On the way to Sunday . . . Some Table Manners

Where did you learn your table manners?

Most of us learned them growing up at the dinner table with family. I blame my habit of eating fast on my mother who taught me I could not be excused from the table until my plate was empty. Therefore ... gobble gobble ... "I'm done. May I be excused to go out and play?" became the norm.

But I also learned a lot of other good things:

Elbows off the table.

Take your hat off.

Chew with your mouth closed.

Don't reach - Ask.

You know the routine.

In the realm of learning manners, I was fascinated to discover a little book penned by George Washington (yes that George Washington - first president and all) when he was a young boy. The book was Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation. Washington wrote down 110 rules that were drawn from an English translation of a French book on maxims intended to polish one's manners. The rules provide practical advice in any century like:

Rule 51 Do not be hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any

You can read more excerpts from the book here.

Jesus had some ideas about what table manners should like. He actually encountered a group of men at a banquet that had written a rule book for manners (including many new rules), but they also tried to force the rules on others.

What if all that you had learned about proper social behavior was wrong?

What if there was a different way of behaving in public?

Would you be willing to adopt the new rules as your own?

See you Sunday.

You're Invited: a Drink Before Dinner

A drink before dinner is supposed to leave you wanting more . . . perhaps John had that in mind when he wrote the story of the “Woman at the Well” in Chapter 4. Scholars argue that John's Gospel is the place to start when you read the Bible for the first time. It has even been said that the entirety of the Gospel message is contained in this one story. Perhaps even Jesus had that in mind on this particular day – the desire to stimulate our appetite for more with a simple drink before dinner.

Jacob’s well is a site in Palestine about which there is no dispute. It was dug by the patriarch Jacob and is on the "parcel of ground" which he purchased from the sons of Hamor (Genesis Chapter 33). Experts tell us that the well is fed by underground springs, and its water is fresh and cool. Because the water is moving and not from a cistern, the people of Sychar (pronounced SIGH-car) called it "living water."

The village of Sychar where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman was located near Mount Gerizim, the site of the Samaritan temple - Samaria's holy place. Samaria was the northern kingdom of Israel. The Jews were descended from the returned exiles of the southern kingdom of Judah. Both the Samaritans and the Hebrews claimed lineage from the tribes of the Kings of Israel and Judah. The Samaritans built a shrine on Mount Gerizim and claimed that this was the proper place to worship Yahweh while the Hebrews claimed worship should take place in the temple in Jerusalem.

Both the Jews and the Samaritan argued over the place to worship as if that was the magic key to unlock eternity for them (sort of the first worship war). As a result, there was no love lost between these two groups. Jews normally avoided contact with their Samaritan neighbors by traveling longer routes (but that is another story).
In this story, Jesus had decided to go directly through the region of Samaria. Jesus must have been tired and thirsty when He sat down to rest beside Jacob's well. He sent his disciples ahead to buy food in the nearby city.

So what compelled Jesus to travel through Samaria?

Jesus meets us where we are. Jesus comes to you with a personal invitation. In all other stories, we see people coming to Jesus, but here in this moment we learn that Jesus will come to us – even if that places is in Samaria.

Why would a woman go to the well during the middle of the day? Woman went in groups for safety and to talk with their friends. This woman probably came at noon to avoid them. She hides her shame by coming to the well during the hot part of the day when nobody else would be around. Being a Samaritan woman, her status in town must have been one of the least respected. This woman at Jacob’s well isn’t even given a name in the Bible. Two times this woman is called the "Samaritan woman" or, in other translations, a "woman of Samaria" (John 4:7, 9). There is also the fact that she is not exactly well-to-do. Women of influence and affluence did not draw water from wells in those times. Then there is the inescapable hint of a disreputable life - She has had five husbands, and the man she is now with is not her husband (at a minimum, they are not married; at the worst, she is actually sleeping with some other woman’s husband).

An ordinary man could not know these things about her. She reasons from what He has told her that He could go on to tell her virtually everything she has ever done. Her sexual sins may be only the “tip of the iceberg,” but she is convinced He knows the whole iceberg. And she is right! But, she did not want to talk about her sin. For that matter does anyone?

She talked about the argument between the Jews and the Samaritans - She talked about the right place for worship. Jesus replied that a new time was coming and people would not worship at either place instead they would worship God in spirit and truth.

