If you enjoy reading books on an e-reader, you can now download my new book, Where's God? Finding Him in the Small Stuff from either of the following websites...
www.barnesandnoble.com -- for Nook users
www.christianbook.com -- for Nook, Kindle Fire, iPad, iPhone, Kobo, Sony reader, Android devices, or laptops and desktop computers
Just type my name into the search window on the website and follow the on-screen instructions.
For Kindle users, Amazon will have that e-reader version avaiable soon as well.
You can learn more about the book by visiting the website below...
www.gregmccollam.com
Hope you find great blessings along the way as you read it!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
New Blog and New Book
Be sure to check out my new blog and my new book!
Connect to the new blog at the following address: www.whengregwrites.blogspot.com
Recent posts are titled, "Boston 4/15" and "When God Weeps" among others.
Learn more about my new book at this website: www.gregmccollam.com
You can read an excerpt from the book there, or listen to a selection from an audio excerpt. You will also find links to my facebook and twitter accounts, and you can send me a direct email from the site as well.
You can order the book from amazon.com or from the Barnes and Noble website...
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
Let me know if you like it!
Pastor Greg
Connect to the new blog at the following address: www.whengregwrites.blogspot.com
Recent posts are titled, "Boston 4/15" and "When God Weeps" among others.
Learn more about my new book at this website: www.gregmccollam.com
You can read an excerpt from the book there, or listen to a selection from an audio excerpt. You will also find links to my facebook and twitter accounts, and you can send me a direct email from the site as well.
You can order the book from amazon.com or from the Barnes and Noble website...
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
Let me know if you like it!
Pastor Greg
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sweet Corn of Summer
The sweet corn of summer is almost gone for another year. And once it goes, we have to wait way too long for that wonderful taste to return to the farmer's market. It reminds me how much better everything is when you get close to the source, including our relationship with God. To hear more, click on the headline above and listen to our "Parables Please" radio show entitled "Sweet Corn of Summer." Susan Cantey sings a musical parable and Andy Bartmess reads a parable from scripture.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Shopping and Sweet Corn
When I visit the farmer's market in the summer, it makes me think of what this earth will be like when Jesus comes again! To hear more, click on the headline above. This "Parables Please" radio show reminds us that a new world is coming for believers where the sinless perfection of Jesus is shown forth even in the fruit we will eat! Susan Cantey sings and Andy Bartmess shares a biblical parable too.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Give Me The Keys!
How does teaching my teenage son how to drive remind me of how I "drive" my life as a child of God? Click on the title line above to hear more about it...our "Parables Please" radio show called, "Give Me The Keys!" Includes special music from Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess too.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Pest or Pet?
How do my two cats remind me of how I should pay attention to God? Click on the title line above and hear our Parables Please radio broadcast which answers that question. Plus Susan Cantey shares some wonderful music and Andy Bartmess adds a meaningful parable from the Bible.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Deer In The Headlights
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Yet, there they were...right in front of me, as clear as day. Three, full-grown, brown deer were walking down the sidewalk in Hyde Park, smack dab in the middle of the afternoon.
It was an incredible sight.
I mean, you EXPECT to see deer at the edge of the woods.
It's no big deal to see them early in the morning eating the spring flowers in your garden. If you spot them in the shadows at dusk, waiting for the perfect moment to dart across the road in front of your moving car, you are never surprised.
You wouldn't bat an eye if you saw them at the front of Santa's sleigh, or at the zoo, or as you hike along a trail out in the country.
These are places where deer belong.
But they do not belong in Hyde Park, strolling down the sidewalk, in the middle of the day.
Incredibly, those deer seemed almost nonchalant as they strolled along. No fear. No anxiety. No problems. They were not worried at all about who might see them there.
But to me, they stood out like a sore thumb. To me, they weren't "deer in the headlights." Instead, they WERE the "headlights."
These deer were so ridiculously out of place, they were like those big Hollywood spotlights that light up the sky at night.
"Look at us," they seemed to be saying. "We are the daytime deer of Hyde Park and we don't care who knows it!"
They were so much out of their element that they were really quite striking.
I have no idea what those deer were up to that day, or where they were going, but I do know this: They made a real impression on me. I couldn't get them out of my mind.
And the more I thought about it, the more I thought how we should try to be more like those deer ourselves.
I mean, as a Christian in the world today, are you standing out?
Is anyone noticing you?
