(Part of my message from our Maundy Thursday Chapel - April 9, 2009)
This past week when I attended the funeral of a very good friend of mine. I know there are people in this room who have experienced the loss of a loved one, and it is hard. Where is our peace and hope in that scenario? Death is made out to be so final, so permanent.
Our hope my friends is when we are reminded that Enemy has been defeated. He was defeated when Jesus Christ became alive again on Easter Sunday. If you believe the tomb was empty and that Christ rose again – if that is not a fairy tale to you, but the absolute truth – then you know that death couldn’t hold Him down. Christ rose and sin, death, and the power of the devil lost their hold on us forever!
Our hope is absolute assurance of knowing that because He rose, we will rise as well. John 6: 40 says, “For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Our hope is the certainty of knowing that we have eternal life waiting for us after our days are done on this earth. John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
We were all certain that my friend knew that, and we could celebrate his victory over death.
Folks, we were reminded again this week that we don’t know when our days will be up on this earth. The two friends from the Santa Margarita HS community thought they had a lot of days left I’m sure, when they went on their car ride. Two weeks ago, we play acted what a crash might feel like I our school. Our friends at Santa Margarita are experiencing that pain and loss in real time this week. I pray that if anyone has doubts in this room about the truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus, they will surrender those doubts to Him today. The truth is this from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but has eternal life.”
You and I are victorious people – our God won!
When our future looked hopeless at the crucifixion - our God won!
When the enemy was starting to celebrate - our God won!
When everything looked like it was falling apart – our God won!
No more crying there, no more dying there, only life eternal there because – our God won!
Let’s celebrate the fact our God won – and because He won – all who believe he won have an eternity with Him in heaven after life ends on this earth!
Shout unto God
The enemy has been defeated
And death couldn't hold You down
We're gonna lift our voice in victory
We're gonna make Your praises loud
Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
Shout unto God with a voice of praise
Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
We lift Your name up
We lift Your name up
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
God's Call to Lead
The reading of the Scriptures just took me into Deuteronomy. As the book begins, Moses is just about ready to pass the torch of leadership off to Joshua. The children of Israel – this massive group of people numbering in the 100’s of 1000’s is once again standing at the entry of the Promised Land 38 years after they originally supposed to enter. They had become pretty good at camping and following the signs. When the cloud moved – they moved. When the cloud stopped – they stopped. They also had learned to do it very orderly by God’s instructions.
The out of pocket for the adventure was minimal because the Investor was providing for everything they needed. Food and water, housing and clothing were all taken care of. In fact their wealth portfolio had been growing substantially. Their livestock and families were numerous. They had spacious amounts of land awaiting them. When a group opposed them, they were defeated and the children of Israel captured the spoils. They had it pretty good – in fact great from their Investor’s perspective.
In Deuteronomy, Moses gave his last speech to the people. He deserves the time to be heard; in fact he has earned it. For 40+ years of his life he has had a task – a task he initially tried to avoid, but being “the most humble man on the earth”, a task he embraced because of his love for his Leader. Countless times Moses stood in the gap for the people in front of God’s wrath and pleaded for their lives.
He trusted God in every situation he faced and gave up on any life he had a part from God to accept the challenge he had been presented. His family stepped up – his sister Miriam, his brother Aaron, his wife and kids, and even his father-in-law; they all helped him in his growth of becoming a leader. The one time he did not trust God (“tell the rock to express the water” vs. “strike the rock to express the water”) cost him his entry into the Promised Land. Yet despite that disappointment, he remained faithful to what God called him to do for Him.
So Deuteronomy begins and Moses lays it out for the people. He prophesies what the future will look like. They will follow and they will fall away. They will repent and they will follow again. This cycle would be repeated for hundreds of years. He reminded the people of what is most important – Love God – and be enveloped by His love. Teach it to your children, live it, celebrate it through the years, remember His goodness to you.
Until the day God called him home, Moses shared that message. A message that pointed all the way to Jesus’ coming one day.
You and I are also called to deliver a message as well. It is a message of a loving Savior – a message of forgiveness – of life changing grace and mercy – a message that he is coming again.
We get to share that message in a number of ways. One is to help build a school environment where Christ permeates all we do. The things we discuss together are all focused on that one thing – helping move this people towards the Promised Land – an eternity with Jesus.
May our discussions be rich as we celebrate our past and look to the future of what God has in share for His people in this place at this time. May our focus always be to create an environment where students are helped to internalize the Gospel message of salvation in Christ Jesus.
The out of pocket for the adventure was minimal because the Investor was providing for everything they needed. Food and water, housing and clothing were all taken care of. In fact their wealth portfolio had been growing substantially. Their livestock and families were numerous. They had spacious amounts of land awaiting them. When a group opposed them, they were defeated and the children of Israel captured the spoils. They had it pretty good – in fact great from their Investor’s perspective.
