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Have you ever wondered what made the wise men of the Nativity story truly wise? They were actually more magicians than university professors so many of us today would not call their practices of discerning their direction from their daily horoscopes that smart of a deal! They depended more on tricks than truth. They were referred to as pagans by those who would define themselves as biblical scholars. Maybe they got their identity more by what they ended up doing rather than who they were before their journey to Bethlehem ever began.

So what made these magi true wise guys with stars in their eyes? Well they were wise to seek the Baby King despite uncertainty, expense, and hardship. They were wise to seek a Jesus that even the Hebrews could not make time for. They committed to find him no matter what obstacles stood in their way. They didn’t know exactly where he was. They weren’t even that sure who he was! Yet nothing deterred their determination! They finally get to Jerusalem and realize they need even more input. How many of us would keep knocking knowing full well that we would have to get the local government involved? The officials surmise that they must go out of town to Bethlehem if they really want to meet the new King. That would mean another five or six miles. How many of you wouldn’t have made it to church last Sunday if it meant that you had to go by foot just five or six more miles? Yet these heroes hurried on and for that we have to give them credit for their street smarts!

Too many times we homogenize that first Christmas story to almost be more fairy tale than factual. These guys put their lives and well-being in harm’s way. Remember, they were wandering from the east in a caravan that also included riches and treasures including pure gold. They were walking targets for bandits of the day! They’ve got to have security detail. They’ve got to watch over their gifts because they’re not from this country. They are clearly foreigners and that makes it more than just a little dangerous amidst a day that treachery ran rampant.

Do you see where, for them, the pursuit of Jesus was the most important thing, more important than their comfort or their security, more important than their wealth or their stability? Nothing was going to stop them from paying homage to the King! Ain’t no mountain high enough and ain’t no river wide enough to keep them from getting to Jesus! This begs the question: How important is it for us to be with Jesus this December? Is it more important than anything and everything else? Have you been seeking Jesus? Am I seeking Jesus at that pace? Are you looking for him? Will you do anything to meet him? Do you want to get to know him? How badly do I want to be with him?

If you look beyond the commercial chaos- you just may find the presence you are truly yearning for this Christmas! But you won’t discover it at the Mall! You will grasp it only if you go back to hold the baby born in a manger just for you! If you dig deep past mounds of wrapping paper- and if you can turn down the canned Christmas music- you might just be able to hear the angels sing. And their song is still inviting you to make room in your heart for the one to be born your Savior and your King!

If you haven’t been to church in a while, then I am inviting you to join me as I open the pages of God’s Book to show you God’s Heart as seen in the greatest Christmas gift ever given to anyone. When Jesus came from heaven to earth on that Bethlehem night all those years ago- you were already on his mind!
All weekend long, every weekend, you can enter the wonder now though Christmas Eve at The Lighthouse Church- Saturday at 6PM and Sunday at 9 and 10:45AM and on Wednesday Christmas Eve at 4 and 6 and 11:30 PM. If the wise men could do it, why can’t we? Maybe we need to humble ourselves and admit that perhaps we haven’t been as smart as we have claimed to be! Maybe this is a time to relearn what is timeless and true no matter what era our journey may be in. And maybe that night some 2000 years ago, that wasn’t so silent after all, may make some sweet new noise in our days both now and forever! I’ll meet you at the manger! We will be the ones with the stars in our eyes and the hope in our hearts!

I am sure that you have seen bumper stickers or billboard signs that present this sentiment that may contain more literary imagination than practical reality. They read: “Put Christ Back Into Your Christmas!” The problem with this adage is that it assumes that Jesus was once the center of a holiday that more often than not- it was pretty hard to find him in! Maybe the better suggestion might be, ‘Why Not Put Christ Into Your Christmas This Year- For A First Time?” How would your holiday season truly be different if everything you did reflected your love for the Lord? Something tells me that we are far too self-centered at this time of the year- to ever know the joy that might be ours if we revolved our December around God!

It all comes down to who is actually running the production! So much of Christmas has become materially driven that we might need to start all over again rather than attempt to renovate the celebration! How many Christmases actually come down to you not putting your whole heart and soul into giving a specific gift to another- but more if you gave everybody the same amount? Did you get something for the people that you don’t even like making sure that you supplied a token that they really won’t need or appreciate? Isn’t it time to stop this madness and end this charade?

How was Jesus born? If you go back to the original source that defines the First Nativity, you will read in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2 and verse 2 that when the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, they said that Jesus was “born king of the Jews.” Don’t miss this! They were talking to a man named Herod who hijacked the throne! Herod was not born a king- he bought the position. He had others refer to him by a title that he never deserved. Jesus was not made a king- he was born one! If anybody should be in charge of everything- it is the Lord! How about in your life? Is he just some ceremonial figure head or do you let him call the shots and drive the agenda? Jesus has always been the only real king who was born king. He starts as king and he ends as king and if you would get the hint- he should be your king!

