Crisis of Faith and Obedience

In the book of Numbers chapter 13 the Israelites have reached the borders of the land of Canaan. God instructed them to send spies into the land to see that it really was as good as He had promised (verse 19). They were also instructed to see how the people of the land lived, whether in the open, in tents, or in fortified cities.

The spies stayed in the land forty days and discovered that is was a prosperous land just as God had promised. They were able to cut such a large and heavy cluster of grapes that two men carried it on a pole between them.

Verses 27-29 record the report the spies gave to the congregation of Israel. Only Joshua and Caleb insisted that by obeying the Lord they could take the land. Unfortunately the people listened to the ten spies who said that it was an impossible task that God had asked them to do.

How many times have you failed to follow God’s plan or will for your life because you thought it was too difficult? History is dotted with the stories or ordinary people who did extraordinary things with their lives because they allowed God to do through them the things that were impossible for them to do on their own.

However history is full of ordinary men and women who remained ordinary because they did not have the faith to be obedient to God in the face of difficulty.

In the next chapter (14) we find the people of Israel are angry at Moses and at God because God is testing their faith and obedience. They became determined to appoint another leader and return to Egypt (verse 4). They were willing to go back and be slaves instead of show absolute faith in the God that had led them to this point without fail.

As idiotic as that sounds to you and I are often no different when we decided not to follow God for various reasons. We return to the slavery of ourselves and selfish desires every time we turn away from God.

God was ready to destroy the Israelites for their lack of faith and disobedience but Moses interceded for them. Because of Moses’ intercession God pardoned the people. You and I also have someone who intercedes on our behalf when we are disobedient. Jesus Christ becomes our advocate. His death on the cross made pardon for our sins which is all the more reason to be obedient.

Because of his love for us and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross we do have forgiveness and redemption for our spiritual failures but there will still be consequences to our disobedience.

Because of the people’s lack of faith none of those twenty years old and up, who had complained against the Lord, would not see the promised land (verses 29-32).

The numbered men were 600,000. Over the next thirty-eight years and a half, which is 14,508 days in the wilderness, the Israelites would see the death of forty-two or forty-three men a day, three to four men an hour. The next thirty-eight and a half years in the wilderness would be a constant funeral, a sad reminder of their lack of faith and obedience.

What is your crisis of faith? I pray that it leads you to strength and obedience instead of disobedience. Have the faith to cross the river and understand that God will not send you anywhere alone nor will he lead you to failure.

Learning How to Worship from Leviticus

The book of Leviticus contains no time span but it does give the means by which Israel could have access and fellowship with God. We can learn from the Israelites and the guidelines that God put before them in regards to the areas of worship and our personal relationship with God.

Chapters 1 through 7 details the way offerings and sacrifices are to be made. We can learn from that in the sense that many of us struggle to give to the church or to God if it involves sacrifice. Whether we are giving of our time or our money it is an act of worship and worship should involve sacrifice. In fact if it doesn’t then what is it worth to God? Have you truly made him Lord of your life if you only worship when it is convenient?

Chapter 8 contains the record of the preparation for Aaron and his sons to enter the office of high priest and the priestly offices. This was the final step in putting the worship system in place and the Lord affirms the new system in chapter 9.

24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

God is not random. He is organized and it is all for a purpose. There are specific ways we are supposed to do things. He has organized a way of life that allows us to make the most of everything from the way we relate to people to the way we relate to Him. That is why He gave the law to the Israelites so that they would learn how to live under His guidance.

God responded in fire because they were about to enter the land of Canaan and the inhabitants there believed that the pagan god Baal was the god of fire. By using this response the Israelites would know that it was their God, Jehovah, who was not only the God of fire but the God of all.

God even has a specific order for our worship. He doesn’t desire our worship for our glorification but for His. When we come to worship we should make the focus about Him and Him alone.

In Chapter 10 we find Aaron’s two sons bringing an “unauthorized” fire before the Lord in opposition to what He had commanded. It was not an offering to the Lord and it was not a sacrifice. Aaron’s sons brought the offering in order to bring attention on themselves and their new positions in the priestly office and thy paid the ultimate price for it.

1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

We cannot worship God on our own terms. God has put all things in order and worship is one of those things. When we try to customize our own way of worship we take the focus off of God and put in on ourselves. In essence we are making the same mistake the Nadab and Abihu made.

Resurrection – Fact or Fiction

The Resurrection is the supreme miracle of Christianity -- it’s at the very heart of the faith. If it never happened, Christianity collapses into mythology and billions of people have been deceived. If it did happen, it authenticates everything Jesus did and said -- and believers have the guarantee of eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Jesus staked His entire reputation on the Resurrection -- if it didn’t happen, everything that Jesus said and did is open to question.

