April 22, 2017

When you are flying at 500 mph and at 35,000 feet hitting turbulence can be a problem. You see the seat belt sign go on and you hear the announcement from the captain hoping it won't be too bad and it won't last too long.

In addition to the problem of turbulence there is the premise that you don't have to be on a plane to encounter turbulence. Life can be filled with turbulence, too. The fasten seat belt sign comes on regularly in everyday life. So, since turbulence is a very real part of life, you'd better learn how to handle it.

In Philippians 4:6, Paul, writing from prison while being chained to a prison guard wrote to the Philippians telling them to pray when life became turbulent and they could find peace from God.

"But, Brad, I am praying!" you say. 

"I have been praying hard for a long time and nothing is changed! I have no peace!"

Here's what Paul says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

I want you to know this is no casual "now I lay me down to sleep" type of prayer. Nor is it a 9-1-1 prayer, "God save me from this turbulence" or "God please turn off the seat belt sign". 

The prayer Paul is prescribing is an intense prayer that seeks to get to the root of what causes you to react with fear when your life hits turbulence. For Paul knows that somewhere in that fear is the deepest desire that God longs to meet when you recognize it and "present your request to God". We used to call it "praying through".

Nobody like the seat belt light to come on during a flight. Turbulence takes away the fun of flying and replaces it with fear. But there is something about fear that can focus you and cause you to sort through the emotions and with the help of the Holy Spirit identify what it really is you need from God so you can encounter His grace at a deeper more meaningful level!

God can help you fly through turbulence! Fasten your seat belt and pray - REALLY pray! Pray through!

April 21, 2017

Once you have experienced turbulence on a flight your attitude toward flying will change. You may choose to never fly again or fly only when absolutely necessary and then take something that will numb your anxiety.

But what if you are a frequent flyer?

What if you have a career that requires you to fly regularly?

People who must fly frequently must learn to make peace with turbulence. They may never enjoy it but they must find a way to cope with it.

You may remind yourself of how safe modern aircraft are with all their technology and back-up systems. The aircraft is designed to withstand violent periods of turbulent air. And you calm yourself in the knowledge that the captain is highly trained and has safely flown thousands of hours. You recall all the other times you flew through turbulence and every time you survived. Then you buckle yourself tightly in your seat and hope for the best.

The truth is life is filled with turbulence. Especially in all the pressures and perils of modern day living. And if you are a Christ-follower and if you are doing faith right you will find yourself on a bumpy ride and you must make peace with that reality.

Perhaps you are flying through some turbulence right now. Well, the good news is you can trust your Pilot and you can buckle yourself securely into His peace.

Remind yourself that all forty writers of the Bible wrote sixty-six inspired books in the midst of personal and often national turbulence. And everyone of them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote to people who were experiencing turbulence in their lives.

The entire Bible is written to help you learn to live in peace in the midst of turbulence!

Perhaps no one faced more rough air than the Apostle Paul and he was in a Roman prison chained to a Roman prison guard when he wrote these words to the Christians at Philippi:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." Philippians 4:4-5

Like the frequent flyer, remind yourself Who your Pilot is and rejoice that you are IN HIM and He is IN YOU in the midst of your turbulence.

Not only are you IN HIM and He is IN YOU but He is in control! He is at the controls of your life AND of the turbulence! If anyone knew that for sure it was Paul!

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."

"Gentleness" refers to a heart that is at peace and confident in God. Gentleness is a steady demeanor that reflects the firmness of your faith. There is no sign of panic or distress as the turbulence bounces and buffets your life.

"Gentleness" is consistent with the attitude of rejoicing in the Lord and knowing the "Lord is near". 

That statement is rich in meaning. It refers to His presence and it refers to His power and it is a promise that this turbulent ride is actually taking you some where good!

So, although life is filled with turbulence and there will be more rough air than calm air in your journey, you have plenty of resources to handle it!

You can fly without fear and even learn to enjoy the ride!

Stay tuned for more help in finding peace amid the turbulence of life!

April 20, 2017

There are three times in a commercial airliner that the "Fasten Seat Belt Sign" comes on:

• At take off
• Upon landing

When there is turbulence

When I am flying I don't mind the seat belt sign on being during take off. I am so used to putting my seal belt on every time I climb into my car buckling up that it's second nature on a plane. 

And of course, when the plane is landing it makes sense to be snuggling buckled in. Actually, if I am on a short flight or a connecting flight I usually stay belted into my seat.

But I, like every other flyer, am not thrilled when the sign comes on with the announcement from a flight attendant or from the flight deck, "The captain has turned on the "Fasten Seat Belt Sign" because we will be flying into some rough air."

No one likes turbulence. And when you see that sign and hear that announcement you begin to wonder who bad it will be and how long it might last. Suddenly you remember that you are packed into a narrow metal tube that is hurtling through space at 500 miles per hour 35,000 feet above the ground and whatever happens is totally beyond your control. 

That is scary!

Except for the 500 mph and the 35,000 feet altitude, life is filled with turbulent moments. You may be in the middle of rough air right now and you are hoping to buckle yourself to something stable. Life is very scary and you have no idea how long it might last.

Perhaps you are not experiencing turbulence right now but the seat belt light is blinking. Your boss has been cutting back your hours at work and he seems to be avoiding you. Or, you lost your job, you haven't had an interview despite sending dozens of resumes and your savings are dwindling. Maybe you have been getting strange vibes from your husband and he seems a bit distant lately. Perhaps your teen-age daughter seems distracted and has apparently loss interest in long-time friends. There is a bad feeling deep in your gut that something painful is on the horizon.

The Apostle Paul, who lived a very turbulent life during turbulent times wrote from prison to Christians living under the reign of the sadistic Emperor Nero. Persecution was ramping up throughout the Roman Empire and no one knew how long it would last or how much worse it would get.

It was in these troubling circumstances Paul wrote this encouragement to the Church at Philippi:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Seriously, Paul?

Rejoice when life is tossing me around like a rag doll and it could get worse before it gets better? And there is no indication it will ever get better so you say, "Rejoice?"

How?

Remember Paul is writing this from prison while chained to a Roman guard, so he may be someone you want to listen to. So, listen!

"Rejoice IN the Lord" or rejoice that you are in the Lord! If you are going to be in turbulence don't you want to be IN turbulence IN the Lord?

Would you rather be in turbulence without Him?

I didn't think so.

So, get it now? You can rejoice because you and IN the Lord not because you are in the turbulence.

I say it again, "Rejoice (IN the Lord)!"

April 19, 2017

"About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.  He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”  “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven."  Acts 10:9-16

God was preparing Peter to help an entire new group of people belong to the Faith and particularly, the Church.

Belonging is a very important and necessary thing for everyone. It is essential to the human psyche and soul. The breakdown of the family over the past several generations has only intensified that need.

What is involved in belonging? What needs to happen in order to feel like you belong?

There is a "Me" aspect to belonging and there is a "We" aspect to it. Belonging involves acceptance but it also involves commitment. Here is how it works:

Obviously, you or I cannot belong to something unless we are accepted into that group by the members. Acceptance is a warm welcome. Acceptance is permission to enter the group. You can't really be part of a group until the group allows you to join it.

Of all the groups that are available for people to belong to, a local church should be among the most welcoming. Anyone who comes to worship at a local church should find an immediate and sincere acceptance from the members of that body. No one should ever leave a worship service with the feeling they were not accepted.

Acceptance is essential but it is not enough. No matter how accepting a group is and regardless of how warm the welcome, a person doesn't belong until he is willing to commit to belonging and submit to its ways.

If you were to read on to the "rest of the story" followings Peter's vision of the clean and unclean animals you will see that Peter did extend acceptance to Cornelius and his family as God commanded. That obedience and acceptance allowed God's Spirit to work in a powerful way. But, then it became incumbent on Cornelius and the other Gentiles to respond with a commitment. Acts records that they did! They believed and were baptized and as a result, truly belonged to the Faith and the Church!

Acceptance is the role of the "We" in belonging and that acceptance should be as sincere as possible. But in order to belong, there must be a commitment made to the "We" by the "Me".

In my considerable experience in local churches, those who struggle to belong struggle as a result of a "Me" problem rather than the "We" problem. If you are not willing to commit and to submit to the group you will have trouble belonging.

Does that make sense?

April 18, 2017

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"  John 11:25-26

This is quite a claim made by Jesus! Very confident and quite comforting!

If you will live and believe in Jesus, and if you allow Him to live in you by faith, you will never die!

