Faultless.

Jude 1:24-25
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

So this morning before the 9:30 service, right before we went up stage, we were praying and after we prayed, I got really excited about our memory verse for the week. So excited I lost track of the time and we didn't get everyone in place before we started the first song. So it was a rough beginning, which was completely my fault.

Why was I so excited? Well read it. Faultless.........really?
Wow!!! Not only faultless, but faultless before the presence of the glory of God.
And not only presented faultless, but presented faultless with exceeding joy.

I know I'm joyful to be presented faultless, but God our Savior is exceedingly joyful to present me faultless. Astounding!!!

So for the biggest exam of my life, I already got a 100, because Jesus took all my faults on Himself,
and presented me faultless before the presence of the glory of God.

In the Old Testament, it was believed because of God's holiness, that no one could see God face to face and live. Moses asked if he could see God's face, God said no, but He would hide Moses in the cleft of a rock, and pass by where Moses could catch a small glimpse of God's back. That was all Moses could handle.

Because of Jesus, we will be presented faultless, joyfully presented, exceedingly joyfully presented, before the presence of the Glory of God.

No wonder I was late. I'm still astounded.

You ever struggled with perfectionism. Jesus has the cure for your overachieving attempts to measure up.

It's called faultless.

What a Saviour!!!!

Joe

From "Why?" to "Who?"

In our Sunday morning classes right now we are studying Paul's letter to the Philippians. I was reading this verse today out of chapter 1 that says, '12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.' What exactly had 'happened' to Paul? It began when the Jews illegally arrested him in Jerusalem and then through a series of trials, an attempt on his life, a really long boat ride and shipwreck, and a deadly snake bite Paul found himself awaiting a trial with Caesar in Rome under house arrest. So Paul was chained to a Roman guard (shift changes every 6 hours) awaiting his trial and sentence. Most normal people in Paul's shoes would be miserably depressed and probably asking God a lot of 'Why' questions. Paul, however, was filled with rejoicing because his circumstances were futhering the gospel. The word 'furthering' literally means to 'pioneer new territory' or to reach people in places that the gospel had never touched previously.

There are times in life where we get to 'choose' where we go, who we talk to and what we're going to do. There are other seasons in life where these things are 'chosen' for us. We have medical problems and we have no choice but to be in the hospital. We have financial struggles and we have no choice but to take on a second job. We suffer an injury and we are forced to deal with new limitations. It's in these seasons that our faith and what we hope in is really tested. What Paul teaches us is that this hospital room we're in, or this waiting room we're sitting in, or this minimum wage job we had to take on has placed us in new territory for the gospel. We are now 'forced' to be around people that otherwise we would never have crossed paths with before. As Steve Bradley preached in a message a while back, maybe we need to go from asking 'Why God?' to 'Who God?' Who are the people around us that have never experienced the love of Jesus Christ before. Maybe, God has placed me in this cirumstance for that person sitting right next to me.

in Christ,

Brian

One Thing Remains.

After this last week of singing "Great I Am", I have been reminded of one of my favorite worship songs. It's called "One Thing Remains" and it goes along the lines of "Great I Am", declaring how great our God is. Our God is so mighty that demons flee at just the mention of His Name.
One Thing Remains is one of those songs that is almost like a chant at times. I like that because it gives me ample time to really think about the words and consider all that they mean. This song talks about how God is stronger than death and greater than any challenge we could ever face. He is ever faithful and never changing in His love for us. When all else fails, God's love for us remains.
It's no wonder this song leaves me feeling a bit overwhelmed and victorious all at once.


One Thing Remains

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant in the trial and the change
One thing remains

Your love never fails, it never gives, it never runs out on me
Your love never fails, it never gives, it never runs out on me
Your love never fails, it never gives, it never runs out on me

On and on and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never, ever have to be afraid
'cause this one thing remains
This one thing remains

Your love never fails, it never gives, it never runs out on me
Your love never fails, it never gives, it never runs out on me
Your love never fails, it never gives, it never runs out on me

In death, in life
I'm confident and covered by the power of Your great love
My debt is paid
There's nothing that can separate my heart from Your great love

Hailey

God Undefeatable.

