Do You KNOW Him?
Jeremiah Elders Runs His Race with and for Teen Challenge
He is a student at the Phoenix Men’s Center of Teen Challenge or Arizona. Jeremiah Elders was alienated from his friends and family, running the streets, addicted to drugs and alcohol and a pack or two a day smoker. Now a year later he is free of drugs and praising God for the ability to run in a half marathon!
I had the great privilege to cover his story as part of my part time job with Teen Challenge of Arizona. It’s amazing to see God work in the lives of men and women to get them back on track of His best!
Thanx to theBCast for playing Jeremiah’s story and sharing it on their blog!
Also DailyRushbo.com
Overcoming Mayhem Like Me with God’s Love
At the beginning of the year I blogged about Mayhem Like Me. The human condition we find ourselves in thanx to original sin and living in a fallen world. It’s true. We sin. Sometimes we out and out disobey God, aka transgress. But that is not the end of the story! We can be encouraged by the Love of God and as a result cause less mayhem in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. Before I elaborate, let’s watch another one of those clever Allstate commercials that crack me up so much:
As I pointed out at the first of the year, you are in Good Hands when you are in God’s Hands. That is the answer to Mayhem like me.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
This verse is often misapplied to mean that God won’t give you more in this life than you can handle. I believe what Paul is saying here is that when you are tempted, God provides a way out and the temptation is not so intense that you can’t escape it.
What is the best way to escape temptation? Apply a heavy dose of God’s Love. God has often spoken to me to, “never forget how much I love you.” For me (and I’m guessing for you too) when I start to think that God has forgotten me, and my patience in doing good is wearing thin, that’s when I get discouraged and start entertaining mayhem. Stuff that might be fun for a season, but ultimately can bring pain into my life and others around me.
How do you stay encouraged in God’s Love? Stay plugged into the vine. Spend time with Him and in His Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. As you listen to how much He loves you, and as you are reminded of all the wonderful things He has done for you, you can’t help but want to love Him back.
How do you love God back? Jesus explained more than once. It’s Love. Love God, Love People. When I teach Sunday School I tell the kids that if they forget everything else I tell them to remember one thing (which is two things). Love God. Love People. Jesus said in Matthew 22:35-40:
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, ” ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus also said to His disciples in John 14, “if you love Me you will keep my commandments.”
That is impossible to do perfectly. If we could keep God’s commandments by ourselves, we wouldn’t need Jesus to save us in the first place. Thankfully, God DID send Jesus to rescue us from mayhem.
So the practice of keeping mayhem out of our lives is a simple one, yet a daily struggle to walk out. First we have to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. Once we do that we receive God’s Spirit to dwell inside of us. God’s Spirit leads us into all truth which boils down to Love God, Love People. If we Love God we will keep His commands. If we love people we won’t steal from them, murder them, talk bad about them behind their backs and sleep with them outside of marriage. When we have moments of weakness and give in to temptation we can run to a loving God who will forgive us because He has already paid for our sins on the cross. As we apply God’s Love in our own hearts daily, we will be better able to resist when temptation comes knocking. I love the saying, “when the devil comes knocking, send Jesus to answer the door.” It’s with His strength that we fight the good fight.
Mayhem like me? Unfortunately yes at times. But thanx to God that He gives me the power to say no to mayhem and yes to His love! When someone else gives in to mayhem and it affects me, thanx to God’s love I can forgive and even help restore the damage done.
Mayhem may be with us until Jesus comes back, but if we will practice His love in our lives, and share it with others, there will be less mayhem and more of God’s Love. That’s how God’s Kingdom is come to Earth as it is in Heaven.
I Have a Dream
Originally posted at MikeShaw.tv
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. A dream that is clearly a Biblical principle. That men would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I think it’s appropriate to listen again to that amazing speech given in August of 1963.
There are some that complain that the Bible condones slavery. Dr. King, being a preacher of God’s Word, knew that that couldn’t be further from the truth. Unfortunately slave traders and slave owners of the 18th and 19th Centuries did what they could to cloud the issue and attempt to justify their sin. They pointed to passages in the Bible that seem to approve of slavery, but left out some very important facts.
The most important is that the slavery that was allowed in Biblical times was indentured servitude. Back then if you went into debt and couldn’t repay, you became a slave to pay off the debt. Once the debt was paid, or at Jubilee, a slave was to be set free and debt free. Many servants liked the way their masters took care of them and chose to stay as Bond Servants. (just as God’s people are called to be His Bond Servants)
Meanwhile, Man Stealing was explicitly forbidden in the Law and was punishable by death:
Exodus 21:16
16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.
Any slave trader who tried to justify kidnapping people to sell them into slavery by using the Bible was adding to their list of sins.
