Mixed Signals - Why Don't We Question Anymore?

Update 10/12/11 -- I just found this article from The Christian Post regarding the popularity of Vampires, Werewolves & other such stuff.  Worth reading and considering.

This was originally a sermon from a few years ago.  I've updated a few stats and a couple other things.

Mixed Signals

I am going to make a few proposals to change some of the famous public service ad campaigns you’ve seen in the last decades and I want to ask how many of you think these sound like good ideas? What kind of message do you think they send?

Noting a shift in the youth mindset and America’s value systems, many of the old government, public service announcements have been retooled. Gone are the outdated “Just Say No”, “Don’t Drink & Drive”, “Don’t Play with Matches” campaigns. Maybe you’ve seen some of the new ones.

">Smokey the Bear<"—longtime spokesman for the National Park Service has come out with a new commercial series concerning playing with fire—“Only You can prevent forest fires, but if you really want to start a fire or play with matches—be sure and only start small fires at home.”

On a similar note—the Illinois Department of Transportation is coming out with a new ad campaign, getting rid of the “Designated Driver” idea, instead, they could offer special training classes for the frequent drinker. The new slogan is—“Protect the Streets—Drink and Drive successfully by Practicing Often.”  Or better yet, parents, take away the need for driving by providing the beer and alcohol for your underage kids.

“Just Say NO” and other warnings against gateway drugs like alcohol and marijuana have been replaced. Local elementary, middle and high schools can offer after school training and free samples to students so they can find out which drugs they prefer and how to take them correctly. After all, they’re going to do it anyway. “Just say ‘Once’”.

What kind of message do these ads send? Mixed Signals. Mixed Signals in this sense are things that are confusing to our kids. We parents say one thing, then at some point, contradict ourselves and the kids cannot be sure which one they should follow, which one they should believe?

Is it wise for us to say 364 days of the year that something is bad, something is to be avoided, something is dangerous, and 1 day of the year, give them permission to participate in what we’ve been saying is bad all the other days.

This is a month in which many believers will send mixed signals to their kids, their neighbors and friends. Some of it won’t be by design or decision, but by the decision of others. Some may be because you may not have noticed or given it a second thought in some time.

Let me ask you, how many of you, your friends, or your kids have seen more about death, about witchcraft, about evil and murderous and demonic forces lately?

If you haven’t yet, drive by the front of Wal-Mart, watch TV this month, ask the video store what type of videos are most rented this month.


I am concerned how we adults and parents tend to tolerate, even send mixed messages about death, the occult, witchcraft or the demonic during the month of October as we get ready for Halloween.

These messages are inconsistent with our faith the remaining part of the year and typically, we would steer our kids away from such things. But this month adults and parents seem to be leading the mixed signals. We don’t even question our participation anymore.

Here’s some stats from the last couple of years.

This year, the average person plans to spend $66.54 on the holiday, up from $64.82 one year ago. Total Halloween spending for 2008 is estimated to reach $5.77 billion.*

This year, consumers will spend an average of $24.17 on Halloween costumes (including costumes for adults, children, and pets). People will also be buying candy ($20.39 on average), decorations ($18.25) and greeting cards ($3.73).

National Retail Federation

2010 Popular Costumes

Kids:                                                     Adults:
1. Princess                                            Witch
2. Spider-Man                                      Vampire
3. Witch                                                Pirate
4. Pirate                                               Nurse
5. Disney Princess                                Wench/Tart/Vixen
6. Action/Super Hero                           Cat
7. Ghost                                              Zombie
8. Pumpkin/Vampire (tie)                     Fairy
9. Batman                                           Athlete/Batman (tie)
10. Star Wars Character                     Dracula

It’s hard to say how these mixed signals are contributing to the spiritual climate in our country. But let me share this with you.

According to Information collected from 1990 to 2001, The fastest growing religion (in terms of percentage) is Wicca -- a Neopagan religion that is sometimes referred to as Witchcraft. Their numbers of adherents are doubling about every 30 months.

14.1% do not follow any organized religion. This is an unusually rapid increase -- almost a doubling -- from only 8% in 1990.

These beliefs, once largely ignored or dismissed in America are increasing in our population and becoming more and more accepted; real to the point that now the military is required to have wiccan chaplains and burial rites.  I'm not saying we have Wicca in America because of Halloween, but many factors contribute to the growing interest and acceptance of it and Halloween is a contributing influence.

When the Israelites began entering the Promised Land, they were given several warnings regarding the religious practices of the surrounding peoples and how they were not to be like them. For them such beliefs were a reality, a competing belief system that was a lure to be unfaithful to God.

Deuteronomy 18:10-14--10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells [notice good/bad, white/black isn’t mentioned], or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.

Isaiah 8:19-20—“When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

I believe God knew what He was talking about when he called His people to stay away from those things because they are dangerous to us spiritually.

The other nations practiced these things so they could gain control over or knowledge of the future, they would worship the created thing, rather than the Creator—ultimately these beliefs and practices keep people from an authentic faith in God based on worship in spirit and truth—so these are deceptions intended to prevent us from truly knowing God—so they function as lies and are demonic in their origin.

While many of us dismiss the occult or demonic, I and others can speak from experience—see my testimonies here

I hope you believe the Bible when it talks about the dangers of the demonic and the occult.

I hope you believe that Jesus had very real confrontations with the demonic, as did Peter, Paul, the other Apostles and the church—and you don’t write those accounts off as psychological conditions or some other medical phenomenon.

I hope you are not telling your kids that the occult is wrong, it’s dangerous, and totally opposed to God while at the same time saying, “we’re going to let you dabble with it for a little while, just once a year.

We tell ourselves… “It’s Harmless Fun” – maybe it is most of the time, but are you sure? Are you sure that putting your kid in those circumstances cannot affect them?

We’re going to buy dark, occultic decorations for our house, we’re going to encourage playing with witchcraft by putting the black pot in the lawn, we’re going to trivialize death and the demonic with cute cartoon figures and costumes that desensitize you to the real thing.”

That’s like saying:

Playing with matches is bad and dangerous, but let me show you the right way to strike them, let me give you a few things to burn.

You shouldn’t drink kids, but let me buy you a six pack for your birthday and let you drink it at home.

Hey Kids, there is a real spiritual evil out there trying to corrupt your soul and keep you from God, you must Resist the devil—but let me buy you a 10 horned demon mask, a witch or serial killer costume.

That is not a consistent message. It gives parental permission for something we normally wouldn’t want them playing with.

John tells us that he wrote the book of 1 John to warn us “about those who are trying to lead you astray”—1 John 2:26. John warns us in 4:1 to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God”.

It is my conviction that many Bible believing Christians have stopped “testing the spirits” when it comes to how we participate in Halloween.

I’m not saying that that a real Christian will not participate in Halloween.  I'm not questioning your salvation.

I’m afraid that we no longer question it or even care whether what we do, or whether how we celebrate is “from God” or not, that we no longer consider the spiritual impact of HOW we participate.

We have already accepted the idea and we’re no longer asking—is this wrong—we have made that decision—we not looking to Scripture to give us guidance.

When challenged, many believers react defensively even with anger regarding Halloween. It’s a very emotional reaction.

I believe people react that way because on some level, people are uncomfortable with Halloween but they talk themselves or justify themselves into doing it anyway—for the sake of the children or some other reason.

To me, that is extremely dangerous for the People of God.

We can reason and justify anything. And I find it inconsistent to “do it for the children” when they are the ones most at risk and dependent on adults to make the Spiritually discerning decision.

