We all hurt

Famed surgeon, Dr. Paul Brand once said, ”In the human body, when an area loses sensory contact with the rest of the body, even when its nourishment system remains intact, that part begins to wither and atrophy. In the vast majority of cases—95 of 100 insensitive [unfeeling] hands I have examined—severe injury or deformation results. The body poorly protects what it does not feel. And in the spiritual Body, also, loss of feeling inevitably leads to atrophy and inner deterioration. So much of the sorrow in the world is due to the selfishness of one living organism that simply does not care when another suffers.”

When a part of the body is neglected… it withers.   That neglect leads to deterioration… collapse… and an utter breakdown in an important part of God’s creation.  

If we’re not careful, we too can become insensitive.  Unfeeling.  Incapable of putting ourselves into the shoes of another.   When we stop feeling the pain of others, our hearts begin to wither.  And that neglect leads to unflinching apathy… and an all out indifference to the plight of those less fortunate.

We can’t forget that Jesus Christ cares about and loves everyone.

Those in your home and those people you don’t think about.  The ones on the streets and the ones in your office.  All matter.  Everyone.  The free man and the prisoner both count under God.

It’s up to us to remember that… and to make sure that no part of the body of Christ falls under neglect.   Why do we conduct services in the prison?  Why do we reach out to those who have made mistakes and are now paying the price behind bars?   Because they matter.  Because their hearts beat and their lungs take in air.  Because in God’s eyes, their sin and our sin is no different.  Because they are a part of the body.

And we won’t let them wither away… 

Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

When one part of the body hurts… we all hurt.  When one is forgotten, it affects us all.  Are you ready to join us as we reach out to those in danger of being neglected?  Will you stand with us as we minister to those in need?  If you are interested in serving on our prison ministry team, let me know in the comments below and we’ll connect you.

Others First

There’s an old Chinese proverb that says: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.  If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.  If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.  If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

If you’ve ever come to the aid of someone in need you know the truth in that statement.  There’s something about being there for a person that gives us a sense of fulfillment… a feeling of greater purpose.  This shouldn’t be surprising if you are a Christ-follower.  Scripture tells us in Acts 20:35 that “It is more blessed to give than to receive”  In Proverbs 11:25 we read “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”  Loving others…serving them… is something that God Himself has instructed us to do.  And when we stay obedient in this, the Bible tells us time and time again that we will be blessed. Want more blessing in your life?  Make the decision to reach out.  The world may try to convince you to look out only for yourself… but the example that Christ left us was quite the opposite.  Serving others is part of our calling…our purpose here on Earth… and there’s nothing that makes us resemble Jesus more than when we are putting others first.  

Did You Hear?

According to Prevention magazine, our ears continue to grow throughout the course of our lifetime. When we are very young, they are proportional to our body size. After age 10, the growth slows down but continues steadily until we die. So using this logic, we should have better hearing as we get older… larger ears means better sound processing right? Not really. In fact, as we age, our hearing ability actually decreases.

Sad but true.

But there is one aspect of our hearing that should improve as we get older… hearing from God. Why? Because if we’re doing it right when we’re young… we should be getting to know Him more and more! Spending time in His word… hearing messages in His church… writing about Him in our journals… telling others about Him when the opportunity comes… We should be growing closer to Him… and His voice should be getting louder as the shadows grow longer. 2 Corinthians 4 tells us that although we are physically failing over time… we are actually being “renewed day by day” by God. Want to know what God sounds like? Spend time with Him. Pray. Ask Him to tell you and teach you what you need to know. And as the years pass… your ability to hear physically may fade… but your capacity to hear from the One that matters will sharpen.

He Already Knows

Do you remember playing hide and go seek?  I do.  My brothers and I would play it when we were little… and I was pretty good.  I remember being hidden and hearing their voices as they’d get closer… the butterflies in my stomach as I got nervous they’d find me… the sound of their feet getting louder against the wood floor… all part of the game.  Sometimes they’d discover me, but many times they wouldn’t.  I was good at hiding from them and enjoyed knowing that I could fool them at will.

Many feel that way about God.  Over time, they become quite good at hiding from Him.  Or, if not physically, they hide things about themselves from Him.  I guess they figure that if they don’t say it out loud.. He doesn’t know.  Maybe if they avoid accountability, God never finds them or discovers what they’ve done.   The Bible sets it straight in Psalm 139.  In it, David says that no matter where he goes… God is there.  He is all-knowing… all-powerful… and everywhere at one time.  It may be tempting to hide… but there are far greater results when we step out into the light and reveal what God already knows.  When we talk to Him and tell Him what’s inside us… He can begin the healing process in our hearts.  Find yourself in the shadows today?  Spend some time talking with the One who already knows what put you there and wants to guide you back into the sunlight.  

