All Truth is God's Truth

Psalm 100: 5

For the LORD is good;
His love and mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

“All truth is God’s truth”, is something that has stuck with me since I first learned it from my confirmation pastor. Because God created the world with a full set of natural laws, scientists, artists and philosophers who may want nothing to do with a belief in God can indeed make observations and conclusions about life that can be supported by a biblical point of view. For example, I may know nothing about the faith of the man who carved a beautiful butterfly from a block of maple, or the woman who sews a vibrant and warm quilt, or the engineer who designed this computer, but each teach me how to see the beauty of God in what they have done. That truth belongs to God. They may believe in Karma, Buddha, Allah, or nothing at all, it doesn’t take away from their adding to my worship of God.

Notice I didn't give that false idea that all religion is the same because it is not but that is a subject for another time. Truth however is the same for Truth comes from God. The Psalms is a great place to learn that.

You might be wondering why this is important. It’s important because it could potentially turn our whole day into one continuous time of worship. Here’s how. It all relates to our attitude and ability to perceive God in the world around us.

First, we don’t have to look away from the world to worship God. After all, God created the world. This is good news since we all, of necessity, have to pay a good deal of attention to the world in order to live here. The world is our address. (for now) Remember as Christians we live “in” the world but are not “of the world”. In other words we are working and growing here but it is just the beginning of the journey in Christ.

When we build and touch the hearts and minds of others by bringing Christ into their lives, we begin to understand how living in the world and worshiping God can happen at the same time. When we understand and live the example of Christ in our own lives we learn how to show the good, love, mercy & truth to others. This allows us to turn more of our life into worship and service—potentially, all of it. We can live our devotions at work, at school, at the movies, at the ballpark, at the gym, during sickness and stressful times, and times of health and plenty. We can use all times to focus on God.

Secondly, our ability to find truth in our culture provides points of connection that prove valuable to our mission, which is to love others and tell them about Christ. If we do not live in the world and speak about things that are relevant to others lives, we become self centered crack pots, that no one wants to listen to.

The clearest example of this in the scriptures comes by way of Paul, who, when he was in Athens addressing the Greek Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, chose things from their culture (words of their own poets) and even their pagan religion (an idol to an unknown god) to help convey his message about Christ. He didn’t say, “You’re all wrong and I'm right.” He said, “You’re right about this, this, and this… now based on that, please consider the following...” (Acts 17:16-34)

All this to say: THINK, LISTEN, pay attention to others needs. Keep your eyes open and your spiritual insights working at all times. Make friends and develop true relationships, not just the surface kind. DON'T try to change others, change yourself! and your example will LEAD the way to Him. Don't compromise your values but don't rub people’s noses in their sin. REMEMBER we are sinners too. (The only difference is Grace which you did not, and can not earn, but which is given through the sacrifice of Christ) When witnessing remember the 3 L's LISTEN, LIVE IT, LOVE. When we model these things people are much more attracted to the message.

In Faith, Hope & Love,

The Church Mouse

A Passion for Service

Galatians 5:13—You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

What do you love to do? Chances are that love can be tapped into, as a service for the Lord. This kind of thinking may seem obvious, but it is radical at least to my Christian upbringing.

I grew up with a kind of warped Christianity that taught that if I was passionate about something, it was probably wrong. God was the great killjoy in the sky. Virtue was painful, depressing and boring. What we were told was good usually felt bad, and the bad (seemingly) felt good. Denying yourself meant never doing anything you really wanted to do. Conversely, if you hated doing something, that was most likely what God was calling you to do. “Christians” seemed more focused on telling others what they were doing wrong, than on what they were doing right. They also seemed to seldom look at their own faults. As I read the Bible and talked with my youth pastor, this was clearly not what Jesus had in mind (Matthew 7:3-5). This caused a lot of conflict for me as a youth/young adult and I researched a lot of religions and Christian denominations as I searched for spiritual understanding.

As you might imagine, this kind of indoctrination has turned away millions of potential brothers and sisters in Christ. It also created a generation of Law centered, diminished, sad, dull, self-righteous and boring Christians who were always suspicious of others and of enjoying the freedom purchased by Christ. Where do you think the character of the Church Lady on Saturday Night Live came from, anyway? :-) This is certainly not the kind of person that turns a non-believer on to Christ and undoubtedly is not healthy for believers either.

God does not hate you. He is not out to get you. He doesn’t want you to feel bad, and He doesn’t want you to be confused and depressed. He is our Father and He loves us so much He gave us His Son to reach out and build a bridge to us. He gave us the Bible to build our understanding of Him. He gave us a “helper” in the Holy Spirit to provide discernment and guidance. He is a God of love, passion, joy, encouragement, development and understanding. He wants us to grow in the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 22,23) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, caring and self-control. This is the joyous message of Christ! The Law is fulfilled, (Matthew 5:17) let us grow in the Light of Jesus Christ! God wants us to avoid sin out of our love of Him, and for the joy and health that it brings into our lives spiritually, emotionally and physically, not out of duty to the law. Christ has paid that bill.

Now, that is not to say that we never have to work, or do something we don’t want to, or suffer loss or pain to serve and grow in Him. That’s the same false thinking that says peacemaker and meek means passive and weak. Look at the life of our Lord, His example was never weak and he was certainly no passive fence sitter. He was intense, vibrant, involved, caring, and passionate! He was NEVER apathetic or passive.

Think of what you know about King David in the Old Testament. Now here’s a guy who reeked of passion. He loved music, poetry, women and war. So he became a warrior/king and all his passions, in their proper places and under the Spirit’s control, drove him to be not only a great king, but a man after God’s own heart. THE KEY HERE IS UNDER THE SPIRIT’S CONTROL. When David forgot who he was and lived for himself, he suffered. But when he allowed God to move him and use the gifts of his passion, he accomplished great things and was well loved by God. David’s Journey was never an easy one and he made many mistakes and suffered great loss and pain, but He also experienced a transcendent joy, peace, and love though a close relationship with God.

Remember all of us are special and have a gift to bring to service. If you think you are too old think of Noah! If you think you are too young think of Timothy! Read the Bible or look around you! God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

Look at Nehemiah, who was a servant with no formal training in engineering or logistics. Yet, he used faith and a passionate desire to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and accomplished the task in (Nehemiah 6:15) just 52 days! He knew how to tap into people’s passion for service. People who serve out of duty alone seldom accomplish anything of note. It takes a passionate desire to serve, lead by the Holy Spirit within, to be a good and faithful servant. Passion makes great Fruit.

You were made for service and God equipped each of us with a special gift or gifts. If you don’t know what your gift is, experiment! Try some things out. Step out of the boat in faith as Peter did and walk on the water to Christ. (Matthew 14:22-33) It is scary, and you may fail, but you may also succeed, and in any case Christ is there to catch you if you begin to sink. Taking a risk is required to earn a great return for Christ. (Matthew 25:14-30) You will make some mistakes but that is part of the learning and building process. It is the Journey of becoming like Christ.