The demonic packaged up as “harmless fun” is still demonic and in reality that makes it more dangerous and deceptive.

2 Corinthians 11:14 warns us that, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”. In other words—he puts on a costume trying to convince everyone he is a cute, harmless, misunderstood guy. He wears a costume to hide who he really is and hopes that you’ll invite him in for a visit.

1. Playing with the Occult is Dangerous—Saul in 1 Samuel 28:4- was so afraid of the Philistines, that after trying to ask God what to do about it and getting nothing—more likely b/c his heart wasn’t faithful and his attempts were more insulting to God than inspiring.

He then sought out a “medium” (the title of a recent TV series, BTW) to consult the dead prophet Samuel. He wore a costume to do it— vs. 8 lets us know that he wore a disguise to meet with this woman. And while most biblical scholars disagree on exactly what happened when the spirit of Samuel appeared, was it really him, was it a delusion or a demonic deception, they all agree that something happened. Saul had to take her word for it because he apparently could not see the vision for himself—vs. 14.

Saul is playing with fire—he is doing something God commanded not to do, something he knows is wrong & tried to get rid of at one point by expelling the mediums earlier in his career.

He is dabbling, thinking he is exempt, thinking that it won’t hurt him, thinking that it’s not really a big deal, but he’s about to find out it is a big deal that there are consequences.

2. Playing with the Occult has Consequences—
1 Chron. 10:13-14—“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

a. Even non-Christians are beginning to recognize Halloween related consequences for children.

b. A study conducted of six- and seven-year-olds by Penn State psychologist Cindy Dell Clark found that most parents underestimate just how terrifying the holiday can be for young kids.

c. “Halloween is a holiday when adults assist children in behaviors taboo and out of bounds," Clark writes in the anthropological journal Ethos. "It is striking that on Halloween, death-related themes are intended as entertainment for the very children whom adults routinely protect."

3. Dabbling In The Occult is not Compatible with Biblical Faith

a. Acts 19:13-16—The demonic is real and dangerous. You and I must not dismiss it because there is a very real spiritual battle going on; a real demonic power. While most of what we see in America today, like the astrology, the wicca, the psychic hotlines, is fake—it is not always fake. And the Believer should know better than to try and live in both worlds.

b. Acts 19:17-20—Believers Got rid of their old way of life. Some of them had practiced sorcery in their previous way of life—but Jesus changed all of that. They may not have felt convicted to get rid of it in their lives, but they eventually saw the need, no matter how valuable the items were. Sorcery, witchcraft, the occult, idolizing death are not compatible in the lives of those who love God.


Whether you celebrate or participate in Halloween activities is a decision between you and God.

I’m not questioning your salvation if you have a pumpkin at your house or if you give out candy.

What I do want you to do is question how or why you participate—don’t decide as a parent today, based on the pleasant memories you had as a child.

Examine everything by your faith.

1. Test the Spirits to see whether they are from God.
a. Test the things your kids are exposed to—
Halloween is now more than just one day—many kids are looking forward to it all month just like they do Christmas—it’s hard to walk into Wal-Mart with all the decorations all over the stores.

Books, TV shows & movies, cute cartoonish characters try to convince your kids that witchcraft, magic, monsters and death is all harmless fun—

Through stories they try to teach that we should and that God sees a difference between a bad witch and a good witch, between black magic and white magic—and there is none.

b. Test the costumes they want to wear—

kids, let your faith guide your decision.
Adults, make the decision whether something is appropriate for your kids—offer alternatives because it’s not too late.

c. Test the decorations of your house—

kids open your eyes to what you see at home and ask what message it sends to your friends of your faith.
Parents, re-examine your plans—make your home a place of light and hope that does not glorify dabbling in darkness.

d. Test the decorations of houses as you walk around—don’t go to those houses that glorify the occult

e. Remember that Kids can’t always distinguish between the Real and Unreal.
They don’t think like adults logically, emotionally—as the study I mentioned found—the scary, death, occult themes affect them more than we realize. Make a commitment to Protect them and not Confuse them or send conflicting messages

f. Reclaim the day—don’t let this day be controlled by the dead in your house.

Try to promote life by handing out tracts with your candy, by carving Christian images in your pumpkins, by inviting all you know and recognize to church, or by reminding your house and your guests that Oct. 31st is the day Martin Luther hammered his 95 Theses on the door of the Cathedral back in 1517 that started the Reformation. On Oct. 31st, he began a revolution of faith that we are living in today.

g. Embrace Philippians 4:8—“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”

What is Lacking in Our Prayer

I believe one of the greatest weaknesses in the church today is our prayer. Many of us lack power in prayer as individuals and as corporate bodies.

That's because too often, our prayer consists of a list of who is sick that week. And that's it--we don't ask God for anything else. We don't go any deeper.

But when we read through Paul's letters--that's not how we see him praying. If we do believe in the Inspiration of Scripture, then the Holy Spirit would have been the One motivating Paul to write them down. That's because there is something even in those prayers that was for more than just his immediate readers. There is something in those prayers for us. Meaning, if Paul was living and writing today, you would see him praying for us in much the same way addressing many of the same issues and needs in our life and the life of the church.

Below are most of the instances where Paul is writing down his prayers, his needs or talking about prayer. I recommend reading through all of them and take notice of the kinds of things he prays for and asks for prayer for himself. Couple what you see in those prayers with the Lord's Model Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13

Romans--8:26-27
Philippians--1:3-11, 4:6-7
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4, 3:11-13, 5:23-25
2 Thessalonians 1:3, 11-12, 3:1-5
Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:14-21, 6:18:20
Colossians 1:9-14, 4:2-6, 12
1 Timothy 2:1-3
Philemon 4-6
Jude 24-25

1. God’s Name to be Exalted & His Kingdom Expanded—Matthew 6:9-13
a. Hallowed Be Your Name
b. On Earth as it is In Heaven
c. In the Church
d. In our hearts
e. Around the World
f. 2 Thessalonians 1:12

2. To Know & Experience God & His Will
a. Eph. 1:17
b. Philippians 1:9-10
c. Colossians 1:9
d. For God's will to be done on earth--His people need to know what His will is since we are often times the agent He uses to accomplish His will. This is also more than just knowing or facts, but also experience and being an active part of. "Not my will but Yours be done."

3. Oneness with God & Love for Each Other
a. Unity with Christ
b. Unity of the Body
c. Oneness in Mind/Purpose
d. Beliefs & Actions out of Belief

4. Full & Mature Awareness of the Grace & the Greatness of Salvation
a. Eph. 1:18, 3:16-19
b. The only way we can half-heartedly live the Christian life is when we don't really understand just how much God has done to redeem us.

5. Raise Up Mature & Empowered Leaders & Workers for the Harvest
a. Luke 10:2
b. Realize that when you are asking God to send workers--He may fill you with the knowledge of His will which may include "You're just who I had in mind" and we are then given the choice of Isaiah to say, "Here am I, send me."

6. Empowerment, Opportunity & Boldness to Fulfill the Mission
a. Eph. 1:19, 3:20-21
b. Colossians 4:2-5
c. 2 Thess. 1:11
d. Ephesians 6:19
e. Remember that when Paul wrote Colossians & Ephesians, he is in prison. In Col. 4 he doesn't ask for doors to open for his release, but doors of opportunity for the Gospel and boldness and wisdom in those opportunities. He would be speaking before judges & officials--who could free him, kill him or even come to faith.