Jesus has a way of meeting us where we are and offering us what we need. It didn't matter to Jesus that she was a Samaritan, or that she was a woman, or that she was a sinner. When He looked at her, He saw her as a person created in the image of God. Jesus meets her where she is at and He even calls to her first. It is my firm belief that God meets us where we are in our life situation and where we are in our understanding and comprehension and just as she couldn’t hide her sins, we can’t either.

Jesus said it didn't matter where you worship as long as you worship the true God sincerely, in spirit and in truth. Then he came to the real point of the conversation. He told her something he had not told anyone else - He was the Messiah she was expecting. That changed her life completely. She was so excited that she left her water pot and went to the city to tell others about meeting Jesus by the well.

It is in that moment that the disciples return. The returning disciples are shocked to find Jesus talking to a woman not to mention a Samaritan woman. They didn’t dare to question the motives behind Jesus’ actions. They had learned that lesson already and would learn many times over in the time to come.

The woman says, “The Messiah could tell us this truth,” and Jesus replies, “I am in the Messiah.” It dawns on her; He is speaking a truth, He must be the Messiah, and she runs back to the village and tells everyone, “Come, there’s a man at the well who knew all about me, but he doesn’t even know me. Come, you need to come meet him, I think he must be the Messiah.”

This thoroughly powerless woman made such a powerful impression upon Jesus and her own neighbors that John included an interesting eyewitness detail about Jesus' itinerary: "He stayed two days" in Sychar. The woman embraced Jesus as the Messiah and her witness converted many other fellow Samaritans in town. Jesus loves us too much to leave us where we are and who we are so He waits patiently for us. Throughout the Bible it mentions thirsting after the Lord (Psalms 42:1; Isaiah 55:1; Jeremiah 2:13; Zechariah 13:1).

Our bodies hunger and thirst, but so do our spirits thirst for things greater than ourselves. Jesus offers each one of us the "living water" that is the life-giving action of His Spirit. God welcomes every person to drink deeply of what He alone can give us and in contrast to what all our culture offers — money, jobs, prestige, the proper zip code, the best university degree, or the latest diet — that can never satisfy. Jesus came to give this ‘living water’ that leaves us full!

Jesus is waiting by the well of your life.

He is ready to accept you as you are

He is ready to meet you right where you are

He is ready to accept you for who you are today for we are all sinners.

We all need Jesus in our lives. He is ready to offer eternal life to all who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Jesus may be willing to wait, but how long do you have to respond?

Is today the day?

Jesus, we come to you today like the woman at the well. WE are empty. Life has drained us of hope, of joy, of love. Life has left us empty and wanting. Lord, we declare that we believe you are the messiah the one we have been waiting for and we invite you to come and fill us – enter our lives – fill our spirit – that we might never thirst again. AMEN

Ash Wednesday: I Give Up!

Lent has become a season where we declare to everyone what we have given up for Lent. This was not intended to be an activity to boast about, but rather an inward sacrifice to aid in reflection and growth. A fast is not about giving up food; it is about gaining fellowship with God.

This Lenten Season, as you prepare to celebrate Easter, perhaps something needs to be given up so that something else can be gained. Perhaps giving up an hour of television or video games to pray or study the bible; perhaps giving up your daily trip to Starbucks in order to ... well you get the idea. Perhaps replacing that craving for chocolate with a craving for prayer or thoughts of God could work for you?

What will you sacrifice? To what will you choose to say, “I Give Up!” in order to gain a more disciplined life of faith?


This season I have challenged our church family to use these offering cans as a reminder of their sacrifice. Too often we lose sight that our sacrifice should provide us a gain. As we choose to sacrifice, we place our coins and dollars in these cans. The end result will be that children in Guatemala will be fed. Every quarter represents a meal that will end up in Guatemala to feed the children of Mission Guatemala.


Journey with us this Lenten Season. Find your thing or things and declare with me, “I Give Up!” Together let’s journey together this season and gain a deeper insight into Christ’s individual call on our lives.

On the way to Sunday . . . a Drink Before Dinner

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food for dinner. John 4:7-8

You can read the rest of the story about Jesus' drink at the well before dinner here.

The French call the before-dinner drink an apéritif. The Italians call it the aperitivo. In English, we call them aperitives. No matter the language, you are left holding a drink in your hand of some type.

The exact origin of a drink before dinner is unknown. Many trace the origins of the popular before dinner drink to the commercial production of vermouth in Italy as the drink was often served before dinner with finger foods such as nuts and olives.

Aperitives are supposed to stimulate your appetite. The root of the word is Latin which means "to open." These drinks are supposed to get your stomach ready for food.