God is not in the frustration business; He is in the fulfilling, joy-filled business. When you become a Christian, part of the transformation is a passion for serving God. Like any worthwhile endeavor that requires a plan, hard work, and a passion to succeed.

To use all that you are for Christ, to be the best you can be, and so humbly lead and build others in being the best they can be, to leave everything and everyone you touch a little better than you found it, that is the core of passionate service in Christ. And don’t just serve in the Church. Spread the light of Christ around (Matthew 5:13-16). That’s our job as Christians. So think about your gifts. What do you love? Your most successful investment for God will be along those lines.

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

Separation of Church & State?

There is NO such thing as "Separation of Church and State" it is simply a fairy tale. It is yet another of the leftist’s love affairs with junk philosophy that comes from Europe much like socialism and communism.

The idea of the “separation of church and state” came about in 1905 as a French law and idea enacted by the Third Republic and establishing state secularism in France as a reaction to the abuses of the Church and a desire of the French national leadership to be rid of the power of the church and it’s influence. The idea of “laicity” was then modified to be “power of the people over the power of religion” and was brought to the United States by socialists in the 1930’s during the great depression era. It is not in any way an American idea or ideal and in fact is in direct opposition to the founding fathers perception of a nation under God, that gets it’s legitimacy from inalienable rights provided by God.

The Foundation Documents of the U.S. include the Declaration of Independence; Constitution and Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution). The Declaration of Independence includes multiple references to God and is the primary document on which the founders legitimized their claim to the foundation of a new nation. The very idea that ones belief structure can be separated and will not influence political decision making is ludicrous and shows a profound lack of understanding of both history and human nature.

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights does not include any language that establishes a "separation of church and state". In point of fact, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment protects the right of the people to have and practice their own chosen religion. It was never meant to create a secular humanism that erases any reference to God from our educational curriculum, history, and public venues. It was written into the Constitution because of the situation in England that many of the Colonials suffered under.

In England; there existed the Church of England - a national church that was also a political entity and which could exact taxes from the citizens of England - in addition to the taxes exacted by the government. Many an English Landowner - most notably the second (or third, etc) sons of a nobleman lost their property - and their titles due to unjust taxation (confiscation) by the Church of England.

In America, the Founders were committed to preventing a state established religion that could exert similar authority to the Church of England. Thus, the First (ratified) Amendment to the Constitution is written to protect the people from being forced into an autocratic situation - that of having a state run religion.

As this is the history - and yes, it is documented - look in the Foundation Documents and the Articles of Confederation - to see the background explained here in this Blog post.

Check out the text of a personal Thank You letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Church in 1802. This letter actually exemplified the explanation given above - that no man was subject to explaining his faith to any other man. Nor, was a man's faith subject to governance by the Federal Government. It is the idea that only God is supreme not man nor state.

So, as is exemplified in both the First Amendment and the Danbury Letter, in all fact; the term "separation of church and state" has been usurped by those who have an agenda that goes contrary to the free expression of the basic Christian Principles in the foundation of the United States of America.

As if this was not enough; there is an Article of the Constitution which lays down clearly that if there is an incorrect "interpretation" of the Constitution and the Amendments, that interpretation - and any following actions based on that incorrect interpretation - do not constitute the creation of a right - or precedent of law that will stand under examination.

The meaning of the Founders was clear - practicing the religion of one's choice was protected in the US and infringement of that right is indeed Unconstitutional.

These are facts not opinions. It is time we started teaching real history and government again in our schools instead of indoctrinating a generation in this mush headed hog wash.

BIBLICAL GOVERNMENT

Today America is as divided as it ever was during the Civil War. Dr. D. James Kennedy has written: "We are engaged ... in another struggle even more fundamental in its character than the Civil War. The question before our nation today is not whether men are created equal, it is whether they are created at all .... " Whether one uses the label "liberal" or "conservative," "progressive" or "orthodox," our nation is divided -- as James Davidson Hunter says in Culture Wars -- by those who hold to "an external, definable, and transcendent authority," and those who tend to reject external authority, reinterpret historic faiths and judge life "according to the prevailing assumptions of modern day life."
The conflict of visions for our nation is intense. It's a struggle over the meaning of America. The outcome will determine the definition of the family, what will be taught in the public schools, the way law will be handled by the courts, national security, and what will be allowed on television, radio and in print. Ultimately, those who have the votes to enforce their concept of America via the ballot box will decide these questions.

This is why as Christians exercising your constitutional right and responsibility to vote is of monumental importance. Moreover, understanding a Christian theory of government is critical. To fail to rightly comprehend our religious moorings, unfortunately, will relegate us to the trash bin of history. The Bible teaches the nation that forgets God shall be turned into hell. Quite frankly, the question every American should be asking each election is this: "Is my vote supporting what God demands of the state?"

Certainly God commands there be justice for all. "Thus says the Lord, 'Do justice and righteousness and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place'" (Jer. 22:3). The biblical perspective of justice simply means the state has an obligation to procure sufficient military and police forces to protect the God-given rights of the public to their lives, freedom and belongings. It means we ought to have a fair legal system that protects the innocent -- including the innocent unborn! At the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast, Mother Teresa told the audience that any country that accepts abortion is teaching its people to use any violence to get what they want. If life is not vigorously protected, nothing else is safe.

God also demands government stay within the parameters of its role. Romans 13:1-7 specifically states that civil authorities are to "bear the sword" in punishing those who do evil and protecting those who do right. "For because of this," said the apostle Paul, "you pay taxes" (v.6). Government's role is not child-care, health care, investment, etc. The state should have a limited function, that of securing justice, which America is failing to provide in part, because its energies are dissipated by countless other responsibilities it should have never taken on.

Every year it seems the government accepts a new responsibility, expanding the tax burden. Each election season, politicians tell us by their political posturing they want to provide us with more and more. Government has essentially become "the opiate of the people." We look to it to solve all our problems. Nevertheless, in taking this approach we preempt the genius of private enterprise, the power of charity, and the profound influence of the Church. These serve to make us a better people -- to increase the national character -- to serve the public more effectively than government ever could.

John Cotton, a Puritan and founding father of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, once solemnly warned: "Let all the world learn to give mortal men no greater power than they are content they shall use, for use it they will .... It is necessary therefore, that all power that is on earth be limited."

Because the Scriptures teach the nature of man is fallen and sinful, our nation's founding fathers, who were mostly Christian in their worldview, believed no person or group should ever be trusted with total power. They believed we ought to diffuse power into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. They were convinced this was the best way to preserve and protect liberty. They understood that government is the greatest threat to personal liberty and restricted its role as much as possible.

