The Most Loving Place in Town

Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges hit a homerun with their book, The Most Loving Place In Town. There are so many great principles in the book. I have listed a few below:

The first time Jesus mentioned the church was in Matthew 16:18, when He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." p. 84

Jesus said, "I will build my church," He was talking about more than a building or organizational structure. He was talking about creating a living, breathing, community of people. [Note it is His church, not mine, the Pastor's or anyone else] p. 84

. . . seven characteristics that define the church Jesus had in mind:

• First, love was to be the distinct characteristic that guided the lives and relationships of the church community. John 13:34-35
• Second, His church would be an everlasting community of interdependent people called in time and circumstance to glorify God.
• Third, His church would have all the resources it required to fulfill its mission. Matthew 28:18-20 p. 85
• Fourth, His church would have prayer as the most distinctive practice of its daily life and relationship with Him Matthew 21:13
• Fifth, His church would have an ongoing access to an unimpeachable source of knowledge, wisdom, and power to guide its actions. John 14:26
• Sixth, His church would have His guidance. Matthew 18:20
• Seventh, He would sustain the church. John 15:5 p. 86

Real servant leaders love to hear what others think. They know the only reason they're leading is to serve, and if anybody has any suggestions on how they can serve better, they want to hear them. They consider feedback - even when it comes in the form of criticism - a gift. p. 95

. . . self-serving leaders are unwilling to develop other leaders around them. They fear the potential competition for their leadership position. p. 96

Another trait of servant leaders is that they want to bring out the best in others. p. 96

The scholar of servant leadership, Robert Greenleaf, said that the true test of a servant leader is this: "Do those around the servant leader become wiser, freer, more autonomous, healthier, and better able to become servant leaders? p. 96

He [Jesus] habit of solitude empowered Him to stay on purpose and follow God's will rather than do the popular thing. p. 97

. . . it's important to have habits that keep us focused and moving ahead on God's plan rather than our own. p. 98

God's never late but always on time! p. 102

. . . a compelling vision tells people who they are, where they are going, and what will guide their journey. p. 102

. . . vision is the leadership part of servant leadership and implementation is the servant aspect. p. 103

Lord, clean me out of me, fill me up with You, and then clothe me with humility. p. 104

Nine Components of Love

Questionnaire

1 Corinthians 13

• Patience: Love as patience endures evil, injury, and provocation without being filled with resentment, indignation, or revenge. It will put up with many slights and neglects from the person it loves and wait long to see the kindly effects of such patience on him.

When do I demonstrate love as patience?

When do I struggle to demonstrate love as patience?

• Kindness: Love as kindness is active. Kindness seeks to be useful. It not only seizes on opportunities for doing good but also searches for them.

When do I express love as kindness?

When do I struggle with expressing love as kindness?

• Generosity: Love as generosity does not envy the good fortune or accomplishments of others. If we love our neighbor, we will be so far from envying her and what she possesses or accomplishes that we will share in it and rejoice at it. The prosperity of those to whom we wish well can never grieve us.

When do I express love as generosity?

When do I struggle with expressing love as generosity?

• Courtesy: Love as courtesy is love in the little things. It behaves toward all people with goodwill. It seeks to promote the happiness of all. It avoids profane and indecent language and coarse and vulgar expressions that pain the ear and offend the hearts of others.

When do I exhibit love as courtesy?

When do I struggle to exhibit love as courtesy?

• Humility: Love as humility does not promote or call attention to itself, is not puffed up, is not bloated with self-conceit, and does not dwell upon its accomplishments. When true brotherly love is exhibited, we will find things to praise in others and will esteem others.

When do I express love as humility?

When do I struggle with expressing love as humility?

• Unselfishness: Love as unselfishness never seeks its own to the harm or disadvantage of others, or with the neglect of others. It often neglects its own for the sake of others; it prefers their welfare, satisfaction, and advantage to its own; and it ever prefers the good of the community to its private advantage. It would not advance, aggrandize, enrich, or gratify itself at the cost and damage of the public.

When do I express love as unselfishness?

When do I struggle to express love as unselfishness?

• Good temper: Love as good temper restrains the passions and is not exasperated. It corrects a sharpness of temper and sweetens and softens attitudes. Love as good tempter is never angry without a cause and endeavors to combine the passions within proper limits. Anger cannot rest in the heart where love reigns. It is hard to be angry with loved ones in good temper but very easy to drop resentments and be reconciled.

When do I exhibit love as good temper?

When do I struggle to exhibit love as good temper?

