Category: Random Thoughts…

True Success…

(from January 7, 2010)

God’s definition of success and the world’s definition of success can greatly differ. There have been a lot of people in this world make a boatload of money in the business world, own multiple houses, have hundreds of people call them friend, and even win championships and individual honors in their respective sports.

But does that make them successful? Did those people have to hurt anyone in the process of becoming “successful?” Did they overcome obstacles at the expense of someone else?

Last night we took a look at the movie Cars.

In that movie a very successful race car named Lightening McQueen accidentally damages the road of a small town and is forced to repair it. During his stay, the people of Radiator Springs help Lightning realize that there is more to life than trophies and fame.

He finds friendship and love in the locals who help him discover the simple things in life that bring true joy. McQueen learns what it means to be a real champion. What a person uses to measure success will become the measure of that person.

If a person measures success by accomplishments, then he or she will be driven to achieve; and if success is measured by money or material things, he or she will be driven to acquire and accumulate.

On the other hand, if one defines success by obedience to the principles and purposes of God, that person will be driven to please and glorify God.

Towards the end of that movie McQueen says, “There’s a whole lot more to racing than winning.”

What do you think of that statement and how can we relate that to our lives?

So until next time….

Pastor Barry

Permanent Life Change…

(from February 17, 2010)

Today marks the start of a 40 day journey to Easter, the Lenten season. Now if you are like me you’re saying – “wait a minute, there are 47 days till Easter.” And I would respond with, “You’re right, but the Sundays are not counted.” Why? Honestly, I just don’t know….

But I do know that the season of Lent is a journey of reflection and preparation towards Easter… A time of public penitence to say your sorry for your wrong doing and sinning against God. A time for self-sacrifice as you journey with Jesus and relive His journey to the cross.

Originally Lent was a period derived from the preparation of new Christ followers as they prepared for Christian baptism, with the 40 day period reflecting several things: Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness; Moses’s stay on Mt. Sinai; the forty years of wilderness wandering; and Elijah’s fast on his way to the mountain of God. Today it is this and more.

I want to invite you to take a 40 day journey with me. While we should focus on God and the cross of Christ all 365 days of every year – I want you to join me in making the next 40 days a start towards a new way of living!

Someone once told me that if you start with a positive thought – that will lead to a positive decision – a positive decision will lead to a positive habitat – and a positive habit will lead to a positive character. That is lent….starting with a decision to think as God would have you to think and then ending with a character that Jesus would want you to have.

Here is the key…

It doesn’t end after 40 days – Lent is just the beginning. Lent is the start of a permanent life change.

You will hear many people say they are going to give up this or that for Lent – but then they will turn around and pick it back up after Easter. That’s not the point of this journey. The point of this journey is permanent life change…

So, as I (and you) look at the next 40 days and begin to prepare our hearts for Easter ask yourself what you need to repent of, let go of, sacrifice, and/or change in your life…

Until next time….

Pastor Barry

Authentic Friendship…

(from February 4, 2010)

What does it mean to really have an authentic friendship and to be the kind of friend that God wants us to be?

Not an easy question to answer…

I have had many friends over my life. Some of them have been very close – and others just mere acquaintances. All I have to do is to look at the number of “friends” I have here on Facebook. They are people that I have known from different stages of my life. Some close, some not.

How many do you have? With how many of them would you share the most intimate details of your life? How many of them would you trust with your life – to truly trust for them to take care of you?

Again, not easy questions to answer…

Here is my point. The title friend has lost it’s meaning. Due to the onset of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook the term friend no longer means what it used to.

Real friendship incorporates and requires accountability! With how many of your “friends” does that occur? My guess is not many.

We are told about one of the greatest stories of friendship ever to occur in 1 Samuel. Here we read about David and Jonathan. There is probably not another story in the Bible that speaks in such great detail about what a true, authentic friendship might look like.

Jonathan, the rightful heir to King Saul’s throne, knew God had chosen David as king. If there was ever an opportunity for selfishness or jealousy, this was the place. But Jonathan loved God and David, and was willing to risk not only his relationship with his father, but his very life for David’s.

That’s authentic friendship…

Now take a moment to go read John 15:9-17 and then answer this question again: What does it mean to really have an authentic friendship and to be the kind of friend that God wants us to be?