In recent years, however, our nation has allowed an unprecedented amount of power to be concentrated in the judicial branch. Did you realize every public policy issue tearing away at the moral fabric of our nation -- no prayer in the schools, no posting of the Ten Commandments, abortion, the abolition of sodomy laws, etc. -- were all foisted upon us by judicial activists who were bent on making law rather than interpreting it? This matter alone may prove to undo us, unless we maintain the separation of powers by electing a president who will appoint federal judges that interpret the Constitution according to the framers' original intent, and not as a "living" malleable document. We need justices who will demonstrate judicial restraint by sticking to the interpretation of the law, while leaving lawmaking up to the legislative branch and law enforcement to the executive branch.

Some will contend a government that embraces the principles advocated in this editorial would be a violation of "the separation of Church and State." The concept of complete state neutrality is a damnable notion inconsistent with those of America's founding. John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, said: "The highest glory of the American Revolution was that it connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." Legislation and public policy never operate in a moral vacuum, but always impose someone's value system.

There is no middle ground here. We either maintain the belief that we are "one nation under God," or we support a form of state-sanctioned atheism -- the belief there is no one true God to whom the nation is accountable. When preparing to cast a vote this November, keep in mind no candidate is perfect on all of the issues, but some are aiming at the Christian ideal more than others and they deserve our support.

In Faith,

The Church Mouse

Stewardship --- Kingdom, Mission & Money

“For where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.” (Matthew 6:21)

When I served as an Elder on Session, one of the areas of conflict and concern was Stewardship. How do we pay the bills? How do we grow the church with limited funding? What mission and ministries will provide the greatest return for Christ? Why don’t people give? Why do people give to special projects but limit giving to the general fund of the church? What services do we pay for and which ones do we use volunteers? How do we compensate staff appropriately? This is a subject that we frequently avoid as Christians because it makes us uncomfortable. Money is always a volatile subject because we are seldom apathetic about that which we regard as our own earnings through work, pain, and the sweat of our brow. Money is a serious thing to people.

Let’s focus on the ministry of Jesus Christ. At least 25% of His parables directly deal with our use of material wealth. So it must have been important to Him also, but for a different reason. Christ is/was concerned about where our heart is/was. Christ was a carpenter; He was well acquainted with hard work and the physical and emotional pain of making a living. However, His ministry marked the fulfillment of the longing for the coming of the Kingdom of God. His teaching and living example details for us the proper attitude towards material wealth. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) reminds us that we are to enter into Christ’s mission (thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven) of making the Kingdom visible in our schools, workplace, relationships, and community. Understanding God’s Kingdom means realizing:

• EVERYTHING belongs to God – Psalm 24:1-2
• God rules over all the Heavens and the earth – Psalm 47:8-9
• We are to live lives that reflect Kingdom values -- Romans 12:1-2

I like to think of God’s Kingdom as a cosmic work of art; the bringing together of God, humans, and all creation in a perfect masterpiece of matter, energy and light, of fulfillment, joy and delight. This is what the Hebrew prophets called “Shalom” (The universal flourishing, peaceful, wholeness of all things). God does not need our service to create His kingdom on earth. However, He willingly provides the glorious opportunity to share in the building of it. If you have ever created a thing of beauty or been a part of constructing a home or something of lasting value then you understand the significance of this gift He is giving us.

So what does this mean to us as followers of Christ (Citizens of the Kingdom of God)? How does this relate to Stewardship?

God made us responsible for (Genesis 1:26-30) the things of creation. This is why we seek/need a sense of purpose and mission in our lives. The significance of our mission and citizenship in the Kingdom of God should not be underestimated. We are to be active participants in the evangelism of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the building of the Kingdom of God. Each of us is gifted with a part to play, and a path to walk, for the Glory of God.

In Ankeny we live in a financially affluent community. We also are citizens of the wealthiest country in the world. In the secular world, social and emotional status is conferred by the attainment of material wealth, property and comfort. Therefore, it is particularly challenging to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, whose King is constantly calling us to put the needs of others ahead of our own (Philippians 2:3-5); to give away our time and money in generous proportions (Proverbs 22:9, 1 Timothy 6:18), especially to those who are poor and needy (Deut 15:7-8, Proverbs 14:31, Luke 12:32-34). Yet that is the task of the Kingdom, and therefore of you and I as its citizens.

As our leadership works to equip us to build the Kingdom, let us give generously of our time and money. Not as a duty, but as a joyous opportunity to spread the light of Christ in our relationships, businesses, schools, and communities. May we be good and faithful stewards of the many gifts God has so generously heaped upon us! Give generously, serve selflessly, trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly, for that is who we are in Christ!

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

I Want To Be Good

1 John 4:16
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

I had taken my wife and our two children to get a snack at the DQ after a soccer game. My young son had just had his game, and we were celebrating the fact that he had done his best. It’s a tradition that we celebrate because we want to build confidence and support good sportsmanship and teamwork. Which really is the goal at this age. Our son was hungry as usual, having been on the soccer field since early that morning.

We took the kids in, let them pick out what they wanted to eat, and then headed to the car. Once we got inside, we gave each a napkin and their ice cream. Our little soccer player was heard saying from the back seat, "Dad, you know, I want to be very, very, very good." I answered with, "I know, son. You are good most of the time." But, he wouldn't leave it at that. Our son said, "But, Dad, I know, but, if I drop any of this on your back seat, you are going to be angry with me." He got me. I said, “Jon you are right, sometimes I get mad about accidents but I want to do better. I’m not perfect, and I don’t expect you to be perfect, but I do expect you to do your best to get your ice cream inside you and not wear it or dribble it on the seat. But, even if you have an accident, you know I will still love you.”

How many times have we, as a child of God, appeared before the Father, and didn't think we were living up to His expectations? We sometimes under estimate the Lord's love for his children, just as my son under estimated his Dad's love for him. Just as I wasn't expecting him to be perfect, neither is the Father expecting something we can't give. Each day that we live for Him, we do our best, and that's what He wants. He understands we are human, and that we might and often do fail, but He also knows that He gives us the power to succeed. And, if it's His will, and we work hard enough, endure long enough, then we will succeed. He's not keeping score, or drawing back with his hand to give us a lick, if we fail. He's ready to draw us into his loving arms. His Grace provided by the atoning death of His son has purchased that ability to freely love and support us even when we fail.

Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

James 1:4 So let faith grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love for your children. Help us realize that your love isn't based on our performance. That we do not earn your love but that it is given freely. Help us to understand fully that you are the God of Love and Grace. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

Equipping the Saints

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-12)

God has given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Each a special gift of leadership. Why has God given these leadership gifts to the church? He has given them for the equipping of the saints. Now, who are "the saints?" Do the leaders need to wait for the saints to come marching in before they begin their equipping? :-) No -- recall that Paul addresses this letter to "the saints in Ephesus;" the word "saints" includes all of us, as it literally means all who are called to be set apart, all who are called to be holy and blameless in God's sight. So, you and I, and everyone who trusts in the shed blood of Jesus for salvation are saints. And, if you are a saint, Ephesians 4:12 says you are to do the work of the ministry.