Are you making an impression on others that will not be forgotten?
If you act like a Christian only where you are EXPECTED to act like a Christian (say, in church, or at a Christian concert or movie, or among other Christians anywhere), then you are making no more of an impact on the world than a deer at the edge of the woods.
That is where everyone expects you to be a Christian.
Your impact is minimal.
But, what if you stand out because you are a Christian at the office? At the ballgame? In the middle of rush-hour traffic on I-75?
What if you stand before the doctor without fear because you have faith that God is in control?
What if you stand beside the hospital bed of a loved one without anxiety because you trust God with the future?
What if you stand in front of the whole world and say, "Look at me! I believe in Jesus and I don't care who knows it!"
You need to ask yourself, "Am I living the kind of life that lights up the darkness of a fallen world by shining the spotlight on Jesus so everyone around me can see Him?"
That is what we are called to do as Christians.
Here is how the apostle Peter described it...
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. (1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message)
When you become a Christian, there is no secret handshake. There is no secret password or secret knock at the door.
Do you know why? Because, there should be no secret Christians.
Everything Jesus did, He did publicly. He taught in public. He healed in public. His miracles were seen in public.
He was arrested publicly, crucified publicly and appeared in public after His resurrection. When He ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, there were 120 witnesses who saw it happen.
That is why you must be a "public" Christian. You must live a life filled with Christ for all to see, so that all may see Jesus.
Dare to be different than the world around you.
Dare to be ridiculously out of place and, by doing so, make an impression on others that no one will forget, for Him.
How?
Do what those deer did...attract attention by showing the world who you are without worrying about who will see you.
Not because you walk down the sidewalk of Hyde Park in the middle of the day, but because you walk down the sidewalk of life with Jesus at your side.
When you do, everyone will notice!
Pastor Greg
Yet, there they were...right in front of me, as clear as day. Three, full-grown, brown deer were walking down the sidewalk in Hyde Park, smack dab in the middle of the afternoon.
It was an incredible sight.
I mean, you EXPECT to see deer at the edge of the woods.
It's no big deal to see them early in the morning eating the spring flowers in your garden. If you spot them in the shadows at dusk, waiting for the perfect moment to dart across the road in front of your moving car, you are never surprised.
You wouldn't bat an eye if you saw them at the front of Santa's sleigh, or at the zoo, or as you hike along a trail out in the country.
These are places where deer belong.
But they do not belong in Hyde Park, strolling down the sidewalk, in the middle of the day.
Incredibly, those deer seemed almost nonchalant as they strolled along. No fear. No anxiety. No problems. They were not worried at all about who might see them there.
But to me, they stood out like a sore thumb. To me, they weren't "deer in the headlights." Instead, they WERE the "headlights."
These deer were so ridiculously out of place, they were like those big Hollywood spotlights that light up the sky at night.
"Look at us," they seemed to be saying. "We are the daytime deer of Hyde Park and we don't care who knows it!"
They were so much out of their element that they were really quite striking.
I have no idea what those deer were up to that day, or where they were going, but I do know this: They made a real impression on me. I couldn't get them out of my mind.
And the more I thought about it, the more I thought how we should try to be more like those deer ourselves.
I mean, as a Christian in the world today, are you standing out?
Is anyone noticing you?
Are you making an impression on others that will not be forgotten?
If you act like a Christian only where you are EXPECTED to act like a Christian (say, in church, or at a Christian concert or movie, or among other Christians anywhere), then you are making no more of an impact on the world than a deer at the edge of the woods.
That is where everyone expects you to be a Christian.
Your impact is minimal.
But, what if you stand out because you are a Christian at the office? At the ballgame? In the middle of rush-hour traffic on I-75?
What if you stand before the doctor without fear because you have faith that God is in control?
What if you stand beside the hospital bed of a loved one without anxiety because you trust God with the future?
What if you stand in front of the whole world and say, "Look at me! I believe in Jesus and I don't care who knows it!"
You need to ask yourself, "Am I living the kind of life that lights up the darkness of a fallen world by shining the spotlight on Jesus so everyone around me can see Him?"
That is what we are called to do as Christians.
Here is how the apostle Peter described it...
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. (1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message)
When you become a Christian, there is no secret handshake. There is no secret password or secret knock at the door.
Do you know why? Because, there should be no secret Christians.
Everything Jesus did, He did publicly. He taught in public. He healed in public. His miracles were seen in public.