• Guilelessness: Love as guilelessness thinks no evil, suspects no ill motive, sees the bright side, and puts the best construction on every action. It is grace for suspicious people. It cherishes no malice; it does not give way to revenge. It is not apt to be jealous and suspicious.

When do I model love as guilelessness?

When do I struggle to model love as guilelessness?

• Sincerity: Love as sincerity takes no pleasure in doing injury or hurt to others or broadcasting their seeming miscues. It speaks only what is known to be true, necessary, and edifying. It bears no false witness and does not gossip. It rejoices in the truth.

When do I demonstrate love as sincerity?

When do I struggle to demonstrate love as sincerity?

. . . love is lived out in the day-to-day choices people make in their relationships with each other. pp. 127-131

To order this book click here!

Ordering Your Private World

I have read several articles by Gordon MacDonald but this is the first book on his I have read. In his book, Ordering Your Private World, he teaches many principles about your spiritual life being in order. I hope you will enjoy and be challenged by the quotes below:

Sadly, we do not have a Christian culture today that easily discriminates between a person of spiritual depth and a person of raw talent. Like the wheat and the tares of Jesus' parable, they can be difficult to distinguish. The result is that more than a few people can be fooled into thinking they are being influenced by a spiritual giant when in fact they are being manipulated by a dwarf. p.6

. . . keeping or guarding the heart . . . is a deliberate and disciplined choice a man or woman must make. Am I being heard? We must choose to keep the heart. Choose! Its health and productivity cannot be assumed; it must be constantly protected and maintained. pp. 23-24

Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold. p. 24

Are we going to order our inner worlds, our hearts, so that they will radiate influence into the outer world? Or will we neglect our private worlds and thus permit the outer influences to shape us? This is a choice we have to make every day of our lives. p. 24

Although he wasn't trying to make a uniquely Christian point, I nevertheless find the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson quite provocative. "It is easy in the world," he wrote, " to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." p. 25

Charles Spurgeon once said, " Success exposes a man to the pressures of people and thus tempts him to hold on to his gains by means of fleshly methods and practices, and to let himself be ruled wholly by the dictatorial demands of incessant expansion. Success can go to my head and will unless I remember that it is God who accomplishes the work, that he can continue to do so without my help, and that he will be able to make out with other means whenever he wants to cut me out." p. 34

Here in North America we now live in what I call the era of the visionary church. Almost every pastor is judged on the basis of whether he/she has a vision. And this usually means a vision of how the church can grow, grow, grow. The pastoral care of the people - which for hundreds of years has been the aim of a church - is less important in comparison to the gathering of more people. Because more people means more programs, more building, more employed staff. Doubtless this is not all bad if it results in bringing unchurched people into the kingdom of God. But one wants to watch a lot of this "vision" and ask how much of it is satisfying the need of a driven leader who has to see things expand at all costs. p. 35

Driven people get things done, but they may destroy people in the process. p. 36

For an inner life fraught with unresolved drives will not be able to hear clearly the voice of Christ when He calls. The noise and pain of stress will be too great. p. 44

Many churches are fountains gone dry. Rather than being springs of life-giving energy that cause people to grow and to delight in God's way, they become sources of stress. p. 45

Driven people often project a bravado of confidence as they forge ahead with their achievement -oriented life plan. But often, at the moment when it is least expected, adversities and obstructions conspire, and there can be personal collapse. Called people, on the other hand, posses strength from within, a quality of perseverance and power that are impervious to the blows from without. p. 58

Look again at the men Christ picked: few if any of them would have been candidates for high positions in organized religion or big business. It is not that they were unusually awkward. It is just that they appeared to be absolutely ordinary. We have to keep reminding ourselves: No headhunter in his or her right mind would have vetted most of them for leadership in the kingdom of God. But Christ did, and that made all the difference. pp. 58-59

The task of a steward is simply to properly manage something on behalf of the owner until the owner comes to take it back. p. 61

For his (John the Baptist) crowds may be our careers, our assets, our natural and spiritual gifts, our health. So - and think before answering! - are these things owned, or merely managed in the name of the One who gave them? Driven people consider them owned; called people do not. When driven people lose those things it is a major crisis. When called people lose them, nothing of substance has changed. The private world remains the same, perhaps even stronger. p. 62

. . . time must be properly budgeted for the gathering of inner strength and resolve in order to compensate for one's weaknesses when spiritual warfare begins. p. 84

Would we involve our time in doing what people most liked for us to do? Or would we buckle down and give our attention to what was most important . . . p. 93

It once seemed enchanting to be at the head table of some politician's prayer breakfast or to be interviewed on a Christian radio program, but it may not have been a high priority use of time. p. 93