7. Fruitfulness in the Mission
a. Phil 1:11
b. Col. 1:10-11
c. 1 Thessalonians 3:12
d. Philemon 1:6
e. Fruitfulness expands the kingdom--but too often we are doing things in our own strength and power, thus lacking results. We need to ask for God's power to do the hard work of growing the fruit. And if we know His will, we'll be doing what He wants and serving how we should serve.


8. Power & Discernment to Resist Satan & Temptation
a. 1 Thess. 3:13
b. James 4:10
c. Personal Holiness
d. Holiness in the Church
e. Protection
f. Resist Temptation—1 Corinthians 10:13
g. Recognize False Teachers & Teachings—Matthew 24:4-5, 1 Peter 5:6-7, 2 Peter 2
h. This is a big topic. Realize that Ephesians 6 is greatly directed toward the spiritual conflict. And when we are tempted, God will provide a way of escape. But we also need to realize that when we "submit to God" we have the true ability to "resist the devil" and as a result of the power that comes from submitting to God, the devil "flees"--the devil runs from the power of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

9. Confession of Sin & Repentance
a. 1 John 1:9

10. Thanksgiving
a. Phillippians 4:6

11. Specific People for Salvation or Restoration
a. Ephesians 6:18
b. God does not want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance. And this is a major part of the mission we are here for--we are a part of His rescue mission. Even when we as His children wander away--God will discipline (Hebrews 12) but that discipline is always with the hope and intention of restoring relationship and bringing someone home.

12. Specific People for Health & Comfort
a. 2 Corinthians 1:3-6
b. 1 Timothy 2:1
c. This is where our own experience of God's comfort can overflow to serve and minister to someone else.

13. Prayer for Government & Officials
a. 1 Timothy 2:2
b. 1 Peter 2:13
c. Romans 13
d. Whether you like those in the position of power or not. Remember, the gov't these men were dealing with was far worse than any political party we know today. After all, it executed Peter & Paul and blamed the Christians for burning Rome (oh wait, maybe we're getting closer...)

14. Christ’s Return, the Peace of Jerusalem and the Future of this Congregation
a. Revelation 22:20
b. Our future is in His hands and our hope is and should be always looking forward to His return. In all the lessons of the 2nd coming, we need to keep in mind three basic things:

Be Watchful--anticipating and looking for His return

Be Hopeful--not afraid of what may be coming or how "bad" things may get first. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."--Hebrews 11:1 that goes along with 2 Peter 3:3-4-"be aware of this: scoffers will come in the last days... saying, "where is the promise of His coming?"

Be Faithful--be doing what we should be doing in the meantime--seeking His power, doing His will, fulfilling His mission--

This is by no means an exhaustive list--but please add these elements to your prayer--we have not, because we ask not.

8-21-11 The Power of a Changed Name

In this message, I’ve let Scripture do most of the talking. I interspersed a little bit of commentary form what I shared this morning but most of that is not here. Here’s the message about the Power of a Changed Name.

My son and I sang a song about God and some of the words and phrases used to describe Him and His relationship to us. Some of them are identified as His Name. I AM, YHWH, Alpha & Omega, Savior.

Some people grow up hating their names. I have never hated my name but sometimes it is annoying because not many boys are named Kelly. And for a while, women’s cosmetics or pantyhose companies would send me samples in the mail—assuming that Kelly was a girl.

Anyone here not like their name? Just be glad you’re not named like some of these poor kids…

Apple: Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow
Audio Science: Shannyn Sossamon
Blue Angel: U2's The Edge and Aislinn O'Sullivan
Bluebell Madonna: Geri Halliwell
Fifi Trixibell: Bob Geldof and Paula Yates (also parents to Peaches and Pixie)
Jazz Domino: Joe Strummer
Kal-El Coppola: Nicholas Cage (Kal-El is Superman’s original birth name)
Lark Song: Mia Farrow and André Previn
Moon Unit: Frank Zappa, also father to Dweezil and Diva Muffin
Moxie CrimeFighter: Penn Jillette (also father to Zolten)
Pilot Inspektor: Jason Lee and Beth Riesgraf
Sage Moonblood: Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack (also parents to Seargeoh)
Tallulah: Bruce Willis and Demi Moore (also parents to Scout and Rumer)

How many of you are happier with your name now?

In the Bible, names were chosen for their meaning or some characteristic of the person. In many instances, the name is an indicator of their life.
The amazing moments in Scripture is when God intervenes and changes someone’s name—and when God changes the name, He changes their Destiny.

• Abram—Exalted Father (ironic since he didn’t have any children) became Abraham—Father of Nations

• Sarai—My Princess was changed to Sarah—Princess of YHWH

• Jacob—Heel-Grabber, grasping at things not legally his to Israel—Prince of God and as you know, the rightful inheritance is supposed to pass on to the Prince

• Simon—to be heard or listening to Peter—a rock or stone

We tend to think that God only changes the names of the important characters in the world—the ones that really make a difference. But that is not true of only the elite. Whenever you become one of His children, He gives YOU a new name and changes your destiny.

Once, God described the Israelites in a similar way—hear how their future changes with a new name.

• Isaiah 62:1-4
1 I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem, until her righteousness shines like a bright light and her salvation, like a flaming torch.2 Nations will see your righteousness and all kings, your glory. You will be called by a new name that the Lord’s mouth will announce.3 You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God.4 You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will not be called Desolate; instead, you will be called My Delight is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land will be married.5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so your Builder will marry you; and as a groom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

• Revelation 2:17c—“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.”

Revelation 3:12—“To the victor: I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God—the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God—and My own new name.”

In Christ, your name is changed, your identity is changed, your eternity is changed. Look at the words used to name and describe your new Identity in Christ.

• New Creation – 2 Corinthians 5:17—“ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”

• Adopted into the Family and Co-Heirs with the Rightful Son--
Galatians 4:3-7—“ In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world.4 When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “•Abba, Father!”7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Romans 8:15-17—“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “•Abba, Father!”16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ —seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

• Citizen—Ephesians 2:17-19—“ When the Messiah came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,

Citizenship was not automatic in the Roman Empire. You could be born to it pay for it or serve in the military and if you live long enough, you could get it. Citizenship came with certain protections, rights and responsibilities.

• Friend—John 15:13-15—“No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.

• Ambassador—2 Corinthians 5:20—“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

An ambassador is one who lives in a country but whose citizenship belongs to another. While they are visiting this kingdom, they represent the King and the Kingdom of their true citizenship. But this representation can be positive or negative. An ambassador is supposed to champion the greatness of their home and encourage everyone to see for themselves, but too often loyalties become divided, they love the country they are visiting more than home. Or their bad character gives the home country a bad name. Too often that is how we as Christians have lived.

• Body of Christ—1 Cor. 12:27—“Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.”

Eph. 4:11-13—“And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.”

• Royal Priesthood—Holy Nation—Belonging to God
1 Peter 2:9-10—“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

• Sanctuary or Temple
1CO 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

• Bride of Christ –
John 3:29—“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.

Ephesians 5:25-27—“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Revelation 19:7-9—“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' "

Revelation 21:1-Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed.2 I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.5 Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”

Rev. 21: 9-11—“Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal.

All of this ties back in to Isaiah and how we are being built and married to our Builder


Isaiah 62:1-4
You will be called by a new name that the Lord’s mouth will announce.3 You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, …you will be called My Delight is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land will be married.5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so your Builder will marry you; and as a groom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.
Revelation 3:12—“I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God—the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God—and My own new name.”