As we sing this new song off of Todd Agnew's latest CD, "How to Be Loved," I wanted to dig into the word about Our Victorious King. The One who doesn't fight for victory, but from victory!!!

Joshua 5:13-15
Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15 The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “ Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

When Joshua asked the Captain of the host of the Lord whose side He was on, He basically said, I didn't come to take sides, I came to take over.

This was not just a messenger sent from God. When Joshua bowed down in reverence, an angel would have asked him to get up. This man received worship, He was acknowledging His divinity, This man told Joshua to take off his shoes, because he was on holy ground. This man was Jesus. God Undefeatable. This was God telling Joshua and you and me, that this is His battle, not ours. That He had a plan. And He would execute His plan. And that we had a part to play in this epic battle. And it would reveal the power and glory of God.

There is only one who is undefeatable. Todd Agnew shared about this song that the word undefeatable doesn't exist in the English lanquage and with good reason. For every one has suffered defeat at some time. All but one. This word is unique to describe God alone.

So here are the lyrics of the song we will sing Sunday.


God Undefeatable

Behold the King who conquered
And overcame our sin
Behold our glorious Victor
Whose mercy knows no end

He is true, He is right
Death is broken, He is alive

God undefeatable, kingdom unshakeable
In majesty and power You reign
Love undeniable, matchless and bountiful
To waken us to life You came
You came

And now our way is certain
Our souls in You secure
Through every pain and struggle
Your victory endures

For You are true, You are right
Death is broken, You are alive

God undefeatable, kingdom unshakeable
In majesty and power You reign
Love undeniable, matchless and bountiful
To waken us to life You came
You came

The love of God is greater than we dare to hope or dream
The hold of God is stronger than we dare to hope or dream

God undefeatable, kingdom unshakeable
In majesty and power You reign
Love undeniable, matchless and bountiful
To waken us to life You came
You came

Our memory verse this week is: Jude 1:24-25. I really like the King James Version of this so......

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

In Christ Alone we have victory,

Joe

Who Will Lead Me?

Sunday nights in our neighborhood are always full of festivities (especially in this kind of weather we're having). This past Sunday night was no exception. As I pulled in at about 6:30 from church I saw the familiar scene of kids running all around and playing together and the moms visiting together in the driveway (always the houses on the west side of the street in the evening as they are shaded), and the dads wrapping up a few 'honey-do's' to stay in good graces with mom. I grabbed the mower to mow the lawn real quick, dodging kids who were decorating my driveway with sidewalk chalk. As I wrapped up and was visiting out front we were visited by a family who was riding their horses down the street (I obviously don't live in the Woodlands).

We talked for a while and right in the middle of our nice conversation one of the horses, a collosal horse, dropped the mother load right in the street. Now the average person is kind of grossed out by this scene but I happen to be a garderner and horse manure is like gold for your compost pile. So I proceed to ask these people if they mind if I take their horse poop and with some twisting of their arms they agreed to let me have it. The next thing I know I am scooping up the poop with a shovel into a trash can and then it hits me....I bet there's more down the road! So I am heading off in search of more poop and I turn behind me and like 7 kids and 2 Dads are all coming along for the adventure.

As I was reflecting a little more on this funny scene it reminded me about how people are waiting for someone to lead them. I mean every day my neighborhood is filled with kids and people...waiting for something to happen...who will take the lead? who can I follow? I love this simple verse from the mouth of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1 that says, 'Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.' Who is someone I can lead today? Who is someone I can influence? How can I be proactive today for the cause of Christ? Let's dare to lead!

in Christ,

Brian

The Fellowship Of Men.

Tonight I watched "Courageous" the movie about fatherhood. One of the characters said he knew he was a man when he was seventeen. As his father was leaving for for 3 months on an extended business trip, he said to him, "you're a man now, protect and provide for the family in my absence." His father conferred manhood upon him.

Paul did that for Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:1-2
The Appeal Renewed
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.

1 Timothy 4:12
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

I had a great dad. He taught me a lot and much of who I am came through him.

But through the church, I have also had many men teach and mentor me. I am grateful for all the lessons learned (though some a bit slowly) from them. God has been generous with instruction and discipline in my life. Perhaps He knew I would require a lot.

I am still learning in the company of men and through that fellowship I am a better provider, protector, husband and father.

One quick, not super spiritual example.
I like many men at times feel ill equipped for some handyman jobs around the house.

When I get stuck through a lack of knowledge or skill, I get very frustrated.
(Hmmm, maybe it is a spiritual example).

I wonder why don't I know this?
Shouldn't a man know how to do such things?
I don't always want to hire it done.
Sometimes I want to do it myself.

Well Saturday was such a day. I had ordered 3 replacement burners for my gas grill. The old ones had rusted out.
Well, I was excited about fixing my grill. This was a simple job. Just remove 6 screws, and swap the old for the new. Presto. New grill.
But only 3 of the screws cooperated. So the 15 minute job before the golf tournament wasn't happening and I was frustrated.

So while at the tournament, I asked a couple of my fellowmen about my plight. Both were sympathetic and very helpful. They both said almost in unison, Easyout. So on the way home, I stopped by a hardware store, grabbed my new tool and headed home.

My college freshman son was home and eager to help. And In almost no time, the screws were miraculously out, the burners replaced, and my wife, "just happened" to have bought some rib eyes. Sweet!!!

Quite a turn around.

Thanks to the fellowship of godly men.

Jesus talked a lot about discipling.
I for one believe it has made all the difference in my life,
In all the things that really matter.

Joe

Great I Am.

This Sunday we will be introducing a new song called 'Great I Am'. As I've been digging into this song and studying it, it seems to be a song that is this plea to break into the heavenly realm and 'sneak a peak' if you will. There are a couple of men in Scripture, Isaiah in the Old Testament, and the Disciple, John, in the New Testament, who both see the same scene, God's throne. Can you imagine getting a chance to see that? Both accounts mention these four majestic living beings that stand before the throne both day and night pouring forth praise specifically about God's holiness and glory. John's version in Revelation 4:8 says, "8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty -- the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come."

The writer of this song is crying out to experience God and His kingdom as more 'real' than the world we see and touch around us here on earth. We live in the reality of two different worlds competing for our hearts every day. The 'ruler of this world' Satan is working tirelessly to deceive us into thinking that the world that we see and touch is all we should live for and we ought to 'eat, drink and be merry' for tomorrow we die and return to dust. Yet the 'Great I Am' (God's name revealed to Moses at the burning bush) is revealing Himself too and reminding us that what you see is not the only reality. I pray that Paul's prayer in Ephesians would be a reality for you today where it says, '18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.'

Great I Am

I wanna to be close close to your side
So heaven is real and death is a lie
I wanna hear voices of angels above
Singing as one

Hallelujah Holy Holy
God almighty Great I am
Who is worthy
None beside Thee
God Almighty
Great I Am

I wanna be near near to your heart
Loving the word hating the dark
I want to see dry bones living again
Singing as one

The mountains shake before Him
The demons run and flee
At the mention of the name
King of Majesty
There is no power in hell
Or any who can stand
Before the power and the presence of the Great I am

Brian

Footprints In The Sand.

Rummaging through my desk drawers the other day, I ran across a stack of poems. They were from a poetry workshop class I took a couple years ago and were written by students in the class. There were several well written poems, but my mind kept wandering back to my favorite poem. It's a poem by Mary Stevenson called Footprints In The Sand. It's a poem about how, even though sometimes we cant see in the moment, God is always with us. When times are difficult we may feel like we are abandoned but it is really God's strength that carries us through those times.

