Tag: Christ

Too Good To Be True…

Don’t we all long for the assurance that something we believe in is true?   Don’t we wish we could look at something, read something, or hear something and believe it?  Why are we such skeptics?  Why do we question?

For instance, if we see a picture and it is too hard to believe, what do we say about it?  We say it has been photo shopped. If we see a video and it is too hard to believe, what do we say about it?  We say it has been digitally altered and edited.

We truly are at a point that we can’t believe our eyes. We are conditioned to believe something isn’t 100 percent real.  It looks real.  It feels real.  It may even smell real.  But we know it isn’t real.  We are conditioned to doubt.  We are conditioned to question.

Look at magic shows.  We know someone really doesn’t saw a person in half.  We know a magician doesn’t really make a tiger disappear.  We know there is a trick; we know there is a gimmick.  We just are seeing the whole picture.  So we question, we wonder, we doubt.

Look at movies.  We go to them to be entertained.  To be drawn into a world that isn’t real.  Take for instance the movie inception.  That itself is a movie based on a premise that we don’t know the difference between what is real and what is just a dream being played out totally in our minds.  The hero can tell….he just has to spin a top and if it falls….its real.

How about the movie Soul Surfer?  The real Bethany Hamilton lost her arm in a shark attack.  The actress in that movie (AnnaSophia Robb) had hers digitally removed in postproduction.  Sure looks like she lost it.  Sure looks like it has been removed.  Even Lt. Dan lost both of his legs in Forest Gump but the last time I say a picture of Gary Sinise he had both of his.

Do you see what I am getting at?  We are being conditioned to doubt, to question, to know that something isn’t real.  We are training ourselves to know that there is some sort of gimmick.  Don’t get me wrong…. it is good to question…. it is good to learn…. but it is sad when we doubt everything.  It is sad when we truly believe in nothing.  It is sad when we have no assurance.

So this brings me right back to my question. Don’t you really wish and long for something that seems to good to be true to actually be true?

The cross of Jesus Christ represents just that.  It represents something that seems too good to be true, but isn’t!  It represents grace – that free gift of something we don’t deserve.  Grace that was given out of love, pure unconditional no strings attached love.  Does that sound too good to be true?  It isn’t because the cross is about love and we can believe it.  It says, “Greater Love hath no man than the one who would lay is life down for another,” John 15:13.

Jesus says in John 8:30-32, “Then many who heard him say these things believed in him, ‘you are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching.  And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.’“

If you believe the truth you will have two things….you will be free and you will be my disciples.  To be free is to be released, liberated, or delivered from something.  To be a disciple is to embrace and assist in spreading the teachings of another.

As we look at what the cross of Jesus Christ know that we can have assurance.  We can have 100% trust that what we are hearing and reading from the Bible is NOT too good to be true.

The Cross says “Believe in ME!”

Until next time….

Pastor Barry

Tools and Tool Boxes…

As many of you know…and others should be able to figure out…I recently moved.  This was no easy task.  In fact it was rather difficult.  But my family had some great help on both ends of the journey and we could not have done ANY of it by ourselves.  Well – maybe – except that we would still be in the process more than we already are because you can put a lot of items into a house.  While packing the stuff just kept appearing out of closets, cupboards, and who knows where.

Some things were hard to pack like the drum set for my WII Rock Band Game and other things were easy.  Probably the easiest thing to pack was my tool chest.  It was my grandfathers and it is mostly loaded with tools from him and my other grandpa.

Both men were “tinkerers” of sorts.  One repaired televisions and organized every screw he ever came across into little glass baby food jars.  He would mount the lids in such a fashion so that you could screw and unscrew the glass jar from a shelf above his workbench in order to access the contents.  Really kinda cool!  The other was a mechanic.  Technically, he worked for the railroad and was a consultant in overhauling diesel engines.  He could bring any engine back to life…no matter if it was a lawnmower, a Corvair that had been sitting in a shed for 40 years, or a huge ocean going container ship.