I would like to present you three pieces of evidence, that when taken together, will provide convincing proof that Jesus rose from the dead.

1. The Empty Tomb

The Bible teaches that after Jesus was crucified Jesus his body was wrapped in linen cloth and placed in a solid rock tomb. A very large stone, estimated to weigh about 2 tons, was then rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb.

After this boulder was in place, a contingent of up to 16 Roman soldiers was assigned to secure the tomb. Some pictures you may have seen show one or two men standing around in mini-skirts, holding a spear in their hands. That’s simply not the case. These were trained soldiers assigned to protect the area.

Matthew 27:66 tells us that in addition to the Roman guard, they put a tamper-proof official Roman seal on the stone. Anyone who made it past the Roman soldiers would then have to break this seal, thus incurring the wrath of the Roman law.

In spite of all these precautions – the stone, the soldiers, and the seal – the tomb was empty that first Easter morning!

Critics down through the years have not been able to refute the empty tomb -- instead they’ve come up with other possibilities. Maybe the disciples stole the body? But this seems far-fetched when you consider that this group of cowards would have had to overpower armed soldiers, roll away a two-ton boulder, dispose of the body, and then manufacture a myth about His resurrection -- a myth that they gave their lives for.

Another possibility would be that the religious leaders disposed of the body. But, this has some serious flaws as well. If they had removed the body, all they would have had to do is parade the remains through the streets of Jerusalem and they would have derailed Christianity from the very start. But, they couldn’t produce the body because the body was no longer dead.

Christianity rises or falls on the empty tomb. It is the one silent and infallible witness. Critics cannot explain it away. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then where is the body? Leaders of every other religion died and stayed dead. That’s not the case with Jesus. He claimed that He would rise from the dead on the third day -- and that’s exactly what He did. The empty tomb validates His claim.

2. Multiple Witnesses

The most outstanding proof that Jesus rose from the dead is that more than 515 eyewitnesses saw him on 12 different occasions.

Acts 1:3
“After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

Jesus gave unquestionable proof that He was alive! After His resurrection, He made an appearance to a woman in the cemetery. Later that same day, He walked through a closed door and talked with his frightened followers who were huddled in Jerusalem. In the evening, he walked side by side with two men as they made their way down a road. The bible tells us that he spoke with over 500 people after his resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:3-6
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”

3. Changed Lives

Those who met the Resurrected Jesus have had their lives totally transformed. The Resurrection is validated by the changed lives of His followers.

After Jesus was put to death his disciples hid behind locked doors out of fear but something changed them. These ordinary men were transformed from frightened wimps into one of the most effective missionary organizations the world has ever seen. What motivated them to go everywhere and proclaim the message of the risen Christ? Was it for money? Power? Fame? No!

Every one of them had come from doubt to determination, from confusion to conviction, from fear to faith. Look at how they died and determine if you think that they were making up the resurrection.
• Matthew was killed in Ethiopia
• Mark was dragged through the streets until he was dead
• Peter, Simeon, Andrew, and Philip were crucified
• James was beheaded
• Bartholomew was flayed alive
• Thomas was pierced with lances
• James, the less, was thrown from the temple and stoned to death
• Jude was shot to death with arrows
• Paul was boiled in hot oil and beheaded

The only thing that could have possibly changed their lives so dramatically was the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Every one of these guys could have lived if they had said just one statement: “He is dead.” But they refused because they knew He was alive!

Not only did the resurrected Christ impact this group of individuals, His life-changing power has transformed people from the third decade of the first century down through today. The combined testimony of changed lives attributed to the risen Christ runs into the billions.

Jesus has changed my life. And I know that He has changed many of yours as well.

How do you explain away the empty tomb? Second, how do you argue against multiple witnesses? Finally, how do you get away from the fact that the Resurrected Christ changes lives?

My First Easter as a Pastor

I just experienced my first Easter Sunday as a pastor and what an amazing experience it was. Our church hosted an Easter breakfast for church members and the neighborhood. It was difficult to count how many people showed up for the breakfast because there were a lot of people moving around but there were well over 60 people there.

After the breakfast we had an Easter egg hunt on for children on the church lawn. It was pretty successful. We had enough children there that we had to break them into four different age groups and do separate hunts.

The hunt led into our worship service which was the largest service we have had a Mayfair since I became pastor. There were 151 people in attendance! I know it is Easter and everyone goes to church on Easter and Christmas but considering that we were in the 50’s and 60’s in attendance less than a year ago we have come a long way.

We had a family join the church at the end of the service as well. The Lord has really blessed our work at Mayfair and we are experiencing both spiritual and physical growth from it. Thank you for your prayers and support for our ministry.

The Gospels vs. the gospel of Judas

There has been a lot of noise regarding the gospel of Judas and its contradiction to the four Gospels in the bible. Before you rush to refute the bible based on this newly released ancient manuscript that portrays Judas as the best friend of Christ let me give you a few facts.

No one knows who wrote the gospel of Judas. It is linked to a sect of second century Gnostics. The biblical Gospels were written by four men who were with Jesus during his three years of public ministry, saw him betrayed, crucified and witnessed his resurrection first hand.


The gospel of Judas could be dated as late as A.D. 180 whereas the latest possible date for the biblical Gospels is A.D. 70. With over 100 years difference the possibility of the gospel of Judas being a fist hand account is next to nothing. So if you are truly seeking the truth about the accounts of Christ in the bible who would you listen to, someone who was an actual witness or someone who passed down second hand information a century later?

There are many alternate accounts of the life of Christ! There are many contradictions out there in but they haven’t passed the test of time. That is why they were not canonized and why they were not included in the biblical scriptures.

I believe that the biblical account of Judas is accurate and true. I also believe that every man/woman should make their own decisions regarding the validity of the bible but that they should all be fully informed as well.

Fellowship

I preached on fellowship yesterday. Unfortunately for most people when they think of fellowship in connection with the church the first thing that comes to mind is the image of food. However, that is a far cry from what the bible describes as fellowship.

In his book “The Body” Chuck Colson states the following:

Surveys show that the number one thing people look for in a church is fellowship. But what most modern westerners seek is a far cry from what the Bible describes and what the early church practiced. No term in the Christian lexicon is more abused than fellowship.

A biblical description of fellowship is found in the book of acts describing the early church. Acts 2:42-47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

In the New Testament the word fellowship literally means “a communion”, a participation of people together in God’s grace. When we have fellowship it should be based on the fact that we live for and serve Jesus Christ.

Here are three of the benefits that we receive from fellowshipping with other believers.

1. Fellowship meets a basic human need, people to live with.
2. Fellowship provides us a family for living.
3. Fellowship gives us an emotional benefit, support.

We talk about having the light, “Well, I used to do so-and-so but I saw the light and now I don’t do that anymore.” Paul talks in the book of Ephesians about having eyes of our heart enlightened or illuminated. Even the cartoonist describes a thought as a little light bulb. To say that God is light means there is nothing that God does not know either about us or about anything else.

Morally it speaks of the holiness of God. If you wanted to use one word to describe God it would be Holy. The bible says, “Be holy as I am holy.” God is absolutely holy! John said, “God is light.” That is a positive. Then he uses the negative, “In Him is no darkness at all.”

In the Greek it’s a double negative. There is no, not any, none, not a shed of darkness in God at all. The basis of fellowship is this light.

If we are to have fellowship with God, we must walk in the light, we must walk in the light because God is light.

As far as the service itself we had a ton of people out sick. There has been a stomach virus going around OKC, my family and I had it all week, and we only had 69 people in worship.

The big news of the day is that it seems as if our church has found a worship minister. When I came to Mayfair as pastor last July there were no staff members here. We have since call a youth minister, missions and outreach minister and a family minister but we have struggled in finding a worship minister.

After much prayer and consideration several committees got together and met with a man yesterday afternoon for the second time and decided to recommend that our church call him as our minister or worship. I am really happy and excited about this!

Changing Directions

I have decided to rethink my approach to this blog. My original attempt was to provide a place for people to find ministry helps, devotions and church/ministry links. While I believe it was a good idea I just didn’t have the time, or talent, to make that work. That is why it has set without any updates for over a month.

So I’ve decided to make Abundant Living my personal blog about the life of a small church pastor. I will be a place for me to rant, vent and share. It’s also a good way to help keep family and friends up on what God is doing at our church and in my life. If you think about it there really is no greater life than one lived in the will of God. That truly is the abundant life!

After serving as a youth minister for almost thirteen years I surrendered to pastor my first church in July of last year. It was a struggle for my family and I. We had lived in a small town in northeastern Oklahoma for the last three years and we loved it. We served at a great church and were in charge of a great ministry in a great community. Even though I had felt the Lord calling me and had surrendered to pastoral ministry almost two years earlier I never thought I would be a pastor this early in my life. I honestly planned to stay in student ministry until well into my forties but here I was at age 31 being called to pastor a church.

Saying yes would mean moving my family back to Oklahoma City and taking over a church that was smaller in attendance than what I currently had in my student ministry. The first Sunday I preached at Mayfair we had 43 people in our worship. I can remember questioning my decision to move here while I was preaching the message.

God has been faithful to our calling and to our church. He has blessed us with over 40 new members in the last eight months. Needless to say it has been a tremendous blessing the way God has blessed our church with growth especially for my family. When we first arrived at Mayfair there were no children the same ages as mine. Now there are enough children that we have the need to begin a children’s church program.

Last month members from Mayfair served on the mission field as five members from our church went to Panama for a week. Two members from other churches even tagged along with us.

To this point things have been good and I pray that they keep getting better. I am sure the struggles will come along the way but Jesus never promised us the easy life it was the abundant life that he promised and desires to freely give.

Panama Day Four

Monday January 30th
We went as far into the jungle as we could today. We walked (100 yards) until we found an opening in the foliage and there were homes on the other side of the opening.

We checked out of the Allbrook Inn first thing this morning then we went to pick up a few last minute souvenirs. The major thing that friends and family request for me to bring home is coffee, so we made a stop at a local grocery store.

We spent the majority of the day in La Rivera with Pastor Eduardo and we have everything planned out for our trip in March now. His church will be starting 40 Days of Purpose the week we are there and has asked our group to help with a Gospel distribution in the areas surrounding the church.

His church meets in his home which is placed in a growing suburb and the goal of the March trip will be to help start cell groups within that community. The church will also be holding a revival that week and the pastor invited me to preach the revival services. I was really honored and am looking forward to the opportunity.

After we had finished meeting and praying with Pastor Eduardo we went to eat and then checked into a new hotel. Tonight Eric and I are staying at the Riande Hotel which is a serious upgrade from where we have been this week. We met with the hotel manager and negotiated a rate for our group in March. I was pleased with the rate and we got breakfast included as well.

This evening we set around tonight in the hotel restaurant brain storming for Vacation Bible School and beyond.

In all this has been a very productive trip. Everything is set for the mission group in March and Eric and I are anxious to get home to our families. Our flight leaves at 10:25 in the morning and we land in Oklahoma City at 4:00 p.m.

Photos From Panama, Day Four

This is the view from the end of the jungle. Well, at least the end of the 100 yards or so that we walked.


This is me with Pastor Eduardo and one of our volunteers when our group arrives in March Aunna.

This is Pastor Eduardo's house which is also the church he pastors.

This is a photo of some of the ruins of old Panama City.

Ahhh, the ride home. It is just over four hours from Panama City to Houston, TX and then another hour to OKC.

Back at the Will Rogers World Airport in OKC.

My wife and oldest son waiting on me in baggage claim.

Panama, Day 3

Sunday January 29,

Today was a crazy long day! Eric and I left this morning to cross the isthmus from Panama City to Colon. Panama City is located on the Pacific Ocean side (West coast) and Colon is on the Caribbean side (East Coast). The trip across took about and hour and fifteen minutes. Before we left Eric and I took a brief stroll into the jungle… er… rain forest. I would like to go a little further tomorrow morning.

Colon reminds me a lot of the Bahamas. It is quite different from Panama City. There is still a lot of poverty there and the crime rate is high. However, there was a huge difference in our worship experience. We actually met in a church building! This was the first time I have worshipped in Panama in an actual building that was built as a church. All of my previous experiences have been in homes, apartments or abandoned buildings.

This is Eric’s first trip to Panama and my fourth so when we were asked which one of us was going to share in church it was his turn. Speaking through a translator is more difficult than you would think and it is an experience that every volunteer missionary needs to experience.

The service lasted just over two hours and afterwards we took the local pastor out to eat at McDonalds. It’s amazing how in America we even take McDonalds for granted. The pastor was humbled and very appreciative of us taking him out to eat there. I ordered fried chicken there. I have never seen fried chicken on a McDonalds menu in the United States but they have it here. I have a photo to prove it!

After lunch we took a drive around the city of Colon and to the shoreline. There were some massive waves there as well as several ships who were waiting to enter the Panama Canal or who had just come out of the Canal.

When we got back to the Pacific side of Panama we had almost an hour and a half to visit the Panama Canal. This was my fourth visit to the canal and Eric’s first. The Panama Canal is a once in a lifetime attraction. It is an amazing man made piece of work but you really only need to see it once in your life time. It was cool seeing the big ships pass through.

We took the missionaries out to eat dinner tonight to show them our appreciation of their work. They are retiring at the end of the year after serving the Lord for 20 years in the Republic of Panama. I really love the country of Panama and enjoy it every time I come down here but I can’t imagine living here for 20 years. That is a huge sacrifice.

We went out to eat dinner at an open air sea food restaurant on the Bay of Panama. It has an amazing view and some of the best sea food I have ever eaten.

Tomorrow is our last day of work before heading home on Tuesday. Stay tuned!

Today I am thankful for…
• My salvation
• My family
• My ministry
• Grace
• God’s creation

Photos From Panama, Day 3

Here is a photo from our walk in the jungle. It was located on the back side of the Albrook. We didn't go very far, just enough to get the photo.
This is the view from the back of the church in Colon. From here you can see the homes and landscape that surround the church. If you have ever visited the Bahamas this view will look familiar.
This is what the inside of the church in Colon looks like. It was the first time I had been in a church in Panama that was actually built to be a church.
Eric and the kids are all smiles as he passes out bubble gum after church.
Value meal number 8 at McDonalds. Fried chicken, medium fries and a drink.
The pastor of the Colon church and me.
These are the ships coming out of the Panama Canal on the Atlantic side.
This is the view if you turn around from looking at the ships in the bay. It's quite a different view when you turn around.
Here is a ship coming into the Panama Canal on the Pacific side. It takes about 48 hours for a ship to pass completely through the canal.
Here is the same ship from the same view. Notice how much lower it is. In this lock the ships are lowered 25 feet.
These gates open up and allow the ships to pass through to another lock to be lowered another 25 feet.
Even the ship's crew find going through the canal interesting. Notice how close the ship is to the side. There are only two feet of clearance on each side of the ship.

Panama, Day 2

Sorry that I skipped a day in posting but being gone for five days has left me way behind with office stuff. Here are my thoughts from our second day in Panama.

Saturday January 28

I have pretty much decided that this is not the hotel that our group will be staying in when we come in March. It’s not because for some strange reason the television came on at 4:00 in the morning or because the construction workers were busy just outside our door at 6:00 this morning. Actually this hotel isn’t that bad. It has comfortable beds and a hot shower. What more could you ask for?

The reason why we will not be staying here is because there is one that is closer to the area where we will be working when we come in March. I have stayed there before and I know first hand that it is a nice hotel. Eric and I will stay there Monday night because it is close to the airport as well.

We started the day by going to grab a cup of coffee (hot chocolate for me) with the missionary. Then we went and surveyed the area where we will be working in March. It is a middle class suburb by the airport called El Rivera. There are around 500 homes there and only one evangelical church. We met the pastor’s wife today and were able to pray with her and do some strategic planning for our trip. We will be walking the neighborhoods surrounding the church, that meet’s in the pastor’s home, distributing copies of the Gospel of John and searching for people who would be interested in starting a bible study group in their homes. Our goal is to go to 100 homes each day for 5 days.

This area is so much different than the areas of Panama City where I have worked before. This is my fourth trip to Panama and for the first three we worked in the El Chorrilo area of Panama City. El Chorillo is a very poor and run down part of the city. There are a lot of drugs there as well as gangs. There is a great need for ministry there but it is hard to keep established ministries going due to lack of funding and volunteers.

After meeting with the pastor’s wife (the pastor is away on a trip) we left El Rivera and headed to Chorillo where Eric and I were able to help with a woman’s ministry meeting that was promoting an Ann Graham (Billy’s sister) crusade in Panama City later on this spring.

After leaving there we went to the missionaries’ home to fill out the official request form for our trip in March. It took about an hour to complete. Now I have to go home and reply to the request I helped make.

Next, it was time for dinner. We went to the bus station/mall where there is a food court. We spent an hour eating and shopping before heading back to the hotel for the evening.

On a side note let me just say this. I’m a cold weather kind of person. I love the winter time. I love the snow and the bitter cold. IT’S STINKING HOT DOWN HERE! The heat and the humidity take a lot out of you. I’ve been here several times before, yet I’m always caught off guard by the tropical heat.

Things I’m thankful for today…
• My Salvation
• My family
• E-Mail (so I can keep in touch with my family)
• People who have so little and yet give so much
• Missonaries

Photos From Panama, Day 2

Here are some photos from places we visited on our second day in Panama. You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.


This is the Bay of Panama. The buildings across the bay are the high rise apartment buildings of El Chorillo where I have worked in past trips. It is an area of extreme poverty. Eric and I went there today to help with an information meeting on an upcoming Ann Graham crusade.


The next few photos are taken from the La Rivera community where we will be working in during our trip in March.


Most homes are two bedroom homes and made out of concrete with a metal roof. There is no air-conditioning and the temperatures are very warm.



Some people in the area can afford an automobile and others keep their lawns neat.


There is a sense of pride among the home owners in La Rivera. The people who live here are the working middle class.


The structure in the middle is the remains of an old convent dating back at least to the 1700’s. We passed this on the way from La Rivera to El Chorillo.


This is the information meeting for the Ann Graham crusade. It was held at El Chorillo Baptist Church. Compare the photos of this church to the churches I'm going to post in the next few days.


This is an upclose photo of the El Chorillo area. As you can see it is a far cry from La Rivera.

Panama Journal, Day 1

I had the opportunity to visit the country of Panama last week to make preparations for a mission trip in March. It was a great experience and we got a lot accomplished. I sat down every evening to journal a few thoughts. I will share a journal entry and photos each day for the next five days.

Friday January 27, 2006

The entire day today was spent traveling. My kids were all sick so none of them went to school. My wife’s parents came over early this morning to stay with them while she took me to the airport. I didn’t have to be there until 9:30 but they arrived early enough for us to leave and get breakfast before she dropped me off.

We flew first from Oklahoma City to Houston, Texas. It was only an hour flight which was a good thing because it was a tiny airplane. After an hour and a half layover in Houston we were off for the four hour flight to Panama City, Panama.

The in-flight movie was Charlie and the Chocolate factory. If you haven’t seen it good for you, it means you didn’t shell out any money to see it at the box office. If you saw the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory then it would be worth a rental to see the contrast between the two movies. It’s definitely not worth $6.00 a person at the theater.

We landed in Panama City around 6:45 p.m. and hooked up with our missionary friends. We went to eat dinner at a Mongolian BBQ place. Imagine the irony here, a Spanish speaking wait staff cooking and serving Mongolian BBQ, in Panama. It was a really good dinner!

Accompanying me on this trip is our church family pastor, Eric. It is his first time to travel to Panama. Our goal is to lay the ground work for a mission trip that members from Mayfair Baptist Church will be attending in March. That also means checking out hotels! For tonight, and for most of the week, we are staying at the Albrook Inn. It is a hotel that is located on the old US Air Force Base in Panama City. It’s not bad but there is another hotel that I want to check into that is located closer to the area where we will be working.

Tomorrow we are going to the community in which we will be working in March and see both the community and the job tasks first hand. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Today I think God for…
• My family whom I already miss very much.
• Safe travel to Panama City.
• Missionaries who serve here in Panama and across the world.
• My salvation
• My calling to serve Christ and advance the Gospel to all the world.

Photos from Panama, Day 1

You can click on the photos to enlarge them.


Eric enjoys his Mongolian BBQ. This was our first meal in Panama City Friday night. Good stuff!


This is the Albrook Inn where we would stay most of the week. It was the visiting officers quarters at the old US Air Force base. This is one of two hotels that were in consideration for our group to stay in when we come in March.


This building was the officers club at the Old Air Force base. It is located across the parking lot from the Albrook Inn.

Stewardship Part III

Part III in a 3 part series on Stewardship

In the final part in our series we are going to look at relationships. The way you relate to other people will show your heart for Christ. You could attend church faithfully and give more than your regular tithe but if you don’t honor Christ in your relationships people will see straight through you.

In Colossians 3:18-15 Paul gives us a detailed account as to how we can honor Christ in our relationships with our spouses, family and co-workers.


Colossians 3:18-25
18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Honoring God in your marriage relationship
Colossians 3:18 – We see the duty of wives. This is not an excuse for husbands to abuse their wives and it is not putting women below men in the marriage relationship. Nowhere does it say that a wife is to obey her husband. Children are to obey in verse 20 and slaves are to obey in verse 22, but wives are to submit. There’s a difference.

This is a charge to wives to allow their husbands to take the spiritual leadership role in the family. Some men fail to become spiritual leaders in their homes because they are lazy. Some fail because their wives don’t allow them.

Do you and your spouse feed each other a steady diet of put-downs? If you do, your marriage could be headed for divorce court.

When psychologists Cliff Nortarius and Howard Markman studied newlyweds over the first decade of marriage, they discovered that couples who stayed together uttered 5 or fewer put-downs in every 100 comments to each other. But couples who inflicted twice as many verbal wounds -- 10 or more putdowns out of every 100 comments -- later split up.

Watch what you say! Little, nit-picking comments are like a cancer in marriage, slowly draining the life out of a committed relationship.

Ephesians 5:21 tells us that both husbands and wives are to submit to the Lord and to each other.

Colossians 3:19 shows us the duty of husbands.

The above illustration shows what can happen when harsh words are spoken in the home and many husbands will say that they love their wives but they don’t fully understand the biblical definition of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

A few years ago, the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, MO made public 1,300 recently discovered letters that the late President wrote to his wife, Bess, over the course of a half-century. Mr. Truman had a lifelong rule of writing to his wife every day they were apart. He followed this rule whenever he was away on official business or whenever Bess left Washington to visit her beloved Independence.

Scholars are examining the letters for any new light they may throw on political and diplomatic history. For our part, we were most impressed by the simple fact that every day he was away, the President of the United States took time out from his dealing with the world's most powerful leaders to sit down and write a letter to his wife.

What better example is there of a man who showed love for his wife?

Honoring God in your family
Colossians 3:20-21

Ray Stedman lists three things that fathers do that can lead a child to discouragement. I’ve added a fourth.

Ignore them. A father who has no time for his children soon creates within them a deep-seated resentment. Children in these homes can grow up to feel unloved and unaccepted and may end up looking elsewhere to have their needs met.

Indulge them. These types of fathers give their children everything they want. This is not good because a child who is indulged all the time can become restless, dissatisfied, and spoiled.

Insult them. Some dads like to criticize their kids and even call them names. Sarcasm and ridicule can knock the stuffing out of a child faster than anything else.

Paul goes on to clarify his charge to parents in Ephesians 6:4.
4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Honoring God at work
Finally, in Colossians 3:22-25 Paul gives us three ways to honor Christ in our relationships at work.

1. Do your best at your job at all times.

2. Worship at your work.

3. Recognize Jesus as your boss.

Panama Bound

I'm leaving Friday morning for Panama City, Panama. I'll be doing some inner-city ministry work there as well as making preperations for a group trip that our church is taking in March.

I’ll be journaling each day and will post the journal entries here at Abundant Living when I return.

I would appreciate any prayers from my readers for safety, effectiveness and for my family while I’m gone.

Thanks!

Stewardship Part II

Being a Steward of Our Resources
Part II of a three part series on stewardship

When we look at being a good steward of our resources we are talking about becoming better managers of three areas of our lives. Those areas are our Jobs, our finances and our possessions.

Remember, the Christians perspective is that everything belongs to God and He has entrusted us to me managers of the tings that we have.

When was the last time you viewed your job as something that God possessed and trusts you to take care of? Our jobs provide us with three opportunities.

First, our jobs provide us the opportunity to be an example that imitates God. When we first are introduced to God in the Bible he is working. Genesis chapter one records the creation and we see in that account that God worked six days straight. He was diligent in every detail and because of that man had everything that he needed. There was no work until after man sinned. Then we read in Genesis 3:17-19 that because of his sin man would now have to work for everything he had both for survival and pleasure.

Genesis 3:17-19
17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

We have to work! It’s a part of life. God has given us our jobs as a means of provision and survival. We should view our jobs as an opportunity to work just a diligently and hard as God did.

The second opportunity our jobs provide us is a test that develops Character. I once heard a pastor say that when it comes to our career, most of us have our dream job and then we have our real job.

If it was easy it wouldn’t be called work. If it was given to us then we wouldn’t call it earning a paycheck. No doubt all of us have had one of those days at work where we didn’t ever want to go back because things were so stressful and hectic. Look at what James says about those trials.

James 1:2-4
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Every time your job gets tense or stressful that is your opportunity to develop your Christian character.

Finally our jobs provide us an opportunity to enhance our dignity.

Ecclesiastes 3:13
13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.

We should take pride in the fact that we get to work for a living. It gives us something to be proud of. Our homes, vehicles and possessions are all things that we have earned. That gives us dignity.

A small church needed to have a new roof in the worst of ways, but there was no money in their account. Most of the congregation was very poor except for the local banker. He was an ornery old cuss, and he would be the first in church so he could always sit in the back pew by the door. That way, he could always get up and leave during prayer right before the offering was collected.

One day, on the way to church, an accident in front of him made him late. When he got there, the only place to sit was on the front pew in front of the pastor.

As the pastor prayed for God to send them money for the roof, a piece broke off and fell down, hitting the banker on the head. He immediately yelled out, "I’ll give $1,000. for the roof!" And one of the men in back yelled out, "Hit him again, Lord!"

Like everything else our finances belong to God. He has given us all and only asks for a tiny amount back. Imagine walking down the street in Seattle and you come across Bill Gates. He greets you and tells you that he is going to trust you with his fortune. All you have to do is give him back ten percent. Which one of us wouldn’t do that? You get to keep 90% of his money to do with as you please. Why would you walk away from that deal?

That is what God is saying to you and me. He provides us with everything we have and only ask us to give him ten percent back. Here is a passage from the book of Malachi where God explains the concept of tithing.

Malachi 3:6-10
6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.
"But you ask, 'How are we to return?'
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Do you have enough faith in God to trust Him in that promise? You faith, or lack of, is shown every Sunday when the offering plate is passed.

When it comes to our possessions James gives us an interesting perspective.

James 1:9-11
9The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. 10But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

A Christian understanding of possessions changes our view of people. We see people through the eyes of God and understand our equality. We are all limited by time on the earth and we will not be judged by what we have rather than what we do.

