All posts tagged: Christianity

Planning is not of the devil:

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Have you ever heard that planning is of the devil? Back in the day I use to run with a few guys who were convinced that planning is of the devil. I often wondered what bible they were reading. Take a look at what the bible actually says about planning: The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. Proverbs 6:6-8 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to meet another king in war, will not sit …

100 Years of Fire

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Four days ago I had the privilege of revisiting a very historic Church right in the heart of San Francisco. They kicked off a three month celebration of 100 years of fruitful ministry to the city. The senior pastors of Glad Tidings San Francisco, Forrest & Christina Beiser are my spiritual parents. With them I served the Church and the city for about four years. So I was very glad to be back. We had a special time celebrating and looking back on all the great things God had done and all the pastors and their families The Lord used in the process. Robert and Mary Craig, founders of Glad Tidings Temple and Bible Institute, were part of a religious movement that since the early 1900′s has become the largest branch of contemporary Protestantism. The history of this part of Christianity is remarkable, and so is the history of the development of Glad Tidings Church. This movement emphasized that GOD could be a part of every area of life, that GOD could be experienced, and …

Before you throw the first stone

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A few weeks ago I started a class on the book of Proverbs. After a brief teaching on chapter 5 – the one about the promiscuous woman, I invited everyone to way in on the subject. Before long our conversation drifted toward Miley Cyrus. You already know the story, but I for one do not pay much attention to life in Hollywood or show business for that matter. Not because I don’t care about some of the creative and healthy stuff that do come out from time to time, but that I don’t necessarily expect anything wholesome to come out of that place. As I listen to the discussion, it was clear that the participants in the class were all shocked and angry about Miley’s twerking and dirty dancing. Quite frankly, I wasn’t too surprised when I heard about it and saw it on the news, but it was still shocking to see the girl go that dirty. I think I was more outraged about Robin Thicke being a part of the thing. I still in some …

Radical Redeeming Prayer

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He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. Galatians 1:23 What do you do about those who curse you, hate you, despitefully use you, persecute you and those who even try to kill you? What do you do about the one who is doing everything within his power to destroy you and what you believe in? For the early believers nothing much could be done about the man we’ve come to know as Paul, the apostle. Only prayer! Scripture is silent about whether prayers were offered up to God to stop this man who was running a campaign to exterminate the “people of the way.” But we know that prayers were indeed lifted to God to stop him. Thank God, today we have the writings of Paul the Apostle a man who was once a murderer and a persecutor of the Church. In the late 90s a mad man named Joshua Milton Blahyi, better known by his nom de guerre General Butt Naked roamed the streets of …

This one’s with me

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NewSong sings This One’s with me Songwriters: AHLSTROM, LEONARD / CARSWELL, EDDIE I was dreaming about Heaven I was standing at the Pearly Gates We all there And I was so scared in the presence of One so great I felt so worried and unworthy I felt like running away I bowed my head and I turn to go Then I heard someone say Father, this one’s with me Part of the family One of the reasons I died On Calvary Father, welcome him in I paid the price for him Father, oh Father, this ones with me I was dreaming about Heaven When I looked up the gates were opened wide And in the distance, I saw Jesus Our eyes met, and I began to cry Angels robed in their beauty Were there to show me the way And all of Heaven singing When I heard His voice say Father, this one’s with me Part of the family One of the reasons I died On Calvary Father, welcome him in I paid the price …

Paradoxically Scriptural

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Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Luke 18:25 What? That is a paradox! G. K. Chesterton defines a paradox as a truth standing on it’s head calling for our attention. In other words, it is a statement that seems contradictory, unbelievable, or absurd but that may be true in fact. Throughout the Bible we come across passage after passage “standing on it’s head calling for our attention.” We often wrestle with these verses – even dismiss them because they are sometimes too paradoxical. But could it be that these passages are calling for our intention for a reason? Are they calling us to actually, critically think about what we are reading and adjust our worldview – or at least submit that worldview to the worldview of scripture, Christ and the Kingdom of God? Here are a few statements to consider: to receive one must give… Come to think about, we all like …

Taste and see that the Lord is good

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I love good food! Sometimes, I just want to show up and be served. Other times, I like to get creative and show the world that I’m a better cook than Gordon Ramsay. I have tasted a lot of good stuff, but my wife’s cooking is the best. My most favorite place to hang is in the kitchen when she is cooking. But she usually kicks me out because I don’t really know when to stop tasting. I just keep coming back for more. Well, God has extended to us an invitation to not only taste but to also discover his goodness. He is the only one able to serve goodness, and His invitation is for everyone to taste and see how wonderful it is (Psalm 34:8).  I responded to that invitation many years ago but I just can’t get enough –  so I keep coming back for more. I know you have probably tried everything this world has to offer, but God’s invitation to taste and see how good he is still stands. He wants you to: Taste the word – …

Do not be a spectator – be a participator

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When it comes to worshiping the Lord according to the book (Bible), all I hear sometimes is a bunch of excuses: It is not my personality I am too shy, plus I don’t want to draw attention to myself I don’t want to embarrass myself, my friends are looking I don’t have to shout, dance, jump, or clap to actually praise God I don’t want to be like one of those show offs I think sometimes people can be a little too stiff in church, a bit too dignified and too concerned about themselves instead of following the book on worship. So the question here is – Is it possible that having or showing a composed or serious manner that is worthy of respect in church, especially in the area of our attitude to praise and worship, can sometimes hinder us from truly experiencing the fullness of the abundant life we have in Christ? There are seven words in the scripture that define what praise and worship should really look like. Seven in the scripture …

20 Questions that show the Absurdity of living by the Law

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After coming into being as a result of God’s Spirit at work in Paul’s proclamation of the gospel (3:1–5; 4:13–15), the Galatian church gradually began to descend into a place of bondage and darkness. A group of false teachers whom Paul calls those “who trouble you” (1:7) or “those who unsettle you” (5:12) had infiltrated the church and was trying to convince the Galatians of a false gospel which required them to be circumcised. Although the Galatians seem to have come under the spell of these teachers and have become convinced of their teaching (1:6), Paul does not regard the situation as completely hopeless (3:4). Through a series of pertinent questions, Paul provides numerous reasons why the Galatians should return to grace and reject the absurdity of living by the law. 1. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? 2. Am I trying to please man? 3. If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews? 4. Is Christ then a servant of sin? 5. …

All effort is in vain without the Lord

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It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2 Let me clarify or unpack a few things before we get to the heart of the matter here in Psalm 127. First of all, the first three verses of Psalm 127 is not an encouragement to laziness. When Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air they don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Look at the lilies of the field, they don’t work or make their clothing,” – he was not telling us that we should not work. We know from other passages that if we do not work we will not eat. Diligence is neither greed nor restless anxiety Those who build a house must indeed labor on it, and certainly the watchman of a city must certainly stay awake.  Children are a heritage from the Lord – his gift, yet husband and wife must do something in bringing the …