I know to do something so radical as to allow Jesus to superintend your Christmas behavior would mean lots of changes but maybe that is the only way to redeem the season. What if you asked the Lord what the best gifts might be to give away this year? Do you have to buy them? Would it mean more if you actually made them? Is it always about outdoing and one upping the other? What if you gave the gift of time to your child? A whole day with you where they could pick what the itinerary would be?

And what about giving a present to Jesus this December 25th? I mean it! The Bible says that if we even do something for the least of these in his name- we have done it to him. What if each member of your family gave something personal and from the heart to Jesus? Maybe it could be a toy for a needy tot? Maybe it could be doing some free babysitting for an overwhelmed family? Maybe it would be to take a meal over to the neighbor that you never see? Maybe it is to make that phone call or send that note to that somebody that you might have lost touch with but you still honestly care about! Why leave these magical moments to the net Hallmark Movie when it is within your power to pull it off?

Let’s go back to the beginning one more time and see if we can learn something from the original wise men! Did you notice that they were the only group in the original Christmas experiences that were genuinely interested? I mean, they had traveled from the east at a great expense and inconvenience, and they show up in Jerusalem and ask, “Where’s Jesus? He’s not here.” And what they don’t do is say, “Well, we’ve looked, and we tried, and now we’re gone.” They dug deeper! They go further! They are not satisfied with apathy and ignorance. They want to know “Where might he be? Get the scholars together. We need to get more information. We’re looking for him. Where is he?” They’re very determined to find him. Do you see that? How about you? Are you that determined to rediscover the Christ of Christmas? Prove it!

When the Magi find out that Jesus is in Bethlehem, they make immediate plans to travel there. They were going to keep looking, keep seeking, and keep searching. No excuses! They needed to meet him. They’re genuinely interested in Jesus. Herod only cared about himself and that pretty much defines most peoples’ interest in Christmas today! The scholars knew the answers but they did nothing with it! They were not interested! But the wise men- they were not going to have a Christmas without Jesus! And that is what I pray for all of us this year! You really want to get to know Jesus. You want to meet him. You want to allow him to drive this December! It’s your move! And the results will determine what kind of gifts this Noel will tell!

I am actually writing you this edition of my weekly article while I have been speaking to the students at the Dalat English Speaking Christian School in Penang, Malaysia. All week long I have had the privilege of speaking to young people aged all the way from Pre-K to the Seniors in High School. My theme as been “Bold Moves!” Bold Moves is when God asks you to do something that you can’t do without him, but together- miracles happen! “Bold Moves” proves that we desperately need a little divine assistance if we are ever to truly capture the specific meaning and intentional reason of why we have been placed here on planet Earth! God purposely made us to function as the sheep of his pasture because of all the creatures in the animal kingdom- there is nothing very intimidating about a lot of lambs gathered together! They are not hunters! They are not predators! They are not fierce in any way shape or form. And on their own- they will end up as tomorrow’s meal of mutton! But when God inhabits the flock- the fire ignites a passion that would have never been there otherwise! Super Sheep only come to be with the aid of a Super Savior!

And Jesus didn’t save us to just become a professional bench warmer. Jesus didn’t die for us just so that we could use his blessings to accommodate our own agenda! God has a work to do with you in mind. He has literally put your name on something that no body else will ever do as well as you! Your mission if you choose to accept it is to trust his presence and enter fully in to the adventure together! And it isn’t what you might think! God is not recruiting you to become something that you were never equipped to pull off. The simplest way to discover the Lord’s itinerary for your efforts and abilities is to admit what you are passionate about and dedicate it to him! Too many people are stuck doing daily what they hate every second! I don’t care how much money they may be making- money alone can’t buy you love or satisfaction! Are you settling when you should be soaring? Are you playing it safe because you are terrified of failing? Without faith it is impossible to please God! And without faith- you will never try to fly! If you could do whatever you wanted to do- what would it be? Could that stirring of the sparks into flames be God trying to free the fire in you so that the Lord might shine through you?

If anyone deserves a little enthusiasm- it is the God of all creation. Don’t you think that he might deserve something a little better from you than yesterday’s leftovers? Why do we tend to always take the Lord for granted? We constantly expect God to come through for us every day- but what about us showing up for him? Why is it that more often than not- we only get around to God when we can squeeze him in rather than make it an absolutely essential can’t miss appointment? If I were to ask you to name all the things in your life right now that get more attention out of you than the moments you make the Lord number one- what would they be? Where does Jesus fall on your hit list? Did he even make your top ten?

During the summer before this last one, my brother Robert and I were in New York City for the Major League Baseball All Star Game. We had hardly gotten off the PATH Train when all of a sudden we were bombarded by people singing the praises of what they were telling us was one of the greatest comeback stories in all of history. One individual even went so far as to say that this American “Treasure” had literally risen from the dead! He was talking about “The Twinkies.” Yes, we had almost lost that Hostess snack forever but somebody loved us enough to bring it back to the streets where it belonged. Everywhere we went that day- they were passing out Twinkies- singing about Twinkies and wanting to know if we wanted to accept the Twinkies into our stomach again! Yes, Twinkies, the snack that because of all the preservatives injected into them- never expire! The Twinkies that might encompass the most wasted use of calorie intake ever. How could we ever survive without this jewel of junk food?