Never forget who you are and who you are called to be. In Christ, your name has been changed. A change that redefines your Destiny, your Purpose and your Mission. That destiny comes with rights and also responsibilities.

Movie Reviews - Captain America, Thor, Green Lanter, X-Men

So far this year, I have seen 6 movies. Four of them have been of the comic-superhero genre: X-Men First Class, Thor, Green Lantern & most recently Captain America. King’s Speech and Kung-Fu Panda 2 were the others.

I have two kids; a 10 yr old son and a 6 yr old daughter. My son is the bigger superhero fan—big surprise. Because of this, my wife and I typically preview a movie together to determine whether it is appropriate to take one or more of our kids to see.

With this in mind, I’ll list the order that I liked these superhero movies.

1. Captain America
2. Thor
3. Green Lantern
4. X-Men

Now my reviews—in reverse order

4. X-Men
—I liked much of the story of this movie set in and around the Cuban Missile Crisis/Cold War tensions between the Soviets & the US. I enjoyed seeing the growth of some characters we’re only used to seeing as mature, fully powered mutants. I thought there was a great distinction between good/evil and the importance of each person to choose what is right, along with the emphasis that a life motivated by revenge will only engage in its own justified violence.

I didn’t like the fact that there seemed to be little desire for continuity with the other movies as characters were moved and placed in times they do not belong. Things the characters don’t know in the “later” movies are shown.

With that said, I did not take my son to see this movie. Some of the brutality was too much, especially in regard to Magneto’s character—brutality acted upon him and by him. I also thought there was too much given to women in lingerie and a fantasy sex scene. Neither of these really added to the story and each scene could have been done well without them. While I laughed at Wolverine’s cameo and thought the behavior was consistent with the character, the F-Word was too strong and unnecessary.

There were several things I liked about this movie but more things I did not. It’s one of those “I could have liked it more if…” kind of movies. I may let my son watch some scenes on the DVD provided we fast forward others, but we will not be buying this one.

3. Green Lantern
—I must admit I have been a GL fan since I was a kid. For me, his status and power was always the most misunderstood and poorly represented in the cartoons I grew up with. I never spent money on comics but the occasional one I found seemed to have a different set up than other standard heroes. So with that, I’ve been looking forward to this attempt.

When I saw the first trailer, I thought it was going to be a disaster. They made it look like a comedy routine. It was certainly better than that. Some of the special effects were excellent and I’ve been told were very good on the 3-D level which I did not get to see.

This movie was OK, it was entertaining and had some good discussions again about the choice of doing what is right and courage in the face of great adversity. It makes the great point—one that I’ve tried to teach my kids—that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather it is the ability to act and do what is right/necessary in the face of fear. There was also the emphasis of the impact that fathers can have on their children both positively and negatively.

In many ways, the story dragged too much. Hal Jordan really only used his ring a couple of times in the whole movie and for too long he was the reluctant hero. This is a tired motif, imho and does not understand Hal Jordan’s character or why the ring would select him.

Being a GL fan, I thought this was the wrong way to portray Hal Jordan. He could be a rule breaker, but not because he was irresponsible, rather because he pushed the limits. As a test pilot, I always thought of him wanting to be the best, but unable to prove it in the “real world” of air combat—where he could make a difference. Kind of like the frustration many police officers feel when they move to a desk job and no longer go out in the field. There is a desire to get out there do something and prove that they are still capable. It is from this thought that I always pictured Hal Jordan as longing for something greater and a true desire to be a hero. He just needed the opportunity. The ring chose him in part b/c of this desire and his courage.

Overall, I was not impressed with the movie enough to want to take my kids to see it and pay that money. I’ll wait for the DVD and decide later if I’ll actually purchase it.

2. Thor
—I really enjoyed this movie and in many ways is closer to a 1b than it is a genuine 2. I did take my son to see this one.

Fortunately, the movie did not spend a whole lot of time on the Norse Mythology angle as a set of beliefs. But if I remember correctly, it did intro the movie with the thought that there was a time when humans did not believe they were alone in the universe. I thought that a good intro considering most people do not equate belief in extraterrestrials on the same level as belief in God or gods. These beings from Asgard are not really gods, but just advanced aliens who have a connection to our planet. It implies that all gods really fall into this category but doesn’t make it overbearing or insulting to those who have a belief. This was appreciated.

There was minor language and no real nudity. The humor was appropriate and not crude. I thought the story moved well and introduced a character that most people don’t know a whole lot about.

I thought the contrast of Thor at the beginning of the movie—prideful & arrogant—to how he was at the end was a compelling story. A good hero/warrior/king cannot hold to the idea of always being right or that because he’s the strongest he should get his way. I thought the look of Asgard was good as well as the various armor people wore.

In many ways, this movie portrays biblical concepts like “pride comes before a fall” or “ God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. It was the intent of Odin that Thor would learn and grow through a period of discipline and humiliation. Thor was a great warrior, but he was not a great leader or a great man (a theme that comes again in Captain America). And this is true in my life as well as how God works in our world today, particularly with those who claim the name of Jesus—God disciplines those He loves and if He is not disciplining you, you are illegitimate and not truly His (see Hebrews 12).

I thought the action was good and well paced—good fight scenes that weren’t gory. One thing I feared in this movie was the depiction of the Rainbow Bridge that connects the worlds together. I always thought it looked stupid in the cartoon versions—I liked this one.

Overall, I thought this was a great movie and was pretty comfortable taking my son to see it. I expect to purchase a copy when it comes out on DVD.

1. Captain America
—This was a great, entertaining movie. It’s not intended to win Oscars, but entertain. I just saw this movie over the weekend so my review has more details and a few spoilers.

Once again there was not any nudity and only minimal language. Even the action violence was not bloody or extreme. I felt comfortable taking my son to see the movie and considered taking my daughter, but she was not interested.

I was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to make the movie interesting considering even my son was already familiar with Captain America’s story. I thought they did a great job setting up the Steve Rogers character as the 90 pound weakling but who still had courage. To paraphrase another movie line, “his heart was writing checks his body couldn’t cash.”

Steve had a heart to serve his country and fight alongside other men laying down their lives. He wanted to be a hero and lived with a sense of courage and responsibility; as well as a sense of obligation. Love of country & true patriotism is actually an increasingly rare perspective coming out of Hollywood—and this movie was full of it. When a character in a movie disrespected the war effort and the news, Steve was the one who had the strength of character to confront him—resulting in his own beating.

Steve failed several times to pass the entrance exam into the army but he didn’t want to give up. Other ways of serving his country was not enough. He wanted to fight even though he knew he didn’t have the physical tools to survive long. This caught the eye of a scientist developing the super soldier formula. When asked, Steve’s motivation was not killing Nazi’s or a hatred for the enemy, rather it was because he didn’t like bullies—an experience he was familiar with.

When Steve made it to basic training, he was clearly not qualified or able to be a soldier. Tommy Lee Jones played his character of the General very well. And here enters one of the great aspects of the movie and what makes a good hero. One candidate looked the part, had all of the measurables they were looking for, but his character was not.

Tommy Lee says, “it takes more than guts to be a hero (soldier, not sure)” and he throws a dummy grenade into the exercising men. All of them, even the preferred candidate, scatter except Steve who without hesitation jumps on it to save others. “He’s still skinny” is the response from the impressed general.

