Pausing to Reflect.

It truly is impossible to put into words the level of suffering that Jesus endured for us. Today is a day to remember the price that was paid for us. May we slow down for a moment and take in the scene on Friday....

There was the physical suffering - sweating like drops of blood in the garden...being beaten with fists and slapped in the face during His trial...being scourged with a whip filled with shards of rock and broken bone and metal that tore open His flesh...having a crown of thorns jammed onto His head...being beaten on His head with a reed...being forced to carry His own cross that weighed upwards of 100 lbs through the streets...enduring His hands and feet being pierced through with nails...enduring six grueling hours of constant and unimaginable pain on a cross.

There was the emotional suffering - He was betrayed by one of His own disciples, Judas...He was denied three times by His closest disciple Peter...Members of the Jewish council spat in his face and mocked him repeatedly as they would hit him and then say 'Propecy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?'...The Roman soldiers gathered the whole Roman cohort (480 soldiers) around Him and mocked Him (teased and made sport of Him and belittled Him)...These soldiers put a robe and crown on Him and pretended to hail him as king as they laughed...One of the criminals crucified next to Him mocked Him...For those six long hours people constantly hurled insults at Him, rejected Him, and told Him that He was a failure and that He couldn't even save Himself.

There was the spiritual suffering - '10 But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief.' - Isaiah 53...'God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.' Jesus fully drank the cup of God's wrath for us. He drank every last drop. As He cried out 'My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?', He was taking the full force of God's wrath upon our sin. Jesus had always eternally existed in a perfect union of love with the Father but in that moment, the perfect and spotless lamb was punished for every every single rape, murder, robbery, human cruelty, immoral act, gossip, slanderous remark, dishonoring of parents, and every sin of the mind, heart, and body that has every been or ever will be committed by the human race.

Yet, all of this evil, pain, suffering and mockery were no match for the all-consuming love of God. When love and hate met that day...Love came out victorious. One statement that Jesus uttered over and over throughout the six hours was, 'Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing...' Truly, Jesus paid it all! The question is will we simply let go of our own efforts and receive this pricelss gift of forgiveness?

in Christ,

Brian

The Secret Millionaire(s).

I recently had my own little Secret Millionaire marathon. If you haven’t seen or heard of the show, here is the basic concept: A millionaire boards a plane or train or whatnot to an unknown destination to spend a week living in poverty. They claim to be part of a documentary about volunteering and seeking to help charities. At the end of the week they reveal their identity as a millionaire and donate however much money they find appropriate to the charities they have become involved in.

I love this show. Talk about diamonds in the rough. These successful business men and women find these wonderful organizations that go above and beyond to help their communities, the homeless, the children, anyone in need. Most often they do not pay themselves and are struggling to keep things going. The individuals running these charities are so thankful and excited that someone has come to help volunteer and then that person turns around and helps them in ways that they could never have imagined. It can truly bring tears to your eyes.

I was watching the show and thinking about how great it must be to be able to give away the amount of money that gets donated in every episode; for example, one man ended up donating a quarter of a million dollars after his stay. I can’t make an impact on a scale quite that grand. But that is not to say that I can’t make an impact, or that you cannot make an impact. We can all do our part, big our small, if we just look around for the places that need us.

One of the businessmen that undertook this experience said, “I drove down the road with blinders on and I think many Americans do. We’ve got to get out of our houses, and we need to go outside and really fix this earth."

We have a gift greater than money that can transform a person’s life for all of eternity: The Gospel. We are all secret millionaires and we need to be ready to give this gift freely. That’s how we fix this earth.

Matthew 28: 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.



Secret Millionaire,

Hailey

Predictions of the Messiah. Does Jesus fulfill Them?

In Lee Strobel's book "The Case for Christ," he dedicates a chapter on Jesus fulfilling the prophecies in the Old Testament. Here are just 4 shared in the book, that Jesus could not have arranged his life to fulfill.

PLACE OF BIRTH: Jesus was born in Bethlehem (See Matthew 2:1)
Prophecy from Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”

FAMILY TREE: Jesus was a descendent of David

Prophecy from Jeremiah 23:5-6
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.

BLOOD MONEY: Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for thirty silver coins. Later Judas threw the money into the temple and left, and the priests decided to use the money to buy a potter's field. Matthew 26:15; 27:5, 7)

Prophecy from Zechariah 11:12-13
I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.
And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.

GAMBLING OVER CLOTHES: While Jesus was being crucified, soldiers gambled for his clothes by casting lots. (See Matthew 27:35)

Prophecy from Psalm 22:18
"They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."

