Welcome

If you have stumbled here by accident let me first insist that there really are no accidents in life. If however, you came on your own free will then please by all means open your hearts and your minds to the "New Wine" that God has prepared for you!

Friday, December 24, 2010

The Fatal Christmas Letter

In the weeks before Christmas many of you begin composing your annual Christmas letters. These warm reminders of our friend's successes for the past calendar  year usually land for a short stay scotched taped to a kitchen window or refrigerator door. My wife and I have noticed over the years that many of these letters come complete with neon smiles and anecdotes about how well Little Johnny is doing at Harvard, descriptions of his new BMW and how his name made it to the top of the "Dean's" list. But the real truth is what they lack, as they seldom relate the tragedy that stricken and strikes all of us in our daily lives. Rarely is there a note that there has been a calm passing of an elderly family member. Pain and suffering is conspicuously absent from their prose. The bright, white light that pours out of these envelopes upon opening them requires one to dawn  sunglasses before succumbing to total blindness. These sugar coated, cotton candied telegrams of praise often seem to lack a warning label on their exteriors  that the  contents is dangerous and miss leading. So in the hopes of redeeming this annual tradition I have been wanting to write my own Fatal Christmas Letter. And  maybe while you may  insist that I am writing out of jealousy  and envy I must endeavor to  pen this dark Christmas Greeting in the hopes that you find this fictitious family worse off than you. The following words while being completely manufactured may indeed reflect many real life American hardships and struggles. In the words that follow you might see something familiar or see some truth that you would  never read  in your typical  Christmas letter. Truth that  is often covered up with a band-aid, whitewashed or swept under the rug in the hopes that the New Year will bring something real, tangible and different like our answered prayers for new hope and happiness.

Dear Smiths,
Hello? Is anyone out there? Thank the Lord 2010 has come to a final end...
Our electricity was turned off a couple of months ago. The bone chilling cold has aggravated my rheumatoid arthritis crippling my fingers making it extremely difficult to hold this ink quill and so I'll need to make this short. From deep within our misery living in Hell Bound, Minnesota where we daily scratch off the days  while we await to see if indeed there is still a sun in the heavens that may  one day come back and thaw the ice off our living room walls.

Fred continues on in his third straight year of unemployment after losing his job at the seven-eleven due to a shoplifting conviction. The addition of the sexual harassment allegation did not help his case any which by the way is still tied up in court. Lately, most of his time is  spent  by using what little change he gets from recycling, on liquor down at Moe's Bar. On another note he was arrested outside Moe's last week for indecent exposure and is patiently waiting his trail in his cell in the Hell Bound Municipal Jail.

I myself continue  battling severe depression. The fumes from the neighboring formaldehyde factory which waft over and into the house seem to be helping  my bi-polar condition but also make me slightly dizzy. At least with Fred being incarcerated the daily beatings he'd been inflicting on me have stopped which is allowing the bruises on my face to heal. The local power Company  HBG&E has declared eminent domain on the back 25 feet of our property and will begin construction of their Hell Bound Power Link on Monday. I was wondering why they just don't work at night instead of snarling traffic all day long? They reassured us that the 100,000,00 gigawatt, coal-oil powered transmission line only caused nausea in small laboratory animals and did not seem to affect the 3 human test subjects who passed away last Friday. HBG&E construction crews have completely shut down the main road through our town so I guess there is no need to open the doors to our mortuary allowing us some much needed rest.

Little Johnny is recovering from his heroin addiction at the local methadone treatment center and is showing some signs of coming out of his coma.  Caroline has taken over his paper route for the last twelve weeks so she has been unable to finish her studies at Gene Simmons Elementary School. Our teenage twins Mick and Mandy have landed jobs with a travelling carnival company called "Dire Straights" and are currently cleaning up after the elephants in the show. Although we have not received any correspondence with them in several months? But at 15 years of age what can you expect?  Karl had to pawn his guitar last week in order to keep the cable satellite Internet going and pay for his tobacco habit. Needless to say he wont be playing down at Moe's tavern any longer. Molly was a singer in the band. Baby Ellie is showing signs that her two month old cold and congestion is clearing so I guess we wont need the blanket donations we received last month from the Salvation Army. Finally, some good news...We all had a warm night on Thanksgiving snuggled together in the Hell Bound Urgent Care Center. Eddie got twelve stitches in his right cheek from a freak accident he received while protesting against HBG&E's new power link. I really believe the nice HBG&E employee just did not see little Eddie standing there as he was wielding his kamas, nunchakus and Samurai katana sword. Merry Christmas, Be warm and be filled.








 

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Voyage of The Dawn Treader

     C.S. Lewis's  The Voyage of The Dawn Treader premiered Friday December 10th. It is a five star, five popcorn movie to be sure! Fox 2000 Pictures and Walden Media are getting my props for their superb production, special effects and their casting of the actor  who played Eustace Scrubb. Please support their wonderful efforts by not going to see it just once but again and again and again.