Here Christ declares His love for us, He commands us to love one another. We can have absolute confidence in Christ’s love for us. After all, He proved it by laying down His life for us!

Are you Christ’s friend? Is He yours?

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Very Thankful…

(from February 4, 2010)

So today I was reading about being thankful. Let me share it with you…

Psalm 8 –
O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise. They silence your enemies who were seeking revenge. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you have set in place – what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor. You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things – the sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!

“These verses are awesome! God created us in HIs image and views His creation as very good. Not average. Not weird. Not ugly. But very Good! If that truth doesn’t get you excited, you’d better check your pulse; you might be dead. Take a minute and thank God for that image of yours. Rest in the truth that no matter what you think of yourself and your body, God sees it as good – VERY GOOD!” (Doug Fields – from the 1 Minute Bible 4 Students)

David wrote this Psalm because he was thankful. He saw ALL that God had done and just like God himself did – he called it GOOD. Besides being made in His image – what are three things you are thankful for today?

Until next time….

Pastor Barry

A Simple Misunderstanding…

(December 15, 2009)

This morning, Kara (my 4 year old) and I were riding in the truck listening to music. You have to understand that It is Christmas time and the radio station is 100% holiday music right now. So there I am mindlessly driving down the road listening and thinking about who knows what when Kara asks me if Jesus is the King?

She was asking about one of the songs she just heard. It was a variation of “Angels from the Realms of Glory.” In that song one stanza speaks of worshipping Christ, the newborn King.

Of course, being the proud father I am, I tell here she is correct and I am secretly basking in the fact that my daughter has connected all the Sunday School lessons and can equate Christ with Jesus with King! I know I shouldn’t be prideful….

She then adds…”so if baby Jesus is the Newborn King then who is the dad?” I answer, “God.” Here is the rest of the conversation….

Kara – “If baby Jesus is the Newborn King, and God is the dad, then who is the queen?”

Me – “There is no queen.”

Kara – “How can there be a king without a queen?”

Me – “It can happen.”

Kara – “But who else is there?”

Me – “There is the Holy Spirit.”

Kara – “What’s A Holy Spirit?”

Me – “That is the PRESENCE of God and Jesus with us?”

Kara – “Oh you mean PRESENTS like from Santa?”

Me – “No, the PRESENCE of God and Jesus not Santa.”

Kara – “Oh, then the PRESENTS of people.”

Me – “No, It is a person – sometimes called the Holy Ghost.”

Kara – “But I don’t see a ghost.”

Me – “It is because he is invisible, but he is with us and helps us.”

Kara – “I don’t like ghosts.”

Me – “This is a good ghost that you can’t see.”

Kara – “Oh…so it’s really small.”

Me – “Yeah, something like that.”

Kara – “Dad?”

Me – “Yes, Kara?”

Kara – “I think there should be a queen….”

It was then and there that I realized how impossible it is to grasp the idea of the Trinity when you are 4 years old. In fact, I realized how hard it is to grasp the idea when you are 40 years old.

Too often in the church we use language that is simply misunderstood by those we are trying to share the love of Jesus Christ with. How often do the things we say and the ideas we try to communicate go straight over the heads of those we are talking to?

Last week at “declaration!” we watched the movie “Elf” and had the opportunity to talk about child like faith. Matthew 19:14 says “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” The emphasis is on “like these children.” It is a child like faith.

It is the simple innocence and belief in what you tell them is true. They don’t care about big theological terms or concepts. They just care that they are loved.

This Christmas season is a reminder that we should all just believe. Believe in a baby born in a manger long ago. Believe in the man that baby became and believe in the story that man told.

It really is a simple story and one that we often misunderstand…

Until next time….

Barry

Reflections…

(from January 3, 2009)
Ever know one of those people that you either loved or hated. You know…nothing in between…it was one way or the other. It is actually kind of easy when you are a sports fan.

I grew up in Colorado and so it is in my blood to be a big Denver Broncos fan. The Broncos have had some good years and some bad years, some good players and some bad players, even some good coaches and some bad coaches.