Truth is the ritual makes the meal a more memorable and prolonged experience for those involved.

Jesus invites us to drink from the 'living water'.

Perhaps it is a means for Him to spend more time with us and prolong our relationship with Him.

When is the last time you took time to drink 'living water' with the Savior?

Remember Your Valentine

The story goes that during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II many wars were being waged. The desire for a strong army met with the resistance that many men were not wanting to be soldiers. Claudius thought this was because to many men had wives and children that kept them wanting to be at home. As a result Cladius outlawed marriage. Reasoning that with no marriages men will ignore women and want to be soldiers.

Valentine was a priest that believed in marriage and as a result performed marriages in secret. Valentine was discovered and imprisoned. Valentine refused to recant his faith and to stop performing marriages. As a result he was sentenced to death. He was killed on the 14th of February in 269. It is reported that while he waited his execution he sent letters to friends and family signed Remember your Valentinee.

Who knows what is truth and what is legend?

It is good to think that someone believed so much in something that they were willing to risk death for what they believed was right.

Never forget that God loved you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for you.

God loved you that much!

Happy Valentine's Day!









Clip art © by Dixie Allan, 
http://webclipart.about.com

A Heartfelt Wish

What if I found Aladdin’s magic lamp? What if I won the lottery? If you could have anything, what would you want? What would you wish for? What would be your heart’s one true wish? (and with respect to beauty pageants contestants – world peace cannot be your answer!) The top wishes most requested: Money, Wisdom, Fame.

Now some may think this is a silly exercise, after all, it is all fantasy and it could never happen. Or could it? The Bible tells the story of a man whom God granted a wish. And the story just might help us discover that one of our own heartfelt wishes can come true:

You can read the story here: I Kings 3:1-14

Solomon was granted one wish from God. Solomon desired the ability to distinguish - good from evil, right from wrong, truth from falsehood. He also wanted to be able to hear his people, to know their needs, their concerns, and their desires. Solomon desired divine help in carrying out the responsibilities of the kingship. Solomon asked for a discerning heart. In Hebrew it actually means Solomon asked for a “Hearing” heart.

While this was a wish granted by God to Solomon, it is something that you can have today. You can have that same “hearing” heart that Solomon had, but it will NOT come by Wishing. We must learn to develop it.

So what is a hearing heart? A “Hearing heart” is a heart that has ears to hear.

Jesus declared in Matthew 11:15, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

A hearing heart also allows one to hear and then obey what they hear. We must learn to develop our hearing hearts and that can happen by:

1) Being sensitive to those that around you
2) Opening yourself up to being involved with other people’s lives
3) Learning to do more listening than talking
4) Allowing God to be the center of your life

We were created with a “hearing” heart, but we have forgotten how to use it.

“The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won't follow a stranger's voice but will scatter because they aren't used to the sound of it." John 10:3-5

There are times where we find it hard to hear God. Hebrews 3:7-8 states, “as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’”

When we listen for God we need to (as my mother would say) remove the “wax”. Our hardened hearts often get in the way and we need to remove the things that keep us from hearing God like hate, anger, resentment, etc.

To hear God speak we must be prepared to listen for God’s voice. Solomon received the gift of his wish after a concentrated time of worship. I would encourage you to do the same. As you seek to hear God, make worship a priority in your life. Sunday morning worship is a starting place, but you can also find ways to worship throughout the week.

If you’ve tried this and still are hearing silence, you might fine tune your radio. Just as right now there are radio signals traveling through your room – it is only when I tune in to the right frequency that I hear the message. Worship seems to be able to fine tune our heart for proper reception.

Learn to listen for God . . .

Creation Speaks - Psalm 19:1-2
the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. God’s

The Bible Speaks - 2 Peter 1:20-21 above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Speaks - John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

One of the most repeated questions Jesus asked during His life on earth was “What do you want from me?” It is a question we are still faced with today, “What do you want from Him?”

Perhaps you are still waiting for the answer to to your heart's wish . . .

Perhaps God has already answered . . .

Perhaps, the real question for you today: “Are you listening with your heart?”

On the way to Sunday

If we are honest with ourselves, we all play the game from time to time: What if? What if I won the lottery? What if I found Aladdin’s magic lamp? What if you were given one wish? If you could have anything, what would you want? What would you wish for? What would be your heart’s one true wish? (and with respect to beauty pageants contestants – world peace cannot be your answer!)

The three most common wishes: Fame, Health, Money.