In talking with the scientist, Steve learns that the formula takes who you are and amplifies it. A good man becomes great, a bad man becomes worse (which is what happened to the bad guy in the movie, Red Skull). Steve is reminded that power and strength that is not coupled with humility and compassion is dangerous—which is why he as a 90 pound weakling was the ideal candidate. A good man is better than a good soldier.

Once he becomes the hero, rather than be given the opportunity to live it out, he has the humiliating task of peddling War Bonds as an actor in a hokey costume. They really had fun with this part and did it well. But what Steve was unwilling to do before (not put his life on the line by collecting scrap metal), he finds himself essentially doing—living in safety when others are being injured and dying.

Steve is a hero, but has not been given the opportunity. Despite the fact that he could whip any soldier in the military, when he is put in front of them, they blow him off as “just an actor”—he has not proven himself to them or even himself. He knows he is made for something more and is dissatisfied with life as he waits for the opportunity.

When the opportunity presents itself—he has to take it.

He was looking for the moment.
He was willing in the moment.
He made the most of the moment.

In so doing, he rescued 400 prisoners of war from the bad guys.

Now everyone knows he’s a hero, he is Captain America.

The rest of the movie details the exploits of Captain America against the bad guys. There’s a good difference between what CA wants to do with his power vs. what Red Skull wants to do with his. Red Skull wants to rise above the rules of society and nation—no longer living in Hitler’s shadow and criticizes CA for wearing the “flag on your chest”. I would have appreciated a response from Cap on this statement.

Red Skull personifies Nietzsche’s “Uberman” in many ways—thinking that he has risen above the constraints and morals of the lesser men. And because he has no moral foundation himself, he was not a good man before, he is worse when given power and thus tries to subject everyone to serve him even if it means killing most everyone else.

Cap thwarts the plan and sacrifices himself to save numerous cities in America. In so doing, he is frozen in arctic ice and reawakened some 70+ years later. Everyone he knows has died, the nation has moved on and in future movies he’ll have to figure out how to serve his country and the world.

It’s a nice lead in to The Avengers movie coming out next year which will partner Cap with Ironman, Thor, Hulk and several others. Be sure and stay to the end of the credits to see the preview.

I will definitely be getting this one on DVD when it comes out.

Vicky's New Blog

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to let you know that my wife has started her own blog.  Please visit, bookmark and participate with her on this journey of faith.

Esther's Legacy


Knowing my wife, I know it will be thoughtful and challenging.

Prayer - Why is it Necessary? Ephesians 6:18

Why is Prayer even necessary?

There are many possible directions to go in answering this question but one implied reason that I would like to look at can be found in Ephesians 6:18-20.

10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.Ac 4:33 11 Put on uPr 31:25 the full armor vEph 6:11-17 of God so that you can stand against the tactics w Or schemes, or tricks of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh xPhp 3:3 and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,y1Pt 3:22 against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil zMt 6:13; Jn 17:15 in the heavens.aEph 1:3,20; 2:6; 3:10; Php 2:10
 

13 This is why you must take up the full armor b1Th 5:8 of God, so that you may be able to resist c2Tm 4:15; 1Pt 5:9 in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand,dPr 24:16; Php 1:27 therefore,

with truth eJn 14:6; 1Jn 5:20 like a belt around your waist, righteousness fMt 6:33; Rm 1:17; 2Pt 1:1 like armor on your chest,1Th

15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. Ready to go tell others about the gospel

16 In every situation take the shield iGen 15:1 of faith,jMt 8:10; Ac 3:16; Rm 1:8; 1Co 2:5; Gl 2:16; 1Tm 1:2; Heb 4:2 and with it you will be able to extinguish all the

flaming arrows of the evil one.2Th 3:3

17 Take the helmet l1Th 5:8 of salvation, and the sword mMk 14:47 of the Spirit,nPs 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22 which is God’s word.

18 Pray oMt 5:44; Ac 12:12 at all times in the Spirit pJd 20 with every prayer and request, and stay alert qPr 6:4 in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saintsrThe work of the Holy Spirit that separates believers in Jesus from the world. At the time of saving faith in Jesus, the believer is made a saint; therefore, all believers are saints. The believer participates with the Spirit in a process of transformation that continues until glorification. The goal of sanctification is progressive conformity to the image of Jesus Christ. .
19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness s2Co 3:12 the mysterytTransliteration of the Greek word mysterion; a secret hidden in the past but now revealed of the gospel.  20 For this I am an ambassador u2Co 5:20 in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.

Many of the translations include this passage as part of the larger section starting in vs. 10 reminding  us that we need empowering by the limitless strength of God.  But why is this necessary?

Because we are at war.

We have an enemy that is against us who uses many methods and tactics to accomplish his goals and victories.  It is coordinated and comes against us on many fronts at various levels.  The primary enemy is not the physical that we can see but the spiritual and the entities of control, influence and corruption that Satan has set up.

And Believers are called to stand against these tactics—to resist them, to oppose them.  And through the strength that God provides, to overcome them.

Prayer then becomes a vital part of this effort.

Ask any military commander what is are the most important elements of victory in battle and they will likely say, intelligence and communication.  The army that can get an accurate picture of the battlefield conditions and then direct and adjust their troops or tactics the fastest gives itself the best opportunity to achieve victory.

The troops are supposed to relay the conditions on the ground up the chain to their commanding officers.  These officers are typically given a higher vantage point of the battle so they can see the bigger picture—this is especially true in modern life with aerial and satellite imagery/video.  Those commanding officers in turn send orders and tactics back down to the troops and they are expected to act on those orders.

An effective strategy in warfare, especially modern, is to disrupt these lines of communication.  If the troops cannot relay their situation and/or the commanding officers cannot get their orders through, then the opposing army cannot act in a coordinated and effective way against your strategy and tactics.

Satan cannot prevent God from hearing our prayer.  But he can interfere with the orders coming to us—he can distract us, tempt us to the point that we do not listen. 

But really, he doesn’t have to try all that hard.  We disrupt our own lines of communication all too willingly.  Believers are great at relaying battleground updates—we call it prayer requests.  We list out those who have ailments, health concerns, job issues—in most cases we are praying for other people—especially when we are in a public or corporate setting.  We don’t pray for ourselves very well and we’re uncomfortable asking for prayer for ourselves.

But what’s more, we do all the talking—we give the battleground updates then hang up—turning off the lines of communication.  It’s like we’re not really interested in listening for the orders from our Commanding Officer. 

It’s no wonder that the Church is so often so powerless and ineffective.  The enemy is coordinated, they have a strategy.   

So does God, but His troops are often not listening.  Many times He works in spite of us. 

No force can work effectively if they are not getting orders from their commanding officer.

To fight these battles, we need Truth that holds us together—the truth of Jesus and the Word.  We need not our own righteousness but His protecting our heart, we need to have our shoes on ready to respond to the orders to Go with the message of the Gospel in much the same way the Israelites were supposed to have their shoes on when observing the Passover.  We need the shield of faith because our enemy is constantly shooting deadly arrows and testing our defenses.  We need the helmet of salvation that changes even the way we think with the transforming of our mind so we know the truth and are not deceived by fine sounding arguments. 

The weapons at our disposal in fighting these battles are the Sword of the Spirit (God’s Word) and Prayer.  In prayer we engage in the battle and can receive our orders.

Because prayer is part of the front lines of the spiritual battle is why it is so important to “pray at all times in the Spirit”.  This implies that it is possible to not “pray in the Spirit”.  This works in the same way as worship from John 4.   