I grew up with this poem hanging on a wall in my parents house. It wasn't the original poem, someone had re-written it just a bit so it would be in a rhyming format, but I was young and I loved to just stare at this poem and read it over and over again, and to this day I still have it memorized.

Footprints in the Sand

In deepest sleep one night I dreamed
that on the beach I walked.
God was by my side each step
and quietly we talked.
Then, on the sky, my life was flashed.
The visions all serene.
Two sets of footprints were there in every scene.

Then, I noticed, in some scenes
of suffering, pain and strife:
A single set of footprints at the worst times of my life.
"God, you said that you'd stay by me in good times and in bad.
Why, then, did you leave me each time my life was sad?"
"My precious child," God answered,
"when your life was in pain, I knew.
Those single sets of footprints
were the times I carried you."

As Joe mentioned this last Sunday, the Creative Arts team is going to start commiting a verse to memory each week to further ground our worship in the Word. Here's the verse for this week.

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty-- the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come." - Revelation 4:8b NLT

Hailey

Sing Over Me by Lindsey Wittenmyer.

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
Zephaniah 3:17

In the years I have led worship, I have been given many kind words; words of encouragement, words of gratitude, words that complement...and I have been humbled by all of them. I believe I have been given a voice for a specific purpose and I pray every day that I am obedient to that purpose. I don't want to be led by selfish desires; I want His direction to lead me. I desire to go where He calls me and to use my voice for who He tells me. The above verse is a large reason as to why.

As I read this verse, even the thought of God's voice singing over me is overwhelming. I have never audibly heard God's own voice, but I believe with all of my heart it will be the most beautiful thing we have ever heard. I have been exposed to some incredible musicians over the years, but none can come close to Him. How incredible is the thought of Yahweh singing over you? That He would take so much delight in you, He cannot help but sing. This verse has become an encouraging challenge for me to live by. Is my life bringing Him delight? Are my actions intended to please people, or to please the Living God? Am I willing to be completely uncomfortable in order to bring Him gladness? When the day comes that I can finally stand before my God, more than anything, I want to hear Him sing

Lindsey

Our Adoption Announcement.

Hi this is Brian. Well we have started to announce to our family, friends and church family that we have begun the process of adoption, specifically, a little unsuspecting bundle of joy from the country of Honduras, yet to be revealed to us. Whitney and I have had adoption in our heart since the early days of our marriage but like a lot of things it seemed to remain another one of those cool God things that we may or may not do one day. About a year ago, in the Sterling Ridge McDonald's drivethru (God works in mysterious ways), we had this conversation where God brought a unity to both of our hearts that we were ready and together in stepping out to begin an adoption process. For the next several months it was simply a question of where?

Several months ago, God seemed to bring our hearts to Honduras simultaneously with Josh and Suzanne Bramlett from our church. We started conversing, researching the process, etc. Honduras is a nation that our church has been partnering with in missions for about 6 years now and it turns out that the pastor over there, Pastor Jorge, has become a great advocate for us and has connected us with a Christian lawyer who has agreed to represent us. God has very much awakened my heart for international missions, but I have not felt like our family is to move overseas. Adoption becames a way for us to impact a nation by showing them the kind of love that God, our Father, shows to us. It's a love that says I love you so much that you don't just get a high-five from me, or a card from time to time, or get to be in my club, but rather, you become my son...you become my daugther... and I become your father. That means I take responsibility over you to raise you, to protect you, to provide for you, to counsel you, to laugh with you, to cry with you, to give you a glorious inheritance and so much more.

That's exactly the love our amazing Abba Father has poured out for us. Listen to this in Ephesians 1 where it says, '5 Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)' As we walk through this process we absolutely covet your prayers for us. Already the enemy is bringing circumstances, fears, doubts and worries against us to thwart God's calling in us. But we continue to daily trust Him and lean on Him for renewed strength. We will be using our blog (http://bwejdunn.blogspot.com/) to record our journey and would love for you guys to follow along with us and in the process, prayerfully consider more closely, the things that God is calling you to do in your own life!

in Christ,

Brian

That's My King by Dr. S.M Lockridge.

(Who is Jesus? This is taken from a message by Dr. Lockridge that I love and that answers the question better than anything I've ever heard. Everytime I read it or hear it am filled with an almost overwhelming joy. I hope this Monday it will bless you as it has blessed me. Joe )

You can also check out the video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE&feature=youtube_gdata_player


The Bible says
He’s the King of the Jews
He’s the King of Israel
He’s the King of Righteousness
He’s the King of the Ages
He’s the King of Heaven
He’s the King of Glory
He’s the King of Kings
and He is the Lord of Lords

Now that’s my King!
David says
The Heavens declare the glory of God
And the firmament showeth His handiwork
No means of measure can define His limitless love
No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing

He’s enduringly strong
He’s entirely sincere
He’s eternally steadfast
He’s immortally graceful
He’s imperially powerful
He’s impartially merciful

That’s my King!
He’s God’s Son
He’s the sinners’ Saviour
He’s the centrepiece of civilisation
He stands alone in Himself
He’s august
He’s unique
He’s unparalleled
He’s unprecedented
He’s supreme
He’s pre-eminent
He’s the loftiest idea in literature
He’s the highest personality in philosophy
He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism
He’s the fundamental doctrine in true theology
He’s the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion

That’s my King!
He’s the miracle of the age
He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him
He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously
He supplies strength for the weak
He’s available for the tempted and the tried
He sympathises and He saves
He guards and He guides
He heals the sick
He cleansed the lepers
He forgives sinners
He discharges debtors
He delivers the captives
He defends the feeble
He blesses the young
He serves the unfortunate
He regards the aged
He rewards the diligent
And He beautifies the meek

Do you know Him?
My King is the key of knowledge
He’s the wellspring of wisdom
He’s the doorway of deliverance
He’s the pathway of peace
He’s the roadway of righteousness
He’s the highway of holiness
He’s the gateway of glory
He’s the master of the mighty
He’s the captain of the conquerors
He’s the head of the heroes
He’s the leader of the legislators
He’s the overseer of the overcomers
He’s the governor of governors
He’s the prince of princes
He’s the King of Kings
And He’s the Lord of Lords

That’s my King
That’s my King!
My King
His office is manifold
His promise is sure
His life is matchless
His goodness is limitless
His mercy is everlasting
His love never changes
His word is enough
His grace is sufficient
His reign is righteous
His yoke is easy
and His burden is light
I wish I could describe Him to you
He’s indescribable
He’s incomprehensible
He’s invincible
He’s irresistible
I’m trying to tell you
The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him
Let alone a man explain Him
You can’t get Him out of your mind
You can’t get Him off of your hands
You can’t outlive Him
And you can’t live without Him
The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him
Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree
And Herod couldn’t kill Him
Death couldn’t handle Him
And the grave couldn’t hold Him

That’s my King!
He always has been
And He always will be
I’m talking about
He had no predecessor
and He’ll have no successor
There was nobody before Him
and there’ll be nobody after Him
You can’t impeach Him
and He’s not going to resign

That’s my King!
Praise the Lord
That’s my King
Thine is the Kingdom
And the power
And the glory
The glory is all His
Thine is the Kingdom
And the power
And the glory
For ever
And ever
And ever
And when you get through with all of the forevers
Then
Amen

Legacy.

