Tag Archives: Jesus

“In My Seat” — A 9/11 Story

Posted on by
Reply

Most of us can remember where we were on September 11, 2001. In my mind, I can still see the images of buildings burning and eventually collapsing. I can also remember vividly the video images filmed from a helicopter hovering over the crash site in Pennsylvania as well as the Pentagon.  I remember gathering at our church that evening to pray for survivors and the search and rescue teams.  I remember the pain in my own heart as I thought about the anguish so many families were feeling at losing a loved one in such horrible fashion.  Without a doubt, it is a day that I will certainly remember for the rest of my life.

This week I received an email from a dear friend entitled “In My Seat.”  He told me that it wasn’t your normal 9/11 heart tugging story, but it was a wonderful testimony of a man who was scheduled to fly American Airlines flight 11.  The video is just over 15 minutes long, but it is well worth your time to listen to the 9/11 story of Steve Scheibner.

I’m Going to be a Dad?

Posted on by
2

In my office, on the wall above my computer monitor, is a present my wife gave me for Father’s Day 2005. It is a picture frame with thirteen pictures of me and William. It starts with a picture of me holding him the day he was born and is followed by another picture taken on the same day each month. The final picture is, of course, me holding him on his first birthday. On my book shelves I have several other pictures of him—graduating preschool, his school photos from kindergarten, first, and second grade.  In just a few seconds, I can see all seven years of his life.

Sometimes I just can’t think or study anymore, so I take a break to rest my weary mind. It is during those breaks that I recall all the wonderful memories I have had with William over the last seven years. I think about how much he has grown physically, all that he has learned educationally, and how he is maturing spiritually. Without a doubt, I am a proud father. I love my son with every ounce of my being, and I make sure he is confident of that love. I want him to know my love for him doesn’t change when I am frustrated at his disobedience, when I am disciplining him for his actions, and most especially when we are separated from one another. I want him to understand that my love is unconditional, and nothing—I mean nothing—will ever separate him from my love, ever.

Most of us have seen too many children literally fighting for the affections of their parents. When they do not get it, they go elsewhere in search of love and acceptance, and it is guaranteed they will find it somewhere. It was this thought which woke me up from a deep sleep shortly before William was born. I sat straight up in the bed with one thought racing through my mind, “What if I’m not a good dad?” I found myself gripped with fear and anxiety. What did I know about being a parent? I was thirty-nine years old and should be getting ready to be a grandpa not a dad! Needless to say, I wasn’t able to clear my mind or go back to sleep, so I quietly knelt down beside the bed so as to not wake my wife, and I began to pray.

That night, I prayed for everything. I prayed for my son’s health, protection, salvation, his spiritual calling, and even his future wife. I remember asking God to give him a heart that burns with a passion to live a godly life, tell others about Jesus, and meet the needs of the hurting. And then I prayed something I had never said before, “Father, I guess I’m asking you to give me a son like Jesus. A son who loves you, obeys you, seeks to glorify you in all he does.” To be honest, the words came out before I thought them through, so I stopped praying to contemplate what I had just asked for.

Up to that point, praying had eased my fear and anxiety; however, that last line had rekindled the fire of anxiety and put one thought in my fearful mind, “If he is to grow up like Jesus, he needs a father like Jesus’ Father, and I’m not GOD!” With that dark storm cloud of fear hovering over me I cried out, “God, please help me be a good dad!” Immediately a thought rushed into my mind, “Give him Jesus!” Give him the unconditional love of Christ, teach the commands of Christ, show him the love, grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness of Christ, and most of all, live the life of Christ as an example for him.

That dark night of the soul has become a bright beacon on days when I just don’t feel like I’m getting the job done. It is a bright lighthouse shining in the darkness—lighting the way for me to avoid the dangerous rocks of doubt and depression. It is a memory that reminds me that my son doesn’t have to be perfect, nor does his father! Why? Because Jesus is perfect and He is in control of our lives!

“Why Sing?” by Michael Bleeker

Posted on by
Reply

Singing is a biblical command.

The psalms are filled with the obligation (Ps. 66: “Shout for joy, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise”). But even the New Testament takes up this duty:

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:15-20

Singing is a means of remembering and celebrating who God is and what He has done.

I care about the words we sing because they teach of who God is. The message is crucial. Music without a message can only excite emotions.