I have great memories of th0se guys…and when I open my tool chest…it is their hands I see…

But as I mentioned, that tool chest was easy to pack.  Close the lid – lock the drawers – and wheel it outside.  Unloading was just as easy!  And I am glad it was.  Because I needed stuff out of it.  We needed to unpack boxes and put together beds and hang pictures and….well, you get the point.  And the tools I needed were in that chest.

There are a lot of tools in there, which allow me to do a lot of things.  There are your standard screw drivers, wrenches, and pliers – but there are also tools that are highly specific and do just one thing.  Like the tool that pulls the wheel bearing out of the axel on your car….yeah…I have one of those.  Doesn’t do me any good because I never paid attention when my dad and grandpa showed me how to use it.  But I have one!

So the other night I sat putting together a bed and I was thinking about the tool I was using and then thinking about all the people that were helping us unpack.  People from the church.  Each one different.  Each one with a different talent.  Each one designed to do just the right thing.  Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (NLT)

12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,* some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.* 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

Yep – the moral of this whole post is that we all have a job to do.  We have all been designed by God to do something for the Kingdom!  What did he design you to do?

Until Next Time…

Pastor Barry

My Way…

I have a confession to make. I like to count and find the patterns in things. Don’t ask me why – because I don’t know. It’s wierd really – I naturally see the relationship of things to each other…I see their number and I see patterns. And when I see wholeness or completeness I just feel a lot better. I suppose it is a little “Monkish” of me – or in reality it’s a lot “Monkish.” (And if you don’t know, by “Monkish” I am referring to the television program – Monk.)

My wife still teases me about my oldest daughter’s Fisher Price Farm. You know the kind with the round little people with big cheeks and infectious smiles. The toy that curiously comes with animals that are out of proportion to each other…really they are…those bunnies are half as big as the horses…that’s a monster bunny.

Anyhow, I love that thing. In fact, I think it was secretly developed to provide hours of enjoyment not only to preschoolers, but also to their parents. (After all they should be interacting with their children but that’s a different post.)

Here’s the thing about that toy – after my daughter would get through playing with it – I would HAVE to arrange each of the pieces, make sure they were all there, and put them back in their place. If there was one missing then the world had to stop until I found where it was. Sort of like the parables of the Lost Things in the Gospel. No…just like those parables, because when I found a missing piece there was definite rejoicing!

The good news is I have graduated from the Fisher Price Farm. I now resist the urge to check and see if all the pieces are there – call it having a third child! That toy has run its course and has been replaced by the infamous Mr. Potato Head. Make that two Mr. Potato Heads.

The other night my 19 month old got them out and began to play with them. As I watched her, I could hear my name being called out incessantly. Barry….Barry….  So I joined the party. We were having fun until, silly me, I directed my daughter to put the ear where the ear should go. This did not go over well. You see, she had a plan and a design in mind and it did not match mine. After a long discussion that looked more like a game of keep away I let her put the ear where she wanted to put the ear. What I discovered is that she had a definite plan – and it wasn’t at all like mine.

At that moment God chose to remind me that, when left to my own will, this is my natural tendency for how I want to live my life. I want to do the things I want to do, when I want to do them, and how I want to do them. But, it’s not my life anymore. Sometime ago, I made the decision to not live for myself or for my way or for my desires. Sure, they are still there – they don’t magically go away – but I chose to yield them to God’s plan, His timing, and His way.

So that night, as I sat and looked at a Mr. Potato Head with two sets of eyes, a mouth under one ear, and a nose under the other, I was reminded that I have to yield my desires. We all have to yield our desires. Often, because what we desire, or what we are planning, do not match up with what someone else is planning.  It happened that night….and if we are honest with ourselves it happens more often than we would care to think about.  It truly is like the Bible tells us – there should be less of us and more of Him.

Father God, would you grant me the wisdom to know your plans for me, the courage to follow them, and the patience to wait on you… Lord – it’s not my way but your way! Thank you and amen.