The leadership gifts are given, then, to "equip the saints" for this work. What does equip mean? The Greek word translated "equip" can mean to make one what one ought to be, to build up, to complete, or to perfect. So the leadership gifts are given to the church in order to make each saint what he or she is intended to be. The leaders are gifted by God to shape and mold the rest of the body, so that all members of the body are then able to exercise their particular gifts. The effect is the building up of the body of Christ. So we see that the saints are to be equipped so that the saints can minister, so that the body of Christ can be built up. This is the purpose and design for which God has gifted us with these leaders.

This is an active truth. This means that EVERYONE is to be engaged in ministry. This includes both time and money. It is not the work of some hired holy man to do all the ministry. Nor is it the assigned task of an elected Eldership. Elders, according to 1 Timothy, are for stewardship, preaching and teaching. They are leaders who equip us to do the work.

Some people have the attitude that they pay a minister to do the ministry. By ministry they mean that he is to do everything or at least be involved in everything. He is to do all the visiting, all the evangelism, all the praying, all the counseling, all the administration --- and if time permits he needs to get together a little talk for Sunday. After all, they think, that's why we pay him.

It should be no wonder that so many pastors/priests/ministers/elders/deacons and other Christian leaders are dropping out of service because of burn-out or becoming spiritually damaged through overwork and lack of spiritual renewal. Or that their flocks are losing numbers and/or floundering for lack of teaching or feeding. They are burned out because they can simply not keep up with these kinds of expectations. In fact, many feel compelled to pretend they are doing it all in order to keep up an image. This only further drives them to discouragement. The harder they work the more work there is to do. Their families get neglected, a fact which is sometimes lost on church members, and the demands keep coming. “Why would God put such an unreasonable burden on a person?” Why would He, indeed! He didn't! He gave the ministry to all the saints. And He gave the task of equipping the saints to do that ministry to anointed and gifted leaders. You don't pay leaders to DO the ministry. Leaders are to feed, teach, facilitate, provide vision, and build others so that WE (You and I) might DO the “work of service”.

At APC we have been gifted with a number of special leaders in the faith. They are known by various titles like Pastor, Director, Elder, Deacon, Teacher, or simply Leader. As 1 Timothy 5:17 tells us, these people are worthy of “double honor”. Let us honor and respect their service as leaders by humble submission to their leadership and active dedicated service towards the ministry and vision they are providing in building the Kingdom of God.

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

Perseverance, Faith for the Journey

James 5:11 “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

Life is difficult. Nothing worth anything is easy to come by.

I’ll never forget my first real long-term backpacking experience. 14 days in the Rocky Mountains. I was 16 years old and hiking with a group of fellow scouts. I had never had an adventure like this before. We climbed over 4,300 feet the first day to get over a peak at 12,000+ feet. Of course I had no idea how elated I was going to be reaching the top of the mountain and descending down the other side to a pristine High Sierra lake with the crisp smell of pines in the wilderness untouched by anyone other than backpackers on foot. All I could think of for the excruciating last two hours of that first ascent was what on earth was I doing this for? Barely managing one foot in front of the other, focused only on the pack of the kid in front of me, we slowly made our way up above the timberline through gravel and shale that made you slip back every few steps ‘til it felt like you were taking two steps back for every one step forward. I knew nothing of the reward; I knew only to keep going—keep pushing through the pain of adding 65 pounds to my weight, and testing the muscles in my back, legs and lungs that had not been used to this kind of demanding punishment or altitude.

But how all that changed when we reached the top!

A lot of our spiritual journey is the same way. Obedience sometimes seems like nothing but hard work. We keep on moving forward—keep on believing—even when we have no clue how much farther we have to go or what’s on the other side. But I have noticed one encouraging thing about this. My subsequent experiences of backpacking were easier to endure and a whole lot more fun once I knew what was waiting for me on the other side of the mountain. A few rewards of faith under your belt will go a long way towards giving you the courage to believe again, even in testing times.

Once you have believed God and found his faithfulness to be real and full of actual substance in the midst of demanding circumstances, it makes it easier to believe him again when a new trail challenges us. So whether you are on this trail for the first time or the umpteenth time, keep your eyes fixed on the goal and your feet moving one in front of the other, even if you slip back from time to time. It will all be worth it (and much of the pain forgotten) on the other side. God is faithful. Don’t give up.

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

Gossip

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

I caught myself listening to gossip the other day. To my great shame because it was also a case of hypocrisy since I often teach against it. Yet, I allowed myself to do it because it was about someone with whom I have a poor relationship. Another sin – lying to myself that the sin was OK because I didn’t like the person who was the subject of the gossip and by listening a third sin by being a poor example of Christian values I failed my fellow Christians and God. I also sinned in that the group I was with were friends of mine and I didn’t have the personal courage to stop them and take the chance they would see me as one of those “religious nuts”.

The only thing to do in such a case is to repent and ask forgiveness and work harder to do better next time. Gossiping causes big problems in relationships. It is deadly to a church.

The motive of gossiping varies, curiosity, revenge or hurt are common reasons. The reason we do it may not always be to hurt another person, although that is often the result. Knowledge is power and we love the feeling of power. It is seductive to use lies as a weapon. We can even convince ourselves that we are doing a good thing by hurting someone who has hurt us or someone we love. We often enjoy the experience.

Christ calls us to have the courage and integrity to communicate directly with the person with whom we're angry, hurt or feel a grievance against. However, that is very difficult so we often use this passive-aggressive way to punish them. We go behind their backs and talk. Instead of going to the person and working out the conflict we talk about them to our friends. And we usually don't just tell something we know; we embellish it so it makes that person look a little more foolish, stupid, and hateful.

Another Passive-Aggressive method is to speak in generalities for example “Well, there are “PEOPLE” who don’t like ……… You fill in the blank.” which feeds rumors and innuendo and blows problems far out of proportion. This is very dangerous because one person who is very vocal can use this to influence decisions and manipulate people out of proportion to reality. To fight this it is important to seek out specifics. To know who, what, when, where, and why before making any decision. Don’t rely on gossip.

The Proverbs have a lot to say about gossips:

- Proverbs 11:13 says "a gossip betrays a confidence." Often, a friend tells us something for our ears only, but we know we can use it to make points with somebody else, so we betray that person. It's not much different than Judas getting 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus.

- Proverbs 16:28 says "a gossip separates close friends." This can be taken two ways: the gossips' goal is to make the person he's talking to think less of the person he's talking about, but also, when we gossip, sooner or later people realize we aren't trustworthy, so they back off from us. Either way, friendships are hurt.