     There is one scene from the film where Lucy, who is now 15 years old, verbalizes an incantation to enable her appearance  to change into the woman she most admires. Lucy is now transformed through this magic and the aid of a mirror into the image of her older sister, Susan. What Lucy desired was to grow up and become someone else than who God had meant her to be. Have you ever wanted to become someone else? Have you ever attempted to become that person at any risk or at any cost to your family or friends? The mirror image of Susan begins to fade back into Lucy once again as Aslan, the great Lion, appears in an ethereal wisp of a ghost. Aslan asks Lucy, "Lucy, what have you done child?". Because when she turned into Susan, Lucy ceased to exist and never had been born. Which meant she never would have discovered the wardrobe and the magical land of Narnia in the first place. We all have a purpose in life but  the trick is to find out what our purpose is?

     I remember a similar figure in a garden many years ago asking Adam and Eve the same type of question "Adam, where are you? Why are you hiding?". When we miss God's mark for our lives, we fall short. To use an archery term we "sin" and miss the target with our arrow. God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. He exists as perfection  in all His ways from everlasting to everlasting. Our first reaction when we blow it is to cover it up or hide our mistake from everyone. I say we need to start admitting when we are wrong, when we fail, except the consequences by pulling up our bootstraps and moving forward. It is much simpler to do the job right the first time rather than having to re-think or re-do.

     Watching the movie was a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. I absolutely loved this film! It is a film you can take the whole family to see. My personal belief is that we need to send a positive message to Hollywood. By showing support and spending our dollars to go see The Voyage of The Dawn Treader we are  sending the message that they need to produce more movies of this kind. More movies of this kind  would leave a lasting mark on the film industry and have such a positive effect on our society. There are already  too many slasher, hateful and violent movies playing on the world screens. All you have to do is to turn on your TV and just watch your evening news channel to get your fill of reality. The world could use more messages of a positive kind. Messages of hope, joy, peace and love! What we need to hear is  the good news that there is still hope for the world in which we live. 

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Turning Over The Tables

     I love Jesus. I love Jesus because He did not put up with the religious leaders of His day. No, I know what you are thinking that I missed the whole salvation thing, the power in His blood, His death and more importantly His resurrection. But I love Jesus because He was a real man. Worldly men, in this life, crave power and I believe live in such a way that they continue to lust after it. Even many so-called religious leaders today also lust after and wield power in their feeble attempt to keep God holy. As if God needs any help with that?

    There is nothing new under the sun. Footnote here, I owe  king Solomon for that one liner,because he nailed it. If we were to time travel back to the days when Jesus was growing up in Israel, we would see some all to familiar scams. Some of the religious leaders were making large profits off God's requirements that were contained in the law. Basically, it worked like this. Man is sinful, in fact our hearts are desperately wicked with no hope of redemption on our own merit. So these Rabi's, scribes and other powerful men with religious titles had figured out how to make money in the Temple. Once every calendar year it was required for all practicing Jews to come and sacrifice a lamb to atone for their sins. In the book of Leviticus we find all the rules and regulations for these sacrifices. One rule was that the sacrificial  lamb had to be without spot or blemish so you would have to find and pay someone in the Temple employment  to inspect your offering.

    I kinda think it must have been like haggling with a used car salesman on the car lot or maybe it was like an over zealous cop who pulls you over and wants to give you a ticket to up his quota for the day. This religious person or maybe priest would 99.9% of the time find a blemish and turn down your offering. However, I imagine the conversation went something like this..."Come right this way, Mr. Jacob, please look over here we have some very nice year old lambs. Fed with only the best feed and who were raised to have only the purest, snow white wool and at such a bargain today! For you, Mr. Jacob, 30 pieces of temple currency"  Says the half shaved, dirty temple shepherd  while scratching himself. "Whats that? you don't have temple currency? Mr. Jacob, well that's really not a problem my brother Chaim over here will trade your Roman coins for Temple coins at a very low  10 to 1 exchange rate step right over here and we will get you clean in God's eyes". The temple lamb probably constituted all the other rejected lambs left behind by all the Israelite travelers.

    Do you see why I love Jesus? Jesus  was the The Lamb of God who was without spot or blemish! Jesus offered His life for us on a Roman cross at no cost and while we were yet sinners. Friends, salvation is a gift from God. Praise be to Him.
  
