"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
I try to stay away from politics. Not that I believe Christians should not vote, I do, but because it can frustrate me to no end. Take this past week. I went to a local town council meeting. Now many may be wondering if I slipped a cog....what a way to spend an evening.
There may be some truth in that.
See I heard this week that the town council was going to discuss the local homeless shelter. Seeing as I work and interact with the homeless everyday, my wife and I thought we would go down and see what was up.
Who knew town council meetings could be so contentious.
From the opening statement I sat in shocked frustration as each member of the council berated, attacked, belittled and smeared the local homeless shelter. In the end it boiled down to the fact that, as it was stated clearly more than once, "We don't want THOSE people on Main Street!"
Those people are people who are homeless and/or intoxicated. Every crime in our town was pinned on THOSE people. Everything was the fault of THOSE people. The shelter was attacked for helping THOSE people.
I finally spoke up about how "those" people were human beings and worth something. My wife said basically the same thing. Our cries, as well as those of a few others, seemed to fall on deaf ears.
"but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God."
(James 3:8-9)
When I was a teen, my family was homeless for a time. It is not a good feeling. We hurt as fellow Christians blamed us and said we must have sinned against God to be suffering like this. My Dad's business folding was God's punishment. Sadly as new believers we were somewhat confused.
Words hurt.
These council members spewed forth indignant venom, belittling the vary essence of the homeless people in our town.
"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."(1 John 3:17-18)
We were created in the image of God. We are called to love.....not just the wealthy business man, but the lowliest beggar on the street. Yes people make bad choices, yes some choose to drink, but not every homeless person is there due to drugs and alcohol and even if they were Jesus loved them enough to die for them as well. How can we treat them any less than human?
"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)
It may be uncomfortable, it may even scare us a bit, but Jesus loves the downtrodden. Shouldn't we? A kind word, a pat on the back, a nod, a hearty hello, they can all go along way to giving someone basic dignity. They can also open the door for you to reach out with the Love of God in word AND deed!
So the next time you pass a homeless man or woman on the street I want to challenge you to look beyond the physical. Look with the eyes of God to a hurting world and LOVE!
7/12/09
7/10/09
Can we not love?
"Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses' Teachings?" Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' All of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40)
It's about relationship with Him and with each other.
So why do we mess it up so bad?
Why do say we love Him yet ignore someone from another denomination? How can we say we love Him yet insist if someone doesn't practice communion or baptism the same way we do they must not be part of the body? How can we say we love Him yet walk by the homeless man on the street with nary a glance? Or ignore our kids? Our spouse?
Jesus wasn't kidding here. He said we are to love. L-O-V-E. Yet ask most non-believers what they think of when they here the word Christian and love is the last thing they will say. You'll hear judgmental, hypocrite, protests, intolerant, etc. Hardly will you here the word love.
Sad.
Why is that? How come God can so love the world that He gave His Son yet we can't seem to love enough to share a coffee with someone from another church?
How come Jesus can love us enough to die for us yet we can't cross the street to help a neighbour in need?
Oh not everyone does that. Quite a few people I know love and love completely. Yet even in my own life I find it hard to love when I have just been cursed at by an inebriated man. I find it hard to love someone who insists on keeping the letter of the law while ignoring the heart.
Our neighbours are not just those in the world, it's those in the church too. We should love both the downtrodden and our fellow saints! Of course that might mean we need.....humility.
Our we judging others based on our own interpretations of Scripture? Our we ignoring the hurting around us, in our church, beside us on the pew?
What would Jesus say?
It's about relationship with Him and with each other.
So why do we mess it up so bad?
Why do say we love Him yet ignore someone from another denomination? How can we say we love Him yet insist if someone doesn't practice communion or baptism the same way we do they must not be part of the body? How can we say we love Him yet walk by the homeless man on the street with nary a glance? Or ignore our kids? Our spouse?
Jesus wasn't kidding here. He said we are to love. L-O-V-E. Yet ask most non-believers what they think of when they here the word Christian and love is the last thing they will say. You'll hear judgmental, hypocrite, protests, intolerant, etc. Hardly will you here the word love.
Sad.