He was arrested publicly, crucified publicly and appeared in public after His resurrection. When He ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, there were 120 witnesses who saw it happen.
That is why you must be a "public" Christian. You must live a life filled with Christ for all to see, so that all may see Jesus.
Dare to be different than the world around you.
Dare to be ridiculously out of place and, by doing so, make an impression on others that no one will forget, for Him.
How?
Do what those deer did...attract attention by showing the world who you are without worrying about who will see you.
Not because you walk down the sidewalk of Hyde Park in the middle of the day, but because you walk down the sidewalk of life with Jesus at your side.
When you do, everyone will notice!
Pastor Greg
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Good Gardener
Why do weeds in my garden remind me of sin in my life? Click on the title headline above and find out by listening to our "Parables Please" radio show called "The Good Gardener." Susan Cantey sings a musical parable and Andy Bartmess shares a biblical parable too.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Ivory Soap and Jesus
Spending my summer days as a kid at our family camp on Coal River (WV) taught me a lot of things, including how Ivory Soap is a lot like Jesus. To hear more, click on the title line above...it will link you to our "Parables Please" radio broadcast. Susan Cantey shares two great musical parables and Andy Bartmess brings a biblical parable to life.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Brake Pedal
"Parables Please" is on the radio!
Have you ever been frustrated by a driver who wants to push you from your back bumper? Have you grimaced as cars fly past you at scary speeds? So have I. It reminds me how we all
fly too fast through life sometimes. To hear our broadcast about it, just click on the title line above. You will also enjoy a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
Have you ever been frustrated by a driver who wants to push you from your back bumper? Have you grimaced as cars fly past you at scary speeds? So have I. It reminds me how we all
fly too fast through life sometimes. To hear our broadcast about it, just click on the title line above. You will also enjoy a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Chasing Jesus
"Parables Please" is on the radio.
To hear our 15-minute broadcast about my dog, Lucy, and how she just LOVES to chase squirrels, click on the title above. Plus you will also hear a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
To hear our 15-minute broadcast about my dog, Lucy, and how she just LOVES to chase squirrels, click on the title above. Plus you will also hear a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Good Soil
"Parables Please" is on the radio!
To hear our 15-minute broadcast about how overturned soil reminds me of how God sometimes overturns soil in our lives, just click on the title line above. You will also hear a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
To hear our 15-minute broadcast about how overturned soil reminds me of how God sometimes overturns soil in our lives, just click on the title line above. You will also hear a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Empty Pockets
"Parables Please" is on the radio!
To hear our 15-minute podcast, just click on the title line above.
Do you remember what it was like to go outside and play with "empty pockets?" Do you think you will ever be able to feel like that again? This modern-day parable answers that question! You will also hear a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
To hear our 15-minute podcast, just click on the title line above.
Do you remember what it was like to go outside and play with "empty pockets?" Do you think you will ever be able to feel like that again? This modern-day parable answers that question! You will also hear a musical parable by Susan Cantey and a biblical parable from Andy Bartmess.
Friday, May 21, 2010
LOST
"Parables Please" is now on the radio!
To hear our 15-minute podcast, click on the title line above ("LOST")...which will link you directly to the show's audio.
This show includes "musical parables" by Susan Cantey plus a "modern-day parable"...about how the TV show "LOST" is a lot like life in the real world!
To hear our 15-minute podcast, click on the title line above ("LOST")...which will link you directly to the show's audio.
This show includes "musical parables" by Susan Cantey plus a "modern-day parable"...about how the TV show "LOST" is a lot like life in the real world!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hot Fries
"Parables Please" is now on the radio!
To hear our 15-minute podcast, click on the title line above ("Hot Fries")...which will link you directly to the show's audio.
This show includes "musical parables" by Susan Cantey plus a "modern-day parable"...about how hot (or cold) fries are a lot like our hot (or cold) faith!
To hear our 15-minute podcast, click on the title line above ("Hot Fries")...which will link you directly to the show's audio.
This show includes "musical parables" by Susan Cantey plus a "modern-day parable"...about how hot (or cold) fries are a lot like our hot (or cold) faith!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Grandfather's Hands
"Parables Please" is now on the radio!
To hear our 15-minute podcast, click on the title line above ("Grandfather's Hands")...which will link you directly to the show's audio.
This show includes "musical parables" by Susan Cantey plus a "modern-day parable"...about how Jesus' hands are so AMAZING!
