The Church

I am currently reading "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. It is about how the church has been neglecting the Holy Spirit. It is a very challenging book. What I want to do for this post is put an excerpt from the book up. It is something that I think everybody needs to wrestle with an examine themselves to see how they are working in the body of Christ.

"Did God lead you to where you are? A lot of people in my church and in my travels tell me, "I believe that God has called me to Simi Valley." Or Wichita. Or New York. Or Greenville. Or wherever. That very well may be the case. But it could also be a cop-out because you like where you live. You have a good job. The school district  is safe and has high ratings. Your family lives close by ( or perhaps far away, depending on your relationship with them). It makes sense that you are "called to be there, right?


And maybe you are called to where you live. But if you say you are called to be in the place that you are, a few questions need to be considered. For example, how would you be missed if you left this place? What would change? Basically, what difference does your presence here make? Or, as my youth pastor once asked me, what would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if everyone was as committed as you are? If everyone gave and served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy and empowered? Or would it be weak and listless?


My purpose in posing the questions is not to convince you to "go into the ministry." I'm not about recruiting pastors or missionaries. My purpose in these questions is to get you to take 1 Corinthians 12 seriously, to believe that you have been given a manifestation of the Spirit and that your church, the worldwide body of Christ, and the world are crippled without your involvement. I write this because I love the church and want you to trust that you are more than just real estate brokers, salesclerks, restaurant servers, baristas, teachers... etc, you are vital members of the body of Christ. Ask yourself, Do I believe the church needs me like a body needs a mouth?


It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But it's absolutely vital to grasp that He didn't call you there so you could settle in and live out your life in comfort and superficial peace. His purposes are not random or arbitrary. If you are still alive on this planet, it's because He has something for you to do. He places us on this earth for purposes that He orchestrated long before we were born (Eph. 2:8-10). Do you believe you exist not for your own pleasure but to help people know the love of Jesus and to come fully alive in Him? If so, then that will shape how you live your life in the place where you are." - Excerpt from  Forgotten God by Francis Chan.


I see so many people come to church right before the service starts, sit through the service as if it were a show to watch, and then leave immediately afterwards. This is NOT how we should be viewing the church. We need to be active in the body. 1 Corinthians 12 25-27 "So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." I would encourage you to read all of 1 Corinthians 12 because it is about using spiritual gifts in the body. I pray that God will give me and others a greater love for the body of Christ.

 Do you believe the church needs you like a body needs a mouth?

The Fire

A friend showed me this video a few months ago and I thought it is worth sharing with everyone. I would like to hear some feedback with your thoughts on it.

Song of the Week

Week two of the Christmas song of the week. This week it goes to Casting Crowns.  Casting Crowns has been one of my favorite artists for years. Their songs inspire Christians to examine their faith and rise up to be the body of Christ.  I picked "While You Were Sleeping" as the song of the week. Here are the lyrics.



Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night




In 2 Peter 3:10-12 it says " But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming."  Let us live everyday looking forward to Christ's return. As Christmas is about two weeks away let us be reminded of His coming and look for His return. I pray that we will not be found "sleeping" when Christ returns. 

Song of the Week

It is the Christmas season so for this week's pick I wanted a Christmas song. I have heard many people over the last few weeks say how much they don't like Christmas music. I must admit that at times I get rather tired of hearing the "Classic" Christmas songs played over and over again. However, I never get tired of songs like "Silent Night" or "O Holy Night." The reason for this is that these songs have their focus on the true reason for Christmas. It is easy to get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas. I wanted a song that would focus directly on what that night meant over 2000 years ago. I picked "Christ is Come" by Big Daddy Weave. It is one of my favorite Christmas songs. As you read the lyrics be reminded of how amazing Christ's coming was.

The word of the prophets, centuries old
The birth of Messiah, has been long foretold
That unto you now unto you

Christ is come, let all creation sing
God's own Son, oh hail the newborn King
The word made flesh, now dwells among us 
Christ is come

Those born in darkness have seen a great light
The Redeemer of our hearts has been born this night
Now unto you unto you

Christ is come, let all creation sing
God's own Son, oh hail the newborn King
The word made flesh, now dwells among us 
Christ is come

Prince of Peace, Yeshua, Messiah, the Son of Man
Holy One, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Great I Am
Comforter, Counselor, Author and Finisher
Divine Truth Revealer, Deliverer, Healer
You are God, Jesus You are God

Christ is come, let all creation sing
God's own Son, oh hail the newborn King
The word made flesh, now dwells among us 
Christ is come
Christ is come




Christ is come!! Celebrate this Christmas season.

