Jesus

This is a *great* sermon from last Sunday.

I watched the above video.  I love the Anime style.  Don’t like it when it is abused but as an art form… its really fought for a place and found it.  I think the above video, while a simple sketch (not the finished product) show tremendous potential for dramatic story telling.  The contextualization of this particular story is actually quite superb.   I really look forward to the finished product.

The following was originally published on Boundless last October.  I thought I would add it here as well.

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Schaeffer’s Manifesto: A Revolution Realized
by Randy Thomas

The culture war is coming to an inevitable and dangerous turning point and Francis Schaeffer knew it would. The battle between Christianity and secular humanism - absolute Truth versus personal truth - is one that cannot be ignored or mixed.

Sadly, absolute Truth is being drowned out by the myriad chorus of personal truths shaped in the over-arching context of secular humanism and its materialistic end. In the end it is the Truth of God versus the lies offered by secular humanism that mankind is self-sufficient - that mankind can determine what god, if any, they individually serve instead of submitting to the one Creator’s divine intent.

Every generation has faced some sort of cultural issue which directly challenges the application of the gospel. Church history is replete with the battles brought against the gospel, from direct opposition of pagan or secular forces to the Reformation battles starting with Luther against the Catholic Church. There have been “culture wars” over baptism, prohibition, evolution and most recently human sexual ethics. Francis Schaeffer’s A Christian Manifesto speaks powerfully to the true condition of the modern Christian church in the United States and the battles currently being waged.

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Overcoming Fear - Freedom From Fear - by Pastor Clark Whitten, Grace Church Orlando

Psalm 34:4 … “I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears

I. The Fruit of Fear

A. Fear paralyzes potential.

John 20:19 - “…the disciples…were together with the doors locked for fear of Jewish authorities.”

B. Fear ruins relationships.

Genesis 3:10 (Adam) - “I was afraid and hid from you.”

C. Fear hinders happiness.

Proverbs 12:25 (GN) - “Worry can rob you of happiness.”‘ Psalm 55:2 (GN) - “I am worn out by my worries.”

D. Fear sabotages success.

Job 3:25 - “Everything I fear and dread comes true.”

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Three weeks ago I started getting sick and while on a trip I was knocked out with a horrible bug that wasn’t the flu but you sure couldn’t tell. So I went on some anti-biotics, Mucinex (*hate* their commercials), Sudafed and whatever. The antibiotics ran out last Thursday. I was a good good boy and took every last one of them.

Felt good on Friday. I even worked out all last week.

Saturday was back to not good. Sore throat and that uh oh… you have GOT to be kidding me feeling. Last night rolled around and it wasn’t going away and I found it hard to breath. Went back to the Minute Clinic and the lady there said that if I wasn’t good to go after what they had prescribed for me I needed to go to the real doctor (she is a nurse practitioner.)

Did I mention my ears were hurting? … especially the right one … and I have to get on a plane to fly across the country tomorrow. Thankfully my regular Doctor had a cancellation and I was able to get in today. Turns out the severe sinus infection of two weeks ago has turned into “acute sinusitis” and laryngitis. He also said that I was not contagious and assured me that my head would not explode in flight.

$120 later … forget the war on whining… I was ALL about the wah wah nyah nyah’s.

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Matthew 22:11-22

… the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him (Jesus) into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod’s followers mixed in, to ask, “Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don’t pander to your students. So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, “Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.” They handed him a silver piece. “This engraving - who does it look like? And whose name is on it?” They said, “Caesar.” “Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.” The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads.

They probably thought Jesus was arrogant and accused him of not really answering the question. I mean, they came to Him with flattering words that implied credibility, honor and respect. And instead of playing the game (very similar to politics, no?), He gets all into their business and reframes the debate as He sees fit. They asked what seemed to be an innocuous, but important, question. They also came as a crowd seeking the “Teacher” to teach them.

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Josh posted the above video of John Piper denouncing the prosperity gospel. I started reading his blog a few weeks ago.

I am not against money, expensive things and the proper stewardship of it. The Bible shares an example of a woman pouring extremely expensive perfume on Christ’s feet to anoint Him. But that is an example of us selflessly sacrificing to Him…not Him buying us off. The prosperity gospel is evil and the above video is right on.

Technically, the video is stellar … very effective.

Sidenote: I am very excited that another Christian isn’t afraid to use the word “crap.”

Happy Easter everybody!

I’ve always been a Doubting Thomas. You know how some people relate to David for his bravery, or Job for his perseverance? I relate to Thomas because I suppose I see myself as kind of a big, whiny baby, demanding physical proof. And through the years, as I’ve watched tragedies and heartaches unfold, I’ve said to myself, OK, Jesus has holes in His hands, but that doesn’t explain why it had to be in the first place. Why, God? Huh?

My cousin Jay and his wife T.J. were the first people to ever tell me about Jesus Christ and how He could change a life. I was 11 years old at the time, and things were a lot simpler and more innocent then, so I absorbed every word and it wasn’t long before I wanted what they had. I accepted Jesus in to my heart the day before my 13th birthday.

They are a family of great fatih, and great struggle. Jay, like myself, has battled Bipolar Disorder most of his life, but he lead worship at church, worked with children, and raised his 4 daughters to know God. They were pretty people, with a pretty house, pretty kids, and a pretty life.

So when Jay was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) a couple of years ago, I started asking why again. Hadn’t he suffered enough with mental illness? And the illness took him in pieces, much more quickly than any of us thought it would… far more quickly than it should have. In November 2006, I was talking to him on the phone, and he was still walking. It was a challenge, but he was still mobile. In November 2007, I went to visit him and his family and he was no longer able to walk, eat, and he wore an oxygen mask constantly. Last month, he had a trach tube put in to breathe for him, rendering him permanently unable to talk. He now relies on his family for everything, from toileting, to tube feedings.

This is a man who wrote musicals, symphonies, played the piano, sang, and was a natural athlete.

But the amazing thing has not been his rapid decline, but the way God has taken care of Jay’s family. Even a Thomas like me can’t deny it. He surrounded them with friends, their every need has been met - both financially and practically - and their faith is more than intact. It is more intact that some of us healthy folks.

I asked Jay if he ever doubted God’s love for him, and he said no. It stuck with me, like having a rock in my shoe. I couldn’t shake it. I felt guilty for my own doubts. If Jay could believe, anyone could.

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