It was like sugary sweet street evangelism. I ate so many Twinkies that day- I almost wished they had disappeared again for good! It was a Twinkies overload and overkill started by a bunch of Twinkies Freaks who were not content to just keep the treats to themselves! They believed everybody needed to join in the celebration! They invited all humanity to take part of the Twinkies emancipation! What once was lost was now found. What once was nostalgia was the now news to take notice of. How would the world survive without Hostess Sweet Confectionery Fluff?

Nobody told me about Jesus that same day. Nobody shared their love for the Lord. Nobody ran up to my brother and I and said that they had found treasure in the bread of life that satisfied in a way that the Twinkies could never touch! Why had mankind elevated Twinkies to a level that it had never deserved to obtain?
For me Twinkies are OK. I always loved Funny Bones myself! But no baked cake is ever going to be as big as Jesus in my life and my world! And if I believe that, then there is no way I can keep this eternal treat a secret! And neither should you!

So as I head home for Malaysia I know what I am giving this Harvest Season and you won’t find it on the shelf at WaWa! But you will discover that the real resurrection unbelievable comeback story was when Jesus rose from the dead and because he lives- we can too! And I will yodel that until every ring dings!!!!

I can’t tell you how many times that I have heard this excuse when it comes to going to church. They say to me with a serious look on their face, “I would come but you know that the place is filled with hypocrites!” To which I quickly reply, “So we always have room for one more!” Hey, all human beings are hypocrites in one way or another! We have all been guilty of putting on a façade that didn’t quite accurately portray the genuine article playing in our heart! People don’t always keep their promises. People don’t always tell the truth. People will say one thing and then act another. But here is the good news: that doesn’t mean God does!

God is the real deal! Jesus is a promise keeper! What the Lord says he is- he is! And while human beings will let you down- our Lord never does! He didn’t bring us this far to leave us. He didn’t teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn’t build his home in us to move away and He didn’t lift us up to let us down! The gospel group The Imperials used to sing that one but the lyrics still ring true today and every day. I am not a Christian because of Christians! I am a Christian because of Christ!

I know many of you are fanatical when it comes to your sports teams! You go out of your way to let it be known that you are true to your ball club! Now let me ask you a simple question. Would you let the apathy of another so called fan affect the rabid way you follow? I was going to talk about the Mets here but let me find some common ground. I have always cheered for the Eagles in football. Roman Gabriel is my all-time favorite quarterback and he was the comeback player of the year with Philadelphia back in 1973! I know that because I love my team. But yet on any given Sunday, there will be many at Lincoln Financial Field who could care less that Merrill Reese is the greatest broadcaster of all time. They don’t know who Dick Vermeil is. They never even heard of Tommy McDonald. They came because they were given the tickets. They came because they had nothing else better to do. They came because they were actually going to have the nerve to root for the opposition! But none of the reasons they come have anything to do with why I come and will still come! I love my Eagles. I bleed green! No matter what anybody else in the stadium feels- I come because I am a sold out follower!

Now if I may simply bring that illustration into the light, I go to church for the same reason. I know the place is filled with phonies! Hey, I know that even I have let the Lord down every now and then. One of the most famous followers of Jesus denied him publicly three times when the Lord really needed him. But it all comes down to the fact that when push came to shove- Peter loved Jesus! I don’t go Sundays based on the people there but I am hopelessly devoted to the power that has transformed my life! I love the one I am going to worship. I am not afraid to admit that I am bananas for Jesus! I have given my heart and soul to God and have decided to radically and passionately live for him no matter what others may say or do. How about you? And why would you or I allow what the crowds does matter so much to us anyway? Make up your own mind and then do it!

One of my heroes of the faith, the Apostle Paul, knew perfectly well what it was like to be the only genuine believer in a crowd of hot air! Many times, he stays committed to Christ even though it meant the hypocrites would be out in force to take him down. Nobody likes a guy who shines the light bright when deeds are hoped to be done in the dark! Nobody appreciates the guy who ruins the grading curve just because he actually took studying seriously. And in the Book of Acts 23, when Paul is sitting in prison with the entire world seeming to be plotting against him- who shows up at just the right time to remind Paul that he is never alone? The Lord comes in the middle of the night to a lonely, forsaken, discouraged, despondent, sad apostle and cheers his heart. And just like he showed up for Paul- he will do the same for you. But will you boldly stand up for God where you are even if you are the only one! If the crowd has got it all mixed up- then make it less crowded! Stand up for Jesus and you can be sure he will never sit down on the job of walking with you!

So go to church! Don’t let the crowds sway you. The truth is the truth no matter what the surrounding environment and cultural circumstances may be. The last I checked is that I don’t go on Sundays to see who is there or not there but to be with the one I know will never leave me or forsake me! This is why we say at The Lighthouse Church, “No Perfect People Allowed.” It is because we need a Savior to make us what we could never become on our own. Religion can’t do what you need an eternal relationship with Jesus to pull off. So if you are a hypocrite or a hypochondriac- it doesn’t matter. I can assure you this: I will be cheering for Jesus no matter what you may or may not root for! But I do know this! Jesus is a winner when it all comes down to the final gun and last inning and I can definitely not say that about my Mets or the Eagles! Hope to see you this weekend!