Jesus clearly states that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth—meaning there are many people engaged in worship of something but are lacking those important elements—Spirit & Truth.

We can pray things not in accord with the Spirit.  We can pray with the wrong motives, we can pray for things not in God’s will, we can pray our wants, we can pray with sin in our lives.  Men, even how you treat your wife can hinder your prayer (1 Peter 3:7).  This requires staying “alert” and “persevering” in this type of prayer—meaning that Prayer in the Spirit is not easy nor automatic.  It can be hard to focus during prayer, we can fall asleep (“Alert” more literally is not asleep), our mind can drift on to other things and issues.  It takes effort and perseverance to continue praying at all times in the Spirit.

When we are in the Spirit, we have the best opportunity to hear clearly from God.  We can receive our marching orders of what is the best course of action, what God wants to do next, His love for us, how we can serve Him and others.

God provides the Armor, the orders and the weapons in order for His Church to stand against the tactics of the Devil—to resist him and be prepared for the battle.   

Prayer is part of that preparation—it is where we get our orders.  It is a way in which we draw from His strength.

Sermon - Calming the Storms of Life & The Call Out of Normal - Mark 35-41

Calming the Storms of Life—Mark 4:35-41




There has been a lot of storms in the last few weeks—not everyone has recovered from them. Many people went to work one morning and didn’t have a home to go to at the end of the day.



It reminded me of the theme song to Gilligan’s Island talks about a group of people taking a Three Hour Tour—a short boat ride around Hawaii, when the weather started getting rough. They ended up stranded for several seasons.



We can be sailing along with everything going great, and all of a sudden, a storm hits that can shipwreck our life, or at least throw us off course.



Have you ever experienced storms in your life? Those times where things just didn’t make sense. Times where your problems seemed so big and your faith seemed so small. Times where you felt so swamped and so afraid that you were going to be taken over by the storm.



Turn to Mark 4:35



After a long day of teaching crowds on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus asks to be taken to the other side of the lake. The disciples obey his directions, as do several other boats.



Did Jesus know the storm was coming? And He asked them to get out on the lake anyway? He must be doing it on purpose.



Along the way, He decides to rest and sleep, yes He’s physically tired, but I believe He also wants to see how they will respond.

During this time, when the Disciples have a few moments “to themselves” a storm erupts which they cannot control. It is beyond their power to do anything about it despite the fact that they are experienced boatmen. Nothing in their experience could save them from the power of the storm.

It seems as if they tried to do everything they could before going to Jesus. We’ll let Jesus sleep and try to take care of this ourselves. “Let’s not bother Him. It’s not that big of a deal. I/We can handle this.”

Too often, when the storms of life come, the last place we turn for help is Jesus. We only go to Him after we’ve tried all we can. “We’re all going to die!!” Jesus, if you just get us out of this I’ll do anything you want.



1. The Normal Life



a. The disciples weren’t really all that different from us. They had lives, families, jobs. They had friends, hardships and joys. And then the met Jesus and He began changing their life.



b. Understand, up to this point, it had been fairly easy for the disciples to follow Jesus. He called, they followed—Jesus was still growing in popularity—people liked Him.



c. They listened to what Jesus said as He spoke and taught. They had watched Jesus heal people. They had witnessed Him raising the dead. They had seen Him cast out demons, and do other mighty works in the context of that preaching and teaching.



d. But all this activity never really required anything of them until Jesus said, "Let us cross over to the other side." Those men had no idea what was coming next. Their faith had to move up to the next level. These men had to cross over in their hearts from having control over their own lives to placing their lives into the hands of Almighty God.



e. Being a disciple was going to get harder to the point that their lives were in danger. And Jesus was leading them to that point. Following God’s directions, His will for your life is not a guarantee of Safety & or Prosperity.

f. Our walk with Jesus is NOT going to be all sunshine and rainbows. And there are times for that—necessary times of green pastures and still waters—so your soul can be refreshed.



g. But so many times when our lives are going along good and easy, we rely more on ourselves than we do God. We pretend that life is going to continue on like this—we become content, comfortable and complacent.



h. The Normal Life is often a great danger to the life of Faith.



i. If you were here one Sunday night last month, we went over Psalm 23. According to that Psalm, we are not designed to stay in the green pastures and by the still waters—those moments are Pit Stops on the Paths of Righteousness that our Shepherd wants to take us on. And in many cases, those paths of righteousness lead us directly into the Valley of the Shadow of Death—where our very lives are on the line.



j. God upsets our Normal Life so we can Live the Life of Faith.



2. Storms Hit us Unexpectedly & Shake our Complacency

a. This passage talks about a “furious squall” hitting them. That was life on the Sea of Galilee, the mountains all around, the cool Mediterranean Sea, with the hot deserts caused storms to hit hard and fast. They are unexpected and even the experts can get caught in them.



b. Life throws a lot of curves. Many of which are beyond our control or ability. Despite all our skills, and experience, we are often unable to deal with the problems of life.



c. And God wants you to know that. He doesn’t want you to forget that you need Him. Wants you to look to Him—wants you to Walk by Faith & Not by Sight--



There are various types of storms in life.

• Literal Storms – we’ve seen this recently—the power is knocked out, the house is damaged, the house and property is destroyed. Your normal life is suddenly altered.



• Situational storms. This is when circumstances seem to plot against you and everything seems to go wrong at once. Murphy’s law is in full force.

Financial Storms Health Storms



• Relational storms. These are when you have tension between people. When a relationship is strained to the breaking point - parent and child, husband and wife, friends. These are the cause of many storms in life.



• Emotional storms. These are often hidden under the surface. We have a nice smile, but inside we’re seething and boiling in distress. People pass us by without realizing that a storm is raging within. You might become Paralyzed by fear. Overcome by guilt. Raging with anger. Consumed with worry or jealousy.


One or more of these storms might describe you this morning. The Bible says three things about the storms of life that I want to discuss before we continue.



• Storms in life are inevitable. Everyone will experience them. If you’re not in a storm right now, just wait. You will be in a storm. They are a part of life. In James 1:2 it says "When you face trials..." It does not say “If you face trials.” So you can Count on it!



• Storms are unpredictable. They come suddenly. They come unexpectedly. They are unpredictable. Matthew’s account uses the word “suddenly” that, "Without warning a furious storm came up". Try as we may, we cannot predict the things that will happen to us. None of us can predict when a simple test at the doctor’s office can bring life-changing news. We experience storms that are very short and ones that last for weeks, months, even years. They are unpredictable.

• Storms are impartial. They happen to good people, they happen to bad people. They happen to believers, they happen to unbelievers. They happen to all of us. Matthew 5:45 says, "He sends the rain on the just and the unjust." Being a Christian does not exempt us from being in storms.



• In many cases, Storms are Intentional

There is a misconception that people have, that the only time they have tough times is when they’re disobeying God. Sometimes that’s true… bad choices have consequences.

But it’s not always true.

In the passage we’re looking at today, Did the disciples get into a storm because Obeyed or Disobeyed Jesus? They were in the center of His will. And they were right in the middle of a storm. When you’re going through a tough time, don’t automatically assume, “I must be out of the will of God.” You may be exactly where God wants you to be


3. Jesus challenged the Disciples in an area of strength. How many of these disciples were fishermen used to working the Sea of Galilee? Many of them were skilled boatmen.