- Proverbs 18:8 says, "The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." There is a sensuous seductiveness in gossiping. The words are like the best food you've ever tasted. It may be bad for you, but it tastes so good!

- Proverbs 26:20 says "without a gossip a quarrel dies down." Gossips have power, and they use that power to keep people angry at each other. They destroy confidence and trust, and the delight in making themselves the center of controversy because they are the ones who say what truth is.

I'm afraid we have gotten too used to gossiping, so we aren't on guard against it like we should be. We hear people telling juicy stories about others at school, at work, at home, and sadly, at church.

Here's the solution:

- Don't do it. Just quit. That's right, when you find yourself wanting to have the power to tell what you know about somebody, just shut up. And talk about something else. I know from experience it is not easy but it is a great habit to form and to constantly work together on.

- Don't listen to it. If a friend wants to tell you something about somebody else, stop him. Say, "I really don't want to hear it. Let's talk about something else." When we walk with God, when we walk in righteousness, we are, as Peter called us, "peculiar people." People who love to gossip will think you and I are really peculiar if we don't listen to them talk about others in negative ways! They may think you self righteous or condescending. But who do you really want to please, a gossip or God?

Paul believed gossiping was a genuine sin. He put it in a list of destructive sins in his second letter to the Corinthians. And he instructed the Ephesians, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4:29).

Gossiping may be fun sometimes, but it is evil and it will hurt you in the long run. We need to see it as God sees it, and if we need to, repent. Be accountable. Replace those destructive words with positive, encouraging words that help people instead of hurting them. You will not always be successful but every success is a result of multiple failures. Repent, and work to succeed.

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

101 Ideas for Family Christian Focus

The Christian home is by far the most powerful evangelizing agency in the world. By their gracious influence, Christian homes win more converts than all the preachers put together. Give us enough of them, and the world would soon be alive for Christ. Our Lord showed us the value of PERSONAL witness through our ACTIONS not just words. Here are suggestions for presenting the gospel to those inside and outside our homes.

Personal Preparation

• Study carefully such Bible verses as Eph. 2:4-8, 13; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:12-20; 8:1 which convey the good news of salvation in Christ.
• Reflect on the love of God. What human instruments have profoundly influenced you in your understanding of God's love? How is your understanding of God's love growing?
• Prayerfully develop your personal testimony of faith and assurance of salvation in Christ. Writing your testimony may help you to think it through.
• Make a personal list of Bible verses which speak to you of God's love. Study and memorize these for sharing with your personal testimony.

Sharing Faith in Marriage

• Share your testimony with your spouse. Listen to your spouse's testimony. How has the gospel influenced your relationship?
• Give evidence of God's grace at work in your life by your empathy with your spouse, in sharing thoughts and inner feelings together.
• Take time to communicate about the meaning of your faith with your spouse. How does your faith affect the way you handle anger, resolve conflict, deal with depression?
• Endeavor to uplift and encourage your spouse with affirmation and appropriate compliments.
• Worship and pray together regularly.

Winning Ways with Unbelieving Spouses

• Be a source of emotional and spiritual encouragement for your non-believing spouse, striving not to be judgmental of his/her behavior, but offering compliments and affirmation regularly.
• Provide an example of your belief in God's grace by living your Christianity before your spouse honestly. Be candid about weaknesses and faults, recognizing these as areas where Christian growth is needed.
• Communicate with your spouse about the forgiveness and continual renewal you are finding in Christ. Let everything you have learned about relationships in Christ make your experience in marriage better.
• Make extra efforts to identify and emphasize the things you and your spouse have in common. Seek points of agreement.
• Enter willingly and happily into every possible aspect of your spouse's life which you can without compromising principle.
• Discover together new activities and friends to replace those that may have been left behind because of your beliefs, realizing that the strength of your love bond together is the greatest asset you have in winning your loved one for Christ.
• As you develop acquaintances at church, invite men to befriend your husband, or women your wife. Invite your spouse to participate in activities of church life: social activities, health seminars, family life events, retreats, camp-outs, or church building/maintenance programs.
• Encourage the participation of your spouse by recruiting and enlisting his or her expertise in some aspect of church life.

Christ Centered Parenting

• Prepare a list of changes you would like to make to give a more Christ centered approach to your parenting.
• Make the gospel attractive to your children by your positive relationships with them, by smiling often, by entering into your child's feelings and activities.
• Sing songs to your children which tell of God's love.
• Pray with each of your children, rehearsing God's love and your love for your child in your prayer.
• Tell your child in simple terms about God's love as described in His Word.
• Ask forgiveness of your child for something you have done which brought pain to him or her.
• Show unconditional love and acceptance of your child. Avoid conveying the message, "I will love you if . . . ."
• Plan ways for giving each of your children special opportunities to make their decisions to trust in Christ personally.

Relatives

• Pray regularly that relatives will accept the gospel.
• Work together as a family to prepare a list of specific efforts your family can make to lead unsaved relatives to Christ.
• Plan ways for making contact with each relative for whom the family is praying—by phone, by letter, by personal visit to give, first of all, an expression of your love and to share encouragement.

Friends and Neighbors

• During family worship relate what special opportunities for gospel sharing have occurred for each one during the day—in your family, at work, at school, in the neighborhood.
• Discuss as a family the prospective spiritual interest of individuals in work, neighborhood, school, family circles.
• Start a prayer list on which are the names of your 10 closest neighbors.
• During family worship talk about special ways of witnessing to the individuals on the prayer list.
• Encourage your children to do little errands of love and mercy for those less fortunate than themselves.
• Cooperate with your child in some task of Christian service to which their abilities, strengths and interests are suited and from which they will gain success and joy.

Spiritual Gifts

• Spend some family worship periods reading and studying the Bible texts on spiritual gifts—Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12, 13; Eph. 4. Discuss: How do these texts help us to identify our spiritual gifts?
• Read biographies of Presbyterian pioneers or other notable Christian leaders whose spirit of service and spiritual gifts will inspire and encourage your family.
• Think together, pray about and discover what each family member's talents and abilities are. Thank God together for these gifts and abilities of each one.
• The gifts that God has given your children may differ from yours as parents. Invite other Presbyterian Christian relatives or church members who may have spiritual gifts and abilities more nearly like those of your children to share their experiences to help provide models and examples for your children.
• Express appreciation in a special way for the unique talents, gifts and abilities of each one in your family, affirming the contribution each one makes to the smooth running of the family.
• Think and pray together about how the special abilities of father, mother, sister, brother or other household member could be used by God in the home, in the church, in mission work, and in the community.
• Recognizing personal talents and abilities, let each family member prepare a simple plan of one or two specific things he or she could do to witness for God. Small children may draw pictures depicting their contributions.
• Ask family members to share on a regular basis how God has prompted them to use their talents and abilities in their everyday activities. Have a “God Moments” sharing time at meals.