In Deuteronomy, Moses gave his last speech to the people. He deserves the time to be heard; in fact he has earned it. For 40+ years of his life he has had a task – a task he initially tried to avoid, but being “the most humble man on the earth”, a task he embraced because of his love for his Leader. Countless times Moses stood in the gap for the people in front of God’s wrath and pleaded for their lives.
He trusted God in every situation he faced and gave up on any life he had a part from God to accept the challenge he had been presented. His family stepped up – his sister Miriam, his brother Aaron, his wife and kids, and even his father-in-law; they all helped him in his growth of becoming a leader. The one time he did not trust God (“tell the rock to express the water” vs. “strike the rock to express the water”) cost him his entry into the Promised Land. Yet despite that disappointment, he remained faithful to what God called him to do for Him.
So Deuteronomy begins and Moses lays it out for the people. He prophesies what the future will look like. They will follow and they will fall away. They will repent and they will follow again. This cycle would be repeated for hundreds of years. He reminded the people of what is most important – Love God – and be enveloped by His love. Teach it to your children, live it, celebrate it through the years, remember His goodness to you.
Until the day God called him home, Moses shared that message. A message that pointed all the way to Jesus’ coming one day.
You and I are also called to deliver a message as well. It is a message of a loving Savior – a message of forgiveness – of life changing grace and mercy – a message that he is coming again.
We get to share that message in a number of ways. One is to help build a school environment where Christ permeates all we do. The things we discuss together are all focused on that one thing – helping move this people towards the Promised Land – an eternity with Jesus.
May our discussions be rich as we celebrate our past and look to the future of what God has in share for His people in this place at this time. May our focus always be to create an environment where students are helped to internalize the Gospel message of salvation in Christ Jesus.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Don't Forget His Power
My wife and I had the chance to watch our son play basketball this weekend in the Boston area. Last night we were driving back from New Hampshire to our Cambridge hotel, and we missed our turn off on the freeway. It was late, and we ended up in a part of town that was very unfamiliar. I had left our maps in the hotel room, confident of my own internal navigation system. Just at that moment when I was about to do something we men hate to do, ask for directions, my wife reminded me that I had installed Google Maps on my blackberry. I typed in the name of our hotel, then asked the map to find "my location", and within a minute I had directions back to our hotel right on my phone. We were actually a lot closer than I had thought, and within 10 minutes we were back at the hotel, safe and sound.
We all have those times in our life when we get lost and don't know our way. It is in those moments that calling on Christ for His guidance and direction help us get back on track. It might take a friend or loved one to remind us that we have that power when we forget.
Psalm 78:42 says "They did not remember his power— the day he redeemed them from the oppressor." The entire chapter speaks of the faithfulness of our Lord, in spite of what we remember at times about His power and greatness towards us.
May God bless each of you in your journey this side of heaven. He knows your location and wants everyone's destination to be heaven one day with Him forever. May you be surrounded by people who will point you to Him and His power each day.
We all have those times in our life when we get lost and don't know our way. It is in those moments that calling on Christ for His guidance and direction help us get back on track. It might take a friend or loved one to remind us that we have that power when we forget.
Psalm 78:42 says "They did not remember his power— the day he redeemed them from the oppressor." The entire chapter speaks of the faithfulness of our Lord, in spite of what we remember at times about His power and greatness towards us.
May God bless each of you in your journey this side of heaven. He knows your location and wants everyone's destination to be heaven one day with Him forever. May you be surrounded by people who will point you to Him and His power each day.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Playing for Him
Let me share one of those proud dad moments with you.
This is from the New Haven Register following Yale's win over Hartford this past Saturday.
Article
Have a great week!
This is from the New Haven Register following Yale's win over Hartford this past Saturday.
Article
Have a great week!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Join Me in The Word
I have shared with many people over the years that I began reading the entire Bible in a year eleven years ago. It has been a wonderful journey that I encourage others to participate in as well. The key is to find a version of the Bible and a guide to help pace you through the year. This year I am reading again the English Standard Version (ESV) and using a guide that allows me to read the Bible chronologically. Here is a website that offers one such guide.
Bible in One Year - Chronological Guide
Join me in this adventure. I guarantee it will change your life.
God's blessings to you as you begin a new year in Him.
Bible in One Year - Chronological Guide
Join me in this adventure. I guarantee it will change your life.
God's blessings to you as you begin a new year in Him.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Our God is Mighty to Save
I shared this message in chapel today...
The Birth of Jesus from Matthew 1:18-25 (The Message)
“The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.”
Let’s Pray…
Lord God, Heavenly Father
We gather around Your Word today remembering why you were born: to save Your people from their sins.
We celebrate the fact You loved us so much to send Jesus
Thank you for Your presence –
May the words of David praise you –
Let the words of my mouth ad the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable to You O Lord my Strength and my Redeemer. Amen
Good Morning
You guys look great today!
I love the Christmas season.
Every year I always find something new in it to celebrate, reflect on, thank God for.
As I think about a week from today, I am drawn to the question, “Why Christmas?”
When we are little, we think about what we get on Christmas
When we get older, we think about what we get on Christmas
When we really get older, we think about what we get on Christmas
Now don’t get me wrong
There are many who think about what they can give at Christmas, at least for a little bit
There are some who don’t even think about Christmas, beyond the hassles it brings in their life, or the bad memories it conjures up.
For many people, this whole season isn’t a season of joy
It is a season of sorrow and pain
Of sadness and being alone
For them, Christmas isn’t a season of power, but a time a time of stress.
And that’s too bad – but not a stretch.
Think about it.
What hell must have been like when Christ was sent to earth, Satan wanted nothing more than to derail God’s plan of salvation. It must have been an all out attack, and yet God would not be denied.
He wouldn’t be denied because He had had the prophets tell of His birth for thousands of years.
The prophet Isaiah, moved by the Spirit of God, foretells the birth of a child: (Isaiah 9:6)
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
Secondly, the Christ has to be born in Bethlehem. In the prophecies of Micah we find the following words: (Micah 5:2)
"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."
And finally we will turn to one more prophecy - the prophecy of Isaiah (7:14):
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
These are just a few of the 31 prophesies that identify Jesus as the Savior of the World.
At the time Jesus lived estimates indicate there were approximately 250 million people on earth
The probability of all of this happening to one single male, is
1 out of 2.54 x 10 to the 28th power
To illustrate, lets start with an American coin, a dime, which is approximately, 3/4 inch in diameter and 1/16 inches high.
Now imagine that someone takes the earth and hollows it out and starts filling it with dimes. He/she would need to fill 10 earths full of dimes to represent all of the chances associated with these prophecies. Next let us paint one of the dimes red. Now, the probability that one person fulfilled all of these prophecies by chance would be the same as one blindfolded person picking that one red dime the first time.
Yet, history and the Bible show us that these things are all true of Jesus. The prophecies tell us that Jesus is the Messiah - He is God.
That really is the bottom line of the Christmas season.
The story is true. Jesus was born. He did become a man. He did die, and He did rise on the third day. He did all of this to save us from our sins. He had to die so you and I won’t have to. We will all live forever somewhere – either with God or away from Him. I want all of you to be with Jesus one day in heaven. That is what He wants too, but He’ll never force that on you. It is your choice to reject his gift or not.
We are going to have tough days in our life – no doubt.
John 16:33 states the words from Jesus Himself, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
That is a message of hope that we all need to be reminded of. It is a message of hope that those who are losing hope in these economic times need to hear. Jesus is bigger than anything we face! He is our hope!
The song I asked the band to play for us next is not a song you’ll find on a Christmas album but I think it is the perfect Christmas song.
Jesus came to save us from our sins. He came to give us hope!
He is a God who is Mighty to Save!
Reflect on the words as you sing them today
Our God is Mighty to Save!
Thank you for listening.
Merry Christmas!
The Birth of Jesus from Matthew 1:18-25 (The Message)
“The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:
Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").
Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.”
Let’s Pray…
Lord God, Heavenly Father
We gather around Your Word today remembering why you were born: to save Your people from their sins.
We celebrate the fact You loved us so much to send Jesus
Thank you for Your presence –
May the words of David praise you –
Let the words of my mouth ad the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable to You O Lord my Strength and my Redeemer. Amen
Good Morning
You guys look great today!
I love the Christmas season.
Every year I always find something new in it to celebrate, reflect on, thank God for.
As I think about a week from today, I am drawn to the question, “Why Christmas?”
When we are little, we think about what we get on Christmas
When we get older, we think about what we get on Christmas
When we really get older, we think about what we get on Christmas
Now don’t get me wrong
There are many who think about what they can give at Christmas, at least for a little bit
There are some who don’t even think about Christmas, beyond the hassles it brings in their life, or the bad memories it conjures up.
For many people, this whole season isn’t a season of joy
It is a season of sorrow and pain
Of sadness and being alone
For them, Christmas isn’t a season of power, but a time a time of stress.
And that’s too bad – but not a stretch.
Think about it.
What hell must have been like when Christ was sent to earth, Satan wanted nothing more than to derail God’s plan of salvation. It must have been an all out attack, and yet God would not be denied.