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Dangerous Church…

The other day I picked up a copy of Dangerous Church, a book written by a pastor in the same town where I minister.  The author, John Bishop, is an unapologetic crusader for the Kingdom of God.  I am glad to have been able to witness his life and ministry firsthand and to call him my friend.  With that said, I want to tell you that I loved this book, and not just because a friend wrote it.

In Dangerous Church John Bishop is transparent, authentic, and inspiring.  John gives you a heartfelt journey of his experience through his successes AND his failures.  The challenges and insights, which he writes about, make you think twice about what it means to do ministry.  If you are serious about doing Kingdom work, and Luke 9:23 tells us Kingdom work is serious, then this book is a must read.

After reading you will walk away with the truth that ONLY GOD can fuel a thriving ministry and that you have to be desperate for God!

 “As we prepare to be released into our communities, we must intentionally cultivate a culture that is desperate to reach people for Jesus…To become a dangerous church, we as leaders must intentionally remind people of the truth about eternity and develop a culture that is desperate to reach the lost…Our churches will never have this sense of desperation to preach the gospel until we help them understand the reality of how short this life is and how our actions and decisions in this life affect eternity.” [excerpt from, Dangerous Church, pages 130 & 131]

 I don’t know about you, but I’m desperate!

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Plugged In…

My family loves to camp.  We don’t do it very often, but we love it.  In fact, maybe I should say that we love to think about camping because in reality we have only camped once.  But we own all the right stuff, including a multi-room tent, which has been used more times as a Vacation Bible School prop than it has been used to sleep in.

Last summer we were able to finally use it with some good friends of ours.  They invited us to camp on the beautiful Oregon Coast.  We were jazzed and our loaded truck spoke volumes about this excitement.  We took everything!  And I do mean everything!  The truck was so full of stuff from our garage that I had to put wooden side rails on so nothing would fall out.

It was absolutely ridiculous…and hilarious….it was a scene straight from the Beverly Hill Billies.  The only thing we didn’t have was Granny’s rocker.

After we set up camp I discovered something, which I guess I always knew, but didn’t really think about.  Tents don’t come with plug-ins.  Most everything we own (and use) requires electricty and needs to be plugged in regularly.  However, in a tent that is not an option, eventually batteries run down and need recharged.

This coming weekend is Pentecost Sunday and in preparing for Sunday’s sermon I have reflected alot on this camping trip.  Mainly because Pentecost Sunday is all about power and in preparing for my camping trip I didn’t think about needing a power source until it was too late.

Allow me to segue to the Early Church.  They knew about power and they got it right.  They knew they needed something and were told to wait for “it.”  And “it” happened 50 days after the crucifixion – the baptism of the Spirit.  They got plugged in and did some amazing things…and we can too. All we have to do is tap the same power source!

At Pentecost Christians were empowered to trust an invisible, guiding Presence.  G.C. Jones puts it this way, “The Holy Spirit transforms us into more than we are, fills us with energy, and gives us purpose, direction, and stability.”

Now that’s something I want to stay plugged into!

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

In the Presence…

Let me tell you about Kara…

My middle child, as opposed to her sisters, who can go and play by themselves for hours, wants to be with people.  It doesn’t matter what you are doing, where you are sitting, or even what time it is – Kara wants to be with you.

Recently we had one of those mornings.  One where, she got up early, and crawled in bed and snuggled up close. (And then kicked and pushed and squirmed….as she tried to get close.)  As I struggled for “space” I couldn’t help but think of how wonderful it was.

I also thought about her feelings, about how secure she must have felt nestled there.  At that moment there was no other place she wanted to be…it was there she felt loved…it was there she felt safe…it was there she felt at home…

I suppose this is what we all long for – a place where we can feel safe, a place where we can feel secure.

So this all got me thinking… In whose presence is it that I long to be?  But I also thought of the reverse of this question…Who is it that longs to be with me?

I long for the hugs of my daughter and her small hand grasping mine.  Yesterday she had her cast removed and replaced on her arm.  There she sat all brave holding onto my hand for security.  Knowing that even though she was scared I was with her….and I loved it!

