THE REAL DEAL!

Okay, I am often skeptical about those who have had "near death experiences" or have a story about "light on the other side" or some other description of heaven. However, after being encouraged (many times) by a few members of the church I sat down after lunch today and read the book Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo. As I turned the pages I found myself thinking, "Yes, this is the real deal". It's not just a bunch of warm fuzzies or a bunch of wishful thinking focusing on some cosmic ray of light floating around somewhere. No, it was about heaven, Jesus, the love of God, indescribable colors, the "BIG" throne, the Holy Spirit who shoots down power, new bodies, no darkness, the reality that the devil still is messing with us, and the fact that Jesus wins - all told by a young boy who experienced these and more.

Burpo is a Wesleyan pastor in Nebraska who tells the story of his 4 year old son Colton, who found himself in the operating room facing emergency surgery as it related to a burst appendix. With the doctors offering no real hope for Colton, God chose to work in miraculous ways. First, Colton baffles the doctors and medical staff with his recovery. (Result of a praying church) Second, he baffles his parents with matter of fact stories of his encounter in heaven, spending time with Jesus, the people he saw, the colors he described, the throne, etc. Third, he confronts our heady theological approach to all that is supernatural as it relates to God. "Jesus really loves the children" Colton noted, and it is with a child like faith that I invite you to take a few hours to read this book. It will bless you and give you shot in the arm regarding the greatness of what yet lies ahead for those who place their faith in Jesus.

Yep, the real deal. Check it out!

SPIRITUAL RETREAT!!

Jerry Boden strumming for Jesus!

Worship! Both expressive and reverent!!

What a great day we had as a church body at Camp Horizon this past weekend. God blessed us with His presence as we sang, prayed, studied, discussed, ate, and had fellowship together. What a blessing! It is always a joy to get together with other believers and just take some time to be in God's presence. Our time together wasn't about church business, committee meetings, structure, politics, or polity. No, it was a time to grow in our intimacy with God. In fact, that was the theme for the day.

Thank you to the 36 folks who took time out your busy schedule to come and spend some time with the Lord and with His body of believers. God truly honored that time and based upon the response, you were "renewed", "blessed", and "challenged" to grow in your faith. Many of you mentioned how you had slipped in your spending "quiet time" with the Lord and how this retreat encouraged and energized you to be disciplined in that area of your walk with the Lord. I echo that.

For those of you who were able to attend, I pray that you will continue to be intentional in your desire to draw closer to God. For those of you who were unable to attend, I pray the same for you, that you will "draw near to God, for He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)

Have a great week!!

PR

"BRUTIFUL"

I was talking with a pastor friend the other day who was going through some struggles and he used the term"brutiful" to describe what he was going through - "Ministry is brutiful. It is brutal and beautiful at the same time". Boy is he right. And yet, why should that be such a surprise? Take note of what Jesus has to say to those who choose to follow Him:

• If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:34-35)

• "....they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them." (Luke 21:12-13)

• "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Mt. 5:11-12)

• "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33)

• Yep, it's not an easy road we are traveling to heaven, for many are the thorns on the way. However, in the midst of some of the thorns, the potholes, the obstacles, the stumbling blocks, the frustrations and struggles that we all face, we are promised that we are not alone. "I will never leave you nor forsake you" Jesus reminds us. "I will carry you, I will comfort you, I will exchange your weakness for my strength, I will give you grace that will be sufficient for you to carry on."

• The promises of God are trustworthy and true. What a blessing! God is "faithful" as the great hymn reminds us. What a joy to know that we have the blessed assurance that Jesus is with us through the thick and the thin, through the victories and the struggles.

• Being a follower of Jesus has never been promised to be without its difficulties. Yes, it can be brutal at times (something to do with picking up the cross). But at the same time it is beautiful because there is victory in Jesus - there is forgiveness of sin, there is restoration of relationship, there is grace that is sufficient, there is the promise of never being alone, and there is love that is everlasting.

Keep the faith friends!

WHITER THAN SNOW!

The snow we received on Monday reminded me of a verse in Scripture. You might recall that Psalm 51 is believed to be King David's confession of his sin with Bathsheba. On the one hand, we see David confessing that he is a sinner and that God is justified in His judgment upon his life. On the other hand, we see David throwing himself upon God's mercy, all the while knowing that God can and will forgive him and cleanse him of his sin. After David confesses his sin, he cries out to God, "wash me, and I will be whiter than snow".

As I looked at the snow that had fallen, it was so beautiful, so fresh, so clean, so white. The dry brown ugly grass had been covered by the fresh blanket of snow and the lawn took on a new appearance. In the same way, we take on a new appearance, even more than that, a new life when God forgives and cleanses us of our sin. In fact, he blots out that sin, never to be remembered or held against us. I don't know about you, but that's good news!

But a word of warning, even though we are "washed, whiter than snow", it doesn't take long for us to get complacent and apathetic. Take a look around. The snow is now dirty and grimy looking. It's been driven on and pushed to the side and scooped away. If we're not careful, we who are cleaned up can pretty soon fall back into our old ways and also look like dirty tromped on snow.

Like David, it would behoove us to pray that God would create in us a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. And as we pray, let us also commit ourselves to remaining pure and clean before God. Then, just like the snow that is in the picture above, we will be a beautiful representaton of God's cleansing work in our lives.

GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT THE GOSPEL!

Wow! Just finished a book by David Platt entitled Radical - Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream. I've read some challenging books as of late, some books that have been used by God to convict who I am and what I proclaim to be as a Christian. But this one may be the one that smacked me the most as it pertains to what it means to follow Jesus, especially as an American who professes to be a Christian. Platt contrasts the cultural Christianity that has taken hold in America versus a lifestyle that comes from a truly biblical understanding of "denying self, picking up the cross, and following Jesus". This includes the willingness to leave behind security, money, convenience, even friends and family. In otherwords, abandoning everything for the gospel.

By the time a person gets to the end of the book, Platt challenges you to a one year experiment: 1) Making a commitment to pray for the entire world (he offers methods to do so), 2) Making a commitment to read through the entire Word (all of Scripture) 3) Sacrificing money for specific purposes (caring for the poor, the less fortunate, the sick and needy, etc.) 4) Making a commitment to spend time in another context (cross cultural, a place you've never been before (and not necessarily a safe place), 5) Making a commitment to multiply community - realizing the gobal purpose of Christ was never intended to be accomplished by individuals but by the church (not the building, programs, etc.)

I'm looking to take this challenge, not necessarily Platt's challenge, but the challenge of the gospel and what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It's time to get serious about the gospel - for our sake and for the sake of others. What say you??