Maybe it is time to check the clock. We human beings often have a tendency to wait until it is too late before we begin to be about the very matters that many of us would sincerely proclaim with our lips truly matter most! But if you examine closely the evidence of our everyday activities, most of us get so preoccupied with trying to fix the peripheral mess that we never even get to the center of our desired priorities. And if we do ever get around to tackling the main agenda, we end up doing a hurried and sloppy job on what genuinely deserves the first cut of our efforts and attention. Is there hope for any of us? I anxiously hope so! I hear God calling my heart to the truth that there is more than what I am presently living for.

We really do live on borrowed time. Each day should be preciously and individually cherished and then prayerfully unwrapped as the wonderful gift that it is but we end up sleepwalking when we should be soberly and strategically keeping our eyes wide so that we may capture the miracles while they are still within our grasp. If you keep putting off your desired dreams for a someday that never comes, don’t blame anyone but yourself. God gave you and me the freedom to choose this day who and what we would serve! I want to be running after the very aspirations that I know God has instilled within my heart to travel and conquer and experience! I don’t want to be jogging when I can be flying and I don’t want to be complacent when I know I should be conscientious!

Are you happy with the road you are walking right now? How much regret would there be if the credits of your life movie began rolling today? If this was your final hurrah this side of Heaven- would it even be worth noting? Is this how we want to go out? Is it more puff of smoke than a blaze of glory? Why are staring at puddles when the ocean is just a few more miles around the bend? Why am I using a Dixie cup to quench my thirst when God promises access to a fountain that will never run dry? Why am I so easily squeezed into a mold that I have no desire of fitting into?

Let today be your two minute warning! How many football games have you watched where the first 58 minutes of the contest, it appeared that nobody told your team there was a competition going on? Lethargic and pathetic were the words that defined the means that your ball club was going about their business and they were about to lose the ordeal without even putting up a fight. And then the two minute warning was announced and all of a sudden the sense of urgency fueled the players in a way that nothing else had gotten through. Yards were now being gained and points were now being scored! And just in the nick of time, what might have ended in disappointment- concluded in ecstasy! When are we going to wake up and strengthen those intangibles that are worth dying for to such the extent that they are also worth living for? We snap to attention to discover that we can’t just cautiously breathe valuable breath with the goal to not lose ground but to run every step in the manner that we were put on this earth to win!

Today is the day to make the pass, to swing the bat, to shoot the ball, to slap the puck to aim and fire! This is not dress rehearsal but opening night. We can’t be keeping in reserve what was meant to be shared now! How many times have we been guilty of holding on to our secret weapon just a wee bit too long and ended up losing a match that we were primed to be victorious? If God has given you the ability today to actively and advantageously make a difference then it is to be applied and consumed today! Tomorrow will be too late. And if you get to the end of the line with more of what should have been rather than what actually was- you will be a miserable soul. If God fills your cup with blessings on Wednesday, please also give him permission to spill your cup upon those around you on Wednesday because you believe that your Lord will also supply what you need come Thursday and Friday. If God opens the door to make a visit or jot a note or grab a meal or take a phone call from a loved one- then don’t you dare be putting it off because you are busy with the urgent! If this was the last time you ever got to love on the one that you know means more than any material gain- then why would you forfeit the eternal for what wouldn’t amount to a hill of crumbs?
Exactly!

Relationships are what this all comes down to! God told us that the greatest commandments were to love him and to love one another. I want to live my life with a new sense of aggressiveness. My physical body has made it very clear to me that it is not going to function forever here and allow me to fulfill my bucket list as if there was an endless amount of hours to get it done! I need to kick it into a higher gear! I need to be make wiser choices and stick to the right priorities! I can’t allow the fickle crowd to distract me from performing my absolute best for my Coach Jesus! If I believe that it is essential- then today is the day to do it. If I know that it comes down to making a choice between investing my blood, sweat and tears into finite things verses those that are cemented into my being- than it should be a no brainer! No more putting off what must be done now simply because we can! O Lord, be a light to our path and a lamp to our feet and lead us into the very thick of what makes life tick, because I know the seconds on the clock will one day run out and I don’t want to be making mud pies when you want me to be a part of all that is majestic!

I always worry when I hear overconfident individuals proudly say that humanity is advancing morally these days to a whole new level of tolerance and acceptance of one another. These misguided pseudo-intellectuals who refer to themselves as atheists spout that mankind is far too educated to ever allow the horrors of the past to reoccur again! They point to the illusion that as society frees itself from the religious strongholds of the archaic past, utopia may actually be well within its grasp! I couldn’t disagree more.

Man without God is in a dangerous and hopeless state. We are not innately good but at our inner core selfish and depraved. We are all men and women in the desperate need of salvation from our own broken and busted souls which without a miraculous heart change can only begat a legacy of more death and destruction.