   You cant fleece the flock of God and continue in it for very long! God will be satisfied. But that is what some churches are doing today , fleecing the flock. The fleecing comes in different ways wearing many disguises. Jesus said, you can tell what kind of tree you have by the fruit it bears. When a large portion of church revenue goes back into peoples lives who  need help, that is when God is satisfied. Its hard to find fault when missionaries are digging water wells in a hot, dry village in Africa! Or a team of Southern Californians go down into Peru to bring medical supplies that they purchased with their own money to freely give to the native Indians living in the mountains. That is what having a heart like Jesus is all about.  But woe to the churches who have a false front, the pastor has his name on a parking space and rarely acts like a servant at all! Can he be seen picking up trash on the church grounds or unclogging a bathroom toilet? In fact, if the pastor has become too important to serve maybe he should step down from the pulpit?
    Jesus on the very night before He would give up His life looked forward to celebrating the Passover meal with His disciples. Remember Jesus is our Passover Lamb. As they lay on the floor reclining before the Passover meal an argument arose among all the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. I wonder if that has ever happened in any of our present day churches? So our Lord, Jesus, stopped what He was doing, girded His loins with a towel and  filled a basin with water. He then, starting with the closest man to Him, bent down and gently washed all of their feet one after another. Do you see why I love Jesus? Jesus showed us by His example how to be great in God's kingdom by serving others, putting others first. So you wanna be great in God's kingdom then start by washing someones feet.

   
  

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Refuge: Island of Misfit Toys

     I love the Christmas season! With all the food, colors and smells that remind us our  get-togethers with friends and family are right around the corner. As a kid I couldn't wait for all the Christmas decorations and bright, colorful lights to start popping up on the houses in my neighborhood. My favorite television shows  like "Its a Wonderful Life", "Its Christmas Charlie Brown!" and "Frosty the Snowman" would be scheduled into the seasonal, weekly programming. Do you all remember the TV movie "Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer"?  There is one scene from the movie where the three of characters run away from Santa's Village to the island of misfit toys. They didn't  fit into Santa's Village because they were all thought to be flawed in some way. For example, the rest of Santa's reindeer laughed at and made fun of Rudolf's red nose, remember it even glowed! And there was the elf, who didn't want to make toys but rather wanted to become a dentist. Bringing up the rear was a burly, gold miner who couldn't seem to locate the allusive mineral any time he landed his pick in the snow and ice.

    Have you ever felt like you don't fit in somewhere? Maybe at church? When all the people around you seemed connected, engaged, smiling and enjoying fellowship while you are just sitting there unnoticed, another broken toy destined for the island of misfits. I know that feeling, its a very ugly feeling especially when its coming from people who are calling themselves Christians. Ergo, I didn't feel like going to church, would you?

    So in our script our actors end up after a long, cold boat ride on the island of the misfit toys. The island becomes a sanctuary for toys that are not functioning as they were once designed. For example, the Jack in the Box doesn't open when the crank is turned, the doll has lost a button eye, the remote control plane cant fly and the locomotive has no whistle. So while our three friends successfully reach their destination, the island of misfit toys, they quickly realize that they are not as bad off as the rest of the broken toys around them. But they were just made in a different way with special gifts and talents. After their epiphany they can now start their return trip back to Santa's Village to help their friends.

   Its really sad to think about how many people who come to church just to "fit in" don't end up actually doing that? In fact they don't even get a "hello" or a handshake? They were probably motivated  by loneliness and were just waiting for someone to notice them sitting there...but nobody did. And they often leave feeling worse than when they first walked into the building.

   Refuge means: shelter or protection from danger or distress. A place of protection. We are all refugees, and we need a shelter from all the garbage that exists in this world. My refuge is God. He supplies all my needs. I want to not only welcome people to the safety of God's protection but continue in fellowship with them and grow as a family. The idea of the "church" of late is really misunderstood, many believe it is a place to "Do your time" show up on Sunday and keep checking your watch so you don't miss the football game that starts at noon. I believe as children of God we need each other. Its in that common bond of believing in Christ that we find true fellowship, love and refuge from our fears.

    So back to the story of our three misfits.  Rudolf, the red nosed reindeer,  because of his glowing red nose was able to provide the needed light for Santa's team of reindeer to be able to fly in the very dark, inclement weather that would have normally grounded Santa's Sleigh. The young elf had been told and pushed into thinking that he had to make toys because that is what elves do but what he really needed was to follow his heart and use the gifts that God had given to him in the field of dentistry. And the burly, gold miner while he searched everywhere for gold and riches never really looked in the right spot! He never found gold but he did find two very golden relationships with a red nosed reindeer and a tooth pulling elf. So be sure to smile warmly, give a hug or two and reach your hand out to someone who is hurting this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Whats in a Name?