There are over 60 major prophecies in the Old Testament that ONLY Jesus perfectly fulfilled.

Josh McDowell in his book "More than a Carpenter" writes, "a prophecy dating from 1012 BC also predicts that this man's hands and feet will be pierced and that he will be crucified. This description was written 800 years before the Romans used crucifixion as a manner of execution."

Here are the descriptions of the Jesus crucifixion written 1000 years before they took place.

Psalms 22:6-8
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

Psalms 22:14-18
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.

Zechariah 12:10
Mourning for the One They Pierced
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
Of all the prophecies this one from Isaiah 53:5-6 profoundly shapes my thoughts and emotions as we enter Holy Week.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

HE WAS PIERCED FOR MY TRANSGRESSIONS AND BY HIS WOUNDS I AM HEALED.

WRECKED.

JOE

Don't Miss the Messiah.

This week is the time of year where we are preparing our hearts for Easter. This past Sunday was Palm Sunday when we reflect on Jesus triumphantly riding into Jerusalelm, mounted on a donkey (see the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9). As He approached the city, the crowds had assembled and were laying down palm branches and cheering wildly. What an ironic scene as they had no idea what was about to happen. Little did they know that instead of Jesus riding into town to sit upon a throne, He was riding into town to be hung on a cross.

As Jesus gets closer towards the city He stops for a moment and gazes upon Jerusalem and then weeps over the city (Luke 19:41). This is one of only a couple to times that the Bible records Jesus weeping. How many times over Israel's history had God reached out to His people only to be rejected? How many prophets had God sent crying out to the Israelites to turn from their sin and surrender to the love of God? And now here was Jesus, the Messiah Himself, God's Son heading into God's beautiful city to be rejected, mocked, beaten and killed.

Perhaps this is akin to loving parents who have raised, instructed, provided for, loved, and guided their child. Then one day this child grows up and curses his own mom and dad with stinging words like 'I hate you' and 'I never want to see you again.' As Jesus spent His last days in Jerusalem he fought against cold, heartless religion. He found that the temple was no longer a house of prayer but a 'den of robbers'. He found religious leaders who were opposing Him at every turn because He threatened their power and the religious system, and they had determined to dispose of Him.

Much of Jesus' teaching in these last days of His life was rebuking these Jewish religious leaders and informing them that they were missing God's kingdom and others, who weren't born Jewish, were now realizing it. That is the challenge constantly for you and me. If we have grown up in church our whole life or known Jesus for a long time, we run the risk of losing a soft heart towards Him. May the depth and power of what Jesus did for us be fresh and new for us this Easter season and may we not miss out on the new things that God is doing today!

in Christ,
Brian

The Resurrection- Did it really happen?

"A small band of Jewish dissidents defied a superpower and a religious system that had been in place for a thousand years and, in the end, prevailed. At the center of this grassroots movement, originally referred to as The Way, was a Jewish carpenter whose messages centered on a "kingdom" that wasn't directly connected to this world. He spoke mostly in parables that few could understand. He insisted that those who followed him love the Romans and pay those onerous taxes. He alienated the influential and the powerful. He offended practically everybody. His family thought he had lost his mind. After only three years of public ministry, he was arrested, publically humiliated and executed.
Sounds like the perfect way to start a movement, doesn't it?

But it gets even stranger. After his execution, Jesus' dispirited and desperate followers claimed that he rose from the dead and that they had seen him! Touched him. Eaten with him. Then within weeks of this alleged resurrection, dozens and then hundreds of people within walking distance of where Jesus was buried believed this nonsense and began telling others. Before long, Jerusalem was filled to the brim with followers of the way. When resistance from Rome and the Jewish authorities broke out, several members of the original group were executed and the followers scattered.

Now if this uprising had been like the dozens or so similar messianic uprisings that occurred during this same slice of history, it would have passed as a mere footnote of history. But this one was different. Everywhere they went, followers of The Way insisted that God had done something unique in their generation; he had raised a man from the dead.

In a relatively short time, this Jewish knockoff religion replaced the entire pagan pantheon of gods as the primary belief system of the Roman Empire, the same empire responsible for crucifying its central figure. The same empire launched several vicious inquisitions with the intent of stamping it out completely.

Doesn't really add up, does it? Not without an actual resurrection anyway.

But the story of the church is not just unexplainable, it's undeniable. Today over one third of the world's population claims some kind of faith in Jesus. He taught for three years and twenty centuries later, he is worshipped on every continent on the planet."