A Family Missionary Project

• Plan to involve the family's various talents in a special family mission project. Get suggestions from church leadership on projects that might be helped by your family's involvement.
• Tailor the family's involvement to accommodate various ages of family members, keeping an appropriate balance between the family's personal needs and the need to share with others. Strive toward an experience that has some measurable results and whereby all can feel a sense of success and fulfillment.
• Read the Bible or gospel literature to an elderly or visually impaired person.
• Pay a friendship visit to a shut-in.
• Do grocery shopping for a shut-in.
• Write a letter of encouragement to a bereaved, grieving or discouraged family.
• Visit someone who is sick.
• Provide a no-interest loan to a financially struggling family.
• Bake a loaf of bread for a homeless person.
• Prepare sandwiches for distribution to homeless individuals.
• Offer a food basket regularly to one or more families in need.
• Do grass-mowing, leaf-raking or other yard work for an elderly person.
• Provide once-a-week child care for a single parent.
• Sing or play musical instruments at a nursing home or retirement center.
• Give a few hours of service on occasion to families needing assistance in child care, home remodeling, financial management, etc.
• Give new or used clothing to persons in need or donate such items to an appropriate distribution center.
• Encourage friends & neighbors to read the Bible.
• Invite younger family members to share toys with children of needy families.
• Invite friends to a Christian meal assembly or cooking school.
• Invite one or two of your children's friends to church and a meal. Provide transportation if needed.
• Have a "help and bless" brainstorming session with your family. What act of Christian helpfulness might your family perform right now for some acquaintance in your extended family, your church, your neighborhood, your community?

The Art of bringing Christ to others

• Ask an individual successful in visitation to take your family, or members of your family, on a visitation excursion into your neighborhood. Allow this individual to coach you in appropriate manners, conversation and conduct of the visit.
• To provide an opportunity to become acquainted and begin to cultivate friendship, take a "Welcome to the Neighborhood" gift to a family just moving in.
• Take a "Congratulations on your new baby" gift to a family with a newborn.
• Take a "Congratulations on your wedding" gift to a newly wedded couple.
• Take an appropriate expression of sympathy to a family who has experienced some loss.
• Invite your neighbors to church programs, i.e. Vacation Bible School, holiday celebrations, socials, etc., so you will be prepared to invite them to evangelistic meetings and worship services.
• Take a gift of food to a neighbor. Allow your children to have a part in its preparation and its presentation.
• Give gifts that are tailored to perceived interests and tastes of your neighbors, perhaps a potted plant to a neighbor who likes plants, a stamp for a stamp collector, a recipe for one who enjoys cooking.
• Give gifts that will interest and delight your neighbor's children. Christian periodicals with stories, storybooks, or tapes, for example, are gifts that will be appreciated by both adults and children.
• Ask your neighbors for a favor. Show them that you need their friendship and help as a family. This will place you on common ground with them and open the doors for fellowship.
• When visiting homes of friends or acquaintances offer a humble prayer as you part company. Your prayer will be a powerful witness to your belief in God, His care, and the truth in which you believe.
• Invite other families, acquaintances of the family or those with whom you would like to become better acquainted, to your home for family worship. Make the service brief, interesting and full of life. Sing songs that can be easily sung and pray short, simple prayers. Choose cassettes for listening or readings tailored to the age and interest level of those present.
• Invite others to your home for a meal. Offer friendship and modeling about Christian values and healthful living through the meal which is served.
• Invite others to join you in a family outing or recreational activity that is typical of the wholesome times your family spends together.

Reaching Out to the World

• Learn the names and locations of missionaries from your locale or region that are serving in missions. Pray daily as a family for these missionaries.
• Obtain addresses and write regular letters of encouragement to foreign missionaries.
• Contact your pastor or church leadership about how to make contact with a pen pal from a foreign country. Have family members write to pen pals appropriate to their ages and share with the family what they learn about life in another country.
• Make a study as a family of one of the main world religions outside Christianity. Discuss creative ways Presbyterians might reach these groups with the good news about Jesus. What about their religious beliefs might make them open or closed to such good news?

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

Where have all the Christians Gone?

1 John 2:6 “Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did.”

If you look at statistics, over two billion people in the world identify themselves as Christians. That is quite a number. With such a high number of people calling themselves Christians, you would think that the world would be much different than it is now. You would think peace and love would reign supreme in the hearts of men.

Yet when we look around the world, we see injustice, hatred, immorality, and murder. We live in a world infected by the very opposite of what Christianity stands for. We may hear many people calling themselves Christians, but we see very few people walking as Jesus walked.

How did Jesus walk?

Jesus had a walk of forgiveness. When John and James wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village that wouldn’t receive them, Jesus rebuked them and said that he came to save lives, not destroy them. Even on the cross, Jesus asked his Father to forgive his murderers. Too many would rather hold a grudge against someone than forgive. How many people truly have a heart of forgiveness? Let’s ask for, and receive forgiveness today.

Jesus had a walk of compassion. If you look at Jesus’ ministry, much of it was spent ministering to the sick. When a leper came to him for healing, Jesus reached out with compassion and touched a man that others would shun. When people were hurting, Jesus wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. What about us? Are we willing to overcome fear and take the time to get out of our comfort zone and show compassion?

Jesus had a walk of sacrifice. People expected the Messiah to come as a conquering king. Instead he came as a suffering servant. He came to serve, not to be served. He lived his life sacrificing his time and energy for the benefit of others. Then he made the greatest sacrifice by dying on the cross to pay for our sins. Will we sacrifice our time, money and energy for others without thought of personal gain? Our Session spends a great deal of time dealing with the physical demands of our church because of limited resources. Give generously that they might focus on our spiritual needs and our mission in Christ and not the physical survival of the church.

Jesus had a walk of service. He could have come in awesome glory but He chose to be a living example to us. He did not live as the kings of this world. He lived as a simple man with simple needs. He lived among us and ate and slept and worked and taught and yes, He even partied with us. Jesus did not live a life of apathy or inactivity. No matter how lowly, irksome or arduous the task He served joyfully and fully. He did not say one thing and do another. He is faithful and trustworthy. He actively sought out those in need and did something about their need. He did not just talk about it, or read about it, He did it. He was the ultimate servant and the ultimate example of good. Through His work and sacrifice, He is our salvation. How have you served another for Christ today?

Do we want to call ourselves Christians? Then we are going to have to walk like Jesus. What have you done today to touch a heart or change a life? It can be something as small as a smile that brings joy to a broken heart or a kind uplifting word for your spouse, brother or sister. Do not be self seeking, be Christ seeking. None of us is perfect, but if each of us makes a conscious effort to do a little better everyday, we can make a difference and walk with Christ. Make the effort, build the Kingdom, just do it!