Well it's been a full last couple of days for me. On Easter Sunday afternoon my grandfather on my Dad's side, 'Papa John', passed away at 82 years of age. Two days later my niece, Hallie Jane Dunn, was born. As we were driving back today my son Joshua says, 'Papa John and Hallie are kinda like opposites. One is ending and another is beginning.' Very true. I guess the rest of us are somewhere in between these two moments. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." It is true. Everytime I walk away from a funeral it makes me take a good look at my life. What kind of legacy will I leave? What will people say about me? What difference will my life make? Those are good questions for us all to ask why we still have time to do something about them. My Dad gave the eulogy at Papa John's funeral. Below is the final paragraph that really made an impression on me.

"So, my father taught us the importance of Honesty, Integrity, Hard Work, and Humor. But he left us an even greater legacy – his Faith. Dad accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior when he was 11 years old, while riding his favorite horse “Rusty”. He probably shared that story with some of you here. He also loved bible stories, and in recent months several of us had the chance to read scripture with Dad. On one of those occasions – very recently – we were discussing Salvation, and we focused on 3 passages that I wanted to share with you today.

Romans 3: 23-24 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2: 8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 8: 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Dad had trouble speaking in the last few months, but on this particular day he responded to these passages very clearly: “It’s Money in the Bank!”

He was right. Our Salvation is bought and paid for through a risen Savior, and Dad cashed his check on Easter Sunday. I plan to follow my Dad."

Good Stuff....

in Christ,

Brian

Savior’s Here.

I have never been so excited for Easter in my life. The reminder of the incredible sacrifice made for us, the opportunity to reach more people and the extended worship. Even our run-thru on Sunday morning for the band and singers wasn’t really a run-thru so much as an extra service just for us full of amazing worship.

Although I was really excited for Easter weeks in advance, now that Sunday has passed I wonder, ”Why am I not this excited all the time?”. The reality of Christ's sacrifice is no less true the rest of the year.

My hope is that we, as Christians, don't let the awe of Easter, and all it represents, fade away because it is no longer April 8. That we would still sing "Easter" songs throughout the year and I am so excited that, this week, we will sing a song about how our Savior has beaten death, conquered sin, and He has risen.

As the song says: Our Savior's Here


Here are some of the lyrics to Savior's Here by Kari Jobe:

We can always run to love that never fails,
Arms that never close, blood that covers sin,
Grace that never ends

You have saved us
You have won
Sin is broken, death is gone
Freedom’s found us, break-through’s near
In Your presence no more fear
Our Savior’s here
Our Savior’s here

You opened the blind eyes, heal all our sickness
You alone
You opened my blind eyes, gave me a new life
Our Savior’s here

Living Temples.

Steve had a great word in his message on Sunday regarding God's plan to redeem the world. God's plan was not to come and dwell in a temple or a building that was made of wood and stone but His plan was to change human hearts and display Himself to the world through living temples, you and me. I think we still have the mentality that our goal is to try and simply get someone to come to church to 'see God' through a service. While I hope that people see God each and every week we gather together, I also hope that people see God in us, His temples.

It's easy to forget this and just cruise through life like everyone else...most people just see waitors, sales clerks, neighbors, yard men, bankers, and cashiers. But you can also see those same people as Dads, single moms, grandfathers, and 20 something's trying to find their calling. I was reminded of this yesterday. I was at a store and a guy was helping me out. After he helped me with my quesition I asked him a question I often throw out there, 'Is there anything I can pray for you about today?' Amazingly, this totally opened up the lines of communication with this guy. He had recently lost a great job, had a wife who had been battling cancer, and had just recently lost his house because of all the financial challenges. I mostly listened and assured him that I would be praying for him and his wife. This moment reminded me again that everyday there our people around me who are carrying heavy burdens and they desperatly need to see God in me.

Acts 1:8 is the last charge that Jesus gives His followers after His resurrection and right before His ascension. It reads, "8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere -- in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." The resurrection is an historical event that happened over 2000 years ago...the tomb is empty! What people really want to see today is 'How does that event make a difference in my life?' Let's show them the difference today!



in Christ,

Brian

Why Did Jesus Fold The Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?
I never noticed this . . .
The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed
over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was
neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came
to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the
entrance.
She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one
whom Jesus loved. She said, ‘They have taken the Lord's body
out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other
disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stopped
and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying
there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen
wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus'
head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!
Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you
have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every
Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master,
he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait,
just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and
the servant would not dare touch that table,
until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table,
wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and
would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table.
For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I'm finished."