John Elway was one of those people I was talking about. Depending on which team you were a fan of – you either hated him or loved him…

Peyton Manning is another…

Tonight I am sitting and watching the NFL playoffs, bumming over the fact that the Denver Broncos aren’t in this game against Peyton Manning and the Colts (but I digress…)

Peyton reminds me of John Elway…I loved John – but I totally dislike Peyton. Now this is not to say that he is not an awesome quarterback, because he is. It is simply saying that I totally get frustrated when he finds a way to pick apart the team I love.

But now get this…

I also love Peyton Manning very much…he is simply one of the funniest guys I have seen. His commercials are hilarious and the Saturday Night Live he hosted – way better than when Michael Phelps hosted!

So right about now you are probably wondering where this blog is going and how I am going to tie this into my blog…

The answer – I am not sure. I just simply have been laughing at Peyton’s commercials and wanted to talk about it.

On another note the last time I wrote I talked about snow and how it was covering the landscape…but that it would soon melt.

Well…it kept snowing…it stayed cold…freezing rain came…it stayed cold…more snow came…it stayed cold…

After it was all said and done around 10 inches of snow blanketed the ground. It was beautiful. My kids were so excited. We had built a small snowman from the previous snowfall. It was more like a snowdoll actually. I shoveled our patio and the quarter inch that had fallen and made a snowdoll that stood about 24 inches.

After this second snowfall ended they wanted to play outside so badly! It was so enticing. So we bundled up, gloves, hats, coats, and boots were donned. The camera was turned on and out we headed.

You know the first thing that happened? My youngest fell and immediately wanted to come back inside. Play time was over. What took 15 minutes to prepare for was over in about 15 seconds. In fact, her older sister only lasted about 15 more seconds.

What was so beautiful and enticing ended up being ugly and uninviting. My girls had one idea of what it would be like and then reality set in.

So here I sit…watching football…thinking about the New Year and reminiscing about the last one. Funny how one day can simply lead into the next and not be any big deal, but, when those days are December 31 and January 1 things are so different.

Parties are thrown, games are played, resolutions are made (and by January 2 – broken), and hope is born anew.

I don’t know if you are a resolution maker or a resolution breaker, but I do hope that you take the opportunity to reflect. Reflect on this past year, reflect on the coming year, reflect on what you have done, reflect on what you will do, reflect on those you love, reflect on those who love you, reflect on today, reflect on tomorrow, and of course make sure you reflect on your relationship with Christ.

Remember, there are a lot of things in this world that are beautiful and enticing, but quickly turn ugly and uninviting.

The New Year is such a good time to make changes. So after you are done reflecting, ask yourself if there are any changes you need to make – and then make them!

So until next time…

Pastor Barry

Window Dressing…

(from December 20, 2008)

As I am writing I can look out my window and enjoy the outside. At this moment there is a gentle snow falling and covering everything with a blanket of white! It is extremely peaceful, but it is also rare for where I live, which is why traveling has become a nightmare.

The result is actually quite funny. For the past week or so, every news station has spent countless hours covering the “deep freeze of ‘08”. When you turn on the television you cannot escape news reporter after news reporter showing videos of people putting chains on their cars or children sliding down “snow covered” hills that in reality have more grass showing than the snow is covering…

Having grown up in Colorado and lived in Nebraska and Kansas, I am simply amazed at how this community deals with a little snow and ice. Blame it on the fact that it rarely happens, blame it on the fact that salt is not used on roads here, or even blame it on the hysteria created by the media. Whatever the reason the result to me is humorous.

Nonetheless, while the landscape is being covered and the snow is slowly piling up, what was out there, just two days before is still there. I just cannot see it any longer, but just because I do not see it any longer, it does not mean it has gone away. Soon enough the snow will melt and what was there will be revealed once again…

There is an easy metaphor here – it is easy for man to dress up the outside and simply cover up the inside. The outside becomes beautiful and others are shown what man wants them to see, but underneath nothing has changed. The covering is simply window dressing…

What is underneath can be beautiful, but it can also be ugly…

My family and I have been practicing many long standing holiday traditions this Christmas season. In fact, last night my wife and I took our girls to visit Santa Claus. The joy of watching my girls light up when Santa arrived made me smile from ear to ear…

As they ran up to him, jumped into his lap, and spoke incessantly to him, Santa just sat there listening intently. Pictures were being snapped and video was being filmed. Before you judge me…I want you to understand that while my girls believe in Santa and the spirit of Christmas…they also believe in Jesus and know that He is why we celebrate Christmas.

