Is This Church For Real ?

Today, a sign in a church lobby caught my attention:

"You know, if you want a church where you can pretend for an hour or two that everything is just fine with you, with your family, and with the world, then we're probably not for you. But, if you want a church where you can tell the truth about how it is, and know that it's okay, maybe you'll find a home here."

Is this church for real, or what ?

I Like Post-Moderns !

Been doing a lot of reading lately on post-moderns.
I like post-moderns.

Actually, post-moderns have a lot in common with us.
1. We all have deep interest in the SPIRITUAL.
2. We all want a religion we can EXPERIENCE !
3. We all want to participate in COMMUNITY LIFE.
4. We all value AUTHENTICITY and TRANSPERANCY.

In short, we’re all about RELATIONSHIP.
RELATIONSHIP with the Supreme.
RELATIONSHIP with Life.
RELATIONSHIP with Others.

We are GroupLink.
We are all on a journey together, trying to get from this life to the next.
Maybe we should be hooking up with more post-moderns.
They seem to have a great desire to get there.
And we have some Good News to share with them!

What do YOU think ?

It's My Choice

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE . . .
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I CHOOSE JOY ... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical. . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I CHOOSE PEACE . . . I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I CHOOSE PATIENCE . . . I will overlook the inconveniences of die world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I CHOOSE KINDNESS . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I CHOOSE GOODNESS . . . I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness. !
I CHOOSE FAITHFUENESS ... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I CHOOSE GENTLENESS ... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL . . . I am a spiritual being. . . . After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.
MAX LUCADO
When God Whispers Your Name

Holding onto an Offense

How do I know if I am holding onto an offense ?

The Blame Test
Do I blame everybody else for my anger and bitterness? “It’s because of what THEY did, HE did, SHE did.” This is an indication that I have been offended and I can’t let go. I say, “It would be so much better if that person was out of my life.” Blame is an indication of an offense you need to let go.

The Bitterness Test
Have I been keeping score? There’s a mental check list in my mind, and every time a person does something, I say, “You OWE me!” I may have had a person that made a major mistake in the past, and I am STILL holding it over their head. No matter how good they are to me, I keep saying in my own mind, “You OWE me!” I can’t forgive the offense. With this attitude, I am killing my relationship with them. And it’s because I can’t let go of the offense. If I want to save my relationships, I better let go and not bring it up again.

The Behavior Test
Do I ever find myself reacting to someone, not because of what they have done, but because they remind me of someone else? Do I remember something that my parents did to me as a child, and when someone seems to act the same way, I blow up? I get upset? I can rehearse it, and try to figure out ways to get even. Or I can release it, and experience God’s grace and forgiveness.

Everyone is going to be hurt in life. How I respond to that hurt is going to determine my level of happiness. For my own peace of mind, I need to let go of the hurt. Resentment doesn’t hurt the other person. It only hurts me. I am the one who is stewing, while others are going on with their lives.

I may say, “They’ve hurt me too much. I just can’t forgive them.” I’m right! I can’t! It’s only through the power of God in my life that I can forgive.

Christmas is the right time to repair relationships.

Parking Lots and Sales

I recently heard someone say that they were pulling into a parking lot, and the space closest to the building opened up. They said it was a sign that God was with them.

And then two weeks ago I heard about two people who were sick and one of them was healed. And they were talking enthusiastically about how God had intervened to heal the one person.

And the whole time, I’m thinking, “What about the other person? They didn’t get healed. Where was God? Why didn’t God intervene for them ?

And just last night I heard someone say that they had been in a store and saw something that they really wanted and it was on sale. And they said, “This just shows how good God really is!”

If God can help people find things on sale, why doesn’t he spend more time doing something about things more important - like earthquakes, or famines, or sickness?

When you think of God, or when you hear about God, what image comes to mind? An old man with a long white beard, who is behind the curtain, working all the levers? He’s healing some. And he’s finding parking places for others?..– Rob Bell

Escaping Our Hell

I heard a couple from India describe the work that they are doing in Calcutta.
They run a rescue mission for women who are slaves in the brothels.
Many of these girls are either run-a-ways or have been sold by their parents for money.
Many of them are country girls who have been sold as slaves to city pimps.

When these girls come to the rescue mission and begin to make life-changing decisions, they are not always able to escape the “job” that they have.
Until they are actually able to escape from the hell they live in, they continue doing what they have always done.
The husband and wife are heartbroken because they can not help all of the girls escape.
They can only “hide” a few girls at a time.
They can only pay for a few girls at a time to leave the country.
And, of course, they could be killed if the pimps ever found out that they were helping girls to escape.

So……these girls continue to do what they have always done…even though they have given their lives to Jesus Christ.

What I’m trying to say is that we all are in the process of “escaping” the hell that we have been living in.
So….patience, mercy, and grace are all gifts that we all need to give one another….while we are in the process of becoming what God wants us to be.

God’s love for us never ends.
I am so glad that God has never stopped loving me.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

Poem

What’s to come in this world of mine?
Where will I go when I leave it behind?
Will I go up, or will I go down?
To get what I want I must turn my life around.
I want to sit with Jesus, just him and I,
But I must get rid of my sins before I can ever fly.
I grit my teeth day by day,
As I sit and watch Satan try to stand in my way.
He laughs in my face and says, “You’ll never make it,”
And I’m not so sure how long I can take it.
There is one thing I know, and it is true,
God loves everyone, and, Satan, that includes you.
So before I let Satan pull me down,
I’ll get rid of my sins and turn my life around.
I’m on my way to Heaven,
So, Lord, please take my hand,
And guide me with your footsteps,
So I can be a better man.


Mario J. Mares
(small group member)
09/29/06