. . . even man and women of great talent and energy have to run the complete course before they can claim the victory. To be in front at the first turn is meaningless without the endurance to finish strongly. pp. 104-105

Such mindlessness can be seen in an unbalanced - and ungodly - family, where one person intimidates all other family members into letting him or her do all the decision-making and opinion-forming. We have many examples of churches where laypeople delegate the thinking to a highly dominant pastor. The epistle of 3 John speaks against a man named Diotrephes, a lay leader who, like Jim Jones, had virtually everyone under his control. The Christian simply surrendered their thinking to him. p. 106

Our worlds are filled with the noise of endless music, chatter, and busy schedules. In most homes there is a stereo in almost every room, in every car, in each office, in the elevator. When I The act of meditation is like turning the spirit to heavenly frequencies. One takes a a friend at his office I am offered music over the phone until he comes to answer my call. There are cell phones with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony theme for a ring, Walkmans with mega-bass, and MP3's all invading the mind with noise. Pretty noise, most of the time. But nevertheless noise. With the intrusion of so much noise, when can we withdraw and monitor the still, small voice of God? p. 151

The act of meditation is like turning the spirit to heavenly frequencies. One takes a portion of Scripture and simply allows it to enter into the deepest recesses of self. There are often several different results: cleansing, reassurance, the desire to praise and give thanksgiving . Sometimes meditation on something of God's nature or His actions opens the mind to new guidance or a new awareness of something the Lord may be trying to say to us. p. 168

I have had many opportunities by now to see that the things I want God to do in response to my prayers can be unhealthy for me. I have begun to see that worship and intercession are far more the business of aligning myself with God's purpose than asking Him to align with mine. p. 177

To order this book click here!

Island of Saints

Andy Andrews is becoming on of my favorite authors. In his book, Island of Saints, he helps the reader understand what forgiveness is all about. Hope you not only enjoy the quotes below, but I pray they will challenge you to live a Christ-like life!

It means giving something up. To relinquish something means to give up whatever power it holds over us. If you forgive somebody for something he did to you, that means you choose to never again allow that event to determine how you feel or how you act or even how you treat that person. You may remember the wrong, but by choosing to forgive, you have disarmed it. Then it can no longer determine what you think, what you say, or what you do. p. 120

. . . whenever you get hurt by somebody, you can either think about 'em all day long and let 'em keep hurting you inside . . . or give them to God. pp. 129-130

If you forgive them, it doesn't mean they get away with what they did . . . it just means that you don't have to think about it all the time. You can't do anything anyway, except be mad. See? You just give 'em to God. Then you can be happy. p. 130

In 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, noticed a continuing pattern in the advance and decline of the world's democracies.

He stated then that a democracy would continue to exist until such time that the voters discover that they can literally vote themselves gifts from the public treasury. From the moment that revelation is made, the majority proceeds to vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury. The final result is that every democracy finally collapses due to loose fiscal policy. That collapse is always followed by a dictatorship.

Tyler charted the ages of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history . . . an average existence of about two hundred years. Every single time, these nations progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from great courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; and finally from dependence into bondage. pp. 141-142 [ I realize there is no proof that Alexander Tyler said these things; however it does make sense. This is one reason we must make sure that the USA remains a Constitutional Republic.]

. . . we are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it. p. 149

. . . I must practice forgiveness. It is less an act than a determined way of living. I think that is why we are suppose to forgive "seventy times seven." True forgiveness comes only at the conclusion of an inner struggle. p. 149

. . . where is it written that for one person to forgive another, the offender must ask for forgiveness? Where is it written - not in the Bible, for sure - that for one person to forgive another, the offender must deserve it? p. 157

. . . where is it written that for one person to forgive another, the offender has to approve it, accept it, or even know about it? p. 157

. . . No man is an island if we choose not to forgive. Not to forgive means we yield ourselves to another person's control - another person's governing values and his attitudes and actions. We are forced by someone else into sequences of act and response, of outrage and revenge, and you know what? It always gets worse. Our present, when we refuse to forgive, is endlessly overwhelmed by the past. But we become an "island" when we forgive. The act sets us apart from the burdens of people we generally don't like in the first place! Forgiveness frees the forgiver p. 158

Sometimes we attach our entire lives to the moment we were hurt and allow it to define and consume our very existence. We travel with that hurt - that offense - and brood over it every time it comes to mind. We sleep with it, eat with it the "wrong" that has been done to us dictates how we speak to our children, our spouses, our friends . . . p. 158

Even when those who have mistreated us, abused us, cheated us, or oppressed us . . . even when they die, our anger and resentment do not have the decency to do the same! Our hurt continues to live. Until we forgive. There is no such thing as managing one's anger. It simply can't be done. The only answer is to forgive . . . and get rid of it forever. p. 158

. . . you are not concerned about what he is . . . only about what he can become. p. 189

Ephesians 4:32

³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

To order this book click here!