The traditions are window dressing…

I stood there and looked at all the people standing in line, with babies, toddlers, and children waiting their turn to see Santa. As I looked in their faces, and the faces of their parents, I wondered how many of them knew why they were there…

How many of them had an inside that glowed with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself, came to earth as a baby, as a servants, as a sacrifice for our sins? How many of them were standing there with an inside that was beautiful…and how many of them were standing there with an inside that was ugly?

You see, the snow outside my window will melt and everyone will once again see what is truly there…One day the decorations will go away and we will see what is truly underneath…One day we will be face to face with our Jesus and all will all what is on the inside!

We will see some beautiful things, but we will also see some ugly things!

This holiday season, go ahead and celebrate, practice traditions, believe in Santa, and give presents. But if you do only one thing, make sure you are not just putting on a beautiful exterior to cover an interior landscape that needs remaking.

Only Jesus can change the inside. Only a life surrendered to Him is beautiful…

Christ is Born (Luke 2:1-7)

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Christ is the Answer (John 3:16-21)

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Is He on the inside?

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

If You Just Believe…

(from December 13, 2008)

Each of us have heard it over and over again that Christmas is such a wonderful time of year…but in reality it is not for many people. The joy and the merriment, the parties and the gifts, the lights and the sounds all ring hollow…or don’t ring at all…

I just finished watching The Polar Express with my youngest daughter. Ok…actually I put it on so I could get a few things done while she was occupied.

But I did sit down to watch just as Santa entered the courtyard to the throng of cheers and well wishes of thousands of elves and a couple dozen lucky children. Each child was there because this was their pivotal year. A year in which they began to doubt in the spirit of Christmas.

One boy in particular is so skeptical. He wants to believe but his mind tells him better. That is, until a bell drops off one of the reindeer, tumbles to his feet, and comes to rest. He picks it up and shakes it…

No sound…nothing…he shakes harder…still nothing…

He closes his eyes. Hoping beyond all hope. Mutters the words, “I believe” and shakes again…

Harder and harder he hopes…chanting those words…until finally the silence all around him is broken with crisp clean notes coming from that bell and the voice of Santa asking him what he had just said.

“I believe…I believe…I believe,” he repeats and then hands the bell back to its rightful owner.

Santa then proceeds to address the children…giving them wise words of instruction. Words that inspire hope. Until he chooses who gets to receive the first gift of Christmas.

The child who just began believing climbs into the sleigh, onto Santa’s lap, and proceeds to tell him what he would like…he would like the bell. The very bell that rang so crisp and true at the exact moment that his belief became a reality.

The bell is given to the boy and Santa proceeds to talk about how the bell, and himself, are wonderful symbols of the spirit of Christmas. Then the best line of the whole movie is uttered as Santa tells the young boy, “Just remember the true spirit of Christmas lies within your heart!”

That is so true…the true spirit of Christmas lies within each and everyone of our hearts.

The parallels in this movie, and the story that it tells, comes right from the heart of the very first gift of Christmas…

Around 2000 years ago that gift came. Dressed as a baby in swaddling clothes, lying in a manager, humble, susceptable, fragile, and full of hope.

The Christ of Christmas was born.

Today we dress the holiday up with the joy and the merryment, the parties and the gifts, the lights and the sounds. But again it can all ring hollow…or not ring at all…if you don’t believe.

“Just remember the true spirit of Christmas lies within your heart.”

Is it there this Christmas?

Do you believe in Christ?

In the movie the boy goes back home, carrying his belief with him…He is woken up by his little sister the next morning, wondering if all of it has just been a dream. He goes to his robe and checks for the bell…not there. It was all just a dream until they find a small present under the tree. He opens it and there is the bell…he shakes it and it rings. His sister shakes it and it rings. His parents shake it and it doesn’t ring. They think it is broken.

