, mocked, and harassed.

10. Empathetic Suffering – This is the suffering that comes when someone we love is hurting. The Bible says this will be common in the church (Rom. 12:15; 2 Cor. 2:4). As I write this, one particular woman comes to mind. She is home recovering from her roughly tenth major surgery and is bedridden for the next month after years of debilitating pain. She loves Jesus, loves her husband, loves her children, and serves others faithfully. Because my wife, Grace, and I are close friends of hers, we are both heavy hearted and in frequent prayer for her and her family.

11. Testimonial Suffering – This is suffering that tests and proves a believer’s faith, thereby confirming to them they are true believers, strengthening fellow Christians, and serving as an evangelistic testimony to unbelievers. Examples include the list of faith in Hebrews 11 and the recipients of 1 and 2 Peter. One practical example comes from the Acts 29 church planting network of which Mars Hill is a part. A church planter felt called by God to begin a new church in a poor and historically dangerous urban neighborhood. Upon moving into the neighborhood, he and his family were threatened with violence. As they planted the church, their home and property were vandalized. As their church was established and started growing, someone put a rag in the gas tank of their vehicle parked in front of their home and set it on fire. God in his grace woke up the pastor so that he was able to pull the rag from his vehicle before it exploded, perhaps even killing his family. Rather than moving, he and his family continue to reach that neighborhood and their church is growing both in breadth and depth.

12. Revelation Suffering – Some suffering is a demonstration of the gospel so that a deeper appreciation and understanding of Jesus Christ occurs. The classic example is Hosea’s marriage to Gomer. This kind of suffering is very rare, but real nonetheless.

13. Doxological Suffering – This suffering is not because of sin, but rather is to teach a lesson about God so that worship of him would increase. Examples include Joseph’s imprisonment in Egypt and the man born blind in John 9:1–3. The truth is that God can have more purposes for allowing some suffering than can be easily discerned at first glance. Over time, God’s purposes for some suffering become clearer to those who suspend judgment while waiting in faith for God to use it for his glory and our good.

14. Preventative Suffering – Sometimes suffering warns us of greater suffering that will happen if we do not heed the warnings God is giving us. Examples include the common grace gift of physical pain that God gives us to warn us that we are in danger, as C.S. Lewis wrote about often. This kind of suffering is indicative of the very loving nature of God, who created humanity and our world in such a way so as to permit us lesser degrees of pain (e.g., an ache in our side) in order to warn us of greater degrees of pain (e.g., a burst appendix).

15. Mysterious Suffering – There is suffering that we simply do not know the details about because God, in his providence, has chosen not to reveal them to us; as Scripture says, we know in part. Job is the most obvious example of this kind of suffering because during his suffering he was unaware of what was occurring between God and Satan. I believe that this category is incredibly important because, if we are humble and honest, the truth is that life is not as clear as the taxonomy of suffering that constitutes this series of blog posts. As one example, my wife, Grace, and I are close friends with a couple who are new Christians and wonderful parents. They desperately wanted to have more children. After suffering multiple miscarriages, the wife called me one day, weeping heavily, and asked, “Why does God kill our babies?” My heart broke for her. I was empathetic to the pain she was suffering because when Grace and I suffered a miscarriage some years ago, I was devastated, and I still choke up if I ponder that loss. I told her that I was unsure what category of suffering she was enduring because in a fallen and cursed world, there is some suffering about which God alone has an objective perspective, while the rest of us have only varying degrees of clarity. I prayed for her, tried not to give a trite or simplistic answer, assured her that God is good, and quoted 1 Corinthians 13:12, which says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” When we do not know the answer, the most loving and honest thing we can tell a suffering person is that what we do know is that they need God and we love them, are sorry, grieve with them, and will walk with them.

Something to think about!

Have a great day

David

Things that deepen our Relationship with Christ and includes others


Here are some questions I will be asking our leadership tonight.

1. What did I learn in God’s word this week?
Did you write it down?
Who did you tell?

2. Is my burden for prayer growing or diminishing?
Notice it said burden first
A burden that is not acted on is buried.

3. Does my heart break for the things that break the heart of God?
Does God’s heart break for the same things in every city
What about your city, what are the top three things in our area?

4. Have I grown accustomed to or accepted sin in my life?
Sin must be seen before we do something about it.
Without others inputting into our lives …acceptance will be easy

5. Am I doing ministry out of an overflow of God’s work in my heart or out of my own strength?
Our change will bring change in others.
Are we at a point that there is no other way it will happen without Him?

6. Has my leadership and ministry deepened, changed, or evolved in a positive way in the last year?
Without attention to details, change will not happen
Outside influences helps as well.

7. Do I have a sincere peace that I’m living an authentic life of spiritual integrity?
Peace is when things look the same in the entrance way as it does in the closet.
Who sees that peace?

8. Is my heart growing larger for people and God or is it shrinking?
Larger doesn’t always mean more time.
Larger does mean more people will see the heart of God in us.

9. Am I closer to God today than I was a year ago?
What does “closer” mean to you? …define it and go for it.
Who see’s the growth?

10. Do others comment that they can clearly see evidence of God’s work in my life?
Are these people outsiders or insiders?
Most the time it’s dealing with dirt when others see it clearly.

Talk among yourselves

Have a great day

David