If I long for this and love being wanted so much…how much more does our Heavenly Father long for our presence, our love, and our lives?

After all, it’s Him who can provide all the love we could want and all the hope we could ever need.

This is not an easy world to live in…that goes without saying.  So you may be reading this and finding yourself in a bad place, in a bad time, and in a bad way…

If that is true for you, then I want you to know that there is a place you can go.  There is a place you can find rest.  There is a place you can find security.  And most importantly there is a place you can find hope!

So take a moment and crawl up into Jesus’ lap…crawl within His arms…and just let Him hold you.  It is a wonderful place to be.  In fact, there is no better place to be…

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Real life or fairy tales….

My daughter and I (or is it my daughter and me….I never can get this right so forgive me if it’s wrong….) were having a conversation the other day about the end of the world.  Now, this isn’t all that strange except that my daughter is 9 and has some really deep thoughts on the subject.  Myself, on the other hand, gets up in the morning – checks for the sun – and then thanks God for another day.  It might be a kind of an osterich type response to not worry about the end of the world, but it’s pretty easy to just make sure I am living the way I am supposed to be living.

So at the end of the conversation, Kamille says something like this.  “Dad, the Bible tells us that we don’t know when the world will end.”

Me – “Correct.”

Kam – “So let’s say it’s going to end in 5 seconds.  I don’t know it will end in 5 seconds, but let’s just say it will.  Ok – I mean five more seconds, because I am pretty sure 5 seconds just passed and we are still here.  I mean, things aren’t all black and we aren’t in nothingness or anything.”

Me – “Pretty sure you just wasted 10 more seconds….”

Kam – “Alright – 5, 4, 3, 2, Dad I love you, the end…..  So dad, now that the world has ended am I in Heaven?”

Me – “If you loved Jesus with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.”

Kam – “But what if I didn’t?  Would it be like all red or black or something.  You know because God is light and everything would be like all lit up or something.”

Me – “We don’t know what it will be like – but I do know that you don’t want to take that chance of not loving Jesus with everything you are.”

Kam – “That would be bad…”

Me – “And thanks for thinking of your love for me in that last second of the world!”

Kam – “Your welcome.. It’s what daughters do.”

I walked away from that conversation really excited, because my daughter really understands what living for Jesus is about and because she was thinking of me in the last second of the world.  It’s the small things that really make a dad proud!

But soon after I returned to my office, I read an article about Stephen Hawking which made me really sad.  If you don’t know who Stephen Hawking is let me tell you.  He is a renowned physicist and researcher at Cambridge University, who was diagnosed with the degenerative Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 21.

In this article he was quoted as saying, “I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

Mr. Hawking if you are reading this…I am sad for you.  Because there really is an afterlife, there really is a Heaven, there really is a Jesus who wants to be a part of your life.  Can I prove it with the science that you so desperately cling to?  No.  Can you prove that there isn’t with that same science? No.  Why?  Because it’s real and it’s not a fairy tale.

How do I know? Two reasons – the Bible tells me and I haven’t been afraid of the dark since I was 9…

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

Broken bones and sacrifices…

Fortunately, I have never broken a bone in my body.  Unfortunately, two of my girls did when they were just six-years old.  Totally sad!  The worst part about the last accident was that it happened about 36 hours prior to our Disneyland vacation.

My middle daughter was pumped for this trip.  She had been taking swimming lessons and was going to finally conquet the “big” water slide.  But those plans changed on the monkey bars last Wednesday evening when a tiny little hand slipped and my little girl fell awkwardly.

She is ok.  The bone was set and a cast was placed on her arm. In fact, I think it weighs as much as she does!

But my heart is breaking for her.  I am sad when I think of how she can’t swim this trip, or ride the roller coasters that she had been looking forward to riding.  Yes, we have done special things and she is having a wonderful time, but it is still sad. However, she is resilient and is making the best of toting around a 10 pound weight in a sling around her neck.