Justice That Restores

Chuck Colson who was special counsel to President Richard Nixon and served seven months in a federal prison after pleading guilty in the Watergate case, writes about prison reform in his book, Justice That Restores: Why our justice system doesn't work and the only method of true reform. He is the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries and does much good work around the world. In this book he talks about some changes that will improve the criminal justice system. The section quoted below highlights one of the principles mentioned in the book. The principle is called tranquillitas ordinis or tranquillity produced by order. I have observed this principle in action at a Christian school. I trust you will be blessed by the section below:

William Wilberforce, for example, the great evangelical British statesman and personal model for my life, once wrote that "the most effectual way to prevent the greater crimes is by punishing the smaller, and by endeavoring to repress the general spirit of licentiousness, which is the parent of every kind of vice." This was a philosophy derived from the biblical view of communal order, and it was the same philosophy that influenced the original principles of policing laid out by Wilberforce's contemporary Sir Robert Peel, who served as home secretary when the Metropolitan Police of London was established in 1829. The first job of the police, Peel argued, was not fighting crime but keeping peace, and he established high standards of professionalism as the police worked to prevent crime. (Indicative of his influence is the fact that the term bobby, used for police, came from Peel's Christian name.)

Seventy years later in the New York City Character, the same principles were repeated: "It is hereby made the duty of the police department to especially preserve the public peace, . . . remove all nuisances in the public streets, . . . restrain all unlawful and disorderly conduct."

Not surprisingly then, in the United States at the turn of the last century it was the police who developed food and soup lines, built police stations with space where migrants could stay, referred beggars to charitable agencies, returned lost children to their homes, and patrolled the streets, preserving the good order of the community.

This view of policing and criminal justice began to unravel in the 1960's. This was due in part to the emergence of the drug culture and the rapid urbanization of modern societies. But it was due as well to a distinct change in our view of police responsibilities. In the 1970's and 1980's, court decisions repeatedly struck down statutes against vagrancy and loitering, statutes that had been passed to uphold public order. Before long, streets, parks, and subways in major urban areas were filled with beggars, prostitutes, drunks, and homeless people. Compounding the problem, there was at the very same time a massive movement to deinstitutionalize the mentally ill and a rise in drug-related crimes. Cities became like combat zones.

In 1982 social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling wrote a landmark article describing what they called the broken-window theory. They argued that if a building is left in disrepair with a window broken, for example, soon all the windows are knocked out. Or if a car is sitting on the street badly dented or with broken windows, in a matter of hours the car is destroyed by vandals. Graffiti and litter similarly send a message that authorities are unwilling or are unable to enforce standards of decent behavior. Kelling and Wilson argued that reversing that process would create an attitude of public order, an attitude that would discourage crimes.

In the early 1990's the New York police chief took the broken-window theory to heart and persuaded New York's newly elected mayor and tough ex-prosecutor, Rudolph Giuliani, to give the theory a try. Orders went out to Precincts 69 and 75 and to Brooklyn to "fix broken windows," arrest petty offenders, clean up neighborhoods. The police were to adopt zero tolerance for any violation of public order. Whereas before they had ignored turnstile jumping at subways, officers now nabbed the offenders who often as not turned out to be muggers. Whereas before they had turned a blind eye to minor traffic violations, officers now stopped all violators, which often led to the discovery of drugs and guns in the cars. In Precinct 75, for example, which once had been one of the most dangerous places in America, homicides dropped from 129 to 47 over a three-year period. pp.116-118

Politicians were quick to trumpet their successes anywhere they could find a microphone, as if they had discovered the Holy Grail, the long-sought answer to crime. Yet all they had discovered was the well-established fundamental, biblical truth of shalom, which has informed church thought through the centuries. It was most powerfully articulated in the fourth century by Saint Augustine in his classic City of God. Augustine taught that peace is the "tranquillity produced by order" (tranquillitas ordinis). A community, Augustine argued, enjoys peace and harmony only when it follows the created moral order; only an ordered civil life allows fallen human beings to live and work together. pp. 18-19

To order this book click here!

What Good is God?

One of my favorite authors is Philip Yancey. While I don't always agree with him, he always makes me think. It was not different in his book, What Good is God? In Search of A Faith That Matters. In this book he investigates some of the situations that have happened around the world that are hard to understand such as: Virginia Tech: Campus Massacre, China: Winds of Change, Green Lake: Professional Sex Workers, etc.I trust the quotes below will cause you to ponder the greatness of our God!