Now more than ever, if the U.S. is to survive the future without bankrupting its very soul, this country needs to get back to its moral base which is only found in its willingness to identify with a living faith. I am not talking about a weak cultural ceremonially assent to God. I am talking about citizens becoming people willing to follow God no matter what the cost. This means doing life the way the Lord would do it if he was still here walking through these neighborhoods with us. And at the core of this lifestyle is to become those who are willing to adhere to the two greatest commandments, loving God and loving one another.

Life isn’t worth the energy it takes unless you are willing to give it away. He who wants to gain it all for himself will eventually forfeit the true treasure. Eternal paradise is promised only when one humbly lays his very being down at the throne of the King of Creation.

As we watch the news of what is becoming a regular occurrence, terrorist groups beheading men and women because their hatred dictates such behavior, I can only wonder if we are going backwards rather than forwards in our ways of dealing with those who are different than us. True faith stands up against murder and fights for those who are being unnecessarily and unjustly bullied. Faith that matters moves positively in the midst of the negative mess that man makes! God wants us to care for our neighbors and do something constructively for those that are being ripped apart by a deadly new world order that is only chaos carefully disguised to lead people astray.

Do something now! Allow your love for the Lord to spread beyond the church building. Get proactive. Be relevant. Look to make a difference. Take care of the widows. Look out for the fatherless. Be willing to open up an educated dialogue with someone who is now faithless and has lost their way. Bind up the broken and give hope to the deflated. While we have life and breath, let us not waste an opportunity to glorify God here below by going the distance and participating in positive practices that would make heaven smile.

This is no time to be hiding behind our stained glass windows observing only a façade of faith that denies its real power. God longs to give us the drive to passionately take and sincerely share our good news out in the highways and the byways. If the church refuses to be the living and loyal body of Christ during such a time as this, well then get ready for history to repeat itself.
Pastor Erwin Lutzer of the Moody Bible Church in Chicago, Ill. tells this sobering and haunting story recorded from an eyewitness who lived in Germany during the time of the Holocaust. The repentant gentleman shared the following: “I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. We heard stories of what was happening to Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it because what could we do to stop it.

“A railroad track ran behind our small church and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance, and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars.

“Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews in route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us. We knew the time the train was coming, and when we heard the whistle blow, we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.”

And then the eyewitness shared with Pastor Lutzer, “Although years have passed, I still hear the train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me, forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians and yet did nothing to intervene.”

Every one of us who say with our lips that we long to follow in our Lord’s footsteps will sooner or later come to the crossroads where we will be asked to prove that we have each taken up our cross for the road we have been called to walk. This step in our relationship with God can often be intimidating and cause us to chicken out rather than soar majestically like the eagle God promises us that we can be!

The Western (or American) church needs to get over itself and begin to focus on being salt and light to the perishing world and compromising culture outside the walls of the fortress. Our greatest challenge is to shine our light right smack dab in the darkness. Who will speak up for those that have no voice? Who will be ready to stand for those that have no choice? And will we be willing to lay our life on the line so that others might learn how to live?

Yes friends, it can and will happen again but it doesn’t have to go ignored on our watch! Let’s become recklessly abandoned to the God we say we serve and keep our eyes wide open and look for ways that we can snatch a fellow sojourner from falling into a pit.

As Esther so eloquently said when she was challenged to risk her own skin to save the likes of those around her, “If I perish, I perish!” If I live only as a coward, it will be an empty existence to say the least! And if I have the audacity to sing praise songs at an increased volume just to buffer the shrieking cries of my fellow kin drowning in the seas all around me, shame on me!

One thing is for sure – we would not warrant the privilege of calling ourselves The Lighthouse Church anymore! We would have to change our name to the Blind and Deaf Club! God wants to sing over us the music that matters most. Oh Lord, save us from being that callous and that cautious. When that train of lives being trashed approaches us, dear God, help us to be willing to do all that we can to change the course of history!

My Coast Guard Buddy, Rob Berry, shared this story with me the other day via email. He knows that I have spent most of the last two months battling many physical ailments and various health issues. It has been such a bumpy ride for me recently that there have actually been days along the way where I have openly wondered, “Lord- Am I ever going to get well again?” Designated to the green pastures that our Shepherd makes us lie down in, I have only been able to perform the absolute necessities of my ministry at the Lighthouse Church. I have spent the majority of August and so far early September as a shut-in. It has given me a new compassion for many of you readers who also face this less than luxurious assignment on a daily basis! I would describe it as being like a caged lion stuck in the Zoo when he longs to roam the open wilderness- all he can see are the iron bars hemming him in. I have roared lots these past few weeks- but more out of discontent than out of delight!

But the beauty of my relationship with God is while I feel like I have many times been pushed to the very edge of losing my sanity- the love, mercy, grace and never ending promise of the presence of my Heavenly Father has kept me from free falling over! God’s will does allow us at times to experience what seems like a steady diet of pain and suffering, but he does so not because He is disinterested or doesn’t care but because anybody who lives this side of Glory is susceptible to the cranky conditions that go along with the territory! Even our Lord Jesus knew how awful it could be having to face the daily doldrums of disappointment but Scripture tells us that he pressed on driven by a fearless faith that God had a purpose and a plan even in the pit!

All of this brings me back to Rob’s story. He shared about a donkey who found himself stuck in a very deep pit and because of his position was about to get buried. The men above were already preparing to shovel the dirt over the burro because they assumed that he was dead and done! But that was not the case. Panicked by the process- the donkey did the only thing he knew how to do – he began to do some serious stepping and some steady stomping! He hee-hawed as loud as his vocal chords would carry. He longed for those above to notice that while he may have been down, he was far from being out! The moral of the story is that we human beings must not quit or cease turning and yearning while there are still signs of a pulse and a purpose! We must not allow this place to pronounce a death sentence over us especially when there are many words that still must be spoken!

Thanks Rob for the well timed reminder! In spite of the truth that many of us are being dealt cards that we would much rather do without- life is still an amazing gift! We have been offered the opportunity to shine our lights even in the dungeons of darkness! And while the calendar might not always be kind to our bodies, our spirit is still what matters most! God has given each and every one of us a talent that should not be buried under a bushel but offered to be used no matter where any of us may be!

I have to be honest; there are too many days I feel like a jack-ass! There are many moments that I almost wish that the hard day’s nights would be finished! I want to be free from the trials and tribulations and I almost wish that I would just cry, “I give up!” But I can’t and I won’t! I might bend but I won’t break! God has put eternal and abundant life within me and I almost against my own will- decide to fight on! So I kick and I stomp and I cry and I sing and I make very sure that this world hears my voice when it thinks that I am over and out! God fills us with hope at just the right moment and literally we come back from the graveyard! You can nail us to a cross and you can put us in the ground but you need to know that you can’t keep God’s children down! Go ahead and count to ten but know this- we will rise again and again and again!

I close with the words from another fighter named Paul. He wrote this in the midst of very tumultuous times! I pray that the truth from the Bible will be applied to your battle here on the pages of real life. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” Keep stomping!!! You still have lots of scenes in your story left!

Tonight, Wednesday September 10th at 6PM at The Lighthouse Church, we are featuring the film entitled God’s Not Dead! We will be showing it free of charge in our Sanctuary and the movie snacks are on the house. This movie that was recently shown in local theaters tells the story about an atheist Philosophy professor at a University who insisted that all of his students who took his class write and sign on a piece of paper the phrase declaring that “God is dead.” He did so as an act of intimidation to bully and belittle any so called Christian individuals who still chose to live in the dark ages and commit intellectual suicide by their choice of having faith in a Supreme Being.

There is only one student named Josh who has enough guts to stand up and refuse to sign the document. As a matter of fact, he accepts the challenge to address the entire class 3 different times to make a case for the existence of God. Against the odds of being in the minority and opening him up to much public ridicule and even risking several clear threats from his girlfriend saying that she will dump him if he goes through with this debacle- he stands strong and he shines bright and the rest of the story- well, come and see the movie. There are also special appearances by The Newsboys and Duck Dynasty’s Willie and Korie Robertson. All in all, it does raise the question that begs you to ask yourself, “What do you believe?” and “How strongly do you believe in it?”

Personally, I don’t believe in atheists! Just the concept of atheism forces you to consider a deity that you don’t believe in. I would offer that a true atheist would not even acknowledge the existence of a God not to believe in- to begin with! But because there is too much evidence of the raw facts that we have design and we have creation and it is beyond ignoring- this logically points to the result that there must be a Designer and a Creator behind it all. So I would agree that there are such people as agnostics but atheism is a myth made up in man’s mind to make an excuse for the simple truth that he or she does not want to be accountable in any way to a higher source other than their own reflection! It takes way more faith to buy into random and coincidental evolution than it ever calls for to believe in Intelligent Design! There is too much thought and order and symmetry and majesty and beauty in our Universe to just cast it off as nothing more than a stroke of mere dumb luck.

I marvel at how we call ourselves the most intellectually advanced society that ever walked the earth and yet so few people actually do their own homework these days. Too many just regurgitate the propaganda that was force fed them without doing any personal research on their own. How can one truly critique a Bible that they have never read? How can one just dismiss the resurrection of Jesus when they have not truly considered and weighed the overwhelming evidence that surely demands an intelligent verdict? Too many people spend more time planning their next vacation rather than thinking honestly about questions of eternity and if it does exist, what does it mean to the way we choose to live now?

Jesus always encouraged his disciples to ask questions. Doubt is the ants in the pants of real faith! If you are in a religious system that doesn’t encourage you to ask, seek and knock then move on to a place where you are allowed to love God with your mind also. I believe that not every question will ever be answered this side of heaven. Faith itself must recognize that a finite man or woman could never fully comprehend an infinite God. If we could- there would be no need for faith and without faith, it is impossible to enter into a relationship with the One who made you. But I don’t check my brain at the door when I enter the pulpit. I would argue that too many so called intellectuals are afraid to examine the truth with an open heart and a genuine open mind. I have found that my faith has found a resting place because I did my homework! The Bible is not afraid of atheists! I would challenge that it is quite the opposite.