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

JULY 2, 2006 Message by the Mouse. IN GOD WE TRUST

In God we trust. Two days from today we will celebrate our Nation’s birthday. We celebrate the 4^th of this month because godly men and women 230 years ago trusted in God and created a nation
predicated on His truth. These people believed there was such a thing as right and wrong given to us by God through His Word. In fact they were willing to literally trust God with their lives, their fortunes, their homes, their families, they trusted all that they had, to something they could not feel,
see, touch, or smell. These were believers! When we read their letters to one another, their writings, their laws and convictions are all based on Christian principals. They did the right thing even when it wasn’t the socially, economically, or politically “correct” thing. This nation was crafted by a people who were willing to sacrifice everything to fight the evil of tyranny and religious persecution. People who resisted the vice of continuous compromise and absolute tolerance. These men and women stood up proudly for right, and by trusting in God to bless their journey they overcame incredible obstacles to create a new and different kind of nation. A nation based on the principals of freedom in Christ, equality of opportunity, service, duty to God, justice, the sovereignty of God over man and man’s institutions, a government focused on Old Testament covenant law and New Testament obedient love.

We are the inheritors of their sacrificial love and faithful trust. Our nation has been built on trust in God and the blood of patriots. As Presbyterians we have an unique perspective on the development of our nation and it’s governing institutions. Many of our nation’s greatest leaders were Presbyterian. John Witherspoon a Presbyterian minister of great influence and respect, as well as a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and president of the College of New Jersey which is today’s Princeton University, was teacher and theologian to many of our most influential founding fathers including John Henry, James Madison, Nathaniel Alexander, Morgan Lewis, Henry Lee and many others.

Presbyterian preachers, often called the “black robe regiment” by the British, were instrumental in whipping up the political and religious fury against an unjust government. Although many never fired a shot, these preachers were among the most hated and sought after by the British Crown and paid a terrible price for their courage. There was certainly no separation of church and state in the days of the revolution or during the creation and signing of the constitution or the bill of rights. These people believed that a government could only be just, if it got its powers from God through the people, and that people were inherently fallen needing multiple checks and balances to protect them from themselves. They believed that the rights of any government were UNDER GOD and that no government could place itself above God's Law. The War for Independence was a revolution against the tyrannies of a man centered government. They sacrificed comfort and security for the freedom of worship, liberty, life, and pursuit of happiness.

Today, as we live each day of our journey in Christ may we look back on the courage of our forefathers and fight for right in our daily lives. May we strive to put Christ first no matter the cost. May we be modern day revolutionaries that do our best to fight the evils of the world, politically, economically, socially, and spiritually. May we be unwilling to compromise our Christian values for the physical or emotional comforts of secular humanism. May we speak out boldly for right and serve with distinction in all our endeavors so that we may be the light of Christ in a dark and dangerous world. Let us pray.

A Prayer for the Nation

We hold these truths to be self evident that
all men are created equal.
That they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienable rights,
that among these are
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,

All glory, honor and praise belong to You alone.
Our forefathers established this country upon
religious freedom, Biblical principles,
Your Holy righteous standard and Law.
Humbly now we come to ask Your forgiveness.
We have denied many Life and Liberty as we have selfishly pursued our
happiness.

We have abandoned Your Truth
in radical compromise and total toleration
thinking that that is how to best express
mercy, love and compassion.

We have refused to permit our children
to seek your guidance through public prayer.

We have denied them the blessing of knowing Your standard removing the
Ten Commandments from their sight.
In the arrogance of our own accomplishment,
we have forgotten true wisdom.

Now, we return to Your Word and its promise
as we humbly bow before You
asking that You heal this land.
Give us your wisdom Lord,
Let this nation never forget that it is
“In God We Trust.”

Sustain us by Your grace and help us to remain
“one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.”
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen

INVESTING WHAT GOD ENTRUSTS TO YOU

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. ¹⁷So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

¹⁹“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’

²²“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

²³“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!’

²⁴“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

²⁶“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸“ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

MATTHEW 25:14-30

I had just finished a consulting job in Georgia when I returned to my room, I heard a loud knock at my door.

It was my friend David. I couldn't believe it. Dave had driven 2 hours from Atlanta and tracked me down with help from my wife Kathy back home in Iowa. "I knew I could find you," he said with a big bear hug. "I heard you were in the area and just had to see you." We had dinner, talked about airplanes, and life and laughed for a couple of hours. Then Dave had to drive home. He had an early morning appointment.

Few actions speak more loudly about the value of a good friend than making time. Friendships today are withering and dying because few people are taking the time required to keep them alive. Friends forget to phone, fail to write, ignore important events, stand each other up, and let each other down. Some blame busy schedules, pressing deadlines, or geographical distance for a failing friendship.

But most suffer from the ailments of neglect or over commitment to too many things. Do you cultivate your friendship with God? Do you invest in those things of real and lasting value? God, Family, Friends?

Give God your time, build your relationship with Him, He is your best friend. Also, touch another life to bring the joy of Christ to them. Show others through your actions that you are a true brother or sister in Christ. Really Love them! Invest your time in the relationships that express Christ to the lives you touch. Remember one of the best ways to spell Love is T-I-M-E.

Love one Another,

The Church Mouse

Surviving or Living Life?

Hebrews 10:24-25 Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and hold each other accountable in Christ…

Have you ever met an isolationist Christian? Someone who believes they are “better” Christians at home than they are in a church community. People who have been hurt or see the church as hypocritical, saying one thing but doing the opposite. I can certainly identify with them. In fact, for many years I was one.

The popular singing duo, Simon and Garfunkel, had a song early in their career that makes a big deal of individuality and an exaggerated fear of relationships. In this song the singer talks about being a fortress unto himself, disdaining love and laughter, and having no need for friendship. Hiding away in his room with his books and poetry to protect him, he isolates himself from all human relationships because he has identified those relationships as the cause of all his emotional pain. He is a rock and an island—alone to himself in the world. I once identified a lot with this song. But Isolation is a dry husk of life compared to live Christian relationships.

The church is made up of people and people can be hypocritical, cruel and thoughtless. However, they can also be encouraging, supportive, caring and provide a means for God to touch our lives and the lives of others. Relationships give us the opportunity to experience the love of God first hand. They also come with a cost, as all things of true value do.

It is understandable that in protecting ourselves we might identify with a song that hinges on the words: “If I never loved I never would have cried.” I think we can all understand these feelings having been hurt by relationships and finding, even for a short time, a certain consolation in being alone. But I think we also would agree that isolation is never a long term answer to this kind of pain. Isolation avoids the pain but also avoids the joy. To love anyone is to be vulnerable and open to being hurt but it is also the essence of God and the difference between merely surviving day to day and being fully ALIVE. Love and pain go together, and the only true answer to this dilemma is to willingly acknowledge and welcome them both.