The sufferings of Jesus show us that pain comes to us not as punishment but rather as a testing ground for faith that transcends pain. In truth, pain redeemed impresses me more than pain removed. p. 31

Nothing irredeemable has happened or can happen to us on our way to our destiny in God's full world. Dallas Willard p. 31

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us," Paul concludes. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Terrible things will happen on this planet, yet we have access to a "peace that passes understanding" that can calm both heart and mind in the midst of tragedy. God's love is the foundational truth of the universe, and I pray that you do not let your grief obscure that fact. p. 32

From the book, Where is God When It Hurts? - I guess I'd have to answer that with another question, "Where is the church when it hurts?" p. 33

. . . God created the natural world, after all, and called it good. Furthermore, in the Old Testament God inspired sacred craftsmanship and a written revelation still regarded as a masterpiece. The New Testament shows more ambivalence toward culture, perhaps because early Christians lived under the shadow of cultured but pagan Rome. Lewis thought it necessary to put culture in its proper place. "The work of a Beethoven, and the work of a charwoman," he said, "become spiritual on precisely the same condition, that of being offered to God, of being done humbly 'as to the Lord.'" The salvation of a single soul, he said elsewhere, is worth more than all the epics and tragedies ever written-quite an admission for a man who taught literature for a living. p. 105

As Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters, indulging in pleasure apart from the Creator's intent can lead to a form of slavery. "An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure" is the devil's formula. p. 109

We must refuse, abandon, deny self altogether as a ruling, or determining, or originating element in us. It is to be no longer the regent of our action. We are no more to think"What should I like to do?" but "What would the Living One have me to do?" To answer that question becomes the central focus of a life of faith. ~C. S. Lewis p. 111

I do write honestly about my past, even though it may cause others pain. I would hope that readers call me down on my own inconsistencies and exaggerations and theological errors. I know of no more honest book than the Bible, which tells the ugly truth about its main protagonists (think Moses, David, Peter, Paul) as well as the church established to carry on the tradition (think of James, Galatians, and 1 Corinthians, as well as the letters to the seven churches in Revelation). In contrast, the Pharisees and their kin exhibit one persistent flaw: an inability to take criticism. People and institutions naturally want to present themselves in the best light and thus we rationalize or cover up mistakes. When we do so we move away from authenticity toward the very dangers Jesus warned against, in the process sealing off grace. p. 122

Church historian Mark Noll remarks that the song "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" plainly errs when it says, "And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." No, the rest of the world grows clearer, not dimmer, in that light. God created the world of matter, set us down in its midst, and entered it in the Incarnation. The least we can do is appreciate it. Helen Keller gave good advice: "Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind; hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow." p. 129

For the Christian, living by strict rules becomes a danger when it quenches the spiritual life rather than expresses it. Do you rely on rules as a way to earn God's approval? Does a rule-based community set up a ranking system of higher and lower spirituality? Do rules distract you from weightier issues? Which do they foster, pride or humility? Do you nourish the inner life or merely whitewash the outer appearance? These are the questions Jesus raised about the Pharisees, in some of the strongest language he ever used. p. 132

D.L. Moody, asked whether he was filled with the Spirit, replied, "Yes. But I leak." p. 136

The last time I visited Rhema Church I told you about Joanna Flanders-Thomas, a remarkable woman who first worked against apartheid and then turned her attention to a local problem, the most violent prison in South Africa, where Nelson Mandela spent eight years of his confinement. Joanna started visiting prisoners daily, bringing them a simple gospel message of forgiveness and reconciliation. She organized a tiny ministry with the grand name The Centre for Hope and Transformation. The year before her visits began, the prison recorded 279 acts of violence; the next year there were two and the following year eight. Joanna's results attracted the attention of BBC producers, who sent a camera crew from London to film two one-hour documentaries on her work.

I told you how I met Joanna and her husband at a restaurant on the waterfront of Cape Town. "I've seen the BBC documentaries, but I still don't get it," I said. "These guys are monsters-rapists, murderers. And from what I could see you were simply holding Bible studies, playing trust games, having prayer meetings. What really happened o transform Pollsmoor Prison?" Joanna looked up and said, almost without thinking, "Well, oh course, Philip, God was already present in the prison, I just had to make Him visible."