He wouldn’t be denied because He had had the prophets tell of His birth for thousands of years.
The prophet Isaiah, moved by the Spirit of God, foretells the birth of a child: (Isaiah 9:6)
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
Secondly, the Christ has to be born in Bethlehem. In the prophecies of Micah we find the following words: (Micah 5:2)
"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."
And finally we will turn to one more prophecy - the prophecy of Isaiah (7:14):
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
These are just a few of the 31 prophesies that identify Jesus as the Savior of the World.
At the time Jesus lived estimates indicate there were approximately 250 million people on earth
The probability of all of this happening to one single male, is
1 out of 2.54 x 10 to the 28th power
To illustrate, lets start with an American coin, a dime, which is approximately, 3/4 inch in diameter and 1/16 inches high.
Now imagine that someone takes the earth and hollows it out and starts filling it with dimes. He/she would need to fill 10 earths full of dimes to represent all of the chances associated with these prophecies. Next let us paint one of the dimes red. Now, the probability that one person fulfilled all of these prophecies by chance would be the same as one blindfolded person picking that one red dime the first time.
Yet, history and the Bible show us that these things are all true of Jesus. The prophecies tell us that Jesus is the Messiah - He is God.
That really is the bottom line of the Christmas season.
The story is true. Jesus was born. He did become a man. He did die, and He did rise on the third day. He did all of this to save us from our sins. He had to die so you and I won’t have to. We will all live forever somewhere – either with God or away from Him. I want all of you to be with Jesus one day in heaven. That is what He wants too, but He’ll never force that on you. It is your choice to reject his gift or not.
We are going to have tough days in our life – no doubt.
John 16:33 states the words from Jesus Himself, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
That is a message of hope that we all need to be reminded of. It is a message of hope that those who are losing hope in these economic times need to hear. Jesus is bigger than anything we face! He is our hope!
The song I asked the band to play for us next is not a song you’ll find on a Christmas album but I think it is the perfect Christmas song.
Jesus came to save us from our sins. He came to give us hope!
He is a God who is Mighty to Save!
Reflect on the words as you sing them today
Our God is Mighty to Save!
Thank you for listening.
Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Why We Emphasize Christian Character Development
A disturbing study released this past week highlighted the need for helping high school students work through what is right and wrong.
The Ethics of American Youth - 2008 Summary
Here are some highlights...
STEALING. In bad news for business, more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year. It s somewhat less in religious schools.
LYING. More than two of five (42 percent) said that they sometimes lie to save money. Again, the male-female difference was significant: 49 percent of the males, 36 percent of the females. In 2006, 39 percent said they lied to save money (47 percent males, 31 percent females).
39% in religious schools – 83% lied to parents (on a significant item)
CHEATING. Cheating in school continues to be rampant and it’s getting worse. A substantial majority (64 percent) cheated on a test during the past year (38 percent did so two or more times), up from 60 percent and 35 percent, respectively, in 2006. There were no gender differences on the issue of cheating on exams. 63% from students in religious schools
Is it worse than it appears?
As bad as these numbers are, it appears they understate the level of dishonesty exhibited by America’s youth. More than one in four (26 percent) confessed they lied on at least one or two questions on the survey. Experts agree that dishonesty on surveys usually is an attempt to conceal misconduct.
Despite these high levels of dishonesty, the respondents have a high self-image when it comes to ethics. A whopping 93 percent said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character and 77 percent said that when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.
Lots of work to do in helping our kids…
Thank you for your partnership!
The Ethics of American Youth - 2008 Summary
Here are some highlights...
STEALING. In bad news for business, more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year. It s somewhat less in religious schools.
LYING. More than two of five (42 percent) said that they sometimes lie to save money. Again, the male-female difference was significant: 49 percent of the males, 36 percent of the females. In 2006, 39 percent said they lied to save money (47 percent males, 31 percent females).
39% in religious schools – 83% lied to parents (on a significant item)
CHEATING. Cheating in school continues to be rampant and it’s getting worse. A substantial majority (64 percent) cheated on a test during the past year (38 percent did so two or more times), up from 60 percent and 35 percent, respectively, in 2006. There were no gender differences on the issue of cheating on exams. 63% from students in religious schools
Is it worse than it appears?
As bad as these numbers are, it appears they understate the level of dishonesty exhibited by America’s youth. More than one in four (26 percent) confessed they lied on at least one or two questions on the survey. Experts agree that dishonesty on surveys usually is an attempt to conceal misconduct.
Despite these high levels of dishonesty, the respondents have a high self-image when it comes to ethics. A whopping 93 percent said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character and 77 percent said that when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.
Lots of work to do in helping our kids…
Thank you for your partnership!