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin,
and laid it beside his plate, the servant would
not dare touch the table, because . . .
The folded napkin meant,
"I'm coming back!"

Thanks to my dear friend Janie Brasovan for sharing this Devo with me.

Joe

Running Towards The Son.

This morning I decided to go on a jog near my neighborhood. About halfway through my run I realized that I was heading in the wrong direction and so I proceeded to do a complete 180 and began running in the right direction. On my new corrected path I noticed I was running towards the beautiful morning sun that had just recently bursted forth into the morning sky. This little course correction gave me a picture of repentance. Repentance is a rich biblical concept that means to change your mind. A true change of mind results in a change of direction. Repentance that leads to salvation is a change of direction where your life is about running towards the Son, Jesus Christ.

As I was thinking about today, Good Friday, I was reminded about a little moment that occurs at the foot of the cross as Jesus breathes his last, the veil of the temple is torn in two, and the earth quakes. This moment occurs in Matthew 27 where it says, "54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Perhaps this Roman Centurion experienced one of those moments in his life where he realized that maybe he had been running in the wrong direction and perhaps this man that he had been guarding was no ordinary man. As a centurion he was a well-respected and a proven soldier as he would have been in charge of 100 other Roman soldiers. As crucifixion was a very common execution method in those days, he had probably witnessed hundreds of these before. Yet, as he gazed upon this man and for 6 hours heard words like 'Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing' he and some of his fellow guards were changed.

I want to challenge you to take a moment and gaze upon that same scene in your mind and imagination today. Never has there been a more powerful scene where the hatred of man faced off with the love of God. And at the end of the day God's love proved triumphant! Maybe today is a day that you can allow this scene of the cross to challenge every area of your life and ask God if there are any places where you need a course correction to be more fully running towards the Son! Maybe today is a day that you think of others in your neighborhood, work, etc that you can invite to an Easter service and allow them a moment like the Centurion had to gaze upon the amazing life of Jesus Christ!

in Christ,

Brian

O the Blood.

O the Blood
Crimson love
Price of life's demand

Shameful sin placed on Him,
The hope of every man

O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory!

Savior, Son, Holy One
Slain so I can live.
See the Lamb
The great I AM
Who takes away my sin!

O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory!

O the blood of the Lamb
The precious blood of the Lamb

What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the Blood, it is my victory

O what love
No greater love
Grace,how can can it be
That in my sin,
Yes, even then,
He takes away my sin!

O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory!


What can I even write about this song? This song that is so powerful that it brings me to tears just to think about the words it contains?

I always get caught up in the first verse, "price of life's demand", because, let's face it, I'm not anywhere close to living a life that does not desperately need a savior. No one is. I think the way it is stated, "life's demand", creates a very nice perspective. It doesn't say, "the demand of my personal beliefs". It says that Life demands this price. That no matter how you look at it we are imperfect and the only way we can be saved is by the blood of Jesus. The Lamb of God.
That is the price.
And it has already been paid. That's not "chicken feed", mind you. That is the most incredible sacrifice the world has ever known, and we don't even have to be anywhere near deserving of it to receive it!

That blows my mind and I pray it always does.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
-Romans 3:22

Washed by the Blood

Hailey

God said "I am who I am" Jesus said "I Am He"

Many artists, poets and writers have portrayed Jesus as weak, misinterpreting his meekness. He has sometimes been characterized as a nice guy, mistaking his gentleness as passivity. This is not the biblical account.

During the week of The Passion, Jesus is "taken" by the soldiers from the Garden. There are a few times during Jesus' ministry where we catch a glimpse of His restrained power.