Joanna's offhand comment became for me a mission statement of how to live as an Adult follower of Jesus. We know God's qualities: justice, righteousness, compassion, mercy, grace, love. For whatever reason, God has chosen to convey those qualities on earth through human beings like us. That can be a daunting task, I assure you, yet I have seen it accomplished through ordinary people here in South Africa. p. 163

Let me introduce the Parent stage by borrowing an object lesson from Dr. Paul Brand, a mentor of mine whose own life demonstrated the truth he was illustrating. In the middle of a talk in the stately chapel of Wheaton College in Illinois he reached in his pocket and pulled out a cluster of grapes. "Excuse me, I think I need a bit of refreshment," he said, and some in the audience tittered. He plucked a juicy red grape, popped it in his mouth, and chewed it with a smile of satisfaction. Suddenly his face wrinkled into a frown and he loudly spat out the seeds onto the plush carpet, startling the students. After the laughter died down, he went on to make a serious point.

Dr. Paul Brand read a text on the fruit of the Spirit as described by Paul in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. "These qualities are good for you in every way," he explained. "They are qualities of God, who wants to grow them inside you. Yet as someone who has raised fruit trees, I know that from the fruit's perspective the ultimate goal is reproduction. The fruit is attractive and beautiful so that a bird or perhaps a person will find that grape, or apple, or blackberry, pick it, and do just what I have done: deposit its seed on the ground. If we were meeting outside, rather than in this beautiful chapel, I could come back in ten years or so and find a grape vine growing as a result of my sermon illustration this morning."

I later walked in an orchard with Dr. Brand and heard him explain in more detail. "We think of fruit from our perspective, assuming its appeal is meant for our enjoyment. See this apple? It's colorful, delicious, fragrant. From the viewpoint of the apple, though, our enjoyment is mainly a way to produce more apples. Everything about the fruit is oriented toward reproduction. When it falls to the ground, it makes a slight dent in the soil, and it contains just enough meat to nourish the seeds inside. pp. 165-166

Recently I have been reading a historical study by Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity. A sociologist of religion, Stark investigated the success of the early Christian movement which, starting from a few thousand followers, grew to encompass half the population of the Roman Empire in three centuries. In the midst of a hostile environment, the Christians simply acted on their beliefs. Going against the majority culture, they treated slaves as human beings, often liberating them, and elevated women to positions of leadership. When an epidemic hit their towns, they stayed behind to nurse the sick. They refused to participate in such common practices as abortion and infanticide. They responded to persecution as martyrs, not as terrorists. And when Roman social networks disintegrated, the church stepped in. Even one of their pagan critics had to acknowledge that early Christians loved their neighbors "as if they were our own family." p. 214

People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.

Some in the United States judge our nation's success by such measures as gross national product, military might, and global dominance. The kingdom of God measures such things as care for the downtrodden and love for enemies. In the final reckoning described in Matthew 25, God will judge nations by how they treat the poor, the sick, the hungry, the alien, and the prisoner. pp. 214-215

On the last day, after a triumphant tour, the teenagers met Dr. J. Christy Wilson, a revered figure in Afghanistan. Born of missionary parents in Iran, he earned a degree from Princeton University and a PhD in Oriental Studies from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He then spent twenty-two years in Afghanistan, serving as principal of a government high school and teaching English to the Crown Prince and Afghan diplomats. He also led the Community Christian Church and founded the School for the Blind in Kabul.

Wilson drove the teenagers to an unusual tourist site, the only cemetery in Afghanistan where "infidels" could be buried. He walked to the first, ancient gravestone, pitted with age. "This man worked here thirty years, and translated the Bible into Afghan language," he said. "Not a single convert. And in this grave next to him lies the man who replaced him, along with his children who died here. He toiled for twenty-five years, and baptized the first Afghan Christian." As they strolled among the gravestones, he recounted the stories of early missionaries and their fates.

At the end of the row he stopped, turned, and looked the teenagers straight in the eye. "For thirty years, one man moved rocks. That's all he did, move rocks. Then came his replacement, who did nothing but dig furrows. There came another who planted seeds, and another watered. And now you kids-you kids-are bringing in the harvest." pp. 221-222

He (George, an A.A. member) said that in church if someone comes in late, people turn and look at the latecomer. Some scowl, some smile a self-satisfied smile-See, that person's not as responsible as I am. In A.A., though, if a person shows up late, the meeting comes to a halt and everyone jumps up to greet the latecomer, aware that the tardiness may be a sign that the addict almost didn't make it. As George put it, "When I show up late, it proves that my desperate need for them won out over my desperate need for alcohol." p. 236

. . . for an addiction is simply a form of idolatry, something that supplants God as the center of our lives. p. 237

There is a common saying in A.A.: "Religion is for people who believe in Hell. Spirituality is for people who have been there." p. 243

One could hardly find a better poster child for the oppressed than Bartimaeus. Like so many disabled and impoverished people here in India, he subsisted by begging. Blind, he had a few options in that day. To make matters worse, his very name in Hebrews meant "son of garbage" or "son of filth," so that everytime someone called his name it deepened the insult. Bartimaeus stands for the underclass all over the world, those who for whatever reason cannot live without outside help. p. 277

Of all the people healed by Jesus, Bartimaeus is the only one whose name the Gospels record. p. 278

. . . God has invested in us followers. We are the ones called to demonstrate a faith that matters to a watching world. p. 287

To order this book click here!