Why is that? How come God can so love the world that He gave His Son yet we can't seem to love enough to share a coffee with someone from another church?
How come Jesus can love us enough to die for us yet we can't cross the street to help a neighbour in need?
Oh not everyone does that. Quite a few people I know love and love completely. Yet even in my own life I find it hard to love when I have just been cursed at by an inebriated man. I find it hard to love someone who insists on keeping the letter of the law while ignoring the heart.
Our neighbours are not just those in the world, it's those in the church too. We should love both the downtrodden and our fellow saints! Of course that might mean we need.....humility.
Our we judging others based on our own interpretations of Scripture? Our we ignoring the hurting around us, in our church, beside us on the pew?
What would Jesus say?
7/8/09
How's Your Health?
Did you know that malaria kills nearly 1 million children a year?
Did you know malaria, HIV/Aids and TB are major public health challenges that undermine development in the poorest nations of the world?
Did you know that 95 percent of measles deaths occur in countries with less than $1,000 per capita gross national income?
Did you know that though children under the age of 5 account for less than 10% of the world's population, they suffer from 40% of the diseases attributed to environmental factors?
That is why Sarah and I like the ministry of Compassion International. They are a wonderful charity that seeks to help children in poverty in over 25 countries.
So how is your health? We are blessed in N. America to live with access to some stellar health facilities. Many around the world do not.
Sarah and I have been sponsoring a now 16 year old young lady for the last 7 years. It's such a joy to receive updates from "our child" every couple of months, to see pictures, get progress reports and to know our money is going to a good cause.
Yes I mention Compassion quite a bit. It's a ministry we believe in! Compassion has a 4 star rating (out of 4) from charity navigator, is a member of the ECFA and met the standards of charity set out by the Better Business Bureau.
For only $32 US ($35 CDN) a month you can help reach a child in places most of us will never go. Each child is provided Biblical lessons, food, clothing and medical aid on a regular basis. In addition the letters you receive from your child are an additional bonus as you get the chance to hear firsthand how their being helped by your sponsorship.
I encourage you to click on the link today or see the sidebar for more info. If you sponsor a child please let me know!
Sources: www.who.int, www.unicef.org
Did you know malaria, HIV/Aids and TB are major public health challenges that undermine development in the poorest nations of the world?
Did you know that 95 percent of measles deaths occur in countries with less than $1,000 per capita gross national income?
Did you know that though children under the age of 5 account for less than 10% of the world's population, they suffer from 40% of the diseases attributed to environmental factors?
That is why Sarah and I like the ministry of Compassion International. They are a wonderful charity that seeks to help children in poverty in over 25 countries.
So how is your health? We are blessed in N. America to live with access to some stellar health facilities. Many around the world do not.
Sarah and I have been sponsoring a now 16 year old young lady for the last 7 years. It's such a joy to receive updates from "our child" every couple of months, to see pictures, get progress reports and to know our money is going to a good cause.
Yes I mention Compassion quite a bit. It's a ministry we believe in! Compassion has a 4 star rating (out of 4) from charity navigator, is a member of the ECFA and met the standards of charity set out by the Better Business Bureau.
For only $32 US ($35 CDN) a month you can help reach a child in places most of us will never go. Each child is provided Biblical lessons, food, clothing and medical aid on a regular basis. In addition the letters you receive from your child are an additional bonus as you get the chance to hear firsthand how their being helped by your sponsorship.
I encourage you to click on the link today or see the sidebar for more info. If you sponsor a child please let me know!
Sources: www.who.int, www.unicef.org
7/6/09
Spankings - Are they really any good?
I looked up the word discipline in the dictionary and I saw 3 things that stood out:
1 - Punishment
2 - Instruction
3 - Training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.
Sadly instruction was considered an obsolete definition. The 3rd one is what I think of when I think of discipline. To disciple, to mold. This to me is what a parent does. They mold and shape a child. This should be done in love. There should be a heaping dose of mercy and grace. There should also be some punishments when behavior reaches the point of extreme.
However the world now equates discipline with definition #1 - Punishment. Spanking is looked at as corporal punishment. Spanking is also looked at as abuse.
I was reading the newspaper this week and saw that Canada is considering outlawing spankings...or making the conditions such that no one will ever be able to do it without fear of government crackdown.
I posed a question to a group I interact with online (both Christians and non-Christians) this past week and the consensus was fairly evenly divided. The question was simple: Spankings....good thing or bad thing? I am not talking about the unbridled abuse of children. I am talking about what my Dad use to do. My Dad would send us to our room to think about things....this was, I found out as an adult, so he could calm down and never strike us in anger. Then he would proceed up the steps and administer 1-3 swats on the butt....never bare. This was an infrequent event and only when we crossed the line in treatment of our mother or acted in such a way that we endangered ourselves or others. I never got one I didn't deserve and didn't get ones I did deserve!
Some I asked said spanking is always abusive. There are other ways to discipline was another statement I heard often.
So I went to the Bible. What does the Bible say? I found some Scriptures in the KJV and then looked those same Scriptures up in the God's Word translation...an easier to understand English translation. Interestingly this is what I found:
"Whoever refuses to spank his son hates him, but whoever loves his son disciplines him from early on." (Proverbs 13:24)
"Foolishness is firmly attached to a child's heart. Spanking will remove it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15)
"Do not hesitate to discipline a child. If you spank him, he will not die. Spank him yourself, and you will save his soul from hell." (Proverbs 23:13-14)
"A spanking and a warning produce wisdom, but an undisciplined child disgraces his mother."
(Proverbs 29:15)
Pretty strong stuff! Just looking at the last verse alone, I have seen many undisciplined children kicking, cursing and screaming at their mothers in grocery stores and Wal-Marts while a frantic mother tries to soothingly appease and quiet the child, embarrassed by their actions. Usually they buy the kid what they asked for to shut them up. Sad....very sad.
Discipline can be done and should be done in love. It should involve nurturing, care, love and punishment. It should be fair and focused. The goal should be to "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
When done correctly it is an act of love. When done wrongly it can be abusive.
So spankings...are they good? I believe so.
My name is Rick Apperson, I was spanked as a child and I endorse this message!
1 - Punishment
2 - Instruction
3 - Training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.
Sadly instruction was considered an obsolete definition. The 3rd one is what I think of when I think of discipline. To disciple, to mold. This to me is what a parent does. They mold and shape a child. This should be done in love. There should be a heaping dose of mercy and grace. There should also be some punishments when behavior reaches the point of extreme.
However the world now equates discipline with definition #1 - Punishment. Spanking is looked at as corporal punishment. Spanking is also looked at as abuse.
I was reading the newspaper this week and saw that Canada is considering outlawing spankings...or making the conditions such that no one will ever be able to do it without fear of government crackdown.
I posed a question to a group I interact with online (both Christians and non-Christians) this past week and the consensus was fairly evenly divided. The question was simple: Spankings....good thing or bad thing? I am not talking about the unbridled abuse of children. I am talking about what my Dad use to do. My Dad would send us to our room to think about things....this was, I found out as an adult, so he could calm down and never strike us in anger. Then he would proceed up the steps and administer 1-3 swats on the butt....never bare. This was an infrequent event and only when we crossed the line in treatment of our mother or acted in such a way that we endangered ourselves or others. I never got one I didn't deserve and didn't get ones I did deserve!
Some I asked said spanking is always abusive. There are other ways to discipline was another statement I heard often.
So I went to the Bible. What does the Bible say? I found some Scriptures in the KJV and then looked those same Scriptures up in the God's Word translation...an easier to understand English translation. Interestingly this is what I found:
"Whoever refuses to spank his son hates him, but whoever loves his son disciplines him from early on." (Proverbs 13:24)
"Foolishness is firmly attached to a child's heart. Spanking will remove it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15)
"Do not hesitate to discipline a child. If you spank him, he will not die. Spank him yourself, and you will save his soul from hell." (Proverbs 23:13-14)
"A spanking and a warning produce wisdom, but an undisciplined child disgraces his mother."
(Proverbs 29:15)
Pretty strong stuff! Just looking at the last verse alone, I have seen many undisciplined children kicking, cursing and screaming at their mothers in grocery stores and Wal-Marts while a frantic mother tries to soothingly appease and quiet the child, embarrassed by their actions. Usually they buy the kid what they asked for to shut them up. Sad....very sad.
Discipline can be done and should be done in love. It should involve nurturing, care, love and punishment. It should be fair and focused. The goal should be to "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
When done correctly it is an act of love. When done wrongly it can be abusive.
So spankings...are they good? I believe so.
My name is Rick Apperson, I was spanked as a child and I endorse this message!
7/4/09
Celebrate Freedom
This 4th of July people in the US will be gathering in an annual tradition. The current tradition seems to involve fireworks, BBQ and beer. However the day is one that means something. It marks the day in 1776 when America truly became a nation. When freedom from "tyranny" was declared.Freedom is a word some take for granted. it is something many in the world still don't have. Some are in physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual bondage. Some were kept in bondage as a people, a race, for centuries. Some are caught in the chains of poverty, pain and misery.
There is a different kind of freedom though. A freedom talked about in the Psalms:
"In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free." (Psalm 118:5)
"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." (Psalm 119:32)
"I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts." (Psalm 119:45)
Jesus came so we can have true freedom:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
He is the truth:
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
He is freedom:
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Cor. 3:17)
"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." (Gal. 5:1)
The Son has set us free. Even in the midst of our trials we can have freedom! If you have not embraced His gift of freedom than today is the day. If you have, than this 4th of July celebrate your true freedom.
7/2/09
5 Questions with Kary Oberbrunner
Welcome to 5 Questions With.....Today's guest is Kary Oberbrunner. With a M.Div. in Counseling and his D.Min. in Transformational Leadership, Kary is a self-proclaimed "Recovering Pharisee" and founder of Redeem the Day Ministries. The author of The Fine Line, Called and The Journey toward Relevance, he serves as the Pastor of Discipleship and Leadership Development at Grace Church in Powell, Ohio.
And now without further delay, on to the questions:
Hi Kary,
Question 1: What one word would describe your current relationship with God?
Fresh.
Question 2: I found your book, "The Fine Line", to be very impacting. In it you talk about being a Transformist rather than a Separatist or Conformist. Can you describe those terms in a nutshell?
The first camp - the Separatists - are anti-everybody, anti-everything, and they retreat from culture. Their excessive rules are an attempt to escape the world. Those who lean toward the Separatist camp are guilty of certain characteristics. Three of the most common are that they allow:
rules to replace relationships
microscopes to replace mirrors
performance to replace passion.
The second camp - the Conformists - are hypocrites, biblically shallow and consumers of culture. Their excessive desire for trendiness results in merely mimicking culture. Those who lean toward the Conformist camp are guilty of certain characteristics. Three of the most common are that they follow:
media to replace meditation
liberty to replace love
tolerance to replace truth.
Thankfully there is an alternative.
Enter stage right the Transformists, a new breed of Christ followers who are in the world but not of it and more clearly mirror New Testament Christianity. The backstory of Transformists is quite convincing. For starters, they don't need to say anything goes, for that would mean they're Conformists. They neither add to God's Word nor do they ignore it. Instead, they obey it.
They're not perfect, but they're seekers. They long to have a pure relationship with the Creator of the Universe. They desire to know the "why" behind the "what" and the purpose behind the principle. Of course there will be mistakes along the way, but this is what sets them apart. They have a little more grace and patience with each other, because they know what they've been saved from.
Above all else, they passionately love God and people. They don't fear culture because they're called to shape it. They don't fear Christianity because they're called to embody it. They are the Relevant. They are the Transformists.
Question 3: How hard do you find it to walk The Fine Line" yourself?
As a pastor who works in a church with other Christians I have to intentionally schedule times and spaces to interact with unbelievers. You can't be a Transformist if you are not in the world.
Question 4: The Transformist lifestyle is not an easy one. Do you find the body of Christ receptive to this message?
Most are excited but unsure. Once they read the book and start applying the principles and follow THE Transformist (Jesus) they shoot me emails about how exciting it is. They wish they would have started earlier.
Question 5: What is your prayer for the body of Christ as a whole?