In John 18 the gospel writer reveals the all knowing Jesus and the all powerful Jesus.

First John writes that Jesus knew all that was going to happen to Him. This is a clear statement of Jesus omniscience.

He then reveals a flash of His omnipotence, when he said, "I am He", and all the soldiers first draw back and then fall to the ground.

Jesus didn't need 10,000 angels to rescue him from those who sought to take his life.

He possessed all power and with a word could have vanquished any and all.

All of which makes His going to the cross all the more remarkable. The temptation to walk away was always available. He was never the victim. He gave up His life, it wasn't taken from Him.

And when He answered, "I am He" it was yet another subtle, but clear declaration of His deity and oneness with the Father, the great I AM.

John 18:3-6
So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)
When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Exodus 3:13-14
Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name? ’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “ I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘ I am has sent me to you. ’”

And so "I am" has sent you and me to go and make disciples of all nations.

I am sent,
Joe

Total Abandon.

If I am honest with myself, most of my worship is filtered through my rational mind with questions like, 'is this logical?' or 'is this socially acceptable?' or 'how is my wife going to feel about this?' Rarely do I really just worship Jesus with wreckless abandon. I long to grow in my freedom to do this more and more. I remember one time at a youth retreat I really had that experience. It was on Saturday night and the Lord had been doing some powerful things in our group. We had one of those extended times of worship where we just felt like we could go all night. I remember one point where I just started dancing for the Lord and some of the students joined in as well. Now, I am one of those guys that doesn't mind cutting a rug on the dance floor but this time was different. It wasn't like I was going through the different dances in the repertoire (like the sprinkler, pizza, bus driver, etc) but it was this total freedom in the Lord kind of moment where I just really didn't care what anyone thought at all.

As we are walking through 'holy week' and leading up to Easter there is a poweful little story that is shared in the gospels that happened shortly before Jesus shared His last Passover meal with His disiples. John 12:3 records this moment as it says, '3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair ; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.' I have always loved this little story because it is such an awesome picture of reckless and unrestricted, nothing held back worship. There is nothing calculated about this worship. There are no spreadsheets, no cost-benefit analysis charts, and no consideration of social awkwardness. This is a woman who is overwhelmed by the presence of her Savior that takes an incredibly expensive jar of perfume (worth almost a year's salary) and pours all of it out and annoints the feet of Jesus. Let's be more like her today. Let's just love God today with a child-like faith, even if it doesn't make sense to our neighbor, even if it is 'weird'. In the words of the Matthew West song, let's 'let our hearts defeat our minds' today!

in Christ,
Brian

The Lamb of God.

I was on my way out the door to get to church and blocking my exit was a little guy under four foot tall with blonde hair asking, 'Daddy, can you make me some hot chocolate (that's his 'coffee' in the morning) and read the Bible to me?' So, I decided to chance running late to seize this little moment with Joshua. I got the hot chocolate all ready to go and sat down at the table in the kitchen. He then informs me that we are supposed to go outside on the back porch for our time together. So I obliged and off we headed.

I opened up his children's Bible book and we started to read the story about the first Passover together. I was reading about Moses and as we got to the part about the family killing the lamb for the Passover meal he stopped me with a look of horror in his face, 'Daddy' he said. He then basically interjected, 'that's not nice that they killed that lamb that didn't do anything wrong.' It did make me think, wow, that's true those lambs really did have a rotten deal. There they were just doing their simple and pure life of grazing and the next thing you know they were being slaughtered. So we had this moment of talking about how sin is a really bad thing and that these animals were sacrificed to pay for people's sins and that's what Jesus came to do ultimately as the 'Lamb of God.'

We wrapped up our time in prayer and I think we both felt a sense of awe in our own ways over the Lamb who did nothing wrong who died and shed His blood for the people who did a whole lot wrong. Thank you Jesus, our Passover Lamb, who passes over the sins of a Daddy and his little boy!

in Christ,
Brian