Don’t just follow the crowd blindly. Don’t become anything more than a lemming looking to launch itself off the proverbial cliff. Know why you believe and I dare you to know why you don’t believe! And if you don’t, let’s hope that your answer is better than a snobby, “Just because!” God’s not dead- no He is very much alive and if you are going to bet your life on His disappearance, I would at least soberly warn you to make you sure you know what you are doing and don’t just do it because it will give you permission to do what you are doing! Even if heaven was never promised to me- morality and integrity itself come from the basis of Christianity and if you remove that foundation from our culture, then don’t be surprised when your house of card crumbles upon your own sinking sand! You can’t have it both ways! Be very thankful that God is not dead- no He is alive. Because He lives, you and I can live also and not just here but also for eternity there with Him! What hope does an atheist offer? Exactly!

What a mess this world is in and we human beings began it. Now more than ever we need God’s mercy on this planet! Mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we do deserve. And in light of our behavior as the United States of America- we should be expecting lots more divine discipline than merely a time out or an hour of standing in the corner. Mercy is freely given to those who seek God first and ask for it. When we finally get to the point when we admit that what we are doing is wrong and humbly cry out for forgiveness and make a genuine commitment to look to heaven’s will before we try it out the earth’s way- only then will we see more blessings than bombs falling from the skies again.

In my opinion, our President has not been a good example of leadership for such a time as this. Elected officials should not build for their people an environment of pride and stubbornness. This shows more insecurity than it ever exudes strength! Nothing good happens when one becomes an isolated maverick and purposely ignores the laws of the land and the counsel of those placed around him or her for a reason. And how does one rally the people to have confidence, courage and respect for authority when he himself doesn’t usually practice what he preaches? A man who calls himself a Leader but has nobody behind him when he turns around is just out for a long walk. But the problem that calls for our need for some passionate praying is that the destiny of our nation is in his wisdom or lack of it.

I do pray regularly for our President and for all of our governing officials just as the Bible commands us to do. And the beginning of wisdom is to fear God and recognize who you really are and who you are not! When a human being believes that he himself is the ultimate authority- we are in big trouble. No Perfect Presidents Allowed! The Democrat FDR walked this country through the greatest of challenges by talking to the people and not just at them! He once preached, “In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice, the path of faith, the path of hope, and the path of love toward our fellow man.” The Republican Ronald Regan could both motivate the troops and mourn with the brokenhearted and he would do so by relating to the ones that he was charged to direct. He once boldly declared, “We are never defeated unless we give up on God.” There have been many huge opportunities these past few months for our President to make a stand or a stirring statement or encourage the country- but he has been uncomfortably silent. It makes me wonder and cry out, “Where are the heroes now- when we need them more than ever?” Dion’s classic song “Abraham, Martin and John” seems more relevant now than in the 60’s when it was written!

I do wish our President would call out upon our Country for a day of fasting and prayer. A day where we confess our wrongdoings, look to make things right with one another, make steps to help stop the deadly behavior that is undermining our homeland from the inside out and seek the Lord! Even the Leader of the most pagan nation on earth at its time in history- Nineveh- called out for his citizens to tear their clothes and pour ashes on their heads and repent. You can find that story in the book of Jonah! But I can already hear the snickers of some of you who are reading this and asking, “Is Pastor Rudy serious? We are much more advanced than those fairy tales of old. And what God would we pray to in our multicultural society?” But we have a choice here in America! We can choose to worship the God who made us in his image or stay imprisoned to the people who have attempted to create god or worse yet- no god at all- in their own imaginations!

If you go against the grain- you must get ready for some splinters but now more than ever, we believers need to pray first and then be ready to make some bold moves on behalf of the Jesus we say we serve. We need to speak out and make others aware on behalf of the Christians being beheaded and persecuted all over this world. We need to pray for the Middle East and for Israel. Allow your world to be bigger than what it happening in your own backyard. Let’s gather more often as the Body of Christ in public places to pray and worship the Lord as he promises to inhabit the praises of his people. Let’s look for daily open doors so that we may be Jesus in skin to others around us. Let’s offer hope to the hopeless and grace and truth to those who are lost and confused.

Living in this place has given me both a headache and heartache. I tell God often that I wish I could have born in a different era in our history. We may be more technologically advanced than ever before but our spirits are shriveling up and dying. We are an egocentric society. We have left the greatest commandment which tells us to love God and love others. But even in our faithlessness- our Lord is faithful and true and no matter how bad we get it wrong, he will one day put it all right! So I roll up my sleeves and press on and ask God to use me as an instrument of grace and truth. Will you do the same? Will you look for those places where God needs to raise up a leader, a truth teller, a loving and empathetic servant of the King? I close with this verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

In light of the Robin Williams tragedy, I just read yesterday that a well known preacher wrote that real believers in God don’t get depressed! He was going on and on about how if Robin Williams would have had a real faith- it would have prevented his spirit from ever arriving at the place which led to his horrific decision to take his life. My blood pressure rose as I read the entire piece and I decided that I could not just remain silent and dismiss it as some misguided soul spouting off more legalistic religious ignorance. I genuinely believe that what he was spewing out under the guise of truth was paralyzing, condemning, dangerous and deadly statements! It is pompous and holier than thou clergy like this particular individual that has actually done more harm than good when it comes to leading people to the real life and freedom that the Bible offers! The word of God was given to us to not enslave our broken and contrite hearts to nothing more than endless shame and misery but to actually free us to the life that our Creator has always intended for us to experience.