Liberty

“...proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” Leviticus 25:10 (as inscribed on the Liberty Bell)

Today Americans celebrate independence. Freedom. 

In the late 1700s, colonists sought release from British control. After bravely battling against incredibly skewed odds... they won that liberty... taking charge and creating a government that allowed choice and protection.

A young nation... experiencing freedom.

Over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ sought to release the people He created and loves from the eternal punishment for sin. After bravely enduring incomprehensible suffering due to incredibly skewed charges... He won the ultimate victory... stepping boldly from a grave and completing a new covenant with His creation.

A sinful world... experiencing real freedom.

Liberty came long before 1776. It didn’t involve redcoats or revolutionaries... brigades or battlefields. It didn’t come from a pen dipped in ink or proclamations made against a King named George. It was established centuries before the shot heard round the world rang out... or George Washington issued his first command.

It started with a baby... and ended with a betrayal.

It started with water to wine and ended with wine and bread.

It started with three wise men and ended with three crosses on a hillside.

Freedom began when the veil tore. When the ground shook. When the King of Kings hung His beautiful head and declared “It is finished.” When death lost its perfect record for keeping people under. When the stone rolled back... When the tomb stood empty... When the Savior rose again with your name on His mind and heart.

Eternal freedom happened because you matter to God.

Jesus came to earth with a revolutionary way of thinking, a sinless battle plan against the power of death, and marching orders that make it possible for you to spend eternity with Him in victory.

Statesman Patrick Henry declared in 1775, “Give me liberty or give me death.”

Jesus’ life declared... I’ll suffer death so you can have liberty.

No matter how trapped, held down, beat up, or oppressed you feel... never forget Jesus’ declaration of your independence...

“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” John 8:36

If you are a Christ-follower, you ARE set free. Believe it and live it out! Let’s take today to celebrate our country... our Creator... and His courageous sacrifice on our behalf.

Love and blessings to you and your family on this Independence Day.

Nothing

Mary Fasano’s parents pulled her out of eighth grade so she could work in a cotton mill in Rhode Island.  Fifty-five years later, she made a major decision.  She decided that she was going to go back to school to complete her education.  At 71, she completed her coursework and received her high school diploma… but she wasn’t done yet!  She signed up for Harvard University’s extension program and took one class at a time.  Week after week, she drove the twenty miles to the school… and did so for seventeen years!  In June of 2003, Mary Fasano graduated from Harvard at the age of 89.

Many called her crazy.

Many would have told her that her dream was impossible.

But what they forgot…?  Something is impossible ONLY until it is accomplished.

Mary lived her life by this truth from Matthew 19:26 “For nothing is impossible with God”

Today you may be facing something that nobody else believes in but you.   It’s a mountain that’s never been climbed… and achievement the world’s never seen… a way of doing something that’s never been done.  Be bold.  Read that verse above over and over until it weaves its way into the fabric of your heart.  You have been created for greatness… and your greatest competition is the status quo.  The odds of success mean nothing when you have God on your side.  He sets the odds.  He gets you through.  And He will equip you with everything you need to push onward.  Seize the day.  Take your dreams back from the critics because someday you will be dancing in victory while the doubters stand silent.  

Making It Right

At the start of the 2012 football season, the league was forced to put replacement referees on the field as a result of a contract dispute with the real crew.  The fill-ins worked throughout the first part of the season… and made many mistakes.  Maybe no bigger than the ending of the Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks game.  In it, the Seattle quarterback threw a desperation pass toward the end zone in the closing seconds of the game.  A Green Bay defensive player intercepted the ball, but the stand-in ref called it a touchdown for Seattle…costing the Packers the game.   When interviewed afterward, the confused referee said that he would not have changed the call even though every replay showed he was clearly in error.

Many of us are just like that referee.  

Sometimes we don’t want to admit when we’ve made a mistake.  Even when it’s obvious.  The crowd points and we turn a blind eye.  The replay shows it… and we turn off the tv.  We blow it… drop it… miscall it… and mess it up.  But why is it so hard to admit our mistakes and make them right?  It’s simple.  Pride.  James 4:6 tells us that “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”   Find yourself in a situation where you’ve missed the mark?  Made a mistake?  Humble yourself.  First admit to God how you’ve blown it… then make it right with those you’ve hurt.  God will bless your obedience and you will begin to heal immediately.  Admitting there’s an issue is one thing… making it right, while not always easy, is the always the correct call.