4. Unfortunately, just like the disciples, we often try to fix everything ourselves first, we try everything we can think of to solve the problem. We rely on our own abilities. Most of the time such efforts only bring anxiety and worry.

a. The message that Jesus presents to us in this Gospel account today is borne out in a recent stress management survey. Experts say that only 2 % of our "worrying time" is spent on things that might actually be helped by worrying. The other

98% of our "worrying time" is spent as follows:

40% is spent worrying about things that never happen

35% is spent worrying about things that can not be changed

15% is spent worrying about things that turn out better than expected

8% is spent worrying about things that are so petty that they don’t matter at all.



b. While we are trying to solve all the problems ourselves we like to carry Jesus with us without making Him an active part. We let Him sleep while we do all the work ourselves. We know Jesus is there “sleeping” waiting to be called upon but we do not until we know we can’t handle the storm.



c. As a last resort we go to God and we ask Him to help us. Sadly however, we often come with an attitude that the Disciples had… “Don’t you care if we drown?” “Aren’t you paying attention God, don’t you care what happens to me? Why haven’t you taken care of this already?” We act surprised and hurt by the fact that God hasn’t fixed everything for us already. We cry out and blame God for all that is going wrong. “Do something, ANYTHING” we complain.



This attitude is wrong. This is the Normalcy Jesus wants to Shake us from! God is waiting for the opportunity, waiting for us to do things His way and in ways that will glorify His name.



5. Step out of the Normal Life into the Life of Power

a. When we go to Jesus, we can witness Amazing things!

b. He had the authority to rebuke the storm and tell it to be quiet. Lot’s of people have tried to pit their wills against the forces of nature and we’ve considered them foolish. Not this time.



c. The storm obeyed Him. As the words came out of Jesus’ mouth, the “winds died down and it was completely calm”.



d. Storms may be short term or long lived, but they respond to the command of God. This demonstrates that…



e. All situations are under His control. Nothing takes Him by surprise. Even the created world was under His authority. He restores peace and calmness. This is the hard thing for us to understand…



f. Sometimes we cry out to God and the storms do not disappear. God, we know You can do it, so why aren’t you?



But let me tell you with absolute truth….



g. Whether or not the storms disappear, He is still in control. He is more than enough of what you need.



h. In all these things that He does and allows—the intent of all of it is to draw you closer to Him and grow your Trust & Reliance on Him.



i. Perseverance means nothing if it has never been put through a trial. People endure and persevere through hardship—when someone says, “I persevered when I was captured in Vietnam and made it through my time as a Prisoner of War”—we know that means something.



When they say, “I persevered my trip to Disneyland”—we know that—for the most part—that’s a joke.



The normal life is not always the Friend of the Life of Faith.



j. It’s the unexpected, the disruptions, the storms that reveal our faith and our character.



k. Why does it take a crisis to get us to keep our faith in the forefront?



l. Why do we repeatedly exhaust ourselves, thinking we have the power to Control our Lives? To overcome the Storms of Life? That if we can just work harder, we can do it ourselves?



m. He Promises to be Faithful in our hardships—gives peace to each of us in spite of our troubles. Do not let your hearts be troubled… cast all your cares upon Him… take my yoke upon you…



n. The peace of God can transcend all understanding, all circumstances, all storms. The winds may be blowing around you, the rain may be falling, the floodwaters rising. You may feel that you are in the deepest, darkest valley away from God. But in reality, that is when He is closest—it may not always feel that way, but it is true.



But you cannot escape Him. LYRICS—Valleys Fill First

This is the valley that i'm walking through

And if fells like forever since

I've been close to you

My friends up above me don't

understand why i struggle like i do

My shadow's my only,only companion

and at night he leaves too

Down in the valley, dying of thirst

Down in the valley, it seems that i'm at my worst

My consolation is that you baptize this earth

When I'm down in the valley, valleys fill first



6. Questioning the Disciples

a. When Jesus comes and brings peace, He usually has some questions for us. As I said earlier, the disciples needed to be taken to the other side, they needed to move their understanding of Christ to the next level—to get their life out of the Normal and into the Supernatural. Changing how they know Jesus and Who they think He is



b. Their understanding of Jesus had to get bigger than the storm. Our understanding needs to Grow!



We need to change From seeing Him as a powerful teacher and healer, to one who is truly God Incarnate, One into whose hands we can trust our everyday, normal life and our Storms.



c. Jesus asks you and me the same questions that He asks them. Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? Do you not really trust me? Do you not really know who I AM?



d. After all that you have seen in me, all that we have been through, do you still not believe that I AM the one in control?



e. When we go through storms, do you know what He so often asks us?

What took you so long to come to me? Why am I your last resort?



f. Come to me first, and let me give you rest, then, though the storm is raging, the winds will be calm and still in your heart and mind.



g. Peace in the Storm , Strength to endure it…is just as big a miracle as Calming the Storm.



h. In each case… we are often surprised. We respond with awe to who Jesus really is—Terrified—Who is this? We always seem to be amazed when God does something. Each time, we come back and say, “I don’t believe what just happened”. The “Mountains often look so big, but [our] faith just seems so small”. If you truly have faith in an awesome God, we can rejoice at His miracles without being surprised by them.



7. He wants us to come to Him, He wants to calm the storms in our lives. He may do it on the outside—changing the situation, He may only do it on the inside—calming your heart while the wind continues blowing.



• Both are miracles.



8. Jesus wants to move you out of Normal—it causes you to seek Him, to rely on Him and makes opportunities to See & Experience His Mighty Hand.



9. Are you ready to go Sailing in the Storm with Him?





Psalm 107:28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.

107:29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

107:30 They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.

107:31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

The Importance of the Christian Heritage of the United States

I was recently sent a video by David Barton pointing out some of the religious influences of that can be seen in a simple tour of the Capitol Building in Washington DC. To some degree, the video was promotional and trying to increase awareness of the group producing it—a video commercial. But the video itself was highlighting a greater program of the evidences of our Christian history that even our Federal Government was not unwilling to hide in the past.

The email with the video was sent out to a large email list. One person chose to “reply to all” with a criticism. His main points were that our country has not always lived up that faith and therefore attempts to “restore” this heritage are misguided and impractical considering modern America and how we have progressed beyond the intentions of the Founders.

I took the “reply to all” response, rather than a private email to the sender, as an invitation to discussion and replied. I realize that I’m only showing my response and that may be considered unfair, but I have not asked for permission to print his words.

I responded with the following (and yes, it’s long). My point is not arguing contemporary issues of Church & State but rather the foundation of our freedoms and how the erosion of that foundation jeopardizes every freedom we have today.



There’s a lot to respond to.

I think the overall point of the video is sadly lost. Whether or not efforts are made to “return” to our Christian roots is presumed by the watcher and he is presuming the motives and goals of those who would agree with the perspectives. No one is proposing turning America into a Theocratic state with mandatory church attendance or state sponsored church—that too is a straw man used to denigrate the opposing view.

Rather, the greater point is how the history and influence of Christianity in America has been systematically removed from public knowledge. Influence enough to be beautifully painted and hung in the halls at great expense, which, until the last century was taught as part of our collective national identity.

Without that heritage, the freedoms we now enjoy have lost their context and make no sense as to how and why they were derived. The effort to secularize our history and downplay that influence is perpetuating ignorance at best and disingenuous at worst. I do not believe it is done innocently, nor without some malicious intent.

In my opinion, the removal of this history from the public knowledge is just as dangerous (if not as revolting) as those who dismiss and deny the Holocaust. People like the Iranian President deny the Holocaust for one primary reason; their own perspectives are discredited and impugned if the true history is known and accepted.