When it comes to believing in Christ. It is one thing to say that you believe, but until you put “feet” to that belief nothing is real. You need to shake it and test it…

There is more to loving Christ than just believing in him. With Christ belief becomes an action verb. There is a change of life, a change of behavior, and change of attitude, a change of motivations, a change of…

As the boy was getting off the train at his home. The conductor tells him that the thing about trains is that it doesn’t matter where they are going…it is deciding to get on.

It is the same thing with Christ. He will take you to some incredible places. It doesn’t matter where. What matters is to get on.

At the very end of the movie a now grown up boy narrates, “At one time most of his friends could hear the bell but as years passed it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah (his sister) found one Christmas she could no long hear its sweet sound. Though I have grown old the bell still rings true for me as for all that still truly believe.”

Believe and get on…find the true spirit of Christmas…and hold onto Him…believe

Does the bell ring for you?

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

We can’t be someone we are not…

(from December 12, 2008)

This week has afforded me the opportunity to be reflective. Maybe it is the season, maybe it is what is happening in the economy, maybe it is the lasting turkey hangover from the Thanksgiving Dinner. I suppose the reason is not important…

So here I am, another Friday, and another movie with my daughter…

We are sitting on the couch watching the Disney movie Tinker Bell. It is a story of good intentions gone bad all because someone was trying to be someone they were not.

You see this movie is all about the birth of Tinker Bell and the finding of her talent. At the point of the movie where she is born, it is determined that she is a Tinker fairy – a fairy that is mechanically inclined. (Hence the name Tinker Bell). Anyway, there are many different types of fairies, but a Tinker fairy is one who fixes things.

The problem is that Tinker fairies never travel to the mainland, but this is Tink’s biggest dream. Her job is on the island…never to leave…never to see the mainland. So she goes through the movie trying to be someone she is not, all in the hopes that she can go to the mainland.

And of course, this causes strife, frustration, and lots of trouble. Such is the case with many of us…

I don’t know how many times I have heard people tell other people something along the lines of, “I wish you were someone else,” or even “I wish you were more like so and so.” But they aren’t and they can’t. We are all unique. Made to be exactly who we are. That is what is so special about us! God made each and everyone us to be exactly who we are.

Our lives are full of people we cross paths with who want us to be someone we are not, and unfortunately the church is no exception. It happens to all of us…

I have grown up in the church and I am now in my 3rd official assignment as a pastor. In each and every place (from my earliest memories as a child till present day) where there have been a transition of ministers, something unfortunate occurs.

In each and every case, no matter who the new minister was, they were never the minister they replaced. But, they were EXPECTED to be the minister they replaced.

I am not sure why this was and is…because every individual had their own unique skills and their own unique talents…

And just like the movie I watched with my daughter. When we try to be someone we are not…or someone else expects us to be somebody we are not…then the only thing that occurs is strife, frustration, and lots of trouble…

In fact, there is only one area where God calls us all to be alike, one area that we can change and be just like each other. With God’s help, this is what we do. We become more and more like Him!

As the New Testament tells us – the old self is taken off and exchanged for the new self. But we are still intrinsically us…we can’t be someone else…we are uniquely us… but we can all be the same on the inside.

Look at what the writer to the Colossians has to say…

Living the New Life – Colossians 3:1-17

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

So until next time…

Be true to who you are, be yourself, and let God help you in your weakness…I know that is what I am trying to do…

Pastor Barry

Does God need the church?
(From August 22, 2008)

A friend asked this question of me and several others recently…It has really caused me to think…

Does God need the church? Does God need us? Does God need anything? I believe that God does not so much NEED us as He really WANTS us.

God doesn’t need anything. He has it all. He is all.

What He does need is our love. The church (and the individual Christian) should be full of love for Christ. Our hearts should have no room for nothing else. Then and only then can God use us to our full potential. This is the time that we are ready. This is the time that we can be used fully.

Sure, God can and will use anybody or anything at anytime for any purpose. But, how much better would it be if we were perfectly ready to be used. A partnership would be so much better. There would be a completeness…a wholeness. Imagine then what would be accomplished.

It’s like James tells us in his letter. Faith without works is dead. A true faith…a strong faith…a complete faith…is a faith that is represented by a heart full of love for Christ. This heart then begs for us to serve Him. It begs for us to do things for Him.

So back to the original question, “Does God need the church?” I say no – but He sure could use her.

Until Next Time…

Pastor Barry