I wish so much that I could take her place.  I wish that it was my arm that was broken so she could run and play and ride the rides she wanted to ride.  I wish that I could make it all better immediately.  And most of all I wish that my little girl didn’t have to go through the pain that she went through last week.

Ever wish that in your life?  For anything or anyone?

As a pastor, I can find a preachable sermon in almost anything.  This is definitely no exception…

Jesus took the place for us.  He paid the price and made the sacrifice so we didn’t have to.  He endured the pain, the torture, and death so we could be made whole!  Thank you Jesus for that ultimate sacrifice and brokenness!

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

200 Percent…

I wish I had a dollar for everytime I heard someone say, “I’m giving it 110 percent!”  Really? What I remember from math class is 100 percent is 100 percent and you can’t have more than 100 percent of something.  100 percent is perfect.  It is everything. It is complete.

At the expense of really not wanting to throw you a Jesus Juke – Let me tell you that I have discovered the one and only thing that can actually be (and is) 200 percent – Jesus.

Allow me to explain… Yesterday I was teaching from Hebrews to the Declaration! Youth.  After explaining the authorship of that book, which modern scholars agree is not known for sure, and then settling on giving the name of “Phil” to this unknown author, we looked at the first few chapters. 1:1 – 4:13 to be exact.

Here is what we learned…  Jesus is the Son, God is the Father, Jesus reflects God in everything, Jesus is far greater than the angels, and the angels are just a little greater than man (who was made in God’s image and is designed to reflect God.)  Easy enough right?  Wrong!

It was straight forward in 1:4 where we learned that Jesus is far greater than the angels, but in 2:9 we are told Jesus was a little lower than the angels….hmmmm….. Ok, follow me now. Who is greater than the angels?  God.  Who is lower than the angels? Man.  Who are we told by “Phil” is both? Jesus.

Jesus is both God AND man – He is fully both.  Therefore, if Jesus is fully both, by definition He is 100 percent God and 100 percent man, thus making Jesus the world’s first and only 200 percent being!  Wow!

If God can actually make something that is greater than 100 percent just think of what else He can do.  Really, that means He can do ANYTHING!  The possibillities are limitless.

Now that’s a God I’m glad I know and trust.  Do you?  You can.

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

The Next Level…

Recently a good friend of mine (pastor Connie Wheeler) tweeted a very reflective thought – “Why would you invite someone to follow Christ if you have no intention of leading them to the next level?….”

A great question!  Why would anyone invite someone to follow Christ if they then aren’t willing to follow through with what that looks like?  What does it mean to share with someone the love of Jesus and then not show them?  What does it mean to say Jesus will change your life and then not help them in their journey?

We have to ask ourselves, “Are we as the body of Christ really doing what Jesus has asked us to do, are we making a difference in someone’s life and in this world we live in? ” What came to mind was the song by Josh Wilson, “I Refuse.”  A song that basically says we are to live out our faith, no matter what we are given, and no matter what our circumstance!

If all of us would do this – THAT would be taking it to the next level!

Until next time…

Pastor Barry

P.S. – Here are the words to that song.

I Refuse

Sometimes I, I just want to close my eyes

And act like everyone’s alright

When I know they’re not

This world needs God, but it’s easier to stand and watch

I could pray a prayer and just move on

Like nothing’s wrong

But I Refuse

I don’t want to live like I don’t care

I don’t want to say another empty prayer

Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else

To do what God has called me to do myself

I could choose not to move

But I Refuse

I can hear the least of these, crying out so desperately

And I know we are the hands and feet of You, oh God

So if You say move, it’s time for me to follow through

And do what I was made to do

And show them who You are

I don’t want to live like I don’t care

I don’t want to say another empty prayer

Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else

To do what God has called me to do myself

I could choose not to move

But I refuse

I refuse to stand and watch the weary and lost cry out for help

I refuse to turn my back and try and act like all is well

I refuse to stay unchanged, to wait another day to die to myself

I refuse to make one more excuse

I don’t want to live like I don’t care

I don’t want to say another empty prayer

Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else

To do what God has called me to do myself

I could choose not to move

But I refuse