A Surreal New Life.

We are currently up in Ft Worth today for an adoption training seminar with our agency where we are learning how to prepare for a child from Honduras assimilating into our family. On Wednesday night I was trying to enter into the mindset of a kid who is born in another country and for whatever reason is left alone without a family for the rest of his life. This kid spends the first years of their life in a state orphanage and they most likely assume this will be their 'family', and then one day they will be sent out on their own, alone to face the world.

Then one day someone at the orphanage shares with them that a family from another country, that looks different than them and talks different than them, has chosen them to become their adopted child. In a set date in the near future they will leave the orphanage and they will become a son or daughter of the Dunn family. They will arrive to find their new home, their new room, new clothes, a new brother and sister, new grandparents, a new church family (who has been praying for them and supporting them for years already), and a new school. They will be given every right and privilege and promise that belongs to a birth child.

How overwhelming this must be for this little one. I imagine that at first it would be hard to receive all of this because it just seems so surreal. They say that many orphans at first still long for the orphanage because it is all they've ever known and it's hard to process this new life that they have received. Yet eventually it will be key for this new adopted child of ours to walk in and receive their new identity as our child and everything that comes along with that.

The same goes for us. At one time we were slaves to sin and aliens to God's promises and cut off from God's inheritance and were spiritual orphans. But if you've had your heart opened to the gospel and said 'yes' to Jesus for salvation, then here's the new reality as it says in Galatians 4, '4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.'

Are you and I living like God's children today? First and most amazing is that God Himself belongs to us as He invites us to come to Him as our 'dear Father.' Do we believe that? This means that when we pray it is so much more than us speaking to the wall but we have a heavenly Father who truly hears us and also has things to share with us if we'll listen. Secondly, it says in this passage that everything He has belongs to us. That's good news for us. Our Dad is really wealthy....as in...He owns everything! All of the spiritual riches of His grace, mercy, joy, peace and life are fully given to us to walk in and enjoy today. He wants us to embrace our new rights and privileges as His children and let go of our old life. We can't understand why God would adopt us and lavish His grace upon us like this, but we honor and glorify Him when, by faith, we receive it and walk in it. Let's do that today!

Obligations vs. Activities

In case you couldn’t tell from all the commercials for TurboTax and H&R Block, it’s tax season. Gross. Much like bills in the mail, I would like to think that if I ignore them or don’t check my box….they’ll just go away. If I stay in denial about filing my taxes, they will go away ... right?

Not even close.

I know, you’re wondering where I’m going with this. Well, as adults we have certain obligations we must fulfill: doing the dishes, laundry, providing, and even taxes. As Christians we have obligations as well: love, spread the gospel, spend time with God.

I feel like “obligation” has a negative connotation so let’s replace this word with “activities”. You know, that really makes everything in those lists seem a lot more fun. Maybe the adult responsibilities still don’t sound awesome but they seem better and our responsibilities as Christians…they look like fun. Sometimes we just need to change our attitude, refresh our minds towards a subject and keep going.

It’s not always easy but it’s always worth it.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Hailey

He Is Risen!!!

Andy Stanley writes, "it wasn't the teachings of Jesus that sent his followers to the streets. It was his resurrection. "

Acts 4:33
And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

As Easter approaches it is the same for you and me. It is the hope of the Resurrection that transforms our lives.

My own faith grew this past week, as we affirmed the Resurrection of Jesus together. Particularly as we sang the last two verses of "In Christ Alone."

"There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand."

Our Hope is in the Risen Christ!!!
Be Bold.

Joe

Money, Money, Money.

Yesterday, as I was on a website called 'Crosswalk.com', I ran across an interesting article entitled, 'Do Your Money Habits Reflect Jesus or the Pharisees?' As Dave Ramsey teaches, money is amoral. In other words it is neither inherently good nor evil. It all depends on how we use it. Money has the power to be our god or through money we can powerfully worship our God. It says in Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

How do we know if we have the love of money in our heart? Perhaps one way to know is to honestly ask ourselves whether we are more excited about spending our money or giving our money. Honestly, there is an initial great feeling associated with buying something new, and, for me it doesn't matter what it is. I could buy a new screwdriver at Home Depot (even though I may have 30 already buried in my garage), and it is kind of a rush opening it up and taking it out of the package.