To hear our 15-minute podcast, click on the title line above ("Grandfather's Hands")...which will link you directly to the show's audio.
This show includes "musical parables" by Susan Cantey plus a "modern-day parable"...about how Jesus' hands are so AMAZING!
Monday, May 3, 2010
How Healthy Are You?
The older I get, the more it takes to keep me going.
As a matter of fact, during a one week period recently, it took all of the following...
Tylenol
Eye Drops
Vitamin E
Multiple Vitamins
Rubbing Alcohol
Aspirin
Blue Emu Cream
Neosporin
Hand Lotion
Aleve
Dayquil
Eye Drops
Mouth Salve
Not to mention the various and sundry mouthwashes, toothpastes, deodorants, shave creams, after-shaves, soaps, shampoos and hand sanitizers that I use basically every day.
And the equipment! I need toothbrushes, hair brushes, nail clippers, scissors, flosses, wash cloths, towels, razors, Q-tips, mirrors, and other items that generally fall into the category of "unmentionables."
Funny, but when I was younger, it took so much less stuff to help me stay in relatively good health.
I didn't need as much sleep either...or as much help from my kids with the heavy-lifting around the house.
What happened?
I think I have become J. Alfred Prufrock, the subject of one of my favorite poems. Written in 1917 by T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" includes the following verse...
"I grow old...I grow old...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach."
Basically, I wage this battle every single day. It is "me" vs. "me." If I win, I stave off the advance of Prufrock for one more day.
Why do I work so hard at it? Because I want to feel as good as I can for as long as I can.
So I wage the war.
I am willing to do it, willing to do even more, actually, if it helps me stay healthy just one more day.
It has become a priority in my life...and a higher and higher priority with each passing year.
Maybe you can relate.
Of course, when it comes down to it, this is only half the battle. All of these things deal with only the "physical" part of my life.
What about the spiritual "me?"
Do I wage the same kind of war there?
Do I work as hard on my spiritual health as I do on my physical health?
Does it matter as much?
Come to think of it, what equipment do I use to keep my spiritual health up? My Bible? My book of daily devotionals? My church? My service in the Name of Christ?
What do I need every day to stay spiritually healthy? Prayer? Praise? Penitence?
Are these as much a priority for me as my pills, pain-killers and powders?
Obviously, both physical health and spiritual health are extremely important to all of us. But, in the long run, which one is really the MOST important?
Here is how Paul compared our perishable, physical part to our imperishable, spiritual part...
"But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die – but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes – it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal."
(1 Corinthians 15:50-54a from The Message, by Eugene H. Peterson)
When I consider what the Bible has to say about my ultimate future, I think I need to start making my spiritual health a higher priority.
Don't you?
Greg
As a matter of fact, during a one week period recently, it took all of the following...
Tylenol
Eye Drops
Vitamin E
Multiple Vitamins
Rubbing Alcohol
Aspirin
Blue Emu Cream
Neosporin
Hand Lotion
Aleve
Dayquil
Eye Drops
Mouth Salve
Not to mention the various and sundry mouthwashes, toothpastes, deodorants, shave creams, after-shaves, soaps, shampoos and hand sanitizers that I use basically every day.
And the equipment! I need toothbrushes, hair brushes, nail clippers, scissors, flosses, wash cloths, towels, razors, Q-tips, mirrors, and other items that generally fall into the category of "unmentionables."
Funny, but when I was younger, it took so much less stuff to help me stay in relatively good health.
I didn't need as much sleep either...or as much help from my kids with the heavy-lifting around the house.
What happened?
I think I have become J. Alfred Prufrock, the subject of one of my favorite poems. Written in 1917 by T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" includes the following verse...
"I grow old...I grow old...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach."
Basically, I wage this battle every single day. It is "me" vs. "me." If I win, I stave off the advance of Prufrock for one more day.
Why do I work so hard at it? Because I want to feel as good as I can for as long as I can.
So I wage the war.
I am willing to do it, willing to do even more, actually, if it helps me stay healthy just one more day.
It has become a priority in my life...and a higher and higher priority with each passing year.
Maybe you can relate.
Of course, when it comes down to it, this is only half the battle. All of these things deal with only the "physical" part of my life.
What about the spiritual "me?"
Do I wage the same kind of war there?
Do I work as hard on my spiritual health as I do on my physical health?
Does it matter as much?
Come to think of it, what equipment do I use to keep my spiritual health up? My Bible? My book of daily devotionals? My church? My service in the Name of Christ?
What do I need every day to stay spiritually healthy? Prayer? Praise? Penitence?
Are these as much a priority for me as my pills, pain-killers and powders?
Obviously, both physical health and spiritual health are extremely important to all of us. But, in the long run, which one is really the MOST important?
Here is how Paul compared our perishable, physical part to our imperishable, spiritual part...
"But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die – but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes – it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal."
(1 Corinthians 15:50-54a from The Message, by Eugene H. Peterson)
When I consider what the Bible has to say about my ultimate future, I think I need to start making my spiritual health a higher priority.
Don't you?
Greg
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Good Gardener
It pains me to look out my front door in the spring and summer.
Most days, I try to avoid it as much as possible.
Not that I have a problem with the neighbors. I don't care about teenagers' cars parked in the street. I'm not concerned about any litter that has found its way into my front yard.
I don't even get upset anymore about people who drive way too fast down our cul-de-sac street.
The reason I hate to look out my front door...every single day in the spring and summer...is because I know what I will see popping up in my garden – WEEDS!
I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehate weeds!
No matter how hard I work at trying to get rid of them...no matter how many times I send my son, Jordan, outside with weed-killer in hand...they just keep coming back.
I pull them. They come back.
I spray them. They come back.
I cut them. They come back.
I dig them up. They come back.
Just when I think they are all gone...when I finally feel that I can rest from my weed-whacking...just when I start to feel pretty good about how our garden looks...
...I take a peek out of my front door and there they are, popping up again!
It is a never-ending battle that I just can't seem to win.
In a way, weeds remind me a lot of sin.
Just like weeds, sin keeps popping up in my life no matter how hard I work to get rid of it. I try to pull out sin by the roots, promising myself that I will "never do that again."
But it comes back.
I try to spray out sin by sheer willpower, striving every day to do and say only the "right things."
It comes back.
I cut out sin by praying for help to "be stronger the next time."
It comes back.
I dig out sin by filling my free time with spiritual pursuits.
It comes back.
Like weeds, when I think I have overcome sin...when I finally feel I can rest...when I start to feel good about how well I am doing...
...there it is again, popping up in the garden of my life.
I just can't seem to win this never-ending battle against sin.
And the truth is, I can't win it.
I have a sin nature that is a part of me, no matter how "good" I try to be every day. There is only one way to get rid of these weeds of sin...I have to seek God's forgiveness through my faith in Jesus.
Here is how Paul described it in his letter to the Roman church...
"What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it...I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!
I realize I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't do it. I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway...something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time...Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions...Those who enter into Christ's being here for us no longer have to live under a continuous black cloud...The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death." (The Message, Romans 7:15-25, 8:1-2 selections)
The good news is that some day, I won't need to worry about the weeds in my garden anymore. When Jesus comes again, He will create a new earth which I believe will be without weeds.
And I will live with Him there, in a place where sin is gone forever too.
Pastor Greg
Most days, I try to avoid it as much as possible.
Not that I have a problem with the neighbors. I don't care about teenagers' cars parked in the street. I'm not concerned about any litter that has found its way into my front yard.
I don't even get upset anymore about people who drive way too fast down our cul-de-sac street.
The reason I hate to look out my front door...every single day in the spring and summer...is because I know what I will see popping up in my garden – WEEDS!
I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehate weeds!
No matter how hard I work at trying to get rid of them...no matter how many times I send my son, Jordan, outside with weed-killer in hand...they just keep coming back.
I pull them. They come back.
I spray them. They come back.
I cut them. They come back.
I dig them up. They come back.
Just when I think they are all gone...when I finally feel that I can rest from my weed-whacking...just when I start to feel pretty good about how our garden looks...
...I take a peek out of my front door and there they are, popping up again!
It is a never-ending battle that I just can't seem to win.
In a way, weeds remind me a lot of sin.
Just like weeds, sin keeps popping up in my life no matter how hard I work to get rid of it. I try to pull out sin by the roots, promising myself that I will "never do that again."
But it comes back.
I try to spray out sin by sheer willpower, striving every day to do and say only the "right things."
It comes back.
I cut out sin by praying for help to "be stronger the next time."
It comes back.
I dig out sin by filling my free time with spiritual pursuits.
It comes back.
Like weeds, when I think I have overcome sin...when I finally feel I can rest...when I start to feel good about how well I am doing...
...there it is again, popping up in the garden of my life.
I just can't seem to win this never-ending battle against sin.
And the truth is, I can't win it.
I have a sin nature that is a part of me, no matter how "good" I try to be every day. There is only one way to get rid of these weeds of sin...I have to seek God's forgiveness through my faith in Jesus.
Here is how Paul described it in his letter to the Roman church...
"What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it...I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!
I realize I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't do it. I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway...something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time...Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions...Those who enter into Christ's being here for us no longer have to live under a continuous black cloud...The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death." (The Message, Romans 7:15-25, 8:1-2 selections)
The good news is that some day, I won't need to worry about the weeds in my garden anymore. When Jesus comes again, He will create a new earth which I believe will be without weeds.
And I will live with Him there, in a place where sin is gone forever too.
Pastor Greg
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Channel Surfing
If I position the rabbit ears just right, I can pick up four main stations on the television set in our family room...channels 5, 9, 12, and 19.
But, no matter how long I play around with various combinations of antennae positioning between the two long, straight antennas, the center round antenna, and the calibration dial on the base, in the final analysis, channel 5 is always grainy...channel 9 goes in and out of focus depending on which way the wind blows...and channels 12 and 19 are real troopers, generally giving pretty good reception no matter what.
I must confess that I really do not have a "favorite" among these four local stations. When it comes to television shows, I choose the station based on the program I want to watch, regardless of the channel. For local news and weather, I watch the station which is NOT running a commercial, channel-surfing between all four and, in the process, driving my wife crazy.
Why don't I get cable? That is another story, although you are getting close if you know how to spell the word, "c-h-e-a-p-s-k-a-t-e." This fact has been a never-ending source of embarrassment for my children, ever since they were old enough to realize that their friends were watching shows which they had never heard of.
When the weather turns bad and the snow begins to fall, we turn on the TV early in the morning at our house. We do this so we can see the list of closings running along the bottom of the screen on all four channels. Of course, since we can't really read the letters clearly on channels 5 and 9 due to the grainy or out-of-focus pictures, we are usually glued to either channels 12 or 19.
If the bad weather hits on a Sunday, it is my job as the pastor to contact these four stations whenever we need to cancel a service. The process of getting on those television lists is quite interesting.
Channels 5 and 19 are happy to take the information over the phone. No questions asked. Just call the news desk, give them the information, and in a matter of minutes, "Walnut Hills Baptist Church" shows up every time their lists finally roll around to the "W's."
Channel 9, however, refuses to take closing requests over the phone. If you want your church's name added to their list, you must submit the information via email. Unfortunately, finding the proper email address on their website is like finding the proverbial "needle in a haystack." Still, if you follow the rules, you can get on their list.
Channel 12, on the other hand, is a different story altogether. The only way to get on their list is to have a special ID number...and to know the double-secret probation password. From their standpoint, this is an important process because it is a safeguard against "just anyone" putting our church on the closings list. In their minds, it keeps those cagey choir members from calling the station and cancelling a service just because they don't really feel like singing (or hearing the sermon) that day. No ID number...no password...no listing.
In a way, these television stations are not unlike some religions. The way they handle their closings has a similarity to the way some religions handle their beliefs.
For example, some religions, or religious denominations, require that their members possess some type of secret knowledge known only to them. It is through this secret understanding of scripture...this secret code...this secret key...this secret password or handshake or belief system that makes it possible for them to approach God and get into heaven. Theirs is a channel 12 faith.
On the other hand, some religions or denominations require a strict observance of a specific set of rules and regulations. You must "do" this. You must not "do" that. God is available to you and heaven is possible only if you follow the prescribed path without deviating. Theirs is a channel 9 faith.
The problem is that Jesus did not go to the cross so He could make God available to only a select few people who have a certain secret knowledge. And He did not die on Calvary to give us a new set of rules and regulations to meticulously follow if we want to get to heaven.
Instead, Jesus came to die so that EVERYONE who wants to be on HIS list, can be.
There is no secret...the way to get on God's list, the list of everlasting life, has been proclaimed for centuries. There is no long and grueling set of rules which must be followed or else. There is only one rule: Realize that through Jesus, and what He did on the cross, you can have your sins forgiven and by so doing, enter into God's presence for eternity.
Jesus, by what He did on the cross, opened the way to heaven for us all.
Paul put it this way in his letter to the Ephesians..."In Him (in Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses."
In his book, "Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die," author John Piper describes it like this..."Forgiveness costs us nothing. All our costly obedience is the fruit, not the root, of being forgiven. That's why we call it grace. But it cost Jesus his life. That is why we call it just. Oh, how precious is the news that God does not hold our sins against us! And how beautiful is Christ, whose blood made it right for God to do this!"
That is a channel 5 and channel 19 faith...available to all who call.
May this be the kind of faith you know in your walk with God. If it is, you will be on HIS list when the "roll is called up yonder!"
God's blessings,
Pastor Greg
But, no matter how long I play around with various combinations of antennae positioning between the two long, straight antennas, the center round antenna, and the calibration dial on the base, in the final analysis, channel 5 is always grainy...channel 9 goes in and out of focus depending on which way the wind blows...and channels 12 and 19 are real troopers, generally giving pretty good reception no matter what.
I must confess that I really do not have a "favorite" among these four local stations. When it comes to television shows, I choose the station based on the program I want to watch, regardless of the channel. For local news and weather, I watch the station which is NOT running a commercial, channel-surfing between all four and, in the process, driving my wife crazy.
Why don't I get cable? That is another story, although you are getting close if you know how to spell the word, "c-h-e-a-p-s-k-a-t-e." This fact has been a never-ending source of embarrassment for my children, ever since they were old enough to realize that their friends were watching shows which they had never heard of.
When the weather turns bad and the snow begins to fall, we turn on the TV early in the morning at our house. We do this so we can see the list of closings running along the bottom of the screen on all four channels. Of course, since we can't really read the letters clearly on channels 5 and 9 due to the grainy or out-of-focus pictures, we are usually glued to either channels 12 or 19.
If the bad weather hits on a Sunday, it is my job as the pastor to contact these four stations whenever we need to cancel a service. The process of getting on those television lists is quite interesting.
Channels 5 and 19 are happy to take the information over the phone. No questions asked. Just call the news desk, give them the information, and in a matter of minutes, "Walnut Hills Baptist Church" shows up every time their lists finally roll around to the "W's."
Channel 9, however, refuses to take closing requests over the phone. If you want your church's name added to their list, you must submit the information via email. Unfortunately, finding the proper email address on their website is like finding the proverbial "needle in a haystack." Still, if you follow the rules, you can get on their list.
Channel 12, on the other hand, is a different story altogether. The only way to get on their list is to have a special ID number...and to know the double-secret probation password. From their standpoint, this is an important process because it is a safeguard against "just anyone" putting our church on the closings list. In their minds, it keeps those cagey choir members from calling the station and cancelling a service just because they don't really feel like singing (or hearing the sermon) that day. No ID number...no password...no listing.
In a way, these television stations are not unlike some religions. The way they handle their closings has a similarity to the way some religions handle their beliefs.
For example, some religions, or religious denominations, require that their members possess some type of secret knowledge known only to them. It is through this secret understanding of scripture...this secret code...this secret key...this secret password or handshake or belief system that makes it possible for them to approach God and get into heaven. Theirs is a channel 12 faith.
On the other hand, some religions or denominations require a strict observance of a specific set of rules and regulations. You must "do" this. You must not "do" that. God is available to you and heaven is possible only if you follow the prescribed path without deviating. Theirs is a channel 9 faith.
The problem is that Jesus did not go to the cross so He could make God available to only a select few people who have a certain secret knowledge. And He did not die on Calvary to give us a new set of rules and regulations to meticulously follow if we want to get to heaven.
Instead, Jesus came to die so that EVERYONE who wants to be on HIS list, can be.
There is no secret...the way to get on God's list, the list of everlasting life, has been proclaimed for centuries. There is no long and grueling set of rules which must be followed or else. There is only one rule: Realize that through Jesus, and what He did on the cross, you can have your sins forgiven and by so doing, enter into God's presence for eternity.
Jesus, by what He did on the cross, opened the way to heaven for us all.
Paul put it this way in his letter to the Ephesians..."In Him (in Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses."
In his book, "Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die," author John Piper describes it like this..."Forgiveness costs us nothing. All our costly obedience is the fruit, not the root, of being forgiven. That's why we call it grace. But it cost Jesus his life. That is why we call it just. Oh, how precious is the news that God does not hold our sins against us! And how beautiful is Christ, whose blood made it right for God to do this!"