In the case of our national freedom, a people’s rights can be systematically removed if the basis for making them “inalienable” is undermined. These rights were considered inalienable because they are derived from a source that is greater than the government itself and are imparted as part of the design and image of God. Governments do well to recognize those inherent rights, they do not merely grant them. If they are merely granted or tolerated, then they can be removed when the mood suits them or public opinion changes.

The foundation of our rights and freedoms which are for all people, is God. That is how they understood and argued them. That is the source of authority which gave them confidence to oppose the greatest nation of the day. We are “endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights”: rights that are irremovable, rights that are inseparable, rights that are inherent regardless of what government is in place. If the knowledge of the source of our rights is ever removed from our public conscience and awareness, then the government has greater ability to manipulate, distort and remove the rights we enjoy and many men and women fought and died for.

Here is an example of the systematic removal of religious influence. In searching for “Who wrote the Bill of Rights?” many of the returns echo an answer like the following:

Who Wrote the Bill of Rights?


James Madison, is the one who has written the bill of rights. However, it is George Mason who is known as the 'Father of the Bill of Rights' as his ideas in the Virginia Declaration of Rights had a great influence on James Madison, the one who wrote the bill of rights.


It is true that James Madison has written the bill of rights, but there are a few factors which make his status as the writer, a little complicated. Firstly, James Madison was never in support of a bill of rights and wanted the constitution to be ratified without any such amendment. This is because he believed that the federal government was not strong enough to become a powerful government and would fall in some time. It was Thomas Jefferson who tried hard and eventually succeeded in convincing Madison to support the formation of a bill of rights. Certain rights mentioned in the First amendment were considered to be heavily influenced by Thomas Jefferson's ideas and thoughts. It is also believed that George Mason's thoughts in the Virginia Declaration of Rights formed the base for the bill of rights. These thoughts were mainly influenced by the works of John Locke, a European philosopher. The free speech protections written in various state constitutions, are also considered to have inspired the language of the bill of rights.

While this description is not inherently inaccurate, it is historically misleading.  There is no mention of a religious influence at all in this answer. I expect that most school textbooks and history museums reflect this “religion free” history. It is true that Madison first opposed the necessity of a BoR and that Jefferson was an influence. However, it was not until Madison was opposed in an election process by a Baptist minister, John Leland, that Madison relented. Leland was a third party candidate opposed to the Constitution that had no guarantee of freedom of religion. Leland’s presence in the race siphoned votes away from Madison that made him vulnerable to defeat. It was not until the two candidates met and Madison conceded to add a Bill of Rights that Leland dropped out of the race and Madison won. Leland’s religious convictions compelled him to move in the political arena—something considered abhorrent by today’s secular society.

An Abstract from the Penn State and Pepperdine University School of Law (April 2009) titled John Leland and James Madison: Religious Influence on the Ratification of the Constitution and on the Proposal of the Bill of Rights says this:

Abstract:


Itinerant Baptist preacher John Leland (and Baptists generally) strongly influenced James Madison's elections to the Virginia ratifying convention and to the First Congress, with possibly substantial effects on American history. New insights include evidence making it seem nearly certain Madison had a key letter concerning Leland in hand at a critical time and evidence showing that George Eve's famous defense of Madison at a Baptist church meeting was in pivotal Culpeper County, rather than Orange County. The paper also notes Leland's relationship with Thomas Jefferson; Leland's consistent advocacy of religious liberty for all persons; his criticism of slavery; and the unusual accessibility of his straightforward and humorous prose. Leland deserves more attention, especially now that his works are very easily accessible on Google Books. As L.H. Butterfield (an editor of the papers of both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams) put it, Leland "was as courageous and resourceful a champion of the rights of conscience as America has produced." Leland (in Philip Hamburger's phrase, "Jefferson's friend and ally, the irrepressible John Leland") is worth getting to know.

Regarding the first amendment, I had always wondered why so many topics: religion, speech, press, assembly; were all lumped into one amendment. Could they not make up their mind which was the most important and just take the “we’re all winners” approach?

Not at all. The Establishment and Freedom clauses are separated from the remaining subjects by a “;”. This minor punctuation signifies that what follows is a list of abuses that have been enacted at various times by various governments to stifle religious expression. Speech in the form of preaching was denied to minority ministers, many of which were thrown in jail. Press is referring to more than newspapers. Rather, it is referring to individuals (often ministers) going to the local Kinko’s (Printing press) and printing flyers expressing their beliefs or invitations to an event. If these were not approved by the local or ecclesiastical authorities then those pages could warrant arrest and confiscation. The British had prohibited English Bibles to be printed in America and allowed only imports from England (from which they could tax), which is why it is significant that one of the first acts of our Congress was to order the printing of Bibles here in America as mentioned in the video. The peaceable assembly is not only referring to protests, marches or clubs, but church gatherings that were meeting without licenses from or payment of fees to the local government.

In other words, the entirety of the First Amendment deals with religion and limits the power of the government to silence and repress its expression. Now it has been expanded to other issues of speech, assembly and press, and rightfully so, let us not teach a false history that they have no connection to religion. Sadly, I would guess that 90% or more of the public sees the issues raised in the first amendment as separate from religion and in many cases excluding religion (e.g. – “freedom from religion” is not the government’s job).

A strong, historical argument can be made that the climate of revolution in our pre-independence was shaped in the hearts of the people by the preaching in the churches. While not perfect in its expression, the moral foundation of Christianity upon the Founders and the general population is what made the revolution a success in stark contrast to the Libertarian philosophy dominant in France. Their revolution was bloody & corrupt, the people spiraled into anarchy and the revolution failed quickly. France returned to the dictatorship of Napoleon who promised a return to order.

Many saw the revolution not just as means to political freedom but to a religious freedom as well. “No taxation without representation” also meant a freedom from a mandatory state/church tax for which one did not claim membership. They did discuss religious freedom in terms which included Jews, Hindoos (as spelled then) and Mohammedans or Turks (as called then). You can see that in samples like “The Rights of Conscience Inalienable” – by John Leland.

Many people were recruited to fight the British from the pulpit. Many ministers led the men of their congregation with their rifles. The Presbyterian, Rev. James Caldwell, took part in the Battle of Springfield, NJ by passing out hymnals so his soldiers would have wadding for their muskets—portrayed in the painting of the battle and the phrase, “Give ‘em Watts” (in reference to the hymn writer Isaac Waats). Of the signers of the Bill of Rights, the top was the first Speaker of the House of Representatives, Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, himself a Lutheran minister

The case for freedom of conscience and the separation of church and state is clearly there in our early history. Separation in the understanding of that day is necessary and vital for a free people. Today’s understanding of Separation is wholly different: that being the removal of public expressions of faith. Many levels of our governments have moved from creating a climate of freedom to a stifling and suffocating climate. In doing so, they are trampling on the “prohibition” line of the First Amendment. There are now serious discussions regarding people who hold to serious religious conviction being unfit for public office or appointment as a federal judge or tenure as a professor in a public university.

The new favored religion has become a secular, non-religious one. Under the guise of tolerance and progressivism, the foundations of our freedom has been eroded to the point that we do not even recognize when they are being trampled upon.

The primary goal of this particular video is to awaken an awareness of where our freedoms came from, where that evidence can still be seen, and the danger of losing that knowledge.

To paraphrase a famous line about history:

Those who forget the foundation of their freedom are doomed to be deprived of it.