So, maybe it would be good, for you and me, to do a little assesment of our heart today on where we are with regards to money. What if we find that we are honestly more excited about spending money? The answer is to not just say, 'OK I'm just going to suck it up and grind it out and not spend any more money except absolute necessities.' That will last about 20 minutes.

We have to acknowledge that God has built us as creatures who have strong desires. We have to redirect our desire from spending to giving. We don't cure a love for money by simply stopping our spending, but rather, we start to cure it by getting more excited about giving. When we start giving of our time, our energy and our money to bless others and to support God's kingdom, our love for money begins to transform into a love for God, and we get more of a rush from hearing stories about how God is using our giving to change lives than anything we could ever buy at a store.

in Christ,

Brian

Jesus Is Enough.

“Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.”


― St. Patrick

Walking Train Wrecks.

I've gotten the privilege in the last couple of weeks to do pre-marital counseling with two different couples. One of the things we test the couples on and look at are their personality types. One of the things that hit me in doing this is that each one of us has been created by God with natural flaws in our personality. In one sense, God has designed us to train-wreck our lives without Him.

If you are more of a strong personality or 'Type-A' then, without God in your life, you will bull-doze your way over anything and anyone in your path resulting in a wake of broken and scarred relationships. If you are more of a push-over personality or a 'people-pleaser' then you will live a directionless life as you swerve this way and that to try and make everyone happy. Everyone of us has a tendency towards one or the other and, yet, neither one is fully what God intends for us.

2 Timothy 1:7 says '7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.' I love this verse because it speaks to the people-pleaser and to the 'Type-A' person. To the strong personality, the Holy Spirit gives love and self-control. To the people-pleaser, the Holy Spirit gives power and courage. So only when we walk in the Spirit do we have courage, power, love and self-control, all working together. What is your leaning? Let's press in and ask God to fill us freshly today so that we will not shrink back in fear but rather courageously, controlled by the Spirit, we will walk in the powerful love of Christ!

in Christ (the perfect personality),

Brian

Dem Bones Gonna Rise Again (Ezekiel 37)

Dem Bones Gonna Rise Again (Ezekiel 37)

So it's spring break and my wife only had two things on the honey do list for me yesterday. Spread mulch on the yard and clean the garage. So at 7:30 a.m. the truck from Living Earth backed up our driveway and dropped four yards of black mulch. I was told that every yard of mulch is equal to seven wheelbarrows full. As I looked at the pile, I thought, "That doesn't look too big!" So with a borrowed wheelbarrow, I started in. I worked steadily until 12, took a lunch break and then finished around 2:30. It was a beautiful day and the work was exhilarating. Then I started on the garage. After three hours, with a few breaks thrown in, it was in great shape. However, I wasn't. I was feeling tired to the bone. A good tired, but tired nonetheless.

I wondered aloud, "I might feel this in the morning." Oh. did I feel it this morning!!! It made me think about the resurrection. And that God will speak to these bones and they will put on the flesh of immortality. And that the resurrection body won't get sore.

Paul writes to the church in Corinth the following explanation of the resurrection body. From "The Message,"

"Some skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different." (1 Corinthians 15:35-38 MSG)

Looking forward to the "dramatically different" resurrection body.

"Bones" McKinney


Ezekiel 37:4-5
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life."

Christians that live the Gospel are People Magnets .

Jesus was a people magnet. I believe we can be too.
But only if we are living the gospel daily.

As Christians we receive the gospel, then often go right back and live "under the Law."
Sadly, sometimes the Church promotes just such an attitude.

Guess what?
When we live like that, we make lousy company.

It would be the same as someone on death row being pardoned and set free going back to his prison cell to live the rest of his life. Paul speaks about that kind of thinking as he wrote to the church in Galatia.

He said, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Tim Keller writes, "Christians need the gospel just as much as non-Christians." @DailyKeller

If we live life daily in the gospel then we can experience God's Spirit producing fruit our lives.

Life in the Spirit is one of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
Galatians 5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Romans 8:1,2
Life Through the Spirit
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

SO LET'S LIVE THE GOSPEL EVERYDAY, IT WILL MAKE US PEOPLE MAGNETS, DRAWING OTHERS TO JESUS.

Forgiven,
Joe

REALLY Trusting God.

Wouldn't the Christian life be easier if God would allow us to see a little farther down the road? What about that time when God asked Abraham to go and sacrifice his one and only son Isaac? It would have been a lot less stressful on Abraham if God would have plainly told him that He was actually going to end up providing a ram in his place. Yet, Abraham didn't get that vital piece of information. All Abraham got was, '"Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (Gen 22:2)

Really God? Why do you have us do those kinds of things? Perhaps God is wanting to teach us what it REALLY means to trust Him completely. In that situation, Abraham had to trust through his fears, emotions, and confusion. Have you ever gotten to that place where you're like, 'OK God, I've follwed You here and if You don't come through for me, I've got nothing else.'

Over the past two weeks I've visited with two different men from our church who clearly obeyed God by stepping out of a job they were in without another job guaranteed for them. Both of them conveyed that gut-checking moment of 'OK God, I did what you asked me to do and now what?' I can hear them saying, 'God, I have followed you right into unemployment and I have a family depending on me right now.'

For both of those men, God had prepared a new job for them that they could only walk into by first stepping out of the other one in faith. One of my favorite verses in Scripture is Proverbs 3:5, 6 that says, '5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.' May you and I learn to trust God in this way. May we be willing to take those crucial steps of trust into the realm where God is truly all we have.

in Christ,
Brian

"Ducking" Others Approval.

Rick Warren said, "If you live for the approval of others you'll die by their disapproval; remember 1 Corinthians 7:23 "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings."

I have found across the years that the men and women God whom has used greatly in ministry or mission seem to not be as concerned with what others think of them as the rest of us. I'm sure that they do care, but it doesn't seem to influence them greatly.

If you are confident that Jesus is pleased with you, how much can it matter if others are displeased with you? Our courage comes from our Heavenly Father, our "discouragement" often can rise and fall with our perception of what others think of us.

I was watching "Duck Dynasty" last night. Jase said, "A redneck would rather risk their very life than let someone 'disrespect them.'" So a redneck always accepts a dare, no matter how outrageous. While I might not own the moniker of Redneck, I am definitely too greatly influenced by others perception of me.

I think the freedom that Christ offers us is in great part contained in seeking His approval above all.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Joe

In Our Weakness, He Is Strong.

My daughter Emily participated in her second theatre production over this past weekend. I have learned that when you have a child in theatre, the whole family is in theatre. We ran the marathon of 3 dress rehearsals each night and then 7 shows from Thursday through Sunday evening.

One of the realities that everyone involved had to push through was fatigue. It seems like in life that the more tired and worn out we become, the easier it is for us to lose our Christ-like attitude and speech. One night during rehearsal week, as the actors were all getting ready, the director called everyone into the auditorium.

in front of probably over a hundred people he, the leader, gave a public confession and repented. He confesssed that he had allowed fatigue and stress to get the best of him and that he reacted in his flesh and spoke in a tone that was not pleasing to God. He asked the whole room to forgive him, and that he wanted to be held to a higher standard.

What amazed me was that in a moment of this man exposing his weakness in front of everyone, the respect we all held for him grew tremendously. What we all saw in him was a humble man after God's own heart. We saw an example of how to confess and repent in our own relationships when we make the same mistakes.

I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 5, "So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.'

Every time I've seen a person confess, ask for forgiveness, and/or apologize, I feel God's Spirit in that moment. Confession and repentance truly seem to open up the door for God to move. Are there any conversations we need to have today? Are there any apologies we should give to someone we've let down or spoken to harshly? If so, let's not delay. Let's go and make things right.

in Christ,
Brian

Ready for a Treasure Hunt?

This morning as we were doing our daily routine of getting everyone ready for school and out the door, my wife spotted the scene above, which is directly out my daughter's window. We all just looked in amazement. It was as if God took out His paint brushes and created a masterpiece for the early-waking world to see upon the canvas of the sky.

Whenever I witness a sunrise like this, I feel like I've discovered a buried treasure. I had to be in position this morning by my daughter's window at about 6:45 AM or I would have misssed it. God wants us to pursue Him like a treasure. How do we daily get in position to witness the treasures He has for us to discover?

Matt Papa Tweeted a couple of days ago the following: 'God made diligent, patient study the means to learn His will "so that the Truth may be more prized when it is discovered" in Clarkes commentary.

Proverbs 2 continues this thought as it says, '1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.'

I intentionally made all the verbs in this passage bold. These are all actions that define someone who is hunting something and excitedly looking for a treasure. When we begin to pursue God like this, we position ourselves to witness the treasures God has for us. When we read and study our own Bible and discover a powerful truth, it means so much more. When we pray and pray over something and God answers, it means so much more.

So, are you and I ready to go on a treasure hunt? There is no telling what kind of God-moments await us if we will seek, knock and ask today.

Happy treasure-hunting,

Brian