What gives some the right to pronounce such definitive judgments upon others? I don’t believe that we all know each other as well as we think we do. Just because somebody is creative- funny and has an explosive and infectious personality on the outside- sure doesn’t mean that they truly have arrived to the place where they have a real peace with who they are on the inside. Boy do I know that one personally. I am troubled by any one who would make such an absolutely absurd statement that real believers don’t battle with anxiety, insecurity or depression. If that is true, then I would be counted as one who would not be listed among those that God has chosen to love and save and redeem and renew. Jesus has saved me but the transformation project is still in process. What you see today is a work of art that is still under construction and the last I checked, God is performing this artistry amidst a place that attacks his subjects on a daily basis. Christians are not exempt from the storms and the tempests that living on planet earth affects and infects everyone!

I battle the darkness of depression every single day of my life. I have done so as a child. It was my ever present insecurity that brought me to my knees as a teenager and made me cry out to Jesus to love me when nobody else would or could. I know he lives in my heart and I know he literally has saved my life and given me a hope and future. But that doesn’t mean that trying to navigate my way through any given day doesn’t provide an ever present challenge! So many people claim that they know you but what do they really know? Don’t they realize that any human being only sees you in part but it is only God who sees the whole? It is comical to me that when I was younger, I thought this depression was something that I would someday grow out and it would pass via the avenue of puberty! But when I look in the mirror, I notice that I am not getting any younger and while the truth is setting me free- the life that must be lived in the mean time can be overwhelming and suffocating at times.

Will I always have to deal with this hurt this side of heaven? Yes! But I no longer see it as a handicap but as an instrument that God has used in my journey to make me realize what a gift life is. I love what I do. I love to laugh loud. I will break out in song at any given time of any given day no matter where I might be. I can be goofy and I am not afraid to be embarrassed! I love my God, my wife, my kids, and my flock unashamedly. I passionately dive in where others are content to shuffle. Like Robin Williams, I too can be unpredictable and love shaking the status quo up just because I can! But I am a survivor, who desperately daily needs the love, prayers, counseling, companionship and dare I say- yes- even the medication to function at the level that keeps me as a strong participant in the race!

I know that part of my legacy and history will include a lifelong battle with anxiety and depression. God in his crazy and clueless to me ways has chosen to use this gaping weakness to shape strength in me that he uses to encourage others who also battle this enemy. As Pastor Rudy, I am a shepherd who has a real compassion and empathy for those of my sheep who also have felt like they don’t measure up and fit in with the rest of the program! I don’t throw clichés at situations that need more than a passing slogan. The answer is not just pray more or read the Bible more or wake up and shape up and just snap out of it. It is a disease and an ongoing never ending spiritual warfare whose agenda is meant to snuff out the light of the lives of those who were meant to showcase the mage of God through their extraordinary days on earth- but in a moment of weakness- they lost their way. I thank God for his mercy, and his constant grace and those amazing miraculous moments where I easily could have given up- but didn’t. It doesn’t make me better- just soberly grateful!

I share this to give encouragement to others who are being looked down upon when they should be lifted up as a friend. I also welcome you to share with me your stories- your insights and your prayers. We need each other more than we realize. But if we keep pretending that we are all as perfect as can be with no glitches and blemish free- we will lose many more individuals like Robin along the way! I believe every day God gives us a choice of how “relational” we will choose to be and whether we are going to present our pretend self or the real deal. I know who I am and I humbly accept who I am not. I am beyond amazed that the God of all creation loves me and his love has given me the reason to fight on. But I battle not just for me but for my brothers and sisters who are harassed by the inner darkness daily that want nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy us.

I pray to authentically love you as Jesus loves me but I can’t love the “you” that I don’t know because you keep it hidden! So let’s take the risk and go deeper with one another and invest the necessary time that could very well save our lives! Let’s share the healing and redeeming love of God with one another while we can and let’s not put these unreasonable expectations upon one another that we always have to be happy, happy, happy all the time. There are seasons this side of heaven that absolutely stink! You can’t fix them and I can’t make them go away. God has promised that he will abide when I can’t abode! Even if our biggest accomplishment is that we got out of bed when we wanted to just keep the covers over our head- let’s not make light of what might be a way that we can be lifeguards who protect the treasures of one another.

Real believers do get depressed. Read the Bible! Look at the Psalms. Check out the prophets. Some of our comrades did even lose their way. But admitting the need is the first step in applying the proper care to the problem. I don’t want you to not know how loved you are on my watch! I hope you feel the same way about me. And we press on- not being satisfied with just what we may see on the surface- but willing to go deeper into the soul!