Instead of our camps (Separatists and Conformists) attacking each other and making the one Jesus approved method of evangelism obsolete (our love for one another), I wish we would admit our junk and invite the Holy Spirit to make us Transformists.
Thanks so much Kary.
There you have it. I would again encourage you to Kary's book. You won't be disappointed.
I would also encourage you to check out Kary's website, the Recovering Pharisee
Other 5 Questions with....
Martin Smith
Tom Morrisey
Dino Rizzo
Clay Crosse
Erin Bethea
Brock and Bodie Thoene
Anne Jackson
Bruxy Cavey
Matthew Paul Turner
7/1/09
Don't go to church! - Just A Thought #35
I have to admit I have struggled with church. When I became a new born Christian I wanted to be in church all the time. I wanted to be there, EARLY, for every service. I wanted to participate in every activity. However the "newness" wore off after a season. I originally started going to church because I was trying to learn all I could about God. However after a bit I started looking around and wasn't really liking what I saw.
I think the word I am looking for is, oh yeah, hypocrisy. That would be the one. I noticed that some people did not live out what they said they believed. Later I saw even more stuff that frustrated and turned me off. Anger, bitterness, gossip...it was all there on display. Of course I became part of the problem as I let these same attributes come out in my own life.
We were burned quite a few times and the hurt came out as bitterness and gossip. I am saddened by this today.
I then took the opposite tack and started looking into the house church movement. I wanted to find an unchurchy church.
Of course I was looking in the wrong place. I was looking at the people and at the building, not at God. I wanted to find the "perfect" church... a place to worship and hang my hat. Yet as soon as I got there the church was no longer perfect. (I was the problem!) I was trying to "do" church.
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The locale is not the problem. The focus is. I was not going to encourage others and to stir one another to love. I was going to be "fed" and to watch a show.
I want to encourage you: Don't just go to church, be the church. Don't just embrace the establishment, practicing religion, live your faith!
Our faith should be evident to all. Not some flashy ostentatious showmanship but something real, vibrant, alive! There is nothing wrong with attending a service in a traditional structure, or in a home or in a car for that matter. The problem is not the building...it's us. We need to get over ourselves and quit putting people on pedestals. We need to live our faith!
When someone sits across from you and tells you they are dying are you going to tell them to go to church or are you going to get down and dirty and talk to them about their faith? When someone needs a helping hand will you toss some money their way or get into the trenches and help them dig their way out? We need to be the "hands and feet" of Christ to a dying world. It's not up to the ministers...we are all ministers. (1 Peter 2:9) It's up to each of us to throw off our spiritual lethargy and to LOVE!
I think the word I am looking for is, oh yeah, hypocrisy. That would be the one. I noticed that some people did not live out what they said they believed. Later I saw even more stuff that frustrated and turned me off. Anger, bitterness, gossip...it was all there on display. Of course I became part of the problem as I let these same attributes come out in my own life.
We were burned quite a few times and the hurt came out as bitterness and gossip. I am saddened by this today.
I then took the opposite tack and started looking into the house church movement. I wanted to find an unchurchy church.
Of course I was looking in the wrong place. I was looking at the people and at the building, not at God. I wanted to find the "perfect" church... a place to worship and hang my hat. Yet as soon as I got there the church was no longer perfect. (I was the problem!) I was trying to "do" church.
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The locale is not the problem. The focus is. I was not going to encourage others and to stir one another to love. I was going to be "fed" and to watch a show.
I want to encourage you: Don't just go to church, be the church. Don't just embrace the establishment, practicing religion, live your faith!
Our faith should be evident to all. Not some flashy ostentatious showmanship but something real, vibrant, alive! There is nothing wrong with attending a service in a traditional structure, or in a home or in a car for that matter. The problem is not the building...it's us. We need to get over ourselves and quit putting people on pedestals. We need to live our faith!
When someone sits across from you and tells you they are dying are you going to tell them to go to church or are you going to get down and dirty and talk to them about their faith? When someone needs a helping hand will you toss some money their way or get into the trenches and help them dig their way out? We need to be the "hands and feet" of Christ to a dying world. It's not up to the ministers...we are all ministers. (1 Peter 2:9) It's up to each of us to throw off our spiritual lethargy and to LOVE!
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