However, there ARE several things that WILL die when you die and I feel compelled to point those out.

When you die, suffering dies. The moment you slip away from your earthly body and into eternity with Jesus - your suffering is over! Forever!

When you die, sorrow dies. At your last breath in this life, you are done with sorrow! Once your spirit enters into the presence of God there will be only joy! Sadness has no place in Heaven! You will shed no more tears. You will know no more heartbreak!

When you die, sin dies. If you die in Christ and enter into His paradise you will enter a safe, secure, sin-free environment. Not only will you be free from sin but you will not have to deal with temptation either!

So, you see, death is final - final for the things that are not worthy of God or right for eternity!

As we wrap up the Easter season I just wanted to remind you of a few reasons why it is the pivotal event in all of human history! You will never die, but all the things that make your life difficult or painful will die!

He's alive! You will live! 

Your heart-ache and hardships won't! 

Your crises and crosses will become crowns!

April 17, 2017

"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins" 1 Corinthians 15:17

The Resurrection is reason for rejoicing because the fear of death is gone!

Also, the Resurrection is reason for rejoicing because the freedom of forgiveness is come!

When you wrong another person you make yourself indebted to them because you must right the wrong.  The more important the relationship the heavier will be the sense of indebtedness. That's why three of the most comforting words in the English language are "I forgive you". 

Jesus went to the cross on Good Friday to provide payment for a massive debt. But it wasn't a debt He owed it was a debt owed by you and me for our selfishness and disobedience against God! Your debt against a holy loving God resulted in feelings of guilt, shame, regret, and condemnation in your spirit. This debt was too great for you to ever pay and in fact, you continued running up the debt.

On the cross, Jesus paid a debt He didn't owe and a debt that only He could pay so you can be freed from the haunting feelings of shame and guilt and condemnation!

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."  Romans 8:1-3

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8

That is a reason enough for rejoicing, but it is not the only reason! It gets better!

Not only did Jesus die to pay the price and take the penalty for your sins, but He rose from the dead to prove His power and authority over sin and death! So not can you know His forgiveness you can know the Forgiver!

Rejoice that fear has gone!

Rejoice that forgiveness has come!

April 16, 2017

"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."… Matthew 28:5-7

The glorious news of Easter is that Jesus is alive and that makes all the difference in the world!

A Muslim in Africa became a Christian which is extremely dangerous  and even fatal in Muslim countries. One of his friends asked him, “Why have you done such a thing?” He answered, “Well, its like this: Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions. You didn’t know which way to go; and there at the fork were two men—one dead, and one alive—which one would you ask to show you the way?”

The glorious news of Easter is that Jesus is alive! He arose from the dead and that makes all the difference in the world!

Max Lucado, in his book, “Six Hours One Friday,” tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily. 

A hospital was not too terribly far away — across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed the river was inhabited by evil spirits. And to enter its water would mean certain death. 

The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and; was unharmed. But they were not impressed. He then took them to the bank and; placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn't go in. He walked into the water up to his waist and; splashed water on his face. It didn't matter. They were still afraid to enter the river. 

Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He raised a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water and; escaped. It was then that the Indians broke into a cheer and; followed him across.

Isn't that what Jesus did? He entered the river of death and; came out on the other side so that we might no longer fear death, but find eternal life in Him.

The glorious news of Easter is that Jesus died for our sins and arose on the third day! He is alive for ever more and that makes all the difference in the world!

On Feb. 27, 1991, it was the height of the Desert Storm War. A woman by the name of Ruth Dillow received the worst news that a mom could ever receive. Her son, Clayton Carpenter, Private, First Class, had stepped on a land mine in the Persian Gulf and he was . For the next three days she grieved the loss of her son, and although people tried to comfort her, there just isn’t any comfort that can comfort the grieving mom – no words that can be whispered. Three days after the notification of the of her son, the phone rang. She picked up the phone, and on the other end of the line there was a voice that said, “Mom, it’s me. I’m alive.” She didn’t believe it. She thought it was some kind of cruel joke and as he continued to speak, she recognized his voice. Her son was alive She said she laughed, cried, she rejoiced – what seemed like a hopeless situation was radically transformed into the greatest day of her life. That’s what news from a graveyard can do Today, I’d like you to know that there is still hope from an empty tomb.

He is alive! 

Rejoice in the hope Easter Sunday provides for you!