 “The gospel of Luke presents the perfect, divine Son of God, as our great High Priest, touched with the feeling of our infirmities, able to extend help, mercy, and love to us.”  J. Vernon McGee
    
     I love the gospel of Luke. Its where we see the birth of the Perfect Man and the announcement of the births of John and Jesus. After the prophet Malachi spoke as a prophet of God about the coming Messiah there was 400 years of silence until the angel Gabriel appears and speaks to Zacharias. God’s first words after His long silence was “Don’t be afraid!”  Isn’t God wonderful! He cares about every little detail in our lives. Look at some of the names we find in the beginning of the book of Luke.

Zacharias means: “God Remembers”
Elisabeth means: “His Oath”
When you put them together you get “God remembers His oath”. 

     What oath, you might say? Take your pick. Look at Psalm 89:34-37: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips. Once I have sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah”. The book of Malachi is the final book in the Old Testament.  There would now be 400 years of silence before God would speak through the angel Gabriel to Zacharias as recorded in Luke 1:11-17.  A New Covenant is going to be born beginning with the birth of Jesus and will go into effect at His death. The Israelites were becoming complacent once again so the Prophet Malachi comes to warn them and call them to spiritual renewal. They were going through the motions of religion but their hearts were not after God. God wanted a real relationship with them, not just the outward appearance of obedience (religion). Look at Malachi 3:1; this verse foretells of John the Baptist preparing the way for the Messiah (Jesus). Also in this verse, Jesus is referred to as “the Messenger of the covenant”. Between verse 1 and verse 2 of Malachi chapter 3 is where we are at the present time in history as verse 2 has yet to be fulfilled. Mark 1:2 identifies Malachi 3:1 as being John the Baptist. Also Malachi 4:5 is quoted by Luke and Isaiah 40:3 is quoted by Mark to describe John too. Elijah will be coming to prepare the way for the Lord before the second Advent of Christ. Jesus will return to the earth at His second coming after the Great Tribulation period which is foretold in the book of Daniel.

     Now in verse 18 of the first chapter of Luke, Zacharias responds to the angel Gabriel “How can I know this?”  In other words “I don’t believe you or No way that can happen!”  I believe our response to God is often very much like Zacharias. “No God, you can’t do that for me!” please someone tell me why we don’t really believe in God and what He can accomplish?

Elisabeth and Zacharias are told to name their promised son John.
John means: “Yahweh has been gracious”

    Gabriel is very busy during this time in the history recorded in Luke chapter one. He now  appears to Mary and Mary is told she is going to have a Son too. Although the child she would give birth to would be the Son of God.  She also responds with doubt but unlike Zacharias she is not made mute. Its interesting that Zacharias doubted and was made mute while Mary doubted and she is not made mute. Some of us feel that Mary didn't doubt the same way Zacharias did but Mary's concern was more "How is this going to be accomplished since I am a yet a virgin. 

    Mary is told to name Him JESUS. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua in Hebrew which means: “Yahweh is salvation”   Jesus Christ means: “Yahweh is salvation” and the title of “anointed one” or “Messiah”.  Jesus is the clearest picture of God the world has ever seen! Immanuel, which means "God with Us"  

    So this Christmas season as you trim your tree, bake a ham or just hang up some lights remember God is with us! He always was, always is and always will be what a comforting thought that is. What a gift to the whole world was this Emmanuel and never forget that God would never push you into anything against your will. Salvation is the gift of God, its free for the taking but one must make up his mind, reach out and receive this wonderful, glorious gift! Jesus!

Friday, December 3, 2010

The New Church

    I'm studying today for our first church meeting and bible study of  Refuge. God is so very good! We will be studying the gospel of Luke and there is so much information there just in the first couple of paragraphs of chapter one. So I will have to break out my guitar, dust it off and practice a few worship songs. Cyndie P. has opened up her home in Alpine, Ca. as a place where we can start to gather new members to the fellowship. She has also offered to help me with worship. She has a very beautiful voice and is a very hospitable host, thank you Cyndie!
   There is this pastor and friend of mine, Greg Kelly, who is a really gifted young man. God has given him a real talent to be able to communicate His word in a very "down to earth" kind of way. Greg  is a very funny person, his quick wit allows him to often draw and shoot from his hip. He is also a very capable  bible teacher, who is able to present God's word in a modern way that makes it come alive even more than usual. Greg is married to Katie and has two very energetic, beautiful children.
   Greg and I will be equally sharing all duties and tasks associated with the shepherding of a church body. Eventually, I will be teaching a mid week "Through The Bible" study while Greg will host a High School / College age fellowship at his home. There will be plenty of work for all of you to do so please come and get involved. Greg and I will also be hosting a radio talk show which will premiere early next year on San Diego's own K-Praise KPRZ 1210 AM, stay tuned in for more information.
    So here I am on the eve of becoming a senior pastor along side of my good friend Greg and together with the support of my wife Pam, Greg's wife Katie and the power of the Holy Spirit we will be witnesses to what God can accomplish when people yield to His leading.