It’s fine to have nice things. I don’t believe that is wrong at all. It is when we place our value in those things instead of in God that is wrong.

A Christian understanding of possessions changes our view of possessions. Do you remember the old bumper sticker that said, “He who dies with the most toys wins”? I like the one that followed it that said, “He who dies with the most toys still dies.” The truth is that those things that we posses are material and have no impact on eternity. We cannot take them with us and they don’t help us in get anywhere after our lives end.

Being a good steward of our possessions means understanding them and the people who own them.

I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess. – Martin Luther

Stewardship Part I

As we came into the New Year I was praying about what I could teach my church that would encourage them as they are becoming the men and women that God desires them to be and ultimately the church that He desires for us to be.

So, what was it that the Lord was leading us to study? Stewardship! By definition a steward is one who manages another’s property, finances, or other affairs.

As Christians we believe, or should believe, that everything we have belongs to God anyway and as we grow in discipleship, learning to become more like Christ, we should learn to be responsible caretakers of all that God has trusted us with.

As a church we are going to spend the next three weeks learning to become better stewards.

If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000 that carried over no balance from day to day...Allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent every day, of course, and use it to your advantage!

Well, you have such a bank, and its name is TIME! Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances, it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account with you. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow.
What gets your time? We devote a lot of our time to pursuing things we value. Those things we give our time to become our priorities. Jesus said that if we learn to value and live God’s priorities then the other stuff we need comes as well. (Matthew 6:33)

The key being a steward of your time is knowing God’s priorities!

What Are God’s Priorities?
1. Loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.
2. Loving others as you would yourself.

When we look at the Example of Jesus we see that he made time for God (Matthew 14:23; Luke 2:46-49), he spent time in prayer and in worship. That time alone with the father was valuable time to him and he was not ashamed to be found in God’s presence.

Jesus also made time for other people. He made time to love other people, He made time to reach out to other people, and he made time to serve. Keep in mind that this is God we are talking about. He valued his time as something that was precious and made sure to make every second count.

How would you like to spend 2 years making phone calls to people who aren't home? Sound absurd? According to one time management study, that's how much time the average person spends trying to return calls to people who never seem to be in. Not only that, we spend 6 months waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and another 8 months reading junk mail. These unusual statistics should cause us to do time-use evaluation. Once we recognize that simple "life maintenance" can chip away at our time in such huge blocks, we will see how vital it is that we don't busy ourselves "in vain"

It’s important that we make sure that every thing we do with our time counts. As we become better stewards of our time, let’s learn to live by God’s priorities and not our own.

The Life

Final part in a series on John 14:6

Someone has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate:
Sleep................23 years...........32.9%
Work.................16 years...........22.8%
TV....................8 years...........11.4%
Eating................6 years............8.6%
Travel................6 years............8.6%
Leisure.............4.5 years............6.5%
Illness...............4 years............5.7%
Dressing..............2 years............2.8%
Religion............0.5 years............0.7%
Total................70 years............100%

We are defined as who we are by what we do. Jesus said that he is the Life in John 14:6, stating that he was the source of life as well as the way to a purposeful and meaningful life. Here are a few things that we have already learned about life.

We already know that Jesus is the way to life. I discussed that two weeks ago in the first part of this series. And we already know that Jesus wants to give us a full life, John 10:10, but what is life?

Now, let’s look at what life is.

Life is short, James 4:14. Think about all the things that we put off in life assuming that we may get to them at another time. Many people put off their relationship with God until they have settled down and are ready.

The problem with that way of thinking is that we are not guaranteed another today. We take tomorrow for granted but there is no guarantee that it will be there.

Living for Christ means living like there is no tomorrow, loving people and doing the right thing today. Understanding God’s love for you and living His desires for your life now, finding your purpose, meaning and value in Him at this very moment. That is understanding that life is short.

Life is sacrifice, Luke 9:24-25. Paul tells us that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice. We allow ourselves to become selfish and indulge in our own desires before we ever think about how our actions affect our relationships with other people and God.

Living in Christ means not being selfish, it means doing the right thing, even if it requires giving up our desires.

Life is Christ, Philippians 1:21. I love this statement from Paul. He really got it! His life was a result of Christ and everything he became was a direct result of his relationship with Him.

Life is Eternal, John 3:16. Many people think that when their life ends on earth then that is all there is. This philosophy couldn’t be more wrong.

The bible is very clear about eternal life. We either spend it with God or separated from Him. The difference is what we do with Jesus, which brings me to the final point.

Life is your Choice, Joshua 24:15. During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill had to choose and followed the second course.

Life is full of choices, some easy and some difficult. Joshua is pretty clear when it comes to serving God. It’s a choice you make but you have to live your choice.