I remember the tears I shed at the Church’s song in the early days of my newly recovered faith, and how even today I am moved not by the singing as such but by the substance of what is sung, when it is rendered (delivered) in a clear voice and in the most appropriate melodies, and then I recognize once more the value of this custom. Thus I vacillate (waver) between the danger of sensuality and the undeniable benefits. Without pretending to give a definitive opinion I am more inclined to approve of the custom of singing in church, to the end that through the pleasures of the ear a weaker mind may rise up to loving devotion. Nonetheless when in my own case it happens that the singing has a more powerful effect on me than the sense of what is sung, I confess my sin and my need of repentance, and then I would rather not hear any singer. Augustine, Confessions Book X

There are four important aspects of song:

  • Repetition (aids memory) “Hosanna.” We sang “Hosanna” 6x. Why?  Repetition is good. We should remember that repetition without understanding ceases to be worship. Hosanna means “Hooray for salvation! It’s coming! It’s here!”

  • Restatement (aids understanding) “So High.” “You are indescribable, you are beyond expression. And I run out of words for you.” We want to state something again, just in a different way.

  • Rhythm (systematic use of musical sounds) The music is the form, which is there to aid the function.

  • Rhyme (aids memory) There is freedom, taste and see. Hear the call, come to me. Run into His arms of grace. Your burden carried He will take. – “Come to Me”

So, why do we sing?  Two reasons: duty and delight. Lyrics fulfill the duty to remember the person and work of the Lord, and music delights the soul.

Sing and make melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Michael Bleeker is Worship Pastor at The Village Church.

The True Measure of Greatness

Posted on by
2

Dear Jesus of Nazareth,

Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

It is the staff’s opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education, and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, sons of Zebedee, place personal interests above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel it our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and particularly Simon the Zealot have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale. Thaddaeus is definitely sensitive, but he wants to make everyone happy.

On of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind, and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.

Sincerely,

Jordan Management Consultants

Greatness starts with a heart hopelessly in love with God. That is the true measure of greatness!

Source: “The Apostle” by Gene A. Getz, pg 3-4

Honoring Our Cloud of Witnesses

Posted on by
Reply

I am thankful for the faithful Christians who have gone before me. Had it not been for their sacrifice I may never have heard the glorious message of Jesus Christ. Their lives are a witness to us today. Their witness made a difference in history, a difference delivered to us in the twenty-first century through the great sacrifice of their suffering. They did not consider their suffering “…worthy to be compared with the  glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8.18). Their suffering was and is to the glory and honor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray that those who come behind us will find us just as faithful.

Hebrews 11.1-40 is a great reminder of their selfless sacrifice for their Soveriegn King.

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of  things not seen. 2 For by it the  men of old gained approval.

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared  by the word of God, so that what is seen  was not made out of things which are visible. 4 By faith  Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he  obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his  gifts, and through faith, though  he is dead, he still speaks. 5 By faith  Enoch was taken up so that he would not  see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who  comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 7 By faith  Noah, being  warned by God about  things not yet seen, in reverence  prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of  the righteousness which is according to faith.

8 By faith  Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to  receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in  the land of promise, as in a foreign land,  dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob,  fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for  the city which has  foundations,  whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith even  Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him  faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and  him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

13 All these died in faith,  without receiving the promises, but  having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and  having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out,  they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a  heavenly one. Therefore  God is notashamed to be  called their God; for  He has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith  Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had  received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “ In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that  God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a  type. 20 By faith  Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith  Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and  worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith  Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.

23 By faith  Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the  king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses,  when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to  endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the  reward. 27 By faith he  left Egypt, not  fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as  seeing Him who is unseen. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that  he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they  passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, weredrowned.

30 By faith  the walls of Jericho fell down  after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith  Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spiesin peace.

32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of  Gideon,  Barak,  Samson,  Jephthah, of  David and  Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith  conquered kingdoms,  performed acts of righteousness,  obtained promises,  shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire,  escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong,  became mighty in war,  put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also  chains and imprisonment. 37 They were  stoned, they were  sawn in two, they were tempted, they were  put to death with the sword; they went about  in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,  ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy),  wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holesin the ground.

39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith,  did not receive what was promised, 40 because God hadprovided  something better for us, so that  apart from us they would not be made perfect.

All Scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible