What's your testimony or story?

Have you ever written out your testimony or story? If God is the "author of our stories" as John Eldridge has shared, what part are you playing in it? Are you the a main character? A supporting actor/actress? A villain? An extra? Or maybe something else?

Furthermore, what if the conflict you are going through right now is just part of the story that God is writing and He's got a happy-ending ahead for you? Would that help us look at trials and tribulations any differently? I just wonder...

Here's part of my story I thought I should share...

I grew up in a wonderful family and have had wonderful parents – well, a wonderful mother. I grew up in the Catholic Church where we attended mass every Sunday. I always knew there was a God, but I never had a personal relationship with Him. I didn’t know if I was saved, but I hoped one day God would, for whatever reason, “let me in.”

I want to fast forward to my junior year at the University of St. Francis, because this is where my crisis occurred. Not too many people know this, but I used to be a pretty cool guy! I was a great student, performed extremely well in baseball, had a gorgeous girlfriend (Meghan), was in a band, and was working a couple of jobs making some extra money. I had a full-time job lined up for after college and from the looks of it; I had a lot of things going for me!

The one thing I didn’t have was peace. I never felt content. I knew my college career was coming to an end, so I began to look for anything to “fill me up” and keep me busy.

So, one of the things I began to focus more and more on was the band. We were a rock/metal band. Sadly, when you’re in college and in a band, you generally participate in the things that go along with it. So I began to drink. I began to flirt with the idea of trying drugs. I began making bad choices and began doing things I had never thought I would do.

The lowest point came when I was down at the University of Illinois at a party with the band. After a night of drinking I came back to the fraternity house and had an opportunity to, in essence, “cheat” on Meghan. I was in really bad shape and had never even come close to doing something like that before. Thank goodness, the young lady had more integrity than I did and didn’t let anything happen.

I went about a month without telling Meghan, but as time went on I kept feeling more and more guilty over the whole situation. Eventually I told her.

When I told her, it was the worst look on someone’s face I ever saw. The disappointment she expressed could have killed me right then and there. Naturally, she told me she didn’t want to talk to me and that I had to leave.

Later that night we spoke over the phone – actually, she more or less told me what a jerk I was. But in the midst of all that, she happened to mention to me that I should talk to her step-dad, Marc, and that I needed Jesus. Now, Marc was born into a Jewish family, became a Jehovah’s Witness for a few years, but has been a believer for the past 8 or so years now. I had barely ever spoken to Marc. When Meg and I would visit her parents, he would talk about Jesus all the time. I would just flatter him for a while until Meghan would come and “rescue” me. So I thought to myself, “What does Meghan want? Does she want me to read the Bible or something?” I thought I had two choices at that point, either to choose the life I was living and break up with Meghan or choose Meghan and give up everything else.

Well, I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a Bible. I went home that night and opened up to some book, which I can’t remember what it was (maybe it was Romans). All of the sudden, as I was reading, I got this thought to call Marc. I thought to myself, “Nope, not going to happen.” A little while later, I felt the same thing and before I knew it, I was downstairs getting the phone and dialing Marc’s home number. To this day, I don’t really know Marc’s number, but I knew it then somehow.

Marc answered the phone and we talked for 3 hours. He pointed me to Scripture which showed me I was a sinner and deserved death. He then showed me with Scripture that Jesus Christ was the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that if I believed in my heart and confessed with my lips that Jesus was Lord, I would be saved. It was truly the Holy Spirit convicting me of these things and they finally made sense to me. I gave my life to Christ that night and cried myself to sleep telling God, “I surrender.”

Everything changed from that point on. I went over to Meghan’s house a couple of days later and shared with her that we needed Jesus in our lives and we needed to start following Him. She broke down and began to cry, because she had been feeling lost as well. She was a wonderful example of Christ’s forgiveness to me – and still is today!

Finally, as I continue to grow and work on my relationship with the Lord, He continues to amaze me. I am more and more aware of His presence in my life and realize more and more that this Christian walk isn’t easy, but it’s SO worth it! I know I can do all things through Jesus who gives me daily strength each and every day to take on the tasks and challenges that come with it. Not only that, but every blessing I experience (and there are plenty of them) I get to thank my Heavenly Father for.

Quote of the Week!

"I know often times I can be critical of the church (identifying things that can improve, things done wrong, etc) but when I realize how much Christ loves her and the great purpose in which God has ordained her existence, I realize I should spend less time identifying what is wrong and more time serving, praying and loving her as Christ did."
-Peter Cho

I am taking a class called "Systematic Theology II" online at Moody. We are discussing the church and one of the students there penned this quote. It blew me away and I thought I'd share it with you.

Has the church ever "burned" you?
It what was has the church "burned" Christ?
What is Christ's response?
Should we try to emulate that response?

Blessings,

Joe

Psalm 139

Hello Everyone!
Sorry it has been so long since I have posted on the blog. I know a number of you check it regularly so I apologize for letting you down. I will try to not let it happen again. I wanted to post something I found interesting last night at Breakthrough our Junior High ministry.

We were discussing worship. The passages we were looking at were 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Psalm 139. Since our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19) and we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps 139:14) we shouldn't engage in any physical destructive behavior towards our bodies. Taking care of our bodies and using them to glorify God is worship in and of itself.

As we were discussing this, a very profound young lady mentioned something that I've heard a few times before, but thought was just perfect: God took 7 days to create the universe, but 9 months to make you and I.

You, my friend, are fearfully and wonderfully made...

The Holy Spirit's Role in Our Lives

Here's a little exert from a paper I'm writing for my Systematic Theology class this semester at Moody regarding the Holy Spirit's work. Let me know what you think:

The Holy Spirit’s work is incalculably essential to not only the sanctification of a believer but in the birth of a new believer. After reading Dr. William Baker’s “The Holy Spirit’s Role in Bringing about New Life,” the role of the Holy Spirit in the new believer’s life has really begun to make sense. I have often wondered what “click’s” in the heart of a person that finally allows them to give their lives to Christ. Dr. Baker writes, “…when we share the Gospel with ‘nice’ people we tend to assume that they will eventually respond positively, whereas when faced with ‘mean’ or ‘bad’ people we tend to doubt that they will ever be willing to hear and respond to our message.” How sad and true this is for us at times because we don’t understand the Holy Spirit and what He is up to!
And yet, conversion happens often at the least expected times and for the seemingly least receptive people out there. What is the deal? I believe it’s because the Holy Spirit is in the business of giving life! He’s the life-giver that keeps on giving!
All over Scripture we see the Holy Spirit’s work in giving life. The Psalmist writes, “When you send forth Your Spirit, they are created (Ps 104:30).” In Job, we find that if God, “should take back His Spirit to Himself, and gather to Himself His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust (Job 34:14-15).” Most notably, however, we discover the Holy Spirit’s foremost role in the creation of Man: “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Gen 2:7; cf Eccl 12:7).”
The above passages are all physical in nature, but the Holy Spirit also gives life spiritually. Jesus states in John 3:6-7, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’” Erickson adds, “The flesh (i.e., human effort) is not capable of effecting this transformation. Nor can this transformation even be comprehended by the human intellect (Erickson 888).” Even more striking is the very next sentence Jesus states in John, “The wind blows wherever it please. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (John 3:8).”
Of course, Jesus is exactly right. We don’t know where the Holy Spirit is working and it’s ignorant, if not downright childish, to think a “good” person will receive salvation - New Birth - more than a “bad” person will. I believe what Jesus is trying to teach is that just as we have no control over the wind and where it is going, so we have no control over the Holy Spirit’s work. It is the Holy Spirit who supernaturally turns a person from his or her ways of life (in the flesh) into the way of life (spiritually).
Finally, the Holy Spirit’s most profound moment in history came about during the Virgin Birth. Luke records, “The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).” The same Holy Spirit that gives physical and spiritual life gave life to God incarnate –our Jesus – through Mary. The same Jesus Christ who the Holy Spirit enables us to come to that gives us eternal life.
I am convinced now, more than ever, that the Holy Spirit is the life-giver who keeps on giving! The ministry implications are obvious - we should be quick to pray that the Holy Spirit would move in our lives, our families lives, in our lost friends lives, in our churches and in the world. We should be quick to pay attention to where the Holy Spirit is working and become a part of His work. So many times we ask God to be a part of our work, when it is His work we need to be asking to be a part of.

Breakthrough Prayer

I am reading a book called "Breakthrough Prayer: The Secret of Receiving What You Need from God." It's a pretty fancy title that peaks your interest, but in my opinion, it's not really a secret - it's all found in Scripture! I really appreciate how Jim Cymbala, the author, uses Scripture to make his points in the book. I also really liked this exert from Chapter 4- Breakthrough Promises:

One Sunday morning, as people gathered to pray at the front of the church after the service, I saw a man motioning to me to come and pray for him. When I asked how I could help, he replied that he was requesting prayer for physical healing. But something about him troubled me. When I asked if he was a Christian, he said, "Yeah, of course, I've been in church almost all of my life."
"What church are you presently a member of?" I countered. "Oh, I kind of just move around as the Spirit leads. I haven't been a member anywhere for years."
For some reason I felt no peace about praying for him. Then I noticed a woman standing a few feet behind him. When I asked about her, he said, "Yeah, that's my girlfriend."
I felt God leading me to ask another question, one that required some boldness.
"Where does she live?" I asked.
"What do you mean, where does she live? I came up for prayer for this problem, and you're asking about my girlfriend?"
I didn't budge, feeling sure God was helping me.
"You know exactly what I mean. Where does she live?"
"Okay, we live together. But God knows I really love her, and we're definitely gonna make it right one day. We have a special relationship that the Lord understands. But forget that - are you gonna pray for my healing or not?"
"Let me get this straight," I answered. "You know the Bible and claim to be a Christian. You're living in fornication with this lady and know that it's wrong before God. And you now want me to ask that same God to heal you while you live this mess? Sir, there's not one chance in a billion that God will answer you or anyone else who prays about it. He would have to violate His Word to hear you. And if He answered you, He would be encouraging your horrible lifestyle."
I'm not sure he heard the last sentence because he walked out in a huff before I finished speaking. I regretted that, but it was better than carrying on a meaningless charade and failing to tell him the trust as it is in Jesus.

Emphasis Mine

The point of this story isn't that God doesn't hear a sinner's prayer. It's that it's easy to ask God for things, but it's much more difficult to adjust our hearts and live according to His Word.

Jim Cymbala states shortly after this story, "Every sin we hide and justify becomes a hindrance to bold, confident prayer to the Father (86)."

Lord Jesus, I know you do not condemn me, but please convict me of anything I have in my heart that needs to be purified. I do not want ANYTHING to come between my relationship to You. I know you love me and hear my prayers. Please give me the strength to not be weak and hide things from You. I confess my sins now________. Thank you for Your forgiveness! I live in the power of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Bringing Back Hallowe'en

I just read an article by Jack Hayford called "Redeeming Hallowing." You can read the entire article here. Pastor Kevin sent me the article and I thought it was pretty interesting. Here are a couple of reasons why:

Hallowe'en actually means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening." It's also based off All Saints' Day which was celebrated on November 1st, thousands of years ago. Because it was a day celebrating heroes of the Kingdom and usually associated with fasting, the evening before became a tradition to "hallow." However, instead of a holy commemoration, it has become a time of indulgence and pranksterism and evil. As with just about anything, Satan has a way of turning something holy into something sinister.

I have really been thinking about Halloween quite a bit lately. Maybe I have a vested interest being that I'm a director of students at a Christian Church (and possibly that my wife is pregnant), so I'm trying to find the "balance" between celebrating the day and yet, not getting caught up in all the...well, for better lack of terms...weirdness of the day (have you ever been in a Halloween store? Yikes!).

Hayford makes some really awesome points concerning this. Basically, he writes, "There's obvious need for something redemptive to take place. The Church ought to take a role, not of protest, but of positive action." I agree.

He offers some practical suggestions for parents on how to spend October 31st and "redeem" Hallowe'en:
1. Let the spirit of gratitude begin to fill your heart in preparation for the season of Thanksgiving.
2. Share family stories about how you came to know Jesus. Look together at picture albums and videos. Begin to collect memorabilia of special breakthroughs or family testimony, and decorate with mementos that give honor and commemoration.
3. Make it a special day for the kids. We don't need to deny children fun to verify faith. None of us need to be boring to be godly or unhappy to be holy:
a. Hold a "Jesus Loves You" or "All Saints' Day" party with costumes based on Characters from the Bible or Church history
b. Show an adventure DVD featuring a hero of faith
c. Have the kids create skits of heroic Bible stories (video tape these)
d. Do pumpkin carving
e. Take them on a well-chaperoned trip through the neighborhood, allowing the kids to "trick or treat" as they parade their Bible outfits.

Students: As you go out to celebrate Hallowe'en, remember that you are light in a dark world. When you turn on a light in a dark room, the separation is because darkness flees. The light doesn't asks for permission to brighten the room - it does because that's what it is, light. You are called to be the light of the world (Matt 5:14). No matter what you decide to do this year for Hallowe'en, make sure you are uncompromising in your walk with Jesus and are light on a seemingly dark day.

Too Busy Not to Pray?

I finished reading "Too Busy Not to Pray" by Bill Hybels last week. It's the second time I've read it, but it's the first time I really started trying to implement some of his suggestions into my quiet time. I've really enjoyed the A.C.T.S acronym he suggests. I don't believe this is a new idea, but I like routines and I like what it stands for:

A: Adoration - When we begin praying, we have to remember who we are praying to. We're praying to the Creator of the UNIVERSE who has the POWER to do anything He wants to. Begin your prayers by praising God for who He is.

C: Confession - God wants us to be holy and I have often neglected this part in my prayer life. What I've noticed is it has caused me to examine my life the previous day(s). I do NOT want anything to come between my relationship with Jesus and it's comforting to know He is quick to forgive me.

T: Thanksgiving - Tell God what you're thankful for. Trust me, you can think of quite a bit of things to thank Him for, even in the midst of a trying time. Maybe you could thank Him for the struggle you are going through since you KNOW it will only make you stronger once you're through it.

S: My favorite part! I have a Father in Heaven who desperately wants to bless me! I'm convinced I used to pray like a wimp. I would pray in general terms and never get really specific, because...well, I didn't think it was appropriate. But it is! God knows what we need, but when I look at Scripture it seems like God's power works through prayer. Jesus allowed Peter to walk on water. He could have let all the disciples in the boat walk on water, but only Peter asked. Even James was led to write, "You do not have, because you do not ask (James 4:2)."

There's so much that could be said about this last part, but suffice it to say you can ask your Father in Heaven for just about anything - anything. I understand we have to ask with right motives and that another huge part of prayer is to help us come into accordance with God's will, but don't put God in a box. He's too big to be contained there.

My prayer for you is that God would move in such a way in your prayer life that you wouldn't be able to get away from the thought of prayer for the next week! I pray that just about everything you see or read about is on prayer and that God so thoroughly convinces you to speak to Him daily and often that you begin a life-long habit of dynamic prayer with your Creator.

Would witnessing prayers being answered cause you to pray more? If that's not enough, what else would?