I'm No Different

I read the account of Jesus' trial in Matthew 27 this morning and some thoughts occurred to me. Judas had remorse; do I? It's easy for us to think we would have stood with Jesus; We would not have run; We would not have yelled, "Crucify!"; But we did. Jesus, Creator of all that is, endured rejection, humiliation, pain, and separation from God for the first time in eternity because of me. He died for me so I could live. I was Judas, the High Priests, The Governor, the crowd, the soldier; no different in my flesh than these. God created us and died for us so we could spend eternity with Him. What a gift. With all the excitement Easter brings in the home, let me encourage you to remind your family that it is about the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant. We are who we are because of what Jesus did.

21 Steps

We had the privilege to spend the last week in Washington D.C. It is an amazing place. We were there to receive our new granddaughter. She is a dandy. Debi and I look forward to see how God will use her for His Kingdom’s work. While we were there we had a chance to see much of the city. One of the most impressive things we observed was the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, these special men pay honor to those who have given their lives for our freedom by standing watch over this tomb. Each guard takes 21 steps, turns and faces the tomb for 21 seconds, turns and shoulders his weapon away from the tomb for 21 seconds then takes 21 steps to the other side and repeats the process. These guardsare ever vigilant, always watching, never resting.
This is what we do with our children. We stand guard over their hearts, ever vigilant, always watching, never resting. They need us to do this. They need a guard to help them maneuver the pitfalls of life. They need a guard who will help them when they fail to discover failure is not the end, but usually the beginning of a good thing. They need a guard who will never rest when it comes to them knowing who God is and the plan He has for their lives. That guard is you. 21 steps, turn, wait, turn, 21 steps and repeat the process. Your children are depending on your vigilance. Be their guard.

In just a few days, our family will be welcoming a new member. Her name is EllaGrace, a three year old beauty. When she was two-and-a-half, she was abandoned in a large city in Ethiopia. Through the miracle of grace, she was found and taken to an orphanage. Over a year ago, our daughter and son-in-law started the process to adopt an orphan from Ethiopia. In three days, this little cast out will be given to a family who will love her deeply and share the opportunity of life. Grace and love in action.
Isn't this the way Jesus accepted us? We were orphaned, without hope, with no family. We were taken in, saved from our life of flesh, and given a new home and family; a family that loves us deeply and has given us the gift of life. Grace and love in action.
The family is God's plan for sharing His love and plan for all people. The new family of EllaGrace will pas this on to her. Let me encourage you to pass this on to your children, not only in word, but in how you live life.

Just Do It

This past Sunday, Kids Quest began its 40 Day Study on Worship. We looked at the Ark of the Covenant, how it was to be made, and what was placed inside. Our Bottom Line for the week is, "I should do what God asks me to do." That sounds like a good thing. It sounds easy enough to do; just follow His instructions.
I don't know about you, but I fail at this from time to time through an action, an inaction, or a thought not kept in check. Like Paul, I want to please God with my life, but there are times I do the things I don't want to do. It's in these times that I am reminded I need to be spending more time with God and more time in His Word. Will this help me be perfect? By no means. Will this help me live a life that is more pleasing to Him? By all means. I simply need to do what God asks me to do. He desires, above all other things, relationship with me and you.
Let me encourage you to spend time this week with God and your children. This could be at meal time, before the day gets going, or right before bed. Children will learn the importance of relationship with God and doing what He asks them to do as they see it modeled by mom and dad. That sounds like a thing we can all do.

It's A Good Thing?

During the month of January we will be looking at the virtue of Discipline – Doing what you need to do now so you can grow stronger. The word ‘Discipline’ often brings images to the mind that are negative, but discipline can be a good thing. There are disciplines, if we will value them, that will help all of us grow in our faith. This month in Kids Quest we will be sharing about the disciplines of reading the Bible, memorizing Scripture, prayer, and sharing our faith. These will be good studies for families to work on each week as well. I hope you are finding value in the God Time Cards and Refrigerator Door Cards your child receives each Sunday. These materials contain information that can aid you as you help your child discover Spiritual disciplines that will help him grow stronger each and every day. May this be a great start to a great 2010.

I'm In

I love this time of year, especially living in a part of the country that actually gets cold during Christmas. I hope you have Christmas traditions with your children. One of our traditions is to read the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke 2 on Christmas Eve. However, there in a passage in Luke 1 that always amazes me. I have discussed this with a few people recently. When Gabriel visits teenage Mary and shares all that will be happening, she does not understand it all but does not hesitate to say, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” In today’s jargon Mary was saying, “I don’t get it all, but I’m in.” She didn’t encourage Gabriel to look for a better candidate; she didn’t make excuses; she simply trusted God and was willing to be used by Him for His great purpose.
There have been times in my life when God has asked a thing of me, and my response was not a Mary response. I have tried to find excuses. I have tried to get someone else to do it. But here’s the thing, when God makes a request, we need to be ready to respond like Mary did, “I don’t understand it all, but I’m in.” That’s the person I want to become. More and more, when God makes a request of me I want to be the kind of believer that does not respond in any other way than to say, I’m in.” How about you?

For Us?

The Holiday Season is in full swing. I hope your Thanksgiving was a great one. As we approach Christmas, I sometimes get caught in the tension of trying to slow down, reflect, and be thankful for all God has provided in Christ and the need to visit people and complete the shopping. I love the season and being with family; I am not so much about the business of shopping and running around. Okay, I feel better.
During the month of December our focus in Kids Quest will be Compassion – caring enough to do something about someone else’s need. This is a great study for the month of December, and will help us all stay focused on why we celebrate. God sending Jesus to live with us, so he could die for us was the ultimate act of compassion. God saw our need and cared enough to do something about it. What a gift.
One way we are showing compassion as a church is through the Open Table food pantry we are starting. I hope you will be able to participate as a family. You can learn more about this ministry at gracepoint.cc/opentable.
I wish your family a Very Merry Christmas. May it be a great celebration of life and joy in the Savior.