That is a channel 5 and channel 19 faith...available to all who call.
May this be the kind of faith you know in your walk with God. If it is, you will be on HIS list when the "roll is called up yonder!"
God's blessings,
Pastor Greg
Monday, March 29, 2010
Easter Faith
Easter faith is a pretty faith. We dress up our Easter faith today. We put it in a new suit or put a
brightly-colored bonnet on it. It is pretty and easy. Perhaps it is too much so.
The Easter faith of Jesus' disciples was not pretty or easy. Theirs was a faith of a bloody cross and a stone-covered tomb. Theirs was a faith of sacrifice.
Actually, during the early encounters of that first resurrection morning, the word of the hour was not "faith," but "doubt." Consider all of the doubt which surrounded that first Easter:
Thomas doubted until he saw with his own eyes, Peter refused to believe the women who returned from the early-morning trip to the tomb, Mary thought she was speaking with the gardener because it "couldn't be" Jesus, and the two pilgrims on the road to Emmaus spent hours walking with Jesus, but didn't recognize him in their own hour of doubt.
Not only did these people doubt the actual event of the resurrection, but they also doubted the promises which Jesus had made to them beforehand. Promises about being raised to life on the third day. Promises of reunion after three days in the earth. So many things are easier to believe. So many promises are more easily kept.
The disciples were overwhelmed by the nature of those promises. They were impossible promises. Incredible. Inconceivable. As dawn broke on that first Resurrection Sunday, everything the disciples knew about life and death said that Jesus was not coming back.
Eventually, the memories of Good Friday faded into the realities of Easter Sunday. By the end of the day, these same people rejoiced not because of the nature of the promises, but because of the nature of the Person who made the promises.
Jesus has made impossible, incredible, inconceivable promises to us today as well. Sometimes, our circumstances in life lead us to the same kind of doubt the disciples experienced. We doubt His promises because, like them, we lose sight of Him.
During our darkest days, when we see only a blood-stained cross and a stone-covered tomb before us, we need to summon strength from our own Easter faith. A faith that believes Jesus' promises not only when it is easy to do so, but also when it requires a sacrifice.
Easter faith believes in Easter promises. Easter promises bring life from death. As our lives become Easter lives, doubt disappears, replaced by a "peace that passeth understanding' and a certainty of eternity.
Happy Easter!
Pastor Greg
brightly-colored bonnet on it. It is pretty and easy. Perhaps it is too much so.
The Easter faith of Jesus' disciples was not pretty or easy. Theirs was a faith of a bloody cross and a stone-covered tomb. Theirs was a faith of sacrifice.
Actually, during the early encounters of that first resurrection morning, the word of the hour was not "faith," but "doubt." Consider all of the doubt which surrounded that first Easter:
Thomas doubted until he saw with his own eyes, Peter refused to believe the women who returned from the early-morning trip to the tomb, Mary thought she was speaking with the gardener because it "couldn't be" Jesus, and the two pilgrims on the road to Emmaus spent hours walking with Jesus, but didn't recognize him in their own hour of doubt.
Not only did these people doubt the actual event of the resurrection, but they also doubted the promises which Jesus had made to them beforehand. Promises about being raised to life on the third day. Promises of reunion after three days in the earth. So many things are easier to believe. So many promises are more easily kept.
The disciples were overwhelmed by the nature of those promises. They were impossible promises. Incredible. Inconceivable. As dawn broke on that first Resurrection Sunday, everything the disciples knew about life and death said that Jesus was not coming back.
Eventually, the memories of Good Friday faded into the realities of Easter Sunday. By the end of the day, these same people rejoiced not because of the nature of the promises, but because of the nature of the Person who made the promises.
Jesus has made impossible, incredible, inconceivable promises to us today as well. Sometimes, our circumstances in life lead us to the same kind of doubt the disciples experienced. We doubt His promises because, like them, we lose sight of Him.
During our darkest days, when we see only a blood-stained cross and a stone-covered tomb before us, we need to summon strength from our own Easter faith. A faith that believes Jesus' promises not only when it is easy to do so, but also when it requires a sacrifice.
Easter faith believes in Easter promises. Easter promises bring life from death. As our lives become Easter lives, doubt disappears, replaced by a "peace that passeth understanding' and a certainty of eternity.
Happy Easter!
Pastor Greg
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