Something We Can All Agree On!

Weary of theological debate? We usually don't mind debating with people - that gives us the opportunity to pretend like we are sure we are right. But I get weary of the debate that is constantly taking place in my mind. That's why I found the following truth so refreshing. Maybe you will too.

I Timothy 1:15
This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I was the worst of them all.

Mess Up and blame God - Genesis 27:20

Genesis 27:20 Isaac asked, "How were you able to find it so quickly, my son?""Because the LORD your God put it in my path!" Jacob replied.

This would be funny if it wasn't so common. We do something really stupid and then put the blame on God. God didn't put it in his path. He went and got it out of the pen. Oh, God had put some good things in Jacbob's path. God was going to bless Jacob. He was going to carry on the family line of Abraham and Isaac and be the father of a great nation - and wealthy to boot! But in this case it wasn't God's doing that puts Jacob in the center of this deceitful plan. It was the impatience and lack of faith of Jacob. The ultimate result was the same - he was still the father of a great nation and wealthy to boot - but with a lot more heart ache and broken relationships. He broke his father's heart, never saw his mother again and spent a good number of his youthful days running from his brother. If only we'd trust God instead of always feeling the need to take matter into our own hands how different our lives would be.

What if? Genesis 11:31 - 12:3

Genesis 11: 31Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But they stopped instead at the village of Haran and settled there. 32Terah lived for 205 years[1] and died while still at Haran.

Genesis 12The Call of Abram 1Then the LORD told Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. 3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

Not many people on the street would be familiar with the name Terah. His famous son is another story. Everybody is familiar with the famous, 'Father Abraham'. You know, "Father Abraham has many sons". But what if? What if Terah had left Ur and gone all the way to Canaan instead of stopping in Haran. Would God have caused him to be the father of a great nation? Did God make the same promise to Terah he made to Abraham...go the land I'll show you and I'll make you a great nation'? These are what if's that will never know. But one thing we can do is eliminate the 'what ifs' from our own lives. When we sense God telling us to do something...to be a friend to a lonely person, to encourage a discouraged classmate, to run for student government or start a prayer group during lunch. Let's go for it. How better to say, 'wow that was a mistake' than to say, 'what if?'

Josh @ Buc's Game 

Drew Cowboys Up! 

Enter the Arena - Together

'Whatever comes through those gates we can handle if we stick close together' - Gladiator

The arena is a dangerous place. I like being alone...in safe places. But if I'm in a dangerous place the last thing I want to do is be alone. One way I can evaluate my life to see whether or not I'm in the arena is to see how much time I am spending alone separated from others. If I am spending most of my time by myself - and am happy with that...I'm probably not in the arena.

Jump into the arena. Do everything God has created you to do. Take chances. Be bold. But don't do it alone. The adventure of the being in the arena is a blast when your doing side by side with some comrades.

Enter the Arena

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly…who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat.”

---Teddy Roosevelt

The first time I heart these words was November 2002 standing in Arlington National Cemetery just outside of Washington D. C. The occasion was the funeral of my brother who has been serving as in the Navy Seals and was killed in action in Yemen. My brother was definitely I guy who insisted on being in the arena. After several years of intense military service in South America he eventually settled into a different life. He married, had kids and pursued training to become physician’s assistant at the Naval Hospital. A pretty ‘safe’ lifestyle for someone so used to being in the arena. He couldn’t handle it. Knowing that his brothers, those he gone to boot camp and battle with, were in the middle of the arena, while he was safely working in a sanitized hospital was too much to take. He made the decision to reenter the arena. He requested and received permission from his superiors to rejoin the battle. His new arena became Yemen where he was killed in October of 2002. Sad yes, but not nearly as sad as a life sitting on the sidelines watching others fight the battle.

God, give us distaste for sitting around in the crowd while there is an arena waiting for us to jump in and be involved in the battle. Make our boredom with observation so intense that we have no choice but to become full participants in the arena that God has placed us in.

I John 1:1-3

For seven weeks at ROC on Sunday nights we've talked about one thing: LEADERSHIP! After several weeks of this conversation it occurred to me - nobody really cares about this topic. We spent seven weeks on the how to of influencing people before it even dawned on me that most of us didn't want to influence people. Why is that? Why have we lost zeal to make an impact on the world we've been placed in? Why have we fallen in love with a live and let live lifestyle when Jesus has clearly told us that our mission is to be salt and light - INFLUENCERS! - On earth.

As I read I John 1:1-3 some answers flew out at me.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete."

John says here - hey we get our boldness in telling people about Christ because we have experienced Him for ourselves. His presence in our lives in not a theory or an intellectual exercise it is an experience. We have touched Him. We have walked beside Him and talked with Him. We know Him personally.

Is our relationship with Jesus like that? Sometimes it can slip back into theory. We can give a great verbal explanation of what it means to follow Christ but somehow we have lost the personal experience of walking with Jesus daily. John and the other disciples were so motivated by the personal nature of their relationship with Christ they were willing to tell people about it despite tremendous hardships and even death put on them by the Roman government. If we will return to the experiential nature of our relationship with God and reject Christianity as merely an established set of propositions to be believed I believe our excitement for sharing Him with others will be rekindled.

The Sapps 

In Case You Wonder What the Rest of the World Thinks of Us

Why Americans Hate Democrats�A Dialogue - The unteachable ignorance of the red states. By Jane�Smiley

If you have any wild hair notion that 'moral issues' being the driving force for the most recent election will cause a moral tidal wave in the United States than read this and realize what liberals really believe. They do not believe they lost the election because their ideas are wrong having been proven throughout the world to be flawed in their ability to create a better society. They continue to cling to the idea that they lost this election because of the ignorance of voters who cling to manipulate leaders who keep them dumb and happy. Once again evidence that they way to transform society is not through political might or persuasion but influencing one heart at a time toward Christ so that He can do the work which only He can do - giving brand new hearts.