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Francis Chan in his book, Crazy Love, challenges the reader to live a life that is crazy. A life an unbeliever would not understand, but a life that would show the world Christ's love. He suggests that we turn our lives upside-down for the Savior. Hope you enjoy the quotes below:

God is all-powerful. Colossians 1:16 tells us that everything was created for God: "For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him."

Don't we live instead as though God is created for us, to do our bidding, to bless us, and to take care of our loved ones?

Psalm 115:3 reveals, "Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him." Yet we keep on questioning Him: "Why did You make me with this body; instead of that one?" "Why are so many people dying of starvation ?" " Why are there so many planets with nothing living on them?" Why is my family so messed up?" "Why don't You make Yourself more obvious to the people who need You?"

The answer to each of these questions is simply this: because He's God. He has more of a right to ask us why so many people are starving. As much as we want God to explain Himself to us, His creation, we are in no place to demand that He give an account to us. p. 33

Turning inward is one way to respond; the other is to acknowledge our lack of control and reach out for God's help.

If life were stable, I'd never need God's help. Since it's not, I reach out for Him regularly. I am thankful for the unknowns and that I don't have control, because it makes me run to God. p. 45

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity. p. 65

Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. p. 69

Lukewarm people don't really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don't really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. p. 70

Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. p. 71

Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. pp. 114-115

What are you doing right now that requires faith? p. 124

But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through. p. 124

I've made it a commitment to consistently put myself in situations that scare me and require God to come through. When I survey my life, I realize that those times have been the most meaningful and satisfying of my life. They were the times when I truely experienced life and God. p. 169

I always want this to be the greatest message I'll preach in case I'm not here to give another one.

To order this book click here!

The Daniel Fast for Spiritual Breakthrough

My wife and I decided to submit to a Daniel Fast from February 1st through February 21st. A Daniel Fast is abstaining from certain "party" foods. Things like meat, sweets, caffeine, etc. It was a blessing for us. The purpose of the Fast is to draw closer to God and to have a prayer project. We decided we would have three prayer projects for each day of the week. We divided the daily projects into Church, Sunday School, and Personal. We purposed to pray together each day for the three requests on our pray list for that day. Overall we had twenty-one prayer projects. It was a sweet time of growing in our relationship with our Father. A side benefit was better health and a weight loss. We have determined to continue to eat healthy and to lose weight. One book that was helpful in this fast was Elemer Towns' The Daniel Fast for a Spiritual Breakthrough. Dr. Towns, cofounder of Liberty University, has lots of practical information in his book as well as recipes in the back. He has a devotional for each of the twenty-one days. He also encourages you to start and end the fast on the dates you decide at the beginning of the fast. We also used Susan Gregory's website and information. We actually held to Susan's suggestions for the foods to abstain. You can find her website here, Daniel Fast. The next time we submit to the fast we will buy Susan's book and Kristen Feola's book. You can sign up for a daily devotional on Susan's website. I had no idea how many people have been through the Daniel Fast. I first learned of the Daniel Fast through my niece's church. To read of Daniel's fast look at Daniel 1:8-12 (ten-day fast) and Daniel 10:3 (twenty-one day fast). I trust you will enjoy the quotes from Elmer Towns' book:

So Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies (see Daniel 1:8). Was this a choice for good health, or to keep his body separated to God? It was both! Daniel wanted God's will for his body. And isn't that what you want for your body, too, during your Daniel Fast?

The Daniel Fast is not primarily a dietary choice; it is a spiritual vow to God. you may lose weight during your fast, or you may lower your blood pressure or cholesterol, and while these results are good, they are not the primary focus of the fast. Indeed, you are fasting for a spiritual focus. Improved health is always a secondary result of doing the Daniel Fast. Look at what happens when you begin a Daniel Fast. First, you reevaluate your life in light of God's perspective. Second, you break some bad eating habits, which will begin to restore you to better health. pp. 21-22

. . . many people who participate in a Daniel Fast testify that they are closer to God when they fast than any other time in their life. Why? Because they are obeying God every minute of the day. When you're fasting, you're aware of your stomach all the time, which makes you aware of the reason you are abstaining from food-intimacy with God-as you fast.

A final reason to choose to fast is that it leads to worshiping God. When you fast and pray, you honor the Lord with your body and soul. p. 22

. . . two questions you should be asking yourself are the same: (1) Why am I fasting? and (2) What do I want to accomplish with this fast? Technically, you should be fasting for focus and commitment to a project or for an answer to prayer. p. 23

The Daniel Fast is a time vow, so you need to decide ahead of time how long you will fast and then be firm to that commitment to the end. p. 23

. . . begin on time, keep the promise to fast the entire time, and end on time.

The Daniel Fast is also a discipline vow. You strengthen your character in every area of your life when you fulfill your Daniel Fast. When you take control of your body-your outer self-you begin to take control of your inner character. You discipline your body to glorify the Lord. pp. 23-24

As you discipline your body, you are disciplining your prayer life. p. 24

The Daniel Fast is a partial vow. You don't give up all food (an absolute fast), nor do you go on just a juice fast (a normal fast). Instead, you omit certain foods that you would typically eat or eliminate certain meals for a specified period of time. This may include omitting one or two meals a day for a certain length of time, or it may involve omitting other practices.

The Daniel Fast is a healthy vow. You abstain from "party" food, or junk food. Usually, you don't eat between meals, and you only eat healthy foods.

Finally the Daniel Fast is a lifestyle vow. When Daniel asked permission to avoid the king's delicacies for 10 days, he put his whole life into his chosen diet. Then, if he continued to look "healthy," he could continue following his own diet. p. 24

Take note that nowhere in the Bible are believers commanded to observe a Daniel Fast. We have been given freedom to eat; and we eat healthy to stay healthy. p. 25

As you enter the Daniel Fast, it is easy to focus on the food you give up or the activities you surrender. It's easy to focus on your abstinence and not on the basic purpose for which you are fasting. But remember that God is not impressed just because you stop eating altogether or you stop eating certain foods, even if you do it for your health. God is not impressed with the outward actions of your fast. The secret of any fast is not what you keep from entering the stomach but what comes out of the heart. God is primarily concerned with your inner person, not your outer body. p. 33

The basic principles of discipleship were not denial or self discipline, but following Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "If any one desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). This involves turning to the Lord and putting Him first in your life, and then turning away from anything that keeps you from following Him.

There are three words in this verse that should influence your Daniel Fast. First, the word "deny" means that you should get rid of anything that hinders your relationship with Christ. You must get off the throne of your heart, and Jesus must sit there and control what you eat and drink. The second word is "daily." Following Jesus means 24-7 dedication, so your Daniel Fast requires a 10-day or 21-day vow accompanied with continuous prayer. The third word is "follow." Just as Jesus fasted in preparation for His spiritual work, so must you follow Jesus' example with a Daniel Fast for your spiritual vow. pp. 34-35

Humility is an interesting word. Webster says it means, "to reduce oneself to the lowest position in one's own eyes, and, or the eyes of another." It comes from the word humus, which means "from the earth." Humus is that rich organic soil that is formed from the partial decomposition of plant or animal matter. Look deeply: the rich soil that produces new life comes from death of other matter. So when you "crucify" yourself-or you die-you produce an experience that gives new life from God.

Doesn't our life represent a seed that can be planted by God to give life to others? Remember, Jesus said, "Except a seed is planted in the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit" (John 12:24 ELT). So when we crucify ourselves, others prosper and live.

So our life must be open to the renewing rain and the richness of the soil and the energy of the sun to produce new life in us and others. But that new life is brought forth with humus, or the death of self.

Trying to become humble is like trying to go to sleep. The harder you try, the more difficult it becomes. But when we surrender to sleep, like surrendering to the Lord, what we seek will happen. You can't deliberately pray for humility, nor can you work it up, it's a gift from God. p. 132

What did Paul mean, "Aspire to lead a quiet life" (1 Thess. 4:11)? What did God mean, "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15)? There is power in silence before God. It's not the absence of words that gives us strength; it's God's presence that empowers us. David wrote, "Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation" (Ps. 62:1). This probably didn't mean original salvation from sin, but our daily salvation from the domination of sin.

We don't learn as much when we're talking as when we're listening. So we need to kneel quietly in God's presence to learn some of the better lessons in life. p. 148

Make sure the fast goal is God's project and not your personal project, p. 157

The emphasis is not on your begging God to come help you win the battle. No, that's the wrong emphasis. It's not even getting God on your side; it's you getting on God's side. p. 157

To order this book click here!