The Point of Your Life is to Point to Christ

At the beginning of the summer I read the book “Crazy love.” I was greatly challenged at the time and I saw ways that I needed to improve in my Christian walk. Over Thanksgiving break I reread the book, and I was able to see how I have grown since I first read it, and how far I still have to go.  One part of the book is called “Profile of the Lukewarm.” Francis Chan in that chapter describes behaviors of lukewarm Christians. These people are just trying to doing the bare minimum. If we really love God why aren’t we giving Him our all? Later on in the book there is a section called “Profile of the Obsessed.” As Christians we should be Christ obsessed in everything that we do. Not just on Sunday mornings or at a Bible study during the week, in EVERYTHING that we do. What I want to do for my next set of blogs is post one of the “Profiles of the Lukewarm” and one of the “Profiles of the Obsessed.” I pray that this will challenge you and me to shape our lives around God and give Him everything. Let us hold nothing back.

“Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church… as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?”

We all know that we should give. Many Christians give their 10 percent, and leave it at that. That is easy to do. Would you be willing, like the widow in Luke 21, to give your only remaining money to the Lord? Do you have enough faith to trust God completely in the area of finances?

“People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure.”

If we are obsessed then we will always look for ways to give. Everything we have is a gift from God and we are to use it for His glory. Francis Chan writes later in the book “God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.” Stop worrying about having enough money to live on. God will always provide enough for us. It might not look like the comfy American dream, but it will be sufficient. A friend of mine recently said, “Give until it hurts.” Let that be our attitude every day, and especially as we approach the Christmas season. I want to challenge everyone to look for a way this month to give in a way that you normally don’t. Don’t let it be easy for you to do. Give until you have to give up something else. It may be hard to do, but I believe that it will draw us closer to God as we put our trust in Him. 

Thanksgiving.

In a few days millions of Americans will gather around a table for what we call “Thanksgiving.” The day is full of food, football, family, and friends.  Many families have the tradition of having everyone tell what they are thankful for. This is a great time to think back on the blessings that God has given us over the past year.  I know that God has blessed me greatly this year. I want to challenge everyone that when we say what we are thankful for at the dinner table, that we think about how we can use those blessings God has given us to bless others.  We live in a land of prosperity. The day after thanksgiving people get up at wee hours of the morning to go shopping. They stand for hours waiting for a store to open in hope of finding a great deal. Do we say one day that we are thankful that God provided enough for us this year, and then the next day go and spend a ton of money on more “toys” for us? We should be thankful for having enough to live on in this tough economy, but we should be looking for ways to give the money that we have. Are we thankful for our friends and families? Are we willing to give up more of our time to serve and be a blessing to them?  Are we genuinely thankful for what Christ did for us on the cross? Would we give up everything if He called us to do so? If we are really thankful for the blessings in our lives then the thankfulness will flow out into how we live our lives.  Be thankful, not just on Thursday, but every day of your life.  

Colossians 2:6-7

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Build one another up

I enjoyed having a guest writer so much, that I decided to ask another friend if she would write a post. She sent me back a post that is very good and practical. We all need to be reminded how much impact we can have with our words. Be challenged.

Words, they seem so innocent and harmless. Yet they are one of the most powerful things in this universe. They have the ability to tear down and to build up. There’s an old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This is anything but true. For some, words can be far more painful then physical abuse. Most people do not realize what kind of impact saying something hurtful can have. People may not remember exactly what you say to them, but they will always remember how it made them feel.

Ephesians 4: 29 says “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” We as humans have the ability to control our words. We get to choose whether or not we want to use our tongues to be a blessing or a curse. You should be using your words to build people up and show them they are worth something. Even little things like, acknowledging people, calling them by their names, asking them how they are doing and really meaning it can make such a difference. Don’t be afraid to compliment people. It’s only awkward if you make it awkward. Think about how it makes you feel when you’re having a bad day and someone says something that shows you that they really care. Even something as simple as asking you if you are okay means so much.  The bible says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11  Now I’m not just talking about people you know. Acknowledge people wherever you go. At the checkout line in the grocery store, people you walk past on the sidewalk. Don’t be afraid to give a smile and a cheerful greeting. Who knows, you might just make their day.

There was a girl that I used to go shopping with all the time. She was more often then not very rude to the people who worked at the stores. If they were not meeting her every need she would get upset. When I confronted her about it, she told me “Well that’s what they’re paid for.” So many Christians think that way nowadays. This is not the right mindset. Our mindset should be, “ as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” ~ Luke 6:31 Even if the person is getting paid, it doesn’t give you an excuse to not treat them like Jesus. They are still people that Jesus loves and we need to love them too. So you decide, it’s your choice. Are you going to shine the light of Jesus with your tongue?

Naomi Joy Geiger