Love costs. Think of what Christ paid when he embraced us. Think of the pain the Son of Man endured in loving a lost and wayward humanity. Love is never without pain. When you sign on to a human relationship you sign on to being hurt. Count on it. We all hurt one another, but it is also within our power to repent of the deeds and to forgive. We have it within us to create great joy in relationships as well as great pain.

C.S. Lewis once wrote about a place where one can be free from the “perturbations” of love. (Perturbation, by the way, is the state of being troubled, anxious or concerned.) That place is one’s coffin. I can’t argue with that. So Simon and Garfunkel and C.S. Lewis agree: There is a place you can be safe from the painful aspects of being in relationship with others, but who wants it?

What would make Christ go through what He went through for us? Love and all the rewards it brings in warmth, companionship, fellowship and joy. Nothing brings more meaning to life than love. True love is what God is, and what we were made to know with Him and with each other. Because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, the pain of love will one day be gone. And even now, in Christian relationships within His church, we can experience His victory.

So what will it be? The high cost and vulnerability of love, or the lifeless loneliness of isolation? A rock feels no pain, and an island never cries. But a son, daughter, brother or sister in Christ can directly experience a Godly relationship in worship, mission, ministry, compassionate concern, and support from the family of God. We are a family, with all the faults that entails. We may not be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but we are working TOGETHER towards the goal of sanctification.

Love one another,

The Church Mouse

Thank You!

1Thessalonians 5:12-13: "And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you. Along with your obedience, overwhelm them with appreciation and love"

God’s Word calls us to support our Clergy and those charged with our leadership in the faith. October is Clergy Appreciation Month (CAM) and the perfect time to commit to ongoing prayer for and encouraging our Leadership and our Pastor on a regular basis. Clergy Appreciation Day is the 2^nd Sunday in October.

Why not consider October a time to initiate or reciprocate appreciation for those who faithfully share the ministry of Christ with you?

Church leaders and their families live under incredible pressures. Their lives are played out in a fishbowl, with the entire congregation and community watching their every move. They are expected to have ideal families, to be perfect people, to always be available, to never be down and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives stable and moving forward. Those are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are disappointed when a pastor or other church leader becomes overwhelmed, seems depressed, lets us down or completely burns out.

That's why God has instructed us to recognize His servants. The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching" (1 Timothy 5:17).

The good news is that we can make a difference! Clergy Appreciation Month is one way we can counter the negative erosion in the lives of our spiritual leaders with the positive affirmation they need.

What do we do?

Figure out what you can do personally, don’t wait for someone else to tell you what to do to recognize and honor these leaders and their families. Praise their work, send a simple card, an invitation to lunch, a promise to pray for them, or an offer to baby-sit, wash a car or mow a lawn, a surprise vacation, a financial gift to their ministry, give them your testimony of how they have influenced your growth as a Christian, be creative, but make sure they know how much their service means to you.

"How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?" I Thessalonians 3:9

Love One Another,

The Church Mouse

A Successful Christian

Blessed are people of integrity who walk in the way of God’s revealed will.

Blessed are they who keep His testimonies, and who seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with their whole heart. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. (Psalm 119:1-3)

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with the knowledge that I am often a poor Christian. It’s not that I don’t know what I should do; it is that I have trouble actually doing it, successfully, consistently, minute to minute, hour after hour, day after day. If you feel that way, we are not alone, Peter, James, John, Paul and many other biblical persons had similar problems (Matthew 26:36-46; Romans 7:14-25).

We all want to do our best and be on the winning team. So, what does it mean to be successful in the Christian context?

Just about every worldly measure of success is tied to material, social or physical gain of some kind. On how much money you make, the kind of house you live in, the car you drive, the power or significance of your job, the winning of state and national contests, and the list goes on. But it doesn’t stop there. Because of this unending focus on winning at any cost we convey these same ideals to our children in the sports they play, in the recreational activities they compete in, and even in the musical and academic contests they enter.

We are a win at any cost society. We are more focused on the success of the endeavor than on the significance of our character when doing it. Doing great things based on secular values is what we prioritize. We reward the star athlete or movie diva, singing star or politician, regardless of their failings in character.

What has happened to the Godly values of Wisdom, Humility, Perseverance, Thankfulness, Faithfulness, Obedience, Generosity, Kindness, Courage, Gentleness, and Love? We give lip service to these ideals but do we apply them in our lives? Do we hold ourselves and others accountable to these ideals? Are we truly on the road to sanctification? (Becoming like Christ)

So what does this have to do with being a successful Christian? Well, let’s take a look at what the bible says about:

Wisdom: Proverbs 2:6; James 1:5; Col 2:2-23; Proverbs 18:4; Proverbs 29; Proverbs 4:7
Humility: Micah 6:8; Psalm 25:9; 1 Peter 5:5,6; Luke 18:14; Jeremiah 9:23,24
Perseverance: 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 10:36; James 1:2-4
Thankfulness: Psalm 136:1; Isaiah 63:7; Ephesians 5:20; Psalm 68:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Faithfulness: 1 Peter 4:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Luke 16:10; Proverbs 28:20
Obedience: 1 Samuel 15:22; Romans 6:16; Colossians 3:20,22; Hebrews 13:17
Generosity: Matthew 6:3; II Corinthians 9:6,7; 1 John 3:17; Luke 3:11; Matthew 25:40
Kindness: Colossians 3:12; Philippians 2:4; Romans 12:15; Matthew 25:40; Ephesians 4:32
Courage: Psalm 27:1; Psalm 31:24; Proverbs 29:25; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Philippians 4:13
Honesty: Ephesians 4:25; Psalm 15:1-3; Exodus 20:16; Proverbs 6:12; Proverbs 6:19
Love: John 13:34,35; John 15:13; Ephesians 5:1,2; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:18; John 3:16

The bible is filled with acts of character, of people doing the right thing even when they are persecuted, reviled, hated or even killed. Even when no one else (but God) would ever know of what they did, they did the right thing, the Godly thing. These ideals are key to true Christian faith. As James said, “Faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:14) If we are to be successful Christians, we must have Faith and Deeds to be on the winning team. What do we mean when we say “I believe in Jesus Christ”? Even Satan believes in Jesus, in fact he and his demons know Christ well. Are we weak and simple believers or are we convicted by our faith? Is our faith the kind that is steadfast and faithful, that prompts us to deeds of character and to value God’s Word? Or is it the kind that disappears when tempted by worldly success or secular priorities. Who are we? What do we value?

We have a great responsibility. People young and old watch what we do. Rightly or wrongly, people measure Christ and all Christians by what they see in you. It isn’t what we say that persuades people, it is the example that we live that influences those around us. God grant that we may redouble our efforts to be Successful in Christ, to be a faithful light to the world.

In Faith, Hope, and Love,

The Church Mouse