Strangely enough, winning millions in the lottery can be the worst thing that ever happened to you:

6 Jan 2004 After getting banned from Billy Sundays Bar and Grill in St Albans, West Virginia, lottery winner Jack Whittaker reportedly threatens to have the manager and his family killed.

20 Jan 2004 Lottery winner Jack Whittaker reports that shortly after dawn, somebody broke into his SUV in Scott Depot, West Virginia and stole a bag containing $100,000 cash.

25 Jan 2004 Lottery winner Jack Whittaker is arrested for drunk driving in Nitro, West Virginia. Police allege the millionaire blew a .190 blood alcohol on the breathalyzer.

Apr 2004 A judge rules that broke Virginia lottery millionaire Suzanne Mullins owes $154,146.50 to the People's Lottery Foundation, a Florida lending institution specializing in loans to lottery winners.

26 Jun 2004 At his Longmont, Colorado home, state lottery millionaire Kevin Lee Sutton allegedly shoots Cristobal Lopez in the head with a .22 caliber pistol. Lopez survives and Sutton is later charged with attempted murder.

20 Jul 2004 In Minneapolis, MN, lottery millionaire Victoria A. Zell reportedly crashes her SUV into a truck on the way home from a bar, killing passenger Joshua Schmidt and paralyzing Amity Dimock from the waist down.

7 Aug 2004 Incarcerated serial rapist Iorworth Hoare wins $12.9 million in the British lottery.

13 Aug 2004 The nonprofit group Equine Protection of North America files suit against New Hampshire lottery millionaire Mary Ellen Sanderson for failure to deliver on an alleged $70,000 annual donation pledge.

24 Aug 2004 An Arizona bird refuge, The Oasis Sanctuary, files suit against New Hampshire lottery millionaires Mary Ellen Sanderson and former husband Jason Sanderson for failure to deliver on an alleged $100,000 annual donation pledge.

Sep 2004 Minnesota lottery millionaire Victoria A. Zell is arrested for having allegedly violated the terms of her bail and possessing 0.7 grams of methamphetamine. Zell had also reportedly wired $500,000 to a Canadian bank.

10 Oct 2004 Seattle police officers shoot California lottery millionaire Rick Camat to death in a parking lot near Qwest Field. Officers claim that Camat refused to drop his pistol, but Camat's brother claims the cops gave no instructions to do so.

2 Oct 2005 Having spent his $10 million prize in just seven years, Winnipeg lottery winner Gerald Muswagon hangs himself. Notable events in his monied spree include a high-speed chase in 2000 and a sexual assault arrest in 2002.

28 Oct 2005 Million dollar jackpot winner Christina Goodenow is arrested after Oregon police discover that she had purchased the winning ticket with a credit card stolen from her dead mother-in-law. Police searching her home discover her stash of methamphetamine, but find no trace of her first $33,500 installment.

15 Jan 2006 Bankrupt ex-lottery millionaire William "Bud" Post III dies of respiratory failure in Seneca, Pennsylvania. Post had won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery on February 24, 1988. From a 1993 interview: "Everybody dreams of winning money, but nobody realizes the nightmares that come out of the woodwork, or the problems."

We spend so much of our life wishing for what we don't have and as a result we miss out on all that we already have been given.

What are you wishing for?

Different can be Good: That is Weird!

For me growing up, when the calendar turned to February, it meant it was time to plan for Spring Break. This annual ritual of planning for my family began in 1979, as we planned our first trip to Florida. My parents have not missed a Spring Break in Florida since then. My family and my sister’s families have joined my parents in Florida over the years. The last time we went to Florida was when our oldest, Phillip, was a senior in High School. That was 13 years ago.

You know, from a time perspective having children is the worst thing you can do ... prior to children we say things like we did that just a couple of years ago ... with children we say we did that just a couple of years ago ... no wait that was when Riley was 3 ... oh my, we did that 13 years ago ... children mark time for us.

Time flies by us and before we know it – it is gone. And that’s normal. The older we get the better we really understand what James wrote:

What is your life? You are a mist that appears for only a short while before it vanishes. James 4:14b CEB

One of the startling moments in each of our lives is that moment when we realize that life is fleeting. I believe until that moment of realization we are simply trying to find our way, drifting as the current of life pulls to and fro.

That is most often the story of our lives ... How did we get here? For so many of us, where we are in life is not where we planned to be. And that’s normal. I call it drifting.

Part of our problem as Christians is that drifting also happens in our faith – And we have accepted it as normal. Drifting has occurred in our churches and we aren’t even aware or worse – we are aware and don’t care.

Over the last 50 years, American Christian Churches have moved from standing out and being different from the surrounding culture to blending in and becoming part of present-day culture. And we have accepted it as normal. A recent Pew Forum Survey revealed some surprising statistics.

** Absolutely Certain Belief in God: Mainline Protestants - 73 percent.
** Many religions can lead to eternal life: Mainline Protestants - 83 percent.
** Belief in Heaven: Mainline Protestants - 77 percent.
** Belief in Hell: Mainline Protestants - 56 percent.
** The Bible is the Word of God: Mainline Protestants - 61 percent.

Something either is seriously wrong with our churches – as in, “What in the world are they teaching their members?” or, the questions were so confusing to the respondents that they erred in their responses. Simply based on the numbers these beliefs are normal.

Many theologians have speculated that we are we experiencing the Laodicean church era? In the Book of Revelation there are seven letters to seven different churches. Some of theorized that these represent seven ‘ages’ that the universal church will through leading up to the last days. The last of the seven letters is to the church of Laodicea. In this letter, Jesus admonishes the church because they are "neither Hot (spiritually alive) nor Cold" (total rejection of Jesus Christ), but were merely "Lukewarm." The "lukewarm" majority did not openly reject the Gospel, but they were not different because of their faith either.

We have taken lukewarm to be normal in our faith. As a result we go through the motions of looking and acting like like we know God without truly having been changed. Now only is it normal, but we have reached the point where it is expected.

We don’t intend to be where we are in our walk of faith. We have just drifted. We make promises at confirmation, baptism, church membership with good intentions, but here we are stagnant in our faith – Lukewarm – because it is normal.

How did we get here?

One way we got here was by buying into the world’s advice

Common advice –

Act like you know what you are doing.
Give the appearance of success.
Never let ‘em know what you don’t know.

Normal and perhaps good advice in the business world. As a result we come to church and we learn the language – “I’m so blessed. Praise God. I’ll pray for you. See you at church” - without understanding the real meaning or having the actions or faith that match with our words. We act like we belong, but let’s be honest.

For some of us faith is something we put on when it is time for church. Faith is at best a part time commitment - if that. In the life of faith, it’s easy to pretend you have faith – the Greeks had a word for it – hypocrite.

None of us wants to be a hypocrite – merely playing the part. It’s just easy – because it is normal.

I don’t think that where we are is where we want to be or where we intend to be ... we have simply drifted. We drifted when things in our lives were good. We got comfortable. [Money, Family, friends, etc.] We didn’t need God.

Conversely we also drifted when life didn’t go the way we wanted it. So we blamed God. We became unhappy with our circumstances and it was normal for us to drift away from God.

We have even blamed God for the things that other Christians do – using the excuse, “well, so and so, who’s a Christian did this to me, so I’m never going to church again!” I have to tell you, getting angry at God for the things that humans do is a great way to drift away from God.

Another way our faith drifts is when we hang around the wrong people, but you know that. Bad company corrupts good character (I Corinthians 15:33).

The problem is that hanging out with Christians can be really annoying. They do weird things like encourage you, pray for you, bless you, and hold you accountable for your actions. Maybe we spend time with the wrong people because they make us feel better about ourselves without making us better people or holding us accountable for the things we do. The thing is as you spend time with the wrong people you begin to drift – little by little away from the things you once believed.

We also drift in our faith because of our insatiable need for things. We have built our entire culture around the concept of being immediately gratified. The world makes is so easy to love everything – and not only to love the things, but to create our own identity from things –

You are what you drive
Clothes make the man.
Diamonds’ are a girl’s best friend.
Happiness is building your dream house.

All in the name of self-expression – Normal!

And it is normal to think “Hey this is just how God made me. It’s the way I am. I can’t change. I just like having what I want when I want it. IT’s normal. I am just like everybody else”

In I John 2:15-16 (NIV) the Bible is clear:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

So how do we combat drift?

The answer is simple. We change.

Change your habits. Make time to study God’s word, Make time for regular worship, Take time to Pray, and take to get involved in the life of the church – in other words live your faith!

Trust me doing those things will not be normal – it will be weird.

When we know Christ – everything should change. Our lives shouldn’t be normal – shouldn’t be like everyone else. Normal is wishing we had more faith – wanting to do more – wanting something other than what we have. We aren’t called to be normal. We are called to be followers of Christ.

If you have just enough Christ to satisfy you, but not to change you . . . then something is wrong.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. Ephesians 4:20-24 The Message

Normal isn’t working. We cannot settle for normal anymore.

We need to change. You need change - change that comes from God.

We need a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God reproduces his character in you.

Let me repeat, If you have just enough Christ to satisfy you, but not to change you ... then something is wrong.

As we come to know Christ, we are to become like Him.

The more you become like Christ the more different you will become.

And that . . . that is weird.

Who you rooting for?

The big game this weekend is not a football game, but rather a basketball game. Everyone I know (both IU and Purdue fans alike) seems to want to know what I think about the game. I have an opinion. I have a prediction . . . I'm a Boilermaker - enough said?

There's an awful lot of sport talk going on right now and it got me to thinking . . .

Several years ago, My wife and I were going out to eat. I was wearing my Purdue jacket as is my habit during basketball season. It also happened to be the week that IU and Purdue were playing each other in basketball. As we entered the restaurant anxious for a quiet dinner together, two gentleman seated in the bar voiced a disparaging remark regarding my attire. The remarks continued and I really had heard enough when I said, “If you can prove you have earned the right to express your opinions, I will happily listen to all that you have to say.”

They quickly responded, “What do you mean?”

I went to explain that I was a graduate of Purdue and a dues paying member of the John Purdue Club. They responded with silence and we sat down for a quiet dinner. At that point, the bartender came out from behind the bar and showed me a copy of his IU diploma that he carried in his wallet. We both laughed and engaged in a fun tit for tat conversation about both universities.

I never heard another peep from the two guys at the bar.

What’s in your wallet? Has new meaning for me.

We truly live in an egocentric world. Everyone has an opinion. Talk Radio, the Internet, you name it, whatever you want to say and what ever you want to believe you will find someone willing to agree with you. The world is waiting to hear from you because what you have to say it oh so important (note the emphasis on sarcasm!).

Even as Christians we follow the latest trends and fall prey to the latest gimmicks. If we were to listen to the world, we would discover that all religions contain truth. Therefore, Christianity is only partially right. As Christians, we should be more tolerant of others. And while we have been more tolerant, the number of people identified as followers of Christ continues to drop.

The prophet Jeremiah had a similar problem during his lifetime. A lot of people were bragging about a lot of things and believed they had the answers to everything. Idolatry (divided allegiance) was a real problem in the nation of Israel. Jeremiah brought a message about what they were bragging about. You can read a bit about what Jeremiah has to say here: Jeremiah 10:1-16.

Jeremiah offers of contrast of those “idols” that others bragged about and the One True God. The idols were man made, shaped by man, dressed by man, controlled by man, moved by man, and capable of doing nothing on their own. In contrast, God was the creator and able to anything. The idols were mere scarecrows in the fields that God had created. In their lives, they spent so much time bragging (worshiping) that which man had created.

So what do you brag about?

When was the last time you bragged about what God was doing in your life? In your family? In your church? The next time you find yourself engrossed in a conversation about the things (the idols) that fill with you with pride, stop for a moment and reflect on the One that created it all.

We will be held accountable for our actions. We have ownership of what we brag/talk about it. If you call yourself a follower of Christ, you must strive to live that commitment. Divided allegiance (hypocrisy) will not be tolerated by God.

If anyone spent time with you this week, conversing with you, listening to your stories, would they know you are a Christ-follower?

What will you be bragging about come Monday morning?

On the way to Sunday

Trading Faces

Sermonspice.com

See Details Buy Now

Unfortunately this video depicts the all too normal activity played out in churches all over our country.

The common business practice – "fake it until you make it or Act like you know what you are doing until you do" - has also been accepted as normal in our lives of faith.

Craig Groeschel in his book Weird writes:

If you have just enough Christ to satisfy you, but not to change you . . . then something is wrong.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! Revelation 3:15 NIV

Have we reached a point where we have filled our churches with people that go through the motions of looking like they know God. They don't openly reject Christ, but they don't live lives of faith either.

A recent comprehensive Pew Forum Survey demonstrated some surprising statistics:

** Absolutely Certain Belief in God: Mainline Protestants - 73 percent.
** Many religions can lead to eternal life: Mainline Protestants - 83 percent.
** Belief in Heaven: Mainline Protestants - 77 percent.
** Belief in Hell: Mainline Protestants - 56 percent.
** The Bible is the Word of God: Mainline Protestants - 61 percent.

How did we get here?

Certainly this is not what we set out to teach people.

How have we drifted this far?

What can we do to get back to living lives that are changed?