Indeed it was a Christian that fought to end the slave trade in England. They made a movie about the life of William Wilberforce, “Amazing Grace.” The famous hymn of the same name was written by a former slave trader who later became a member of the clergy. The song conveys the amazing grace of God who can rescue even a slave trader from his horrible sins thanx to the sacrifice made on the cross by God’s only Son Jesus!
If you want to know God’s heart when it comes to prejudice you can look at Moses and his sister Miriam. In Numbers Chapter 12 we learn that Miriam and Aaron were upset at Moses because he had married an Ethiopian. God got upset and gave Miriam a taste of Leprosy:
Number 12:9-11
9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned.
Moses cried out to God to heal his sister and God answered, but only after Miriam stayed outside of camp for seven days. God says that man judges the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.. One of many great points that Martin Luther King, Jr. made in his speech was that man should see his fellow man as God sees him.
I have a dream that echos the dreams of Dr. King. That this nation will turn to Biblical principles. That God’s Word and Spirit would guide our individual words and actions. That lawmakers and those appointed in authority would look to God for guidance as they lead. And yes, that God would continue to bless America and that He would use His people to be salt and light always.
First Amendment Dead in Dearborn? UPDATE: They were arrested.
A twitter friend tweeted this video and I was shocked to see what I saw. Christians detained for passing out the Gospel of John on a public street in Dearborn, Michigan. While they weren’t arrested the Christian group was directed to be at least 5 blocks outside of a Muslim festival in order to pass out the Gospel of John on a public sidewalk.
Unless the group who rented the festival area also rented the 5 block area around the festival, this is an apparent violation of the First Amendment, right? Watch the video and see what you think. I’m going to call the Dearborn Police Department and see if they have an explanation. (I did and it’s below the video)
Just got off the phone with the Dearborn Police. The lady I talked to in the Public Information office was very nice and was glad I called to get more information. She did decline when I asked if I could record the conversation for playback here, but this is what she told me.
Apparently the City has a right to establish a “Freedom of Speech” area, which they did for this event. A designated area where all groups were welcome to pass out material.
All groups were welcome to rent booths from organizers of the street fair. Four Christian groups did just that and another was allowed to have a booth by court order (not sure what happened there).
No one was prohibited from walking around the street fair and talking to whomever they pleased. However, passing out of materials was restricted.
The group in the video was not arrested. They were detained for awhile so that the rules could be explained to them. It’s not known if they knew the rules ahead of time.
200,000 people attended the street fair and apparently it was a very successful family friendly event.
The City of Dearborn hopes to have a comprehensive response at CityOfDearborn.org in a day or two.
In conclusion, I wonder if the Christian group that made the video was being provocative? Would a better strategy have been to rent a booth and reach others through smoked turkey legs (for example) (mmmm) and the Gospel of John?
There is probably even more to this story, but I think we all have to be careful not to jump to conclusions when we see a video like this. I’m glad I called the Dearborn Police to find out more. Sheds a little different light. If the rights of the Christian group were violated, they should call the Alliance Defense Fund. If not, I would recommend they get a booth next year and see what God can do with some corn dogs (mmmm) and the Gospel of John!
UPDATE: I guess they WERE arrested.
Stars Really Do Sing
A Star is Born!
Scientists are discovering what God knew all along. Stars are musical. You could even say they sing. Gives new meaning to being a star.
Let’s start in Job 38. God is basically asking Job who he is to question God’s judgment. Starting in verse 3:
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,
Read the whole thing. It’s very cool!
Did you notice verse 7?
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
The morning stars sing together? Really? Really!
I blogged about this a few years ago, but today I found an update. Scientists have now recorded some of the music that our Sun is “singing”
From the article:
Astronomers at the University of Sheffield have managed to record for the first time the eerie musical harmonies produced by the magnetic field in the outer atmosphere of the sun.
They found that huge magnetic loops that have been observed coiling away from the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere, known as coronal loops, vibrate like strings on a musical instrument.
I guess God knew what He was talking about.
When I was a kid in Sunday School and a lover of science, I still remember how my Sunday School teacher told me that the Bible talked about springs in the ocean. Springs that scientists were just discovering. Doctors know that laughter does do good like a medicine! Studies also show that prayer works.
You can trust God! And that is music to my ears.
He Didn’t Die in Vain
Take No Glory. A band of Musicianaries who give away their music and the gospel message contained therein. Since their music is free, people are free to make their own videos from the music. Like this one I found on YouTube with the song, “He Didn’t Die in Vain”
My Favorite Worship Song
Chris Norden Testimony
Chris Norden was on a hike with a local MeetUp Hiking Group. It was May 22, 2008, just about a year before this story was shot. It was a beautiful day and the group was having great fun climbing in the Catalina Mountains outside of Tucson. That’s when disaster struck. A gust of wind knocked Chris off balance and he fell 60 feet to his certain death! Chris called on the Lord, and well, we’ll let you hear the rest from Chris:
